Who is the vicar of Christ

[theBIBLICALdude]

Taken from:
http://matthew18twenty.com/viewtopic.php?f=167&t=382


As the title of the post suggests, I ask the question here on this forum of just who is the vicar of Chriat is. Now most of you reading this will immediately say "There is no vicar of Christ" as that is what the Roman Catholic Church teaches the office of the Pope is. If you are a Roman Catholic you might be saying that yes the Catholic Church teaches that the true vicar of Christ is the Pope, however I must disagree and I will show anyone reading this, God willing, just what scripture says the vicar of Christ really is. But before we do that let's see what a vicar is.

vic·ar [vik-er]
–noun
1. Church of England.
a. a person acting as priest of a parish in place of the rector, or as representative of a religious community to which tithes belong.
b. the priest of a parish the tithes of which are impropriated and who receives only the smaller tithes or a salary.
2. Protestant Episcopal Church.
a. a member of the clergy whose sole or chief charge is a chapel dependent on the church of a parish.
b. a bishop's assistant in charge of a church or mission.
3. Roman Catholic Church. an ecclesiastic representing the pope or a bishop.
4. a person who acts in place of another; substitute.
5. a person who is authorized to perform the functions of another; deputy: God's vicar on earth.
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME < AF vicare; OF vicaire < L vicārius a substitute, n. use of adj.; see vicarious]

—Related forms
vic·ar·ship, noun

Source: 
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

Ok so we see basically that it is a person that acts "in place of" another so when we use the term vicar of Christ what we are really saying is "in place of" Christ. So what does the Roman Catholic Church say that vicar of Christ is?

Taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful."402 "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered." http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p4.htm

Interesting is it not? So when Christ went away (ascended) he left behind the office of the pope? I am sure I must have over read that part of scripture and this is why I have been so wrong as to call the office of the pope the Antichrist mentioned in scripture. And next I will explain how pigs can actually fly. Seriously what does scripture actuall teach concerning this subject. Turn to John 14 and read verse 16.

(KJV) John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
(KJV) John 14:17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Is this the pope? No this comforter who came after Christ is the Holy Spirit. And let's look at the official job of the Holy Spirt.

(KJV) John 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

So we see that the Holy Spirit will come and dwell in us and teach us all things. So where is there any description of any pope here? There isn't! The true teacher and "replacement" for Christ on earth if you will is the Holy Spirit not the pope. Says it right there is scripture. You can see from tenwrifings of the Catholic Church that all powers unto the church is given to man, whereas it should belong to the Lord Jesus as scripture calls Christ the head of the Church and a body can't have two heads can it?

(KJV) Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Point made and scripture backs it as plain as day. So if you believe me wrong please seek this out in scripture, ask the Father in the name of the Son to reveal it to you and see if what I say is so.

* Note:

I am not saying that the vicar or title vicar is listed anywhere in scripture and in fact I don't really like the word, I am just using it to relate to any Catholics that may read this.

[Psalm 51:17]

Why a growing number of pastors and churches(yes, including Baptist ones) don't expose this nowdays is beyond me.

As a matter of fact, numerous pastors I've crossed paths with over my lifetime have PRAISED John Paul II. Seriously, it's right there in the book of John, the same one these pastors say we should use first and foremost to witness to unbelievers. I'm shocked.

[theBIBLICALdude]

Why a growing number of pastors and churches(yes, including Baptist ones) don't expose this nowdays is beyond me.

As a matter of fact, numerous pastors I've crossed paths with over my lifetime have PRAISED John Paul II. Seriously, it's right there in the book of John, the same one these pastors say we should use first and foremost to witness to unbelievers. I'm shocked.

For one of two reasons:

They don't want to offend people. (IMO, if people are offended at an open rebuke, then I can honestly say that they are offended at scripture, not me, as Christ said the world hated him before they hate me.

For two, they don't know scripture. That being said how many times have you heard "Oh they are our Christian brethren and just believe different things." There is one God, one Salvation, and only ONE GOSPEL and anything that adds to or takes away from is heresy and is an abomination to God. Christians are very cautious in exposing heresy now because everyone has their own views and everyone can prove their own views through scripture. You know back in my early days when me and weed were best friends, smoke smoke, pass pass , I could show you in scripture where God was ok with people that smoked weed. Anything can be shown to be allowable in scripture, problem is context, context, context. As in everyone having their own interpretation of scripture when someone comes along with the truth of the Gospel, and 3 out of 5 people disagree, the statement then is you can't prove no more than I can and blah blah blah. People can use the scriptures to justify violence, multiple wives, anything that a person can prove by twisting scripture and will always point to the passages that they use and nothing you or I can say will change that. However we can plant the seed of truth and then perhaps comeback and water it or another does and the God will give the increase. Amen.

So overall the Holy spirit shows or does not show. And that will depend on your own individual walk with Christ.

Getting back on topic, I think it is a poor testimony to the average Christian who does not call sin- sin, does not rebuke evil, does not take any stand for the Gospel of Christ, and bends over and lets the world join in with their thinking. It is a shame that being luke warm is more natural than ever, and if you are not luke warm then many times you are shunned as an outcast and judgmental. Not so, scripture will always reveal the fault in man, and when we compare things with scripture, it is scripture that will define what is true and what is not, and the holy spirit will show it in the end.