As a non-Catholic/Lutheran Christian (raised in the Church of Christ), I believe that the “True and/or Only Church” is comprised of ALL who believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, thus WE ARE ALL CHRISTIANS. The Church is the people. We are The Church. Isn’t that what Jesus taught us?
It is sad to me that people of faith are fighting over who is “really” following God’s commandments to us. The words of the Bible are the Truth, period. The words Jesus spoke to us are the Truth and the Light, period. There are certainly those who have perverted the words in the Bible to “mean” one thing or another, depending upon their own interpretation, thus creating their own version of “The Church.”
Thus, we now have so many different denominations which declare knowing the True faith and understanding of the Bible, people who are not born and baptised into a certain Christian denomination and are seeking the Truth, have a very difficult time choosing which one is “right” or “wrong.”
When asked what religion I follow, I simply state that I am a Christian ~ final answer! Isn’t it the duty of all of us to spread the Good News that Jesus in the one and only Messiah, and that He came here to offer everyone forgiveness for their sins as long as they believe in Him? When Jesus returns, isn’t He going to reign over all people for 1000 years?

Actualy that is NOT what Jesus taught…
Lets see:
Luke 10:16 Whoever hears you, hears me. And whoever despises you, despises me. And whoever despises me, despises him who sent me.”
John 5:24 Amen, amen, I say to you, that whoever hears my word, and believes in him who sent me, has eternal life, and he does not go into judgment, but instead he crosses from death into life.
Matthew 16:18 And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock
I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
16:19 And** I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven**. And
whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever you shall release on earth shall be released, even in heaven.”
John 21:15 Then, when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
21:16 He said to him again: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
21:17 He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was very grieved that he had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” And so he said to him: “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my sheep".
He did not say I will build 40000 sects.
If you actually believe in Jesus, tell me WHO has HIS KEYS NOW. Today. This moment.
Or do you ascribe to the theory that Jesus gave the Keys to Peter WHO died and that’s it
So we are left with no earthly representantive to keep us?
How do you reconcile that with John 21:15
Are you Peter? Are you in charge of His lambs?
Are you the one making sure they are NOT led astray?
Do you have the authority to say “Thus sayeth God”?
Where can we find this authority in the 40000 “Christian” denominations? (NOWHERE!)
John 14:17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world is not able to accept, because it neither perceives him nor knows him. But you shall know him.
For he will remain with you, and he will be in you.
14:18 **I will not leave you orphans. I will return to you.
**
Jesus founded His Church and I believe His words that no one will be able to tear it down.
NO one until the end of times.
So please desist in claiming that the Church of Jesus can somehow aposthatize, IF it could then it was NOT Jesus’s Church in the first place.
And since The Catholic Church is the only one that can trace back it’s origin to Jesus’s founding it on Peter 2000 or so years ago anything you say has no standing against the word of Jesus.
You are “partly right” in one aspect. Yes through Baptism you were grafted into the “Body of Christ”.
But I have news for you. His Body IS the Catholic Church.
Also while outside of the true Church you are diminished in the sense that you cannot make yourself avail of the Sacraments.
NO they where NOT invented by someone recently, they are the continued presence of our Lord Jesus to feed us with the manna from Heaven.
By confessing our sins and having them forgiven by Jesus
John 20:23 Those whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and those whose sins you shall retain,
they are retained”
Retaining sins? how can you retain something unless you are TOLD them?
You need to confess something so that it can either be forgiven or retained
Sorry for the long post.
Peace
