I. The Catholic View of the Nature of the Church.

1. The Visible Church, page 7,"The Catholic church is a visible church, a society instituted by God, and worshiping him by external observances which have developed into a complex ritual." This quotation reveals four claims of the Catholic church.

a. It is The Church

b. The only true worship is their "complex ritual."

c. One must be Catholic in order to be Christian.

d. The church is composed of those who embrace the external Catholic church, who have submitted them selves to the hierarchy of the Catholic church and who practice that "complex ritual."

2. The Bible Church and not the Catholic church.

a. Scriptural References.

1) Ephesians 1:20-23 - Jesus is the head of the church. The church is His body.

2) Ephesians 2:11-13; 4:1-7; 5:25-27 all refer to the church. In these the head over body relationship is seen.

3) Acts 20:28, -The Church is a blood bought institution.

4) Hebrews 12:28 - The Church is the heavenly Jerusalem.

b. Seven Characteristics of the True Church in the Bible.

1) "The true church" is a spiritual body and not a political body.

2) "Jesus Himself is the head and the founder of the church".

3) "The True Church was established once for all on the Day of Pentecost at Jerusalem."

4) " The terms of admission into the church were announced once for all."

5) " The ordinances of worship are prescribed in the NT."

6) "There is only one Divinely-given organization in the NT and that organization has Elders, Deacons, Ministers and practices local autonomy.

7) "The Church is held together by apostolic doctrine." Acts 2:42.

II. THE VIEW OF CATHOLICS CONCERNING THE RELATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT TO CHRISTIANS TODAY.

Catholics believe we live by the whole Bible rather than rightly dividing it into Old and New covenants.

1. The Old Covenant is no more.

a. The Old Covenant was given only to Jews (Ephesians 2;11-12 and Romans 2:14.

b. The Old Covenant was temporary, to last only until Christ came. Galatians 3:19; 24-25; 2nd Cor. 3:14

c. The Old Covenant and all of its trappings were only a shadow and not reality in itself. (Heb. 10:4ff).

2. Were the Ten Commandments Part of the Old Covenant Which was done away with?

a. Exodus 20:10 - The keeping of the Sabbath Day was one of the Ten commandments.

b. Nehemiah 9:13-14 - Nehemiah mentions that the Sabbath was "made known," on Sinai, thus it was not an external covenant from the beginning.

c. Deuteronomy 5:1-14; the covenant was not made before Horeb and included the Sabbath.

d. Exodus 34:28, the Ten Commandments were the Old covenant.

e. Deuteronomy 4:13 - The covenant, the Ten Commandments, the two tables of stone are all one in the same.

f. Deuteronomy 9:9-11 - The tables of the covenant are the tables of stone.

g. 1st Kings 8:9-21 - In the Ark of the Covenant were the tables.

h. Jeremiah 31:31ff - God will make a New Covenant different from the Old Covenant. This is quoted in Hebrews 8:6-16.

i. Conclusion, we do not live by the Old Covenant.

III. CATHOLIC THEOLOFY

A. THE CATHOLIC VIEW OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. The Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit is still working through the pronouncements given by the Pope.

2. The Holy Spirit works primarily through the Word of God. (1st Cor. 1:21 and Romans 10:17; Acts 11:14).

B. THE CATHOLIC VIEW OF THE RELATIOSHIP BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE INDIVIDUAL.

1. The Catholic church does not give the individual any freedom.

2. There is no place for any teachings but Catholic teachings.

C. THE CATHOLIC VIEW OF MIRACLES

1. Catholics Claim to Perform Miracles.

a. They honor relics of the martyrs associating miracles with bones of the martyrs and artifacts of the early church.

b. Relics are sold in Europe claiming to have special power.

D. The Scriptures Teach:

a. Miracles in the 1st century were performed to confirm the Word of God...

b. But in 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-10, we learn it is possible for deceiving things to happen.

c. Also in Matthew 7:20-23, Jesus said that not all who do miracles are children of God.

d. There is a pattern of Apostolic truth in the New Testament. Acts 2:42

e. John said not to believe every spirit, but the apostles are the standard (1st John 4:1,6).

f. Hebrews 2:2-4 - God bear them witness.

g. Galatians 1:6-10 - The only teachings we are allowed to follow are those the apostles taught.

E. Miracles Claimed by Many Now.

a. We live by apostolic teachings that have already been confirmed.

b. Reject any teachings contrary to their word if it is accompanied by a so-called miracle.

I. THE CATHOLIC CONCEPT OF WORSHIP.

1. Terms of Catholic Worship.

a. Sacraments - there are seven.

b. Sacramentals - there are thirteen

c. Feast signify mourning

d. Festivals signify rejoicing.

e. Special books.

f. Etc.

2. Definitions of the Key Concept of Worship -

Sacerdotalism

a. Basic Idea - God works only through the hands of the priests.

b. Sacramentalism refers to acts of worship by the priests.

3. A Study of the Seven Sacraments.

a. The Catholic Sacrament of Baptism.

1) They say the purpose is to remove the Original Sin.

a) Romans 5:12 is falsely interpreted to that that all men have Adam's original sin (no, because all have sinned)

b) The Catholics believe that babies are born sinful and interpret Ephesians 2:3 to teach so. (we were objects of wrath before Christ and not anything else).

2) A Refutation of this

a) Paul taught in Romans 5 that Christ reversed what Adam done.

b) Guilt (sin) is not transferable (Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 7:9, 13; 1st John 3:4 and James 1:13).

3) They teach infants Need Baptism to Remove the Original sin.

a) They try and substantiate this with Scriptures such as the ones that record 'household' baptisms.

b) Infant baptism in not even remotely suggested in the Bible.

4) The Catholic ceremony of baptizing an infant has no part in the Bible.

a) The ceremony

b) What the Bible does teach about Baptism.

II. The Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation.

A. The ceremony of laying on of hands.

B. The purpose is to bestow the Holy Spirit.

C. They justify this with Acts 8:14-17; 19:5-6; Hebrews 6:1-3 and more.

D. In Refutation, only the apostles could grant the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. (see Acts 8:14-20; 2nd Cor. 12:12; 2nd Tim. 1:6 and Romans 1:11).

E. Another New Testament laying on of hands is to appoint to a position as in 1st Thess. 4:14 and others.

III. The Catholic Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

1. There are six major parts to this doctrine.

a) The real presence of the body of Christ in the bread of the Lord's Supper is thought to be supported by John 6:52 (never mind that John the 6th chapter is the Peace offering).

b) Transubstantiation is the idea that by the priests blessing the bread it becomes the actual body of Christ (bless this bread, not give thanks).

c) The sacrifice of mass is the presentation of the flesh of Christ to God as a perpetual sacrifice of the body of Christ, thought to be supported by Genesis 24:18ff.

d) Communion under one Kind is the serving of only the bread to the communicant and not the wine, based on the supposition

that since the bread is actually the body of Christ, the blood will be in the flesh and is not needed separately.

e) The Worship of the Host.-is the lifting up of the trans substantiated bread (host) and the worshiping of it, which is thought to be the actual Lord.

f) Only an ordained priest can administer the Holy Eucharist or Mass.

IV. The Teachings of the Bible.

A. John 6:26ff is not a reference to the Lord's supper in any fashion but rather a reference to the Peace Offering of Leviticus chapter 3, in that John says that Jesus became our Peace Offering.

B. 1st Corinthians 11:25 - transubstantiation did not take place.

C. Matthew 26:29 - Jesus give thanks, and did not bless it.

E. John 2:1-11 - the water turned to wine (an actual transubstantiation ) was no mystery to those around.

V. The SACRIFICE of Mass was to be repeated but this contradicts the Bible.

A. Hebrews 1:3 - After Christ's sacrifice, He sat down at the right hand of God.

B. Hebrews 6:6 - Christ is not to be crucified again and again.

C. Hebrews 7:25 - Christ is ever living and never dying.

D. Hebrews 9:12 - Jesus entered the Most Holy place only once.

E. Hebrews 10:10 - Jesus was offered once and for all.

F. Hebrews 10:12 - He offered one sacrifice for sin forever.

VI. The Catholic Sacrament of Auricular Confession.

1) Penance.

a) The believe is that the church can remit sins or refuse to remit sins based on John 20:21 and Matthew 16:19.

b) Penance means that the priest in the place of God c an forgive sin and give the sinner some act to removed said sin.

2) A Refutation of this.

a) This doctrine assumes apostolic succession.

b) God does not remember or punish sins He has forgiven. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Micah 7:18-19).

c) Hebrews 10:19 that we can boldly come before God without a priest.

d. James 5:16 - confess our faults one to another and not the priest.

e. Acts 8:18-24 - Simon was told to pray to God for himself.

VII. The Catholic Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

1) Extreme Unction is supposed to cleanse a man/woman from sin before they did and is based on James 5:14-15.

a) Elders, not priest are mentioned in this passage.

b) No ritual or formula is given.

VIII. The Catholic Sacrament of Holy Orders.

1) This is the ordination of men to certain offices to qualify them to perform their duties as priests.

2) They assume succession back to the apostles.

3) 1st Peter 2:5, all Christians are priests.

IX. The Catholic Sacrament of Marriage.

1) No Marriage is acceptable before God unless it is performed by a Catholic Priest.

2) Ephesians 5:23-31; Matthew 19:4-6. The Bible does not teach that a priest much perform a marriage ceremony.

Conclusion:

We can come boldly before the presence of God without the sacerdotal system of the Catholic hierarchy (Hebrews 10:19; 4:14-16).