Posted on 07/26/2015 7:30:39 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
The source & nature of Church authority is one of the major issues that beginning Catholics have to examine and come to terms with.
The Catholic Church makes an amazing claim: it teaches, governs, and sanctifies with the authority of Christ himself.
Catholics believe that this gift of Church authority is one of the jewels that Christ has given to us as an aid to our salvation.
Keep three things in mind:
There is a large amount of evidence in Scripture to support the Catholic Church’s claim to authority, as well as from early Church history. The nature and scope of Church authority are widely misunderstood. Rejection of this claim is usually based on the common misconception of “misplaced worship” — the accusation that Catholics worship the something else (the Church, the Pope, Mary, the Saints, etc.) instead of God. After briefly stating the Church’s teaching on this subject, we’ll look at some of the major Scriptural sources for this doctrine. Catholic Church authority in brief
Christ himself is the source of the Church’s authority.
The New Testament shows that Christ deliberately created his Church to be the vehicle of his continuing mission in the world. He promised to remain present in his Church for all time, and he lovingly guides it through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
To ensure the success of this mission, Christ gave his Church the ability to teach, govern and sanctify with Christ’s own authority. The Apostles appointed successors to ensure that the Gospel would continue to be handed on faithfully as “the lasting source of all life for the Church” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium” 20; also Catechism #860).
The source and guarantee of this Church authority is Christ’s continuing presence in his Church — “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20).
The purpose of this authority is to give the Church the ability to teach without error about the essentials of salvation: “On this rock, I will build My Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).
The scope of this authority concerns the official teachings of the Church on matters of faith, morals, and worship (liturgy & sacraments). We believe that, because of Christ’s continued presence and guarantee, his Church cannot lead people astray with its official teachings (which are distinct from the individual failings and opinions of its members, priests, bishops, and Popes).
Church authority in Scripture
The New Testament bears witness in numerous places to the fact of Church authority. It clearly shows that Christ gave his Apostles his own authority to continue his mission.
(Remember that Catholics view the Bible as one of two definitive witnesses to divine Revelation. Christ taught many other things to the Apostles that are not recorded in Scripture; we call this Catholic Tradition, literally meaning “that which is handed on”. Tradition is the full, living faith of the Apostles as received from Christ.)
Here are some of the more important Scriptural references that address Church authority.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20)
This brief passage contains several critical points about Church authority: Jesus tells the Apostles that the authority he is giving them derives from his own, divine authority. (“All authority…” / “Go therefore”.) The Apostles’ authority and mission comes directly from Christ himself. The nature of this mission is to lead or govern (“make disciples”), sanctify (“baptizing them”), and teach (“teaching them to observe”). Christ promises to remain present with them always in support of this mission (“I am with you always”). Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” (Jn 20:21)
In this passage, Jesus commissions the Apostles with continuing his own mission. Again, this mission has its source in the divine authority of the Father. (CCC 859) “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Mt 10:40) And: “He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Lk 10:16)
Here, Christ explicitly identifies himself with the Apostles: this identification is so complete that accepting or rejecting the Apostles is the same as accepting or rejecting Christ. What’s more, both passages compare the union between Christ and his Apostles to that of the Son and the Father within the Holy Trinity.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” (Mt 16:18-19)
This is a key passage for understanding the Catholic doctrine of Church authority: Christ’s deliberate intent to establish a new Church (“I will build My Church”) His choice of Peter as the foundation, or head, of this Church Christ confers on Peter his own divine authority (“the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven”) for ruling the Church (“bind” and “loose”). This power to “bind and loose”, repeated also in Mt 18:18 to the Apostles as a whole, is understood as applying first to Peter and his successors (the Pope), and then to the rest of the Apostles and their successors (the other Bishops) in union with Peter. The Acts of the Apostles (a New Testament book) provides abundant evidence of how Church authority was practiced during the Apostolic age (during the lives of the Apostles themselves, after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ).
In Acts, we see repeated examples of the Apostles teaching, governing, and sanctifying (baptizing and confirming, as well as “breaking the bread”).
One of the most striking passages in Acts tells how the Apostles describe their decision about whether pagan converts should submit to the Jewish laws of circumcision. They say, “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” that those laws of the Old Covenant should not apply (Acts 15:28). This passage shows:
The Apostles knew that they had the governing power necessary to decide this question (this is a huge point: they’re overriding the ritual law of the Old Covenant!); and They are conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit who is guiding their decision, so ultimately it is God who has decided the matter. This passage in Acts would be meaningless, even blasphemous, if the Apostles did not in fact possess the authority of Christ, supported and guided by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, the various Epistles in the New Testament (the letters of Paul, Peter, etc.) likewise give many examples of the Apostles exercising their teaching and governing offices. In fact, those letters only exist because the Apostles knew that it was their role to teach and lead the various local churches!
The nature & scope of Church authority
It is important to repeat that this authority exists so that Christ can continue to guide his Church in the continuing work of salvation. Church authority is entirely at the service of that work.
We believe that Christ desired the Church to have this authority so that we could be sure of essential matters of the Faith.
The scope of this authority is limited to things that are essential to our salvation: faith, morals, and worship (the sacraments and liturgy). Additionally, since the Church’s authority is at the service of Christ’s gift of divine Revelation, the Church takes care to show how its declarations about faith and morals are consistent with that Revelation (Scripture and Tradition).
It’s important to see this authority as something other than a simplistic being able to “boss you around.” Actually, most Catholics experience Church authority in the form of straightforward declarations regarding faith & morals:
That something is or is not a part of the Faith; and That living in accordance with the Faith requires or forbids certain actions. You always retain the freedom to decide whether or not to remain in the Faith by following those teachings.
(In the Gospels, there are many cases where people hear Christ but evidently decide not to follow him. By definition, his disciples are those who seek to follow him closely and learn from him. Even when it’s hard. Catholics see the Church as continuing in Christ’s role of teaching the truth: “He who hears you hears me.”)
Why do Protestants reject this claim?
Non-Catholics usually base their rejection of Church authority on the common misconception of “misplaced worship”: it is claimed that Catholics worship the Church instead of God.
Opponents of this authority sometimes also accuse the Catholic Church of claiming power that is only proper to God.
Catholics believe that this criticism is mistaken.
The best argument for the Catholic doctrine of Church authority comes from the New Testament itself: the Acts of the Apostles reveals the Church’s self-image as a body at the service of Christ’s saving Gospel, acting in the ways and structures taught to them by Christ himself. The Apostles are keenly aware of the authority that has been given to them by Christ, and of their own need to remain ever faithful to Christ as they exercise that authority.
Additionally, this same Church authority is the only thing that guarantees the accuracy and inerrancy of the Bible itself. It was the Church that selected the books of New Testament and defined the canon of the Bible. Those who believe that the Bible is reliable, are in fact relying on the Church’s testimony that the New Testament books accurately reflect the faith & teachings of the Apostles, which is in turn grounded in the faith & teachings of Christ.
(There were many other writings available that were not selected to be a part of the Bible because their contents were flawed in some way. The Church itself made the selection many years after the death of the Apostles, based on its living witness to the Faith, guaranteed by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.)
Pictures prove nothing.
Post the content of the facts.
Don’t send people off chasing links.
I’ll post it in a separate thread later.
PS. If you check my homepage you will see many links to “Anointing of the Sick.”
“Church” can be wherever you are”.
Wrong. The only place you’re find the Holy Eucharist, which Christians for 2,000 years have been observing is where you have a priest and he’ll be in a Church if one is available.
“Every time I hear a televangelist emphasis a personal relationship with Christ, I thank God that I’m Catholic. For only here can I receive the Lord — body, blood, soul and divinity. It doesn’t get much more personal than that.” ~ Fr. William Casey
Sure it does, since born again believers have Jesus Christ dwelling in their hearts through faith, thus becoming the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
** false hop **
hopping around sick?
I think not for Jesus broke the bread in two that night at 'the Passover' and told his disciples that this was his body that would be given up to the Father in place of ours...stating ..."Do this in remembrance of me".....Jesus and his disciples were not in a church...rather celebrating the Passover....and in like manner we remember, as the Jews, have that we've been Passed over through his great and mighty sacrifice...complete, finished and forever "settled in heaven"....as our great and high Priest there is no other.....
and this glowing statue of Mary at "Our Lady of the Snows, in Belleville Illinois" is seen in the foreground, and all the raised hands of the Catholic parishioners in open and obvious worship....so my point is there is healing and life only through our Great High Priest and Savior Jesus Christ...none other....not Mary not a Priest...Jesus only as is written...."Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;......He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed....
Hmmmm, instead of posting “facts” not in evidence, now your are assuming “facts” not in evidence about another poster.
Snark seems to be used when scriptures point out error.
So, the Jimmy Swaggart strawman....did you get bilked by him in the past? Or a loved one? I notice you refer to him as your brother.
“Your front room is your church”
A personal attack (mind reading), not allowed in the Religion Forum.
No I won’t turn you in, I like to leave the evidence on the thread.
Pretty close. Partake in both of those sincerely and you will be saved.
Are you condemning the thief on the cross to eternal damnation?
Baptism is very important, but not always necessary for salvation.
In some belief systems though it is necessary to be "saved" into that Church.
hopping around sick?
Carex lupuliformis
false hop sedge
If there were facts to counter what another poster's opinion is, don't you think you should post them?
Otherwize your comment seems quite empty and hollow.
Perhaps your should apply this to yourself: "I see we might have a new moderator????"
A complaint about someone asking for chapter and verse. A rule you seem to like to bring to posters attention even when they have not even posted any scripture!
Hmmm, now opinions are not allowed in the RF?
I’ll have to check the RF guidelines, maybe they changed.
Personal attack? What is it you and others don’t understand in the specific words of Christ.
“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
~ John 6:53
I am personally sick and tired of those on FR that pick and choose what they want to believe in the Bible and then attack others for living the Word of God and doing exactly what He told Christians to do 2,000 years ago, and something all Christians did for 1,500 years after Jesus died on the cross. You either believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God or you don’t.
Don’t bother me anymore with heretical statements, denying the word of God. I’m sick of it. I should have made this a Catholic Caucus thread because there is no way to discuss the Word of God with Catholic Church haters. And thread after thread is hijacked by the haters.
Why do Protestants reject this claim?Non-Catholics usually base their rejection of Church authority on the common misconception of “misplaced worship”: it is claimed that Catholics worship the Church instead of God.
Opponents of this authority sometimes also accuse the Catholic Church of claiming power that is only proper to God.
Catholics believe that this criticism is mistaken.
If I'm not mistaken, that would be enough to remove the caucus label.
You either believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God or you don’t.
Succinctly put, and I agree. Please note the words of John 6:60-68 (KJV), not too far from John 6:53 (bold is my emphasis):
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Grace & Peace,
K51
And in that photo.....who are they placing their trust in?
do they "lose" their salvation and go to Hell?
.
Yeshua’s Assembly has no authority.
It has a responsibility to spread the gospel, and that is it.
The apostles had some organizing authority, but they, and their power have been gone for 1,900 years.
.
There are several bodies that claim to be “The Church” but they are merely human corporations with no relevance in the realm of God.
.
...” I should have made this a Catholic Caucus thread”....
Yes I would agree if you don’t want to see opposing views then that is the way to go, then you can chat among yourselves on your belief system.
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