isn't saying the Catholic Church was not the original Christian Church just an effort to nullify Scripture?

Question

When Jesus said "and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against her"?

Answer 1

Definitely. Whenever anti-Catholics say that they are effectively saying Jesus is a liar; hence, nullifying Scripture.

Answer 2

I’m not sure if they’re trying to nullify scripture because to do that would nullify themselves, since they believe in scripture alone (sola scriptura).

Kl - this notion of an “invisible” body of believers is probably the stupidest thing out there. By that reasoning, the church consists of believers who have no solid doctrine or teaching of Christ, simply a sincere, converted heart. Now, we SHOULD be sincere in our conversion, but is that the end of it? Are we not supposed to learn the faith as the apostles learned it from Jesus? Didn’t they have to be taught too?

Since it doesn’t matter what denomination a person belongs to, that assumes they all teach the same thing. However, the reason there are differing denominations is PRECISELY because they DON’T teach the same things. So, then, for the honest believer looking to learn their faith, where do they go? Who’s got it right?

Answer 3

Jesus said He would build HIS church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. THe catholic church is not the same as the church Jesus built. Jeus told the pharisees they make void the word of God by their traditions. The catholic church has many traditional doctrines that are not part of biblical scripture. And the cc claims tradition has more authority than scripture. This is the opposite of what Jesus taught. For a review comparison on this topic go to proclaimingthegospel.com

Answer 4

Protestants believe in an invisible, non-authoratative church.

They claim to believe in a visible and authoratative bible, but they actually believe in their very own personal interpretation of the bible, alone.

They claim to follow no one but Christ, but seem lost without their local preacher.

They claim the Holy Spirit has led them one or more of the 50,000 protestant variations of God's truth.

Meanwhile, the Catholic church has maintained one faith, one creed, and one gospel for some 2,000 years, saving billions of souls while converting most of the known world for Christ, all the while successfully enduring constant attacks by the forces of evil, both from within and from without.

The protestants aren't trying to nullify SCRIPTURE. They're trying to nullify the Catholic church.

If they had any idea of the true meaning of scripture, or they had any sense of authentic history, they would stop wasting their time, and get with the Catholic program!

Many have already.

http://www.reformed.org/webfiles/antithesis/index.html?mainframe=/webfiles/antithesis/v1n5/ant_v1n5_why.html

Answer 5

Matthew 18:20:For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.

The people of faith are the church.

Matthew 16:15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

"On this rock" The rock is Peter's faith. First century Christians chose death over denying Christ. The gates of hell could not prevail against their faith.

The bibles I know all say "prevail against It" not her. The "it" being faith.

Jesus is Lord.

Answer 6

After the apostles died there was to be a great falling away and apostacy was to take over. so to say they were the first church after christ makes them suspect of this apostacy.
We have the scriptures to lead us to Christ and we really do not need a church to do that.
If they are not following scriptures and diluteing the word of God to make money is God still using them?
The Jewish system was established by God himself.
But by the time Jesus Christ came to earth the religious leaders were so corrupt that Jesus called the Pharisees rich money lovers. Blind guides. Was he wrong in doing that since they were established by God?
He was pointing out that just because something starts out good doesn't mean it cannot be corrupted.

Answer 7

The Church, all born again believers in Christ who are indwelt in the Spirit. The RCC was not the original church, the term "catholic" means universal, that is, all believers.

(1)..."we must be careful to distinguish Catholicism and Romanism. There is a similarity between pre-Christian Israel and post-Christian Judaism, and pre-Reformation Catholicism and post-Reformation Romanism. Protestantism of the Reformation reclaimed the doctrines of the early church (“Catholicism”), such as the Apostle’s Creed, the anthropology and soteriology of Augustine on sin and grace, access to God through One Mediator, Jesus Christ. Post-Reformation Romanism (as well as Medieval Romanism) had added many traditions to biblical truth and was therefore no longer faithfully “Catholic” or Catholicism in character and identity because it was not built on the only foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ the Chief Cornerstone (cf. Eph. 2:20). The Reformation was ultimately a return to Apostolic Catholicism (as the “Catholic Church” confessed in the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed)."

Answer 8

How? That means that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against *the* Church --- believers, regardless of what church they are in. I think you and I both know that there are many protestants who are not genuinely converted. There are many catholics in this same boat. It is not for me to judge *who* is saved and who is not. That is God's job. But with this in mind, how can it matter what denomination one is or which church is the original church? What matters is whether or not one has saving faith in Christ, and since there are many butts on many pews in grand cathedrals and hideous strip mall evangelical churches who are not saved, I think we clearly know what the *true* church is. It is the invisible church, made up of those who have saving faith in Jesus, the Christ.

And, not to split hairs, but by your reckoning don't the Orthodox share that title with you?

Answer 9

There is really no way Anti-Catholics can dispute the fact that Jesus founded only one Church. So the answer to your question is yes. Jesus said:

"thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18, KJV)

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:20-23, KJV)

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20, KJV).

Jesus established only one church, the one He founded on Peter, the rock. He prayed that all His followers would be one, and He promised that He would be with His Church until the end of the world. This was recognized by Saint Paul when he wrote:

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:3-6, NIV).

One faith means one set of beliefs, one set of doctrines; doctrines which never change. There is only one Catholic Church but there are over 26,000 Protestant denominations today; each separated from the other by differing doctrines. Each of these denominations can be traced back to a single individual who was not Saint Peter or one of the apostles.

Every Christian church possesses some of the truths revealed by our Lord but only the Catholic Church can trace its origins all the way back to Jesus and Saint Peter through the rite of ordination; the laying on of hands and passing on of episcopal responsibility and authority. Because only the Catholic Church can be traced all the way back to Jesus, only the Catholic Church can be said to possess all the revealed truth. After all, Jesus founded the Church, promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (which means that it would be perpetual and not teach error), and promised to be with it until the end of time. Not at the end of time, but continually until the end of time. Either the Catholic Church was and is the one true Church, or the Bible is wrong, or Jesus lied.

Answer 10

I'm not sure what your point is. I would concede that, yes, the Roman Catholic Church was the original and first.

However, I do not believe any other church is lesser now, in the 21st century.

with respect