The Regrettable Reformation!
More correctly, it is called "The Protestant Revolt" since it did not "Reform" anything.
"Unless the Lord
build the house, they labor in vain who build it."
Psalms 127:1
Surely, the reformers had to have been aware of this verse.
Why then, did they all ignore it?
The very founder of the "Reformation", Martin Luther, was
the "regrettable" one, as he surveyed the damage that his rebellion against
authority had caused. His writings show that he lamented his deed when he penned
the following remarks...
"This one will not hear of Baptism, and that one
denies the sacrament, another puts a world between this and the last day: some
teach that Christ is not God, some say this, some say that: there are as many
sects and creeds as there are heads. No yokel is so rude but when he has dreams
and fancies, he thinks himself inspired by the Holy Ghost and must be a
prophet."
De Wette III, 61. quoted in O'Hare, THE FACTS ABOUT LUTHER, 208.
"Noblemen, townsmen, peasants, all classes understand the Evangelium
better than I or St. Paul; they are now wise and think themselves more learned
than all the ministers."
Walch XIV, 1360. quoted in O'Hare, Ibid, 209.
"We concede -- as we must -- that so much of what they (the Catholic
Church) say is true: that the papacy has God's word and the office of the
apostles, and that we have received Holy Scriptures, Baptism, the Sacrament, and
the pulpit from them. What would we know of these if it were not for them?"
Sermon on the gospel of St. John, chaps. 14 - 16 (1537), in vol. 24 of
LUTHER'S WORKS,
St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia, 1961, 304.
All of this and much more was written by the founder of
the Reformation, just a short time after, when he noted the chaos he had
created. By this time, Munzer had run in this direction (in 1521, the same year
that Luther broke away), Zwingli, had run in that direction, Calvin in yet
another direction, all of them scattering the sheep and taking their flocks with
them. Luther had let the cat out of the bag and he was helpless to put it back
in. He had started something that he was powerless to stop.
Regretful, he
certainly was as:
"Once you open the door to error, you cannot close it."
How true! Luther had become the victim by not heeding the consequences of
this simple proverb.
"Unless the Lord build the
house, they labor in vain who build it."
Psalms
127:1
The fruits of the Reformation...
There is a steady increase in the
acceleration rate of the endless splitting of the Body of Christ by non-Catholic
ecclesial communities, despite this command directly from the lips of Jesus
Christ...
"...and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd."
John 10:16
We are commanded by
Scripture to be of one mind, in one spirit,
and with one mouth to glorify
GOD.
Romans 15:5-6, Philippians 1:27, 2:2
"Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing;
and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be perfectly united in
one mind and in one judgment."
1Corinthians 1:10
In 1600, due to the
Protestant reformation, there were more than 100 splits into various sects. By
1900, there were around 1000. By 1981 there were more than 20,700. Today there
are over 33,800* splits in the Body of Christ and all, save one, were founded by
mere human creatures.
Non-Catholic ecclesial communities have increased in
number by about 65% in only twenty years.
*World Christian Encyclopedia,
April 2001, a Protestant publication.
It is to be noted that some sects
prefer not to be called Protestant, since they were not involved in the
Reformation. However, they no doubt owe their very existence to the Reformation,
for without it, their communities probably would not exist today. The first word
in Protest-ant is "Protest". Therefore anyone who claims to be Christian and who
is not active in the Catholic Church is a protest-ant against the Catholic
Church, so this file applies to all non-Catholic Christians as well, regardless
of what they wish to call themselves.
This writing is about the division of
the Body of Christ by non-Catholics,
whether they be Protestant or anyone
else.
How can the descendants of the reformers explain why there are more
than 33,800 folds instead of the one fold commanded by Jesus Christ? Where is
the oneness? Where is the unity in one mind? Why are there so many dissensions?
How can the reformation be from GOD when there is so much confusion and outright
disobedience to His Holy Word from its members?
"GOD is not the author of confusion..."
1Corinthians 14:33 (King James)
This is yet another
verse proponents of the reformation tend to ignore. If GOD is not the author of
33,800+ confused splits in His Body, then who is? It is caused by the
disobedience of his creatures.
"Has Christ
been divided up?"
1Corinthians
1:13
"Unless the Lord build the house, they
labor in vain who build it."
Psalms 127:1
"Obey your superiors and be subject to them, for they keep watch as having to
render an account of your souls; so that you may do this with joy, and not with
grief, for that would not be expedient for you."
Hebrews 13:17
Do you
think Martin Luther and the other reformers agonized over this verse, or did
they purposely, just simply ignore it? Surely, they knew it was there. Show me
the Scriptural verse which gives the authority to disobey superiors? Isn't this
exactly what the reformers did? Didn't they display flagrant disobedience in
defiance of what Holy Scripture teaches? Show me the verse which authorizes
anyone to break from the Church which Jesus Christ founded and to form his or
her own church?
If the authority does not come from GOD, then there is no
authority whatsoever.
"Let no one lead you astray with empty words; for
because of these things the wrath of GOD comes upon the children of
disobedience. Do not, then, become partakers with them."
Ephesians
5:6-7
"The Scribes and Pharisees have sat on
the chair of Moses. ALL things, therefore, that they command you, observe and
do. But do not act according to their works; for they talk but do
nothing."
Matthew 23:2-3
This is a command to
be obedient regardless of individual feelings, and it comes from Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ warned us that there would be scandals in His
Church.
"Woe to
the world because of scandals! For it must
needs be that scandals come, but woe to the man
through whom scandal does come!"
Matthew
18:7
And He said to His disciples,
"It is impossible that scandals should not come; but
woe to him through whom they come."
Luke
17:1
These are the words of Jesus Christ
Himself. Did he say the Church is the source, or the cause of the scandals? No,
He said a person is. Remember, the Catholic Church is not a hotel for saints, it
is a hospital for sinners (Mark 2:17).
Hmmm, I seem to recall a certain man
named Judas, chosen by Jesus Christ Himself. This man was responsible for the
scourging, crucifixion, and death of the creator of the universe. It was the
worst possible scandal ever conceived and perpetrated by.....none other than a
man.
The Catholic Church itself is indefectible. Scripture says it is, and
we know it since it has an indefectible founder.
See Ephesians 5:25-27
We do not leave Peter and the rest of the Apostles because of the works
of Judas.
Throughout the Bible, the leaders of GOD's chosen people openly sinned, yet
GOD's community, or congregation, survived as one fold and one
shepherd...
Abram lied (Genesis 12:13), yet he went on to become Abraham,
the father of a multitude of nations, Genesis 17:4.
Sarah lied to GOD
(Genesis 18:15) yet she was the mother of nations and kings descended from her
(Genesis 17:16) and she gave birth to Isaac (Genesis 21:1-3), and GOD's chosen
people survived.
Isaac lied (Genesis 26:7-11), yet his flock survived
intact.
Jacob lied and deceived (Genesis 27:24), however, GOD's chosen
people survived.
Moses was disobedient to GOD and thus was not allowed to
lead the community to the promised land (Numbers 20:1-12). The community,
however, survived.
Aaron was made high priest (Exodus 28:1-3), yet later
led the people into grave sin by making an idol of a golden calf, and he
worshiped it (Exodus 32:21-35). However he was back as the high priest in Exodus
40:13, and the community survived.
David committed murder and adultery
(2Samuel 11:1-27), but yet the community survived.
Solomon practiced
idolatry and had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and had great wealth,
1Kings
11:1-43. See Deuteronomy 17:17 where kings shall not have a great number of
wives, nor accumulate great wealth, yet Solomon's community survived.
Peter lied to Jesus (possibly unknowingly in Matthew 26:35), and openly
denied him three times
(Matthew 26:69-75), yet he went on to become the
first Bishop of Rome, and the first Pope, and he wrote two infallible books
which we use to this very day, and the Church still survived as one flock with
one shepherd.
One Apostle denied Christ (Matthew 26:69-75), one betrayed
him (Matthew 26:25), one doubted him (John 20:25), and all ran away from him
(Matthew 26:56). That covers all of the original twelve, right? Yet the Church
which Jesus Christ founded, survived as one fold with one shepherd, and all of
the Apostles save for one, became saints.
Saul persecuted the Church
mercilessly and imprisoned many Christians and even approved of the murder of at
least one in Acts 7:58-59 to Acts 8:1-2. Yet the Church remained one and true to
Peter, and Saul became Paul, one of the greatest Apostles.
As you can
see, the authority of the Church is not dependent
upon the works of any of its members.
The Church
is greater than any of its members. It is greater than any Pope or Bishop, or
Church Father or Saint. It is greater than Luther, or Calvin, or Munzer, or
Zwingli, and of any or all of those who broke away to form their own churches.
Why is the Church greater than any of its members?
It is because it is
the Mystical Body of Christ, and He is the head. The last time I checked, it was
the head that tells the body what to do and not the other way around. Isn't that
still true?
Each member is merely one out of many branches of the vine.
Fruitless branches can be pruned, yet the vine lives.
If a member is cut off
it is likened to the parable of the vine-dresser:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-dresser. Every
branch in me that bears no fruit he will take away; and every branch that bears
fruit he will cleanse, that it may bear more fruit."
John 15:1-2
Did you notice who does the
pruning?
Nowhere in Scripture is authority given for anyone to start
another church other than the ONE which Jesus Christ founded. However, there are
many verses which warn against forsaking GOD given authority regarding His
Congregation (O.T.) or Church (N.T.) which He bestowed upon prophets such as
Moses (Exodus 3-40), and on the Apostles (John 20:21-23), and to their
successors (Hebrews 13:7-8,17).
Read of the rebellion of Korah (Core in some
Bibles) against the GOD given authority of Moses in Numbers 16. See how Moses
pleaded with him and his followers to end their revolt which was from within
Moses' own tribe of Levites. The rebellious were adamant in their "No" to him in
verse 14.
Pay special attention to what happened to Korah, and to his
followers in Numbers 16:25-35.
It isn't pretty.
Yet again does
history repeat itself:
Read the parallel story of Martin Luther, at the beginning of the
reformation where he displayed the same obstinacy toward the GOD given Papal authority, as Korah had done to the
GOD given authority of Moses some 3000 years earlier.
"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will get in among
you, and will not spare the flock. AND FROM AMONG YOUR OWN SELVES MEN WILL RISE
SPEAKING PERVERSE THINGS, TO DRAW AWAY THE DISCIPLES AFTER
THEM."
Acts 20:29-30
How do these verses apply
to the reformers?
Well, Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli were Catholic
priests.
So they were, "from among your own
selves men will rise",
and they did, "speak perverse things" (Hebrews
13:17 also, remember?),
and they did, "draw away
the disciples after them".
Pretty good fit,
wouldn't you say? Didn't Saint Luke hit the nail on the head in Acts
20:29-30?
"What
is it that has been? The same thing that shall be. What is it that has been
done? The same thing that shall be done. Nothing under the sun is new, neither
is any man able to say: Behold this is new; for it has already gone before in
the ages that were before us. There is no remembrance of former things; nor
indeed of those things which hereafter are to come, shall there be any
remembrance with them that shall be in the latter end."
Ecclesiastes 1:10-11
Those who fail to profit from
the mistakes of others in history are doomed to repeat them.
"To him
shall be the obedience of nations."
Genesis 49:10
"But the sure
foundation of GOD stands firm..."
2Timothy 2:19
"The Lord knows how
to deliver the GOD-fearing from temptation and to reserve the wicked for torment
on the day of Judgment, but especially those who follow the flesh in unclean
lust
AND DESPISE AUTHORITY."
2Peter 2:9-10
"Unless the Lord build
the house, they labor in vain who build it."
Psalms
127:1
Here is a small sampling of the 33,800+ non-Catholic denominations, and the
dates of founding:
1521, Martin Luther started the Lutherans when he
broke away from the one true Church that had already existed for 15 centuries.
Prior to this time, the false doctrine of "Sola Scriptura", or "Bible only", had not
existed, and neither had the false man made doctrine of "Individual
Interpretation" of Holy Scripture.
1521, Thomas Munzer started Anabaptists
by breaking from Lutheranism in the same year.
1534, King Henry VIII started
the Church of England. (Anglican)
1536, John Calvin, teaching
predestination, formed the Calvinists.
1560, John Knox, who studied under
Luther, started Presbyterians.
1582, Congregationalists started by Rob
Brown, as a branch from Puritanism.
1609, John Smyth formed the Baptists.
They have severely splintered since then.
1739, John Wesley started the
Methodists, in a split from Anglicanism.
1774, Theophilus Lindley started
Unitarians.
1789, Samuel Seabury started Episcopalians.
1793-1809,
Churches of Christ had four separate founders.
1830, Joseph Smith founded the
Mormons in Palmyra New York.
1860, William Miller, a farmer, started the
Adventists.
1863, Ellen Gould White started the Seventh-Day
Adventists.
1865, William Booth started the Salvation Army.
1875, New Age
was started by Helena Blavatsky. *COL 2:8
1879, Mary Baker Eddy started
Christian Scientists.
1879, Charles Russell started the Jehovah's
Witnesses.
1895, French Abbe, Alfred Loisy and English Jesuit, George Tyrrell
started Modernism.
1900-1920, conservative Episcopalians, Lutherans,
Presbyterians, and Methodists,
formed a consortium, and
started Fundamentalism.
1901, Pentecostalism was started in the United
States. It has since split into many independents.
1914, Felix Manalo started
Iglesia ni Cristo.
1930, Independent Churches of America (IFCA), was formed
by a consortium of churches.
1952, L. Ron Hubbard started the Church of
Scientology.
1965, Chuck Smith began Calvary Chapel.
1968, Disciples of
Christ, started as a splinter of Churches of Christ.
1974, Ken Gullickson
started the Vineyard Christian Fellowship.
20th century. Assemblies of GOD,
and other splinter Pentecostal groups, are some of hundreds of new sects founded
by mere men.
Did GOD examine and approve the plans for all, or for even
one, of these splits in His Body?
"You shall
not do as we are now doing; here, everyone does what seems right to
himself..."
Deuteronomy 12:8, Judges 17:6, Judges
21:25
Isn't this the mindset of a lot of people today?
"I will do my own
thing."
"What 'feels good' for me is right for me."
"It does not matter
which Church I belong to."
A persons personal opinion has no bearing whatsoever on doctrinal
truth.
"Has Christ been divided up?"
1Corinthians 1:13
If there were only one Church then
Christ would not be divided, right?
"He who is
not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me
scatters."
Matthew 12:30
"And knowing their
thoughts Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against
itself will not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against
himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?""
Matthew 12:25-26
Isn't this exactly what is happening to non-Catholic ecclesial
communities? They are imploding due to these never ending splits. The splinters
are getting smaller and smaller, and eventually if this keeps up, each member
theoretically will be his own ecclesial community.
Did any of these
people receive authority from GOD to form their own ecclesial
communities?
Did any of these people receive authority from Holy Scripture to
form their own ecclesial communities?
"Behold
I am against the prophets, said the Lord, who use their tongues, and say: The
Lord said it. Behold I am against the prophets that have lying dreams, said the
Lord, and tell them, and cause my people to err by their lying, and by their
wonders, when I sent them not, nor commanded them, who have not profited this
people at all, said the Lord."
Jeremiah
23:31-32
"But there were false prophets also
among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who
privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their
pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of."
2Peter 2:1-2
"But these men deride whatever they do not know; and the things
they know by instinct like the dumb beasts, become for them a source of
destruction."
2Peter 2:12, Jude 1:10
How
many non-Catholics have derided Catholic beliefs without even trying to
understand them?
"These are grumbling
murmurers walking according to their lusts. And haughty in speech, they
cultivate people for the sake of gain. But as for you, beloved, be mindful
of the words that have been spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who kept saying to you that at the end of time there will come scoffers,
walking impiously according to their lusts. These are they who set themselves
apart, sensual men, not having the Spirit."
Jude 1:16-19
"Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary
to the doctrine which you have learned: and avoid them. For they that are
such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and
fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."
Romans 16:17-18
"Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build
it."
Psalms 127:1
Did the Lord build any of the houses listed above?
"But when he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will teach you all the
truth."
John 16:13
Most non-Catholic sects declare that the Holy Spirit
is "teaching" them the truth. However, there can be only one truth. Since the
advent of Sola Scriptura and individual interpretation of Scripture, how can the
Holy Spirit be in each of the thousands of sects, teaching all of them opposing
viewpoints? It is to be noted that all of the following denominations teach from
the same Bible, so why the differences in teaching?
1. How can
the Holy Spirit tell the Lutherans the Eucharist is the true presence of Christ,
and then tell the Baptists it is only a symbol?
2. How can the Holy Spirit tell the
Methodists it is alright to have female ministers, and then tell the Baptists it
is unbiblical?
3. How
can the Holy Spirit tell the Seventh-Day Adventists that Saturday is the day of
worship, and then tell the Presbyterians the day of worship is Sunday and not
Saturday?
4. How can
the Holy Spirit tell the Lutherans that the Blessed Virgin Mary was and remains
always virgin, and then tell the Baptists she had other
children?
5. How can
the Holy Spirit tell the Baptists, "once saved always saved", and then tell the
Church of Christ that Sola Fides is unscriptural?
6. How can the Holy Spirit tell
Episcopalians to baptize infants and then tell Pentecostals infant baptism is
invalid?
7. How can the
Holy Spirit tell Mormons that the Holy Trinity is three separate persons, and
then tell Methodists the Trinity is three persons in one GOD?
I could
make a much longer list than I have posted here because every theological
doctrine, except for the existence of GOD, which is taught by one non-Catholic
church is denied by another. What does this show us, other than utter chaos and
flummox, in the aftermath of the reformation?
Who, in all of these
non-Catholic ecclesial communities, has the authority to adjudicate the many
doctrinal disputes which have arisen between them? Can anyone answer this
one?
Doesn't this seem to be reminiscent of the Tower of Babel story in
Genesis 11:1-9, which brought with it similar consequences?
"Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am your GOD. I
have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of My Just One
hath upheld thee. Behold all that fight against thee shall be confounded
(split into 33,800 pieces maybe?) and ashamed, they shall be as nothing, and the men shall perish
that strive against thee."
Isaias
41:10-11
"And they shall fight against thee,
and shall not prevail, for I am with thee, said the Lord, to deliver
thee."
Jeremiah 1:19
"They shall go about seeking the Word of the Lord, and shall not
find it."
Amos 8:12
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather
with me scatters."
Matthew 12:30
What does this
verse mean? It says that Jesus is the gatherer (John 10:16), and that those who
are against him are the scatterers. Who are the scatterers here?
Aren't they
the founders of the 33,800 sects, the ones who have split and scattered the
flock?
"Woe to the pastors that destroy and
scatter the sheep of my pasture, said the Lord."
Jeremiah 23:1
Who is the "author of confusion" and who is
not?
Did you remember 1Corinthians 14:33?
Do those who say "The Holy
Spirit prompted me", realize that it is one of three spirits which is actually
doing the "prompting"?
They are:
1. The Holy Spirit.
2. The human
spirit within each one of us.
3. An evil, or demonic spirit.
These
spirits must be discerned, as we are obliged by Holy Scripture to test all
spirits.
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are of GOD; because many false prophets
have gone forth into the world."
1John
4:1
The testing can be easily done, as we have the Word of GOD with which
to discern the spirits.
If the prompting is contrary to the teaching of Holy
Scripture, then most assuredly, it is NOT coming from the Holy Spirit.
That leaves us with only two choices, neither of which is from
GOD.
"And every
spirit that severs Jesus, is not of GOD, but
is of antichrist
of whom you have heard that he is coming, and
now is already in the
world."
1John 4:3.
I would say this verse is
completely ignored by those who sever Jesus by forming their own ecclesial
communities wouldn't you? Doesn't this prove that they do not follow Holy
Scripture? Doesn't it sound more like 'cultivating
people for the sake of gain' as shown in Jude 1:16
earlier in this file?
In Saint Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians 1:22-23,
when he mentions the "Body", he refers to the Body of Christ, His one and only
Church.
"And all things he made subject under his
feet, and him he gave as head over all the Church, which indeed is his body, the
completion of him who fills all with all."
In
Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul said, "One Body (meaning ONE Church only), One
Spirit,...One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One GOD and Father of
all..."
Were the ecclesial communities listed earlier, founded by mere men or
women, creatures of GOD?
Did any of these persons have GOD given Biblical
authority to found a church? Bible verse please?
Is forsaking John 10:16, and
John 17:20-23, contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture? Yes, yes!
Is
forsaking Romans 15:5-6, or 1Corinthians 1:10, or Philippians 1:27, or Ephesians
4:1-6, contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture? Yes, yes, yes, and yes, you
bet it is!
We can deduce with confidence, that if the spirit we just
tested is not the Holy Spirit,
then it can only be one of our two remaining
choices, both of which are spirits of the false prophet.
Following are some quotes from the Fathers of the Early Church.
I would
suggest that you should read this file before continuing.
"Owing to
the sudden and repeated calamities and misfortunes which have befallen us, we
must acknowledge that we have been somewhat tardy in turning our attention to
the matters in dispute among you, beloved; and especially that abominable and
unholy sedition, alien and foreign to the elect of GOD, which a few rash and
self-willed persons have inflamed to such madness that your venerable and
illustrious name, worthy to be loved by all men, has been greatly
defamed."
Saint Clement of Rome, the fourth Bishop of Rome (88-97 A.D.)...
The Address to
the Letter to the Corinthians, 97 A.D..
"Accept our councel and you will have
nothing to regret."
Letter to the Corinthians 58:2, 97 A.D.
"Do not
err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church,
he shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
St. Ignatius of
Antioch...
Epistle to the Philadelphians, chapter III. 105 A.D.
"It is
of necessity, then, that these aformentioned heretics, because they are blind to
the truth, walk in various and devious paths; and on this account the vestiges
of their doctrine are scattered about without agreement or connection."
Saint
Irenaeus...
Against Heresies, 5,20,1, J257, 180 A.D.
"There is not
enough time in the day for me to recite even the names
of all the various
sects of heretics."
Saint Ambrose of Milan...
The Mystery of the Lord's
Incarnation, 5,35, 382 A.D.
"Heretics bring sentence upon themselves
since they by their own choice withdraw from the Church, a withdrawal which,
since they are aware of it, constitutes damnation."
Saint
Jerome...
Commentaries on the Epistle to Titus, 3,10, J1371a, 386
A.D.
"Let us note that 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...
Letter to Serapion of Thmuis, 359 A.D..
"It is therefore, the Catholic Church alone which retains true worship.
This is the fountain of truth; this, the domicile of faith; this the temple of
GOD. Whoever does not enter there or whoever does not go out from here, he is a
stranger to the hope of life and salvation... Because, however, all the various
groups of heretics are confident that they are the Christians, and think that
theirs is the Catholic Church, let it be known: that is the true Church, in
which there is confession and penance, and which takes a salubrious care of sins
and wounds to which the weak flesh is subject."
Lactantius...
The Divine
Institutions, 304 A.D..
"The Church, instituted by the Lord and
confirmed by the Apostles, is one for all men; but the frantic folly of the
diverse impious acts sects has cut them off from her. It cannot be denied that
this tearing asunder of the faith has arisen from the defect of poor
intelligence, which twists what is read to conform to its opinion, instead of
adjusting its opinion to the meaning of what is read. However, while individual
parties fight among themselves, the Church stands revealed not only by her own
doctrines, but by those also of her adversaries. And although they are all
arranged against her, she confutes the most wicked error which they all share,
by the very fact that she is alone and One. All the heretics, therefore, come
against the Church; but while all the heretics can conquer each other, they can
win nothing for themselves. For their victory is the triumph of the Church over
all of them. One heresy struggles against that teaching of another, which the
faith of the Church has already condemned in the other heresy, - for there is
nothing which the heretics hold in common, and the result is that they affirm
our faith while fighting among themselves."
Saint Hilary of Poitiers...
The Trinity, 7:4, 356 A.D.
"We must hold to the Christian religion
and to communication in her Church which is Catholic, and which is called
Catholic not only by her members but even by all her enemies. For when heretics
or the adherents of schisms talk about her, not among themselves but with
strangers, willy-nilly they call her nothing else but Catholic. For they would
not be understood unless they distinguish her by this name which the whole world
employs in her regard."
Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo...
The True
Religion, 7,12, 397 A.D.
"What the soul is to man's body, the Holy
Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church. The Holy Spirit does in
the whole Church what the soul does in all members of one body. But see what you
must beware of, see what you must take note of, see what you must fear. It
happens that in the human body, or rather, off the body, some member, whether
hand, finger, or foot, may be cut away. And if a member be cut off, does the
soul go with it? When the member was in the body, it lived; and off, its life is
lost. So too, a Christian man is Catholic while he lives in the body; cut off,
he is made a heretic; the Spirit does not follow an amputated member."
Saint
Augustine of Hippo...
Sermons, 267, 4, 391-430 A.D.
"Nothing under the sun is new."
Remember Ecclesiastes 1:10?
"Unless the Lord build
the house,
they labor in vain who build it."
Psalms 127:1
What Saint Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) had to say:
The
Unity of the Catholic Church (251 A.D.)
Chapter 7, the Seamless
Tunic
This sacrament of unity, this bond of
concord inseparably connected is shown, when in the Gospel the tunic of the Lord
Jesus Christ is not at all divided and is not torn, but by those who cast lots
for the garment of Christ, who rather might have put on Christ, a sound garment
is received, and an undamaged and undivided tunic is possessed. Divine Scripture
speaks and says: 'Now of the tunic, since it was woven throughout from the upper
part without seam, they said to one another: "Let us not tear it, but let us
cast lots for it, whose it shall be (John 19:24)." ' He bore the unity that came
down from the upper part, that is, that came down from heaven and the Father,
which could not all be torn by him who received and possessed it, but he
obtained it whole once for all and a firmness inseparably solid. He cannot possess the garment of Christ who tears and divides the
Church of Christ. Then on the other hand when at
the death of Solomon his kingdom and people were torn asunder, Ahias the prophet
met King Jeroboam in the field and tore his garment into twelve pieces (1King
11:29), saying: 'Take to thee ten pieces, for thus saith the Lord: "Behold I
rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten scepters,
but two scepters shall remain to him for the sake of my servant David and for
the sake of Jerusalem the city which I have chosen, that I may place my name
there." When the twelve tribes of Israel were torn asunder, the prophet Ahias
rent his garment. But because the people of Christ cannot be torn asunder, His
tunic woven and united throughout was not divided by those who possessed it.
Undivided, joined, connected it shows the coherent concord of us who have put on
Christ. By the sacrament and sign of His garment, He has declared the unity of
the Church.
"Unless the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain who build it."
Psalms 127:1
"For other foundation
no one can lay, but
that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus."
1Corinthians
3:11
Some other interesting remarks made by
Martin Luther...
About The Blessed Virgin Mary...
"The great thing
is none other than that she became the Mother of God; in which process so many
and such great gifts were bestowed upon her that no one is able to comprehend
them. Thereupon follows all honor, all blessedness, and the fact that in the
whole race of men only one person is above all the rest, one to whom no one else
is equal. For that reason her dignity is crowded into a single phrase when we
call her the Mother of God; no one can say greater things of her or to her, even
if he had as many tongues as leaves and blades of grass, as the stars in heaven
and sands on the seashore. It must also be meditated in the heart what it means
to be the Mother of God."
Die Erklarung des Magnificat - 1521.
The first
Protestant loved and honored the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of GOD, as did
the other reformers. Why have the heirs of Protestantism drifted away from the
teaching of their founders?
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