Replies

At this point, since number 27 deals with the nature of the New Testament church, it would be fitting to delineate aspects which Rome is contrary to. Far more could be added, but which should not be necessary.

20 Reasons Why You should NOT be a Roman Catholic.

► 1. The New Testament church was not established upon the premise of an perpetual assuredly infallible magisterium being necessary to determine truth (which Rome infallibly defines she is, when speaking in accordance with her infallibly defined formula), including which men and writings were of God and which were not, so that those it rejects must be rejected. For indeed, both men and writings of God were recognized and established as being so long before there ever was the church of Rome. And the church began in dissent from those who sat in the seat Moses, having historical descent as inheritors of the promises of God's presence and preservation, and the student of holy writ. (Lv. 10:11; Dt. 4:31; 17:8-13; Num. 23:19,23; Is. 41:10, Ps. 89:33,34; Mal. 3:6; Rm. 3:2; 9:4) Instead the church began, and assurance of faith was realized in the light of Scriptural substantiation in text and in power, upon which the Lord and His church established their Truth claims. (Mt. 22:23-45; Lk. 24:27,44; Jn. 5:36,39, 14:11; Acts 17:2,11; Rm. 15:19; Acts 2:14-35; 4:33; 5:12; 15:6-21;17:2,11; 18:28; 28:23; Rm. 15:19; 2Cor. 12:12, etc.)

► 2. The New Testament church was not established under the premise of sola ecclesia, in which the church is the supreme and indisputable authority on truth, but instead it is abundantly evidenced that Scripture was held has being the assured Word of God and transcendent standard for obedience and testing and establishing truth claims. And thus contrary to Rome, the NT church did not and would not discourage objective Scriptural examination of his teachings by its members in order to ascertain the veracity of them.

► 3. The New Testament church did not have any apostolic successors except for Judas, who was elected in order to maintain the original number of the twelve, thus only one was elected. (Acts 1:16-26; cf. Rev. 21:14).

► 4. The New Testament church did not preach a gospel of institutionalized religion, in which one even an morally incognizant infant is held to be born again due to the very act of baptism, in recogition of proxy faith, and formally justified by interior holiness. And who then is taught they can eventually become good enough to enter Heaven through the power of the church by cooperating with grace dispensed through rituals which work ex opere operato (by the act itself) but which foster perfunctory professions. And which process typically ends as the salvation system began, by becoming good enough to actually enter heaven, this time through an indeterminate time in the fires of Roman Catholic purgatory (commencing at death), for which indulgences and offerings to departed souls are said to help.

► 5. It is doubtful that the New Testament church engaged in the practice of baptizing infants, as infants cannot fulfill the stated requirements for baptism, (Acts 2:38; 8:36,37) and the NT conspicuously provides manifest zero examples of this supposedly critical practice, and where there is much of any description of household baptisms, what is indicated is that the baptized could hear. "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. " (Acts 8:12) "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. " (Acts 16:32-33

► 6. The NT church did not teach or treat the Lord's supper was the means by which souls gain life in them, or that spiritual life was gained by physically eating anything, nor that not “discerning the body” referred to the elements of the supper versus members of the church.

► 7. The NT church is not that whose meetings are described as that centering on the worshiping and ingesting a wafer of bread as being Christ, and instead, the only manifest description of the Lord's supper, is that which it was a communal meal, the “feast of charity,” (Jude. 1:12) with the focus not being on the nature of the elements eaten, but on the church as being the body of Christ. See here.

► 8. The New Testament church did not have any apostolic successors elected by voting, versus the OT method of casting lots, and which thus was often the result of included bribery, political intimidation, and centuries of Italian superiority, and immoral men who would be qualified to be or remain a church member, let alone an apostolic successor. "And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,” “And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. " (Acts 1:24,26)

► 9. The New Testament church was not one that corporately looked to Peter being the first of the line of popes reigning in Rome to whom all the church looked to as it's supreme infallible head, even Roman Catholic scholarship, among that of others, provides evidence contrary to. Or that was given any exhortation or command to the churches to submit to Peter as its supreme head, or such a title being give him confirming him as the rock upon which the church was built, as Rome contends (without the “unanimous consent of the fathers”). A most conspicuous absence in the light of the type of cardinal importance Rome shows.

► 10. The New Testament church was not all look to Peter as being the rock upon which the church is built, for besides (for what its worth) that interpretation not having "unanimous consent" of the fathers (which is spun by Rome to mean something other than what the term conveys), that the Lord Jesus is the rock of Peter's confession upon which the church is built is one of the most abundantly confirmed teachings in the Bible (petra: Rm. 9:33; 1Cor. 10:4; 1Pet. 2:8; Rev. 4:3) or "stone" (lithos) (Mat. 21:42; Mk.12:10-11; Lk. 20:17-18; Acts. 4:11; Rm. 9:33; Eph. 2:20) as stated by Peter himself. (1Pet. 2:4-8; cf. Dt 32:4, Is. 28:16)

► 11. The NT church did not have a separate sacerdotal class of clergy titled "priests - a word never used distinctly for any NT pastor, in distinction with the Jews. "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, ...For a bishop must be blameless..." See here on Titus 1:5,7) And the only priesthoods of the New Testament church is that which consist of all believers, (1Pt. 2:5,9; ; Rv. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6) as all engage in sacrifice. (Rm. 12:1; 15:16; Phil. 2:17; 4:18; Heb. 13:15,16; cf. 9:9)

► 12. The NT church did not have a clergy that differentiated between bishops and elders, and with grand titles ("Most Reverend Eminence," “Very Reverend,” “Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Lord,” “His Eminence Cardinal,” “The Most Reverend the Archbishop,” etc.) and also made distinct by their ostentatious pompous garb. (Matthew 23:5-7) And likewise with a pope enthroned like a Caesar, with his subjects bowing down to him and kissing his feet." "And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man." (Acts 10:25-26)

► 13. The NT church did not have required (with rare exceptions) clerical celibacy, which presumes all such have that gift. "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, ..One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) " (1 Timothy 3:2,4,5) "For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. " (1 Corinthians 7:7)

► 14. The NT church did not have a separate class of believers called “saints,” or the mention of the postmortem location of the saints being in purgatory versus with the Lord. (Lk. 24:43; 2Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 1Thes. 4:17)

► 15. The NT church did not engage in the practice of praying to the departed, as Scripture provides zero examples of anyone except pagans praying to anyone in heaven but the Lord, nor in instructions on who to pray to, such as the Lord himself taught in instructing on how to pray (“our Father who art in heaven”).

► 16. and the hyper exaltation of and devotion to Mary above that which is written. (1Cor. 4:6)

► 17 The NT church did not engage in the practice of baptizing infants. Infants cannot fulfill the stated requirements for baptism, (Acts 2:38; 8:36,37) and the NT conspicuously provides zero examples of this supposedly critical practice, and where there is any description of household baptisms, what is supported is that the baptized could hear. "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. " (Acts 8:12) "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." (Acts 16:32-33)

► 18. The New Testament church was not a church that conformed to this world in using papal sanctioned physical oppression, torture, burning and death to deal with theological dissent. Or who, having lost that power, treats notorious manifestly impenitent public sinners as members in life and in death, in contrast to the NT means of disfellowship and spiritual discipline. “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators ....But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. " (1 Corinthians 5:13) "Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. " (1 Timothy 1:20)

► 19 The NT church did not have or would pass laws that greatly restricted personal reading of Scripture by laity (contrary to Chrysostom), if able and available, sometimes even outlawing it when it was. "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. " (2 Timothy 3:15) "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures." (Acts 17:2)

► 21. The NT church was not a church that sanctioned teaching millions such things as that OT miraculous stories are fables or folktales, and that some historical accounts may not be literally accurate (sermon on the mount, etc.) "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. " (Matthew 12:40)

► 22. The NT church was not a church that taught or would teach or say that the deity Muslims worship (not as unknown) is the same as theirs. "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. " (1 Corinthians 10:20)