Considering
that one's eternal salvation is at stake, correct decisions in matters
of religion are of the utmost importance. Since Jesus - God Incarnate - set up only one Church - the Catholic
Church (the facts prove that the Catholic Church was the only
church established by Christ and existing since Christ) - and gave her visible leader, St. Peter, the keys to the kingdom
of heaven (see Mt. 16:19), it
is certain that it is necessary for all mankind to belong to this Church
for salvation.
Beginning
from Pentecost, we can see that St. Peter - upon receiving the Holy
Spirit, and acting as Christ's representative - instructed the devout
Jews that they needed to repent and be baptized into Christ's Church for
salvation (cf. Acts 2:38-41). This
has always been the teaching of the Catholic Church and it has been
confirmed over and over again by Popes, Saints, Councils, and Doctors of
the Church (click
here for more information). The Bible also confirms the
necessity of belonging to Christ's Church. For example, consider that
Scripture says:
"Whoever
listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And
whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." (Our Lord Jesus
Christ, Lk. 10:16, emphasis added)
Scripture
also says:
"If
he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a
Gentile or a tax collector." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 18:17)
And,
Scripture calls the Church...
"...the
pillar and foundation of truth." (1 Tm. 3:15)
Further,
we know that Christ loves the Church, which is called His Body:
"Now
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling
up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body,
which is the church" (Col. 1:24)
"He
is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in
him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all
things were created through him and for him. He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the
church." (Col. 1:15-18)
"Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over
for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the
word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without
blemish. So (also) husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but
rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church,
because we are members of his body. 'For this reason a man shall leave
(his) father and (his) mother and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak in
reference to Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:22-32)
"May
the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the
hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his
inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of
his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great
might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating
him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality,
authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in
this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his
feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his
body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way." (Eph. 1:18-23)
On
the other hand, Scripture tells us that those outside the Church (e.g.
heretics), stand condemned. For example, consider that Scripture says:
"After
a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing
that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands
self-condemned." (Ti. 3:10-11)
"I
am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by
(the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there is
another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert
the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should
preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let
that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if
anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received,
let that one be accursed!" (Gal. 1:6-9)
"For
this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the
commandment, as you heard from the beginning, in which you should walk.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not
acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful
one and the antichrist. Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we
worked for but may receive a full recompense. Anyone who is so
'progressive' as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not
have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son. If
anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him
in your house or even greet him; for whoever greets him shares in his
evil works." (2 Jn. 1:6-11)
All
other so-called 'churches' besides the Catholic Church were created by men, with no authority from God, and are actually in opposition to the
one true Church established by Christ. They have no power, no
authority, and no keys to heaven. As Holy Scripture says:
"[Jesus] said in reply,
'Every plant that my heavenly
Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone [referring
here to the Pharisees]; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a
blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a
pit.'" (Mt. 15:13-14)
"Unless
the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build." (Ps. 127:1 )
Although
those outside the Catholic Church may claim to be biblical, it is
clear that they are actually acting contrary to Scripture. For example,
compare what Holy Scripture says to what various non-Catholic 'Christians'
say...
|
Holy
Scripture |
Non-Catholic
'Christians' |
|
|
Jms. 2:24: See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. |
"Persons
Are Saved
by Faith Alone" |
|
|
2
Thes. 2:15: Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the
traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by
a letter of ours. |
"Tradition
Should Be Rejected. The Bible is the Sole Rule of Faith" |
|
|
Biblical
instruction is necessary (see Acts 8:30-31)
Prophecy
of scripture is not a matter of personal interpretation (see 2 Pt.
1:20)
Scripture
can be difficult to understand and can be distorted to one's
destruction (see 2 Pt. 3:15-16) |
"Each
Person Can Easily Interpret the Bible For Themselves" |
|
|
Must
endure to the end to be saved (see Mt. 10:22, Mt. 24:13, Mk.
13:13)
Salvation
of a brother can be lost (see 1 Cor. 8:11)
Must
hold fast to be saved (see 1 Cor. 15:2)
Work
out salvation in fear and trembling (see Phil. 2:12)
Must
persevere to be saved (see 2 Tm. 2:12)
Salvation
may be lost and not recovered (see Heb. 6:4-8) |
"Salvation
is Guaranteed" |
|
|
Jms.
2:26: For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Rv.
20:12-13: I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life.
The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls.
The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. |
"Good
Works Are Unnecessary" |
|
Furthermore,
consider that:
*
There can only be only one true Church.
*
"You
resist God if you don't accept HIS Church."
*
"[W]hosoever
turns his back on the Church [called Christ's body in
Scripture!] cannot be near to Christ." (Pope Leo XIII, "Rerum
Novarum", 1891 A.D.)
*
"How
can a man say he believes in Christ if he doesn't do what Christ
commanded him to do?" (St. Cyprian of Carthage)
*
To do deny any part of Christ's revelation is to deny Christ!
"Even
the heretics appear to have Christ, for none of them denies the name of
Christ; yet, anyone who does not confess all that pertains to Christ
does in fact deny Christ." (St. Ambrose of Milan, Doctor of the
Church, c. 389
A.D.)
*
"Those who believe in Christ outside of the Catholic Church believe
in a 'Christ' that doesn't exist - one that didn't set up a Church, one
that didn't leave the Eucharist, one that didn't establish a papacy..., in
short, a false Christ."
*
"Men
do their own will, not God's, when they do what displeases
God" (St. Prosper / Council of Orange II, 529 A.D.)
*
Those who depart from the Catholic faith wrongly usurp the name
Christian: "The
very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from
the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the apostles
and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded,
and if anyone departs from this, he neither is, nor any longer
ought to be called, a Christian." (St. Athanasius, Doctor of
the Church)
*
Is it not dangerous to forgo the keys to heaven? How, then do you expect
to get in? Remember that it was Christ who left the keys with
Peter! "Just as no one can enter any place without the help of him
who has the keys, so no one is admitted to heaven unless its gates be
unlocked by the priests to whose custody the Lord gave the keys. This
power would otherwise be of no use in the Church. If heaven can be
entered without the power of the keys, in vain would they to whom the
keys were given seek to prevent entrance within its portals. This
thought was familiar to the mind of St. Augustine. Let no man, he says,
say within himself: 'I repent in secret to the Lord. God, who has power
to pardon me, knows the inmost sentiments of my heart.' Was there then
no reason for saying 'whatsoever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in
heaven'; no reason why the keys were given to the Church of God? This
same doctrine is taught by St. Ambrose in his treatise On Penance, when
refuting the heresy of the Novatians who asserted that the power of
forgiving sins belonged solely to God. Who, says he, yields greater
reverence to God, he who obeys or he who resists His commands? God
commands us to obey his ministers; and by obeying them, we honor God
alone." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
*
No man-made religion is capable of achieving salvation - such religions
are, in
fact, religions based on lies! This is the case no matter how well
intentioned a person might be. Remember: "Meaning well
isn't good enough. One cannot expect to get to heaven unless he takes
the path that leads there any more than one can expect to get to L.A. on
a plane that is flying to N.Y.!"
Remember
that the Catholic Christ alone
was founded by Jesus. The Catholic Faith alone was practiced
from the beginning by all the Apostles. The Catholic Church alone
was established by Christ. The Catholic Church alone has the keys
to the kingdom of heaven. Membership in the Catholic Church is necessary
for salvation. Know that the consequences of one's choices in
matters of religion are eternal - either eternal bliss or eternal
punishment. It really DOES matter! [Note that in addition to
mere membership in the Catholic Church, it is obviously also necessary
live up to the Church's teachings and to persevere in the Catholic faith
to be saved.]
Also
Try...
Is
Your Faith Biblical?
Is
Your Religion True?
Who
Founded Your 'Church'?
Where
Was Your 'Church' When...?
Do
You Always Put Catholics on the Defensive? Allow Us to Put You
On the Defensive...
Biblical
References For Various Catholic Beliefs
The
Importance of Being Catholic: Combating Religious Indifferentism (Coming
Home Section)
Catholic
Basics (Introduction)
Catholic
Basics Section
The
Catholic Church (Catholic Basics Reflections)
Coming
Home Reflections
|
