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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:

Is the Catholic Church the True Church?

Victor M. Eskew

 

            The Holy Roman Catholic Church is a huge organization.  It boasts of having one-sixth of the world’s population as members.  This church claims to be the true church.  It affirms it is the church that began on Pentecost Day following our Lord’s ascension to the right hand of God.  The Church is extremely powerful both religiously and politically.  Most individuals have not given very much study to the Catholic Church.  They merely accept the Catholic Church as one of the many religions that exist in the world. 

            Since the Catholic Church affirms they are the church of the New Testament, let’s begin with this question:  “Is it?”  If it is, then it should closely resemble the church about which we read in the New Testament.  It is interesting that when the church of the first century and the church of the New Testament are placed side by side, there is a galaxy of differences instead of there being a host of likenesses.

            Let’s begin with the name.  Nowhere in the New Testament do we ever read of the name “Holy Roman Catholic Church.”  In fact, the church about which we read in the New Testament does not have a formal name.  The inspired writers gave it many designations in an attempt to explain the multi-faceted dimensions of the church.  It is referred to as “the church” (Acts 2:47).  The word “church” means “the called out ones.”  This word expresses the relationship that all believers have to the world.  They have been called out of the world, that is, out of the evil, violence, sin, and corruption that is found within society.  The church is also called the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) or the kingdom of Christ (Eph. 5:5).  The idea of a kingdom refers to a spiritual nation.  Jesus is the King over this nation.  Christians are the citizens of the kingdom.  The New Testament is the constitution of the kingdom.  The church is also labeled the temple of God (I Cor. 3:16-17).  This designation helps us to understand God’s relationship to the church.  He dwells therein.  It also manifests the idea that Christians are a worshipping people.  In fact, Christians form what some have called the priesthood of believers (I Pet. 2:5, 9).  We could also examine other ways the church is described in the New Covenant:  the body of Christ, the vineyard of the Lord, the army of God, and the bride of Christ.  In order to distinguish ourselves from other religious groups, we have chosen one Biblical name to describe us to the world, the churches of Christ.  In Romans 16:16, Paul wrote:  “Salute one another with a holy kiss.  The churches of Christ salute you” (Rom. 16:16).  However, we could call ourselves by any of the Biblical designations and be acceptable to God.  The fact that the name “Holy Roman Catholic Church” is absent from the New Testament documents should cause all deep concern.

            The organizational structure of the Catholic Church does not resemble the organizational structure of the New Testament Church.  In the New Testament, there was the Universal church, that is, the body of all baptized believers throughout the world (Eph. 5:25).  This body had one head, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  In Colossians 1:18, we read:  “And he is the head of the body, the church…”  The New Testament church did not have a human head.  There was no pope or earthly father who ruled the church on earth.  The Bible condemns such a designation.  “And call no man your father upon the earth:  for one is your Father, which is in heaven” (Matt. 23:9).  Some believe Peter was the first pope of the church.  This is interesting because Peter was a married man (See Matt. 8:14; I Cor. 9:5; I Pet. 5:1).  Too, we never read of Peter’s being in Rome.  Lastly, the other apostles were given the same authority that Peter had (Matt. 16:18-19; 18:18).  In the New Testament, the Universal church was divided into local congregations.  These churches were autonomous, that is, self-governing.  They were overseen by men called elders, presbyters, bishops, overseers, pastors, or shepherds (Acts 20:17; 28).  They had to meet the qualifications elders laid down by Paul in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.  Each church was over seen by a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23; Phil. 1:1).  The church did not have a bishop overseeing elders and an archbishop overseeing bishops, and a Cardinal overseeing archbishops.  The organizational structure that is found in the Roman Catholic Church did not originate from God’s Word.  It is a copy of the hierarchal structure of the government of Rome.  Again, this fact about the differences in organizational structure should cause all grave concern.

            The final point we will consider in this introductory article on Catholicism, involves a contrast between the plan of salvation of the Catholic Church and the first century church.  The New Testament church had a simple plan of salvation.  Upon hearing the word of God, faith would be produced in those who had honest and good hearts (Rom. 10:17).  This faith would move individuals to repent of sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38) and confess the precious name of Christ (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10).  It would also lead them to be immersed, that is, baptized into Christ in order to be saved (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16. Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27; Col. 2:12; I Pet. 3:21).  Because an individual had to believe, repent, and confess the name of Christ, there were no infants baptized in the first century.  It was known that babies did not have the capacity to do these things.  Babies did not have to be baptized.  They were born into the world innocent and pure.  The Catholic Church practices infant baptism.  They believe that babies have inherited the sin of Adam and need to be baptized in order to be forgiven.  However, they do not immerse infants, they sprinkle or pour water upon them and call this baptism.  It is not.  The word baptism means “to immerse, to dip, to plunge, to submerge.”  The Scriptures call baptism a burial (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12).  Adults are also sprinkled or poured in order to obtain salvation in the Catholic Church.  This was not the practice of the first century church.  When Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, the Bible tells us:  “And he commanded the chariot to stand still:  and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him” (Acts 8:38, this was done after he believed, see vs. 36-37).  Baptism involved going down into the water and coming up out of the water.  Not one person was sprinkled in the first century.  This is a practiced that evolved over time and was approved by man, not by God.  Dear reader, this contrast in the differences in the plans of salvation should cause one to be anxious about acknowledging the Catholic Church to be the church of the Bible. 

            In this study, we are going to dig a little deeper into several teachings and practices of the Catholic Church.  There is not one or two, but a multitude of teachings in Catholicism that conflict with the inspired Word of God.  When Paul wrote to Timothy about the falling away that was to come, he said:  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of the which believe and know the truth” (I Tim. 3:1-3).