Is the Roman Catholic Church the first church?

from the old testament

• The formation of the church is not found in the Old Testament.

from the new testament

• The church is not a building or an organization. It is the universal collection of all believers. It is referred to as the “body of Christ” (i.e., Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 12:27).
• The church began when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples shortly after Jesus returned to heaven (Acts 2:1–4) and the first people were saved (Acts 2:41–47). In that sense, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) cannot be the first church. However, any true believers within the RCC would be a part of the true church.
• The early church was not led by a single leader. Instead, the office of “pope” does not exist in Scripture. Likewise, the word “bishop” is used interchangeably with “pastor” and “elder” (i.e., Acts 20:17, 28: Titus 1:5–7; 1 Peter 5:1–2), meaning that even “bishop” was never intended to be a special office.
• As people became Christians in different cities, local churches began to form. The church was still not the building but the local collection of believers in that region. Within those local expressions of the church were a plurality of elder leaders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). The implication was that the churches were largely self-governing with multiple leaders to care for doctrine and the maturity of the believers. The head of the church was not a pope but Christ Himself (Colossians 1:18).
• In contrast to Scripture’s office of elder-pastor-bishop, the RCC claims the office of pope, saying that one man leads all of the local churches. They make that claim based on Matthew 16:15–18. Their interpretation of this passage is that Jesus was saying He would build His church upon Peter. Calling him the first Pope, they then argue that his office has been passed along throughout history, from man to man. Because of this, and Matthew 16:19, they have argued that they have a special authority to define and set doctrine for the rest of Christendom.
• However, Matthew 16 doesn’t teach papal succession. Rather, Jesus is praising Peter’s confession, saying that upon that (“Jesus as Lord,” see Romans 10:9–10) He will build His church. For two thousand years, Jesus’ church has grown each time someone has been saved, becoming another member of the body of Christ.

implications for today

How did RCC get to the point of making such a strong claim of preeminence? It was the result of slow, gradual changes in both church governance and political forces. In the second century, there was concern about having a single leader over a region of churches to ensure they all remained faithful. At that time the office “bishop” began to separate from meaning the same thing as elder and pastor, with “bishops” placed over regions.

By the fourth century, many churches had specific bishops who were beginning to gain authority over the other bishops. The key cities for these men were Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. Additionally, whereas in the first three centuries Christians were persecuted by the state, in the fourth century, Constantine legalized Christianity. That led to Christian leaders becoming more powerful and influential over the government.

When the Roman Empire came under attack, it was a Christian leader from Rome, Pope Leo I, who negotiated with the enemy, led by Attila the Hun. That resulted in Rome’s papal influence in the government growing even further. After the Western Roman Empire finally fell and Rome became detached from other major Christian centers, the Roman Papacy began to view itself as superior to other Christian leaders and to consolidate power under one man.

Over the centuries, doctrines such as Peter as the first Pope, Papal infallibility, and the RCC as the only true church were developed. Thus, RCC’s claims to be the first and only true church reflected later theological developments and cannot be supported by early church history.

Although the RCC is not the first true church, true Christians may be within that organization. Anyone who holds to the biblical gospel of faith in Jesus is part of the body of Christ and, thus, a part of the church. What matters is faithfulness, not pedigree. In Revelation, Jesus spoke of being ready to take the title “church” away from cities where faithfulness has vanished (Revelation 2:5; Revelation 3:16). They existed before the churches in Rome, yet being “first” didn’t mean anything. Jesus demands that His people be faithful.

We must find and be part  of a local church whose “claim to fame” is that it’s trying its best to be faithful. No church will be perfect. But run from any church that claims that its “bloodline” of tradition is what makes it a church! Tradition doesn’t always mean soundness.