A Biblical Case for Catholicism:
The Origins and Authors of the Protestant Theologies

DISCLAIMER:

This site reflects the Apostolic teachings of the Catholic Faith. All efforts have been made to be true to orthodox Catholic theology as delineated in Catechism of the Catholic Faith.

MISSION STATEMENT:

1. To present to Catholics, not only what the Catholic Faith teaches, but why we believe it. To equip today's Catholics to answer the challenges to their faith from those who are not aware of the Biblical support for the Catholic Faith or what it actually teaches.

2. To present to our non-Catholic brothers and sisters the "Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" not taught in their churches or seminaries. To demonstrate that Catholic theology comprises the verses not underlined in their Pastor's Bible nor read in their churches. To unify Christ's followers to the ONE FAITH of Jesus Christ as taught by his Apostles. "There is One Lord, ONE FAITH, One Baptism, One God." (Eph 4:4) Just as the Holy Bible commands:

“Now I beseech you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, and that there be no dissension among you, but that you be perfectly united in one mind and in one judgment.” (1 Cor 1:10)

________________________

*Any reference to the term "non-Catholics" excludes the Eastern Orthodox Churches

 

 

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"A Biblical Case for Catholicism:
The Origins and Authors of the Protestant Theologies"

Please email me with your questions or objections or comments.

Email: INRI33AD@aol.com
Untitled Document

My Story, My Journey, My Testimony

Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.


Many have asked me why I do this or how I became active in Apologetics. I have provided the following "Testimony" if you will, in an effort to articulate this process. It is in 3 Acts, the first being longer than the following two. My story starts over 14 years ago when I was 30 yrs old and living in Utah. (And learning for the first time about Mormon theology and who authored their doctrines.)

Act I.


I am a cradle Catholic. It's not that I took my faith for granted for 30+ years, I didn't, I felt I was a good Catholic, I knew "what" Catholics believed but not always WHY we believed it. (A problem with many Christians and their theology). This was challenged by my wife who 14 years ago was given a book by some anti-Catholic friends called "Roman Catholicism" by Loraine Boettner. (1)
It presented many charges against the Catholic Church. I didn't know how to answer the book or these charges. I knew it was wrong,, or was it??? I was ignorant of WHY I believed what I believed and I was ignorant of who the author of my theology was. (Perhaps this is why some Catholics fall out of the Church, because they are extremely ignorant of WHY they believe what they believe, and like most Protestants, they don't know the origins of their theology).

I asked myself: "was my whole faith a hoax, was it not true?" I had to find out for I have always desired to believe as the Apostles taught the early Church, no matter where it leads me and no matter what it cost me. I'm sure that can be said of all sincere Christians although they have probably never considered their theology in that light nor the cost it might impart.

Since our Lord never wrote anything down, the writings of his Apostles and what they taught the early Church was the closest I could come to the teachings of Jesus Christ. In essence, I had to find out if the "Doctrines" of the Catholic Faith were really "Apostolic." Were they what the Apostles taught the early Church and wrote into the Holy Bible or were they truly "Traditions of man" as so many Protestants claim? To be true to our Lord and for the salvation of my soul I had to find out and accept what ever I discovered, even if I didn't like it or if it changed my entire life, social circle and belief system. But I felt I sincerely felt I had the courage to do this.

Was this book true? Is that what Catholicism really was? Did they really believe the things this book stated? This started an investigation, a quest and many prayers. It fostered many discussions with my wife about what we believe and WHY we believe it. We attended many Protestant Churches during that time to include a few "mega-churches"and I observed what I knew of Protestantism from before, that each Protestant church has a different "spin" if you will, on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Which one was right? Were any of them right? I have since studied Protestantism and it's origins at great length. I feel I have a good outlook on Protestantism and what it teaches. I would hesitate to say that I know more of most denominations than the parishioners themselves. This was a slow process but it evolved into essentially the following logic.

1. Any document/book can be viewed/interpreted in many ways. I.e. the US Constitution, the Islamic Koran or even the Holy Bible.

2. Any passage can be interpreted in many ways and read in or out of context. I.e. Osama Bin Ladin's version of the Koran or David Koresh's version of the Bible, the Mormons version of the Bible, the Catholic interpretation of the Bible or the 20,000+ Protestant denominational interpretations of the Bible.

3. What is the proper context that a book/document should be read in? Should it be a Lutheran context? A Calvinistic Context? A Baptist context? Etc,. or a Catholic Context? Why do we believe one context is better than the other? On what *Authority* do we proclaim that our personal interpretation (or that of who ever we choose) is the proper context? Does anyone in historical Christianity agree with this interpretation? In essence, did the Apostles teach said context to Christ's early Church and do we find the early Christians embracing this context?

4. This is what I found to be of most significance in my search for truth. Is there any historical precedent for the context we take as true, i.e. is this interpretation a NEW interpretation? Or is it what the Apostles taught and what Christians have ALWAYS believed about the subject? Is our interpretation "Apostolic?" Is it what the Apostles taught Christ's early Church or, does it have no support prior to a certain year/century?

5. This follows that if the interpretation is NEW, it must be rejected as being Apostolic. For a new and modern interpretation of an ancient book or scroll cannot logically be what the Apostles taught the early Church 2000 years ago. That is sound logic. I would hope most sober Christians would agree with this logic. It is light the light bulb. It is a modern invention, it would be crazy to say the Apostles wrote Scripture by electric lights just as it would be crazy to say the Bible teaches a "modern idea" that the Apostles nor anyone in the first 1500+ years of Christianity had ever heard of.

I was forced to "test" Protestant and Catholic Doctrines against this logic.
“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Again it was a long process, I remember going to a Promise Keepers convention with my two best friends who are Protestant. When they asked for the "Alter Call" I went. I did not go to be "Saved" or to "accept Christ,," I felt that I have always accepted Christ. Just as one has always loved their mother, I have always loved God. It didn't happen one day as it might with other people. As far as the "Sinner's Prayer", I didn't believe one could simply say the Sinner's Prayer and be saved forever, for that contradicts scripture and the tradition of Christ's Apostles. Not to mention the fact that the Sinner's Prayer is not even in the Holy Bible. It is a good prayer, it just isn't in the Bible.
Click here: Our Christian Fathers and the Holy Scriptures on Mortal Sin

As I got on my Knees my friend put his hand on my head. I cried and prayed that I would have the courage to profess my faith without fear. For at the time I did not really do so. I had it, but I kept it to myself. My friend later told my wife that he felt like a Channel of the Holy Sprit and that God's grace was flowing from his hand.

So I did start professing my faith. And what I had learned from my quest. I found that All Catholic Doctrines are indeed Apostolic. Not because of my personal opinion on the Bible, but because it is what Christians have "always" believed. It is the Faith of the Apostles because Christian, Secular and Jewish History tell us so. Not because "I" say it's so, or my pastor, or my Mom or Dad. It documented history from numerous and various sources to include the Holy Bible.

Just as before Thomas Edison there were no light bulbs, I found the same thing with Protestant doctrines. Before the Renaissance era, there was no concept/idea or notion of Protestant doctrines. The light bulb was invented in the 19th century, and likewise we can point to the man and the century for every Protestant doctrine. It's just history. Protestant theology is not Apostolic. How can these ideas be Apostolic when they were invented a few hundred years ago?

In fact much of modern Protestant theology was not even embraced (or heard of) by Protestantism's own reformers! So how could the Apostles have taught these ideas if Protestantism's own reformers didn't?
Click here: Why do Protestant Pastors Reject the Faith of their Original Protestant Reformers? 3 Questions for your Pastor
How can these modern Protestant ideas be "Biblical" if the Apostles did not teach them and write them into the NT Bible? I couldn't understand that.
So in line with the logic above, "New" ideas, or new Gospels must be rejected for the salvation of souls and to be true to our Lord Jesus Christ who's Apostles taught but ONE Gospel. Gal 1:8-9 tells us:

"As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed."

Act II.

My wife was given another book by yet another Anti-Catholic. He actually went to my house to drop it off to my wife while I was gone. This man is a professional Anti-Catholic for his sole monetary livelihood is made from his "ministry," that has for years tried to destroy the Church Christ started in Matt 16:16-19. He does this through his web site, books, articles and speeches. He is actually an Elder at a Baptist Church. His name is James White.

Because of his books and the lack of historical data in them, I started corresponding with him in 1998. I found him very good at attacking the Catholic Church, but when asked for any historical evidence to substantiate his Protestant beliefs, he either changed the subject, obfuscated, or refused to answer. To this day he will no longer answer my questions.

It was James that got me involved in Apologetics. For all the damage he has tried to inflict, he lit a fire under me against those who attack and misrepresent (either intentionally or unintentionally) the Apostolic Catholic Faith. If one wants to disagree with what the Catholic faith teaches, that is one thing. As long as what they disagree with is what Catholic Theology *actually* teaches. James is better than most in this area of being accurate, but he is silent on finding any Apostolic link for (distinctive) Protestant theology(ices). And without an Apostolic link, one can call this idea Biblical or that idea Biblical at will. Yet if the Apostles didn't teach a particular idea to Christ's early Church and write it into the Holy Bible,,, it is by definition, not Biblical nor Apostolic.

Act III

So this is where I am today. I defend the Catholic Faith against those who misrepresent and distort it or present it to those who are ignorant of it, or have never considered it before. And in keeping with Christ's commandment in Matt 28:20, I try to explain to my non-Catholic friends Christ's ONE Gospel. Not "my version" of it or Calvin's or Luther's version, but the Faith of the Apostles as evidenced by what Christians have always believed. I preach the "One, Holy, Catholic And Apostolic Faith". (Nicene Creed 325 A.D.). That is why I have created the following web site challenging my Protestant brothers and sisters to examine their faith for the ONE truth of Jesus Christ:
A Case for Catholicism, the Origins of Protestant theology.

I seek to light a fire under them. To provide the reason for what they believe and who invented their beliefs. To demonstrate to my non Catholic brothers and sisters who the author is of both theologies, Catholic and Protestant. Was the author Jesus Christ as taught by his Apostles?
Or were their doctrines or ideas on Christ's Gospel invented by Renaissance era Philosophers 1500+ years after St. John the Apostle died on the island of Patmos?

Just as before Thomas Edison there was no such thing as the light bulb, before the middle ages there was no such thing as a Protestant doctrine. Did Protestantism exist before Luther and Calvin? No. How on earth then could these doctrines then be Apostolic, i.e. the teachings of Christ's Apostles to his early Church?

That I believe is my Testimony. I now try to communicate these truths and facts of history. Yet not everyone wants to hear the Truth or know who invented their theology, and that is the most disheartening part. Many after first believing their doctrines are Apostolic, engage me in dialogue, only to find an excuse to stop when they research and determine the author of their doctrines died but a few hundred years ago at best, or is possibly alive today.

My friend, if you care at all about who authored your theology and sincerely desire to believe as Christ and the Apostles taught his early Church, no matter where it leads you and no matter what it costs you, please consider the following 12 questions.

This is the Case for Catholicism: it's Apostolicity. It's unbroken link to the Apostles. We know the Church of the 1st century was true because Christ commissioned it and we believe the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Plus the Holy Bible tells us so.  And we know the Church of the 21st century is true for the exact same reasons.  Just as the Holy Spirit protects the Bible from error, so too it protects Christ's Church from error in matters of Faith or Morals. For that is the promise it gives us:

"The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of Truth" 1 Tim 3:15

God Bless you, Daniel

14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


Suggested reading:

Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

 

1. Are you a Bible Believing Christian? Does your pastor preach " Bible Only?"
Click Here: 40 Protestant Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
Do you know who authored Protestantism's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
What stage you are in?...
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
What does the Holy Bible say?
...https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
"What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in non-Catholic churches. Read the story again and then decide.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the Protestant theologies make the same bold claim? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLCIAL DEFINATION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

Email: mail to: INRI33AD@aol.com

Was Mormon Theology taught by the Apostles to Christ's Infant

The Origins and Authors of Mormon Theology:

Was Mormon Theology taught by the Apostles to Christ's Infant Church?

 

Please email me with your questions, objections or comments. INRI33AD@aol.com

Click here for 14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/questions.html


 

 13 Mormon Doctrines not taught by Christ's early Church nor anyone else before Joseph Smith invented them in the 1830's

The Mormon Church often contends that either the Catholic Church or the Mormon Church is the True Church of Christ, i.e., the Bride of Christ (https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html). It discounts the Protestant theologies (and rightly so), because of their recent date of origins in the Renaissance era at the earliest, and the last couple years at the latest, and their "multitude of gospels/statements of Faith" embraced by the 1000s of Protestant organizations. Because of the recent origins of their beliefs, Mormons conclude that there is a virtual impossibility that "distinctive" Protestant ideas were taught by the Apostles to Christ's early Church. An analogy is the "light bulb," it was invented in the 19th century by Thomas Edison. To claim the Apostles taught "Protestant ideas" is akin to claiming the Apostles "wrote scripture by electric lights." = => It's impossible for both are recent inventions of the last few hundred years. How can something modern, be ancient? The following site details the authors and dates of origin of the protestant theologies.

Click here: The Authors and Origins of Protestant theologies 
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html

Yet, this analogy and logic can also be used to investigate the veracity of Mormon theology. Is Mormon Theology "True or Apostolic?" Is it what the Apostles taught Christ's early Church? If Mormon theology is *not* what the Apostles taught Christ's early Church, then logic would tell us that it, (and the Protestant theologies), are mere modern inventions on the Gospel of Christ, and therefore should be rejected as such.  And likewise, if there was no "great apostasy" in the early Church as Mormons have been taught, then again Mormon theology must be false.

James E. Talmage wrote "The Great Apostasy" and published by the Mormon Church in 1909. On page 34 he reiterates one of the Great LDS Articles of Faith:

"We [the Church of today] believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church."

And Gordon B. Hinckley, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:

"We are not an institution which has broken away from the Roman Catholic [Church] or any other church. We are not part of a reformation. We declare that this is a Restoration. The teachings and organization of the Church are as they were anciently."

If this is so, then the Primitive Church must have also taught Mormon doctrines and theology if it was the same organization. Yet one must ask: "If Mormon theology is what the Apostles really taught, why can't Mormon theologians find just "one person" who believed any of the following Mormon ideas before Joseph Smith taught them 1800+ years later?"

If the Apostles really taught these Mormon ideas, why is history absolutely silent on these ideas, either before or after the alleged great apostasy until the 19th century?

The Following list of 13 Mormon doctrines begs the question:

"Why were none of these ideas taught by anyone, to anyone, before Joseph Smith in the 1830's? How did these ideas get into the Holy Bible if the Apostles did not teach them? Was Joseph Smith the first person in the history of the world to teach these ideas? And if so, how can they be 'Biblical' if the Apostles did not teach them? "

The Holy Bible commands us to:

 “Test everything. Hold on to the good.”  1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Can Mormon theology be tested for Apostolicity?  Can Protestant theology? Can Catholic theology?  Actually all 3 can for we can we read the writings of the "Students of the Apostles" and the great Christians of history to test which theology is Apostolic and which is not? The following link gives this "Test for Apostolicity" for Catholic Theology. It tells us what the Apostles taught Christ's early Church. And as we discover, everything they believed, the Catholic Church and only the Catholic Church still believes. 

A Challenge to Mormon theology: Is Catholic theology Apostolic? Is it the teachings of the Apostles to Christ's infant Church? Name one doctrine the Apostles taught Christ's early Church, that is repudiated or not taught by his Church today. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

The Protestant theologies fail this test for Apostolicity because not only do most of them not teach as the Apostles taught, but most modern Protestants don't even embrace the teachings of their own Renaissance reformers. And the few that do find themselves in a situation where their own reformers face the same dilemma, they can't find a single soul who taught their novel ideas before the Renaissance era. That is why Protestantism is so easy to discount.

Can this same "Test" be applied to Mormon theology? Even if one clings to the "great apostasy" theory, (although a specific date of said apostasy has never been clearly articulated), shouldn't we find at least *some* evidence for Mormon theology in the early Church? Shouldn't we find at least "one or two" Christians who "also" taught Mormon ideas either before or after the "great apostasy"?  Shouldn't we at least find the "Students of the Apostles" teaching Mormon doctrines? Is there any support for these ideas in historic Christianity before Joseph Smith preached them in the 1830s?  If not, why would a logical person conclude that Mormon theology is the teachings of the Apostles?  Again, this is the same Quantum Leap in logic (of Protestant theology) that Protestants face when they discover, or try and convince themselves that:

a.  The Apostles taught Mormon theology to their "students" in the early Church.

b.  Yet somehow not a single soul taught these ideas *again*, to include the "Students of the Apostles", until the latter half of the second millennium.  In fact modern Protestantism doesn't even embrace the faith of their own reformers so how could the Apostles have taught these ideas 2000 years earlier?

Click here, 9 doctrines in modern Protestantism that their own reformers either repudiated or never heard of.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

=====================================

Most Mormons will agree that the link between distinctly "Protestant ideas" and the Apostles teachings is nonexistent.  Yet the Mormon Church is asking Mormons to do this very thing!  To somehow believe that the Apostles taught Mormon ideas, yet not a single soul taught them *again*, either before or after the so called great apostasy, until Joseph Smith did in the 19th century.  Logic would tell us this is not a valid argument if there is zero evidence to support it and the premise is flawed. Mormons theologians are telling Mormons to essentially believe, that the Apostles"taught Mormon theology by electric lights." This is impossible for BOTH ideas "came to light" in the 19th century! I would challenge my Mormon friends to test their theology for Apostolicity as the Holy Bible commands.

 “Test everything. Hold on to the good.”  1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 

The entire writings of your early Church Fathers, some the "Students of the Apostles", (both before and after the alleged "great apostasy") are located at the the following links: 

http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ (Protestant site) The other is on a Catholic site:

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/ (Both sites contain the exact same information).


I ask you my LDS friend, can Mormonism find just one person who taught the following Mormon ideas before Joseph Smith invented them in the 19th century?  Just one person.  And if not, why would an educated and logical person conclude that these ideas were somehow the teachings of the Apostles, if the first we hear of them is from a man in the 19th century? I just want to believe as the Apostles taught Christ's infant Church, no matter where it lead me and no matter what it costs me. I would pray that you desire the same.

 

13 Questions for LDS Theologians, Bishops and Layperson's: Did anyone in Christ's infant Church teach:

 

1.  That men can become as God, or like God or any derivative of this idea, or the concept of "eternal progression?" Which Apostle or student of the Apostles taught this idea?

 

2.  That "God the Father" was at one time a mere man on another planet, or that he had a "Heavenly Wife" of from which he created "Spirit Children".  Who taught these ideas even before the so called "great apostasy?" 

 

3.  That there is more than one God ("plurality of gods") or the idea of the Godhead as meaning 3 distinct gods?  Who taught these ideas before Joseph Smith in the 19th century?

 

4.  Who in Christ's infant Church taught that no one is dammed forever, or that there are 3 Kingdoms/Levels in Heaven?  Did the Students of the Apostles teach this, if so who?

 

5.  Who in Christ's infant Church taught that men and angels are interlinked or that men may become angles? Mormons believe that Moroni (from the book of Mormon) became an angel and that the Arch-angle Michael became "Adam" of the book of Genesis. Like the rest of theses ideas, this was unheard of before Joseph Smith. Why would one attribute it to the teachings of the Apostles then?

 

6.  Where is "Spirit Children" taught in the early Church?  Or is the first we hear of it from Joseph Smith in the 19th century?

 

7. Who in the early Church taught the concept (in any manner) that Jesus and Satan were brothers or half brothers or any relationship of that sort? The Apostles taught that Christ was the One God and that Satan was a fallen angel. Who taught the former before Joseph Smith?

 

8.  What Christian practiced or taught polygamy in Christ's infant Church? What Christian did this in the first 1800+ years of Christianity before Joseph Smith?

 

9.  Who in Christ's early Church taught or practiced "Sealing" of marriages for eternity? (Celestial marriages)

 

10.  The Holy Bible in 1 Cor 15 does speak of "Baptisms for the Dead," but not in the context of a "Christian practice," we read some unnamed: "they" practiced it.  If it were a Christian practice, should we not have at least "somebody" practice this either before or after the alleged "great apostasy" again? Should it not be included in the early documents on Baptism? But history is silent on this most fundamental Mormon doctrine, until Joseph Smith in the 19th century.  Why? Because it was not a Christian practice.

 

11. What early Christian in Christ's infant Church taught or advocated abstaining from alcohol or caffeine.  Or did this idea first surface in the latter half of the second millennium?  (Christ's first miracle was making wine out of water, why would he forbid it?)

 

12. And why do we read nothing in the writings of the early Church of Mormon Temple ceremonies?  Surly, these sacred ceremonies would have been practiced by "somebody" in the early Church. Yet we hear absolutely nothing about them until the 19th century. Why?

Why do all we read of, is the Apostles and their students practicing the same faith practiced in the Catholic Faith of today? The reason is because Christ's early Church was Catholic in its theology. Not Protestant or Mormon or Jehovah's Witness, but Catholic in its beliefs.

13. James Talmage in his 1909 book makes the excellent distinction between the:

a. Apostasy FROM the Church and

b. Apostasy OF the Church.

There is a difference. Men will always sin and some become Apostate. But did the Church itself become Apostate? Christ's Holy Bible calls this Church:

 

The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth"

1 Tim 3:15

 

Mr Talmage describes very well point #1. Apostasy FROM the Church as described in Holy Writ and the writing of our Church Fathers. Yet apostasy of this kind is to be expect of any religion and even happens today in all religions. There are apostate Catholics, Protestants and even apostate Latter Day Saints. So in essence, to say there is apostasy FROM the Church is to state the obvious. To examine point #2, apostasy OF the Church, he says in Chapter 2 paragraph 4:

 

"We affirm that with the passing of the so-called apostolic age the Church gradually drifted into a condition of apostasy, whereby succession in the priesthood was broken and that the Church, as an earthly organization operating under divine direction and having authority to officiate in spiritual ordinances, ceased to exist."

 

 

This is a bold claim. Although he is mistaken in his statement that "succession of the priesthood was broken." This is not true, for every Catholic Bishop who ordains a priests can trace his ordination back to an Apostle! An Apostle laid hands on a Bishop who laid hands on a Bishop and so on to this day. Any Catholic Bishop can can traced this laying of hands back to an Apostle.That is unparalleled in the modern world.

 

And Mr Talmage fails to make a case for #2. Apostasy OF the Church. He gives zero evidence for this claim.

1. The Holy Bible is silent on the apostasy OF the Church. It speaks often of apostasy FROM the Church., but absolutely nothing on apostasy OF the Church. Because it is never foretold and it never happened as per Christ's Words in Matt 16:16-19 to his Church. (" I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it")

2. Mr Talmage cannot find a single Christian who professes this idea prior to the Protestant separation. (Protestants professed it for obvious reasons, to justify their new theologies). He is at odds with the whole of Christianity as early as the 1st century who believed the Church., being the Bride of Christ. would never succumb to apostasy because Christ told us it wouldn't.

3. Nor can he reconcile this idea with the multitude of verses in the Holy Bible which tell us that Christ would never let this happen. Matt 16:16-19 beholds Christ's very Words promising that the "Gates of Hell" will never prevail against his Church.

"And I say that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it, I give you the keys to kingdom of Heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and what ever you loosen on earth will be loosened in Heaven." Matt 16:16-19

And in Math 18:17 Christ himself admonishes his disciples to:

"hear his Church." Why would Christ give his Church this authority and this command, if he knew it would not always teach the truth in matter of faith or morals?... he wouldn't .

 

In John 16 Christ tells us that he will send his Holy Spirit to guide the Church. in all Truth. Christ said he would send the:

 

"the spirit of truth to guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13)

 

Yes, we hear much about Sinners becoming apostate in the early Church. But we hear *nothing* about the Church as an institution becoming apostate until the Protestant separation in the 16th century. And then this thought was reiterated by Joseph Smith in the 19th century. The Protestant philosophers of the 16th century are the author of this idea. Before it we hear not a word of the Church that Christ started becoming Apostate. In fact all we hear is the opposite.

 

Surely if the "True Mormon Believers" in the first few centuries saw their Church become untrue to the teachings of the Apostles we would hear something of this. Yet history, as with every other Mormon doctrine, is silent until the last few hundred years. Just as history is silent on every distinctly Protestant doctrine. Did Christ not tell his Church that he would be with it until the end of the world? Since the Apostles would not live forever, this promise is to his Church:

 

"Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world" Math 28:20.

 

He didn't say:

 

"Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I will be with you for just a few decades. For my Bride, the Church. I personally commissioned and promised to prevail against the "Gates of Hell" will become apostate very soon."

 

Yet that is the teachings of the Mormon church. The teachings necessary to justify and validate Joseph Smith's new theology, just as the Renaissance Protestants embrace the same to justify their new theologies.

 

Either we believe the Words of Holy Writ or we don't.

 

Click here if you been taught the Catholic Church became corrupt in it's theology? Don't the Holy Scriptures tell us this is impossible? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

 

My friend, history utterly *silent* on Mormon theology until the 1830s, yet replete on Catholic theology to the "nth degree" in both Biblical and Extra-biblical records as early as 70AD while many Apostles still lived.  This lack of Mormon evidence for their doctrines is compounded by the lack of evidence to support Mormon "archeological claims" in early North America. Mormon archeological suffers the same lack of evidence/historical support to cause the Smithsonian to release a statement specifically denying any substantiation to the Mormon claims of archaeology. The bottom line is, if Christ's Church of the "apostolic age" was the prototype of today's Mormon church, it must have had all these beliefs and practices. But why is there zero evidence of them in the from 33AD until 1830? Nothing, not one shred.

My friend,
Joseph Smith wrote:

 "I was answered that I must join none of them (Christian churches), for they were all wrong…their creeds were an abomination in [God’s] sight; that those professors were all corrupt" (Joseph Smith—History 1:19).  Yet he was never exposed to the fullness of the Catholic Church, he speaks of the Protestant Churches. They are not Apostolic for they all stem from the Renaissance era *at the earliest*.  Just as Mormon theology stems from Joseph Smith *at the earliest*.  He is the source of all of these ideas. 

Mormon theology is not Apostolic in any sense of the word.  If you want to believe as the Apostles taught Christ's early Church, investigate the claims of the only Church that shows a historical linage to Jesus Christ, the only Church that believes as Christ's early Church taught.  Test it's claims as the Bible commands. Click here: A Challenge to Mormon theology, is Catholic theology Apostolic, is it the teachings of Christ's Apostles to his infant Church? Name one doctrine that isn't.  https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html
And then contrast this evidence with the historical voids of both Protestant and Mormon theologies before the last few hundreds years.

I just want to believe as the Apostles taught Christ's infant Church, no matter where it leads me and no matter what it costs me.  I pray you feel the same way. 

God Bless you,

Daniel 

How could it be that Christ, who should have known better, would promise that his Church would not be overcome, if he knew full well a great apostasy would make short shrift of it in a matter of decades? Was Christ lying? Obviously not. Was the Son of God mistaken? No. Did his divinity fail him and cause him to miscalculate things? No, again. Christ's divinity precluded such things. He was correct in what he said and we as Christians should take his Words at face value.

"I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it."

Either we believe the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ or we don't.


Click here: Have you been taught the Catholic Church became corrupt in it's theology and that there was a "Great Apostasy?" Don't the Holy Scriptures say this is impossible? I.E., the verses not underlined in your Bible? 

https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html


DISCLAIMER: This site is true to the Apostolic teachings of the Catholic Faith. All efforts have been made to be true to orthodox Catholic theology as delineated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Holy Bible commands all Christians to:
“Test everything. Hold on to the good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Please email me with your questions, objections or comments. INRI33AD@AOL.COM

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14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


Suggested reading:

Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

 

1. Are you a Bible Believing Christian? Does your pastor preach " Bible Only?"
Click Here: 40 Protestant Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
Do you know who authored Protestantism's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
What stage you are in?...
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
What does the Holy Bible say?
...https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
"What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in non-Catholic churches. Read the story again and then decide.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the Protestant theologies make the same bold claim? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLCIAL DEFINATION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

Email: mail to: INRI33AD@aol.com
16 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN Discover the verse not not underlined in your Bible.

16 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in
Modern Christian seminaries or churches.


Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Suggested reading:

Intro to the Catholic Faith for Evangelicals http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/index2.htm

Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

FAQ about the Catholic Faith from Columbia University
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/faq-cc.html

 

1. "BIBLE ONLY" CHRISTIAN or "BIBLE BELIEVING" CHRISTIAN?
45 Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

2. JUST THE TRUTH: 2 Dozen Logic and Historical Facts Refuting the Apostolicity and Biblicism of the Modern Christian Belief Systems "Test Everything." https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/justfacts.html

3. An Exercise in Logic, Two Logic Proofs from History 101 demonstrating how the modern Christian theologies did not even exist in the first millennium, making it impossible for Christ and His Apostles to have taught to His early Church.
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/logic.html


4. Three uneasy questions for your pastor concerning his personal theology. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

5. Seven Reasons Christians Go To Church, Which One Is Yours? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

6. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development" What stage are you? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

7. The Historical Origins & Authors of the Modern Christian Theologies. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html

8. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only" idea even Biblical? Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" or the "ONLY" in Sola Scriptura? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

9. Modern Christians often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE? What else has Christ's infallible authority besides the Holy Bible?" Featuring the verses not underlined in most Bibles nor taught in modern Christian seminaries or churches. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

10. FAITH ALONE (SOLA FIDE): It is a Catholic Position. Have you been taught that Catholics "work their way to Heaven?" https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

11. "Who is the Bride of Christ?" What does the Holy Bible say? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

12. Did the BEREANS "Search the Scriptures" and therefore follow the BIBLE ONLY idea?
Or did the THESSALONIANS, who also "Searched the Scriptures?
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

13. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for the Non-Catholic Theologies:
Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic? Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith today *no longer does*. Why can't the modern Christian theologies make the same bold claim?
https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

14. Biblically, did the "Official Teachings or Doctrines of the Catholic Faith" become corrupt or Apostate as your Pastor might teach? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid the "Gates of Hell" from overcoming His Church? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim :15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

15. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "HAIL MARY" Prayer Biblical? Read the verses not underlined in your pastors Bible nor taught in his church. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

16. How Modern Christian are compelled to use and embrace an unbiblical and anti-biblical definition and concept of a Christian Church. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith"
at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

Email: : INRI33AD@aol.com
3 Fundamental ways the non-Catholic communities depart from the Church of the Holy Bible

How non-Catholics are compelled to use and embrace an unbiblical and antibiblical definition and concept of Christ's Church.

3 Fundamental ways the non-Catholic communities depart from the Church of the Holy Bible
As shown below, Catholic theology and the "Case for the Catholic Faith" comprises the verses not taught in non-Catholic circles nor underlined in their Bibles.

 

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Email: INRI33AD@aol.com

Christian Reader, after 10+ years of communicating with non-Catholics, I have come to the conclusion that non-Catholics and especially Protestants, misunderstand or misconstrue 70% of what the Catholic Faith actually teaches or why they believe it. But this is only part of the reason they reject it. The main reason is the non-Catholic's unhistorical and unbiblical understanding of what Christ's Church is compared to how the Holy Bible speaks of it.

Many well-meaning Protestants reject Catholic theology because they simply do not have a good grounding in Christian history or the Catholic Catechism
Many of these well-meaning folks, unfortunately, have sat under the teachings of less-than-careful Bible-church preachers and pastors who approach Catholicism with a cluster of flawed presumptions and distortions that make even a charitable reading of the Catechism almost impossible. (1)

I preface this letter with one request, whatever ever you believe the Catholic Faith to teach or embrace, I promise you most likely 70% of your understanding is incorrect. With this in mind, please do not reject Catholic theology outright, for what you are rejecting is not what the Catholic Faith actually teaches. I just want to believe as the Apostles taught Christ's early Church, no matter where it leads me and no matter what it costs me. I hope you feel the same way. I will attempt to present to you many verses not underlined in your Bible in hopes that you understand the differences between the Biblical understanding of Christ's Church and that practiced by the non-Catholic. My goal is this endeavor is to fulfill the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ that all Christians believe in unison, that they all believe His One Gospel, his One Faith. Just as the Holy Bible tells us rather than 1000s conflicting of "Statements of Faith."

"There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God." ( Eph 4:4)

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 

This document will contrast the Holy Bible and first century Christianity with modern Protestantism and the modern Protestant. It will demonstrate the inequities of modern ideas on the "Church of God" as compared to the writings of Christ's Church in the Sacred Scriptures in hopes that the reader will embrace the teaching of Scripture as they pertain to Christ's Church. I would encourage the reader to also visit the "3 Questions for My Pastor" page (https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html) to see if what your pastor tells you is "Biblical" was taught by the first Protestants in the 16th century much less the Apostles in the 1st century.

Hebrews 13:8-9 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings."

===============================================================================================

 

    The non-Catholics understanding of "a church" departs

    from historical Christianity and the Holy Bible in 3 fundamental ways:

     

    1.The 1st way the non-Catholics understanding of Christ’s Church departs from the Holy Bible. The Protestant "World/Secular View" of a church is that it is NOT a "divine institution" and it does NOT have the power to "Bind and Loose" Matt 16:16-19 (to declare and define doctrine infallibly). The Protestant world view of Christ's Church holds that it does NOT speak infallibly on matters of faith or morals. In fact, contrary to the Sacred Scriptures, the Protestant's churches nor Christ's Church has any binding authority at all, and if one disagrees with one's church, one can only "church shop" for another church, or start one of his own. (Try doing that in 1st century Christianity). This "World/Secular View" of Christ's Church parallels the "World/Secular View" of the Holy Bible. (Click here)

    2. The Second Way the non-Catholic's concept of a "church" differs from Apostolic teachings and the Holy Bible is in their acceptance of multiple gospels/salvation messages or "statements of faith." This open acceptance of a plurality of "gospels" is in dire contradiction to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures of one, and only one faith. (Click here)

    3. The 3rd Way the non-Catholic's view of a church departs from the historical teachings of the Apostles and that of the Holy Bible is in the belief that "The Church," the "Bride of Christ," Christ’s own “Body” is NOT protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching error in matters of faith or morals." This is believed by the non-Catholic because that is the way it is in their current church, where they are free to discount the teachings of their pastor and his/her "Statement of Faith." For in the non-Catholic churches, nothing is “Binding” and no church has any authority over him whatsoever. These modern beliefs are in gross contradiction to the teachings of the Apostles and the Sacred Scriptures and even the Protestant's own reformers in the 16th century. (Click here) "And he is the head of the body, the church" Colossians 1:18 (Also Colossians 1:24, Eph 1:22)

     

    Non-Catholic churches embrace their current theologies because unknowingly, they are forced to accept the unbiblical "Bible Only" theory (Sola Scriptura) as true. It is unbiblical because nowhere in the Bible does the Bible teach the "SOLA" or the "Only" in this Renaissance era idea. Nowhere implied or otherwise. Many pastors quote 2 Tim 3:15-16 as a teaching of Sola Scriptura or Bible Only. But as one reads the text, the "SOLA or the ONLY" is not taught or even alluded to. It says Scripture is "profitable and useful" but that is stating the obvious, of course Scripture is profitable and useful. The text does not teach what the non-Catholic would like the passage to teach. The "Bible ONLY" idea is ironically "unbiblical and antibiblical" and it doesn't even predate the middle ages much less have its roots in the Apostolic era. See: Is Sola Scriptura Biblical? Where does the Bible teach the "Sola or the Only" in Bible Only? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html Yet non-Catholics accept this idea because they have been taught to reject the teaching authority of Christ's Church. For they have been presented with an unhistorical, unbiblical and even anti-Biblical understanding of Christ's Church: what it is, what it's for, why Christ commissioned it and how its job is to spread the Gospel of Christ and keep his fold from drifting into heresy or preaching "other gospels."

    Galatians 1:8-9 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!"

    As shown below, Catholic theology comprises the verses not taught in Protestant circles or underlined in the
    non-Catholic's Bible.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    What is the non-Catholic understanding of "a church"?

    The non-Catholic's church is a gathering place, a building or space which provides religious services for its believers based on the pastor's personal and distinct interpretation of the Holy Bible in this modern era. Whether non-Catholics realize it or not, their church is an institution in itself because it is purposely set up with a defined hierarchy (Senior Pastor, associate/assistant pastors, elders, staff, choir, volunteers, parishioners, security, maintenance, etc.) that provide spiritual guidance and functionality for the institution. These institutional qualities are Biblical and they also resemble the early Church. Except the Apostles and the early Church's hierarchy ordained it's future clergy through a distinct ordination of "laying on of hands" (1 Tim. 5:32, 1 Tim. 4:14), and gave three offices of ordination: Bishop, Priest and Deacon which are absent in most all modern non-Catholic churches.

    Bishops (episcopoi) (1 Tim. 5:19-22; 2 Tim. 4:5; Titus 1:5).
    Priests (presbuteroi) (1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14-15).
    Deacons (diakonoi) (Acts 6:1-6).

    No Protestant church can trace the ordination orders of its clergy before the 16th century (and contrary to the Holy Bible, most do not even have an ordination of its clergy). Yet every Catholic Bishop, Priest and Deacon, by a lineage of "laying on of hands" can do this by name back 2000 years to a specific Apostle. The Holy Bible tells us that this and only this makes the ordination orders of a church's clergy valid, Biblical and Apostolic.
    See: Click here: Bishop, Priest, and Deacon in the Holy Bible and in Christ's early Church http://www.catholic.com/library/Bishop_Priest_and_Deacon.asp

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    Christian Reader: ask yourself the following questions about your current church and what the Holy Bible says or does not say:

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    The non-Catholics understanding of a church departs

    from historical Christianity and the Holy Bible in 3 fundamental ways:

    The 1st way the Protestants understanding of Christ’s Church departs from the Holy Bible:

    The Protestant and Catholic views of a church or "The Church" can be compared to the two views of the Holy Bible. One is a "World View" and one is a "Christian View."

    • The "World/Secular View" believes the Bible to be just an ancient history book, a collection of fallible writings or pseudo guidelines to live a good life, written by mere men with no binding authority on the reader.
    • But the "Christian View" is that the Holy Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. A collection of scrolls written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the written WORD of God carrying Almighty God's full authority and infallibility.

    The same perspectives exist when Catholics and non-Catholics speak of "a church" verse "The Church".

    Matt 16:16-19 . "And I say that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it, I give you the keys to kingdom of Heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and what ever you loosen on earth will be loosened in Heaven."

    Mt 18:17-18 "If he refuse's to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

    Conversely, the Protestant view of a church is that it is NOT a "divine institution" and it does NOT have the power to "Bind and Loose" (to declare and define doctrine infallibly) and it does NOT speak infallibly on matters of faith or morals. In fact, contrary to the Holy Bible, the Protestant's church nor Christ's Church has any binding authority at all, and again, if one disagrees with one's church, one can only "church shop" for another church, or start one of his own. (Try doing that in 1st century Christianity and your would be automatically outside Christ's Universal Church).

    "And he is the head of the body, the church" Colossians 1:18 (Also Colossians 1:18, Eph 1:22)

    Galatians 1:8-9 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!"
    "There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God." ( Eph 4:4)
    Mt 18:17-18 "If he refuse's to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

     

    2. THE SECOND WAY the non-Catholic's concept of "a church" differs from Apostolic teachings and the Holy Bible is in their acceptance of multiple gospels/salvation messages or "statements of faith." This open acceptance of a plurality of "gospels" is in dire contradiction to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures of one, and only one faith.

    Galatians 1:8-9 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!"
    "There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God." ( Eph 4:4)

    The Holy Bible teaches there is One Faith-One Gospel, which is embraced by Christ's Universal Church started in 33AD. This One Faith is derived from the teachings of Christ's Apostles and delineated in the Catechism of the Catholic Faith at: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm and is used by over 1 Billion Catholics worldwide. It was the only Christian faith for the first 1000+ years of Christianity. The first Protestant faith was created in 1517 by Martin Luther: the first Protestant. See: The Authors and Origins of the Protestant Theologies at: http://www.angelfire.cohm/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html

    In the 1st century, the Church was called the "Universal Church," the One Church. The Greek word for Universal is "catholic." As early as 110AD we find written evidence of Christ's Universal Church being called the Catholic Church. Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of St. John the Apostle and wrote in 110AD:

    "Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).

    Click here: The Great Heresies in Christian History http://www.catholic.com/library/Great_Heresies.asp

    Click here: "Who is the Bride of Christ? What does the Holy Bible say? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    3. The 3rd Way the non-Catholic's view of a church departs from the historical teachings of the Apostles and that of the Holy Bible is in the belief that "The Church," the "Bride of Christ," Christ’s own “Body” is NOT protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching error in matters of faith or morals." This is believed by the non-Catholic because that is the way it is in their current church, where they are free to discount the teachings of their pastor and his "Statement of Faith." For in the non-Catholic churches, nothing is “Binding” and no church has any authority over him whatsoever. These modern beliefs are in gross contradiction to the teachings of the Apostles and the Sacred Scriptures and even their own reformers in the 16th century.

    =>The Catholic Faith, Christ's Holy Church, His Body-His Bride, cannot error in matters of faith or morals. Just as the Holy Spirit protects the Holy Bible from error. The same Holy Spirit protects Christ's Holy Church. Christ himself proclaimed this when he stated “the Gates of Hell” will never prevail against his Church.
    "And I say that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it, I give you the keys to kingdom of Heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and what ever you loosen on earth will be loosened in Heaven." Matt 16:16-19. Or do non-Catholics contend (contrary to the Sacred Scriptures) that the "Gates of Hell" DID prevail over Christ’s Church and that in itself justifies the 1000s of Protestant theologies?

    =>Christ's last words on earth were a commandment to His Church to teach all nations and that he would be with His Church "until the end of the world." Since the Apostles would not live forever this promise was to his Holy Church, the Church Hell can never prevail against:
    "Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world" Matt 28:20.
    Is it the contention of the non-Catholic that Christ is NOT with his Church “until the end of the world” and that necessitates the rejection of the Church of Christ?

    =>The Holy Bible, the inspired Word of God calls his Bride-His Church, the "Pillar and foundation of Truth."
    "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15."
    The Holy Bible does not call the only Christian Faith in the first 1000+ years of Christianity the "the pillar and foundation of lies" or "The Apostate Church of the Living God." No it is called the " pillar and foundation of truth" and Our Lord said he would send his Spirit to guide it to ALL truth.

    =>Christ said he would send the "the spirit of truth to guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13) for his Church to "Teach all nations" (Matt 28:20)

    =>In Matt 18:17 Christ commands his followers to "hear his Church." Why would non-Catholics reject the Church Christ himself started if Christ tells us to hear this very Church? And *what* verse in the "soon to be written" New Testament instructs Christians to "no longer hear" Christ's Church or that it is optional or that it has no authority?

    Mt 18:17-18 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

    => Christ calls his Church, his Body, his Bride. (Ephesians 5:32) Since Christ is Holy his Body is Holy. To reject His Church is to reject the very Body of Christ.
    "And he is the head of the body, the church" Colossians 1:18 and
    "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church." Colossians 1:24

    =>And Christ gave authority to his Church by giving His Chief Apostle, St Peter, the "Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven with power to Bind and Loose." Non-Catholics disavow all authority given to Christ's Church. They disavow its power to "Bind and Loose" (to infallibly declare doctrine) and they disavow Christ's promise to protect his Church from doctrinal error against the "Gates of hell" themselves . (Matt 16:16-19) If non-Catholics believe what the Bible teaches in (Matt 16:16-19) why do they protest against reject the Church Christ created? The Church that he promised would prevail against the "Gates of Hell." Why would any sober Christian reject the "Body of Christ?" "And he is the head of the body, the church" Colossians 1:18 (Also Colossians 1:18, Eph 1:22)

    =>Since the Church is HIS Body, when you hear his Church, you hear Christ, and when you reject his Church you reject Christ. "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Luke 10:16).

    =>Christ said he would send: "the spirit of truth to guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). He was not speaking of anyone and everyone to believe anything and everything they wanted; he was speaking to his Church. Clearly Holy Scripture is replete with Christ himself giving direct commands of authority for his Church and he charges all Christians to "Hear this Church," (Matt 18:17) the "Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Foundation of Truth." (1 Tim 3:15) Either this Apostolic Church is the "pillar and foundation of Truth" or it isn't? Either he sent "the spirit of truth to guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13) or he didn't. Do we believe what the Holy Bible says? Or are we more interested in remaining in a certain denomination/nondenomination or belief system? Either we believe the Holy words of Scripture or we don't. Either we "hear his Church" or we reject it. "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Luke 10:16).

    ? Where does the Holy Bible instruct or permit non-Catholics to ignore, reject or disavow Christ’s Church? What verse gives Protestantism its mandate to “protest” the "The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15 and start new churches with new theologies and gospels unheard of before the Renaissance era? "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings." Hebrews 13:8-9 Christ’s Gospel does not change over time. How did it change for your pastor?

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    In Conclusion

    Christian reader.
    If you reject Christ's historical Church, (the only Christian Faith that dates back to 33AD), if you reject this Church as the "Pillar and Foundation of Truth" (1 Tim 3:15), what Biblical command or what Biblical basis are you using to justify this? Or is this rejection Unbiblical, and you are simply embracing a "tradition of man" from the Renaissance era. Yes, the Renaissance era philosopher chose to reject Christ's Church to justify his new theology (ies). That unbiblical theology being that the Bible is the SOLE or ONLY infallible rule of faith all by itself, and the Authority that Christ gave his Church as illustrated above does not exist! I.e., the Renaissance era doctrine of "Sola Scriptura" or the "Bible Alone." This idea frees the Protestant to believe *anything he wants* about the Gospel of Christ for there is no one to stop him. Hence the 1000s and 1000s of Protestant denominations and NON denominations present today. Look up the word "church" in your yellow pages for an illustration. Search the Holy Bible, and find just One verse that teaches the “Sola” or the “Bible ONLY” idea, which mandates a rejection of the authority of Christ's Church. A rejection of the one "Bride of Christ." Click here: Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical? Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura? In 1000 AD there was ONE Belief system for all of Christianity, one Christian Church, just as there was in 500 AD and 100 AD and in 33 AD., One Faith, the Universal (Catholic in Greek) Church. The Church Christ started in Matt 16:16-19. Christ's Church, the one "Bride of Christ."

    St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch and direct student of St. John the Apostles wrote in 110 AD.
    "Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).
    For more quotes on what "Catholic" means and how the Church was called Catholic since the 1st century
    Click here: What "Catholic" Means http://www.catholic.com/library/What_Catholic_Means.asp


    My friend, please reflect on the Biblical verses above in support for the authority of Christ's Church, the authority the Bible speaks of, the authority needed to "Teach all nations" with Christ's blessing for he will be with this Church "Until the end of the World" and the "Gates of Hell will never prevail against it." And contrast this with the absence of *any* verse teaching the SOLA in Sola Scripture. The absence of *any* verse stating or even implying that the Bible by itself is the SOLE or SUPREME infallible rule of faith.

    What else is there, what else has Christ's Infallibly Authority??? The Holy Bible tells us that before the NT Bible was even written, there was: "The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15.

    Christ's Church AND the Bible is the Authority you seek, just as the Holy Bible tells us over and over. For this Church is the institution that actually wrote and preserved the Bible. You may have been taught the opposite for many years, but just because one has believed something for years on end, doesn't mean it's true. I hope you agree. It's what the Bible tells us and what Christianity has taught for 2000 years.
    "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

    Jesus Christ does not change and neither does his Gospel. That is the reason for his ONE Church, to spread his ONE Gospel. Yet, instead of embracing the teachings of the Apostles as written in the Holy Bible and even embraced by his own Protestant reformers, the modern Protestant will cling to the Unbiblical and Anti-Biblical idea of "many faiths" or the "body of believers" and justify his present church's theology as somehow echoing the true teachings of the Apostles. When the fact is, many of his pastor's “strange teachings” Hebrews 13:8-9 were not even embraced by his own first Protestants in the 16th century. This is the quintessential example of non-Catholics believing what their pastor tells them is "just the Bible" rather than believing what the Apostles taught to include the whole of orthodox Christianity to include the first Protestant reformers. Only when Bible Believing Protestants accept the Bible's example and the teachings of Christ's Church and embrace the Authority he bestowed on it, -- only then will Protestants reject the illogical, unhistorical, unbiblical and even anti-biblical idea of "Bible Alone" and a rejection of Christ's Church for their complete knowledge of Christ's Gospel. Only then will they embrace:
    The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15
    Only then will they come to the fullness of Christ's Gospel. Christ does not change, so how did his Gospel change for your pastor, or the pastor down the street teaching yet another gospel or the pastor across the street from him?

    "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings." Hebrews 13:8-9

    God Bless you and all you do, Daniel

    “If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries”. Hebrews 10: 26

    Please email me with your questions and concerns at: INRI33AD@aol.com

    (1) http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=24119

    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

     

    14 Questions for the Earnest Believer:

    1. Are you a Bible Believing Christian? Does your pastor preach " Bible Only?"
    Click Here: 40 Protestant Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

    2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

    3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

    4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
    Do you know who authored Protestantism's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


    5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
    What stage you are in?...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

    6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
    Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

    7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
    What does the Holy Bible say?
    ...https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

    8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
    "What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
    Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

    9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
    Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
    Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

    10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
    Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in non-Catholic churches. Read the story again and then decide.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

    11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
    Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the Protestant theologies make the same bold claim? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

    12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

    13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

    14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLICAL DEFINITION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

    There is a case for the Catholic Faith. Perhaps you have just not given it a fair hearing. I can guarantee you that much of what your current pastor "says" Catholics believe, is not what they really believe. Always go to the source. One wouldn't ask the Democrats to comment on Republican ideals, and likewise, it is not fair to ask Protestant Pastors to explain Catholic theology. Ask "knowledgeable" Catholics what they believe or read it yourself on this site or the "Links" at the top of this page. Catholic theology was not invented in the last few hundred years as we find in Protestantism, it is the faith of the Apostles and that of your Christian Fathers for 2000 years.

    It is the "Bride of Christ"

    Click here: How to Become Catholic

    Please let me hear from you.

    God Bless you,
    Daniel

    "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

    Many Protestant pastors teach their parishioners that Catholic theology is not Apostolic, that it is not the teachings of the Apostles to Christ's early Church. I would offer the following challenge to you to ask your pastor:
    Click here: 3rd Unanswered Challenge for the Protestant Theologies: Is Catholic Theology Apostolic? Name one doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed, that the Catholic Faith no longer does. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html



    Please ask your pastor to email me with his answers/objections and please feel free to email me yourself with your questions, objections or comments.
    And please, ask your pastor the 3 Questions about his theology. And test his response as the Holy Bible commands.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

    mail to: INRI33AD@aol.com


    Ignatius of Antioch, 110 A.D.
    (Bishop of Antioch and student of St John the Apostle):


    "Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).

    This and many other quotes from your Church Fathers can be found at the following link:
    Click here for the teachings of the Students of the Apostles on the following subjects: http://www.catholic.com/library/fathers_know_best.asp

    Below are the very words of our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture not underlined in your Bible on many subjects to include:
    What "Catholic" Means & how from the 1st century the Church was called Catholic:
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Mortal Sin and the Ability to lose one's Salvation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Baptizing Babies,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Real Presence Of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The evil in Abortion,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Existence of Purgatory in Scripture
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Antichrist,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Peter the Rock on which the Church was founded,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Apostolic Succession in the Church,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Praying to the Saints,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the role of Apostolic Tradition in the Word of God,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Salvation of Non-Catholics,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Sacrifice of the Mass,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Necessity of Baptism,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Astrology,

    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the evil of Birth Control,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Authority of the Pope in the Church,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Baptismal Grace and what it does,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Bishops Priests Deacons in Scripture,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Born Again in Baptism,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Confession and Confirmation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Mary: "Full of Grace",
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Creation and Genesis,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Creation Out of Nothing,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the Divinity of Christ,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Divorce & Remarriage,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Do Miracles Still Happen?,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Does God Have a Body?
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the Eternal Son ship of Christ,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Filioque,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on God in Three Persons,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Hell,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Homosexuality,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Mary: Ever Virgin Mary,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Merit and Reward,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Old Testament Canon,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on One God or Many?,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Peter's Successors,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Peter in Rome,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the Primacy of Peter,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Private Revelation, Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Reincarnation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Resurrection of the Body,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Sabbath or Sunday?
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Trinity,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Trinitarian Baptism,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Women and the Priesthood

    *Any reference to the phrase "non-Catholics" excludes the Eastern Orthodox Churches

    "Back to top"

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.

    Email: INRI33AD@aol.com

    Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? Read the verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.

    Is Praying to Saints Biblical?
    Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical?
    (Read the verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.)

     

    "Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" Luke 1:48.

     

    Martin Luther, the first Protestant on Christian devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary:

    "The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart." (Sermon, September 1, 1522).

    "[She is the] highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ . . . She is nobility, wisdom, and holiness personified. We can never honor her enough. Still honor and praise must be given to her in such a way as to injure neither Christ nor the Scriptures." (Sermon, Christmas, 1531).

    "One should honor Mary as she herself wished and as she expressed it in the Magnificat. She praised God for his deeds. How then can we praise her? The true honor of Mary is the honor of God, the praise of God's grace . . . Mary is nothing for the sake of herself, but for the sake of Christ . . . Mary does not wish that we come to her, but through her to God." (Explanation of the Magnificat, 1521).

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments. INRI33AD@aol.com



    Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Where does the Bible teach this?
    Read the verses and Apostolic concepts not taught in your church, nor underlined in your Bible.
     
    This is perhaps one of the greatest stumbling blocks most Protestants have before embracing the Catholic Faith.  Most objections spring from the prayer, the "Hail Mary," (which could not be more Biblical as evidenced by the first chapter of Luke).
     
    Here is the prayer and it's corresponding Biblicism.
     

    "Hail [Mary] full of grace, the Lord is with thee,

     

     

    Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

     

    Holy Mary Mother of God,

     

     

     

    pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen."

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Luke 1:28 Verbatim: "And the angel entered to her, and said, Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed be thou among women." (some versions say "Hail highly favored one").

     

    Luke 1:42 [Elizabeth]"cried with a great voice, and said, Blessed be thou among women, and blessed be the fruit of thy womb." (Verbatim, with "Jesus" added)

     

    Luke 1:43 (Elizabeth calls the Virgin Mary the "Mother of my Lord" which is synonymous with "Mother of God", unless one contends that Our Lord is not God.) "And whereof is this thing to me, that the mother of my Lord come to me?" Luke 1:43

     

    This is a prayer of intercession. In 1 Tim 2:1, St Paul exhorts Timothy "that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for everyone, for this is good and pleases our Savior."

    Everyone would be all those Christians in the Body of Christ. (Col 1:18- 24) Are those glorified Christians in Heaven not part of the Body of Christ? Where in the Holy Bible does it teach that Christ has two bodies, one in Heaven and one on earth, or that the saints in Heaven are outside the Body of Christ? St Paul tells us that intercessions and prayers be made for for ALL Christians, all in Christ's Body.

     

     

    But many exclaim: "Those in Heaven can't hear you, they are dead!" No, their bodies are dead, not the souls themselves. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself tells us:

    "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God:  I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."   Matt 22 :31-32 

    Those in Heaven, their bodies have departed from us but Christ tells us they are alive and continue to be part of the Body of Christ. (Col 1:18, 24) A prayer to a saint is simply asking another Christian to pray for you to God Almighty. It's that simple. It is not to perform magic, it is not conjure of the dead to foretell the future and it is not a form of worship. It is simply a request that those in the presence of God pray for you to God himself. This is exactly what Protestants do when they ask a family member to "pray" for them. There is no difference. Those Christians on earth as with those glorified Christians in Heaven are all part of the Body of Christ. Jesus Himself tells us that they are alive and St. Paul instructs us in the Holy Bible that "that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for everyone, for this is good and pleases our Savior." 1 Tim 2:1 Everyone would be ALL Christians in the Body of Christ. That's all there is to it. It's that simple. The Holy Bible also tells us to:

    "Pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me . . ." (Eph. 6:18).

    (All the saints, those in Heaven and those on Earth).

    Any objection to asking fellow Christians to pray for you (whether they be in Heaven or on earth) is blatantly unbiblical, for one can find no verse or valid Biblical objection to this instruction given by the Apostle Paul. Any and all objections to asking fellow Christians to pray for us stem from years of conditioning as a non-Catholic and have no Biblical foundation.

    If you read any prayer to a saint, it includes or concludes, with a phrase like "pray for us." The "Hail Mary" is a case in point. Read the last stanza:"pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen." As for the rest of the prayer, one can see that it takes its form from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke and Paul's teachings on the Body of Christ. (Col 1:18-24)   Why would anyone object to a pray with Bible verses verbatim out of Christ's 3rd Gospel?  One can only guess unless the objection is from the last stanza"  "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen."  One can only object to this stanza if one believes that those glorified souls in Heaven are 1. not Christians (anymore) and 2. (for some reason) not part of the Body of Christ , and the instructions given by St. Paul in 1 Tim 2:1 (that is pleasing to Our Savior BTW ) "that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for everyone, for this is good and pleases our Savior." 1 Tim 2:1 does not apply to them! I would ask what Biblical verse objectors are using to declare that those in Heaven are "outside" the Body of Christ or are excluded from the 1 Tim 2:1? The objection is unbiblical, unfounded and based on learned prejudice from years of misinformation about the Holy Bible and the teachings of Christ's Apostles.

    On the contrary, what is unbiblical is "praying to Jesus" as one would advocate instead. "Praying to Jesus" is not in the Bible. Jesus himself tells his Apostles to pray to his Father and he tells us how in the "Lord's Prayer."  It is a healthy and holy Catholic/Protestant practice to "pray to Jesus," but it is not Biblical in any sense of the word. As the Bible tells us, not everything is in the Bible to include the unbiblical idea that everything IS in the Bible. (John 20:30, John 21:35)   See 25 Unbiblical Protestant Doctrines and Practices

    The Holy Bible tells us to invoke those in Heaven to pray WITH us, and it tells us explicitly in many places how they pray FOR us.   Protestants object to the practice because they have been indoctrinated over the years that the "Intercession of Saints" or as the Apostles Creed calls it the "Communion of Saints" is somehow Unbiblical. They believe this because, as the following verses show, these verses are not taught in Protestant churches nor underlined in their Pastor's Bible.

    If the objection is the phrase: "praying to saints," the word "Pray" in this sense means nothing more than to "to ask or to petition,"   as in Shakespearean English:"I pray thee or I ask thee."  To "Pray to a saint" is simply to ASK them or petition them.  It is not Worship, which is reserved for God and God alone, it is a petition. And if you read any Christian prayer to any saint it does just that, it asks them to pray with us to our Lord Jesus Christ. As noted the last stanza of the Hail Mary prayer is an excellent example: "Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now at the hour of our death, Amen."

    That is the whole reason for the prayer, to gain her intercession of prayer to her Divine Son. Jesus Christ is who she is "praying" to. She is petitioning her Divine Son on your behalf. Just as the Holy Bible commands all Christians in the Body of Christ to do:

    "pray and intercede for one another." 1 Tim 2:1

    and to pray for one another:

    "Pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me . . ." (Eph. 6:18).

     

    Protestants do the exact same thing when they "pray" (ask/petition) to a spouse, a mother or friend to "pray for them." They "pray/petition" others to pray with them or for them to Almighty God.   Again, that is the meaning of the word "pray."   "I pray thee." "I ask thee." Look it up.   It is not worship, that is reserved for God alone.  It is a petition or a request.

     

     The Holy Bible tells us there are two kinds of prayer.

    1.  A prayer can be a prayer of petition OR a prayer of worship. The prayer of petition asks (prays) for something while the other type is one of worship which glorifies God with no petition. The psalms are excellent examples. Some are prayers of petition and some are pure prayers of worship. Most Protestant prayers to God are prayers of petition. The following is an example of a Catholic prayer to God that is not a petition but a prayer of worship.

    "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen."

    2. But ALL prayers to fellow Christians in the Body of Christ are petitions (whether the Christian in the Body of Christ is here or in Heaven). Protestants use prayers of petition in the exact same why when they utilize pray groups or pray chains. They are simply asking fellow Christians to pray/petition God on your behalf.

    ================================================================================================

    Aside from 1 Tim 2:1 and Eph. 6:18, which commands those in the Body of Christ to intercede and pray for each other, where else in the Holy Bible does it ask us to do this or where does it allow Christians to petition those in Heaven to pray with us?

     

    An online correspondent, who I will call Peg wrote to me and objected:

    "we have a direct line through Christ and we should pray to Him and only Him....    using Mary is almost like a medium or idolatry to me."

    Peg, this is a common misconception. (BTW, the Holy Bible never tells us to pray to Jesus, it tells us to pray to God the Father and it tells us as Christians to pray and intercede for each other. See 40 Unbiblical Protestant Doctrines and Practices).

    The answer to your question is an understanding of the Body of Christ as spoken of in the Holy Bible.  Let me ask you a question: are those Holy Christians, the saints in Heaven OUTSIDE the Body of Christ?  Are they outside His Body even though they are in his presence? Yes, or No.  The answer is No.  They are not outside the Body of Christ.  They are part of the Body of Christ and the Saints described in Rev. 5:8, offering up their prayers on behalf of those other Christians in the Body of Christ still on earth.

    To believe otherwise is to fracture Christ's Body and self declare that the right arm of Christ's Body is separated from His left arm.  I.e. that one part of Christ's Body cannot help or pray for the other part of His Body even while he is the Head of the Body. (Col 1:18).
     

    Peg if this is your contention, what Biblical verse are you using to split Christ's Body in two so that those in Heaven cannot pray or intercede for those on earth as the Holy Bible tells us they do. Or what verse do you quote that prohibits those Christians in the Body of Christ on earth from asking those in THE SAME BODY to pray with and for them?  There is no such verse, so this objection is by definition: UNBiblical.  This Protestant objection is absent of any scriptural support. Many Protestants argue that the Old Testament prohibits "conjuring up the dead." This is not what Christians do in petitioning their prayers and if they would read this OT passage in context the verse actually prohibits "conjuring up the dead for foretelling their future" as in the case of Samuel. Asking a fellow Christian to pray for you to Almighty God does not fit this prohibition

    What the Bible really says is shown below:

    The Holy Bible tells us explicitly that we should intercede on the behalf of other Christians.
    The Holy Bible tells us explicitly that Christ has but ONE Body.
    The Holy Bible tells us explicitly that we should invoke those in Heaven to pray with us.
     

    That is why our earliest creeds from the 1st century speak of the "Communion of Saints," i.e. Christ's One Body. One Body of Christians all praying and helping each other just as the Bible commands.  

    "...We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints the forgiveness of Sin and the resurrection of the Body and life everlasting, Amen."

    Apostle's creed see:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apocreed.htm

      
    For Scripture says:
     
     I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone–  for this  “is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. "  1 Tim 2:1-4
     
     
    And:
    "Pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me . . ." (Eph. 6:18).
     
    The Holy Bible commands us to interceded and make supplication for everyone and all the saints.  Nowhere is this commandment only for those in Christ's Body on earth nor does it exclude those Saints in Christ's Body in Heaven.   It says for everyone.  All those Christians in the One Body of Christ.  This is by definition the "Communion of Saints."  Unless one is ready to reject the Apostles Creed as apostate, one must accept this Communion of Christ's Saints in Heaven and on earth.  To limit this to those Saints on earth is not only UNBiblical, but it fractures the Body of Christ and limits the power of God.
     
    Does this make sense?  Peg, just because it is a new concept to you doesn't mean it's wrong.  It is ancient, it is apostolic and it's Biblical.  It is the teachings of Jesus Christ.  You just haven't been taught this yet because your church rejects what Christians have always believed on this subject in favor of your pastors modern interpretation of the Holy Bible 2000 years and 3 languages removed.
     
    If you have a direct line through Christ, (which is true), why don't you just pray to him? Why do you ask/petition/pray to others, (prayer groups, siblings, spouses) to pray with you and for you? Why do you use them for intercession if you have this direct line?  You do this because the Bible tells us to, and ironically, it never instructs you to pray to Jesus which you advocate. Yet both are holy practices.
    Do you see my point? You use others for intercession, so do Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox.  Only we (also) ask those in Heaven who are so much closer to God to pray with us.  Just as the Holy Bible commands us.
     
    Here are some verses that might help explain this.

    The following two examples from the Psalms give Biblical testimony of  "invoking those in Heaven" to prayer and asking them to pray with us.



    In Psalm 103 we pray: "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20–21).

    And in the opening verses of Psalms 148 we ask those in Heaven to Pray with us: "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!"

    Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In the book of Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8).

    Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.



    Angels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3–4).

    Jesus himself warned us not to offend small children, because their guardian angels have guaranteed intercessory access to the Father: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 18:10).



    Because he is the only God-man and the Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus is the only mediator between man and God (1 Tim. 2:5), but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us (1 Tim. 2:1–4). Many invoke 1 Tim 2:5 referring to Jesus as the only mediator yet fail to read the previous 4 verses that come before 1 Tim 2:5 instructing us that we should ask the intercession of those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for as Scripture says: "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).
     

    Peg I hope this clears this up and you now see what powerful allies you have in the Gates of Heaven.  It is OK to ask for their prayers and petitions to Almighty God.  It is the "Communion of Saint's" from our most early Creed, before the NT Bible was even canonized.  And Christ's Holy Mother who of all Christians he knew best, is the most powerful of all intercessors (1 Tim. 2:1–4).  How many times growing up did you ask for your Mother to "talk to Father" to obtain your petition?  Do you think Christ who was fully Human and yet fully Divine does not have a soft spot in his Sacred Heart for his beloved Mother?  Do you have a special love for your mother?  So does the Man-God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to whom all prayers are ultimate directed.

     

    "Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen." Who is Mary Praying to? Jesus Christ the Creator of the Universe and the Author of his Gospel which includes: the "Communion of Saints."

     I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone–  for this  is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. "  1 Tim 2:1-4

    "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16). Those in Heaven are indeed righteous for they have been declared righteous by Almighty God. And their prayer "has great power in its effects."


    Click here for more info: The Intercession of the Saints 

    Click here: What Christians meditate on while saying the Rosary

    If this article was of interest to you, please visit the following 12 links giving 12 questions for the earnest believer:

    God Bless you,  Daniel
    I answer questions about the Catholic faith. Questions, inquiries and objections.

    "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."  1 Peter 3:15
    Click here: A Biblical Case for Catholicism: The Origins and Authors of the Protestant Theologies

    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges

    Find out who authored each of the Protestant theologies and in what century at:
    "Click here: The Origins and Authors of the Protestant Theologies."


    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

    1. "BIBLE ONLY" CHRISTIAN or "BIBLE BELIEVING" CHRISTIAN?
    45 Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible.

    2. JUST THE TRUTH: 2 Dozen Logic and Historical Facts Refuting the Apostolicity and Biblicism of the Modern Christian Belief Systems "Test Everything."

    3. An Exercise in Logic, Two Logic Proofs from History 101 demonstrating how the modern Christian theologies did not even exist in the first millennium, making it impossible for Christ and His Apostles to have taught to His early Church.

    4. Three uneasy questions for your pastor concerning his personal theology.

    5. Seven Reasons Christians Go To Church, Which One Is Yours?

    6. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development" What stage are you?

    7. The Historical Origins & Authors of the Modern Christian Theologies.

    8. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only" idea even Biblical? Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" or the "ONLY" in Sola Scriptura?

    9. Modern Christians often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE? What else has Christ's infallible authority besides the Holy Bible?" Featuring the verses not underlined in most Bibles nor taught in modern Christian seminaries or churches.

    10. FAITH ALONE (SOLA FIDE): It is a Catholic Position. Have you been taught that Catholics "work their way to Heaven?"

    11. "Who is the Bride of Christ?" What does the Holy Bible say?

    12. Did the BEREANS "Search the Scriptures" and therefore follow the BIBLE ONLY idea?
    Or did the THESSALONIANS, who also "Searched the Scriptures?

    13. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for the Non-Catholic Theologies:
    Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic? Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith today *no longer does*. Why can't the modern Christian theologies make the same bold claim?

    14. Biblically, did the "Official Teachings or Doctrines of the Catholic Faith" become corrupt or Apostate as your Pastor might teach? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid the "Gates of Hell" from overcoming His Church? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim :15?

    15. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "HAIL MARY" Prayer Biblical? Read the verses not underlined in your pastors Bible nor taught in his church.

    16. How Modern Christian are compelled to use and embrace an unbiblical and anti-biblical definition and concept of a Christian Church.

     

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

    Email: mail to: INRI33AD@aol.com

    Have you been taught the "Gates of Hell" prevailed against Catholic Theology?

     

    Have you been taught the Catholic Church became corrupt in it's theology?
    Don't the Holy Scriptures say this is impossible?



    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith: 3 Fundamental ways the non-Catholic churches depart from the Church of the Holy Bible"

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments. INRI33AD@aol.com


    Christ said the "Gates of Hell" would not prevail against his Church? (Matt 16:16-19)
    Do you believe what he said about this?

    It is impossible for the "Gates of Hell" to overcome Christ's Church or for it to teach false doctrines. It is impossible if we "truly" believe what the Holy Scriptures say.

    What I will ask you below will leave you in a quandary. You will be faced with believing what the Holy Scriptures actually say, or discounting them to justify your present theology. It is true, that if the doctrines of the Catholic Church were never corrupted, (as Protestants allege they were), there would be no need for Protestantism; for there would be nothing in the theology of Christ's Church to "reform."

    Let us be clear what we are discussing here. We are not speaking of the "Sinners" in the Church or what these sinners have done, past or present. We are discussing what a Church officially teaches as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's doctrines/creeds/catechisms.

    Have men in the Catholic Church committed heinous sins in the past, present or future? Unfortunately yes. But they are not alone. All churches have their fair share of sinners, even yours. During the Protestant reformation in the Anglican stream, Henry VIII executed St. Thomas Moore and many other Catholics who would not convert to the Church of England. In the Calvinist stream, Calvin executed the heretic Serventus. In the Lutheran stream, Martin Luther advocated the killing of Anabaptist leaders, the burning of Jewish synagogues and the slaughter of the peasants during the Peasants War. In the Anabaptist stream, Anabaptist seized the town of Munster in 1534, burned all the books in the city (except the Bible), and killed many before their attempt to establish a "New Jerusalem" in the town fell apart the next year. And this says nothing of the scandals of our modern day televangelists or the plague facing today's Protestant ministers with infidelity. Search "protestant pastors infidelity" in google.com and read what Protestantism's own ministers say about this epidemic problem of up to 30% of its pastors.

    Yes, every church has a past and a present. That is why one should not look at the "Sinners" of a Church to see if the Church is Apostolic, but what the Church teaches, it's theology. Are its Doctrines Apostolic, i.e. what the Apostles taught the early Church? That is the question. CS Lewis wrote in “Mere Christianity” that the ONLY reason to belong to a particular faith is because it is True. Not because you like the pastor or enjoy the music or they have great activities for the kids. The ONLY reason to embrace a faith is if it is Apostolic. The teachings of the Apostles to the Bride of Christ, his early Church.

    While a tree can surely be known by its fruit, we must actually see if we are judging the tree itself (i.e., the Church) and not the sinners IN the Church. For all of us are sinners and every Church (Catholic and Protestant) is guilty at one time or another of less than virtuous leaders....To include the Apostolic Church 2000 years ago.
    If we were to judge the Apostolic Church by the behavior of the Apostles on Good Friday, there would be no reason to accept Christ's infant Church, for all but 1 deserted him, one denied him thrice and one betrayed him with a kiss. But we don't reject Christ's Church for the sins of the Apostles, we acknowledge their sin nature and rather accept the Gospel Christ entrusted to them and his Church.


    "Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world" Matt 28:20


    Yet, Protestants maintain that the Catholic Church has become corrupt, or paganized or that it teaches false doctrines. Has it? Christ started his Church in Matt 16:16-19.


    "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church, and the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it" Matt 16:16-19

    Scripture and history tell us that Christ started the Catholic Church and for 1000+ years it was the ONLY Christian Church on this planet. (Unless you want to count the "Great Heresies of history," which even modern Protestants consider outside orthodox Christianity.)
    It was the ONLY Christian Church for 1000+ years. It was and still is a universal Church. "Catholic" in Greek means "Universal". I.e., the Universal Church, one Church, one Faith.
    "There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God." Eph 4:4-6

    St. Ignatius of Antioch, an early Christian Bishop and student of John the Apostle wrote 77 years after Christ ascended into Heaven:

    "Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church"
    (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).

    So how could the Catholic Church be corrupt or teach false doctrines as non-Catholics maintain if we truly believe Christ's words? Do you believe the Holy Scriptures even though they don't conform to your present theology?

    If the Church teaches an evil or false doctrine, is that church still the
    "Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth?" 1 Timothy 3:14-16
    Even though it teaches an evil doctrine?

    1 Timothy 3:14-16 "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

    But what of this Church that teaches a false/evil doctrine? Is it still "guided by the Spirit to ALL Truth?"

    John 16:12-14 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

    And this Church that teaches a false/evil doctrine, has Satan overcome it to make it TEACH a false/evil doctrine?

    Matt 16:16-18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

    Did the Gates of Hell overcome it?
    If you say no,,, and the Gates of Hell did NOT overcome it,,,,
    how come this church is teaching the "Devils false Doctrine" yet not be over come by the Devil???
    Think about that. You must resolve this contradiction.

    You BELIEVE it is teaching the Devil's false doctrine, but you maintain that the Gates of Hell have not overcome it?
    This is a contradiction. Either they did overcome the Catholic Church and you are wrong about the passage of scripture, or they didn't overcome it and you are wrong about the Catholic Church teaching false doctrines. Which is it?

    And lastly, this Church who Protestant pastors claim are teaching the Devil's false doctrine, was told:

    Matt 28: 19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
    20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

    Is he not with his Church until the end of the age? The Aposltes would not live for ever so this was meant for His Church. Should we believe the Protestant position that Christ is with his Church, and that he sent the Spirit of Truth, to guide it to ALL truth (John 16:13),,, but for some reason, even though he will be with it to the end of the age, he allows it to teach the *Devils Doctrine*?, i.e., something AntiBiblical....something false?
    Even though it is the Pillar and foundation of TRUTH?
    How can the Truth teach an evil or false doctrine?

    Is this your logic? Is this the conclusion? Or is this rationalization of what one doesn't want to believe and can't believe scripture teaches?

    Either Christ's Church, the "Church of the living God", the "Bride of Christ", the "Pillar and Foundation of Truth," either it's doctrine is corrupt and is teaching the false Devils Doctrine,,,
    or this Protestant theory of the Renaissance era (that ONLY Protestants and Mormons adhere to), that the Church Christ started is false and corrupt is not true and not even Biblical.

    Either we trust the Holy Words of Scripture and the Guarantees of Jesus Christ about his Church or we don't.

    Could it be that the doctrine of Christ's Church really IS protected from "the Gates of Hell" and as Christ said,,,
    *he really meant it* when he said he would send the "Spirit of Truth to Guide his Church to ALL Truth"? (John 16:13)

    Could have he really have meant it when it was called the "Pillar and foundation of Truth"?
    Given the fact that this is the way Christians have Always believed was he really serious when he called it that?

    Perhaps the Protestant position is just that. The Protestant position,,, made up by Protestants in the Renaissance era.
    And consequently NOT what the Apostles taught the Early Church.

    Either Christ's Church is what he said it was:
    "the pillar and foundation of the truth." to which he would send the "spirit to Guide it in ALL truth", and
    he would be "with it until the end of the world" and the "Gates of Hell would NEVER prevail against it"

    Or this same Church now teaches the Devils False Doctrine as modern Protestants maintain.

    Who should we follow?

    "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."1 Timothy 3:14-16
    Or,
    The revelations of Renaissance era philosophers? I.e. the traditions of the Renaissance era man?

    Just because you have believed something for years on end. Doesn't mean it's true.
    Either we believe Scripture or we don't.
    Christ will protect his Church from "Officially Teaching" error on matters of "Faith or Morals" until the end of time. Not on matters of science or politics or even sports, only matters of "Faith or Morals" for that is the job of Christ's Church.
    The sinners IN the Church are not protected but the Doctrine of the Church itself. That is what the Bible tells us.


    "the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." 1 Timothy 3:14-16

    Either we believe the Holy Scriptures or we don't.

    Click here: 10 SOBERING QUESTIONS FOR THE ERNEST BELIEVER: Discover the verses most likely not underlined in your Bible and often overlooked in Protestant churches and seminaries

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.

    God Bless You,

    Daniel

    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

     

     

    1. Are you a Bible Believing Christian? Does your pastor preach " Bible Only?"
    Click Here: 40 Protestant Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

    2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

    3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

    4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
    Do you know who authored Protestantism's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


    5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
    What stage you are in?...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

    6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
    Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

    7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
    What does the Holy Bible say?
    ...https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

    8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
    "What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
    Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

    9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
    Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
    Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

    10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
    Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in non-Catholic churches. Read the story again and then decide.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

    11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
    Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the Protestant theologies make the same bold claim? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

    12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

    13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

    14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLCIAL DEFINATION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

    Email: mail to: INRI33AD@aol.com

    3rd Unanswered Challenge for the Modern Christian Theologies:
    Is Catholic Theology Apostolic?

    Name one doctrine that isn't.

    This last challenge is in two parts:

    3a. Find one doctrine "Christ's early Church believed" that His Church today "no longer" does.

    STATUS: UNANSWERED
    (And contrast this with THE ORIGINS AND AUTHORS OF THE MODERN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGIES exemplifying the on going and ever evolving departure from the historical and Biblical teachings of the Apostles and the early Church. That is why the modern Christian theologies are not Apostolic, because "distinctively" Protestant doctrines do not predate the middle ages, therefore it is impossible for these ideas to have been taught by the Apostles to the early Church.) 20,000+ Protestant theologies can't all be right or the One Faith the Holy Bible speaks of:
    "There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God." (Eph 4:5-6)

    3b. The Catholic faith has "Never" countermanded or reversed any of its doctrines. Find one it has.

    STATUS: UNANSWERED
    (And contrast this challenge with the "constantly changing" 1000's & 1000's of modern Christian denominations (and Non-denominations) who change their doctrines at will as illustrated in
    THE ORIGINS AND AUTHORS OF THE MODERN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGIES link. https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html



    Definition of Doctrine:
    A theological doctrine deals with faith or morals. It is not what one wears or the language one speaks or customs of a particular country or people etc. It deals with faith or morals. I.e. Baptism, Faith, the Trinity, the Eucharist, Abortion, Divorce, Sin, Salvation etc.

    {Note: if the above challenge can be answered, please email the answer. And forward this site to your Pastor so he might try and answer it. Remember a theological doctrine deals with faith or morals.}


    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments. INRI33AD@aol.com

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith"


    "Click Here" for the very words of our Apostolic Fathers; the "students of the Apostles" on the following Catholic doctrines that your pastor has taught you are "Unbiblical" Many doctrines of which your own Protestant reformers embraced.

    (Here is a link to the Protestant Website at Calvin College if you wish to validate the following quotes by our Apostolic and Post Apostolic Fathers)

    (I just want to believe as the Apostles taught the early Church, no matter where it leads me, I assume all Christians do).

    Again, "Click Here" to read about:
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Mortal Sin and the Ability to lose one's Salvation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Baptizing Babies,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Real Presence Of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,

    What "Catholic" means & how from the 1st century the Church was called Catholic.
    For example, St. Ignatius of Antioch, student of St John the Apostle wrote in 110 AD:
    "Wherever the Bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).

    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The evil in Abortion,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Existence of Purgatory in Scripture
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Antichrist,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Peter the Rock on which the Church was founded,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Apostolic Succession in the Church,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Praying to the Saints,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the role of Apostolic Tradition in the Word of God,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Salvation of Non-Catholics,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Sacrifice of the Mass,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Necessity of Baptism,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Astrology,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the evil of Birth Control,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Authority of the Pope in the Church,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Baptismal Grace and what it does,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Bishops, Priests, Deacons in Scripture,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Born Again in Baptism,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Confession and Confirmation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Mary: "Full of Grace",
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Creation and Genesis,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Creation Out of Nothing,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the Divinity of Christ,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture against Divorce & Remarriage,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Do Miracles Still Happen?,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Does God Have a Body?
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the Eternal Sonship of Christ,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Filioque,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on God in Three Persons,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Hell,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture against Homosexuality,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Mary: Ever Virgin Mary,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Merit and Reward,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Old Testament Canon,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on One God or Many?,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Peter's Successors,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Peter in Rome,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on the Primacy of Peter,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Private Revelation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture against Reincarnation,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Resurrection of the Body,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Sabbath or Sunday?
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on The Trinity,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture on Trinitarian Baptism,
    Our Apostolic Fathers teaching Scripture against Women in the Priesthood

    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

     

    14 Questions for the Earnest Believer:

    1. Are you a Bible Believing Christian? Does your pastor preach " Bible Only?"
    Click Here: 40 Protestant Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

    2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

    3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

    4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
    Do you know who authored Protestantism's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


    5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
    What stage you are in?...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

    6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
    Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

    7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
    What does the Holy Bible say?
    ...https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

    8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
    "What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
    Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

    9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
    Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
    Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

    10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
    Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in non-Catholic churches. Read the story again and then decide.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

    11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
    Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the Protestant theologies make the same bold claim? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

    12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

    13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

    14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLCIAL DEFINATION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith"

    Email: inri33ad@aol.com
    Did the Bereans Practice the "Bible Only" Theory? No, but the Thessalonians did.

    According to the Holy Bible, Did the Bereans Practice the "Bible Only" Theory?
    No, but the Thessalonians did.

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.

    INRI33AD@aol.com

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith: 3 Fundamental ways the non-Catholic churches depart from the Church of the Holy Bible"



    Modern Christians often say:
    "The Bible tells us that the Bereans checked out what the Apostles taught to make sure that their teachings were Biblical. This tells us that the Bible is all we need. " modern Christians try to use the Bereans to bolster the Renaissance era doctrine of Sola Scriptura ("Bible Only") because the Bereans "searched the scriptures."

    Sola Scriptura is an unbiblical doctrine invented in the middle ages and is most commonly defined as,
    "Scripture: the SOLE infallible rule of faith." Meaning that one's personal interpretation of the Holy Bible is sufficient to the exclusion of the historical teachings and interpretation of Christ' ancient Church.
    (Although there is no agreed upon definition of this Protestant only doctrine because Protestantism has no central/final authority to define it for all denominations).
    "Click here: If you have been taught that Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only" theory is taught in the Holy Bible"

    Did the Bereans practice Sola Scriptura or "Bible Only" because they "searched the Scriptures?" No, surprisingly they didn't. The answer is no because they accepted "extra-biblical" ideas/doctrines. Case in point is that the messiah, i.e., the Christ, was he the "Jesus of Nazareth," verse the "Jesus living in Antioch" or the "Jesus of Berea" etc. Which Jesus was the Messiah? Only extra-biblical information told them that they had the correct Jesus or that it was a man "named" Jesus at all. The scriptures didn't teach them this. The Apostle Paul did. Thus they "accepted" Paul's NEW revelation to them that "Jesus of Nazareth" was the Messiah, AND more importantly, that this Jesus was "GOD!" The Jews believed (and still do) that the Messiah would just be a man. A mortal. Not the Son of God and the Second person of the Holy Trinity. In fact the idea OF a Trinity is another extrabiblcial refelation taught to the Bereans (and the Thessolionions). These are three NEW revelations not believed by the Jews of ancient Palestine. Nor even the Jews of today.

    It was only through the teachings of Christ's Church that they received these revelations. When they "searched the scriptures," they found the former not there and the second two revealed to them only through Paul's teachings. It was only through the teachings of Christ's Church that they came to realized the truth in them. "Sola Scriptura" or the "Bible Alone" idea excludes the teaching authority of Christ's Church, and unbiblically, (see 2 Peter 1:20) leaves interpretation of the very Word of GOD up to each and every individual. If the Berean's had embraced this this idea, it would have left them believing (through their personal readings of the OT and a rejection of the teachings of Christ's Church) , that Christ was NOT God when the OT Scriptures actually proved he was. Hence the teaching authority of Christ's Church is again proved to be essential in echoing the Words and intent of our Lord Jesus Christ. A Biblical example of the guidance needed and afforded by Christ's Church is found in the Book of Acts: The Holy Scriptures tell us the function of Christ’s Church is to teach and guide Christ’s flock:

    “ Philip ran up and heard him [an Ethiopian eunuch] reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
    31And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”  Acts 8: 30-31

     

    The purpose of Christ's Church is to teach and guide. Just as Our Lord told us commanded His Church to do in his last words of the Gospel of Matthew:

    "Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world"

    Math 28:20.

    (Since his disciples would not live forever, this promise is to his Church he commissioned in Matt 16:16-19.)

    Did the Bereans embraced a primitive form of Sola Scriptura, or Bible Only? Absolutely not, and fortunately they didn't.
    But who did?
    The real believers of Sola Scriptura (if it were to exist in apostolic times), were the hard headed Thessalonians, who REJECTED St. Paul's message. (Acts 17). For Scripture tells us that they ALSO "searched the OT Scriptures" (as did the Bereans), only they found Paul's message wanting for their interpretation of the OT Scriptures (and their rejection of the guidance offered by Christ's Church) failed to point to Jesus "of Nazareth" as the Messiah, it failed to instruct them on the Holy Trinity and it failed to lead them to the belief that this Messiah was GOD!

     While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them,
    "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"       They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Acts 19: 1-2

    Read the chapter again my friend. Regardless of what your pastor has taught you, the Bereans embraced extra-biblical ideas/doctrines and accepted the guidance and teachings of Christ's Church over their personal interpretations of Scripture. This renders Sola Scriptura or the unbiblcial "Bible ONLY" theory, null and void because Sola Scriptura rejects the teachings of Christ's Church as authoritative. Why would Christ start His Church if He would allow you to reject it?

    The Bereans upheld the words of the Apostle Paul when he said:
    "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

    "Click here: Acts 17, the whole chapter."

    "Click here: If you have been taught that Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only" theory is taught in the Holy Bible"



    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in modern Christian seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

     

    14 Questions for the Earnest Believer:

    1. Are you a Bible Believing Christian? Does your pastor preach " Bible Only?"
    Click Here: 40 modern Christian Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

    2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

    3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ... https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

    4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
    Do you know who authored Protestantism's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


    5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
    What stage you are in?...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html

    6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
    Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

    7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
    What does the Holy Bible say?
    ...https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

    8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
    "What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
    Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

    9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
    Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
    Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html

    10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
    Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in non-Catholic churches. Read the story again and then decide.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

    11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
    Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the modern Christian theologies make the same bold claim? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

    12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

    13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your Pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

    14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLCIAL DEFINATION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith: 3 Fundamental ways the non-Catholic churches depart from the Church of the Holy Bible"

    Email: inri33ad@aol.com
    Who or What is the Bride of Christ? What does the Holy Bible say?

    How do Non-Catholics fit into the Body of Christ?

     

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith"

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.



    How do Non-Catholics/Protestants fit into the "Body of Christ?" 

    The Church has always maintained that: if one rejects Christ's Church by choice, and in full knowledge that this is the Church Christ started and empowered with the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, one is therefore outside of the Body of Christ. Yet because of Vatican II, the Catholic Church came to recognize Protestants and Anglicans as an integral part of the Body of Christ, although in "varying degrees" of communion with one another and with the Catholic Church.

    1. What is the Body of Christ and
    2. How many Churches does God have?

     

    1. What is the Body of Christ?

    The Catholic Church recognizes Protestants and Anglicans as an integral part of the Body of Christ, although in "varying degrees" of communion with one another and with the Catholic Church.  This seeming contradiction is best explained by the concept of what Christ's Church is. The Body of Christ, is as Scriptures tells us His Church. 

    And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Eph 1:22
     

    And he is the head of the body, the churchColossians 1:18


    Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. Colossians 1:24

    See: http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:qbNxEQgkSJQJ:www.the-tidings.com/2007/09210

    BTW, such phrases as "the Body of Believers" are outside of Holy Writ. They still have meaning, but they are unbiblical.

     

    2. How many Churches does God Have?

    Christ has one Church that teaches one Faith as the Holy Scriptures attest to. 
    "There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God." (Eph 4:5-6)  But what of those Christians who do not embrace the whole of the Catholic (Universal) Faith?  Are they part of the Body of Christ?  Yes.  Are they part of Christ's Church?  Yes. They are part of Christ's Church in that there is only one true Church of Christ, not 2 and not 20,000.  One.  How is this possible then that Protestants are part of the "Catholic" Church?
    Again: although Protestants are in "varying degrees" of communion with one another they are likewise in varying degrees of communion with the Catholic Church. Catholics do not believe that Protestants who are baptized, who lead a good life, love God and their neighbor, and are blamelessly ignorant of the just claims of the Catholic Religion to be the one true Religion (which is called being in good faith), are excluded from Heaven, provided they believe that there is one God in three Divine Persons; *that God will duly reward the good and punish the wicked; that Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man, who redeemed us, and in whom we must trust for our salvation; and provided they thoroughly repent of having ever, by their sins, offended God.

    Catholics hold that Protestants who have these dispositions, and who have no suspicion of their religion being false, and no means to discover, or fail in their honest endeavors to discover, the true Religion, and who are so disposed in their heart that they would at any cost embrace the Roman Catholic Religion if they knew it to be the true one, are Catholics in spirit and in some sense within the Catholic Church
    , without themselves knowing it. She holds that these Christians belong to, and are united to the "soul," as it is called, of the Catholic Church, although they are not united to the visible body of the Church by external communion with her, and by the outward profession of her faith.

    Very different is the case of a person who, having the opportunity, neglects to learn from genuine trustworthy sources what the Catholic Religion is and really teaches, fearing, that were he to become convinced of the truth of the Catholic Faith, he would be compelled by his conscience to forsake his own religion, and bear the worldly inconveniences attached to this step. This very fear shows a want of good faith, and that he is not in that insurmountable ignorance which could excuse him in the sight of God, not that he is one of those of whom it is said in Psalm xxxv. 4, "He would not understand that he might do well." Fairness, no less than common sense, teaches that a man should study and examine the teaching of the Catholic Church from Catholic sources before condemning her. Surely no man ought to reject Catholic doctrine if he has not made himself well acquainted with them. Nor is is fair to form a judgment from misrepresentations made by ill-informed, interested, or prejudiced persons; one should rather, by the study of authorized Catholic works, judge of the truth with that calm and unprejudiced mind which the all-important subject of Religion deserves. Thus having heard both sides, you will be in a state to pass a right judgment and not in danger of being misled by prejudice.

    Our Saviour gave no hope of salvation to the Samaritan woman unless she entered the one true Church of the time, saying to her who was destitute of a sure guide: "You adore that which you know not; we adore that which we know; for SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS". (St John iv. 22.) So likewise there is no salvation for any one who, having by God's grace come to the knowledge of the truth, obstinately refuses to join the true Church of God. There was no safety out of the Ark of Noah during the deluge, and no one can be saved who is in no sense within the true Church, prefigured by the Ark. According to St. Cyprian: "No one can have God for his Father who has not the Church for his Mother. If any one could escape the deluge out of the Ark of Noah, he who is out of the Church may also escape." (Book on the Unity of the Church.) It is hard to understand how a Protestant can daily say in the Apostles' Creed, as many happily do still say, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church," without at least a thought arising in his mind, that perhaps after all the Church which alone is truly Catholic or universal, both in name and in fact, has more claim on his love and obedience than his own denomination, which really is not Catholic. Catholic Belief: A Short and Simple Exposition of Catholic Doctrine, Chapter XLIV.
    (NY: Benzinger Brothers, 1884).
     

    In summary, all Christians in good faith,  (as opposed to those who are not through a conscience act of their own) are part of the Christ's Body and His Church, again, in varying degrees of communion with her and each other.  Invincible ignorance of the True Faith can save the soul of those outside of full communion with His Body, His Church.  But  a willful neglect of what one might find, or worse still, a conscience denial of what one does find, is to turn one's back on the One Faith of Jesus Christ and subject one's self to eternal torment, for this is blasphemy against the Spirit of God, the unforgivable sin.  (See: Mark 3:22-30, Matthew 12:22-32).

    For scripture says:

    Hebrews 10 26 For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.28 A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.29 How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."
    31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
     

    See also:  "Salvation Outside the Church" http://www.catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp

     

    What do the Holy Scriptures say of Christ's Church, the Body of Christ?


    The Holy Bible tells us that Christ started the Catholic Church in Matt 16:16-19. Christ himself said:

    "And I say that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it, I give you the keys to kingdom of Heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and what ever you loosen on earth will be loosened in Heaven." Matt 16:16-19.

    Regardless of who one believes the "Rock" is or what the "keys" mean, Christ started his Church on this day. In the first century there was but one Church with one set of beliefs. Yes, the Bible speaks of many Christian Churches through out the known world, (Church in Corinth, Church in Rome, Church in Thessalonia, etc.), but they all professed the same faith and the same Universal creed. In fact the Apostle's Creed states:

    "…we believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the dead and life ever lasting." Have you ever read the Apostles Creed? Click here: "The Apostle's Creed"

    Have you ever read the Nicene Creed? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed The Nicene Creed which in the 4th century formally defined the doctrine of the Trinity also speaks of the "Communion of Saints" and the Holy Catholic Church. Is your parish at odds with your earliest Christian Creeds and therefore at odds with historic Christianity itself? Did Christ's Gospel change since Apostolic Christianity? Does not the Holy Bible say that: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings." Hebrews 13:8-9

    How then can Christ's Gospel change if Christ himself does not change? In fact there was but one Christian Faith for the first 1000+ years of Christianity, and that Faith was the Universal Faith. (Catholic in Greek means Universal).

    Since the NT Bible consisted of rare scrolls and were not all combined into one book until the 4th century, if you wanted to be a Christian in the early Church, you professed belief in the "The Apostle's Creed." In the first century if you could not embrace this creed, you were outside the Church. The early Christians were Creedal Christians. They all had the same faith. They did not embrace 1000s & 1000s of contradictory doctrines/Statements of Faith as modern Christian churches do today. They believed the Catholic Faith, the same Faith the Catholic Church embraces today (the Universal Faith. In Greek Catholic means Universal). If you don't believe any of these Christian truths, do as the Bible commands us and:

    "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22



    The first written record of Christ's Church being called "Catholic" was the year 110 AD. This means it no doubt was called Catholic orally before 110AD. St. Ignatius of Antioch, student of the Apostle John and Bishop of Antioch wrote:
    "Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).
    " Click here for more early Christians use of the title: Catholic Church."

     

    The Greek word for "Universal" is Catholic. The Universal/Catholic Church had and still has but one Faith. One Catechism for the worlds 1 Billion Catholics. Truly a Universal Church and the ONLY Christian Church present in the first 1000+ years of Christianity. Yet many modern Christian pastors teach that the Church and the first pope was created in the 4th century. Below is a link to the Britannia encyclopedia listing the popes from St. Peter in 33AD to Pope Benedict XVI. This is from a secular Encyclopedia. The same encyclopedia that will describe the Holocaust of the Jewish people in W.W.II. and the "Lunar Landing," two other facts of history the ignorant like to deny.

    The following site lists all 263 popes from 33AD-Present. Here are but 24 of them.
    " Click here for the list of Catholic Popes from 33AD-present from encyclopedia Britannia" http://www.britannia.com/history/resource/popes.html

    2000 Years of Catholic Popes (33AD-Present)
    First Century

    St. Peter (c.33-67 AD)
    Linus (67-76) (see 2 TIM 4:21)
    Anacletus (76-88)
    Clement (88-97)
    Evanstus (97-105)


    Second Century


    Alexander I (105-115)
    Sixtus I (115-125)
    Telesphorus (125-136)
    Hyginus (136-140)
    Pius I (140-155)
    Anicetus (155-166)
    Soter (166-175)
    Eleutherius (175-189)
    Victor L (189-199)
    Zephynnus (199-217)

    ===*break*===

    Twentieth Century

    Pius X (1903-1914)
    Benedict XV (1914-1922)
    Pius Xl (1922-1939)
    Pius Xll (1939-1958)
    John XXIII (1958-1963)
    Paul Vl (1963-1978)
    John Paul I (1978-1978)
    John Paul II (1978- 2005)

    Benedict XVI (2005- )

    Did Christ start the Catholic Church? He had to, for there was no other Christian Church in existence. There was no other Church at the time and there would be no other Christian Faith for the next 1000+ years. Clearly, the Catholic Church is the only Christian Church with a direct link to Jesus Christ. Every other Christian body makes their link though the Catholic Church.

    This might not be what you have been taught by your pastor, but they are the facts of history and the Holy Bible. If Christ proclaimed that the "Gates of Hell" would never prevail against his Church (Matt 16:16-19) and he would be with it until the "End of Time" Matt 28:20, where is this church Christ started if it is not the Catholic Church? Since there was only one Christian Faith for the first 1000+ years of Christianity, what was the belief system of this Church if it was not Catholic? And if this church died and it no longer exists, was Christ in err when he said the "Gates of Hell" would not prevail against it? How could he be with it until the "End of the World" if it died or became Apostate? To deny Christ started the Catholic Church is no different from denying the Holocaust. It's the same denial of Christian history and common logic.



    Find out who authored your particular Christian theology and in what century at:
    "Click here: The Origins and Authors of the Modern Christian theologies." If this article was of interest to you, please visit the following link for 14 questions for the earnest believer:
    " Click here: 14 SOBERING QUESTIONS FOR THE ERNEST BELIEVER: Discover the verses most likely not underlined in your Bible and often overlooked in non-Catholic churches and seminaries"

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.

    INRI33AD@aol.com

    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in Protestant seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21


    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

     

    16 Questions for the Earnest Believer:

    1. "BIBLE ONLY" CHRISTIAN or "BIBLE BELIEVING" CHRISTIAN?
    45 Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible.

    2. JUST THE TRUTH: 2 Dozen Logic and Historical Facts Refuting the Apostolicity and Biblicism of the Modern Christian Belief Systems "Test Everything."

    3. An Exercise in Logic, Two Logic Proofs from History 101 demonstrating how the modern Christian theologies did not even exist in the first millennium, making it impossible for Christ and His Apostles to have taught to His early Church.

    4. Three uneasy questions for your pastor concerning his personal theology.

    5. Seven Reasons Christians Go To Church, Which One Is Yours?

    6. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development" What stage are you?

    7. The Historical Origins & Authors of the Modern Christian Theologies.

    8. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only" idea even Biblical? Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" or the "ONLY" in Sola Scriptura?

    9. Modern Christians often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE? What else has Christ's infallible authority besides the Holy Bible?" Featuring the verses not underlined in most Bibles nor taught in modern Christian seminaries or churches.

    10. FAITH ALONE (SOLA FIDE): It is a Catholic Position. Have you been taught that Catholics "work their way to Heaven?"

    11. "Who is the Bride of Christ?" What does the Holy Bible say?

    12. Did the BEREANS "Search the Scriptures" and therefore follow the BIBLE ONLY idea?
    Or did the THESSALONIANS, who also "Searched the Scriptures?

    13. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for the Non-Catholic Theologies:
    Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic? Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith today *no longer does*. Why can't the modern Christian theologies make the same bold claim?

    14. Biblically, did the "Official Teachings or Doctrines of the Catholic Faith" become corrupt or Apostate as your Pastor might teach? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid the "Gates of Hell" from overcoming His Church? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim :15?

    15. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "HAIL MARY" Prayer Biblical? Read the verses not underlined in your pastors Bible nor taught in his church.

    16. How Modern Christian are compelled to use and embrace an unbiblical and anti-biblical definition and concept of a Christian Church.

     

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith: 3 Fundamental ways the non-Catholic churches depart from the Church of the Holy Bible"

    Email: inri33ad@aol.com

    The Catholic Doctrine of Faith Alone (Sola Fide)

    Faith Alone:
    Have you been taught that Catholics work their way to Heaven?
    Another misunderstanding.

    Saint Paul the Apostle

    Please email me with your questions, objections or comments.


    Click here:14 SOBERING QUESTIONS:
    DISCOVER THE VERSES OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN NON-CATHOLIC CHURCHES AND SEMINARIES:

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith"


    Faith Alone (Sola Fide):
    Have you been taught that Catholics
    “Work their way to Heaven?”

    Many modern Christians believe that Catholic theology teaches that we are saved by doing “good works”, or that Catholics “work their way to heaven.” Nothing could be further from the truth. This is another example of the misunderstandings about the apostolic Catholic Faith. The Catholic Faith teaches, as the Holy Scriptures teach, that we are saved “by grace through faith” and that salvation is a free gift. The Faith has always believed this. The Christian Faith has always taught that one cannot work one's way to heaven. In essence:
    “we are NOT born by good works, we are born TO good works; once justified, we should act as justified Christians, which includes good works.”
    "The Catholic Faith does not teach “works righteousness.” It teaches faith in action as a manifestation of God’s grace in one’s life. That’s why Abraham’s faith results in righteousness, only when he attempts to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God."(1) The Council of Trent in the 16th century after the Protestant separation reiterated this very fact, which was originally proclaimed 1000 years earlier at the Council of Orange in the 6th century. This has always been a teachings of the Christian Faith.

    Click here: The Canons of the Council of Trent (16th century), note the first 3 canons.

    The 3rd canon states:

    "CANON III.-If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him; let him be anathema. "

    (Anathema meaning "outside the Church")


    Click here, the Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD), note canons 5,6,7

    Here is canon 7 that says we are saved by grace, and that we can do nothing of ourselves without God. This is from the 6th century which reiterates what the Catholic Faith has always believed, which BTW. is 1000 years before the Protestant reformation.

    Canon XII. If anyone affirms that we can form any right opinion or make any right choice which relates to the salvation of eternal life, as is expedient for us, or that we can be saved, that is, assent to the preaching of the gospel through our natural powers without the illumination and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who makes all men gladly assent to and believe in the truth, he is led astray by a heretical spirit, and does not understand the voice of God who says in the Gospel, "For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5), and the word of the Apostle, "Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God" (2 Cor. 3:5).

    Clearly the Christian Faith teaches one cannot "work" one's way to Heaven. All Grace comes from God Almighty. We can do nothing of ourselves without his grace.

     

    ============================


    Faith Alone or Sola Fide, is it a Catholic position?


    Catholics believe in Faith Alone as long as the word “Faith” is properly understood. The Apostolic Faith does not teach that one can simply say the “Sinners Prayer” and go to heaven no matter how grievous a crime he commits afterward. (Most mainline Protestant denominations do not teach this either, although most Baptist and "non-denominational" churches do.) For the Holy Scriptures tells us of heinous crimes against God:

    “They who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God.'' (Gal. 5:21).
    (Not without repentance that is).

    Even the original Protestants did not believe such a notion as "once saved always saved" no matter what you do afterward. Catholic Theology also does not teach that a mere intellectual acknowledgment of God, i.e. mental assent, will save one’s soul; for in James 2 we are taught that MERE “Faith Alone” will not save, for Satan himself has MERE Faith Alone:

    “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.” James 2:19

    Only a saving or formed Faith as the Apostles Paul says will save. I.e. a:
    "Faith that worketh by charity.” Gal 5:6

    Do Catholics then condemn justification by Faith Alone? No.

    Many Protestants today realize that Catholics adhere to the idea of salvation sola gratia (by grace alone), but fewer are aware that Catholics also do not have to condemn the formula of justification sola fide (by faith alone), provided this phrase is properly understood.

    Whether a Catholic will condemn the idea of justification by faith alone depends on what sense the term "faith" is being used in. If it is being used to refer to unformed faith then a Catholic rejects the idea of justification by faith alone (which is the point James is making in James 2:19, as every non-antinomian Evangelical agrees; one is not justified by intellectual belief alone).

    However, if the term "faith" is being used to refer to faith formed by charity then the Catholic does not have to condemn the idea of justification by faith alone. In fact, in traditional works of Catholic theology, one regularly encounters the statement that formed faith is justifying faith. If one has formed faith, one is justified. Period.

    A Catholic would thus reject the idea of justification sola fide informi but wholeheartedly embrace the idea of justification sola fide formata. Adding the word "formed" to clarify the nature of the faith in "sola fide" renders the doctrine completely acceptable to a Catholic.
    (From: Justification by Faith Alone) http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/faith_al.htm

    (1) http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=24119




    14 SOBERING BIBLICAL QUESTIONS
    FOR THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
    The Catholic Faith comprises the verses not underlined in your personal Bible nor taught in
    Modern Christian seminaries or churches.


    Read the Bible verses not underlined in your Bible.

    “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

    Suggested reading:

    Catholic Answers: "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" A compendium of basic Catholic beliefs and the Biblicism behind these beliefs. http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

    FAQ on the Catholic Faith from Columbia University: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/faq-cc.html

    1. "Bible Only" Christian or "Bible Believing" Christian?
    Click Here: 40+ Modern Christian Practices and Doctrines not found in the Holy Bible...

    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/unbiblical.html

    2. Three Questions your pastor can't answer...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/formypastor.html

    3. Seven Reasons Christians go to church. Which one is yours? ...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/forchurch7reasons.html

    4. THE ORIGINS & AUTHORS OF THE PROTESTANT THEOLOGIES.
    Do you know who authored Modern Christianity's distinctive beliefs and in what century? You might be surprised.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/dates.html


    5. "The 7 Stages of Christian Spiritual Development."
    What stage are you?...

    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/7stages.html


    6. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): It is a Catholic position.
    Has your pastor taught you that Catholics must "work their way to Heaven?" Another misunderstanding of Catholic theology.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/faithalone.html

    7. "Who is the Bride of Christ?
    What does the Holy Bible say?
    ...
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bride.html

    8. Non-Catholics often ask: "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
    "What else has Christ's Infallible Authority besides the Holy Scriptures?"
    Read the verses not underlined in your Bible nor taught in your seminaries or present church.

    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/whatelse.html

    9. Is Sola Scriptura or the "Bible Only theory" even Biblical?
    Where does the Bible teach the "SOLA" in Sola Scriptura?
    Click here to read what the Bible says about God's Word and how it is to be taught...

    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/ss.html


    10. Did the Bereans "Search the Scriptures" and thereby follow the "Bible Only" theory?
    Many claim they did, but not if you read the whole chapter, i.e., the verses not taught in Modern Christian churches. Read the story again and then decide.
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/bereans.html

    11. The 3rd Unanswered Challenge for Non-Catholic Theologies: Is the Catholic Faith Apostolic?
    Name just one Catholic doctrine that isn't. Name one doctrine the early Church believed,,,, that the Catholic Faith *no longer does*. Why can't the Modern Christian theologies make the same bold claim?
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/3challenge.html

    12. Biblically, did the "official teachings or doctrines" of the Catholic Church become corrupt or apostate? Are there verses in the Holy Scriptures that forbid this? What does the Holy Bible really say about: "The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" 1 Tim 3:15? https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/gatesofhell.html

    13. Is Praying to Saints Biblical? Is the "Hail Mary" prayer Biblical? (Read the Verses not underlined in your pastor's Bible.) https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/saints.html

    14. HOW NON-CATHOLICS ARE COMPELLED TO USE AND EMBRACE AN UNBIBLICAL AND ANTI-BIBLCIAL DEFINATION AND CONCEPT OF CHRIST'S CHURCH
    https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges/onchurch.html

    Return to Homepage "A Biblical Case for the Catholic Faith" at: https://www.angelfire.com/home/protestantchallenges"

    Email: : INRI33AD@aol.com