Is Roman Catholicism the One True Church? :: By Mike Gendron

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles, Mike Gendron

Catholics have been indoctrinated with the premise that the Roman Catholic Church is the one true church founded by Christ 2,000 years ago. They claim Protestant churches began only 500 years ago. Are they correct? Is there a “one true church”? And if there is, can we identify the one true church? The answers to these important questions can be found throughout the New Testament.

Who Are Members of the True Church?

The true church is not a denomination nor a building. It is an assembly of born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have been called out of the world as a people for God’s own possession (Titus 2:11-14). Universally, it includes all who have repented and believed the glorious Gospel of grace. They have been purified by the blood of Jesus, sealed by the Spirit of God, and sanctified by the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17; Eph. 1:13; 1 John 1:7). These new creatures in Christ have been baptized by one Spirit into one body and are called saints (1 Cor 1:2, 12:13). Their names are enrolled in heaven, and their imperishable inheritance is protected by the power of almighty God (Heb. 12:23; 1 Pet. 1:4). They are visible when the light of their good works shines before men to glorify their Holy Father (Mat. 5:16; Eph. 2:10).

The Professing Church Is Not the True Church

All Protestant and Roman Catholic churches together make up the “professing” church, which includes both believers and unbelievers. Tragically, there are many who “profess” Christ but do not “possess” Christ. They are religious but have no relationship with Christ. Their names are on church rolls but not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jesus calls them “tares” who have been sown by the devil among the “wheat” (Mat. 13:24-30, 36-43). These tares may one day hear the most terrifying words they could ever hear when Jesus declares, “I never knew you, depart from Me” (Mat. 7:23). Roman Catholics, who adhere to the false and fatal gospel of their apostate religion, must repent and believe the Gospel of grace to become members of the true church. When they do, the Spirit of God will lead them out of their idolatrous religion to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Roman Catholicism Is Not the True Church

The 21st century Roman Catholic Church does not bear any resemblance to the 1st-century church of the apostles. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the first-century church continuing the work of Christ’s redemption on an altar, praying for the dead, venerating Mary, or transubstantiating wafers into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. Nor can we find any mention of indulgences, purgatory, infallible popes, or a sacerdotal priesthood. There is an indisputable reason for this. Rather than obeying the exhortation of Jude to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, the Catholic Church departed from the apostolic faith to follow deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (Jude 3; 1 Tim. 4:1). Its apostasy was fully documented at the 16th century Council of Trent. It cannot be “the pillar and support of the truth” because it departed from the truth and is not the true church (1 Tim. 3:15).

There Is Only One Door to the True Church

Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). Tragically, most of the 1.3 billion souls in the Roman Catholic Church have instead entered through the wide gate that leads to destruction. They have not heeded the warning of Jesus, who said, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Mat. 7:15). By God’s grace and mercy, there are some Catholics who have responded to the Gospel call with repentance and faith, but they cannot stay in the Roman Catholic Church. They will soon find themselves at odds with the deadly errors and idolatry of the apostate religion and come out to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).

The Spiritual Promises Given to the True Church

Members of the true church enjoy every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3). These blessings include: the complete forgiveness of sins (Col. 2:13-14), the promise of never being condemned again (Rom. 8:1), the gift of Christ’s righteousness (Rom. 5:17), the assurance of eternal life (John 10:28) and an eternal relationship with God through the one mediator Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5). Members of the Catholic Church do not possess any of these spiritual blessings. Their only hope is to do what the apostle Paul did and exchange their religion for a relationship with the all-sufficient Savior (Phil. 3:3-8).

The Privileges of the True Church

The true church is the bride of Christ, the flock of the Shepherd, the household of faith, and the adopted family of God (Rom. 8:15; Eph. 4:12; Gal. 6:10; Rev. 19:7). Its members are a chosen race and a holy nation who have been commissioned to proclaim the excellencies of Christ, who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). They have been given the awesome privilege of being ambassadors to the King of kings as His ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20). They have also been commissioned by the Lord Jesus to make disciples by proclaiming His Gospel (Mat. 28:18-20). Catholics have none of these privileges because they have rejected the true Gospel for another gospel that is hostile to the Lord Jesus.

The Protection of the True Church

The Good Shepherd promised that the gates of hell shall not overpower His church (Mat. 16:18). It is the only church which is certain to endure unto the end. Nothing can destroy it. Its members may be persecuted, oppressed, imprisoned, beaten and martyred, but whenever the church is crushed in one country, it springs up in another. Members of the true church have equal and direct access to the throne of grace through the veil that was torn open at the moment of Christ’s death (Heb. 10:19-22). They are all royal priests who offer “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).

It is my prayer and heart’s desire that Catholics will read this article and turn to the only Head of the true church. May God give them humble, teachable spirits to recognize that the god of this world has blinded them from the light of the Gospel and the glory of Christ. The veil of blindness will never be removed until they turn to the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 3:16).

www.proclaimingthegospel.org

 

Peace In The Valley :: By Dennis Huebshman

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Philippians 4:6-7). “Do not be anxious about anything; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Colossians 3:15; “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Romans 5:1; “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Psalm 29:11; “The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Romans 12:18; “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

John 16:33; “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Psalm 4:81; “In peace I will lie down and sleep; for You alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

From the very beginning of our human’s sinful nature (Genesis 3), there has never been true worldwide peace. There have been wars and atrocities that are recorded throughout our history. Someone always seems to have hate for another, and sometimes it’s based strictly on appearance or some form of religious belief.

Some man-generated religions have tried to eliminate any who would not accept their particular creeds, and in some countries, just to not be a member has been cause for martyrdom. Today, in some areas of this world, to receive and accept Jesus as Savior will lead to that believer to be killed. Eventually, this will be worldwide when the one-world evil ruler comes to power. That will be a time that will be worse than ever has been.

As a true believer of the Savior, we have the faith that the word of God is absolute truth and was provided through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:16; John 14:26; 2 Peter 1:21; John 16:13; and Titus 3:5-6 just to name a few verses to check out.

To those who choose Satan over Jesus, all holy word is total foolishness to them, as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18. One characteristic of our Heavenly Father that I mention often is that He will force no one to receive and accept the free gift that is offered through His Son, Jesus the Christ. He does provide us with everything we need to learn about eternal salvation, but each person must choose to seek it for themselves.

Ours is a God of pure love, and He promises that all who truly have His Son as their Savior will be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13). God does not waste words, and if something is repeated, it can safely be said it is important to Him.

The hardest part about having Jesus in our hearts is to have faith and believe He paid our sin-debt in full. Our commitment is to admit we’re sinners, believe He is the only way to eternal life, and to call or ask Him to save us. There are no deeds or works of any kind that we can do to earn this.

There are numerous false prophets in pulpits today who are not presenting the true word of God. They give ear-tickling messages with motivational music to keep the members happy and inspired to keep seats and collection baskets full. Sadly, those members do not develop a relationship with the Savior, and they will ultimately end up in eternal punishment. That’s a whole lot longer than the few decades we may be on this earth.

As a true believer, we are at peace with the Lord, even if we are not at peace with this world. Another great Hymn by Thomas Andrew Dorsey (1899-1937) tells us about the “Peace in The Valley” that we long for. As our Jesus said, we will never have real peace on this earth such as the peace He has provided for our eternal souls. Our eternal promise from Him is absolutely real. There are several versions of this Hymn on YouTube.

1.) Oh well, I’m tired and I’m weary, but I must go along till the Lord shall come and calls me, calls me away, oh yes. Then the mornin’s so bright, and the Lamb is the Light, and the night is as black as the sea, oh yes.

(ref) There will be peace in the valley for me someday; there will be peace in the valley for me, Oh Lord I pray. There’ll be no sadness, no sorrow, Oh my Lord, no more trouble, trouble I see. There will be peace in the valley for me someday.

2.) There the flowers will be blooming, and the grass will be green, and the skies will be clear and serene, oh yes. Well, the sun ever beams in this valley of dreams, and no clouds will ever be seen, oh yes. (ref)

3.) Well, the bear will be gentle, and the wolf will be tame; and the lion shall lay down by the lamb, oh yes. Well, the beast from the wild shall be led by a little child, and I’ll be changed from this creature that I am, oh yes. (ref)

Peter tells us about “scoffers” who will be here “in the last days,” and we are seeing the truth in this right now. Peter notes that there are those who do not believe the word; they say nothing has changed since the beginning and it will continue as before.

What people are failing to see is what Satan is trying to cover up. This world is rapidly getting more evil by the day, and all prophecy about the end of this age is right on time. The world is being “prepped” by those who the evil one controls. They are accusing us of being the haters in contrast to what is actually happening. We hate no one, just their evil ways which we are not required to accept. In fact, we are thrilled for each and every soul that decides Jesus is their true Messiah, and they end up calling on Him to save them.

Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, James and others gave us a picture of what the end of this age would be like. For the first time ever, all the signs are here at one time. We could be called up to meet the Savior in the air at any moment to fulfill God’s promise to keep all true believers from the wrath. It will happen prior to the evil one making his appearance, as given in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Personally, I am longing for the peace my Savior has promised, and absolutely invite everyone to become a part of His flock. No one has sinned so great that they cannot be forgiven. The only unforgivable sin at the present is to not have Jesus as Savior when your last breath is taken on this earth. During the tribulation, taking the mark of the beast is the other unforgivable sin.

It’s totally up to each and every individual to make a choice of eternal life or eternal punishment. To accept the “peace that passes all understanding” would be the absolute best option anyone could ever make. Right now would not be too early as we have no knowledge of the exact day or hour that the call will come. God gave us the signs to watch for, and they are here now. Our call could be any second or “twinkling of an eye” now. He’s waiting for all who would call on His Son for Salvation to avoid the worst 7-year period of time this world has ever seen. But He won’t wait much longer.

Shalom! Peace!

huebshman46@gmail.com