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A lesson on the subject of the New Testament church is taught from the NEW AMERICAN BIBLE REVISED EDITION ( NABRE ); being entitled: THE NEW CATHOLIC ANSWER BIBLE. A copy of this version of the Holy Bible is pictured to the left.
Matthew 16:18 reads as follows: "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." The phrase, "my church," in the above-given verse in the Holy Bible, teaches two things. To begin with, Jesus ( see Matthew 16:13 ) used the word "my," which clearly indicates that the New Testament church belongs to Him. Thus, since the New Testament church belongs to Jesus, a Scriptural phrase used to identify the church is "church of Christ." Furthermore, the apostle Paul ( see Romans 1:1 ), through Tertius his secretary ( see Romans 16:22 ), recorded the following in Romans 16:16: "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ). From Romans 16:16, we see that a Scriptural identifying phrase for the universal New Testament church is "church of Christ"; the plural form of this phrase being used in reference to a plurality of local congregations of the universal New Testament church ( see Galatians 1:2, for example ). Moreover, the quotation below is taken from the following uniform resource locator ( http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=2678 ):
"The combination 'the Catholic Church' ( he katholike ekklesia ) is found for the first time in the letter of St. Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, written about the year 110" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ).
With the above-given quotation in mind, it is important to understand that God's word ( the Holy Bible - see Psalm 119:65-72, 142, 151, John 1:1, 14; 7:16; 8:26; 10:30; 14:6; 17:17, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:8, 9, 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, and 1 John 5:6-8, for example ) was completely revealed in written form when the apostle John finished writing the book of Revelation circa A.D. 96-98. Therefore, the phrase "the Catholic Church," is not a Scriptural reference to the universal New Testament church.
Secondly, Jesus used the word "church," singular, in Matthew 16:18. Therefore, there is one New Testament church ( the church of Christ - see also Romans 12:5 and Ephesians 1:22, 23, for example ) and, thus, "religious" denominationalism is not authorized in the Holy Bible. The universal New Testament church is the church of Christ - not the Catholic denomination.
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
<rewillis1_1@juno.com>
<Russell E. Willis>
