Origin Of Catholic Church

From at least AD 57 when Paul's letter to Rome was written there were competing bodies of Christian groups in Rome. Only one was faithful. There was a constant battle to be faithful to the teachings first delivered.

Rom 16:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to look out for those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.

Learned is past tense, they were not allowed to change the doctrines that had been delivered. Similar to II Thess 2:15.

Rom 16:18 For such people do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and through smooth speech and flattering, they deceive the hearts of the innocent.

By 57 AD there were already false Christians in Rome and other cities of the empire deceiving those who were unprepared. I do not believe they were well organized but I do believe they sought power and influence among the elect. It was this shell that eventually evolved into the Catholic body we know today.

It was through them that many of today's errors were promoted. It wouldn't be exceptional that a group with false theology might grow faster than the true body so that they had more power within Rome and throughout the kingdom. In AD 57 the false church was already starting to grow and expand.

True faith requires us to adhere to a doctrine learned about Christ and from Christ. Since Christ is lord, that is the faith we live by, true faith is to serve Christ as Lord.

Faith extends life into service and obedience. Any belief that promotes personal authority and personal wisdom over Christ is to serve self. Faith is lived out in what you think, say, do, and act.

Catholicism was a theology of self-service where church leaders became the origin of doctrine, instead of Christ, thus they had to confuse wording and doctrine to turn people from Christ to themselves.

Faith Only has its origins in Catholic thought, remember faith is lived out in what we think about different subjects, multiple departures in truth required Catholic theologians to explain sin and salvation in differing ways, leading to an environment of confusion; In some contexts Catholic teachers did use the phrase faith alone or faith only. In other contexts they refused the terminology. It is helpful to show that the origins of Catholic thought were never approved by Christ or the Apostles. They were simply their own opinions that became institutionalized.

Faith Only as a doctrine came about simply because of Catholic doctrinal confusion, created as they added more and more extra-biblical language to their theology.

At different times the question of faith only has been tried, such as the Council of Trent, where Catholics used the phrase,

that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubting whatever, settle within themselves that they are justified, and that no one is absolved from sins and justified, but he that believes for certain that he is absolved and justified; and that absolution and justification are effected by this faith alone: as though whoso has not this belief, doubts of the promises of God, and of the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Christ.

In most cases Councils were only necessary because Catholic teaching was filled with such inconsistency. How could belief in absolution apply to infants and adults, at what point was faith required, at what point in the salvation process was faith required? If you had to believe you were justified how could an infant comply?

The terminology from the Council of Trent did not teach faith only, only that after the process of being justified one would have to have confidence their sins were absolved and sins forgiven in the process. Nevertheless the wording was broad enough that Faith Alone could be misapplied of the person after the process of absolution. Plus, Trent required a singular faith, belief your sins were absolved.

Of course there were earlier episodes of faith only theology, but in reality nothing was new or different, Catholics were just trying to twist the Bible into unbiblical thought, and readers couldn't follow them. It led to confusion.

If the person was absolved and justified, then no works could bear weight on the person's justification, in Catholic thought works effected sanctification after justification, another part of the salvation process in their view. It is all quite confusing, Catholics are very inconsistent, and they have to be to cover all the misapplied angles they created.

Later, the Catholics developed a College system where colleagues band together to express their approval of one another as experts. Once approved as experts they control the education, certification, and credentialing of one another. Jesus was actually against the College system.

Joh 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

Seeking the honor of previously organized colleagues keeps you from opening your heart to God and his truth. The college system works to entrench error in many cases. When a group of men bear record of one another as experts but are just implementing what is expedient in their own eyes, it is more akin to Institutionalized Judaism. They are simply institutionalizing error.

Mat 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Christian teachers were to avoid the college system which could establish the wrong teachers as experts.

 False Christians were in existence in Rome and other cities from the beginning. The Church was told to avoid them.

Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Rom 16:18 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.

Notice they were considered good eloquent speakers, a mark of the well educated in society.

From very early times there were divisions and departures from the doctrine delivered to the Church. Rome was a hot bed of such departures.

My belief is the Catholics came from the group the Church was told to avoid. The Letter to Rome was actually written to the true body, not the Catholic body that grew to power over time.

Departures in doctrine could include:

1. a high percentage gay priesthood - violating Romans 1:27

2. Celibacy of priests - borrowed from the Vestal Virgins and other Roman priestly Orders that took vows of celibacy, violating I Timothy 3:3-5.

3. Infant Baptism - as they borrowed the Lutrio infant initiation from paganism, violating Romans 6:3-4 which described baptism as a new birth based in obedience from the heart, Romans 6:17-18.

Since the Book of Romans was written in Ad 57, we can see how it led to the persecution of Nero, as Paul attacked homosexuality and the paganism from which it came. Herod actually married a young boy.

Just as John the Baptist died telling Herod it was unlawful to be married to another's wife, Paul wrote Romans in a way that Roman leaders would be offended. Roman leaders would support those Paul told the Church to avoid.