The Church

[Tomster]

Im saying that the argument i constantly seen thrown around here is “our church did it from the beginning!” or “the apostles were the catholic fathers”. Yet biblical speaking this is simply not the case, the catholic church came after many other churches that clearly are mentioned in the NT and are regarded in high favor with the Lord. Unless the CC position is that it sprang from one of these churches but I dont think thats it.

If the Church is the union of humanity with Christ in a social, hierarchically organized form, it has to be necessarily one, since Christ is one and the human race is one.

It has to be holy, because contact with Christ is sanctifying.

It must be catholic, i.e., universal, since the union of humanity in Christ embracs (in tendency) all the individuals of the human species.

It must be apostolic, because, since it is a union in hierarchical form, it is necessarily based on Peter and the Apostles and their successors, who constitute the hierarchy.

These are the four properties of the Spouse of Christ; its individual characteristics which become also marks of identification; when considered in historical reality they appear to the eyes of all as distinctive signs of the true institution of Jesus Christ.

Still with me?

 

[Tomster]

Im saying that the argument i constantly seen thrown around here is “our church did it from the beginning!” or “the apostles were the catholic fathers”. Yet biblical speaking this is simply not the case, the catholic church came after many other churches that clearly are mentioned in the NT and are regarded in high favor with the Lord. Unless the CC position is that it sprang from one of these churches but I dont think thats it.

Being human and divine, visible and invisible, the Church operates in a way corresponding to its nature: through a teaching body (magisterium) which transmits the divine thought in the clothing of human words; through a ministry which, by means of sensible rites, the sacraments, infuses supernatural life; through a government which makes known laws of thr spirit in a form perceptible to the experience of the senses.

Yeh, youbetrippinalright! :hypno:

 

[Tomster]

So what are you saying? Peter started one church and no other churches existed? You can have all the unbroken lineage you want, but this does not mean after Peter that this church was just as right as when it first started…

What you fail to grasp is the true nature of the Church. One can only wonder where you received the information you are promulgating.

In a general sense the Church is the assembly or community of believers in the true God. The first such community was formed when God segragated Israel from all other peoples and gave this people the true religion, based on belief in a Redeemer to come. He made with them the covenant of the Old Law sealed with the blood of calves. The agent of this covenant was Moses who "took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people and he said: ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you.’ " (Exodus 24:8) But the death of the Redeemer canceled this imperfect covenant, made with one people, and in its stead an everlasting covenant, whose High Priest is Jesus and whose seal is His blood, was made with all mankind. For, instituting the Holy Eucharist the night before He died, Jesus said: “This is my blood of the new covenant.” (Matthew 26:28) The rending of the veil in the temple of Jerusalem was a great sign that the wall of separation dividing Jew from Gentile was broken down.

And to St. Paul was given the honor of announcing a mystery hidden for ages - God’s marvelous plan of salvation whereby all men without distinction of race may be saved by being united to Christ. By His death Jesus won for Himself the new people of God which consists of all who believe in Him and are baptised. For the formation of God’s final religion, the Gentiles were called out of darkness into His marvelous light: “You who in times past were not a people . . . are now the people of God.” (1 Peter 2:10)