Post by Sheila on Mar 10, 2024 10:27:05 GMT -5
Throughout the centuries, the church headed by Christ has been split into thousands of denominations because of different beliefs and practices. Some of these denominations have, and still do, claim to be the true church of Christ. That belief is said to be based on Biblical teachings; however, not all of the beliefs can be supported by the Bible and can be supported by nothing more than that denomination's traditions which can not be backed by any chapter or verse found within the Bible. The Eastern Orthodox, Baptists, Lutherans, and Seven-Day Adventists are just a few having made this claim.
The most noteworthy of the denominations to make this claim are the Catholics. Their leaders met at councils and laid out their beliefs in the creeds read and repeated by the members of that denomination. I've read several magazine articles and web pages trying to determine what Scriptural proof there may be to back the claim. One such article written by Greg Luger [1] contains five passages from the Bible to explain why he believes the Catholic church is the only true church of Christ. Three of these (Matthew 16:18-19 and 18:18, John 21:15-17) are the verses the Catholic leadership use as proof texts that Peter was chosen by Jesus to be the first pope of the church. The other two (Romans 1:15-26 and 15:1-12) are used to show that Peter was the leader of the early church. Taken along with other teachings of that church, only the men chosen in a long line of succession from Peter were the top leader of the church and whatever they laid out as the proper beliefs and rituals were the truth and must be believed. However, as mentioned, many of these have absolutely no basis in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Although the Catholic leadership also states that people outside of the Catholic church can be saved, it is though some type of divine mystery but still tied to the Catholic church. In other words, without some tie to the Catholic church, a person can't be part of the true church and be saved.
Yet Paul, who wrote the majority of the letters that form the New Testament, taught a contradictory set of beliefs. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he says that "we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many" (12:13-14). Let me add some context. John the Baptist told those who were listening that the one who was to come after him [Jesus] would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit. Paul told the Ephesians that when the people believed in Christ they were "marked with the Holy Spirit". The "body" is the collection of believers who form the true church. They are the people who are led by the Spirit because they have been saved through faith in Christ (Romans 10:1-13), not by some man-made denomination or set of rituals. There is no mention found within the New Testament that anyone had to learn any creeds or perform any rituals before they were saved.
There is also no mention I can find that any believer had to be a part of a congregation or church before they could be saved. After they became believers, they became a part of a small congregation so they could learn from more mature believers. Paul addressed his first letter to the Corinthians to the "church of God . . . sanctioned in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2). Once again, we see that the church of Christ - the true church - consists of the individuals who are saved by faith through Jesus. Paul also wrote to the Colossians who he referred to as the "faithful brothers and sisters in Christ" (verse 2). While these people were members of a particular Christian church formed from one or more separate congregations, they are related through Christ, not the church.
Paul and others taught the believers of the far-flung churches about how they should act and every time those lessons were based on the teachings of Christ as can now be found throughout the Bible. There is no mention of some of the traditions, practices, and beliefs created by so many modern day denominations. The teachings of Jesus and throughout the New Testament almost scream out that the only way to be saved and become a member of the true church is through faith and belief in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Nothing else is necessary. So if you have received God's free gift of salvation through faith, not works (Romans 10:1-13), you're a member of the true church. That can't be said of everyone sitting in a pew of any and all denominations, regardless of how many times they attend a church service, how much money they give the church, or how well they perform a given set of rituals. When the members of the true church gather around God's great throne, some people are going to wonder why some of their fellow church members aren't there. They'll say "he was such a good Catholic" or "she always did everything the Baptist way". But that isn't enough. If those good Seventh-Day Adventists, Lutherans, or members of any other denomination never went or go any deeper than following a set of rituals - they never truly accepted salvation through faith - they were never and never will be part of the true church.
The true church is not one or another of the many Christian denominations. It is not formed by one denomination and, through it and it alone, by some supposed divine mystery people of all other denominations. The true church is formed from the collection of individuals. The true church of Christ is made up of the true and sincere believers in Christ.
* Quotes from the New International Version of the Bible
1. "How do I know the Catholic Church is the One True Church"; Bismarck Diocese; Luger, Greg; 4/18/2019
The most noteworthy of the denominations to make this claim are the Catholics. Their leaders met at councils and laid out their beliefs in the creeds read and repeated by the members of that denomination. I've read several magazine articles and web pages trying to determine what Scriptural proof there may be to back the claim. One such article written by Greg Luger [1] contains five passages from the Bible to explain why he believes the Catholic church is the only true church of Christ. Three of these (Matthew 16:18-19 and 18:18, John 21:15-17) are the verses the Catholic leadership use as proof texts that Peter was chosen by Jesus to be the first pope of the church. The other two (Romans 1:15-26 and 15:1-12) are used to show that Peter was the leader of the early church. Taken along with other teachings of that church, only the men chosen in a long line of succession from Peter were the top leader of the church and whatever they laid out as the proper beliefs and rituals were the truth and must be believed. However, as mentioned, many of these have absolutely no basis in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Although the Catholic leadership also states that people outside of the Catholic church can be saved, it is though some type of divine mystery but still tied to the Catholic church. In other words, without some tie to the Catholic church, a person can't be part of the true church and be saved.
Yet Paul, who wrote the majority of the letters that form the New Testament, taught a contradictory set of beliefs. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he says that "we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many" (12:13-14). Let me add some context. John the Baptist told those who were listening that the one who was to come after him [Jesus] would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit. Paul told the Ephesians that when the people believed in Christ they were "marked with the Holy Spirit". The "body" is the collection of believers who form the true church. They are the people who are led by the Spirit because they have been saved through faith in Christ (Romans 10:1-13), not by some man-made denomination or set of rituals. There is no mention found within the New Testament that anyone had to learn any creeds or perform any rituals before they were saved.
There is also no mention I can find that any believer had to be a part of a congregation or church before they could be saved. After they became believers, they became a part of a small congregation so they could learn from more mature believers. Paul addressed his first letter to the Corinthians to the "church of God . . . sanctioned in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2). Once again, we see that the church of Christ - the true church - consists of the individuals who are saved by faith through Jesus. Paul also wrote to the Colossians who he referred to as the "faithful brothers and sisters in Christ" (verse 2). While these people were members of a particular Christian church formed from one or more separate congregations, they are related through Christ, not the church.
Paul and others taught the believers of the far-flung churches about how they should act and every time those lessons were based on the teachings of Christ as can now be found throughout the Bible. There is no mention of some of the traditions, practices, and beliefs created by so many modern day denominations. The teachings of Jesus and throughout the New Testament almost scream out that the only way to be saved and become a member of the true church is through faith and belief in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Nothing else is necessary. So if you have received God's free gift of salvation through faith, not works (Romans 10:1-13), you're a member of the true church. That can't be said of everyone sitting in a pew of any and all denominations, regardless of how many times they attend a church service, how much money they give the church, or how well they perform a given set of rituals. When the members of the true church gather around God's great throne, some people are going to wonder why some of their fellow church members aren't there. They'll say "he was such a good Catholic" or "she always did everything the Baptist way". But that isn't enough. If those good Seventh-Day Adventists, Lutherans, or members of any other denomination never went or go any deeper than following a set of rituals - they never truly accepted salvation through faith - they were never and never will be part of the true church.
The true church is not one or another of the many Christian denominations. It is not formed by one denomination and, through it and it alone, by some supposed divine mystery people of all other denominations. The true church is formed from the collection of individuals. The true church of Christ is made up of the true and sincere believers in Christ.
* Quotes from the New International Version of the Bible
1. "How do I know the Catholic Church is the One True Church"; Bismarck Diocese; Luger, Greg; 4/18/2019
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers
