Roman Catholic Church: "God's One and Only Church"?

Question

The Apostle Paul wrote:

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" Ephesians 5:25

Paul was Not a Catholic, yet he knew that Christ loved him and died for him. Certainly, no one would dare say that Paul was Not a Christian because he was Not a Catholic.

Would anyone suggest that God only loves Catholics?...
or that Jesus only died for Catholics?
Such would be the case if the Catholic church was the "God's One and Only Church".

For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should Not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The church in the New Testament is simply the Body of the Saved and Jesus Christ is its Head.
Eph. 5:23
Eph. 3:5
Eph. 2:19-20
Eph. 5:22-24
Acts 2:47


"... for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:4

Please share Your views on this.

Answer 1

"God's One and Only Church", in the denominational sense, refers to the Catholic Church. Does this mean that only Catholics will be saved? No. All Christians - Catholic and non-Catholic - have a chance at heaven. The facts of the Catholic Church being "God's One and Only Church" can be seen by a simple study of history.

Jesus taught one Faith, not two hundred different kinds. He set down one Church, not 3,000. That deposit of Faith was given to the Apostles, who taught others, and established churches abroad. The Faith given to those churches was the same Faith given to the Apostles from Christ. It was intrepreted one way and one way only. If someone wanted to be a Christian, they had to go to the Church to learn the Faith, and they were not free to leave, interpret what they'd learned their own way, and teach others their version. It was one Faith, one Church, and one interpretation. This Deposit of the Faith was preserved and handed down through the generations in the Church, and continues to be taught today.

So, why so many different denominations? Protestantism officially started around the year 1500, some thousand and a half years after Christ. I think the only reason it survived is because the world power at the time, King Henry VIII of England, became a protestant because the Church would not recognize his adulterous marriage, and so he rebelled. He had the power and the money to keep his protest going.

The reason why we have so many different denominations is simple: different personal interpretations of the bible. Is this okay? Not when defining doctrine. Doctrine is that rule of the Faith that all Christians are to believe in for the sake of their salvation. Such critical matters cannot be left up to personal interpretation, otherwise, we would have 6 billion different doctrines (one doctrine for every person on the planet).

Do they have the truth? Yes, most protestants have a measure of the truth. However, if someone is after the fullness of truth that Christ gave us, look to history, and then look to His Church.

God bless.

Answer 2

Paul did not use the word "Catholic" yet that does not mean he was not one. The early church called itself "catholic" (see Ignatius of Antioch´s letted to the Smyrneans in AD 107), which means the "universal" christian church, that which is everywhere and where true christians gather on doctrinal union around the bishops (read that letter again)- That original church never called itself Lutheran or Baptist or Pentecostal, or any of the 33000 protestant and evangelical names that exist today and which appeared 1500 years after Christ founded ONE church, which is his body and it is a visible organization and not an ethereal, invisible church:
• Mt. 16:18 - And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build MY church
• Mt. 18:15-18 - "If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, TELL THE CHURCH. If he refuses to LISTEN EVEN TO THE CHURCH, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.- QUESTION: TO WHOM ARE WE TO TAKE THEM IF THE CHURCH IS INVISIBLE?
• Act. 15:6 - The apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter...
• Eph. 4:11-14 - “he gave some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers...for building up the body of Christ,...until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God ...so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching”- the Church has a hierarchical structure so it must be a visible organization
So yes, Paul was a Catholic.
Now, that does not mean that God only loves Catholics. Even if they do not like it most christians are somehow united to the Catholic Church anf draw grace from Christ through it.
Read the Cathecism to learn what the Church really teaches, and stop repeating what other uninformed people have told you

Answer 3

If the Catholic are the one and only they will have these qualities:

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

1. It will appear and do its visible work after it emerges from the wilderness in 1798 (Revelation 12:6, 13-17).

2. It will teach the same truths the apostles taught, and all of its teachings will agree with the Bible (Revelation 12:17).

3. It will keep the Ten Commandments, including the Bible Sabbath (Revelation 12:17).

4. It will have the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 12:17; 19:10).

5. It will proclaim God's three end-time messages with a loud voice (Revelation 14:6-14).

6. It will be a worldwide movement (Revelation 14:6).

7. It will teach the everlasting gospel, which is salvation through Jesus Christ alone (Revelation 14:6).

In addition , John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.

Catholics only have some of these qualities....they have doctrines that are not found in the bible (basically Man-tradition) Although I don't know who the true church is...I know Catholic are not the chosen ones (church).

Answer 4

Hmmm Paul was a contemporary and met with Peter and granted Apostolic power therefore was Catholic since that was the only Church and the Church of the Apostles.

Today he might not have been but then it was the only game in town.

By ythe way have you ever read Nostra Aetate, Dignitatis Humane, Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Unitatis Redintegratio? If you have then you would know that Catholics do not say they are athe one and only Church of God. All that is good comes from God and God is in all religions. Catholics just say they are the only ones that celebrate it to the fullness proclaimed.

ONLY non-Catholics say Catholics think they are the one and only Church and the one and only loved. It is contrary to Catholic teaching to say that.

Read the declarations on other religions, on religous freedoms, the Catechism. Instead of making up stuff or hearsay from non Catholics.

But simple fact is true all the early Church fathers were just that early Church (one Church). The only thing Catholics can claim others can't is the fullness of celebration and that they were actually founded by Jesus Christ.

The rest you guys make up.

Answer 5

I am Catholic and I believe my Church was founded by Jesus Christ. However, I do not believe God only loves Catholics or that Jesus died only for Catholics.

Answer 6

There is a visible and invisible church. The visible church/s are buildings and groups of people who worship together. These can be corrupt just like our bodies can. The invisible church is the Kingdom Of GOD made up of all those who put their faith in Christ finished work on the cross and is incorruptible. There are many denominations that make up the invisible church and when it is all said and done the invisible church will be the only thing that matters anyway.
Praise Jesus.

Answer 7

RCC do no longer pray to everyone yet God. praying to everyone yet God is a sin. contained in the RCC prayers they say _____ pray "FOR" us. As for the pope, what denomination isn't ruled by using a head that enables interpret the bible. For Pres, baptist and different church homes that have not have been given a hierarchy, the minister or reverend enables to define what's seen a sin and what isn't. in basic terms like the pope. RCC or any christian do no longer placed as much as everyone's authority yet to God's. i'm uninterested in doing this. you comprehend what why do no longer you pass criticize rapists, murders, thieves, and human beings available doing incorrect. or perchance pass do some volunteer artwork as a replace of wailing on different religions. specific there are modifications in each church. Who cares? as long as you experience closer to God and are not committing a sin, then it is going to no longer count number the way you worship God. If going and assisting the homeless enables you experience closer to God do it. If going evangelizing enables you experience closer do it. Missionary artwork do it. the factor is there'll continually be distinctive church homes, distinctive ideals and distinctive perspectives approximately all concerns. God made us all equivalent, yet distinctive.

Answer 8

Christ chose the people of Israel to specificaly love and be his people. That is still the case except they have rebelled against him for the time being. The church is the body of Christ, all who beleive in him, not catholic, baptists, protestant, but every single person who bends their knee to the Savior.

Answer 9

The only sense in which Paul was not a "Catholic" is in that the word wasn't being used yet. It just mean universal, so yeah Paul was Catholic.

Answer 10

"God's one and only church"? Where did you get that from?
In our Nicene Creed we state " we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church". If you notice the word catholic has a lower case "c", meaning universal, not the Roman Catholic Church. The word, church, designates not only the liturgical assembly, but also the local community or the whole universal community of believers. That includes you (protestant) and me (Catholic).
Why is it we Christians waste so much time trying to convert each other, instead of trying to convert non-believers. Do you think maybe satan is behind this, should we continue to listen to him?

Yours in Christ