"There are not
100 people who hate the Catholic Church; But there are millions who hate what
they believe the Catholic Church to be."
Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Only by understanding the Catholic Church’s view of
authority, as passed to the apostles by Jesus Christ Himself, can one begin to
understand the Catholic Church.
I. The
New Testament warns against teachings which are considered counterfeits of Christianity
•2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 13 For
such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into
apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an
angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion
themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their
works.
•2 Peter 2:1-17; extensive
passage—first two verses: 1 But there arose false prophets also among the
people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily
bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them,
bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their
lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken
of.
•2 John 7-11; extensive
passage—first two verses: 7 For many deceivers are gone forth into the world,
even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the
deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things
which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward.
•Jude 4-13; extensive
passage—first two verses: 4 For there are certain men crept in privily, even
they who were of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men,
turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master
and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know
all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land
of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
II. And
shows that leaders trusted by the Church had responsibility to decide what was
true doctrine.
•Acts 15:1-2; 1 And certain men
came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised
after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had
no small dissension and questioning with them, the brethren appointed that Paul
and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the
apostles and elders about this question.
III. The
Catholic Church identifies itself as those who have remained faithful to the
apostolic and episcopal leadership and rejected false teachings.
IV. It
therefore maintains that there can be only one true, visible and physical
Church, not several.
V. And to
this one Church, originally founded by Jesus on Peter and the Apostles, Jesus
gave a mandate to be the authoritative teacher and guardian of the faith.
•2 Timothy 2:2; 2 And the things
which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to
faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
•Matthew 16:18-19;18 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. 19. 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.
VI. The
Church claims infallibility in teaching the faith, based on Jesus' scriptural
promises to remain with his Church always,
•Matt 28:20 …teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world.
VII. And to
maintain it in truth through the Holy Spirit.
•John 14:16-17 16 And I will pray
the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you
for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it
beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you,
and shall be in you.
•John 14:26 But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to
your remembrance all that I said unto you.
VIII. Furthermore,
Jesus promised divine protection to the teachings and judgments of the Apostles
•Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto
you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
•Luke 10:16 He that heareth you
heareth me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me
rejecteth him that sent me.
IX. Moreover,
Jesus set up the Church as the final arbiter between all believers:
•Matthew 18:17 And if he refuse
to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church
also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.
X. In
this, it bases its doctrines both on the written apostolic record, The New
Testament, and upon the oral traditions passed down from the Apostles to their
successors (the bishops) through the continuous witness of the Church.
•1 Corinthians 11:2 2; Now I
praise you that ye remember me in all things, and hold fast the traditions,
even as I delivered them to you.
•2 Thess 2:15; So then, brethren,
stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or
by epistle of ours.
•1 Thess 2:13; 13 And for this cause we also thank God
without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even
the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth,
the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.
•2 Thess 3:6; Now we command you,
brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves
from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which
they received of us.
•2 Timothy 2:2; 2 And the things
which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to
faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Copyright 2007 Eric Alcock
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