Answers Lesson 18 - Question 35 & 36

The sermon centers on a biblical examination of the papacy, challenging the Roman Catholic claim that Peter was the first pope and the foundation of the church. Through a series of scriptural arguments, it demonstrates that Paul, not Peter, was the true apostle to the Gentiles, bore the care of all churches, was never rebuked by Christ as Peter was, and authored the majority of New Testament writings directed to Gentile believers. The sermon refutes the idea of papal authority by showing that the term 'Holy Father' appears only once in Scripture—referring to God the Father—and that the office of pope is not found in the New Testament. It further argues that Peter's role in opening the gospel to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a divinely orchestrated act, not a basis for a perpetual papal succession. Ultimately, the sermon affirms that the keys of the kingdom were given to Peter as a steward of divine revelation, not as a claim to infallible authority, and that salvation is available to all through faith in Christ, not through any human intermediary.