boatbums:
I was using that sarcastically. Of course I don’t think Saint Paul disobeyed, I think the NT writers understood the context of how Christ was using the term Father and when they used it, they were using it in a context that in no way detracted from God as the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth.
My point is that if Saint Paul and Saint John used the term father to describe themselves and to other men who were pastoring churches, then it is the FR Protestants on this board who are wrong with the charge that Catholics are violating Christ direct command. As I have explained in earlier post, Catholics use the terms Pope and Father with respect to clergy in the context of patriarchal fatherhood and spiritual fatherhood consistent with that usage of the term throughout the New Testament.
In context, the passage was dealing with titles given to religious leaders.
Jesus’ command was to call no man father. There’s a difference between Paul referring to himself as a spiritual father to those he led to Christ and demanding that they address him by the title of *Father*.
We are not to assign the title *Father* to those in spiritual authority over us, or to religious leaders. And *father* is not the only title Jesus forbids us to use.
However, it is the only command of Jesus in that passage that people seem to feel free to flagrantly disregard and excuse their disobedience away.
Well, then, why did you say he did?
Here in post 464, not only do you claim he did, but you went to the effort to prove it as well.
Your credibility takes a real hit when you post such obviously contradictory statements.
So what do you really believe? Nobody can tell because you are contradicting yourself.