So you believe that there are many portions of scripture that only pertain to the bishops and popes, but not your average believer?

PS - Fair enough, chat with you later.

Yes there are definitely some passages that pertain only to St.Peter (Christ's first Vicar or head of His Church and his successors) and some that pertain to only ST.Peter and the Apostles (and their successors..bishops).

St.Matt. 16:18-19 and St.John 21:14-17 come to mind.  In St.Matt., Christ promised Peter the primacy of jurisdiction over His whole Church. This supreme authority is given to Peter for the benefit of the Church. Becasue the Church has to last until the end of the world, this authority will be passed on to Peter's successors down through history. The Bishop of Rome, the Pope is the successor of Peter.     

And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. 19  And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Through the nouns and pronouns, we see these passages pertain only to Peter. When Christ says to Peter, "you are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my Church..", He promises that Peter is to be the natural foundation of His Church after His death.  Christ remains the Eternal Rock by His own power and authority, and for this reason Peter is not His successor, but His Vicar on earth.  

The second metaphor of the keys there is signified that supreme ecclesiastical power is promised only to Peter who will become His Vicar. 

Under the third metaphor his two-fold power of binding and loosening, supreme ruling authority is indicated.  

And in St.John, After Jesus' Death and Resurrection, Our Lord conferred the primacy upon Peter alone the jurisdiction of supreme pastor, shepherd and rector over His entire Fold (Church).  

This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead. [15] When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs.

[16] He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. [17] He said to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my sheep. [18] Amen, amen I say to thee, when thou wast younger, thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouldst. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not. [19] And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had said this, he saith to him: Follow me. 

To feed my sheep, is the same as to rule church, the flock of Christ, with the threefold power of teaching, ruling and sanctifying and that's illustrated in the parable of the Good Shepherd. The 4th part record's Christ's prophecy of Peter's martyrdom. Peter will suffer in the likeness of the Good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep. 

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Later on, in St.Matt. 18:18 all the Apostles will receive together the promise to bind and loose with Divine authority, thereby becoming partakers in one of the promises made to Peter, but they do not receive the keys to the kingdom. 

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Then for Peter alone, there is St.Luke 22:32, Our Lord said to Simon Peter, "but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." 

I think this is a biggy because Our Lord had previously told Peter He was gooing to give him an especially important mission among the Apostles...that of being the rock foundation of the Church He would found. Here, when His death approaches and He has instituted the Sacrifice of the New Testament, our Lord renews His promise to give him the primacy, Peter's faith, despite his fall, cannot fail because it's supported by the efficacious prayer of Our Lord Himself.

Our Lord's prayer waseffective in respect not only to St.Peter, but also to his successors. Their faith will not fail. This indefectibility of the faith of the Bishop of rome, the Pope, the successor of St.Peter, is guaranteed by the charism of infallibility. which the Divine Redeemer wished in defining doctrine pertaining only in faith and morals when as supreme ecclesiastical pastor and teacher who confirms his brethren in the faith.   

Thanks. Will do...but remember ...truth is in possession. You must possess truth to give it.  

Lula, the change of wording totally proves you're wrong about 'this rock' being Peter.  "Thou art Peter, and upon thou I will build my church" would mean what you're saying it means, but he doesn't say that.  So what was he talking about just before he said it?

As for 'to thee' those things could also be things he gives to all Christians, which would include Peter. He was simply talking to Peter about these things - but we all get the same Holy Spirit, and there is not one that is greater.  There is simply no Biblical evidence that there should be a Pope with special authority, and the Pope did not even come into being until a guy in Rome somehow became overseer of many Bishops.  If there was supposed to be a supreme ruler over the churches, it would have been Paul, you know, the guy who started the churches and wrote lots of letters to them that now make up the Bible?  But he knew it wasn't him, and Peter knew it wasn't him either.

St.Matt. 16:13-19 

And Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?  14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 Jesus said to them: but whom do you say I am? 16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in Heaven. 

18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. 19  And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

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Yes, Jesus said, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock, I will build my Church". Even appealing to proper grammatical usage, "this rock" is Peter for the phrase "this rock" must relate back to the closest noun. Peter's profession of faith ("Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God") is 2 verses earlier, while his name is in the immediate preceding clause, the closest noun. 

Other Scriptural passages such as St.John 1:42 confirm "this rock" is Peter. It was Jesus who gave Simon his new name: ".....Thou art Simon, the son of John; thou shalt be called Cephas", (which means Peter). The Kings James version has the ending of St. John 1:42 as "which is by interpretation, a stone."

"Cephas" is the Greek transcription of an Aramaic word meaning stone, or rock. "Cephas" was not a proper name, but Our Lord put it on Peter to indicate his role as His vicar  which He later revealed in St.Matt. 16:16-18. Since Simon's fresh name of Peter itself means rock, the sentence could be re-written as "Thou art Rock, and upon this rock, I will build my church." 

Cephas is the same word which St.Paul frequently used to identify Peter, 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:22, 9:5, 15:5, and Galatians 2:9, 2:11, 2:14. 

Anyway, "this rock" is Peter  and Protestants wish to avoid what follows from this which is Jesus' teaching the establishment of the papacy and that Peter will be given supreme authority over His Church. That's why they suggest that the word "rock" could not refer to Peter, but must refer to his profession of faith or to Christ, the Eternal Rock.

You don't think 'This rock' applies to the fact that he's the Christ, the Son of God?

St.Matt. 16:13-19 

And Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?  14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 Jesus said to them: but whom do you say I am? 16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in Heaven. 

18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. 19  And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Yes we all get the same Holy Spirit and there is not one that is greater, but being appointed a leader or head isn't to be confused with being greater. 

Even apart from the religious significance, the grammatical usage makes it crystal clear that from verse 17 on, Jesus was talking only to Simon Bar Jona, renaming him Peter, promising to give only Peter the keys of the kingdom, (supreme authority), and the power to bind and loose. 

The keys...

Jesus did not give all Christians the keys to the kingdom or the power to bind and loose. No, it didn't happen. But what happened is through the bestowal of the keys from Jesus, Peter obtains primacy over the whole Church. The precedent for this transferal of power stems from the account of Isaias 22:20-22. In the Old Testament, the key is the symbol of supreme power in the kingdom of David because it is irrevocable. 

When Christ said to Peter, "and I will give to thee the keys to the kingdom of Heaven", it's evident Our Lord was promising to give to Peter, who will become His Vicar, supreme authority in His Church.

Power to bind and loose....

That Peter will have supreme power to bind and loose is confirmed in the singular address given to him. ..Whatsoever thou shall bind and loose on earth shall be bound also in heaven." "Whatsoever" shows the extent of the power to bind and loose. There will be a repricocity between heaven and earth in whatsoever Peter decides to bind and loose (in matters of faith and morals.) And since Heaven can't confirm falsehoods, and since Jesus commits heaven to binding and loosing Peter's descisions, then Peter's decisions must be infallible. Heaven must provide a mechanism by which by which Peter's decsions will be without falsehoods. That mechanism if you will was established in 16:17, the Father provided Peter with a divine revealing.

Again, Peter was singled out from the others due to the fact that the Father in Heaven "revealed" to him that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus recognized the intervention of the Father and Peter and concludes he is the one chosen to lead His Church resulting in giving him alone the keys. So, the primacy is given to Peter based on his faith, but a faith that comes supernaturally from a revelation given to him by the Father.

St.Matthew 16 is the evidence and it is such a stickler for Protestants and that's because it clearly teaches that Jesus specifically chose Peter to be His Vicar (first earthly head) and gave him primacy and supreme authority (full teaching, feeding, ruling or governing jurisdiction) over His whole Church.    

And according to Scripture Jesus knew it wasn't St.Paul. 

Jesus chose Peter and that's all there is to it! 

It was Jesus who gave Simon Peter his new name, Cephas, which meant rock. 

The night before He died, Jesus told Peter alone, not to fail in the Faith and to "confirm thy brethren." 

After the Resurrection, Our Lord told Peter to "feed My sheep" and to "Feed My sheep."

St. Peter also was the Apostle who presided at the election of Matthias, the Apostle who replaced Judas Iscariot. 

St. Peter was the first to preach to the crowds after the descent of the Holy Spirit at the First Pentecost. 

St. Peter also took the presiding role at the Council of Jerusalem and his (infallible) decision seemed good to the Holy Ghost. Acts. 15:28.  

Christ is the Eternal Rock, but "this rock" in St.Matt.16 is a special position and authority Jesus is giving to St. Peter. "This rock" is the foundation that gives firmness and unity to His House, the House of God, His Church.