Lutero,
You said,
Baptism is necessary. And it has to be performed by His church. But Which is His Church?
Baptism is necessary. And it has to be performed by His church. But Which is His Church?
The Catholic Church.
First, Jesus Christ appointed a Pastor as head of the entire Church:
John 21:17
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
I see only a few Churches with such a Pastor. Further, Jesus Christ said that the Pastor over His Church would be infallible:
Matthew 16:17-19 (King James Version)
17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.18And 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. 19And 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.
The list of Churches accept this teaching gets smaller. Certainly, all Protestant denominations can now be eliminated.
Jesus Christ not only said that the Pastor was infallible but Scripture describes the Church as infallible:
Ephesians 3:10
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
The list remains the same, but now I can certainly eliminate all Protestant denominations.
Back to Matt 16:18, Scripture says that Jesus Christ established one Church. History shows that all the Churches sprang from the Church which is frequently described as the Mother Church. The Catholic Church.
By simple logic of elimination, that leaves only the Catholic Church. Further, the Catholic Church can produce records tracing back to Apostolic times.
Therefore, I conclude that it is the Catholic Church which is described in Scripture.
First, Jesus Christ appointed a Pastor as head of the entire Church:
John 21:17
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
I see only a few Churches with such a Pastor. Further, Jesus Christ said that the Pastor over His Church would be infallible:
Matthew 16:17-19 (King James Version)
17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.18And 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. 19And 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.
The list of Churches accept this teaching gets smaller. Certainly, all Protestant denominations can now be eliminated.
Jesus Christ not only said that the Pastor was infallible but Scripture describes the Church as infallible:
Ephesians 3:10
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
The list remains the same, but now I can certainly eliminate all Protestant denominations.
Back to Matt 16:18, Scripture says that Jesus Christ established one Church. History shows that all the Churches sprang from the Church which is frequently described as the Mother Church. The Catholic Church.
By simple logic of elimination, that leaves only the Catholic Church. Further, the Catholic Church can produce records tracing back to Apostolic times.
Therefore, I conclude that it is the Catholic Church which is described in Scripture.
There are teachings that the Roman Catholic Church practices today that the Primitive Church, the ONE Jesus established, did not. Practices that can be sinful in nature.
Name one such practice.
Wouldn’t that invalidate the Church as His?
If it were true. But it isn’t.
Like the Pharisees, where the church used to be the one God left for His people, but they walked astray.
What did Jesus say?
Matthew 23:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Wouldn’t then, the Church be made of faithful followers?
What does Scripture say?
Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Those who do exactly what Jesus taught?
You might want to study the lives of the Saints. They are they which have done exactly what Jesus taught, in this life. That is why the Church holds them up as our models:
Hebrews 6:12
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
And I refer here, to the Church as the sons and daughters of God, not a building.
Understood.
For example, where did Jesus teach his disciples to ask (pray) to Moses, Abraham or any other saint for help?
Luke 16:24
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame…..
Catholics today pray to many Saints depending on their needs.
Correct.
And on Mary, I’m certain Jesus has a very special place for her on heaven. Being his Earthly mother, she was a truly blessed woman, to be selected as the mother of our saviour. She had to have been full of God’s grace and love. I see the importance, her role had on God’s plan for our salvation. But, why should we pray to her?
Check out Job 42. Notice how God instructed Job’s friends to turn to Job. And have Job pray for them. And He would listen to Job’s prayers but not to theirs.
Same concept:
James 5:16
King James Version (KJV)
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Furthermore, God never wanted us to have images of anything above of bellow,
God commanded the Hebrews to make the Cherubim (Exodus 25:18) and the bronze serpent (Num 21:9).
yet Catholic churches are full of sculptures and images. Images people sometimes use to pray and even kiss a Baby Jesus Sculpture at christmas time. Isn’t that sinful?
No. Do you carry pictures of your family in your wallet or on your phone? Have you ever kissed someone’s picture? I’m certain you weren’t showing your affection to the polaroid, if you did. Same concept. The Saints are our family, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Mary is our Mother (Rev 12:17). And we love our family in Christ.
Are we supposed to remain or go back to being a catholic when we see all these things?
Not if you don’t believe in them.
And what will happen to everyone who follows Jesus’ teachings. Those who confess him and repent and are baptized. Who feel the Holy Spirit in them, who start a very personal relationship with Our Loving Father. Who love him above all. Who do His will and by His Holy Grace, do good deeds to others. Those who pass His teachings to their children. Who do all of this but not on a Catholic building. Are those not, God’s sons and daughters? Are those not His Church? What happens to all those faithful believers?
God knows. God will judge.
The difference between the Catholic Church (and Orthodox) and other religions is that we are Sacramental. In the Sacraments, we are saved and walk upon Mount Sion, with the spirits of men made righteous, in this life.
All others will await the Judgement before they, if they are judged righteous, will enter heaven.
I believe your description of Church is too narrow. Catholic means universal. And being obedient is following His teachings. Doing what he taught us. Is the Catholic church doing only that?
The Catholic Church does it better than anyone else. Because she has the fullness of the Truth (1 Tim 3:15, Eph 3:10).
Sincerely,
De Maria
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