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Since you refuse to address my points, let me ask again: if even you admit that God "uses" us to proclaim His Gospel, what is here to stop His using us for other aspects of His designs? Indeed, why does He hide Himself from us, with regard to directly exercising His authority? Why does He use intermediaries in formulating His Scripture (as even you acknowledge)? Why do you refuse to see (yes, I mean that) that He can, as an omnipotent, omniscient God, delegate His own authority as he sees fit to mere men, when it is beyond dispute that He at least did just that with the Apostles in general and Peter in particular? Why are we here to exercise our free will in formulating right judgment and actions through His grace? If we are as powerless as your post that prompted my comments would seem to imply, isn't our very existence here just a charade, leading to the damnation or salvation of each one of us on little more than His whim? Is there, in fact, a true purpose to our being here? I'd like a careful answer to these questions, rather than just "blah, blah, blah."

Another question: if RCC dogma "bores" you so much, why do you seem to spend such an inordinate time reading-up on it from the works of Spurgeon, et al? It seems to me that it would be a far better thing to read about what Catholicism teaches and believes about itself from its own sources, but, since you say you are "bored" by the whole idea, why read about it at all, from any source? Yet, undoubtedly, you do. Just wondering...

The questions you ask reveal a predetermined position that God is weak and needful of sinful people - of which ALL popes and bishops and the virgin Mary are counted as members. You ask me to explain why God does this or that? It’s a fools errand to put words in the Lord’s mouth - which is the job of the RCC and its Magisterium. The Apostles - of which Peter was not the leader, much less a pope - were of that time for the purpose of establishing the church. Contrary to the RCC and the non-RCC New Apostolic Reformation, there’s not a scrap of Scripture that supports the notion that the office of Apostle was used or meant to be one of multiple church rulership or authoritarian exercise.

People are not powerless - they are powerless to save themselves or others, but not powerless in other things. The Scripture is explicit regarding the sovereignty of God and we must, therefore, determine that’s man’s “free will” is something less.

Saints are chosen by God, saved by God, and kept until the day of judgment by God. The whim of God is greater than the grandest designs of men - the Bible puts it like this, in 1 Cor 1:20 - 25 “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Our purpose, speaking of Christians, is to glorify God. We do this by our “good works” - which the Spirit leads us unto after we have been born again. For all deeds done “in the flesh” (before spiritual birth) are sin.