Why is the Church needed?

[I_am_learning]

“We don’t need a Church, we only need the relationship with Jesus.”
How do you answer this?

“This person is only following the teachings of the Church, but wheres God in this?”
How do you answer this?

I assume its important to speak of the history of the Church and it being established by Jesus, Jesus and His love is really in the middle of all teachings. Not to mention the Holy Spirit has been guiding it to pass down the Tradition. But, any other things?

Thanks!

 

[Karlo_Broussard]

First, we need the Church because Jesus gave it to us as a gift. It is our love for Jesus that serves as the primary motive for belonging to the Church that he established. We do not want to reject the gift.

Second, St. Paul teaches that we are the body of Christ and we cannot say to other members, “I have no need of you” ((1Cor 12:12-27). Our union with Christ unites us to other members in the body. We cannot separate the Head, Jesus, from His body, the Church.

Third, because we are members of the body of Christ there exists an exchange of goods. The holiness of one member can affect another. The graces that the saints merited through Christ are given to other members upon request.

Fourth, we have all the sacraments that Jesus came to give. As such, we have all the means necessary for salvation.

Finally, I would say that we need the Church in order to have absolute certitude of the truth of God’s Revelation. Without the Church, which is the infallible voice of God on this earth, our beliefs would be merely educated guesses. We would not be able to discern the true voice of Christ.

For these reasons, among many others, we need the Church.