CALLING ALL CATHOLICS! Please give me biblical references to why the Catholic Church is the only true church?

Question

After the pope's comments the other day, I would like to know how he can make such a claim. I was raised Catholic, but left and go to an Assemblies Of God church where I have learned more about the Bible and how to live my life as a Christian. The more I have learned and read the bible, the more I realized the amazing claims of the Catholic church to be totally unbiblical. So I would like to hear from those who could shed some light on this for me. Thank You

Answer 1

*Is Catholic*

Start with Genisis 1:1 and end with Revelations 22:12.

Of course you might get it, but that is because there is a problem in your understanding of Christ and what he came to do here on Earth.

It is a complicated issue to reteach somebody the Faith when they have lost it. All the simple answers do not work. There is one Church because there is One Christ. Christ has only One Mystical Body and only One Bride.

I am going to suggest some books:

Does God Need the Church? by Lohfink
Dominus Iesus -- Ratzinger
A Father Who Keeps His Promises - Hahn


Historically the Catholic Church is easily proved to be the true Church because it is from her and her alone that the scriptures came into the world. It is from her and her alone that the true explanations of the scriptures come. It is her and her alone that has consistently taught and protected the message of Christ and has handed it on to each generation WITHOUT ERROR. The Orthodox Churches, who are true Churches, are the only others who can claim most consistently to hold the same truths and the same faith as the Catholic Church.

Answer 2

The Church came BEFORE the Bible. The Bible isn't the entire extent of the Christian faith. There is the tradition and history to take into account. All the answers are not in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does it say the Bible is IT for Christianity. In fact, it does talk about tradition.
The Church traces its history to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, and sees the bishops of the Church as the successors of the Apostles in general, and the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter, leader of the Apostles, in particular. The first known use of the term "Catholic Church" was in a letter by Ignatius of Antioch in 107, who wrote: "Where the bishop appears, there let the people be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

Additionally, Catholic writers list a number of quotes from early Church Fathers suggesting the See of Rome had jurisdictional authority or primacy over other churches, while Orthodox writers dispute this claim which was one of the main issues behind the East-West Schism, historically considering the Pope first among equals.

Central to the doctrines of the Catholic Church is Apostolic Succession, the belief that the bishops are the spiritual successors of the original twelve apostles, through the historically unbroken chain of consecration. The New Testament contains warnings against teachings considered to be only masquerading as Christianity, and shows how reference was made to the leaders of the church to decide what was true doctrine. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the continuation of those who remained faithful to the apostolic and episcopal leadership and rejected false teachings.

Answer 3

This was not something the Pope simply came up with "the other day". If you're basing your question on what you heard or saw in media headlines, please do read the actual document. It's available here, with references and footnotes: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

If you are a student of the Bible as you say, you are perfectly capable of finding the passages that relate to this on your own.

As a former Catholic you should know that this is not something new; if you were catechized before your Confirmation, you were taught the Biblical basis of apostolic succession and the sacraments. It hardly makes sense that Christ left his people to flounder around and figure things out on their own from approximately 30 A.D. until the Reformation, or for that matter 1901 in America when the Pentecostal movement gave rise to what would become the Assemblies of God, now does it?

The problem most non-Catholic Christians have with the Catholic Church goes back to accepting the authority of apostolic succession and the Magisterium to define and preserve the doctrine of the faith. They do not accept it, and are in defiance of it, and have therefore separated themselves from the Church by their own actions. That they call themselves churches does not make them so, as the Catholic Church has always defined the term -- again, not something that just came up yesterday.

Answer 4

While what the pope said can be easily (and understandably) misconstrued, there is nothing new in what he said. In fact, I bet most, if not all religions would say the same thing about themselves.

Basically, we all assume that we are right about everything.

The pope didn't say that all other denominations are just a bunch of heathens. What he said was that while they are still Christians, they do not have the fully-realized truth.

A main sticking point between Protestants and Catholics is what you mentioned: the Bible. I will admit that Catholics as a whole do not put enough emphasis on the Bible. We get our four readings a week in at mass and call it good. However, more enrichment should be desired and accomplished through personal study (in the Catholic faith, often through a type of biblical meditation called "lectio divina").

Protestants, however, usually do not value the authority of the Church, or the Body of Christ. They assume that nothing out of the Bible can even be considered truth. However, the canon was set BY the early church, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe that still today the Holy Spirit guides the Catholic church by influencing her leaders as they pray for guidance.

An understandable question, thanks for asking it.

Answer 5

FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH

If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13, CCC 813–822)
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church.

His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).

Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant.

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8, CCC 823–829)
By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23).

But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26).

The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10, CCC 830–856)
Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20).

For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28).

Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles.

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20, CCC 857–865)
The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2).

These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary’s special role, and much more —even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself.

Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No other Church can make that claim.

Answer 6

Jesus said His true followers would be ONE in faith, ONE in belief, ONE in worship. Obviously then a manmade tradition with thousands of conflicting denominations cannot represent the true Church, nor can it represent truth, for truth cannot conflict with truth. In fact, the very existence of such a tradition is a flagrant rejection of the stated will of God. The Catholic Church alone stands united in truth, united in teaching, united in worship after 2,000 years, just as its founder, Jesus Christ, said it should be.

Jesus Christ founded His Church 2,000 years ago. Therefore it must have a demonstrable historical record of 2,000 years. The Orthodox Churches have a record 1/2 that long. The oldest Protestant denominations, 1/4 that long. Many other Protestant sects, 1/10 to one 1/20 that long or less. The Holy Catholic Church alone has a clear historical record dating back directly to the first century and the apostles, and through them to its founder, Jesus Christ. Every biblical reference to "the Church" is a direct reference to the Catholic Church, and no other. Because there was no other. And it was the stated will of God that it would always remain so.

Answer 7

IrishCharmer makes a valid point: the bible does not select any particular sect as the true church. Many sects claim to be so, and nearly all claim that their teachings are correct and others have some faults. Otherwise, why have a separate sect? It is clear from your statement that you believe the teachings of the Assemby of God are "truer" than the teachings of the RCC.

SO, realizing that (almost) all sects claim to be truer than any other sect, why does the RCC claim to be *the* true church. As a former RC like myself should know, and another answered quite well, the whole apostolic succession thingy.

Of course, you *did* get the entire papal speech, right? You know, that part about other churches also being on the road to salvation, etc. etc. The pope did not claim that RCC has a monopoly on salvation.

Besides, you're not RC anymore. Why do you care what the pope thinks?

Jim

Answer 8

From Scripture, we can see that the Church:


is one, unified
Matthew 12:25, 16:18, John 10:16, John 17:20-23, Acts 4:32, Romans 12:5, Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Corinthians 3:3-4, Corinthians 10:17, Corinthians 11:18-19, Corinthians 12:12-27, Corinthians 14:33, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Ephesians 4:3-6, Philippians 1:27, 2:2-3, 1 Timothy 6:3-5, Titus 3:9-10, James 3:16, 2 Peter 2:1

is holy, but not all who belong to it will be saved
Matthew 7:21–23, Ephesians 5:25–27, Revelation 19:7–8

is universal (ie, "katholikos" in Greek, or "Catholic")
Matthew 28:19–20, Revelation 5:9–10

is Apostolic
Matthew 16:18-19, Matthew 9:6-8, John 20:21-23, Acts 5:5, Ephesians 2:19–20

is hierarchical and has bishops (episkopos), priests (presbyteros or "elders"), and deacons (diakonos)
Acts 1:20, Acts 15:2-6, Acts 20:28, Acts 21:18, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-2, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:7, Hebrews 11:2, 1 Peter 5:1, 1 Peter 2:25,

is the Pillar and Ground of Truth
1 Timothy 3:15

is the "light of the world", visible, cannot be hid
Matthew 5:14

was founded by Christ through Peter, whom He made the Church's earthly father, and the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against it
Matthew 16:18-19 (see also page on Peter as "The Rock" for evidence of Peter's authority among the Apostles)

While Scripture is evidence enough for the marks of Christ's Church, we can see in the writings of Ignatius -- written in the first century, within 67 years of Christ's resurrection, by a close friend and appointee of the Apostle Peter and friend of Polycarp -- that the early Church had a very Catholic interpretation of Scripture:


the Church was Divinely established as a visible society, the salvation of souls is its end, and those who separate themselves from it cut themselves off from God (Epistle to the Philadelphians)
the hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ (Epistles to the Philadelphians and the Ephesians)
the threefold character of the hierarchy (Epistle to the Magnesians)
the order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood (Epistles to the Magnesians, Smyraenians, and the Trallians)
the importance of unity of the Church (Epistles to the Trallians, Philadelphians, and the Magnesians)
emphasis on the holiness of the Church (Epistles to the Smyraeans, Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, and Romans)

the catholicity of the Church (Letter to the Smyraeans)

the infallibility of the Church (Epistles to the Philadelphians and the Ephesians)
the doctrine of the Eucharist -- i.e., belief in Transsubstantiation or the Real Presence of Christ in Communion (Epistle to the Smyraeans)
the Incarnation (Epistle to the Ephesians)
the supernatural virtue of virgnity (Epistle to Polycarp)
the religious character of matrimony (Epistle to Polycarp)
the value of united prayer (Epistle to the Ephesians)
the primacy of the Chair of Peter (Epistle to the Romans, introduction)
a dencouncing of the (later Protestant) doctrine of private judgement in matters of religion (Epistle to the Philadelphians)1




Read the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome, Cyril of Jerusalem, Irenaeus, Polycarp, St. Augustine, etc... They are rich with Catholic doctrine -- and the earliest evidence we have for what the Church was like in its earliest days!



FYI:


In the 16th c., Luther, reacting to serious abuses and clerical corruption in the Latin Church, to his own heretical theological vision (see articles on sola scriptura and sola fide), and, frankly, to his own inner demons, removed those books from the canon that lent support to orthodox doctrine, relegating them to an appendix. Removed in this way were books that supported such things as prayers for the dead (Tobit 12:12; 2 Maccabees 12:39-45), Purgatory (Wisdom 3:1-7), intercession of dead saints (2 Maccabees 15:14), and intercession of angels as intermediaries (Tobit 12:12-15)


Luther wanted to remove the Epistle of James, Esther, Hebrews, Jude and Revelation. Calvin and Zwingli also both had problems with the Book of Revelation, the former calling it "unintelligible" and forbidding the pastors in Geneva to interpret it, the latter calling it "unbiblical". The Syrian (Nestorian) Church has only 22 books in the New Testament while the Ethiopian Church has 8 "extra." The first edition of the King James Version of the Bible included the "Apocryphal" (ie, Deuterocanonical) Books.

Answer 9

I don't really know what the Pope was talking about, but Vatican II said that all people who accept Christ will be saved, not just Catholics. Of course, the Catholic Church will always believe it is somehow more "true" than the other denominations.

But then again, many Protestant denominations believe the same thing. It's sad how many people try to point out the faults of Catholics when many other non-Catholic christians have the same issues.

God bless!

Answer 10

There is only 1 true church. It consists of only those who have been saved through Jesus Christ as the bible lays out. Read Acts2 and see how they became christians. They heard about Jesus, were cut to the heart(believed), they said brothers what shall we do, and they were told to repent and be baptized. 3000 were added that day.

There was sprinkling water on babies heads, no stinky incense, no praying to Mary, no popes, no funny hats(well there could have been some funny hats, who knows).

I respect sincere catholics for their sincerity. I was raised catholic. I never questioned what I was told and I believed i was fine. Until I readthe bible and saw something entirely different. On the last day, it won't matter how many hail mary's you said and you won't be able to say my preist or my pastor said so.

It's gonna come down to you and God.
Read John 12:47-48.
The very word's Jesus spoke will judge us on the last day. Do you know what those words are? You better. I better.