Did Jesus say He would send the church to teach us?

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(John 14:26)

“but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.”

Jesus did tell us that the Holy Spirit would teach us.

St. Paul told us (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) “Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit.”

(Hebrews 8:10-12) “No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ’Learn to know the Lord’. No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
 
If this is the Protestant objection to the Church teaching us, tell us then how it comes to pass that the Holy Spirit has taught so many disparate things to so many people?

Christ sent the Holy Sprit to teach us, but He also intended to found a Church, a single Church, not a multitude. He gave to the leaders of the Church in union with Peter the power to bind and loose and to forgive sins. If you don’t have a living teaching authority (what we call a Magisterium), then there is no one to draw a line in the sand and say,“This is authentically Christian teaching, this is not.”
 
Robert Heibel said:
(John 14:26)

“but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.”

Jesus did tell us that the Holy Spirit would teach us.

St. Paul told us (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) “Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit.”

(Hebrews 8:10-12) “No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ’Learn to know the Lord’. No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
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Yes, he did send the Church to teach:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt. 28:16-20)

The Catholic Church believes that bishops, part of whose mission is to teach the faith, descend spiritually from the Apostles through the laying on of hands, and that they receive through that action the special charism Christ conferred upon the Apostles when he breathed upon them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit . . .” (John 20:23). In Mt. 28, Jesus is speaking to the eleven when he says “I am with you always.” Since he has just stated that “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me,” then if he is always with the eleven, the authority of their teaching is assured.
 
If I may I’m going to keep my comments rather general. I think at the heart of the question is," Did Jesus found a heirarchical Church as we have it today?". My opinion is no and yes. No in the sense that we don’t have any specific passage from the Gospels where Jesus says “OK, Peter - you’re in charge, John write the gospel, Matthew you too wite a gospel etc.” However, rather than creating a formal Church, we do fing Jesus giving the powers and responsibilities of “Ministry” necessary for the Church (the Petrine Ministry, the commission to evangelize all nations, the authority to forgive sins, to Baptize and ultimately the power of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Also, we see that Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to enliven and guide the Church in its mission which is part of the reason we celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. Then through out Acts the Letters of the NT, the extra biblical works of the Church Fathers, the Apostles’ Creed and Didache etc, we can find a natural development of a structured Church. And to go back to the original question, as found in Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 28 , yes Jesus said he would send the Apostles (and through their authority/commission - the Church) to teach us.
 
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TOME:
If I may I’m going to keep my comments rather general. I think at the heart of the question is," Did Jesus found a heirarchical Church as we have it today?". My opinion is no and yes. No in the sense that we don’t have any specific passage from the Gospels where Jesus says “OK, Peter - you’re in charge, John write the gospel, Matthew you too wite a gospel etc.” However, rather than creating a formal Church, we do fing Jesus giving the powers and responsibilities of “Ministry” necessary for the Church (the Petrine Ministry, the commission to evangelize all nations, the authority to forgive sins, to Baptize and ultimately the power of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Also, we see that Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to enliven and guide the Church in its mission which is part of the reason we celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. Then through out Acts the Letters of the NT, the extra biblical works of the Church Fathers, the Apostles’ Creed and Didache etc, we can find a natural development of a structured Church. And to go back to the original question, as found in Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 28 , yes Jesus said he would send the Apostles (and through their authority/commission - the Church) to teach us.
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Jesus said: “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” So, you are certainly right there. But, did he mean for it to be structured and organized? Yes, he did. How do we know that? Because he gave Peter and the Apostles all authority to do that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There was no need for Jesus himself to assign definite tasks, except for Peter’s, which Jesus established more than once.

What is most significant is that Jesus never commanded anyone to write anything until he commanded John to write Revelation–and that was long after the Church had been firmly established. The books of the NT, and indeed the whole Bible, were gathered together and formed into the Canon mainly to be read in liturgical settings, such as Eucharistic celebrations, community prayer, etc. It is only natural that the Church organized and solidified these liturgical celebrations, making them uniform so that the whole of the faithful could be drawing from the Scriptures together, one in faith and morals.

Study of the Scriptures was never meant to be an individualistic effort. Yes, individuals studied it, but it was the Church that put its stamp of approval on their studies or not. Individual scholars didn’t make doctrine but only suggested reasons why this or that concept ought or ought not to be doctrine. It was and is the Church that has the final word, as Christ intended that it should.
 
Robert Heibel said:
(John 14:26) “but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.”

Jesus did tell us that the Holy Spirit would teach us.
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The last part of the Scripture passage gives us a clue as to whom this promise was addressed.

In context, this was the night of the Last Supper and Jesus was addressing only the eleven apostles; Judas Iscariot had left their company in the previous chapter. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be sent to teach those eleven apostles everything and remind those eleven apostles of all that he had said to them.

As another forum poster has mentioned, after Jesus’ resurrection, he commissioned the apostles to teach:

16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 26:16-20)

And the early Christians were taught by the apostles:
42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching … (Acts 2:42)

The apostles ordained other men as “pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11-14) or, as they are sometimes called bishops (overseers) or presbyters (elders) (1 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:5-9), and they in turn ordained others to succeed them as teachers, a process known as apostolic succession. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

It was through the apostles and those first bishops that the Holy Spirit taught the faith to the Church (Acts 15:28) with authority (Acts 16:4). Now that the apostles have left this life, it is through their successors, the bishops, that the Holy Spirit continues to preserve that original apostolic teaching, "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 1:3, 8-11)
 
This is an easy one…

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: **but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:18-19.

Referring to Peter and the Apostles, the text of Acts says, And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 5:42.

Paul, surely “the Church,” teaching, so that we should follow his example: For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, **as I teach every where in every church. 1 Corinthians 4:17.
Paul, surely “the Church,” teaching, so that we should follow his example: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, **that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. 1 Corinthians 14:19.

Paul, setting down the requirements of a bishop:A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 1 Timothy 3:2.

Paul commands Timothy – surely an agent of “the Church” – to “teach”: These things command and teach. 1 Timothy 4:11. These things **teach and exhort. 1 Timothy 6:2.

Finally, in Luke 5:1-3, we find a “typological word picture” of the teaching of Jesus coming out of Peter’s boat – the “Church” – to the people on the shore – the “saved.”
 
Also, “if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:14)

So, the Church is the “pillar and bulwark of truth.” That seems to indicate that God wanted it to teach and preserve the truth for us.
 
Hi Robert,

Is this a description of a church and are they teaching?

From Acts 15:

“1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.”

And now skipping a few verses…

" 22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell."

Wow! They said it seemed “good to the Holy Spirit” to do this. Would you now agree that our Lord Jesus did send the Holy Spirit to teach through the Church?

Grace and peace to you,
Gene
 
Gene C.:
Hi Robert,

Is this a description of a church and are they teaching?

From Acts 15:

“1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.”

And now skipping a few verses…

" 22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell."

Wow! They said it seemed “good to the Holy Spirit” to do this. Would you now agree that our Lord Jesus did send the Holy Spirit to teach through the Church?

Grace and peace to you,
Gene
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Does today’s Catholic Church equal the Church that the Scriptures are talking about? I don’t Believe today’s Catholic Bishops can prove they are direct descendents of the first Apostles. Also everyone has just ignored (Hebrews 8:10-12)
“No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ’Learn to know the Lord’. No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
 
Robert Heibel:
Does today’s Catholic Church equal the Church that the Scriptures are talking about? I don’t Believe today’s Catholic Bishops can prove they are direct descendents of the first Apostles.
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The textual evidence all demonstrates the continuity of the Church via the Apostles through the early Church, which clearly understood itself to be descended from the Apostles. For anyone to object to historic Apostolic continuity, they must create a novel “history” based on some argument such as, “The Catholic Church made it all up and doctored the writings of the early Church to suit its own agenda.” The “Trail of Blood” people have done just that. But the source documents supporting the Catholic position are many and consonant.
Also everyone has just ignored (Hebrews 8:10-12)
“No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ’Learn to know the Lord’. No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
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I’m not sure what your point is. Without the grace of God, even WITH Church teaching, nobody would understand a thing about Christ and the Covenants.

Surely you do not claim that anybody can just pick up The Book and understand the whole story. Surely, you do not claim that somebody can pick up The Book and KNOW, without being taught, that it is the inerrant Word of God.

Without already knowing the answer, could you construct the doctrine of the Trinity and the hypostatic union by basing your effort on Scripture alone? You could not – for one reason, because neither the word “Trinity” nor the phrase “hypostatic union” occur in Scripture. Nor does the word “Incarnation.” Where do we get all this? From the teaching of the Church.

Teaching is important to passing on the faith. Protestants don’t have a problem with that. The only gripe is with the idea that Jesus established **His **Church and gave it teaching authority (by the scripture passages cited earlier).

Ask yourself a question: Why do you believe that Scripture is the Word of God? Catholics know WHY they believe that.

I’m a convert: kicked and screamed every inch of the way into the Church. But even before I became Catholic I understood that the Catholic Church is THE Church; it just took me a long time to grasp the fact that the things I objected to were MY problem, not something wrong with the Church. It took 40 years.
 
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mercygate:
The textual evidence all demonstrates the continuity of the Church via the Apostles through the early Church, which clearly understood itself to be descended from the Apostles. For anyone to object to historic Apostolic continuity, they must create a novel “history” based on some argument such as, “The Catholic Church made it all up and doctored the writings of the early Church to suit its own agenda.” The “Trail of Blood” people have done just that. But the source documents supporting the Catholic position are many and consonant.I’m not sure what your point is. Without the grace of God, even WITH Church teaching, nobody would understand a thing about Christ and the Covenants.

Surely you do not claim that anybody can just pick up The Book and understand the whole story. Surely, you do not claim that somebody can pick up The Book and KNOW, without being taught, that it is the inerrant Word of God.

Without already knowing the answer, could you construct the doctrine of the Trinity and the hypostatic union by basing your effort on Scripture alone? You could not – for one reason, because neither the word “Trinity” nor the phrase “hypostatic union” occur in Scripture. Nor does the word “Incarnation.” Where do we get all this? From the teaching of the Church.

Teaching is important to passing on the faith. Protestants don’t have a problem with that. The only gripe is with the idea that Jesus established **His **Church and gave it teaching authority (by the scripture passages cited earlier).

Ask yourself a question: Why do you believe that Scripture is the Word of God? Catholics know WHY they believe that.

I’m a convert: kicked and screamed every inch of the way into the Church. But even before I became Catholic I understood that the Catholic Church is THE Church; it just took me a long time to grasp the fact that the things I objected to were MY problem, not something wrong with the Church. It took 40 years.
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GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Acts 2:38-39) “Peter answered ‘and everyone of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for al those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.”

(1 Corinthians 2:10-16) “These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depts. Of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything and his own value in not to be judged by other men. As scripture says;’ Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him?’ But we are those who have the mind of Christ.”
 
Robert,

Do you belong to a fellowship of Christians that meet on a regular basis and are taught by a pastor?

Thanks,
Gene
 
Robert,

Sorry for the double posts!

In order to track the connection between the Church of Acts and the Catholic Church, you have to go outside the Scriptures. You have to read the writings of the Christians who came right after the Apostolic era, a few of whom are mentioned in the New Testament.

A good book for this is called Upon This Rock, by Steve Ray. It is a THOROUGH study of the Old Testament and New Testament and the writings of the early Christian leaders. This is the book that clinched it for me. Steve’s scholarship is solid.

I’d also like to ask you another question. Jesus told us in the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to baptize in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet in Acts 2 on Pentecost, and throughout Acts, we are told that people were baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. Which is it? Can we baptize in both formulas, or does Acts supercede Matthew as some Pentecostals teach, or is it the Trinitarian formula? Can you quote a passage from the New Testament that will tell me what to do?

Grace and peace to you,
Gene
 
Robert Heibel:
GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Acts 2:38-39) “Peter answered ‘and everyone of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for al those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.”

(1 Corinthians 2:10-16) “These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depts. Of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything and his own value in not to be judged by other men. As scripture says;’ Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him?’ But we are those who have the mind of Christ.”
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I see where you are going with this, even though you sidestep the issue. But it is Paul, an Apostle, who is teaching with the authority of Christ. In this passage, from verse 6 on, Paul is using the royal “we”, referring to the special “secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages” and which he imparts to the Church.

When conflicts arise among the brethren, does Jesus say, “take it to the Lord in prayer and the Spirit will guide you?” No. He says “tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Mt. 18:17) So clearly, the Church has authority, given by Christ and is expected to carry out his teaching and work.

You make it sound as if you believe that if the Church claims teaching authority that her authority does not come from the Holy Spirit. And you make it sound as if you believe that if the Church claims teaching authority, that no individual member of the Church receives the grace of the Holy Spirit to understand the faith. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But if I come up with an idea which contradicts Scripture or the Church, then the Church’s authority certainly trumps my individual, idiopathic, personal “inspiration.” And aren’t we glad about that! Keep in mind that all the heresies ever invented have been grounded in scripture. One of those heresies is that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Scriptures with equal clarity to every person who picks up a Bible and has a go at trying to understand it.
 
Robert Heibel:
GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Acts 2:38-39) “Peter answered ‘and everyone of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for al those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.”

(1 Corinthians 2:10-16) “These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depts. Of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything and his own value in not to be judged by other men. As scripture says;’ Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him?’ But we are those who have the mind of Christ.”
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I believe the Christian Bible is the Word of God because Jesus told me it was His Word. Jesus also told me He is God, that Christians are dead to sin, we were not to hurt anyone for any reason, the Eucharist is His Body and Blood, that it is dangerous for both parties, to call another man father or to be called father, and I could go on but I don’t want to right a book. You see Jesus has been teaching me for thirty years. Think about It how can a Church who teaches so much that goes against the Word of God be the Church of God?
 
Robert Heibel:
I don’t Believe today’s Catholic Bishops can prove they are direct descendents of the first Apostles.
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An early list of the Catholic bishops of Rome to about the year A.D. 189, from Peter to Eleutherus, can be found in book 3, chapter 3, paragraph 3.Against Heresies,

The succession of the Catholic bishops of the four principal Churches (Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch) to about A.D. 324 is described detail in The History of the Church.

A complete list of the Catholic bishops of Rome from Peter to John Paul II from the Catholic Almanac.
Also everyone has just ignored (Hebrews 8:10-12)
“No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ’Learn to know the Lord’. No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
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If you look at this Scripture passage in context, St. Paul only cites it to indicate that the Old Covenant would be replaced by a New Covenant as he indicates in the next verse:

13In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:13)

St. Paul did not intend to use this citation from Jeremiah to indicate that in the New Covenant there would never be Christian teachers since he and other New Testament writers often speak of Christian teachers (bishops) (see citations in other posts) and St. Paul even calls himself a teacher in 1 Timothy 2:7 and 2 Timothy 1:11.

How then are we to understand the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning no teachers? This is just my personal opinion but I think the complete fulfilment of this prophecy will not occur until Christ’s Second Coming. In the meantime, Scripture says,
11And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. (Ephesians 4:11-14)

28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28)

Through baptism we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who certainly can guide us to truth but He is not the only spirit trying to influence us in this world; there are evil spirits too. So you can’t assume every idea you get comes from the Holy Spirit. Spirits must be discerned. Since “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33), if you get an idea and it goes contrary to the teachers (bishops) of the Catholic Church, to those men whom “the Holy Spirit has made … overseers (bishops), to care for the Church of God” (Acts 20:28), to those men Scripture says we must “obey…and submit to” (Hebrews 13:17), then you can bet your idea is not from the Holy Spirit.
 
Robert,

I don’t know if you had a chance to read my two subsequent posts to you, or even if you did and choose not to respond. That’s OK. It doesn’t offend me.

But I have a serious question for you. You say you believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. That is great! But where do you go to receive the Eucharist?

If you have read the New Testament thoroughly, and studied it, you will know that, while it tells us the Eucharist is His Body and Blood, it doesn’t tell us much more.

Does the bread and wine become His Body and Blood in ANY Christian service? Does it matter if you go to a Baptist, Pentecostal or Methodist communion service? Or must you go to a service that believes that it is His Body and Blood, such as a Lutheran or Episcopal liturgy? Or is the only valid Eucharistic service in the Catholic and Orthodox liturgies?

How do you answer this question for yourself? I will tell you one thing. You will not get the answer to this question from Scripture alone.

Grace and peace to you,
Gene
 
Robert Heibel:
I believe the Christian Bible is the Word of God because Jesus told me it was His Word. Jesus also told me He is God, that Christians are dead to sin, we were not to hurt anyone for any reason, the Eucharist is His Body and Blood, that it is dangerous for both parties, to call another man father or to be called father, and I could go on but I don’t want to right a book. You see Jesus has been teaching me for thirty years. Think about It how can a Church who teaches so much that goes against the Word of God be the Church of God?
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This is a real question, not a taunt: How did Jesus tell you that the Bible is the Word of God? Was it via personal locution? Or through your teachers? Or can you p(name removed by moderator)oint a passage in Scripture where Jesus tells you this?

Think about it. It is likely that you have never learned about Catholicism from anything other than a non-Catholic source. It would be grave error to assume that what may appear superficially, to an outsider to go “against the Word of God” actually does go against the Word of God. Been there.
 
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mercygate:
This is a real question, not a taunt: How did Jesus tell you that the Bible is the Word of God? Was it via personal locution? Or through your teachers? Or can you p(name removed by moderator)oint a passage in Scripture where Jesus tells you this?

Think about it. It is likely that you have never learned about Catholicism from anything other than a non-Catholic source. It would be grave error to assume that what may appear superficially, to an outsider to go “against the Word of God” actually does go against the Word of God. Been there.
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I was praying, talking with Jesus, when He told me to get more into the Word. I said to Him I am into you. He told me also the written Word.

So you see He is the Word and also what He said is the Word. So the Bible is the written Word of God.

Yes Jesus has called me by name. I’ve heard His voice and He has sat next to me and taught me Scripture.
 
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