Matthew 28:
16 Now the
eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Verse 16 does not say "all believers". It was the Apostles. Period. That is who Jesus is talking to. In verse 19, it says "...go therefore..." therefore what? It must have something to do with authority. It is a unitive statement, or Jesus would have said, "“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me BUT make disciples of all nations..." which is how some read it. Clearly, Jesus is granting HIS AUTHORITY to the Apostles.
Furthermore, it would be impossible for 11 men to literally "teach all nations" without jets and helicopters. Logically, Jesus is also talking to the successors of the Apostles or Jesus is issuing an impossible directive.
When Jesus says, "I am with YOU always..." Who is "you" in this context?
AUTHORITY:
Matt. 16:19 - for Jesus to give Peter and the apostles, mere human beings, the authority to bind in heaven what they bound on earth requires infallibility. This is a gift of the Holy Spirit and has nothing to do with the holiness of the person receiving the gift.
Matt. 18:17-18 - the Church (not Scripture) is the final authority on questions of the faith. This demands infallibility when teaching the faith. She must be prevented from teaching error in order to lead her members to the fullness of salvation.
Matt. 28:20 - Jesus promises that He will be with the Church always. Jesus' presence in the Church assures infallible teaching on faith and morals. With Jesus present, we can never be deceived.
Mark 8:33 - non-Catholics sometimes use this verse to down play Peter's authority. This does not make sense. In this verse, Jesus rebukes Peter to show the import of His Messianic role as the Savior of humanity. Moreover, at this point, Peter was not yet the Pope with the keys, and Jesus did not rebuke Peter for his teaching. Jesus rebuked Peter for his lack of understanding.
Luke 10:16 - whoever hears you, hears me. Whoever rejects you, rejects me. Jesus is very clear that the bishops of the Church speak with Christ's infallible authority.
Luke 22:32 - Jesus prays for Peter, that his faith may not fail. Jesus' PRAYER for Peter's faith is perfectly efficacious, and this allows Peter to teach the faith without error (which means infallibly).
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