"What I am trying to impress is that God has not called a particular religion but that each individual who is a born again Christian has been called by the grace of God."
Hi James! I agree completely with the scriptures you quoted in your post, but not with the above comment or your conclusion about the Church. Here is the reason why.
Jesus established His Church and assured the Apostles and believers that Satan would never triumph against that Church.(the gates of hell would not prevail against it.) So we have clear scriptural evidence that Jesus not only established a specific Church but also guaranteed the survival of that original Church.
Let us look into the scriptures to confirm our observation.
Matt. 16
"15": He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
"16": And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
"17": And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
"18": And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
"19": And I will give unto thee(Apostles) the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
"20": Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
So where is that true Church that Jesus established and continues to preserve through the power of the Holy Spirit?
The Apostolic Church which Jesus established can be identified by the following three marks :
1. Apostolic succession.
2. Believing in Christ.
3. Communion with God through partaking of the body and blood of Christ.
Let us begin with the second and the third identifying marks: BELIEVING IN CHRIST AND PARTAKING OF HIS BODY AND BLOOD IN THE HOLY COMMUNION THAT HE ORDAINED.
John 6
28: Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30: They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? (So the disciples are asking for a SIGN that they may verify his words with absolute certainty. Jesus gives them the sign of his presence in partaking of his body and blood in holy communion.)
31: Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34: Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36: But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39: And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42: And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43: Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45: It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46: Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48: I am that bread of life.
49: Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50: This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52: The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55: For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57: As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58: This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59: These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60: Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61: When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62: What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64: But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65: And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Those who lack faith in the simple words of Jesus simply cannot accept these simple sayings. The Church that Jesus founded continues to practice the words of Jesus and partake daily and weekly of the body and blood of Jesus. First there must be faith in Jesus and then their most be faith in his words that leds to holy communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the holy mystery of communion.
Now we can look at the first identifying mark of apostolic succession. Jesus established his Church on the Apostles and their successors and gave them authority to ordain successors and anoint them with the Holy Spirit and authority by the laying on of hands. Apostolic succession is practiced to this day in the Orthodox Church. The names of the successors taking us back to the Apostles are kept in the dyptics of each apostolic church. It is not accident that these apostolic churches with their lines of successions also continue to practice holy communnion (the Holy Mysteries) ordained of Christ.
Is there a Church today with all these identifying marks? Yes, Christ did establish ONE apostolic Church and that Church can be recognized by her faith in Christ, by her practice of Holy Communion and by her Apostolic succession. This Church provides the Christian with the grace of salvation through baptism and chrismation (Holy Spirit) and also the grace of sanctification through the sacraments or holy mysteries . Jesus has given the Church the authority to provide the believer with the spiritual tools to live the life of Christ.
May the Lord give you the faith and grace to follow the fullness of Jesus' words.
Emile |
