INTRODUCTION

    A. Our lesson today will not deal specifically with the Catholic church.

        1. We have noted errors of the Catholic church over the past two days.

        2. In compliance with the desire of the elders here, I want to show the
            nature, origin, authority and beliefs of the church as described in the 
            Bible.

        3. Again, time nor space will allow for a full discussion of these matters.

    B. The church has been in the mind of God since before the foundation of
         the world.

        1. The central focal point of the Bible is to show how that through God’s
             power demonstrated in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; all 
             men can be saved from the guilt of their sins.

        2. When Jesus, God’s Christ, came to earth, He came to do the will of
            the Father - to seek and save the lost  - to gather the saved unto 
            Himself.

        3. That gathering of the saved is the church.

        4. Thus - as Jesus Christ is the focal point of the Bible and as the church
            is a part of Jesus and His work, the church (the saved of God) are a 
            part of the theme of the entire Bible. 

        5. I cannot, obviously, in one lesson, in one hour show all that God has
            designed as concerns the church.

    C. It will be my effort, then, to show what the Bible says about the church
         as it has bearing on false teachings of the Catholic church.

DISCUSSION

  I. THE NATURE OF GOD, MAN, AND THE EFFECTS OF SIN.

    A. The Bible teaches concerning God.

        1. “He is and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”
            (Hebrews 11:6).

        2. He is eternal:   “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” 
            (Psalm 90:1-2).

        3. He is everywhere.

            Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee
            from Your presence?  If I ascend into heaven, You are
            there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 
            If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the 
            uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall
            lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.  If I say, 
            ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night 
            shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not
            hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The 
            darkness and the light are both alike to You
            (Psalm 139:7-12).

        4. He is all powerful:

            For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes 
            are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
            made, even His eternal power and Godhead (Romans 1:21).

        5. He is all knowing:

            And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things
            are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must 
            give account  (Hebrews 4:13).

        6. He is love: 

            And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.
            God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God
             in him  (1John 4:16).

        7. He is just (fair - righteous) and merciful: 

            Justice [equity] and judgment [law] are the foundation of Your throne;
            Mercy and truth go before Your face (Psalm  89:14).

            a. Now, I ask you, what kind of justice is it if Adam sinned and I am
                held accountable or guilty because of his sin?

                1) That is Catholic doctrine. 

                2) Adam sinned, and I go to hell for it if I do not receive God’s
                     forgiveness through the pope.

            b. The Hebrew term translated “justice” means equity, impartiality,
                fairness.  How is it equitable, impartial or fair that I am held 
                accountable for the sins of another?

            c. The Hebrew term translated “judgment” means law.

                1) Divine law and divine fairness are the foundation of God’s
                     throne.

                2) Find a divine law that says I am guilty because of another’s sin -
                     it can’t be done.

                3) Divine law says I’m guilty because of my own sin.

            d. Mercy goes before His face - and if it didn’t, Jesus would not have
                come to take my guilt upon Himself and I therefore would have no 
                hope.

        8. He is holy (pure):  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3).

        9. He grieves in His heart when man sins (Genesis 6:1-6).

        10. He wants all men to be in heaven (2 Peter 3:9).

    C. The Bible teaches concerning Satan.

        1. He is a liar - the father of all liars (Genesis 3:1-5, John 8:44).

        2. He blinds men to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Acts 26:15-18)

        3. He tempts (entices) men to sin and is cunning and crafty in the doing of
            it (Matthew 4:3; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1Thessalonians 3:5).

    C. The Bible teaches concerning Jesus.

        1. He is God’s “beloved Son, in whom I [God] am well pleased”
            (Matthew 3:17).

        2. He is God in a man’s flesh (John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:15-16).

        3. He died (paid the debt) for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter
            1:18-19; 2:24).

        4. He is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” 
            (John1:29).

    D. The Bible teaches concerning sin.

        1. It separates man from God (Isaiah 59:1-2).

        2. It is transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4).

        3. All men who are capable of transgressing God’s law are guilty
             (Romans 3:23).

            a. Note that it does not say that “all are guilty because of Adam’s sin”
                and therefore have fallen short of God’s glory.

            b. Nor does it say that “all have sin” (Adam’s sin) and therefore are
                fallen short of God’s glory.

            c. The text (contrary to Catholic teaching) says that “all have sinned.”

        4. The guilty must die (Romans 6:23; John 8:24) but through faith in
            God’s work in Christ Jesus man can have the gift of eternal life.

        5. Those defiled by sin cannot be where God is (Revelation 21:22-27).

    E. The Bible teaches concerning the Bible.

        1. It came from God (2 Timothy 3:16).

        2. Man cannot be made perfect without it (2 Timothy 3:17).

        3. Its words apply to all men - those who reject it will be condemned by
            it (John 12:48).

        4. False teachers will attempt to pervert it’s teaching, but the word of
            God will endure forever (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 
            Peter 2:1-2).

        5. Keeping the commandments of Jesus in the Bible is a demonstration of
            our love for God (John 14:15).

    F. The Bible teaches concerning the nature of man and the effects of sin
        upon his relationship to God.

        1. Man is a spirit made in the image (after the likeness) of God and that
            one day that spirit will return to God who gave it (Genesis 1:26-27; 
            John 4:24; Job 32:8; Proverbs 20:27; Ecclesiastes 12:7).

        2. Man is separated from God by man’s own acts of willful sin (Isaiah
            59:1-2; Romans 3:23).

        3. In that separated state, man is without hope and without God in this
            world (Ephesians 2:12).

        4. That man can not make his own way back to God (Proverbs 14:12;
            Jeremiah 10:23).

  II. GOD’S PLAN FOR SAVING MAN.

    A. If we are saved, it is by the grace of God that we are saved - nothing we
         do or are commanded to do can change that fact.

        1. We are not, yea cannot be, saved by a priest, a pope, or a godfather.

        2. No extreme unction, prayer or payment for those in hell, no amount of
            candle lighting, no last right can save man. These utensils used by the 
            Catholic church have absolutely no Bible authority.

        3. God’s gift (grace) to man is salvation - it is a covering of man’s
            sinfulness with His (God’s) own righteousness found in Christ.

        4. Listen to the Apostle Paul:

            a. ... now the righteousness of God ... is revealed, being witnessed
                [testified to] by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness 
                of God ... to all and on all who believe ... for all [Jew and Gentile] 
                have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely 
                [without any cost] by His grace ... (Romans  3:21-24).

            b. ...the grace [gift] of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
                men  (Timothy  2:11).

            c. ... having been justified by His grace we should become the heirs
               according to the hope of eternal life  (Titus.  3:7).

    B. If man is saved, it is because God loved man.

            But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love
            with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, 
            made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
            saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together 
            in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus  (Ephesians  2:4-5).

        1. As an act of God’s grace and as a manifestation of His love, we can
            be covered with the righteousness of Jesus.

        2. When God looks at the Christian, he does not see the man stained
            with sin  - he sees the righteousness of Christ.

        3. If man is saved it is because God extended to man salvation as a gift.

        4. Can you think of any better news from God than that?

    C. If man is saved it is because of the good news of God’s grace revealed
         in the gospel.

        1. Remember, the Catholics believe the Bible is from God - but they do
            not believe it is our guide for the church today.

        2. They believe that the word of the pope supercedes the Bible.

        3. Now listen to what Paul said:

            Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I
            preached to you, which also you received and in which 
            you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
            that word which I preached to you; unless you believed
            in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
            received: that Christ died for our sins according to the 
            Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose 
            again the third day according to the Scriptures  
            (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

        4.  Poor Paul didn’t know we should hang onto the word he preached
             which he received from God.

        5. Folks, it is plain and clear from the scriptures that we are saved by the
            good news of God’s grace.

        6. We must trust the power and promise of God extended to us by an act
            of God’s grace and found in the death, burial and resurrection of
            Jesus Christ - if we do not, we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 
            15:17).

        7. The word of God is incorruptible and it lives and abides forever (1
            Peter 1:23).

            a. It, as the seed of God, will produce after its kind. 

            b. Satan told Eve that she would become like God if she disobeyed. 

            c. The New Testament tells us we will become like God only if we
                obey.

        8. If you pervert the word of God with your own teaching, you will be
            accursed by God  (Galatians 1:8-9; Revelation 22:18-19).

        9. If you do not obey the gospel (God’s word), you will face a certain
            fate (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

    D. If you are saved it is because of the work of the Son of God; or we
         might say because of the work of God through His Son (John 14:6).

    E. If you are saved it is because of the blood God’s Son shed upon the
        cross of Calvary (Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 1:5b,6; Romans 5:9).

        1. The blood of Christ shed in his death is that which makes us right
            before God. 

        2. We must be covered in it.  We must make contact with it.  How?

    F. If you are saved it is because God has placed you into His church.  The
        Lord adds to His church daily those who are being saved (Acts 2:47).

        1. What is His church?

            a. The church is His called out. 

            b. Those who hear the call of the gospel and answer it come to Him
                for sanctification and cleansing.

        2.  Those who are in (among) the church are saved; those who are not
             are lost.

        3. Those who are in the church are a part of the body of Christ - they are
            a part of God.

        4. One cannot be a part of God and at the same time remain in his sins. 
            Sanctification must take place. 

            a. This is not done by holy water.

            b. This is not done by an ordained priest.

            c. This is not done for you by any man.

    G. How does sanctification take place?

        1. One must first hear the gospel in order to answer its call to God.

            a. Jesus taught that those who come to God must be drawn to God -
                they are drawn to God by the teaching/hearing of His word (John 
                6:44-45).

            b. Paul taught that faith (trust in God for salvation) comes when we
                hear the words of God (Romans 10:17).

        2. To be saved by God, we must, upon hearing His word, trust that He is
            God, that He exists and that He is the rewarder of those who
            diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

        3. The word of God reminds us that we are in sin and that we must turn
            from sinfulness if we are to be with God (Luke 13:3, 5). 

            a. God desires that all men repent and has called all men to repent
                (2Pt. 3:9; Acts 17:30).

            b. How foolish is the man who thinks he can remain in his sins and
                expect God to sanctify him.

            c. Maybe if God could, He would - I can’t say.  But God cannot
                violate His holy nature. 

            d. He cannot receive something that is impure into His holiness or
                glory.

        4. Those who are a part of God’s holy people, the church, are those who
            have confessed Jesus of Nazareth as God’s Son and their Lord 
            (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-10).

            a. The rule of Satan, self, and the world over one’s life must be given
                up and the rule of Christ must begin and remain.

            b. However, just claiming Jesus as Lord is not sufficient - it must be a
                matter of fact - something proven by obedience to the Father’s will 
                (Matthew 7:21).

        5. Jesus’ blood is the sanctifying element given by the grace of God to
            those who will hear, trust, repent, and confess Jesus as their Lord.

            a. That blood is reached in baptism in water for the remission of sins.

            b. The blood was shed in His death (Revelation 1:5).

            c. It is reached in the re-enactment of His death as we are baptized
                (not sprinkled) for the remission of our sin (Romans 6:3-5; Acts
                 22:16).

            d. As baptism is a reenactment of the death, burial and resurrection of
                Christ -it is not done by means of sprinkling, but by immersion or a 
                burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12).

            e. As baptism is for penitent sinners - it is not for babies.

  III. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

    A. The prophet Daniel once prophesied of the coming of God’s kingdom
         (Daniel 2:28-45).
 

        1. He told us of many kingdoms: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome
            (among others).

        2. The text shows us that God would set up a kingdom in the days of the
            Roman rulers that would overcome all earthly kingdoms (Daniel 2:44).

    B. Isaiah told us that the days in which God’s kingdom would be set up will
         be the last days (Isaiah 2:2-3).

        1. The Hebrew writer and Peter taught that they (and we) lived in the last
            days (Hebrews 1:1-2; Acts 2:14-17).

        2. In the last days, says Isaiah, the word of the Lord would go out from
            Jerusalem.

        3. The record of Acts 1-2 shows the fulfillment of that prophecy.

        4. Isaiah said that the kingdom would not be Jewish, but would be made
            up of all nations.  Acts 10:34-35 shows the beginning of the fulfillment 
            of that prophecy.

    C. The kingdom, according to Jesus, would be established in the days of the
         apostles and those who heard Jesus’ words (Mark 9:1).

        1. By the time Paul wrote the Colossian brethren, the kingdom was well
            established.

        2. On the first Pentecost feast after the death, burial and resurrection of
             Jesus our Savior, in fulfillment of prophecy:

            a. The kingdom (the church) of God came (was established) in
                Jerusalem.

            b. It came with power.

            c. And salvation was given to those who called upon the name of the
                Lord  (Isaiah 2; Daniel 2; Joel 2; Acts 2).

        3. Any church having its beginning after that point is not God’s kingdom.

        4. Any church which does not continue in the apostles’ doctrine and
            fellowship is not God’s kingdom (Acts 2:42).

    D. The guide - the authority for the church which belongs to God is God. 
         Now listen to what God did:

            God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time
            past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days [the
            last days in which we still live] spoken to us by His Son, whom 
            He has appointed heir of all things... (Hebrews 1:1-2).

        1. God gave all authority and headship over the church, not to a pope,
            but to Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:22).

        2. Jesus told the apostles to go and teach the world what Jesus had
            taught them (Matthew 28:19-20)

        3. He told them that the Holy Spirit would give them all knowledge of
            what Jesus had told them - they (not the pope) would be His 
            ambassadors (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13).

        4. We are not left to use personal feelings, human philosophy, family
            traditions, or human religious leaders as our authority.

        5. It is the doctrine of Christ revealed by the Spirit to the apostles that we
            are to use as our guide.

        6. It is the word of God which is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).

        7. In contrast to many of the vile men who’ve held the position of pope,
            Paul makes these remarks in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-13.

CONCLUSION

    A. Further study would show the pattern of worship and living ordained by
         God in the New Testament.

        1. A pattern that through the centuries has been violated over and over
            again by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

        2. Paul, before he died, made it known that the church would be 
            attacked by such elements.  He warned us.  READ 2 
            THESSALONIANS 2:1-7.

    B. My advice: Heed the warning.