I said that Catholics derive their teaching from Scripture, not only from Scripture. The fact that there are some teachings that flow from an Apostolic Tradition outside of Scripture does not negate the fact that the great majority of Catholic teaching is derived from Scripture. Some here often imply that Catholic teaching has no connection with Scripture when what we are really disputing it the interpretation of Scripture.
Maybe you could show us any positive comments from scripture about a “vicar” or “substitute” of Christ.
"Substitute" of Christ is a clever but misleading translation of Vicarius Christi. No Catholic believes that the pope is a substitute for Christ. Vicarius (vicar) is the office of a subordinate who exercises the authority in behalf and in the name of his superior. As to the Scriptural basis for the office of the Vicar of Christ:
Jesus said to [Simon Peter] in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood* has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”The mention of the "keys to the kingdom of heaven" is a reference to Isaiah:
(Matt 16:17-19)
Thus says the Lord, the GOD of hosts: Up, go to that official, Shebna, master of the palace, “What have you here? Whom have you here, that you have hewn for yourself a tomb here, Hewing a tomb on high, carving a resting place in the rock?” The LORD shall hurl you down headlong, mortal man! He shall grip you firmly, And roll you up and toss you like a ball into a broad land. There you will die, there with the chariots you glory in, you disgrace to your master’s house! I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station.The keys are the symbol of the office of Master of the Palace, i.e. the one who exercises the royal authority on behalf and in the name of the king. The name we give to this office is not important. It could be translated by various terms: prime minister, chancellor, vizier, delegate, viceroy, etc. It ancient Rome the equivalent term was vicarius (vicar). Thus the Petrine office of Vicar of Christ is indeed found in Scripture.On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, gird him with your sash, confer on him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open. I will fix him as a peg in a firm place, a seat of honor for his ancestral house; On him shall hang all the glory of his ancestral house: descendants and offspring, all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs.
(Isaiah 22:15-24)
Now I do not want to be sidetracked by discussion of whether this is the correct interpretation of Scripture. I would like to keep the discussion limited to the topic of this thread: Church infallibility. I am sure that you would take exception to this interpretation of Scripture but note that we would be debating the interpretation of Scripture not whether one is following Scripture versus anti-Scriptural human traditions. You can argue that Catholics are wrong in their understanding but it must be admitted that Catholics honestly believe that the concept of the pope as the Vicar of Christ is derived from Scripture.
How about we look at what Peter had said just previous to that verse.
Matthew 16: 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus was referring back to Peter’s attestation the Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Now let’s look at who that Rock is.
Deut. 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
2 Sam. 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
Psalm 18:31, "And who is a rock, except our God."
Isaiah 44:8, "Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none."
Rom. 9:33, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."
1 Cor. 3:11, "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,"
1 Cor. 10:4, "and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock (petras) which followed them; and the rock (petra) was Christ."
1 Pet. 2:8, speaking of Jesus says that he is "A stone of stumbling and a rock (petra) of offense"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed."
1 Peter 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
As God has stated. He is the Rock and He knows of not other.
>> I would like to keep the discussion limited to the topic of this thread: Church infallibility.<<
All right. Then how about we look at who has Christ “in them”.
» John 17:23: Christ Himself prays to His Father: "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one."
» Romans 8:10: Paul tells us, "If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin."
» Galatians 2:20: Paul speaks of himself and all true Christians: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."
» Ephesians 3:17-18: Referring to the "inner man," Paul mentions that he prays "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."
» I John 3:24: John writes: "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us."
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
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.
Acts 15:8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts.
Yet the RCC would have you believe that only the “magesterium” has the ability to be led by the Spirit of God.
****Now I do not want to be sidetracked by discussion of whether this is the correct interpretation of Scripture. I would like to keep the discussion limited to the topic of this thread: Church infallibility*****
Good luck with that.
These threads are usually a pathetic version of Ground Hog Day in which the same distractions are used especially when one has adequately refuted their errors. They just move on to the next one on the list.