Is the Roman Catholic Church the mother church?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Roman Catholics claim their church was the first, the original, the oldest, and the "mother" or originator of all other churches. Sometimes the Roman Catholics use the Latin phrase "Sancta Mater Ecclesia" or "Holy Mother Church" to describe their church and identify other churches and denominations, including Protestant expressions, as having "strayed" and needing to return "home" to the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church claims their origin and authority on Peter, whom they assert was the first pope, but the Bible shows that the true foundation of God’s church is Christ and the faith of His followers, not any human leader (1 Corinthians 1:12-17, 3:11) . The authority of the church rests on Christ alone, not on a pope or earthly headquarters (Matthew 28:18; Colossians 1:18). Historically, the Roman Catholic Church as an organized institution arose centuries after the apostles, and no biblical evidence supports papal authority, veneration of Mary, or infant baptism (Luke 1:47; Romans 3:23; Acts 2:38). Ultimately, the church is the collective of all who trust in Christ, and its Head is Christ Himself, who sustains and protects His people through faith, not through any human office or denomination (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Peter 1:5).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God’s covenant people, Israel, are the foundation through which God’s plan unfolds. For example, God calls Israel His “firstborn” and a “light for the nations” (Exodus 4:22; Isaiah 49:6). God’s “church” is ultimately defined by His covenant and obedience to Him, not by a particular denomination or earthly headquarters.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Catholics teach that Roman Catholicism is the original expression of Christianity. They draw from Matthew 16:17-19 when Jesus appointed Peter as His representative (vicar) over the church. Jesus described Peter as "rock" and Catholics proclaim him as the first pope. However, Protestants interpret Matthew 16:17-19 to mean that the “rock” on which Christ builds His church is Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah, not Peter himself. Peter was an important leader in the early church, but the authority of the church rests on Christ alone, not on any human pope or office.
• Matthew 16:17-19, contains an element of wordplay. Peter's name in Greek is Petros, meaning “a stone,” while the word Jesus uses for the foundation is petra, meaning “rock” in the sense of a solid substance. Jesus does not say, “You are Petros, and on this Petros I will build…” nor “You are petra, and on this petra I will build.” Rather, He says, “You are Petros [a stone], and on this petra [rock] I will build my church.” The rock on which God establishes His church is Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
• Peter became the leader of the disciples and the first spokesman for Christ in the early church. Under the Holy Spirit, he preaches the sermon at Pentecost, leading three thousand people to faith in a single day (Acts 2). Yet Peter was far from infallible; his faith faltered before Christ’s death and resurrection (Matthew 16:23; Luke 22:54-62) and later during the apostles’ ministry (Galatians 2:11-14).
• The church—the collective of all who come to faith in Christ—exists because of the central truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. This truth, not any human leader, keeps the gates of hell from prevailing against God’s people. Peter plays a vital role temporarily, but eventually fades from the story of the church’s beginnings after Acts 16. Ultimately, the foundation of God’s new covenant rests not on any fallible person or office but on the hearts and minds of each believer (Hebrews 8:6-13).
• Christ is the true cornerstone of the Church (1 Corinthians 3:11) and all believers share in His authority through faith, not through a human office.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

In literature, the Roman Catholic Church is referred to as the Holy Mother Church in Cervantes' Don Quixote (Chapter XXVII), Scott's Ivanhoe(Chapter II), Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Chapter XXV), Shakespeare's King John (Act III, Scene 1), and others works.

Catholics also use the term “mother church” as a one of endearment. The Church nurtures, guides, protects, and cares for the family of God. Catholics honor their spiritual "mother" as children are admonished to do with their earthly mothers in Ephesians 6:2. In a similar way to the Catholic view of Mary as the Theotókos or "God-bearer," they see the "mother church" as a "God-bearer" or the way in which God reveals Himself today.

Historically, however, the Roman Catholic Church began in the fourth century during the reign of Emperor Constantine. The Pope didn't begin to identify himself with that title until Siricius, the bishop of Rome, did in the fourth century. Also, we don't know historically that Peter was ever in Rome and there is nothing to indicate he ever claimed authority over other apostles.

Acts and the New Testament epistles describe the establishment of the church. There is no mention of priests (except in reference to all believers), cardinals, or popes. Mary is not deified or prayed to, and saints are not venerated. We have no biblical evidence of infant baptism. The theology of the Lord's Supper being literally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus is not rooted in the Bible. Therefore, the Catholic Church should not be considered the mother church.

UNDERSTAND

• Christ and the faith of His followers, not any human, are the true foundation of God’s church.
• The Roman Catholic Church says it is the mother church, but it arose centuries after the apostles.
• The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the mother church based on Peter being the “rock,” but the “rock” is faith in Christ and nowhere does the Bible make Peter the pope of the church.

REFLECT

• How does understanding that Christ, not any human leader, is the true foundation of the church affect the way you view your faith and the community of believers?
• How does it impact your decisions and life that Christ is the rock of the church and of our lives?
• How might focusing on your personal faith in Christ, rather than human offices, change how you live out your beliefs?

ENGAGE

• What does Matthew 16:17-19 reveal about the foundation of the church, and how can we as Protestants address the Catholic view?
• How does acknowledging Christ as the cornerstone unify all believers despite different denominations?
• How can we unite as the church while avoiding elevating human leaders or institutions above Christ?