The Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic church was established almost 1,000 years before any Protestant church, but the Catholic Church is still five centuries too young to be the New Testament church. The Catholic Church gradually emerged about 600 A.D. as the New Testament church drifted into apostasy. Paul wrote of such an apostacy in 1 Timothy 4:1-3 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Since the Pope is essential to the Catholic Church, it follows that the Catholic church did not exist when the New Testament was being written for there is mention of a Pope. Each local congregation was independent, and each was under the oversight of elders, who were called bishops. Each church was under several bishops, not several churches under one bishop. Early church history proves that a papacy did not exist for hundred of years, but the simple New Testament organization was slowly replaced by a ecclesiastical system. The power of the Roman church grew steadily and finally the bishop of Rome, Boniface III, was proclaimed "universal father" or "pope" in 606 A.D. This may be regarded as the beginning of the Catholic Church, though many of her distinct doctrines were still unknown.
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WHO PLANTED THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH? |
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Words Of Men |
Word Of God |
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"The Bible is not to be read by all; the Pope forbids it; all must not read it." (Catholic Dictionary, pg. 82) |
"Whereby, when ye read, ye can percieve my understanding in the mystery of Christ." (Ephsians 3:4)
"Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind examining the Scriptures daily, whether these these things were so."
(Acts 17:11) |
"The Roman catholic Church is the only true apostolic church."
"If it is not identical in belief, governemnt, etc. with the primitive church then it is not the church of Christ."
(Catholic Facts, pg 27.)
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"The Roman Catholic Church" is not found in the Bible.
"The church of God" (1 Cor. 1:2)
"The churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16)
"The church of the Lord" (Acts 20:28)
"There is one body..." (Eph. 4:4-6)
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Peter established the church; he was the first pope and his successors were popes.
(Faith of our Fathers, pg. 78) |
"Pope" is not found in the Bible.
"Thou art Pater and upon this rock I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18)
"Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the Savior of the body. ...the church is subject to Christ." (Eph. 5:23,24)
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Purgatory: A place where the dead go to suffer punishment until they can be purified.
(Council of Florence, 1439)
Atonement must be made on their behalf before they can enter heaven. Their suffering can be lessened by prayers and masses, according to the council of Trent.
(Fuller J. Sheen, World Book, "P", pg 803) |
Purgatory is not found in the Bible.
"It is appointed unto men once to die, and then after this cometh judgment." (Heb. 9:7)
"For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor. 5:10)
Luke 16:19-31 teaches that once a man has died, his eternal destiny is sealed and cannot be changed.
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Baptism: Affusion or sprinkling is sufficient, as well as immersion.
(Catholic Dictionary, Addis and Arnold, Pg. 60)
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Baptism means "to dip, plunge or submerge."
"We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death." (Rom. 6:4)
"Having been buried with him in baptism..." (Col. 2:12)
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"In confirmation, the Holy Spirit is received by the hands of the bishop when the child reaches the age of accoutnability (about 12 years old)."
(Catholic Dictionary, pg. 208)
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The Confirmation Ceremony is not found in the Bible.
The Holy Spirit is only "given to them that obey Him." (Acts 2:38; 5:32)
Only Christ (not the bishop) prayed for the Holy Spirit to be sent (John 14:15-17)
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Transsubstantiation is the changing of the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ, performed at the consecration of the mass.
(Adopted at Lateran Council in 1215 A.D.)
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"...The Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. in like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant inmy blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come." (1 Cor. 11:23-26)
This is obviously a figure of speech (metaphor), as when he spoke of himself as "the door" (John 10:7) and "the vine" (John 15). He was not a literal doo or vine.
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Mary, the mother of Jesus. Pardons sins. One cannot be saved without praying to Mary. She is a perpetual virgin; not defiled by man. She is the mother of God and not subject to Christ.
(Glories of Mary, pg. 51,71,83,189,254,255,201,211,331)
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Jesus (not Mary) is our mediator between man and God (1Tim.2:5)
"And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
Jospeh "knew" her. (Matt. 1:25)
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"An infant should receive baptism. Baptism, nowaday is given almost exclusively to children."
(Our Priesthood, Bruneau, p. 154)
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An infant cannot believe, repent or confess.
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).
"Repent ye and be baptized... unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38)
"...With themouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10)
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"In later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies..." (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
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Source: Traditions of Men Versus the Word of God by ALvin Jennings
Daniel S. Dow
Huntington Church of Christ
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