What can we know about Christ's Church from Scripture?

Question

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 ( "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)




We can see that the early Church's priests and bishops:


were sent and commissioned by Jesus
Mark 6:7, John 15:5, John 20:21, Romans 10:15, 2 Corinthians 5:20

were ordained and acted as representatives of Jesus
Mark 3:14, Luke 10:16, John 13:20, Acts 14:23, Acts 16:4, 1 Timothy 2:7, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:23, Titus 1:5

had the authority to bind or to loose ("to forbid" and "to permit" with reference to interpretation of the law, and "to condemn" or "to acquit")
Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18, Luke 24:47, John 20:21-23, James 5:15, Acts 5:2-11, 1 Corinthians 5:3-13, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18, 1 Timothy 1:18-20, Titus 3:10

had the authority to perform Baptisms and offer the Eucharist
Matthew 28:19, Luke 22:19, Acts 2:38-41, Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 10:16

referred to themselves as "fathers" and thought of themselves as "fathers"
1 Corinthians 4:14-15, 1 Thessalonians 2:11, 1 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, 1 John 2:13, Philemon 1:10 (Compare KJV with NIV)

offer pure sacrices and incense
Malachi 1:10-11

annointed the sick
Matthew 10:1, Luke 9:1-2, Luke 9:6, James 5:13-15


performed exorcisms
Matthew 10:1, Mark 3:15, Luke 9:1


extolled celibacy for those called to it (note that in the beginnings of the Church, many of the Apostles, such as Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, were already married before beginning their ministry, but they abstained from marital relations after ordination; the Eastern Catholic Churches permit married priests -- not Bishops -- but in the early Church, they were expected to abstain from marital relations with their wives)
Matthew 19:12, 1 Corinthians 7:7-9, 1 Corinthians 7:20, 1 Corinthians 7:25-38


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.

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!

The Church built by Christ on the rock of Peter:

Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of Antioch, 1st c. A.D

Answer 1

Nobody who accepts the canon of the New Testament could do so without the Catholic Church

Thank you for your showing that the Catholic Church is the church prophesied and described in Scripture.

Answer 2

the 1st area has been accepted as Jesus being the "rock" or cornerstone of the Church, based on the testimony of Peter in Matt. sixteen:sixteen. Peter isn't the rock upon which the church became accepted. the 2nd area is basically Christ giving Peter the command to feed the sheep, as a pacesetter interior the early Church in Jerusalem, alongside with James and John. there became not a "pope" or one guy or woman claiming to be head of the church till after 3 hundred advert. not one of the early church fathers acknowledged one guy or woman as a results of fact the top. Thirdly, in accordance on your reasoning, Andrew additionally must be considered a pacesetter, yet he wasn't. Col a million:18 And He (Christ) is the top of the physique, the assembly, who's the beginning up, the 1st-born out of the ineffective, that He be preeminent in all issues; there is one head of the Church, Christ in basic terms, not a vicarious Christ or substitute Christ.

Answer 3

In the Nicene Creed, which is accepted by most Christians, the Christian Church is described as being "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." These are known as the four marks of the Church. The notions of holiness and catholicity are not much in dispute. The mark of holiness may be defined as the possession, and dissemination of the sublime, holy, Christ-centered moral code of Christianity (as best exemplified by saints or otherwise great, godly figures). All parties - while disagreeing on many particulars - concur that this is a central function of the Church. Catholicity simply means universal. Here Protestants and Catholics disagree only on the nature of that Church which is to be considered universal and all-encompassing.

This brings us to the oneness and apostolicity of the Church, where the disagreements are great indeed. Most Protestants (especially evangelicals) see unity and oneness subsisting primarily or solely in the inner, invisible, spiritual unity of those who are in fact in Christ by virtue of being justified, or born again, or regenerated (with or without baptism, depending on denomination). For them, the church consists of the Spirit-filled, predestined elect, who will persevere and are saved, now and in eternity.

The Catholic Church has always proclaimed this unifying characteristic also, under the broad and rich concept of the Mystical Church (under which it acknowledges Protestantism), yet it doesn't pit the Mystical Church against the institutional, or visible Church, as most evangelicals do. For Catholics, then, the issue of oneness is substantially related to organizational and practical aspects of ecclesiology. Catholics believe that the Church is both organism and organization, not merely the former. The Mystical and visible "churches" are like two circles which largely intersect, but which are not synonymous. They exist together - somewhat paradoxically and with tension - until the "end of the age."



EDIT:

Neil S,

Read Testimonium Flavianum, by the Jewish historian Josephus.


Also, the Roman historian Tacitus wrote concerning the Great Fire of Rome, in book 15, chapter 44 of his Annals (c. 116):

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Answer 4

from scripture we can decipher that the church founded by jesus is the holy roman catholic and apostolic church, no other church/christian denomination comes close to filling the bill. we from scripture can aslo know that his church would rely on both scripture and sacred traditionas guided and protected bythe holy spirit.

read the bible it is all there, www.scripturecatholic.com is another useful resource, the catechism and the writings of the early church fathers. god bless.

Answer 5

If read carefully, we can discern that Jesus is a myth created by Paul and others to support a theology with no coherent center.

Answer 6

We can be sure that they misinterperate scripture ALOT.