Whoever Does Not Gather With Me Scatters
By Janina Leone
“The Lord Jesus goes up only into the Ark of the Church. This ship preserves safe from harm all those it carries within it. We have a true figure of this in the Old Testament; for, as all whom Noah took with him in the ark were saved. So when the world shall be destroyed with fire, the Church of Peter will keep safe within her everyone she cherishes as her own.”
-St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 339-397 AD.
“Religion and labels are divisive. All I need is a personal relationship with Jesus.” These words are so often declared in the modern world with negligible contemplation. Sincere Christianity, the true religion, is not divisive, but false religion and false doctrine are. Today, our society is swimming with the effects and belief systems of relativism. Relativism is defined and summed up in these words: whether in faith or morals, what you believe is good for you, and what I believe is good for me. In relativism, there is no objective truth or objective error. Relativism is an error that derives from the synthesis of all errors called modernism. Modernism itself is the philosophical child of Protestantism and Freemasonry. Since Christ stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” His Church which He founded, must be the foundation of truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 confirms this by saying, “if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”
The Bible describes the Church as the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15), which cannot apply to simply any church. Otherwise, this would mean that Christ founded multiple denominations with varying doctrines. This is an impossibility because if Christ founded various denominations, all teaching different (and oftentimes conflicting) doctrines, this would follow a template of relativism instead of dogmatic truth. Christ is absolute truth, and He is the head of His Church. Colossians 1:18 states, “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” As the head, He cannot be the head of a Church with false doctrine. It is not Catholicism that is divisive; it is false religions with false doctrines, such as Protestantism, which is founded upon relativism. When an anti-Catholic says, “There IS no such thing as the true Church,” they assume the same position Pontius Pilate took when he said to Jesus Christ, “What is truth?”
John 18: 3 7-38 Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice. Pilate saith to him: What is truth? . . .
If Jesus is truth and started one Church with one doctrine, there must be a true Church. That Church was founded by Jesus Christ in 33 AD, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Paul describes this one Church as one body with one faith in Ephesians 4. Christ commanded that His sheep be of one body, one faith, one mind, and one heart. This is why Jesus gave Peter (the first Pope) the keys to the kingdom and says of His Church, “He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me” (Luke 10:16). He also says of His Church in Matthew 18:16-17, “But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
How does this passage apply to someone who says, “There is no true Church.” “All Churches belong to Jesus.” “I don’t like religion; it divides. I just have a relationship with Jesus.” If we are going off the model and template given to us in Scripture describing the Church and the one body, how does this work for a Protestant or a non-denominationalist? If you are a Protestant and will not hear the Church, all you have to do is drive down the street to another denomination. If Pastor Bob’s Grace Baptist Chapel doesn’t suit your tastes, all you have to do is go a block down the road and attend Pastor Rick’s United Methodist Church. Both churches will have two different doctrines on which they are not united, both man-made traditions, and the Protestant will not have to listen to the Church as Christ instructed us to do because to the Protestant, where we go to Church is relative to our tastes and our individual preferences, not where Christ commands us. And if Pastor Rick's Church does not suit your tastes, because the Holy Spirit convicts you to a different teaching than his, then you can even just start your own Church, and be your own Authority. It is not religion that is divisive: it is relativism and denominationalism. Christ commanded unity. How can we have unity if we are not united in doctrine?
Jesus warns us of false sects and false doctrine:
Matthew 7:21-23 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
1 Timothy 4:16 - Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
2 John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Galatians 1:8 - But even if we or an angel from Heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
2 Peter 2:1 - But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there shall be among you lying teachers, who shall bring in sects of perdition, and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon themselves swift destruction."
2 Timothy 4:3-4 - For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Titus 2:1 - But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
Ephesians 4:14 - So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
1 Timothy 6:3-5 - If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and strifes of words; from which arise envies, contentions, blasphemies, evil suspicions, conflicts of men corrupted in mind, and who are destitute of the truth, supposing gain to be godliness.
Romans 16:17 - I appeal to you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
Titus 1:9 - He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
If all beliefs among those who profess Jesus Christ as their Savior are equal and all people who attend church are Christians, why does the Bible warn us not only to hold fast to sound doctrine but to rebuke those who contradict it? If you have more than one Church or more than one doctrine, who is telling the truth? And who is the pillar and foundation of truth the Bible claims is the Church Christ founded? Who is the heretic, who is the infidel, and who is the one telling the truth? Who has the true Gospel?
When Protestants are told that correct doctrine matters, some will often counter with an argument along the lines of, "Well, it certainly is not the Catholic Church that is the true Church! They worship Mary and sell indulgences!" This rebuttal fails for three reasons.
One: Since the Church can trace herself back to Jesus directly, this means automatically that their claims must be false. Otherwise, they would be implying that Jesus taught worship of Mary or selling of Indulgences, which would be sacrilegious to claim.
Two: When we accuse Protestants of believing heretical doctrines such as Bible Alone or Faith Alone, they agree with us, since it is what they believe, but when they claim we worship Mary or teach selling Indulgences, we disagree with them, since we find no Magisterial source instructing us to believe such things. If anything, we find such teachings condemned as heretical.
Three: They sadly confuse veneration of Mary with worship of her as if she is a deity. They could have learned what we really believed had they studied the issue a little better. They think we teach selling Indulgences, when the reality is the Council of Trent condemned the practice and placed severe penalties on any clergy who was ever involved with it.
Some may say, “Well, we all agree on the essentials,” but this is far from true. If there is not one Church giving dogmatic decrees on areas and faith and morals, no one will ever agree on what is essential at all. If the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim 3:15), who should we listen to on issues like birth control, contraception, divorce/remarriage, end-times eschatology, infant baptism, women as priests, and more? Sound doctrine matters to Jesus Christ, or He would have never found the need to impress this upon us throughout the New Testament. “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!” insisted St. Jerome, translator of the Bible in the fourth century. If we want to know Christ and have a genuine relationship with Him, it is pivotal to heed what He tells us by listening to His warnings. If Scripture is inspired and without error, then we cannot reject these warnings. Jesus and His Apostles also describe the body of believers as being one in thought with one faith (one doctrine):
Ephesians 4:3-5 - Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of All.
Matthew 12:30 - He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
Acts 4:32-33 - All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
1 Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
1 Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
John 10:1 - Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
John 10:16 - I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
John 17: 20-23 - That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as we also are one: I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me.
Does the Protestant (non-Catholic) model of unity mirror the unity we see throughout Scripture, where Christ prays to His Father that His people be one in mind, body, soul, and doctrine? How can it? Protestants lack unity in doctrine. This is precisely why Christ founded one body with one faith. Today it is estimated that there are 45,000 Protestant denominations, all teaching a different set of doctrine, but all claiming to be Christian. Our Lord warned against divisions and denominations. As we see above in John 17, He prayed to His Father that His people would be one.
Joe Moreaux of Return of the King states, “Does the New Testament depict a Protestant model of denominationalism or a Christian model of unity? The Protestant model would mean that we would see the Apostles each starting different denominations, and each would have variations and disagreements on doctrinal teachings. One might find, for example, James teaching his congregation that infant Baptism is good, while John would be teaching his congregation that infant Baptism was false. We would also see new believers, like the converts in Corinth, reading their own Bibles and determining for themselves what they thought the Holy Spirit was revealing to them. We wouldn't see any Councils with oversight from the Apostles since all the new believers would be successors of the Apostles. Each faction would determine for itself what their thought was on a question of doctrine. Joe from Corinth, who converted yesterday, would have the same authority as Peter and Paul and anyone else who was a believer. And if Joe from Corinth disagrees with Jim from Ephesus, they would each start their own new denominations, provided that both still have faith that Christ rose from the dead.”
To protest against the one Church Christ founded is to be against the one body with one faith, one mind, and one heart. It is to strike against the doctrine of the one shepherd with one flock. It is to be against Christ Himself and to be anti-Christ. To be outside of the one body is also the largest stumbling block for those who do not believe in Jesus, as they now believe Christians do not have unity. If we love Christ and profess faith in Him, then we are bound by His teachings and the teachings of His Apostles. This teaching has endured since Christ and His Apostles first gave it and remains the pillar and foundation of truth to this day and for all time. In fact, the Apostles condemned those who went out without their authorization and taught contrary teachings:
We read of the first church council in the Acts of the Apostles. The matter of circumcision had come up regarding Gentile believers, and Paul and Barnabas had a dispute. They could not agree on what should be done. Did they whip out their Bibles to see what the Bible teaches? Well…. There were no Bibles. There wasn’t an official teaching on the matter. So what did they do? They went to Jerusalem and met with the other Apostles to debate the issue. After much debate, they concluded that Gentiles should not have to be circumcised as a requirement to belong to the church. Please read all of Acts 15. Here is the letter written by the Apostles to the believers:
Acts 15:21-31 - “Then the Apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. With them, they sent the following letter: ‘The Apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.' So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.”
The Apostles decided the doctrine as they alone had the authority to do, and they condemned those who went out from them without their authorization (Acts 15:24). The Holy Spirit guided their decision then, and the Holy Spirit has been guiding the Church of Peter, Paul and the Apostles ever since. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of St. John the Apostle, emphasizes the need for unity in 110 AD right before his martyrdom by saying,
“For all who belong to God and Jesus Christ are with the bishop; all who repent and return to the unity of the Church will also belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not be deceived, my brothers. If anyone follows a schismatic, he will not obtain the inheritance of God’s kingdom; if anyone lives by an alien teaching, he does not assent to the passion of the Lord. Be careful, therefore, to take part only in the one Eucharist; for there is only one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one cup to unite us with his blood, one altar and one bishop with the presbyters and deacons, who are his fellow servants. Then, whatever you do, you will do according to God.”
If you are not Catholic, can you check off the following boxes about your Church from the New Testament template of the Church described in it?
“My church has existed in every generation.” (Ephesians 3:21)
“My church devotes itself to the apostle’s teaching and to the breaking of bread.” (Acts 2:42)
“My church offers the sacrifice of the mass every day” (Malachi 1:11) (Daniel 12:11)
“My church teaches the same doctrine that can be found in the Bible with the same church model described in it. (no divisions = no denominations). (1 Corinthians 1:10)
“My church is universal.” (click here)
“My church binds and looses.” (Matthew 16:17-19, Matthew 18)
“My church has the power to forgive sins.” (John 20:20-23)
“My church still has bishops who are successors of the original apostles.” Acts 20:28
“My church speaks with the voice of Christ.” (Luke 10:16)
In order to have a relationship with Jesus Christ the way He asks us to, we need to be aware that false doctrine can place a wedge between ourselves and Him, and since He is all Truth, so must His divinely appointed Church be. How can we have a good relationship with Jesus without sound doctrine and being part of the one body, especially since Jesus Himself and His very Apostles closest to His heart command us to have one doctrine? If Jesus is the head of the one body, the groom, and we are the bride, how do we know with certainty that we will be saved if we are not part of the one sheepfold?
John 10:1-20 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
This one sheepfold is His universal (Catholic) Church. Jesus says He has sheep in other folds, but it is imperative that they enter the one sheepfold. Jesus Christ instituted the sacraments, which are a means to salvation and grace. To many, these are mere rituals, but to Catholics, these are the fountain of salvation. The Bible does not ever say that all we need is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to be saved, but it does say regarding the Church: “Whoever hears you hears me and whoever rejects you rejects me” (Luke 10:16) and “If he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the pagan and tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). While many ask, “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” Scripture does not command us explicitly to do this, but it does command us to have sound doctrine and receive the sacraments from the Church in order for Christ to abide in us. Christ Himself gave these sacraments to His Church:
1. John 6:54-58 - Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me
2. John 3:5 - Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
3. John 20:21-23 - He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.
Does your church offer you all of these sacraments? The sacraments given to the Church, such as the Eucharist, Baptism, and Confession, were all instituted by Jesus himself. We have a relationship with Christ by abiding in His will. He deemed that there should be one body with one faith and saw fit that we receive these signs of salvation in order to receive Him. Because many misunderstand the sacraments and refuse them, they do not realize that in doing so, they reject the very grace that will sanctify them. They are rejecting Christ’s Church, to whom Christ gave authority to administer these sacraments and speak with His voice. The Church is Christ’s Bride, and it is necessary to be in the one body to be saved…the Body is subject to Christ, as are all things. When Christ called the apostles to Himself in the pages of the New Testament, did He tell Peter, “I just want my own unique relationship with you and that’s it,” and then tell Matthew, “I just want my own unique relationship with you and that is all you need,”? No- He had a unique and personal relationship with each one of them, but He called them together, and then said, “Two by two”, and sent them out to different cities and regions to go preach the same Gospel and cast out demons. They all worked together in groups preaching the same Gospel going out into the world. He wants His worship unified for the world to see and their doctrine, which is why in John 17 He prays to His Father, “That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” That is why we are called the wedding feast, the bride, and the body. This is why St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:21, “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”” No, we have to be one. Jesus does want a personal relationship with us, but He wants us to be part of His family and part of His one Church so the world will know He was sent by the Father.
When an anti-Catholic claims that the Church Christ founded, the Catholic Church, became corrupted and fell off the tracks in the early centuries, they make a liar out of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit:
Matthew 16:18 - And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Ephesians 3:21 - to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
John 16:13 - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (for context, this is speaking to the one Church).
John 14:18 - I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
1 Timothy 3:15 - if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Protestantism and non-denominationalism are houses built on sinking sand. Jesus Christ built His Church on St. Peter, the rock. What is truly divisive is the notion that we are free to derive our own doctrines, or lack thereof, from Scripture as long as we have a personal relationship with Christ (relativism). This has led to the fracturing of the faith into tens of thousands of sects of so-called “Christianity.” Objective truth is only divisive to those who refuse to accept it or to those who refuse to have faith in the words of our Lord when he promised never to leave His bride. When a Protestant says “labels are divisive”… it is a false label that is divisive and scatters. “Christian is my name, and Catholic my surname. The one designates me, while the other makes me specific. Thus am I attested and set apart. When we are called Catholics it is by this appellation that our people are kept apart from any heretical name",”- St Pacion of Barcelona, Letter to Sympronian, 375 AD.
A relationship with Jesus absent of obedience to His commandments and submission to His authority, exercised through His Church, is no relationship at all. It’s a one-way road where we please our indulgences and sense of right and wrong. It is antithetical to the Gospel and distorts the core of the Christian message. To say there is only one body with one faith as Paul declared infallibly is not divisive. The one body and the one faith unify, where denominationalism and relativism divide. The early Christians did not believe that all you needed was a personal relationship with Jesus, and they had no problem appearing “divisive,” as evidenced in the quotes below:
St. Irenaeus, died 202 AD, 2nd generation disciple of St. John the Apostle: “The Church is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account, we are bound to avoid thieves and robbers… We hear it declared of the unbelieving and the blinded of this world that they shall not inherit the world of life which is to come… Resist them in defense of the only true and life giving faith, which the Church has received from the Apostles and imparted to her sons.”
Origen, died 253 AD: “Let no man deceive himself. Outside this house, that is, outside the Church no one is saved.”
St. Cyprian, died 258 AD: “He who has turned his back on the Church of Christ shall not come to the rewards of Christ; he is an alien, a worldling, an enemy. You cannot have God for your Father if you have not the Church for your mother. Our Lord warns us when He says: ‘he that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.’ Whosoever breaks the peace and harmony of Christ acts against Christ; whoever gathers elsewhere than in the Church scatters the Church of Christ… He who does not hold this unity, does not hold the law of God, does not hold the faith of the Father and the Son, does not hold life and salvation.”
Firmilean, died 269 AD: “What is the greatness of his error, and what the depth of his blindness, who says that remission of sins can be granted in the synagogues of heretics, and does not abide on the foundation of the one Church.”
Lactantius, died 310 AD: “It is the Catholic Church alone which retains true worship. This is the fountain of truth, this is the abode of the Faith, this is the temple of God; into which if anyone shall not enter, or from which if anyone shall go out, he is a stranger to the hope of life and eternal salvation.”
St. Hillary of Poitiers, 315-268 AD: “The Church is the ship outside which it is impossible to understand the Divine Word, for Jesus spoke from the boat to the people gathered on the shore.
St. Hillary of Poitiers, 315-268 AD: “The Church is the ark into which Jesus enters with all of His faithful followers. The sinner leaves the Church as the raven once left the ark.
St. Maximum, Bishop of Turin died 423 AD: Like Noah, we announce to you the coming of the end of the world, and we warn all men to take refuge in this Ark of the Church.
St. Augustine, died 430 AD: “The Church is a ship, and even if the ship is in difficulty, it is necessary that we should at least be in it.
St. Gaudentis, Bishop of Bescia 3rd Century: “It is certain that all men of Noah’s time perished, except those who merited to be in the ark, which was a figure of the Church. Likewise, they cannot in any way now be saved who are aliens from the apostolic faith and the Catholic Church.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, died 386 AD: “Abhor all heretics…heed not their fair speaking or their mock humility; for they are serpents, a ‘brood of vipers.’ Remember that, when Judas said ‘Hail Rabbi,’ the salutation was an act of betrayal. Do not be deceived by the kiss but beware of the venom. Abhor such men, therefore, and shun the blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, for whom there is no pardon. For what fellowship have you with men without hope. Let us confidently say to God regarding all heretics, ‘Did I not hate, O Lord, those who hated Thee, and did I not pine away because of Your enemies?’ For there is an enmity that is laudable, as it is written, ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed.’ Friendship with the serpent produces enmity with God, and death. Let us shun those from whom God turns away.”
St. Ambrose (died 397 AD): “Where Peter is therefore, there is the Church. Where the Church is there is not death but life eternal… Although many call themselves Christians, they usurp the name and do not have the reward.”
Bishop Niceta of Remesiana (died 415 AD): “He is the Way along which we journey to our salvation; the Truth, because He rejects what is false; the Life, because He destroys death… All who from the beginning of the world were, or are, or will be justified – whether Patriarchs, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or Prophets, whether Apostles or martyrs, or any others – make up one Church, because they are made holy by one faith and way of life, stamped with one Spirit, made into one Body whose Head, as we are told, is Christ. I go further. The angels and virtues and powers in heaven are co-members in this one Church, for, as the Apostle teaches us, in Christ ‘all things whether on the earth or in the heavens have been reconciled.’ You must believe, therefore, that in this one Church you are gathered into the Communion of Saints. You must know that this is the one Catholic Church established throughout the world, and with it you must remain in unshaken communion. There are, indeed, other so called ‘churches’ with which you can have no communion. …These ‘churches’ cease to be holy, because they were deceived by the doctrines of the devil to believe and behave differently from what Christ commanded and from the tradition of the Apostles.”
St. Jerome (died 420 AD): “As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is, with the Chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the Church is built… This is the ark of Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood prevails… And as for heretics, I have never spared them; on the contrary, I have seen to it in every possible way that the Church’s enemies are also my enemies.”
St. Augustine (died 430 AD): “No man can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church one can have everything except salvation. One can have honor, one can have the sacraments, one can sing alleluia, one can answer amen, one can have faith in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and preach it too, but never can one find salvation except in the Catholic Church.”
St. Fulgentius (died 533 AD): “Most firmly hold and never doubt that not only pagans, but also all Jews, all heretics, and all schismatics who finish this life outside of the Catholic Church, will go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
St. Bede the Venerable (died 735 AD): “Just as all within the ark were saved and all outside of it were carried away when the flood came, so when all who are pre-ordained to eternal life have entered the Church, the end of the world will come and all will perish who are found outside.”
St. Thomas Aquinas (died 1274 AD): “There is no entering into salvation outside the Church, just as in the time of the deluge there was none outside the ark, which denotes the Church.”
St. Peter Canisius (died 1597 AD): “Outside of this communion – as outside of the ark of Noah – there is absolutely no salvation for mortals: not for Jews or pagans who never received the faith of the Church, nor for heretics who, having received it, corrupted it; neither for the excommunicated or those who for any other serious cause deserve to be put away and separated from the body of the Church like pernicious members… for the rule of Cyprian and Augustine is certain: he will not have God for his Father who would not have the Church for his mother.”
St. Robert Bellarmine (died 1621 AD): “Outside the Church there is no salvation…therefore in the symbol [Apostles Creed] we join together the Church with the remission of sins: ‘I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins’… For this reason the Church is compared with the ark of Noah, because just as during the deluge, everyone perished who was not in the ark, so now those perish who are not in the Church.”
Pope Boniface VIII: “With Faith urging us we are forced to believe and to hold the one, holy, Catholic Church and that, apostolic, and we firmly believe and simply confess this Church outside of which there is no salvation nor remission of sin.”
Pope Pius VIII: “Indeed this deadly idea concerning the lack of difference among religions is refuted even by the light of natural reason. We are assured of this because the various religions do not often agree among themselves. If one is true, the other must be false; there can be no society of darkness with light. Against these experienced sophists the people must be taught that the profession of the Catholic faith is uniquely true, as the Apostle proclaims: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Pope Pius IX: “By Faith it is to be firmly held that outside the Apostolic Roman Church none can achieve salvation. This is the only ark of salvation. He who does not enter into it, will perish in the flood.”
Pope Pius XII: “Now among the things that the Church has always preached and that she never shall cease to teach, there is this infallible declaration that says that outside the Church there is no salvation.”
Pope St. Pius X condemned the following proposition: “Christ did not teach a determined body of doctrine applicable to all times and all men, but rather inaugurated a religious movement movement adapted or to be adapted to different times and place.” Restated and affirmed positively, Pius X taught that Our Lord taught a determined body of doctrine that applies to every generation and all humanity. Under the principles of Relativism, and the denominational model of Protestantism, one could never truly know Christ’s body of doctrine in its entirety. One person may think it is teaches one set of doctrines, while another disagrees and asserts it teaches a different set of doctrines. Neither one can ever know who has the correct interpretation. It is left up entirely to their own unique private judgment. This is not the Christianity we see revealed by Christ in the pages of the New Testament or extolled by the witness of the Early Church. Christianity is not divisive in this way. The factors which divide stem from the Protestant model. Remember the words of our Lord, “He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth” (Matthew 12:30). Abandon man made traditions and return back to the unity of the one Body and the one Faith.
33 AD - The Catholic Church -- Founded by: Jesus Christ in Jerusalem
1054 AD - The Eastern Orthodox Church, Schism of the Catholic Church
1517 AD - The Lutheran Doctrine - Founded by Martin Luther in Germany
1534 AD- The Anglican Church - Founded by King Henry VIII in England
1555 AD- The Calvanist Church - Founded by John Calvin in Switzerland
1560 AD - The Presbyterian Church - Founded by John Knox in Scotland
1582 AD - The Congregationalist Church- Founded by Robert Brown in Holland
1789 AD- The Episcopalian Church- Founded by Samuel Seabury in the American Colonies
1609 AD- The Baptist Church- Founded by John Smith in Amsterdam
1739 AD- The Methodist Episcopal Church- Founded by John and Charles Wesley in England
1800 AD- The United Brethren Church- Founded by Philip Otterbein and Martin Boehm in ML
1827 AD- The Disciples of Christ Church- Founded by Thomas and Alexander Campbell in Kentucky
1830 AD- The Mormon Church - Founded by Joseph Smith in New York
1863 AD – Seventh Day Adventist Church – founded by Ellen White
1865 AD- The Salvation Army Church- Founded by William Booth in London
1874 AD- The Jehovah's Witness Church- Founded by Charles Taze Russell in Pennsylvania
1879 AD- The Christian Science Church- Founded by Mary Baker Eddy in Boston
1917 AD- The Four Square Gospel Church- Founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in LA
1965 AD- The Calvary Chapel Church- Founded by Chuck Smith in Costa Mesa, CA
1972 AD- The Harvest Christian Church- Founded by Greg Laurie in Riverside, CA
1982 AD- The Saddleback Church- Founded by Rick Warren in Orange County, CA
