IS THE
ONE
With one billion members, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest denomination in the world. Since the Bible teaches that Jesus built only one church, we must learn if the Roman Catholic Church is the one mentioned in the Bible (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 1:18).
Organization
The organization of the Lord’s
church is described in the Bible (Philippians
1:1). It is made up of saints
{Christians}. Christian men who meet
God’s qualifications serve as bishops (also called elders and pastors). Deacons are servants who work under the
elders (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). Elders are to be appointed in each church (Acts
The Roman Catholic Church is a body with two heads! It claims Jesus is its head in Heaven and the Pope is its head on earth. The “college of cardinals” elects the Pope to office. Under the cardinals are the archbishops, bishops, priests, monks, nuns, and finally “the laity” (ordinary members). Clearly, the organization of the Roman Catholic Church proves it is not the church of the Bible.
Salvation
The Bible teaches all are born
sinless and pure (Matthew 18:1-5;
(Hebrews 5:9). Jesus is the Sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:24- 28; 1 Peter 1:17-19). We receive His free gift of salvation by
hearing His Word (Romans
In order to go to Heaven, we must
serve God faithfully until death (Revelation
When a child is twelve years old, he must be confirmed, according to Roman Catholic teaching. The priest makes the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead. This is supposed to give him the Holy Spirit.
When a Catholic sins, he must confess to a priest. The priest decides what act of penance the sinner must do. When this is done, the priest grants forgiveness. God’s law of pardon for erring Christians is ignored. Priests who are weak, sinful men, like we are, are given the power to forgive sins by the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible teaches that only God has the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-12). It is blasphemy for a man to claim to do this. It is clear the Roman Catholic Church is not the church of the Bible because it does not practice what the Bible teaches concerning salvation!
What Happens When We Die?
Luke 16:19-31 tells us that one’s soul goes to Hades when he dies.
Hades has a place of comfort for the righteous and a place of torment for the
wicked. There is a great gulf between
the two. One cannot cross from one to
the other. Souls remain in
However, the Roman Catholic Church does not teach this. They believe souls go to a place called Purgatory. They are punished in order to be purified. How long one has to spend in Purgatory will depend upon how bad he was on earth, how much money he gave to the Roman Catholic Church to buy indulgences, and how much money his family and friends give to the Church on his behalf. The doctrine of Purgatory does not come from God. It was made an official doctrine of the Roman Church by the Council of Florence in 1439. The Roman Catholic Church is not the church of the Bible!
Moral Issues
The Bible teaches it is wrong to
lie (Colossians 3:9; Revelation 21:8). It also teaches it is wrong to steal (Romans
Much more could be said. These examples are enough to show us that the Roman Catholic Church, even though very large, is not the Lord’s church! Please study the Scriptures for yourself. Do not become a member of any church which is not found in the Word of God!
The Bible clearly sets forth the
one, true church which was built by Jesus Christ (Matthew
How to Identify the
1. Know what the
A. The word ‘church comes from the Greek word which means those who are “called out”
B. The church is the Body of Christ
(Colossians
C. The church is the Bride of
Christ (Ephesians
D. The church is the Family of God
(I Timothy
E. The church is the Pillar and
Ground of Truth (I Timothy
2. Know the
Founder of the
A. Jesus promised to build HIS
church (Matthew
B. Jesus purchased the church with
HIS blood (Acts
C. Jesus is the head of the church
(Colossians
D. The church is His spiritual body
(Colossians
3. Know when the
A. It was promised in the last days
of
B. The church was near in Johns day (Matthew 3:1, 2)
C. Jesus told His disciples that
they should not taste of death till they see the
D. They were told that they would receive that power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8)
E. All these things came to pass on Pentecost (Acts 2)
4. Know how the
A. The church of the Lord (Acts
B. The
C. The body of Christ (Ephesians
D. The
5. Know what God
offers In the
A. Forgiveness of sins is in the
church (Ephesians
B. Salvation is in the church (2 Timothy
C. Redemption is in the church (Colossians
D. All spiritual blessings are in the church (Ephesians 1:3)
E. The saved are in the church (Acts
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