Colossians 1:18: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus REVEALED THE MYSTERY which has been hid from organized religion and the pagan world system for ages past - but now is CLEARLY made manifest to HIS Believer-Saints:
Colossians 1:26: Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Colossians 1:27: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus revealed to Peter REGARDING PAUL's appointment and calling to the Gentiles:
II Peter 3:15: And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
II Peter 3:16: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus communicated to the Apostle Paul to make known that GOD and CHRIST will judge the secrets of men ACCORDING to the Gospel of Grace which GOD gave Paul to preach in the last 2,000 years:
Romans 2:16: In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus REVEALED that ONLY HEAVEN and HELL exist - and that a person has ONLY ONE choice during this life - once that person physical dies, that person is immediately ushered into either HEAVEN or HELL (FOREVER). Purgatory is a fabrication of man, not GOD. GOD is not a liar - HE only spoke about HEAVEN or HELL as the only destinations. That is why Jesus WARNED about HELL so very often inside the Jewish Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) - read Zechariah this book mentions all of the Gospels by Christ's Titles, thus making these Gospels intimately tied with the Jewish scriptures as fulfillment.
Repent ye and believe in the Grace of God which Paul preached and ye shall be "judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel". GOD appointed Paul to say that - not men.
Peter never said that - show us the scriptures that Peter says "judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel"! It doesn't exist! Be ye not found in Rev 20:12:
Be ye not found in Rev 20:12:
Revelation 20:12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Stop being spiritually lazy and thinking that intellectual religion will save you.
As St. Paul also says in Romans 2:13,”for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
This echoes St. James in James 2:24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
And James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
St. Gregory of Sinai summarizes the Catholic/Orthodox view on faith better than anyone who I have seen.
St. Gregory of Sinai, a 13th century Greek monk, who is considered a saint by Catholics and Orthodox alike writes the following in his treatise: “On Commandments and Doctrines”
“Grace-imbued faith, energized by the Holy Spirit, alone suffices for salvation, provided we sustain it and do not opt for a dead and effectual faith rather than a living and effective faith in Christ.”
http://bit.ly/saddKM
Penance serves to humble the heart of the believer to being a better follower of Christ because he can only be served with humility.
And St. Mark the Ascetic, a 4th century Desert Father teaches:
18. Some without fulfilling the commandments think that they possess true faith.
Others fulfil the commandments and then expect the kingdom as a reward due to
them. Both are mistaken.
19. A master is under no obligation to reward his slaves; on the other hand, those who
do not serve him well are not given their freedom.
20. If ‘Christ died on our account in accordance with the Scriptures’ (Rm 5:8; 1Co
15:3), and we do not ‘live for ourselves’, but ‘for Him who died and rose’ on our
account (2Co 5:15), it is clear that we are debtors to Christ to serve Him till our
death. How then can we regard sonship as something which is our due?
21. Christ is Master by virtue of His own essence and Master by virtue of His incarnate
life. For He creates man from nothing, and through His own Blood redeems him
when dead in sin; and to those who believe in Him He has given His grace.22. When Scripture says ‘He will reward every man according to his works’ (Mt 16:27),
do not imagine that works in themselves merit either hell or the kingdom. On the
contrary, Christ rewards each man according to whether his works are done with
faith or without faith in Himself; and He is not a dealer bound by contract, but God
our Creator and Redeemer.