from a paper by Marco deFelice, www.autobiblico.org
What is meant by the Church
It is extremely important, when we read the Bible, to understand the meaning of the words according to what God intends, not according to the interpretation given by society today. Each word, in fact, can have several meanings; if you use the same words, but each gives it a different meaning, it is easy to misunderstand.
A few examples: God often speaks of the wicked. According to the world, a villain is someone who performs terrible acts, such as murder, rape, or something similar. Instead, for the Lord, anyone who does not obey God's Word is a wicked one. Therefore, "evil acts" includes: being attached to money, not honoring one's parents, telling any lies, speaking vulgar, and many other things that are not seen by the world as evil. Therefore, when we read passages that speak, for example, of the wicked, we must understand the words as God understands them.
Similarly, the word faith in the Bible means one thing but in today's society it means another. Many people say they believe in God, yet they don't have the faith that the Bible speaks of. In the Bible, having faith in God means truly welcoming God into your life as Lord and Sovereign, trusting Him in everything. If we don't act in this way we cannot consider it true faith. Instead, in today's world, it is thought that believing in God means intellectually accepting the truths about Him, even without following Him totally.
Then, it is essential that we understand what God means by the word "church", as opposed to the way it is used in the world.
In our day, the term "church" is used to describe pretty much any group that claims to be "Christian". Thus, we speak of the Roman Catholic Church, Baptist Church, Methodist Church, Greek Orthodox Church, Mormon Church, and many other so-called churches.
There is a tendency today to believe that no one has the right to judge others and that one must accept everything. According to this mentality, every creed is valid, so you have to accept everyone's creed.
Instead, the Bible teaches a very different position. In the Bible, first of all, there is no idea at all that every belief is valid. God is very strict in declaring that there is no truth other than the truth that He has declared in the Bible. Jesus Christ declares that it is impossible to reach the Father except through Him. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle declares that there is no other gospel other than the one he has announced, and that if anyone preaches another gospel, will be cursed by God.
So to understand what a true church is, we must listen carefully to what the Bible declares, not what men declare.
The Greek word that is translated "church" in the NT is the word " ekklesia ". It comes from two words: “ek”, which is the preposition for “out”, and “klesia” which means “call”. In common language in Bible times, it was used for "assembly", for example, the assembly of citizens of a city who had the right to vote. Therefore, it indicates a very particular group. It was never just any group, only those who were qualified to truly belong to it.
God led the authors of the Bible to use this word to indicate the assembly of those who have truly received salvation. In the Bible, the word church is used exclusively to refer to that group of people who have truly received forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. As such, it is not a group established by men, nor can men form members or exclude others as they please. To become part of the church, one must receive the new birth, through faith in Christ Jesus.
According to the Bible, Christ is the Head of the Church. Therefore, those who are truly members of the Church follow Christ as the Head. It is not possible to be a member without following Christ Jesus as the true Head. A group that does not truly follow Christ is not a true church, regardless of whether it can call itself a church. If a group preaches a different gospel than the true gospel, it is not a true church. This is God's yardstick.
Of course, many groups that teach a false gospel call themselves churches, but we must evaluate them according to God's yardstick, not according to their yardstick. Usually, the world accepts their statement. The problem is that GOD does not accept their statement and neither do we have to accept it.
It is important to recognize the false churches that exist in our society, that is, those groups that preach a false gospel. Remember, the yardstick is not what the company says, much less our judgment! The meter is the Word of God.
Here in Italy, the largest group that defines itself as a church is the Roman Catholic Church (CCR). The question we must ask ourselves is this: according to the biblical yardstick, is the JRC a true church? To make a fair analysis, I have decided to present their doctrine by quoting verbatim the Catechism of the Catholic Church ed. 1993, which constitutes the official teaching of the Catholic Church.
The meter
What are the most important teachings to evaluate in order to establish whether a church can truly be recognized as such, according to God's standard?
There are various important teachings, but the most important is the message of salvation that is preached, which also includes the person and work of Christ Jesus. So, in order to evaluate the Catholic Church, let us carefully consider what the message of the gospel is.
Components of the Gospel:
We cannot consider every aspect of the gospel in this study, but I would like to touch on some fundamental points. Remember: if someone or some group teaches a gospel other than the Bible, that is not the true gospel, and that group is not a true church, in God's eyes.
Man is a sinner.
One of the main truths of the gospel is that man is a sinner, unable to save himself and lacking any ability to seek God on his own. We see this in many verses. For example:
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father draws him .
Romans 3: 10-20 “10 as it is written: 'There is none righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. 12 Everyone has gone astray, everyone has become corrupted. There is no one who practices goodness, no, not even one ». 13 «Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have plotted fraud ». "There is snake venom under their lips." 14 "Their mouth is full of curse and bitterness." 15 “Their feet are quick to shed blood. 16 Ruin and calamity are on their way 17 and they do not know the way of peace ». 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that all that the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that all mouths may be shut up and the whole world found guilty before God; 20 for by the works of the law no one will be justified before him; in fact the law gives only the knowledge of sin. "
Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Mark 10:18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one, namely God .
Ephesians 2: 1-3 God has also given life to you, you who were dead in your sins and sins, 2 to whom you once abandoned yourselves following the trend of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, of that spirit that works in rebellious men today. 3 In the number of whom we too all once lived, according to the desires of our flesh, obeying the desires of the flesh and our thoughts; and we were by nature children of wrath, like the others .
Man without God died in his sin. God declares that there is no righteous. Man can do nothing to participate with his strength in his own salvation. He cannot be reconciled with God on his own.
Why is it important to understand this? If a religion declares that man on his own can participate in his salvation, then it denies that salvation is entirely God's work.
We read how the Catholic Church denies the total perdition of man (all the biblical references that follow each quotation are not in the Catechism, but I have added them to help you compare their teaching with the biblical teaching).
Here are the quotes from the Official Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"Man must fight relentlessly in order to remain united with good, nor can he achieve his interior unity except at the cost of great efforts, with the help of God's grace." p.117 (read I Peter 1: 3-5 instead)
“Moral virtues are acquired humanly. They are the fruits and seeds of morally good acts; they dispose all the potential of the human being to enter into communion with divine love. " p.459
"God left man at the mercy of his own will so that he could freely adhere to his Creator and thus reach blessed perfection." p.449
“Moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts and perseverance in effort. Divine grace purifies and elevates them. " p.466
Therefore the CCR declares that man possesses moral virtues and that through them he can seek God. The Scriptures declare the opposite. Therefore, the gospel of the CCR is a false gospel.
How to be saved?
The Bible teaches that every man is eternally doomed. So, every person's greatest need is to receive salvation. The heart of the Gospel therefore becomes: - How can one receive forgiveness and salvation?
Here, the teaching of the Bible is extremely clear. There is only one way to be saved. The Bible declares that forgiveness and salvation are received through faith in Jesus, without human works. Often, the Bible speaks of salvation using the concept: to be justified. Let us read some of the many verses that explain how man can obtain salvation.
Saved by faith, without works.
Romans 3: 21-26 21 Now, however, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, of which the law and the prophets testify: 22 namely the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe, in fact there is no distinction: 23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 but they are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God has established it as a propitiatory sacrifice through the faith in his blood, to prove his righteousness, having used tolerance for past sins, 26 at the time of his divine patience; and to prove his righteousness in the present time so that he is just and justifies the one who has faith in Jesus .
Galatians 2 15 We Jews by birth, not foreign sinners, 16 know that man is not justified by the works of the law but only by faith in Christ Jesus, and we too have believed in Christ Jesus to be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 3 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; because it is written: "Cursed is whoever does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law to put them into practice." 11 And that no one is justified by the law before God is evident, because the righteous will live by faith. 12 But the law is not based on faith; rather it says: "Whoever puts these things into practice will live by means of them." 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written: "Cursed is whoever hangs on the wood"), 14 that Abraham's blessing might come upon strangers in Christ Jesus, and we might receive, by faith , the promised Spirit .
Have you noticed that these passages specifically state that salvation is only through faith, and that works are not part of it? This is important to remember, because if anyone declares that salvation is by some work, then that is a false gospel.
Ephesians 2: 8-10 For it is by grace that you were saved, by faith; and that doesn't come from you; it is the gift of God. It is not by virtue of works so that no one may boast; in fact we are his work, having been created in Christ Jesus to do the good works, which God has previously prepared for us to practice .
Good works have nothing to do with salvation. Indeed, faith plus works is no longer faith. Either grace is all grace or it is not grace at all. There is no salvation a little by grace and a little by works.
Romans 3: 27,28 27 Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of the works? No, but by the law of faith; 28 for we hold that man is justified by faith without the works of the law .
Romans 11: 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer by works; otherwise, grace is no longer grace .
Grace is not grace if salvation is also by works. Salvation is therefore totally by grace.
The book of Galatians was written specifically to combat the heresy that salvation was through faith plus a sacrament. That is, after Paul had preached to the Galatians, false teachers came and preached a false gospel. Their message said that salvation was through faith in Christ, however, and the sacrament of circumcision had to be added to their faith. A sacrament is a spiritual work.
The message of the letter to the Galatians is that whoever preaches a gospel in which salvation happens by faith plus some sacrament preaches a false gospel, and whoever teaches a false gospel is cursed by God.
What is the "gospel" of the Church of Rome?
Then, recognizing that a gospel that proclaims salvation by faith more than the sacraments is a false gospel, we can examine the CCR gospel to see if it is the true gospel or not. First I quote from the official Catechism:
"In faith, human intelligence and will cooperate with divine grace." p.54 (instead read Rom. 3: 27,28; 4: 2-9; 9: 11,31-32; 11: 5,6; Gal. 2:16)
Here, the Catholic Church declares that man cooperates with grace to have faith. The Bible, on the other hand, declares that faith is a gift from God.
"Through the grace of Baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we are called to have a part in the life of the Blessed Trinity." p.84 (see Matt.28: 19,20; Acts 8: 9-23; 10: 43-48 instead)
"The Church administers Baptism for the remission of sins even to children who have not committed personal sins ... Baptism, giving the life of Christ's grace, cancels original sin and turns man back to God." p.115 (see Acts 2:41; 26:18; Eph. 1: 7; Col. 1: 12-14 instead)
Here, we talk about water baptism, administered by the CCR. So, it is being said that that life in God, or salvation, comes through baptism. This is a totally false statement, in fact water baptism is not the one that remits sins. Moreover, it is not baptism that cancels original sin. It does not give the life of Christ's grace, it does not even turn man again towards God.
It is the salvation by faith that regenerates, the salvation that cancels not only original sin, but condemns it for all sins. God gives the life of Christ's grace through salvation, not through baptism. Water baptism is a symbol that represents spiritual baptism, but in itself it has nothing to do with salvation, which comes totally from God, not through an act performed by men. So, this statement is a false gospel.
"Man must fight relentlessly in order to remain united with good, nor can he achieve his interior unity except at the cost of great efforts, with the help of God's grace." p.117 (read I Pet. 1: 3-5 instead)
Here it is stated that man must fight to unite with good, with the help of God's grace. According to their teaching it is man who works, and God is only helpful! What a different message from that of the Bible! Where is God working in man?
"It is through the sacraments of the Church that Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body." p.205 (read Rom. 8: 9-17 instead)
Here, it is declared that through the sacraments of the CCR Christ gives the Holy Spirit. Instead, the Bible teaches that whoever receives Christ, by faith, receives the Holy Spirit. It is not related to religious works, and furthermore, the sacraments of the CCR are not even considered as such in the Bible. This too is an aspect of a gospel other than God's, so it is a false gospel.
"One becomes a member of this People not by physical birth, but by birth from above, from water and the Spirit, that is, through faith in Christ and Baptism." p.215 (instead read John 1:12, 13; I Pet. 1:23)
"By entering into the People of God through faith and Baptism, one has become sharers in the unique vocation of this People ... for the regeneration and anointing of the Holy Spirit the baptized are consecrated to form a spiritual home, a holy priesthood. ..." p.216 (read Rom. 5: 1,2; Eph. 1: 18,19; II Tim. 1: 9 instead)
In these two statements, it is said that one is born again by faith and by baptism (that in water). Instead, the Bible speaks of the new birth only through faith, not through some human rite. Then this is a false gospel.
"The faithful are those who, having been incorporated into Christ through Baptism, are constituted the People of God. ..." p.239 (see I Cor. 12: 12,13,18 instead)
Again, we see the false claim that one becomes a member of Christ (i.e., saved) through baptism, always referring to the water baptism done by the CCR.
“The fruit of all the sacraments thus belongs to all the faithful, who by means of the sacraments themselves, like so many mysterious arteries, are united and incorporated in Christ. Above all, baptism is at the same time the door through which one enters the Church and the bond of union with Christ. " p.255 (read John 10: 9; 14: 6 instead)
Here too the CCR teaches that one is united with Christ (that is, is saved) through baptism and the other sacraments.
The teaching of the CCR is, therefore, that salvation, or the new birth, takes place through the sacraments, which are works that men do. Instead, in the Bible, God declares that the new birth comes directly from God, through faith and not through the sacraments, which are religious works.
Titus 3: 3-5 For we too were once foolish, rebellious, backslidden, slaves to all sorts of passions and pleasures, living in wickedness and envy, hateful and hating each other. 4 But when the goodness of God our Savior and his love for men were manifested, 5 he saved us, not by righteous works we did, but by his mercy, through the bath of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit ,
2 Timothy 1: 9 He saved us and gave us a holy calling, not because of our works, but according to his purpose and the grace that has been given to us in Christ Jesus from eternity ,
Other aspects of the gospel of Rome
I would now like to consider other aspects of the gospel taught by Rome, to understand how much it is contrary to the gospel taught by God.
“Holy and healthy is the thought of praying for the dead to be absolved of their sins… he also offered his suffrages for them. Our prayer for them can not only help them, but also make their intercession effective in our behalf.… ”P.257 (instead read Acts 2:38; 10:43; Rom. 3:26; Heb. 10:16 -22; Col. 2:13)
Here, it is taught that prayers made for the dead can help them be absolved (i.e. forgiven) of their sins.
This teaching is absolutely contrary to the biblical message, for two reasons. First: God declares that a person, while still alive, can be completely forgiven of his sins only through faith in Jesus Christ. Our prayers can never absolve someone of their sins. Second: As for praying in behalf of the dead, the Bible is clear, after death there is only judgment, there is no longer the possibility of repentance or of being absolved of sins. We read a passage that declares the existence of only one judgment after death.
Hebrews 9:27 … it is stipulated that men die only once, after which judgment comes
Now let's read some biblical passages that speak of true forgiveness that comes only through faith in Christ.
Acts 10:43 ... of him all the prophets testify that whoever believes in him receives the forgiveness of sins by his name . "
Romans 3:26 in the time of his divine patience; and to prove his righteousness in the present time so that he is just and justifies the one who has faith in Jesus .
Hebrews 10: 16-22 "This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts and write them in their minds", he adds: "I will remember their sins no more and of their iniquities ". Now, where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer a need for a sin offering. Having therefore, brothers, freedom to enter the most holy place through the blood of Jesus, by that new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is to say, his flesh, and by having us a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a sincere heart and with full certainty of faith, having the hearts sprinkled with that sprinkling that purifies them from a bad conscience and the body washed with pure water .
Colossians 2:13 You, who were dead in sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, God quickened with him, forgiving us all our sins.
According to the Scriptures, therefore according to God, the forgiveness of sins, that is, being absolved of sins, does not take place through prayers, but takes place through faith in Jesus Christ !! This is the good news of the gospel . To propose another way to be absolved is to propose another gospel.
Let's read what the CCR says about how grace is obtained:
"The three sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation and Orders, confer, in addition to grace, a sacramental character or seal, by virtue of which the Christian participates in the priesthood of Christ and is part of the Church ... it remains forever in the Christian as positive disposition to grace, as a promise and guarantee of divine protection and as a vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church. Such sacraments can therefore never be repeated… The sacraments are ordered to the sanctification of men. " p.299 (instead read Acts 18:27; Rom. 3: 24,25; 4: 4-6; 5: 1,2; 11: 6; I Cor. 1: 4; Eph. 1: 6,7 ; 2: 7-9; 4: 7; II Tim. 1: 9)
Here, we have read that the sacraments are ordained to the sanctification of men. Even if you want to ignore for a moment that the sacraments as taught by the CCR are not even biblical, what does the Bible say about how one can receive God's grace? What does the Bible say regarding how to receive the seal? And what is the seal? Are the sacraments the seal? Biblically, the seal is not the sacraments, but the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 1:22 He also marked us with his own seal and put the deposit of the Spirit into our hearts .
Ephesians 1:13 In him you too, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and having believed in him, you received the seal of the Holy Spirit which was promised.
The seal of the Holy Spirit is not received through sacraments, but is received together with salvation, when the gospel is believed, that is, when it is received by faith.
Ephesians 1:13 In him you too, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and having believed in him, have received the seal of the Holy Spirit which was promised ,
Let us now read another example of the false teaching that a child, although unable to repent or believe, receives salvation through the sacrament of water baptism.
“The faithful, reborn in Holy Baptism… are nourished with the food of eternal life in the Eucharist. Holy Baptism is the foundation of all Christian life, the entrance vestibule to life in the Spirit and the door that opens access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and regenerated as children of God, we become members of Christ; we are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in its mission. Baptism can be defined as the sacrament of Christian regeneration through water and word. " p.321 (see John 3: 3-8; I Pet. 1:23 instead)
How different is this message from the biblical message which teaches to receive forgiveness and salvation only through faith!
We still read what the JRC declares regarding the new birth.
"Since they are born with a fallen human nature contaminated by original sin, even children need the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of freedom of the children of God ... The Church and parents would then deprive the child of the inestimable grace of becoming a child of God if he was not given Baptism shortly after his birth. " p.329 (instead read Eph. 1: 6; 2: 4-10, 12,13; 4: 7; II Thess. 1: 11,12; 2: 13-17)
"The different effects wrought by Baptism are ... the purification from sins and the new birth in the Holy Spirit ... Through Baptism all sins are remitted ... Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte a new creature, an adopted son of God. " p.332 (read II Cor. 5:17 instead)
Here, again, it is declared that a small child becomes a child of God through the CCR rite. Instead, as we have already read in many passages, we become children of God through the new birth that God fulfills when a person repents and welcomes Jesus as Lord and Savior (which is the biblical sense of believing).
What is all this for
I could go on, but perhaps it is better if we stop here to evaluate what it is for our Christian life to know all this.
First of all: it is not up to us to judge others with our own yardstick. Instead, God calls us to examine the teachings around us, to recognize what is from God, and what is a false gospel, taught by false teachers. Not examining the teachings we are taught from the Scriptures is a sin of omission.
Second: It is very important that we take a clear stand towards others, such as towards the JRC.
We must not hope to be well regarded by those of the world. Since Jesus Christ founded his Church, believers have been frowned upon by the world.
John 15: 18,19 "If the world hates you, you know well that before you it hated me. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love what is its own; for you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
1 John 3:13 Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you .
Matthew 24: 9 Then they will abandon you to oppression and kill you and you will be hated by all peoples on account of my name .
Truly following Christ will lead us to be hated by the world because of Christ. We cannot hope that the world will look at us kindly, because Christ has already warned us, the world will hate us because of Him. So, seeking human approval regarding our walk with God is to distance ourselves from God.
Jesus declares: Luke 9:26 For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels .
We also hear in 2 Timothy 1: 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner; but you too suffer for the gospel, supported by the power of God .
So how can we apply all of this to our life? We must recognize that God calls us to examine those who claim to be men of God, to see if their testimony corresponds to the biblical message. If it does not match, we must recognize them as false apostles and false teachers, and denounce them. If anyone teaches a false gospel, then, that person is cursed by God, and God calls us to separate ourselves from such people.
According to the official doctrine of the CCR, we must recognize that the CCR is a false church in God's eyes, because it preaches a false gospel. It is not a question of some doctrinal error, although there are many false doctrines that the JRC teaches. No, the matter is much more serious than this: the gospel taught by the CCR is not the biblical gospel, therefore it is a false gospel and leads to eternal perdition.
So what should our position be towards the JRC? Our mandate in the world is not to wage war against false religions like the CCR, our mandate is to proclaim Christ. But, as we see in the example of Jesus Christ himself, Paul and the other Apostles, when we recognize a false teaching, even a false gospel, we have a responsibility to take a clear stand, warn others of the deception and proclaim the true gospel.
My prayer is that each of us may know more about the biblical teaching in order to walk more according to God's will, to be able to discern which teaching is from God, and which is from Satan.
Let us commit ourselves to know the Word of God well. Let us not be ashamed to follow Him in everything, even when this means not following the path that those around us take.
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