Do you really believe that Protestants worship a false Christ? This is a new one to me.
I worshipped Christ as a Protestant and now as a Catholic. Same Christ. Better understanding now.
Indeed they do a “Christ” of their own making which they have set up in place of the true Christ.
Jesus Christ says: “Hear the Church.” “No,” say all Protestants, “do not hear the Church; protest against her with all your might.”
Jesus Christ says: “If anyone will not hear the Church, look upon him as a heathen and a publican.” “No,” says Protestantism, “if anyone does not hear the Church, look upon him as an apostle, an ambassador of God.”
Jesus Christ says: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against My Church.” “No,” says Protestantism. “ the gates of hell have prevailed against the Church for a thousand years and more.”
Jesus Christ has declared Saint Peter and every successor to Saint Peter — the Pope — to be His Vicar on earth. “No,” says Protestantism, “the Pope is anti- Christ”.
Jesus Christ says: “My yoke is sweet, and My burden light.” (Matt. 11:30) “No,” said Luther and Calvin, “it is impossible to keep the Commandments.”
Jesus Christ says: “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matt. 19:17)
“No,” said Luther and Calvin, “faith alone, without good works, is sufficient to enter into life everlasting.”
Jesus Christ says: “Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” (cf. Luke 13:3) “No,” said Luther and Calvin, “fasting and other works of penance are not necessary in satisfaction for sin.”
Jesus Christ says: “This is My Body.” “No,” said Calvin, “this is only the figure of Christ’s Body; it will become His Body as soon as you receive It.”
Jesus Christ says: “I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery.” (Matt. 19:9) “No,” say all Protestants, to a married man, you may put away your wife, get a divorce, and marry another.
Jesus Christ says to every man: “Thou shalt not steal.” “No,” said Luther to secular princes, “I give you the right to appropriate to yourselves the property of the Roman Catholic Church.
The real Jesus was born of a woman who was:
Code:
A) Immaculately conceived
B) Sinless throughout her life
C) A perpetual virgin
D) Assumed body and soul into Heaven
The Protestant Jesus was not.
The real Jesus established a visible Church with a visible authority and the hierarchical structure of a kingdom and a body (see Acts 6: 6; 14:23; 1 Cor.12:28; 1 Tim.4:14;Titus 1:5); whose bishops continue to exercise the same teaching and governing authority of the Apostles (see Acts 20:28; 1 Tim.5:21-22; 2 Tim.2:2; 4:2-5; Titus 2:15).
The Jesus in whom Protestants believe in and worship did NOT establish such a church.
The real Jesus established the Papacy by building His Church upon St. Peter, thereby giving the world a visible teaching and governing authority representing Christ’s own teaching and governing authority (Mat.16: 18-19; Lk.22:31-32; Jn.21:15-17).
The Jesus in whom Protestants believe in did NOT establish such an authority.
The real Jesus established a visible, sacerdotal priesthood to consecrate bread and wine into His Sacred Body and Blood, to perpetuate His one sacrifice of the cross, and to apply its fruits and graces down through time to believers, which includes the forgiving of sins (Lk.22:19; Jn.20:21-23; 2 Cor.5:18).
The Jesus in whom Protestants believe in did not establish such an office or function.
The real Jesus makes Himself truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, under the outward appearance of bread and wine, in the Holy Eucharist (Lk.22:19-20; Jn.6:52, 54-57; 1 Cor.10:16; 11:27). The Jesus in whom Protestants believe in does NOT do such a thing. Yet, since the Holy Eucharist IS literally the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ present on earth, to deny that it is, is to deny Jesus himself. There can be no unity, nor cooperation, with those who deny the Eucharistic Lord since at Vatican II, in the Church’s very Decree on Ecumenism (ch.1), it was declared that Christ:
“instituted the wonderful sacrament of the Eucharist by which the unity of the Church is both signified and brought about.”
As you can see, it is not a matter of Protestant or other unbelievers not merely believing as much as Catholics believe, or of each side just holding different interpretations which need to be worked through in greater detail, rather, it is a matter of Protestants believing the very opposite what the Catholic Church teaches and other religions not believing at all. You can never reconcile “A” and “NOT-A.” Truth, and thus Divine Faith, can never contradict itself. As God has revealed, the preaching of the Apostles is that God is faithful: their preaching was not “It is, and It is not” (see 2 Cor.1:18-19).
The true Christ has by His Passion and Death, by the shedding of His Precious Blood on the Cross, actually made righteous and truly justified those to whom the grace and merit of His Passion is communicated (Rom.5:19; 1 Cor.6:11; 2 Cor.5:17; Eph.4:23-24; 2 Pet.1:4). The Blood of the Catholic Jesus actually cleanses the souls of those who have been (validly) baptised from both Original Sin and any actual sins committed before hand. These souls are objectively made righteous and beautiful before God.
The Passion and death of Jesus for Protestants has no ontological (i.e. actual) effect on the soul. In other words, the application of the fruit of the death of “their” Jesus brings about no objective change upon the soul of believers, it only changes their “position” or “status” before God. They call this “imputed righteousness” or “declared justification,” where the believer is covered by Christ’s blood and righteousness. For Protestants, God declares the believer justified, but the believer in reality, in his soul, is not so.
The Church calls those who have been baptized and raised in a separated fellowship Christians. Some Catholics do not. I understand this schism of understanding exists.
The Church calls them separated brethren, this does not negate them been also called false brethren, they are brethren by their baptism but they are not of us. There is no schism of understanding there are just different ways of saying the same thing.
