The Church
"The Catholic Church is the work of Divine
Providence, achieved through the prophecies of the prophets, through the
Incarnation and the teaching of Christ, through the journeys of the Apostles,
through the suffering, the crosses, the blood and the death of the martyrs,
through the admirable lives of the saints. When, then, we see so much
help on God's part, so much progress and so much fruit, shall we hesitate to
bury ourselves in the bosom of that Church? For starting from the Apostolic
Chair down through successions of bishops, even unto the open confession of all
mankind, it has possessed the crown of teaching authority." - St. Augustine
AUTHORITY - Should the Bible be the final authority
of Christianity or the Church? Well, Christ stated that the Church, not
Scripture should be the final authority: "And if he shall neglect to
hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let
him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." (Matthew 18:17 ) Christ did not
state to refer to or consult Scripture for disputes and correction. He
said to go to the Church as It is the final authority in Christianity. In
addition, St. Paul 5:29 ) and has "no spot, wrinkle or
blemish" (Ephesians 5:27 ).
Christ also stated that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church (Matthew
16:18 ) so how can the
Church commit error? Individual clergy may commit sins, even popes commit
sins because in the Church there are both "weeds and wheat" (Matthew
13:30 ).
ORGANIZATION - Is the Church to be a
loose conglomerate of believers or is it to be organized and structured?
Scripture clearly established "offices" and a
"hierarchy" among Christians. The offices of "bishop,
priest (presbyter) and deacon" are mentioned in Scripture (1 Timothy
3:1,8; Titus 1:7 ). What else is this but
"organization?" Or should we believe that any believer can
"claim" to be a bishop, priest, deacon or even
"apostle?" The word "office" is specifically used in
Scripture (1 Timothy 3:1) to describe these positions. Webster
defines "office" as "A special duty, trust, charge, or position,
conferred by authority or God and for a public purpose; a position of trust or
authority." And the office of "apostle" is to be
continued (Acts 1:20 -26)
to the present day. Not all believers are "equal" nor have the
same gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10; Ephesians 4:11 ). Is the Church a "visible,
earthly" entity? Yes, for Christ would not direct us to the Church
for disputes if it were not here on Earth (Matthew 18:17 ). Nor would
"fear" encompass the whole Church if it were a mystical, invisible
and heavenly entity (Acts 5:11 ).
The Church is definitely here on earth for the actions described in Acts
definitely take place on earth and the term used is "the whole
Church" (Acts 15:22 ).
HEAD OF THE CHURCH - Is there to be a
visible "head" of the Church here on earth? Well, as I
established under the heading of "Organization," not all believers
are to have the same authority or equality within the Church. Did the
Apostles have the exact same authority amongst themselves. No, they did
not. For it was St. Peter alone that was the "rock"
upon which Christ established His Church (Matthew 16:18 ). And it was St. Peter alone
that was given the task of "feeding" Christ's sheep (John 21:15 -17 ). Scripture
clearly points out St. Peter as Christ's representative on earth. Christ
did not ask the other Eleven to feed and tend His sheep. If you read The
Acts Of The Apostles, it is clear that St. Peter leads the Apostles.
Therefore, since the Apostles are to be replaced as they die (Acts 1:20 -26), then it follows
that whoever succeed(s) St. Peter is leader of the Church. There is only
to be one shepherd of the Church (John 10:16 ).
For the Apostles did not argue amongst themselves whether there was a
"greatest" at all, but who amongst them was the greatest (Mark
9:34; Luke 9:46).
ONE CHURCH - Is there to be only one
Church or many? According to Scripture, Christ wanted us to be one (John
17:22 -23). We
are all as a Church to be of one mind and to think the same (Philippians
2:2; Romans 15:5). There is only to be one "faith" (Ephesians
4:3-6), not many. For the Church is Christ's Body and Christ only had
one Body, not many. Also, since the Church is Christ's Bride (Ephesians
5:29 ), can Christ be
married to more than one wife (essentially a spiritual form of the the sin of
polygamy)? No, Christ can only have one wife (i.e., one Church, not
many).
In conclusion, Scripture is pretty straightforward about the Church's role in salvation, Its authority and Its organization. It's all a matter of deductive reasoning, correct interpretation and pure logic.
--- Chris
"Outside
the Church no one can be a martyr." - St. Pacianus of Barcelona
"The
Church is an earthly heaven in which the super-celestial God dwells and walks
about." - St. Germanus of Constantinople ("On The Divine Liturgy" 7th century A.D.)
CHURCH
BELIEFS & ISSUES
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WHAT THE
EARLY CHURCH BELIEVED
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Biblical quotations on this web site are
either from the King James Version or the Douay-Rheims Version of the Bible.
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