A Few Questions For Catholics

[Dave_H_1]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

 

[Mike_Dye]

Hi Dave, Glad you posted and am extremely pleased that you are considering converting. As a average practicing faithful Catholic I will try to address your questions to the best of my ability. We Catholics believe the Bible is the inerrant Word Of God. We are the original Bible Christians. We also hold that everything that we believe is not contained in Scripture but in what we call Sacred Tradition. ( What has been handed down from the very beginning that may not be found in Scripture).To answer your third question: In scripture Jesus told the Apostles that what they bound on Earth would be bound in Heaven and what they loosed on Earth would be loosed in Heaven, and in answer to your last question we do believe that all denominations that are sincere believers, are in Gods good graces. Those that must convert are the ones that have come to believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of the Faith. I pray that you will find that fullness . Peace, Mike

 

[Dave_H_1]

Thank you very much Mike for taking the time to answer my questions, and any other answers will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rolltide]

First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source?

Well, let me give you a simple way to understand it:

Protestants generally believe that unless a tradition can be clearly demonstrated from the Bible, you don’t use that tradition.

Catholics generally believe that as long as a tradition is not directly contradicted by the Bible, AND can be clearly demonstrated from the time of the early church, then it’s ok to use that tradition.

Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth?

Catholics would most quickly point to this quote:

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

Catholics regard Peter as the first Bishop of Rome, the position that will later be called Pope.

Here is an article from Catholic Answers explaining the position more fully:

catholic.com/library/Origins_of_Peter_as_Pope.asp

Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him?

Let me use an analogy.

The Catholic Church DOES use the phrase “There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church”, although it does believe that other Christian denominations contain partial truth, and that they are truly Christian. The Catholic Church believes it has the fullness of the truth. However, when we say that there is “no salvation outside the Catholic Church”, it does NOT mean that non-Catholics cannot be saved! It means that they might be saved in SPITE of a lack of full knowledge. They will be doing the will of God, as passed down through the Bible and proclaimed most fully through the Catholic Church, without even realizing it. It’s akin to this. Imagine the Catholic Church as a 16 year old who goes out and buys a brand new car. They read the entire instruction manual, sign up and take driving lessons, and successfully make it to school. Now, imagine other groups are 16 year olds who go out and buy used cars. They have only partial instruction manuals, or perhaps no instruction manual at all. Some get lessons, but some do not. Now, they may eventually make it safely to school as well, but if school represents the Kingdom of Heaven, which route is the safer choice? If they DO make it to school, it will be by unintentionally following the rules that were in the book they never read and the lessons they never signed up for. (In other words, they were still saved THROUGH the Catholic Church).

 

[Dave_H_1]

Thank you Rolltide for your response, but your answers have posed a new set of problems for me.

First in response to the statement that as long as tradition does not contradict scripture, I would like to quote Matthew 23:9: “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” Any insight on this would be helpful.

And Second, the quote of Peter being the rock of the church says nothing about infallible decrees and representation, it simply establishes him as head of the church. Enlighten me on this one as I am sure there is some sort of viable explanation for this.

 

[Church_Militant]

Thank you Rolltide for your response, but your answers have posed a new set of problems for me.

First in response to the statement that as long as tradition does not contradict scripture, I would like to quote Matthew 23:9: “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” Any insight on this would be helpful.

Call No Man Father?

And Second, the quote of Peter being the rock of the church says nothing about infallible decrees and representation, it simply establishes him as head of the church. Enlighten me on this one as I am sure there is some sort of viable explanation for this.

Actually it does.
The Authority of the Pope Part 1 (Fathers*)
The Authority of the Pope Part 2 (Fathers*)
Origins of Peter as Pope (Fathers*)
Papal Infallibility
Peter and the Papacy
Peter the Rock
Peter’s Primacy (Fathers*)

 

[Atemi]

Though I am no longer a Catholic, Dave, kudos to you on the further study.

Compare everything anyone tells you to what God’s Word actually teaches and you will do great.

I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks.

You will find very few average Catholics in these parts.

May God guide you always.

…

 

[Dave_H_1]

I would like to thank Church Militant for helping me out as well. I find that the more questions I have that are answered the more I am leaning towards converting. The articles you linked were extremely helpful.

 

[Church_Militant]

I would like to thank Church Militant for helping me out as well. I find that the more questions I have that are answered the more I am leaning towards converting. The articles you linked were extremely helpful.

Glory Be To God!

I am an unworthy servant. I have only done what is expected of me.

The CA online Library is a valuable resource that will help you very much.

By all means compare what we teach to scripture, (I did…My Testimony ) but bear in mind that contrary to to so much n-C preaching and teaching, the Bible nowhere says that it is the sole and final authority for all we believe and/or practice. It’s simply not there.

If you ever need someone to talk to about anything, you need only shoot me a PM.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.

 

[awatkins69]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

I pray that you do convert to the Church my friend. However, conversion implies acceptance of the entire teaching of the Church, so I will be very clear of what the Church teaches.

1. The Bible is not the ultimate authority on doctrine. Neither is papal decree. The ultimate authority is the Church Tradition, of which the Bible is a part (1 Corinthians 11).
2. There is a Scriptural basis for man representing God on Earth. Firstly, in Acts 9 Jesus asks St.Paul “Why are you persecuting me?”. St. Paul was persecuting the Church, so obviously Jesus equivocates the Church with himself. Secondly, in the Gospel of Matthew, Christ calls St. Peter his Rock, and gives him the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16). The Bishops of Rome, called the Popes, have historically succeeded from St. Peter to the present day. Also, in the Gospel of John, Our Lord specifically entrusts his flock to St. Peter (John 21).
3. While the other Christian communities do contain parts of the Truth, only the Catholic Truth contains the whole Truth which is necessary for salvation. St.Paul tells us that heretics condemn themselves (Titus 3) and Our Lord says that whoever does not listen to the Church is like the heathen (Matthew 18). However, there are some who have never even heard of the Church and are simply ignorant not by their own fault. With these we can trust in God’s infinite mercy.

I hope this is helpful to you. I pray that you will convert soon. God bless you my friend.

 

[Apryl]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

I see that there are already ten posts in this thread, but I love to answer questions such as this

Ok… in a quickie-nutshell kind of way:

The difference in being Catholic and Protestant is how we worship, really. For Protestants, the center of what they do is the Bible. The Word of God. For Catholics, the center of what we do is the Eucharist. The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ (God)

The Bible is not the ultimate authority of the Catholic church, but is a product of the Catholic Church. What we do has Scriptural foundation and verification, but no, what we do didn’t come from the Bible; the Bible came from what we do.

There are lots of sources for Scriptural verification and support for Catholic teaching. There are loads of sources for that found here, and in books - I’m rushing, so can’t do links right now, but you can do searches on this site and on other search engines.


While any one, not just Christians, can reach salvation, we happen to believe that this is the way as directed by God and taught to us through tradition. One person had a good analogy of something like, ‘if you were told that your key MAY open that $200,000 Bentley and you can have it and take it home, tax free, would you use that key, or would you use a key that is marked as a SURE way to open the doors?’

The sad fact is, a lot of people profess to be Catholics and they don’t follow the teachings of the church. They are maybe more vulnerable at the time of judgment than are those who may have never been taught the name of God!

(I LOVE being Catholic… every time I try to find a reason to not be, I am shown even more surely that this is THE way)

 

[markomalley]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

Dave,

Welcome home.

As to your questions:

First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source?

The Word of God is the ultimate authority in the Catholic Church. The Word of God is Jesus Christ.14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (John (RSV) 1)
Jesus Christ did not sit down and write a book. He communicated the revelation of Himself to the apostles through His words and His actions. So far, there should be no controversy, right?

Here’s where the first big controversy comes in. Was everything committed to paper?

Note what the Scriptures say about it:25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John (RSV) 21)

15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. (2Thessalonians (RSV) 2)
You will note that St. John explicitly says no. And St. Paul to hold to what they were told to hold fast to what they were taught by word of mouth **or **by letter.

So we can see from those two verses alone that not all of what Christ taught was committed to the written Scriptures and that we are to keep to all of apostolic teaching, whether it was committed to a writing that ended up being added to the Canon of the New Testament or not.

We, as Catholics, hold fast to the revelation of Jesus Christ as passed on by the apostles.

We call those teachings of the apostles that reveal Christ to us, committed to a written form, Sacred Scripture. We call those teachings of the apostles that reveal Christ to us, that were not committed to a written form by those apostles, but were passed down Sacred Tradition.

An example of the latter is the Assumption of Mary. This is a big problem that many Protestants have and is a stumbling block. Why? Because it’s not in the Scriptures. But if you think about it, why would this be?

The Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke (who accompanied St. Paul on his later missionary journeys), closed during St. Paul’s first captivity in Rome (note: according to Eusebius, Paul was first acquitted and then later on re-arrested and martyred still under Nero). The Acts are commonly considered to have closed somewhere during this early part of Nero’s reign. 60-62 AD. If Mary was 16 years old when Christ was born, that would place her age in the late 70s when the book of Acts closed. An elderly woman, but not assuredly dead. So it is entirely possible that both Ss Peter and Paul were dead before she was. So, where in the Scriptures would this have been recorded?

(As an aside, I have found very little that the Church teaches that is not explicitly stated in the Scriptures)

This brings up the third point: who has the authority to interpret what exactly the Word of God says and how to apply it in a given circumstance?
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John (RSV) 16)
Jesus said the above to His apostles. We believe that the bishops, the successors to the apostles, preserve this through virtue of their offices. We believe that the successor to St. Peter has the chief authority to make the authoritative decisions.
15 And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability. (2Peter (RSV) 3)
We must be very careful to stick with the teaching authority of the successors to the apostles, particularly the successor to Peter, as there are those who will twist the meaning of the Scriptures.

(more to follow)

 

[markomalley]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

Continuing on,

Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth?

Sure.19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew (RSV) 16)
For the significance of this, consider this passage from the OT:20 In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah (RSV) 22)
When a master gives a servant the keys to his house, he is saying that is is trusting the servant with the safety and well-being for everything that is in that house. He is also granting to that servant the authority to carry out those responsibilities.

If you think about it, any prophet represents God to a degree because he proclaims God. Take a look at the OT for examples, such as Moses and Elijah.

So the issue is not whether a man can represent God, but has God granted any man the authority to be His chief steward? You can see from the Scriptural citations above that the answer is yes.

 

[Scoobyshme]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

Hey, Dave!

 I'll be happy to try to answer... :)

 1.  The Bible is not the ultimate authority, nor does it say it is anywhere in the Bible.  The Bible does, however, say that the Church is the "pillar and foundation of truth." (1 Tim 3:15).  From a practical standpoint, why would Jesus create a Bible-reading Church when 1) the vast majority of earth's population could neither read nor write until the late 1800's or early 1900's.  And, the printing press wasn't created till the 1400's.  Plus, the Bible itself wasn't assembled into one book until the fourth century.  And even then, copies were extremely expensive (about $100,000) and would take a whole herd of cows or sheep (the pages were written on "velum" which is made from sheep or cow stomach) and would literally take years to hand-copy before the printing press was invented.

   Add to this that the Bible itself says that not everything Jesus did or said is IN the Bible (see John 21:25).  Yet, Jesus commanded the Apostles to teach "everything" that He had taught them. (see Matt. 28:20)  So, there's a 'gap' here.  Jesus told the Apostles to teach "everything"  but the Bible itself says that not everything Jesus taught is in the Bible.  Where's the rest?!  In Oral Tradition, a.k.a. Holy Tradition.  (See 2 Thes 2:15)  The New Testament is a subset of Oral Tradition, i.e., not everything Jesus taught was written down, but the Church has been handed everything Jesus taught, through the Apostles and their successors.

1. Sure. See Matthew 16:18-19, when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Rock (Peter) and gave him the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.” 21st century Americans usually miss the “keys” part, but a 1st century Jew in Palestine would’ve understood this instantly. In those days, the king always had a second-in-command for when he was sick, out of town, away from the kingdom, etc. Whatever this second-in-command ruled was backed up by the king when he returned. The terms used then were “bind” and “loose.” And this individual used to walk around with the symbol of his office, a big key (2-3 ft. long!) over his shoulder. THIS concept is what Matt 16:18-19 was all about. Jesus appointed a second-in-charge here on earth over His Church because He would be going “out of town” (to heaven). This office of second-in-command was dynastic, i.e., was to have successors. If he died, or retired, etc., another was chosen to take his place. That’s the position we call Pope today.
2. We believe that all who are saved, are saved THROUGH the Catholic Church, whether they are explicit members thereof or not. We also believe that we cannot judge the final disposition of a soul, although the Saints are an exception since we have proof before we declare them Saints. We believe that there may be some who, through no fault of their own, do not know Jesus Christ or His Mystical Body, the Church, but yet, live according to the truths of Christ written on every man’s heart. These, thought they may not be explicitly Catholic, can be saved.

You may also be interested in viewing the 3-part video “Origin of the Bible” at the following link:

alabamacatholicresources.com/Bible.html

God bless!

 

[markomalley]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

Last question:

Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him?

The Scriptures consistently teach that there is ONE Body of Christ. Rom 12:4, 12:5, 1 Cor 12, Eph 2:16, Eph 4:4, Col 3:15. I will just quote one example, you can look up the rest:
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1Corinthians (RSV) 12)
There is not to be any schism in the body:
24 But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. (1Corinthians (NAB) 12)
10 I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1Corinthians (RSV) 1)
We believe that this one body subsists in the Catholic Church.

For a very detailed answer, I would refer you to a document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2007,Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church

SECOND QUESTION
What is the meaning of the affirmation that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?
RESPONSE
Christ “established here on earth” only one Church and instituted it as a “visible and spiritual community”[5], that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted.[6] “This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic …]. This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him”.[7]
In number 8 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium ‘subsistence’ means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church[8], in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth.
It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them.[9]Nevertheless, the word “subsists” can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe… in the “one” Church); and this “one” Church subsists in the Catholic Church.[10]
There are four other questions in that document, linked above, that give a fully complete, accurate, and authoritative answer to your question.

 

[CentralFLJames]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

1. The Bible tells us clearly that "The Church is the Pillar and Foundation of Truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The Pope is the official voice of the Church and when he speaks or approves official teachings that can be taken as God’s absolute truth. Jesus told us that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. To teach error would mean that the Body was corrupted by Evil - which is impossible unless Christianity is false - in which case there is no salvation for anyone. But the good news is we know that The Church teaches the Truth.
2. We need to turn this around and ask the question "Is there any scriptural basis for holding scripture up as the pillar and foundation of truth against its own teaching? The basis for The Pope speaking for God is found in the consistent Old Testament topology that is repeated for 3500 years to current times. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai he carried 3 things - the law, the seat of Moses (the authority to speak for God) and His personal knowledge of God. This seat of Moses and the authority to sit there has been passed on from age to age in the Jewish teaching authority to only certain succession of hand selected men. Jesus took that seat away from the Jews when He conquered death and rose again (symbolized by the Temple sanctuary being ripped in two & later the complete destruction of the temple). He gave that authority to Peter - the new rock of His Church. From that day forward each successive head bishop of Rome has been given what is now called The Seat Peter so that official teaching can be given “ex Cathedra” - from the Chair. Jesus gave this specific authority to Peter when he said “Thou are Peter and on the Rock I build my Church”.
3. As for “other” Christians - they are for the most part without knowing it “Catholic” at the instant they are baptised according to the trinitarian formula. So salvation is possible but in no way guaranteed. They are just extremely poorly catechized Catholics and absent from our fellowship and helps. Thus those who co-mingle in ad hoc ecclesial communities with hired shepherds and who can keep themselves from grave post-baptismal sin may be saved as long as they do not commit grave sins and die unrepentant. It’s a simple concept - no grace no salvation. Natural man comes into this earth disgraced. All of God’s Children must be supernaturally transformed by spirit and water and remain in the safety of the arc of the Church until they are delivered to the Promised Land. It is however exceedingly difficult for any one outside of the full sacraments of The Catholic Church to stay in grace and still enter my the narrow gate of death through Christ to die in His good favor and be in proper friendship with God. God’s Mercy is unfathomable and we can only hope more of these are saved than lost – but only invincible ignorance will give anyone an excuse for not being a formal Catholic. But more so than that it is lack of grace that leads to eternal dearth. There is no possible way that any person who consciously rejects the Catholic Church can be saved unless he is invincibly ignorant. Christ can not possibly be divided against His Church. Yet there is a hope for Baptism by Desire for those in impossible world contexts who do not have access to Catholic teaching and the sacraments.

James

 

[Striving4Him]

Hello Dave… Welcome Home Something you might find interesting regarding the Catholic Christian church and the Papacy: Since the time of Peter – our first Pope – there has been an unbroken line of succession to our current Pope, Benedict XVI. This is the oldest diplomatic corps in the history of humanity! There is no logical explanation for it. We do not attribute this to the cleverness of mankind; rather, to the divine promise that the “gates of Hell” would not prevail against God’s Kingdom.
Our prayers are with you as you continue your period of discernment. May God Bless you with the guidance of his Holy Spirit.

 

[Joe_5859]

Hello,
I am a Protestant considering converting to Catholicism, and I had a few questions. I asked a few of these on the AAA forums but would also like to hear what the average Catholic thinks. First, is the Bible the ultimate authority on doctrine or is Papal decree or the Catechism (which has Scriptural basis) or some other source? Second, is there any Scriptural base for the idea of a man representing God on earth? Finally, do Catholics believe that other Christian denominations are recipients of Jesus’ grace and salvation, or do they have to convert to fully receive him? I greatly appreciate any answers or insight you can offer, and I thank you in advance.

Hello, Dave! God bless you on your journey.

For Catholics, the ultimate source of authority for our faith is Divine Revelation. Divine Revelation is composed of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. This Divine Revelation is then safeguarded and passed on by the Church’s Magisterium (i.e. the Pope and the Bishops in union with him). The Church’s document Dei Verbum spells all this out in greater detail.

I think that, too often, the popular perception is that Bible=Sacred Scripture and Catechism=Sacred Tradition. As though they were two entirely separate, yet equal, authorities. We need to move away from that inaccurate view. We write a lot about Sacred Tradition. We may even write about what Sacred Tradition contains. But Sacred Tradition is not written.

Everything the Church teaches is rooted in both Scripture and Tradition. Some of it is explicit, but some of it is implicit.

I’ll skip over your second question as I would need to do a bit of digging to jog my memory to answer it sufficiently.

For your third question, I would first point out that the Catholic Church recognizes as valid the Baptisms of most Christian denominations (provided they follow the formula from Matthew 28:19). As Baptism is the “gateway Scrament” and it imparts sanctifying grace upon the individual and wipes away Original Sin, this certainly shows that the Church recognizes that other Christians still do receive grace. I would also point you to the Church’s teaching “Outside the Church there is no salvation” (CCC 846-848). This does not mean that all non-Catholics are doomed. It simply means that “all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body”.