Did The Catholic Church Give Us The Bible + Doctrine? - Part One Series

PART ONE

When I was young, God called me into ministry, so I went through Catechism and prepared to enter the priesthood. However, over 50 years ago, I had a radical encounter with Jesus and became Born-Again, which changed everything! I am not a Catholic or Protestant. I am a Born-Again Christian and a member of the Body of Christ, His eternal Bride.

Not too long ago, I was accused of following man-made doctrines and making decisions based on my interpretations and definitions because I consider the Bible alone as the final authority (Sola Scriptura) in my life as a Born-Again Christian. I was told that "according to the Bible, I was not of Christ and did not belong to His Church, but rather I was following a different religion and a different god." I was also told that "Christ didn't come down and give us a Bible. He came down and gave us a church and died for our sins. It is the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) who are the successors to the Apostles, and they gave us the Bible with the table of contents determined by a Catholic council in Rome in AD 382 until Luther took out seven books in the 1500s. The books called the "New Testament" were the books read at the Catholic Eucharist for the first 300 years of Christianity and are still practiced at Catholic masses. The Eucharist is the new covenant, the new Passover. Without the Catholic Eucharist, you don't have the Bible."

Words can only mean what the original writer intended them to mean in their grammatical and historical context, which is the foundation of biblical Hermeneutics. This message will address the early Church, the authority and history of the New Testament, and many of the non-biblical beliefs of the RCC. It is important to note that Catholics do not accept the Bible as God’s final Word and use the teachings of church fathers to support their beliefs, which is actually hearsay evidence, so trying to use it as the ultimate source of reference is a bit like pounding salt with a needle – it is an act of futility!

THE EARLY CHURCH

Jesus wasn't the founder of the RCC. Joseph, Mary, and their other children were Jews, just as the Apostles, disciples, and early Jesus followers. The Bible calls every Born-Again Christian the Bride of Christ (John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 18:23,19:7; 21:2,22:17).

One of the early Church leaders was Ignatius of Antioch (AD 35-108). He was a student of the Apostle John, and became the bishop (Gk: ‘episkopos’ = superintendent/supervisor, presbyter, overseer, elder, Pastor) of Antioch and proclaimed himself the ‘bearer of God.’ He was ultimately martyred.

There are numerous ‘letters’ purported to have been written by Ignatius. However, a significant number of legitimate Scholars doubt his writings are genuine. Some believe it is possible that perhaps seven of them are legitimate, including the letter to the Smyrneans where he used the Greek term for the church as being 'universal' and can be translated as 'catholic' (little 'c' - the words 'catholic church' were not used together in his letter in any translation.

Early followers of Jesus were called by many derogatory terms, one of which was ‘Christeans’ that changed to ‘Christian’ and warmly accepted by the Church (Acts 11:26). They were also known as:

- Disciples (Acts 9:26,21:16),

- Brethren (Acts 9:30-32,11:1,14:12,21:17,15:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:25-26; 3 John 1:5; Colossians 4:15; Ephesians 6:23; Galatians 4:12,31,6:18; Philippians 1:14; James 1:19),

- Saints (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Corinthians 9:12; Romans 12:134,15:25; Ephesians 3:18,5:3; Philippians 4:21-22)

- The Way (Acts 19:9)

- Nazarenes (Acts 24:5)

- Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:16, 10:16)

No early follower of Jesus was ever referred to as a ‘Catholic,’ nor were they known as ‘Protestants.’ A person would convert to Christianity and not a church. The words ‘Catholic Church’ were never used to describe an official church/organization and the word 'Pope' is not found anywhere in the Bible.

The Church Universal is the Body of Christ, His Bride, and is comprised of all Born-Again Christians and is His ordained institution. Jesus alone is the head of it. It is organized for teaching, worship, fellowship, the administration of communion and baptism, spiritual growth, support, and evangelizing the world. It was built on the teaching (Scriptures) of the Prophets and Apostles found in the Old and New Testaments (Ephesians 2:19-20).

The Bible, and not the RCC, is the authoritative source for the proclamation of the Bride of Christ and the norm by which that proclamation is tested. It cannot be changed by any additions, subtractions, or modifications offered by anyone, no matter what position or authority they claim to hold. Once a person attempts to conflate various verses, supplement, supersede, distort, or subtract from the Bible, they enter into heresy.