A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 16: The Catholic Church is the Only True Church

OLRL ^ | Fr. William J. Cogan

[NYer]

Lesson 16: The Catholic Church is the Only True Church

"Whom do you say that I am?  Simon Peter answered and said:  Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.  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.  And I say to thee:  Thou art Peter; and upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."  (Matthew 16:16-18)

JESUS GIVES HIS AUTHORITY TO THE APOSTLES

"And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying:  All power is given to Me in Heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."  (Matthew 28:18-20)

1. Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the Bible?
      No, because some of the things in the Bible can be misunderstood and because the Bible does not include everything that God taught.

   "Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation."    (2 Peter 1:20)
   
   

   "As also in all his [St. Paul's] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest [twist], as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction."    (2 Peter 3:16)

• What did Jesus do to make sure that His teaching would never be misunderstood?
     He established a church.

  "The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."    (1 Timothy 3:15)

• When did Jesus establish His Church?
     Nearly two thousand years ago.

• How many churches did Jesus establish?
     Only one.

  "Upon this Rock I will build My church."    (Matthew 16:18)
  
  

  "There shall be one fold and one shepherd."    (John 10:16)

• How long did Jesus plan His Church to last?
     Until the End of the World.

  "I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."    (Matthew 28:20)

• How did Jesus establish His Church?
  By giving His authority to the Apostles to rule and to teach.

  "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."    (Matthew 28:20)

• Did the people have to obey the Apostles?
     Yes, because they spoke with the authority of Jesus, and therefore, to disobey them would be a sin.

  "He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me."    (Luke 10:16)

• Did the authority of the Apostles die with them?
     No, they handed down their authority to others, since Jesus instituted His Church to last until the end of the World.

  Some of the men who received authority from the Apostles:  Matthias (Acts 1:22), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2), Timothy, Silas, Sylvanus, Titus, Luke, Mark (Acts 17:14; 2 Corinthians 1:19; 2 Timothy 14:11)

• Which Church today has the same authority?
     The Catholic Church, because it is the only Church established by Jesus Christ.

• How do you know the Catholic Church is the only true church?
     History shows that it is the only church that can be traced back to Christ.

• Does everyone have to obey the Catholic Church?
     Yes, because She alone has the authority of Jesus to rule and to teach.

  To disobey the Catholic Church knowingly is just as much a sin as to disobey Jesus Christ or His Apostles.

• Where did the Protestant churches come from?
     They were established by men who had no authority to start churches of their own.

• Who started the first Protestant church?
     The first Protestant church was established less than 500 years ago in Germany by Martin Luther, in 1520.

• Name the founders of other leading Protestant churches.
  

  Name of church	Founder	When	Where
  Episcopalian	King Henry VIII	1534	England
  Presbyterian	John Knox	1560	Scotland
  Congregationalist	Robert Browne	1583	England
  Baptist	John Smith	1600	Holland
  Methodist	John Wesley	1739	England
  Adventist	William Miller	1831	New York
  Christian Scientist	Mary Baker Eddy	1879	Massachusetts

PRACTICAL POINTS

1. A non-Catholic who suspects that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of God and does not investigate Her claims with a mind to join if Her claims prove to be true, cannot be saved, because outside of Christ's Mystical Body (the Catholic Church), there is no salvation.

2. You should try to bring others "to the knowledge of the Truth"  (1 Timothy 2:4)  by prudently suggesting that they take instructions in the True Religion.

[NYer]

Lesson 16 of 43.

[AnAmericanMother]

THIS oughta bring out the troops!

[sirchtruth]

Does everyone have to obey the Catholic Church?

So in Catholics view, should you obey the Church over Christ, The Word?

[farmer18th]

Would this be the same church that burned John Huss at the stake? Or is it the same church that can’t seem to discipline Cardinal Law? Or the same church that countenanced “Mary, I’m yours” as a papal banner? I know there are many good Catholic Christians, but to call this institution the only true church is to do a disservice to all those servants of Christ who march on in His name in other vineyards. This is Romanist Supremicism.

[tbpiper]

(sigh)here we go again

The Catholic Church is the Only True Church

[I'm sure the Orthodox might have a point or two they would want to contend.]

This is not a winnable argument, it is fractious and arrogant and about a generally welcome as a fart in a funeral.

Therefore, since I'm not at all interested in getting in a holy hand grenade tossing contest:

I am resolved to know nothing while I am here with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (ref 1 Cor 2:2)

[NYer]

So in Catholics view, should you obey the Church over Christ, The Word?

If you have read through this post in its entirety, then you recognize that Christ established one Church and gave His authority to His disciples to rule and teach. His word is carried on through that Church:

"He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me."  
  (Luke 10:16)

He never commanded anyone to write down His words. Everyone must obey the Catholic Church because She alone has the authority of Jesus to rule and to teach.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

Amen.
It seems to me, a poor 1st century Christian, that the Roman church’s greatest sin is PRIDE. I suspect that when the Master returns, he will save his most severe condemnation for those who have set up a hierarchy of Man between the faithful and the Almighty Father.

[Pyro7480]

Amen NYer.

[NYer]

I know there are many good Catholic Christians, but to call this institution the only true church is to do a disservice to all those servants of Christ who march on in His name in other vineyards. This is Romanist Supremicism.

Jesus promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. He did not promise that its members would be free from sin. They are human, like you and me. In its 2000 year history, despite some bad priests, bishops, cardinals and even bad popes, not one pope has ever erred in doctrine! That is testimony to the gift of the Holy Spirit that guides the Church through time. No other human institution or government has survived 2000 years! The life expectancy of most protestant sects is 200 years, at most, before it begins to split and divide.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

“His word is carried on through that Church:”

Which is CHRISTIANITY, NOT THE ROMAN VERSION ALONE!
Any church founded by a true disciple (regardless of era) is a true church of Christ! Many predate the Roman church! (Eg: Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Coptic) So, knock it off already!
Climb off your high horses, and repent you of your arrogance!

[Pyro7480]

Many predate the Roman church! (Eg: Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Coptic)

Uh, Christians have been in Rome since before Paul wrote his letter to the Romans.

[farmer18th]

Jesus promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church

..and he did that by ushering in Martin Luther and the reformation. The church is universal and catholic, but it is not necessarily Roman.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

So???
There were Christians in Jerusalem, Damascus, Antioch, Corinth, Alexandria, etc, before there were any in Rome. Your comment is ridiculous!

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

“Does everyone have to obey the Catholic Church?
Yes, because She alone has the authority of Jesus to rule and to teach.
To disobey the Catholic Church knowingly is just as much a sin as to disobey Jesus Christ or His Apostles.”

Arrogant words such as these have started wars in the past. Shame on whoever uttered them.

[wiley]

The Church is Christ. They are one. Christ is at the head, we are the members of His Body.

Moreover, The Holy Spirit guides the Catholic Church in her Magisterial (Teaching and Sacramental) Role. This the belief of the Catholic Church: that the descendants of the Apostles (bishops) receive anointing by and through the Holy Spirit to transmit unaltered the Truths that Christ revealed and to continue the Church through the ages by ministering the Sacrament of Orders, established by Christ at the Last Supper.

All the Sacraments are direct actions of Christ Himself working through those whom He anoints through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In short, to claim the Church is merely an earthly institution and not His own gift to those whom He has called is to deny all that Christ taught. It is disingenuous to claim that a thing called the Bible transmits truth more authentically than persons anointed in Christ to teach what the Bible contains.

One thing I’d like a Protestant to prove: That the Bible is the Word of God. How could you know? (Quoting the Bible to prove it’s own authenticity really proves nothing.)

[Ransomed]

Do the Catholic, Orthodox and Oriental Churches recognize the Anglican Church as Apostolic?

Freegards

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

I have no idea whether they do or not.
However, the Anglican Church (as opposed to the Church of England) dates to the first century and was founded by Joseph of Arimathea (who owned tin mines in Cornwall). In the 15th century, the Roman Catholic Church ruled that the Anglican Church had precedence over the French and Spanish Churches for this reason.

[Ransomed]

Thanks.

Freegards

[dan1123]

“It is disingenuous to claim that a thing called the Bible transmits truth more authentically than persons anointed in Christ to teach what the Bible contains.”

Shame on those Bereans.

“One thing I’d like a Protestant to prove: That the Bible is the Word of God. How could you know? (Quoting the Bible to prove it’s own authenticity really proves nothing.)”

Easy, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.