Very confused on "No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church."

[inkaneer]

Salvation exists for everyone. That is, it is a possibility. However, that does not mean that everyone will be saved. Sin still needs to be dealt with. Catholics and Orthodox have a church that has the power to forgive sin. Protestants and others do not. How they obtain forgiveness or maybe more to the point, IF they obtain forgiveness, will determine whether they are saved.

 

[EDWARDJL]

Re: Very confused on “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church.”

---

Salvation exists for everyone. That is, it is a possibility. However, that does not mean that everyone will be saved. Sin still needs to be dealt with. Catholics and Orthodox have a church that has the power to forgive sin. Protestants and others do not. How they obtain forgiveness or maybe more to the point, IF they obtain forgiveness, will determine whether they are saved.

God and God alone forgive sins. The Catholic church does not have some monopoly to forgive sins. The same God that forgives Catholics of sins forgives Protestants of sins. Jesus is the key, not the church affiliation.

 

[inkaneer]

Salvation exists for everyone. That is, it is a possibility. However, that does not mean that everyone will be saved. Sin still needs to be dealt with. Catholics and Orthodox have a church that has the power to forgive sin. Protestants and others do not. How they obtain forgiveness or maybe more to the point, IF they obtain forgiveness, will determine whether they are saved.

QUOTE=EDWARDJL;6488165]Re: Very confused on “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church.”

God and God alone forgive sins. The Catholic church does not have some monopoly to forgive sins. The same God that forgives Catholics of sins forgives Protestants of sins. Jesus is the key, not the church affiliation.

Did I say the Catholic Church had a monopoly on sin forgiveness? I don’t think I did so please do not try to put words in my mouth. None the less, the Catholic Church was given the power By Jesus Christ to forgive sins. No Protestant denomination makes the claim nor do they possess the authority. So salvation depends on the remittance of sin. Jesus made it all possible on the cross. Then He empowered His Church to forgive sin in His name. How protestants receive forgiveness is problematical as there is nothing in scripture to indicate any other process other than the Church. Still the Church holds out the possibility that protestants can have their sin remitted.

 

[QuickCat]

I was a Baptist, but have been attending a Catholic Church for the past 3 years. I really felt like the Catholic Church might be the true Church, but I am hopelessly hung up on the “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church” dogma, and haven’t been able to figure it out.

As I understand it, “No Salvation Outside CC” is a dogma. That means that once it is set in place, it can’t be changed, right? As I read old “classic” Catholic literature (Alphonsus Ligouri, Theresa of Avila, Augustine, etc), I see a literal “no nonsense” understanding of “No Salvation Outside CC”. I have many pages of quotes and Church writings that say so. This teaching began (as far as I can tell) even before the year 100, and had been taught consistently up until about the last 50 years or so.

Okay, here’s the confusing part. In the modern Catholic Church, this isn’t taught anymore. In fact, the opposite it now taught. I talked to “my priest” and asked him about it, and he said that the CC realized that had been too harsh, and had changed it’s mind - they are more “merciful” since Vatican II. I didn’t think that dogma could be changed like that, can it?

I’m very confused about the whole dogma thing. Can dogma change? Can ex-cathedra dogma be wrong? Is my priest wrong? Is this just something that I’m not supposed to understand?

Also, am I the only Catholic that is hopelessly confused about this topic? I’ve looked for information about this, and all I can find is sedevacantist stuff, which has it’s own set of big problems. It seems everyone else I talk to (several other priests included) is satisfied with the explanation that 1900 years of beliefs have changed in the last 50 years. Am I the only one who is frustrated with this?

I can post some of the saints’ and Popes’ quotes if requested, but I didn’t want to make this post go unnecessarily long.

Can anyone help me, please?

"
The Church" doesn’t save you. The LORD Jesus Christ does! The primary roll of “The Church” is to present the gospel of the Grace of God to a lost and dying humanity. How that [The LORD Jesus] Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried and rose again the THIRD day according to the Scriptures. Not according to man’s tradition, but according to Scripture. When you were a Baptist you preached a different gospel from that of the Catholic Church. Were you wrong then?
Grace and Peace,

QC

 

[EDWARDJL]

Did I say the Catholic Church had a monopoly on sin forgiveness? I don’t think I did so please do not try to put words in my mouth. None the less, the Catholic Church was given the power By Jesus Christ to forgive sins. No Protestant denomination makes the claim nor do they possess the authority. So salvation depends on the remittance of sin. Jesus made it all possible on the cross. Then He empowered His Church to forgive sin in His name. How protestants receive forgiveness is problematical as there is nothing in scripture to indicate any other process other than the Church. Still the Church holds out the possibility that protestants can have their sin remitted

If it is God who forgives sins, why does a protestant have a much less chance of salvation then a Catholic. That is so arrogant. A Protestant has the same access to Christ as a Catholic. Why is asking God to forgive your sins directly problematic? That is the way it was done in the Bible.

 

[Roy5]

Let’s face reality. God is the God of all people, whatever their faith. He practices non-discrimination, as we are called to do. Could we expect any less of him than of one another? This notion of ‘no salvation’ outside of this or that church or creed or dogma is - in my view - in conflict with basic Christian principles. If we are called upon to love one another, yes, even our enemies, would God be any less benevolent?

 #191 was especially interesting. It suggests to me that different popes may have contradicted one another. If so, the whole doctrine of papal infallibility in faith and morals is in jeopardy. I don't worry personally, as my faith is based primarily on the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes and not on the doings of church councils or on ancient man-made creeds, some of them adopted so that heretics could be harrassed and often exterminated. 

 Now, **Chosen People**, this is not the place to debate justice in the Middle East. I was a staunch supporter of Israel as a youth - until 1956 when it invaded Egypt. It was then that I began to read both sides, and found myself sympathetic to both sides. The document you attached carries the same old line about Palestine not existing, Palestinians being a mythical people, etc. That has been the nonsense spread by the Israel lobby for many decades now. It is based on some fact but mostly fabrication and exaggeration. In 1967, for example, Israel started a preemptive war. Maybe it can be justified (I don't think so), but the notion that Israel keeps being attacked is simply false. Israel's subsequent invasions of Lebanon twice and Gaza recently were wildly disproportionate in the killing and destruction they caused. This and other atrocties have made Israel what likely is the most despised nation in the world. Unfortunately, our unquestioning support for Israel - even when it thumbs its nose at us - continues to be against our national interest, but politicians are bought and sold, or intimidated, the media also, and Christian Zionists use the Bible to excuse whatever Israel does. If they are serious, they would urge Israel to reinvade Egypt as far as the Nile and invade Jordan and Iraq as far as the Euphrates. See Gen. 15:18 - for example. This is an example of what nonsense using the Bible can justify?

  Christians, Jews, Muslims and others are called to work for a just and lasting peace. There is plenty in our scriptures that is used to justify evil. Even the devil can quote scripture, and often does.

  God bless all the world - no exceptions. And a Happy Easter season to everyone.

 

[inkaneer]

---

Salvation exists for everyone. That is, it is a possibility. However, that does not mean that everyone will be saved. Sin still needs to be dealt with. Catholics and Orthodox have a church that has the power to forgive sin. Protestants and others do not. How they obtain forgiveness or maybe more to the point, IF they obtain forgiveness, will determine whether they are saved.

Re: Very confused on “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church.” God and God alone forgive sins. The Catholic church does not have some monopoly to forgive sins. The same God that forgives Catholics of sins forgives Protestants of sins. Jesus is the key, not the church affiliation.

First, you are ignoring the fact that “The same God who forgives Catholics of sins forgives protestants of sins.” established a church with the power to forgive sins [See John 20:23] Now if God went to the trouble of doing that, which scripture says He did. Then I think it is safe to presume that is the way He wanted men to obtain pardon. The scripture is silent on any other method.

Second, you list your religion as Catholic but you seem to have bought the protestant man made tradition that there is no difference in whether one is protestant or Catholic. Why so?

 

[Bengoshi]

Compare this with the universal salvation of Judaism. The Pharisees said in the Talmud "The righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come (Tosefta Sanhedrin 13) "Any individual, whether Gentile or Jew, man or woman, servant or maid, can bring the Divine Presence upon himself in accordance with his deeds (Tana Debei Eliahu Rabbah 9).

Question: “Are Jews saved because they are God’s chosen people? Do Jews have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved?”

Answer: Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). The “no one” He referred to includes Jews and Gentiles. Jews are not saved because they are God’s chosen people, but because they believe in Jesus Christ as their true Messiah. There are many Messianic Jews who have accepted Yeshua (the Hebrew word for Jesus) as their Messiah.

However, there is no doubt that the Jews are still God’s chosen people. “For you are a holy people unto the LORD your God: the LORD your God hath chosen you to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers…” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

From all the nations and people on the earth, why exactly did God “choose” the Jews? John Gill, in his “Exposition of the Entire Bible” says the Jews were “chosen for special service and worship, and to enjoy special privileges and benefits, civil and religious; though they were not chosen to special grace…or eternal glory.” The Jews were chosen to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12). The Jews were chosen to be a light to the Gentiles. So then, are all Jews “saved” just because they are Jews?

According to many modern rabbinical scholars the Christian concept of salvation from sin has no equal in Judaism. Judaism does not believe that man, by his nature, is evil or sinful and therefore has no need to be “saved” from an eternal damnation. In fact, most Jews today do not believe in a place of eternal punishment or a literal hell. The Hebrew root word for “sin” is chayt, which literally means to “miss the mark.” It is a term commonly used in archery, of one who “misses the mark” of the bulls eye. When a Jew misses the mark, and occasionally falls into the sin of failing to fulfill the laws of God, the belief is that one can obtain forgiveness through prayer, repentance and doing good deeds.

The Book of Leviticus (17:11), the third Book of the Torah, clearly gives the prescription for forgiveness. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” The Temple sacrifice was always the centerpiece for Jewish atonement. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the Levitical High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat. Through this yearly act, atonement was made for the sins of all Israel, but the Holy Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and for almost 2000 years Jews have been without a Temple, a sacrifice, and a means of atonement.

The Brit Chadasha (The New Covenant or New Testament) teaches us that the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, came to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24) precisely at the time preceding the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. “But when Messiah arrived as a High Priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more complete Tabernacle, not made with hands—that is, not of this creation—and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered into the Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been made common, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Messiah, Who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God?” (Hebrews 9:11-14).

The New Testament teaches that all of us, Jews and gentiles, have “missed the mark.” (Romans 3:23) All of us are under the consequences of sin, and “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) We are all in need of salvation from our sin; we are all in need of a Savior. The New Testament teaches that Jesus the Messiah is “the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father”, but through Him. (John 14:6) And most importantly, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which it is necessary for us to be saved." (Acts 4:12).

For the Jews, Jesus the Messiah has come as High Priest, and through His once-for-all sacrifice for sin offers complete atonement to all people. For there is “no distinction” between Jew and gentile. (Romans 10:12) Yes, the Jews are God’s chosen people, and through them come the Jewish Messiah to bless all the nations of the earth. And it is only through Jesus that Jews can find God’s complete atonement and forgiveness.

While individual Jews must come to Christ for salvation, God is still not finished with Israel as a nation. The Bible tells us that in the end times, Israel will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). Jeremiah 33:8, Ezekiel 11:17, Romans 11:26 predicted that in the end times Israel would be regenerated, restored, and regathered in their homeland. This regathering already took place in 1948 when Israel was recognized as a sovereign country by the United Nations. (Please see our article on Israel’s role in the end times). Clearly, God is not finished with the Jewish people.

 

[Abu]

QuickCat
“The Church” doesn’t save you. The LORD Jesus Christ does

Read Post #188: No one is “saved” until they have responded to the redemption of Jesus by cooperating with Him to supply what was lacking in His afflictions – when we walk in good works (Eph 2:10). As James teaches: “Faith without works is dead.” (See Jam 2:14-26).

Would you deny St Paul too?
Christ’s Church is “the pillar and bulwark of the truth (1 Tim 3:16).” St. Paul says also, “through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Eph 3:10).” The Church teaches even the angels! This is with the authority of Christ! We are redeemed by Christ’s Passion and Death (heaven was opened); we are not saved until we co-operate with Him through His church whether we know it or not. Without the Church there is no salvation.

 

[Bengoshi]

BTW, No Pope “issues or declares” anything “ex cathedra” by itself.
For infallibility to be exercised the Pope must teach
(a) ex cathedra (from the Chair of Peter), that is as Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians,
(b) speaking with Peter’s apostolic authority to the whole Church,
(c) defining a doctrine of faith and morals.

No one is “saved” until they have responded to the redemption of Jesus by cooperating with Him to supply what was lacking in His afflictions – when we walk in good works (Eph 2:10). As James teaches: “Faith without works is dead.” (See Jam 2:14-26).

So is it possible for one pope alone to do all these things you have enumerated above? Does he have the power to decide and declare that he is speaking from the chair of Peter, by his apostolic authority, and defining a doctrine of faith and morals? Or does the pope need the permission of any person to do the same? The pope can do these things by himself, then he does have the power and authority alone to speak ex cathedra! Is that correct?

As for faith and works, we agree with James (of course we do). Works, or should we say, good works are indeed necessary for our salvation because it is the PROOF of our faith. However, it does not mean that salvation can be earned or merited through works. This is what “salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone of the Bible alone for the glory of God alone” means for Protestants/Evangelicals.

 

[Bengoshi]

From the late Avery Cardinal Dulles on “Who Can Be Saved” in the journal “First Things”, a man who was regarded by many as one of the prime intellects in the Curia. He writes:

"The Second Vatican Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church and its Decree on Ecumenism, made some significant departures from the teaching of Pius XII. It avoided the term member and said nothing of an unconscious desire for incorporation in the Church. It taught that the Catholic Church was the all-embracing organ of salvation and was equipped with the fullness of means of salvation. Other Christian churches and communities possessed certain elements of sanctification and truth that were, however, derived from the one Church of Christ that subsists in the Catholic Church today. For this reason, God could use them as instruments of salvation. God had, however, made the Catholic Church necessary for salvation, and all who were aware of this had a serious obligation to enter the Church in order to be saved. God uses the Catholic Church not only for the redemption of her own members but also as an instrument for the redemption of all. Her witness and prayers, together with the eucharistic sacrifice, have an efficacy that goes out to the whole world.

In several important texts, Vatican II took up the question of the salvation of non-Christians. Although they were related to the Church in various ways, they were not incorporated in her. God’s universal salvific will, it taught, means that he gives non-Christians, including even atheists, sufficient help to be saved. Whoever sincerely seeks God and, with his grace, follows the dictates of conscience is on the path to salvation. The Holy Spirit, in a manner known only to God, makes it possible for each and every person to be associated with the Paschal mystery. “God, in ways known to himself, can lead those inculpably ignorant of the gospel to that faith without which it is impossible to please him.” The council did not indicate whether it is necessary for salvation to come to explicit Christian faith before death, but the texts give the impression that implicit faith may suffice.

Who, then, can be saved? Catholics can be saved if they believe the Word of God as taught by the Church and if they obey the commandments. Other Christians can be saved if they submit their lives to Christ and join the community where they think he wills to be found. Jews can be saved if they look forward in hope to the Messiah and try to ascertain whether God’s promise has been fulfilled. Adherents of other religions can be saved if, with the help of grace, they sincerely seek God and strive to do his will. Even atheists can be saved if they worship God under some other name and place their lives at the service of truth and justice. God’s saving grace, channeled through Christ the one Mediator, leaves no one unassisted. But that same grace brings obligations to all who receive it. They must not receive the grace of God in vain. Much will be demanded of those to whom much is given.

I am just posting here excerpts from the Cardinal’s article and not commenting personally but suggest that others interested read the entire article because it is a complex subject and quoting only certain paragraphs may leave the context out. Read here:

firstthings.com/article/2008/02/001-who-can-be-saved-8

What?! Even atheists can be saved?! If they remain atheists then they cannot and do not worship ANY god at all. To worship any being as a god does not make a person an atheist but at the least an agnostic. The teachings you quoted are contradictory to what the bible teaches. We should not cling to the traditions or doctrines of man but only on the Word of God as the final authority in everything.

 

[Bengoshi]

Here’s an article from the Washington Times about this Easter in Jewish Jerusalem

washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/02/the-protection-of-easter-in-jewish-jerusalem/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_world-news

I have never suggested that Judaism is more humane than Christianity nor have I ever had the temerity to question God’s actions.

If Christianity has started teaching that “salvation” (getting to heaven) is not solely through faith in Jesus as the Messiah ben David then apparently I am under an extreme misconception about Christian beliefs. If you could quote for me the various places in the Torah and Prophets in the Tanach where it says or implies the concept of faith in Messiah ben David for personal salvation or any redemptive value, such as the parts where it says the Messiah ben David is coming to “die for our sins”, or to “save” us or to do any of the things which Christians attribute to Jesus, it would be very helpful to our discussion.

My reply to your comments on the “mistreatment and lack of justice” by Israel to others is in the attached PDF file

Good articles. I personally support an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Indeed, there is no such thing as a “Palestinian State”. There are two good books on the state of the Middle East and specifically, Israel by Joel Rosenberg entitled EPICENTER and INSIDE THE REVOLUTION. An older but good book is THE BLOOD OF THE MOON by George Grant. Maybe you can shre your thoughts with us once you’ve acquired and read those books. I think you’ll like them!

 

[Abu]

Bengoshi
For infallibility to be exercised the Pope must teach
(a) ex cathedra (from the Chair of Peter), that is as Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians,
(b) speaking with Peter’s apostolic authority to the whole Church,
(c) defining a doctrine of faith and morals.

Yes, when the Pope acts as above, and not otherwise, he is defining an infallible doctrine.
The dogma on the exercise of papal infallibility from Ecumenical Council Vatican I in Pastor Aeternus, Chap 4, #9, declares infallibly:
“Therefore, such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the Church, irreformable.” This because Jesus gave Peter and his successors,. primacy of jurisdiction and infallibility.

good works are indeed necessary for our salvation because it is the PROOF of our faith. However, it does not mean that salvation can be earned or merited through works.

Sola fide, or “faith alone” is erroneous, just as sola scriptura (scripture alone) is erroneous.

St Paul is very clear: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). What is lacking in Christ’s suffering is precisely what only we can do – take up our cross and suffer, repent and ask forgiveness, following the dictates of our conscience. We see here that Christ’s Catholic Church (the Bride of Christ) is His Mystical Body through whom all salvation comes; She has the seven sacraments, including the Holy Eucharist, and Sacred Tradition.

 

[ASojourner]

In the Bible, in Acts 4:5-12, I quote:
5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

It is Jesus in whom salvation is found. Not in any church, Catholic, Protestant, or others. Churches are all man-made, but the Scripture is God breathed. I’ll put my faith in Scripture before I will put it in any doctrine.

I think that the Catholic church has changed their minds on things over the years on several issues. I was born, raised, and practiced Catholicism well for almost 40 years, and I do have issues with that, too.

 

[Saved_Lady]

Salvation exists for everyone. That is, it is a possibility. However, that does not mean that everyone will be saved. Sin still needs to be dealt with. Catholics and Orthodox have a church that has the power to forgive sin. Protestants and others do not. How they obtain forgiveness or maybe more to the point, IF they obtain forgiveness, will determine whether they are saved.

QUOTE=EDWARDJL;6488165]Re: Very confused on “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church.”

God and God alone forgive sins. The Catholic church does not have some monopoly to forgive sins. The same God that forgives Catholics of sins forgives Protestants of sins. Jesus is the key, not the church affiliation.

Did I say the Catholic Church had a monopoly on sin forgiveness? I don’t think I did so please do not try to put words in my mouth. None the less, the Catholic Church was given the power By Jesus Christ to forgive sins. No Protestant denomination makes the claim nor do they possess the authority. So salvation depends on the remittance of sin. Jesus made it all possible on the cross. Then He empowered His Church to forgive sin in His name. How protestants receive forgiveness is problematical as there is nothing in scripture to indicate any other process other than the Church. Still the Church holds out the possibility that protestants can have their sin remitted.

Please show me in the Bible where Jesus Christ gave the Catholic Church the power to forgive sins. I do not remember ever reading anything that says that in my Bible. (KJV)

 

[KyivAndrew]

What?! Even atheists can be saved?! If they remain atheists then they cannot and do not worship ANY god at all. To worship any being as a god does not make a person an atheist but at the least an agnostic. The teachings you quoted are contradictory to what the bible teaches. We should not cling to the traditions or doctrines of man but only on the Word of God as the final authority in everything.

Bengoshi, the Cardinal’s essay is just his personal opinion in a journal on which many prominent Catholics and Jews sit on the editorial board: First Things.

Let me ask you then: do you believe the billions of souls who never had an opportunity to hear or learn of Jesus Christ throughout history: Buddhists (who could be atheists), Hindus, Taoists, African animists, etc. are ALL damned to Hell? They never professed Jesus Christ as savior. Are all these billions of souls destined for Hell because they never accepted Christ as savior? You are an evangelical and I’d be interested in what you think? If you believe they can be saved, where exactly in the Bible is that written?

Since you also mentioned the Jewish faith, as an evangelical, do you agree with fellow-evangelical John Hagee’s bestsellers on how the Apocalypse is to come about and who will be saved of Christians and Jews?

Looking forward to your reply.

 

[inkaneer]

Did I say the Catholic Church had a monopoly on sin forgiveness? I don’t think I did so please do not try to put words in my mouth. None the less, the Catholic Church was given the power By Jesus Christ to forgive sins. No Protestant denomination makes the claim nor do they possess the authority. So salvation depends on the remittance of sin. Jesus made it all possible on the cross. Then He empowered His Church to forgive sin in His name. How protestants receive forgiveness is problematical as there is nothing in scripture to indicate any other process other than the Church. Still the Church holds out the possibility that protestants can have their sin remitted.

Please show me in the Bible where Jesus Christ gave the Catholic Church the power to forgive sins. I do not remember ever reading anything that says that in my Bible. (KJV)

But you did. You just overlooked it because coming from a denomination that doesn’t claim any authority you can’t make the connection But you will find it in your KJV in John 20:21-23:

“21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the holy Ghost. 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” [John 20:21-23]

It is the first day of the week, the day Jesus resurrected. Here Jesus appears to the Apostles who are in hiding. He breathes on them and says receive the Holy Spirit. and tells them that He is sending them as His Father had sent Jesus. What was Jesus sent for? Jesus was sent to redeem mankind from sin. Jesus paid the price and had the authority to forgive sin. He is now telling the Apostles that they too will forgive sin for He tells them that they now have the power to either remit sin or to retain it. And this is not just the sin of someone who sinned against them personally. Jesus says they can remit or retain the sin of “who so ever” That means anyone. The idea of remitting or retaining harkens back to the binding and loosening authority given in Mt 16:18-19 and the authority of the chief steward to lock anbd unlock, shut or open in Isaiah 22:22. So it is there in your KJV. The early church certainly believed in confessing sins to a priest. There are several examples of early christian writing in which this is stated. Here is what Cyprian of Carthage wrote in 251 AD concerning confession and the Eucharist.

“The apostle [Paul] likewise bears witness and says: ‘ . . . Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27]. But [the impenitent] spurn and despise all these warnings; before their sins are expiated, before they have made a confession of their crime, before their conscience has been purged in the ceremony and at the hand of the priest . . . they do violence to [the Lord’s] body and blood, and with their hands and mouth they sin against the Lord more than when they denied him” (The Lapsed 15:1–3 (A.D. 251]).

“Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who . . . confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience. . . . I beseech you, brethren, let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord” (ibid., 28).

There are more to be sure. But the power to forgive sins was noot some invention of the Catholic Church in latter times. It was present in the Church from the very beginning.

 

[anthony022071]

The doctrine that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church does not mean that those who are not Catholic are necessarily condemned. It must be remembered that the Catholic Church exists in heaven as well as on earth. It is the communion of saints.
To say that there is no salvation outside the of Church is like saying there is no salvation outside of heaven. Anyone who follows the commandments of God in this life may be accepted by God.

 

[Abu]

ASojourner
It is Jesus in whom salvation is found. Not in any church, Catholic, Protestant, or others.

St Paul is very clear: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). The cardinal error with Catholic Luther, who reneged, was to try to separate Christ from His Body – His Church, the Mystical Body of Christ – the Bride of Christ.

In Acts, St Peter speaks of Jesus as Saviour and no other NAME, simply because it is not the Jewish Law that saves but Jesus; and in the very next chapter, His **Church **is revealed to be in great fear over the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, through Peter’s exposure of their evils. (Acts 5:11).

St Peter warns that “there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” (2 Pet:1).

It is sheer falsehood to try to separate Christ from His Church. From that all error springs.
The Church is "the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:16).

As Jesus had commanded: “Going therefore, teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19). Everything of grace and goodness is through His Church.

And the promise was fulfilled: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:15-18) “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in My name, He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:26) “But when He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because He will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that He will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15)

St. Paul has counseled you as to whom to avoid: “Preach the word. Be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke with all patience and teaching. For there will come a time when far from being content with sound teaching, people are avid for the latest novelty and collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes.” (2 Tim 4:3).

We are warned against false teaching.
“That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive.” (Eph 4:14).

St John counsels you: “We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.” (1 Jn 4:6 ).

The members of Christ’s Church who wrote the N.T. are all faithful to His Church, and those who have come home realize and attest to this.

 

[KyivAndrew]

alone with 600 million other Protestants and 300 million Orthodox Christians

I should think the Protestants wouldn’t enter into the equation at all in Orthodox thinking on acceptance as an Apostolic Church. The Orthodox would not consider Protestantism an Apostolic Church.

By the way, between the years of around 100 A.D. and the Reformation where was a “Protestant Church” in existence? The Church had and has Sacraments, the Eucharist, a hierarchy, and gathered to canonize the books of the Gospels and the Bible which Protestants now rely on for “sola scripura” claims against the institution which codified the canon? Where was the Protestant Church during this big fraction of history, some nearly 1,400 years? Am I to take it you believe there was no Christian Church between the years from 100 to the Reformation?