Contents

Part 1: Practical Christianity at its best.

Part 2:  A comparison between Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Part 3:  A Summary of the Basic Principles of Christianity according to Scripture

Part 4: A very brief history of the Church to show how internal and external influences affected the Church 

Part 5: What is to be done?

Part 1: Practical Christianity at its best

In the nineteen forties and fifties when I was growing up on the west coast of Ireland people had an entirely practical approach to religion. They prayed first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.  They went to Mass every Sunday.  They went to confession periodically.  Running through their everyday lives was a faith and trust in God and a respect for His law as set out in the Ten Commandments.   They were a humble people in the true Christian sense.  It could be said that they were indeed heirs to the New Covenant “I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

When the apparition at Knock, Co. Mayo in 1879 took place it put before them something they already knew. It was an affirmation of their Christian practice.

Even though their houses had the usual holy pictures, the picture of the Sacred Heart being the most common, they did not believe in and indeed shied away from ostentation in the practice of their religion.  At Mass the front seats in the church were usually empty.  The men stood at the back or even outside the door.  It may seem strange that people would go to Mass and not actually enter the church even though they put so much effort into getting there in wet and cold, frost and snow often on foot when cars were the luxury of the few.  But the fact that they made such an effort is testament to their belief.

It is often said nowadays that they lived their lives in fear of the Church. This was an invention of an anti-clerical minority. The clergy came from the people and were often one of their own.  They had no illusions about human nature and political correctness was not something they believed in. They discussed clerical foibles as they did the peculiarities of their neighbours.  Jokes were told about “mission” priests threatening them with damnation. Tales of the local parish priest roaming the countryside with a blackthorn stick looking for “courting couples” is an oft-repeated myth which became part of the folklore.

The clergy usually impacted on their lives only when they received the sacraments or when they came to their houses to say Mass in what they called the “station” where the clergy collected “the dues” or money to support the parish.

It always surprised me that these people had such a sensible and practical grasp of their religion. The Mass was said in Latin.  It usually did not last more than half an hour. The sermon was of poor quality and endured more than listened to.  They had no interest in the refinements of Canon law or the philosophic niceties in Church teaching. This was Christianity at its most successful. 

Where did it all go wrong?

"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.” (Luke Ch 11, 33)

This submission is designed to show that there are fundamental differences between Christ’s teaching in Scripture and Catholic Church teaching in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in relation to the following basic elements of Christianity:

1.    The nature of God

2.    The fall of Adam and Eve

3.    The Kingdom of Heaven

4.    Citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven - Baptism

5.    Citizen’s rights – the New Covenant

6.    Government of the Kingdom of Heaven

7.    Obligations

8.    Eternal Life

9.   The State versus the Kingdom of Heaven

1.   The nature of God

The New Catechism quotes the Scriptural attributes of God as being Living (e.g. #2212), Infinite (e.g. #202), and Truth (e.g. #213)  However it also describes God as "the inexpressible, the incomprehensible, the invisible, the ungraspable" (#42) which conveys the notion that we cannot know God, therefore contradicting what Scripture says in the New Covenant "........And no longer shall each man teach his neighbour and each his brother,  saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity,  and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah Ch 31) – see section on the New Covenant below.

2.   The fall of Adam and Eve

The New Catechism obviously views the Sin of Adam and Eve (Original Sin) as a depressing, stunting and an all-pervasive state of unworthiness into which we are born and from which we never really escape in this world at least. "Following St. Paul, the Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination towards evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam's sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the ‘death of the soul’". (#403)  "Although it is proper to each individual, original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence.... ". (#405)

According to Scripture this is not true.  In Scripture the only negative effect of the sin of Adam and Eve, apart from having to earn our living here on earth, was to banish them and their descendants from the Garden of Eden “Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever"-- therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis Chapter 3)

3.   The Kingdom of Heaven

It is no exaggeration to say that there is a profound difference between Scripture and the New Catechism when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Catechism emphatically dismisses the authority of Christ as our King “Though already present in his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great glory" by the King's return to earth” (#671).  This means that even though He is present here on earth He is not present as our king.  The Catechism even indicates that Jesus abdicated His authority to the pope and the Church:  “Jesus entrusted a specific authority to Peter: ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ The ‘power of the keys’ designates authority to govern the house of God, which is the Church......... (#553)

But how could He be present and not be present as our King?  “Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world,’........" (John Ch 18) "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"(Matthew Ch 28)   His Kingdom is also here “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”(Luke Ch 17)

And how could he abdicate His authority and allow the pope to “govern the house of God which is the Church” when He builds His Church on Peter and his successors?  "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it....." (Matthew Ch 16).  In the Old Testament the Holy of Holies was God’s residence on earth so His Church is Christ’s residence on earth.   "It is written, 'my house shall be called a house of prayer’” (Luke Ch 19).  He will be with us always “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matthew Ch 28). He is closer to us than any pope or bishop “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."(Matthew Ch 18).  He is the living bread which came down from heaven. When we eat this bread we are joined to Him more closely than any pope or bishop. He maintains His authority through the Holy Spirit “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you.    But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John Ch 14)

Summary: It is a fundamental principle that all law comes from and applies only to the jurisdiction in which it is enacted.  Therefore Christianity only makes sense when the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven applies equally to both Heaven and earth.  And if the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven is here then the full and undiluted authority of Christ as a king is also here.   

You need only read the New Catechism to see how far from the Kingdom of heaven the Church has travelled e.g. “The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.” (#100)   “The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head."This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.” (#881)  “The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, ....... For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered. “(#882)   “The Pope enjoys, by divine institution, 'supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls'" (#937)  This is totally at variance with the whole tenor of Christ’s teaching according to Scripture.  It is a clear indictment of Church teaching and, as history shows, has proved to be a disastrous mistake.

4.   Citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven

Scripture says: “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.’  Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’  Jesus answered, ’Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'  The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.’  Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can this be?’  Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?’” (John Ch3)

Obviously this replicates in the Kingdom of Heaven our physical birth in the State in which we are born.  In Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus the matter seemed to be so real to Nicodemus that he asked "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (John Ch 3) And indeed Jesus indicated that it was a real birth “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John Ch 3)

If we are born into the Kingdom of Heaven then we are entitled to all the benefits that go with it and Scripture bears this out “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew Ch 11)

The Catechism assigns numerous attributes to baptism “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (#1213)  None of these are corroborated by Scripture and our citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven and the benefits that go with it are conspicuous by their absence. Even though it says that baptism makes us children of God the Church obviously believes that we are children in exile, a stateless people “Until everything is subject to him, until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God." (#671)

It would appear therefore that, in denying that through our spiritual birth we enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the Church is in the same company as those to whom Jesus said "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in." (Matthew Ch 23).

5.   Citizen’s rights -The New Covenant

The New Covenant: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.  But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel  after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I  will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And no longer shall each man teach his neighbour and each his brother,  saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity,  and I will remember their sin no more.”(Jeremiah Ch 31)  The New Covenant came into effect at the Last Supper “this cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke Ch.22)

The New Covenant shows the genius of Scripture. It is only a few sentences but it is the written bedrock of Christianity because it succinctly and completely guarantees all our rights as citizens of the Kingdom of heaven.   To put it in modern terminology the New Covenant is like a written constitution or bill of rights.   It guarantees that, from the time it came into effect, there will be no more intermediaries like Moses and the Prophets because the consequences of the sin of Adam no longer apply and God will again deal personally with each one of His people.  It means that we are now God’s responsibility alone and no person has any authority over us.  Therefore the pope and the bishops are the Kingdom of Heaven’s public servants not our rulers.

Despite a few casual and meaningless references to it in the New Catechism the New Covenant is completely ignored.

6.   Government of the Kingdom of Heaven

As already proven from Scripture, Christ is our King and ruler of the Kingdom of heaven where we become citizens through Baptism.  The pope is regarded as successor to St Peter.  Being one of the apostles Peter was subject to the same privileges and obligations as the other apostles. These are clearly set out in Scripture as the privileges and obligations of faithful servants.

However in addition in the case of Peter Jesus promised that He would build His Church on Peter and He gave the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter alone. "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven." (Matthew Ch 16)  Taking this at face value and in accordance with the whole tenor of Scripture the role of Peter and his successors is one of a key-holder who provides access, in this case access to the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven for those authorised to receive them. This is supported by the instruction "feed my lambs", "feed my sheep" and this instruction alone confirms that we belong to Christ and the pope is His servant.

The provision that whatever he binds or looses on earth will also be bound or loosed in heaven is obviously designed to ensure legal harmony between heaven and earth and that when we do things at the behest of the pope these actions cannot be to our detriment by being illegal in heaven.  It is also clear from the whole tenor of Scripture that this provision can only apply to the execution of this duty as a key-holder.  This is the limit of the pope's authority.  He has no authority to make the law or even to interpret the law.

Note: There is no provision here on earth for applying the consequences of breaking the law.  "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke Chapter 6)

To put it in a modern context the pope is equivalent to the administrative head of a public service Department of Government as we know it today whose responsibility is to ensure the provision of benefits which people are legally entitled to.

7.   Obligations

According to Scripture there are four positive and unchanging essentials for living a Christian life (see picture below). These are:

(1) Humility or faith and trust in God which is the indispensable foundation of a true relationship with God.

(2) Communication with God through prayer and self-denial.

(3) Observance of the law which is written in Scripture and in the hearts of those who love the truth.

(4) The offering of the sacrifice of the Mass by which we are physically joined to Christ our King.

The obvious difference between Scripture and the Catechism is in Scripture’s emphasis on our role as citizen’s of the Kingdom of Heaven with Christ as our King versus the Catechism’s emphasis on obedience to the Church with the pope as its head.  The difference could not be more profound or more far-reaching as far as we are concerned.

8.   Eternal life

If anything shows what a dog's dinner the Church has come up with it is its interpretation of the Resurrection and what happens on the last day.

The Catechism says:

1.   The resurrection is a resurrection of decayed and dead bodies. "What is "rising"? In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus' Resurrection."(#997)

2.   Body and soul are separated (see 1 above).

3.   The resurrection will take place on the last day. "When? Definitively 'at the last day,' 'at the end of the world.' Indeed, the resurrection of the dead is closely associated with Christ's Parousia:” (#1001)

Scripture says:

1.    The resurrection is a resurrection of the living “....... For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.’” (Matthew Ch 22).   It should be noted that Jews were familiar with angels who were able to assume human form when required even eating food which Abraham prepared for them.

2.   Scripture always refers to us as a single entity even when it refers to killing the body it never says that the body and soul are separated and indeed says the two go together. It does not define or distinguishing between body, soul or spirit. 

3.   Scripture specifically rejects the notion that the resurrection will take place on the last day in Jesus' discussion with Martha when she linked the resurrection to the last day.  “Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.   And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’  Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’  Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.   Do you believe this?’  She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”’ (John Ch 11)  In His own time Jesus indicated that the resurrection was imminent "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live……for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement.” (John Ch 5)   And it should be obvious that the following passage of Scripture indicates when the resurrection took place “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew Ch 27)

In summary Scripture makes abundantly clear that the resurrection was a resurrection of the living and it took place immediately after the resurrection of Christ when those who had "fallen asleep" arose in a resurrection of the living and appeared to many. 

The Last Day: Now we know that the resurrection has nothing to do with the last day.  So what happens on the Last Day? To understand what will happen on the Last Day we need to know the difference between the Kingdom of God, the Father and the kingdom of God the Son, Jesus Christ.

The Catechism makes no distinction between the Kingdom of God, the Father and the Kingdom of God the Son, Jesus Christ.  The Church will tell you that there is no difference between them. Yet Scripture maintains that as far as we are concerned the two are different.   For example Scripture says “Our Father who is in heaven. ... Thy Kingdom come” (the Our Father).   “I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  (Matthew Ch 26)

According to Scripture we are born through our spiritual birth in baptism into the kingdom of heaven.  The Kingdom of Heaven is here now  “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”. (Luke Ch 17)  There we remain in the “net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind” (Matthew Ch 13) until the last Day when according to Scripture  Christ will raise up all that the Father has given Him when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father. “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.  For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John Ch 6)   “.... Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” (1 Corinthians)       “The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,  and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew Ch 13).

9.   The State versus the Kingdom of Heaven

Scripture says: “They asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.  Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?’  But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ‘Show me a coin.   Whose likeness and inscription has it?’    They said, ’Caesars’    He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods.’ “(Luke Ch 20)

The things that are Caesar’s:  When God gave us dominion over Creation it means that we are entitled to organise and control access to it for our benefit. This is also acknowledged in the Catechism "In God's plan man and woman have the vocation of "subduing" the earth as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not to be an arbitrary and destructive domination. God calls man and woman, made in the image of the Creator ‘who loves everything that exists’, to share in his providence toward other creatures; hence their responsibility for the world God has entrusted to them." (#373)

However, even though Scripture deals comprehensively with individual responsibility, it scrupulously avoids the area of state, corporate and community responsibility even in relation to the Law of Moses except to say that power in this area comes directly from God.    “Then came Amalek and fought with Israel at Rephidim.  And Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose for us men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.’  So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” (Exodus Ch 17)

 “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such.   What do you say about her?’ ……. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.    And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’    ...    But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest…” (John Ch 8).

Pilate said to Jesus:  "You will not speak to me?   Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin."(John Ch 19).

For much of its history the Church has had a very strong belief in its superiority over worldly rulers. However the Church in recent times has relinquished worldly authority and this is reflected in the Catechism.  However the Church has still not learned that it has no authority over worldly rulers whose authority comes directly from God. This is not to say that worldly rulers are immune from personal responsibility.  All this is bourne out in the appearance of Jesus before Pilate.

The things that are God’s:   God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”      “…God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis Ch 1).    “Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100)     “Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus Ch 19)   Scripture therefore makes clear that from the beginning God retained ownership rights in respect of human beings for Himself alone.  It follows that it is contrary to God’s law to appropriate to ourselves ownership rights in respect of human beings or the process through which human beings are made or to deny that God made us male and female.

The Catechism acknowledges that we do belong to God “... He who chose the patriarchs, who brought Israel out of Egypt, and who by choosing Israel created and formed it, this same God reveals himself as the One to whom belong all the peoples of the earth, and the whole earth itself; he is the One who alone "made heaven and earth".(#287) but it does not take this declaration to its logical conclusion when it condemns some modern “medical procedures”

Part 3: A Summary of the Basic Principles of Christianity according to Scripture

"Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matthew Ch 13)

1.    The nature of God

2.    The fall of Adam and Eve

3.    The Kingdom of Heaven

4.    Citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven - Baptism

5.    Citizen’s rights – the New Covenant

6.    Government of the Kingdom of Heaven

7.    Obligations

8.    Eternal Life

9.   The State versus the Kingdom of Heaven

1. The Nature of God 

God is living. “Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they spent on it twelve bushels of fine flour and forty sheep and fifty gallons of wine. The king revered it and went every day to worship it. But Daniel worshiped his own God and the king said to him, "Why do you not worship Bel?" He answered, "Because I do not revere man-made idols, but the living God, who created heaven and earth and has dominion over all flesh."   The king said to him, "Do you not think that Bel is a living God?     Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?"    Then Daniel laughed, and said, "Do not be deceived, O king; for this is but clay inside and brass outside, and it never ate or drank anything." (Daniel Chapter 14)

God is Infinite.   “Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?’  God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus Chapter 3)

Living and truth are traits with which we are familiar but infinity does not appear to be a feature of the world in which we live.    However in recent times physicists have come up with a theory called Einstein’s Theory of Relativity which says that at the speed of light Mass become infinite and time stands still.    This suggests that light is the physical link between Creation and Infinity and Jesus often referred to the connection between light and Himself e.g. "I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” and "The light is with you for a little longer.    Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.   While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” (John Chapter 12)

God is Truth.  Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John Chapter 14)

2. The fall of Adam and Eve and the promise of a Redeemer

From the beginning God made us in His image and therefore able to share in His Divine nature but when Adam and Eve, being tempted by the serpent /devil, disobeyed God by “eating of the fruit of the tree of tree of the knowledge of good and evil” their eyes were opened and God said, "’Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever’ therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.    He drove out the man; and at the east of the Garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis Chapter 3)

God promised the serpent/devil "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.    I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis Chapter 3)

He promised a “Redeemer” from the children of Eve who would restore our link to Him.    Until that time came He sent the prophets as mediators between Himself and his people to spread the law and keep alive the promise He made.    "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  "You shall have no other gods before me....” (Exodus Ch 20) “Fear not... the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.  ….. For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.    In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer.(Isaiah Chapter 54)      “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.   In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah Chapter 33)

At the appropriate time the Redeemer came in the person of Jesus Christ, son of the Living God born of the Virgin Mary, a descendant of Eve, who is our King and ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

3. The Kingdom of Heaven 

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”(Luke Ch 13)

1.The Kingdom of Heaven ruled by God the Son, Jesus Christ:  Jesus “went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.    And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities.” (Luke Ch 8).  “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John Ch 18).  “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke Ch 17)   "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew Chapter 13)    “The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.    So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” (Matthew Ch 13)

2 - The Kingdom of God the Father:  “Our Fater who is in heaven .... Thy kingdom come” (the Our Father) “I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  (Matthew Ch 26)   “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.   For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;  and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.” (John Ch 6)    “….Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” (1 Corinthians)        “…Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew Ch 13).

3 - The area assisted by the Holy Spirit: “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you.    But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John Ch 14)

4. Citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven

Baptism:"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old?   Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.   That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John Ch3)   In Baptism therefore we are born into the Kingdom of Heaven which makes us citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven by birth.

Citizenship to the Kingdom of Heaven in this way cannot be denied as we see when John the Baptist “saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood vipers!   Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruit that befits repentance.” (Matthew Ch 3) and when Jesus said “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force “(Matthew Ch 11)

There are other ways of becoming citizens the Kingdom of Heaven e.g. ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.   Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’.” (Mark 10).   “Not everyone who says to me ’Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew Ch 7)   “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. …..” (Matthew Ch 5)

Note: Jesus was baptised by John "for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness. ..... And when Jesus was baptised, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" (Matthew Ch 3) thus confirming His entry into the Kingdom of Heaven and His sonship of the King of Kings.

5. The New Covenant 

The New Covenant: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.  But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel  after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I  will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And no longer shall each man teach his neighbour and each his brother,  saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity,  and I will remember their sin no more.”(Jeremiah Ch 31)

The New Covenant came into effect at the Last Supper “‘this cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke Ch.22)

To put it in modern terminology the New Covenant is like a constitution or bill of rights.   It guarantees that there will be no more intermediaries like Moses and the Prophets because the consequences of the sin of Adam no longer apply and God will again deal personally with each one of His people.

6. Government of the Kingdom of Heaven 

It is a fundamental principle that all law comes from and applies only to the jurisdiction in which it is enacted and Scripture says that Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven and just before He was crucified He claimed to be a King when Pilate asked Him “‘are you the King of the Jews? … Jesus answered, ‘my kingdom is not of this world; ….  Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.  Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.’ (John Ch 18) 

Therefore the law of God must come from and relate only to the Kingdom of Heaven where Christ is King?

Christ’s authority and residence:

“Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."(John Ch 18)    "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"(Matthew Ch 28)

“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” (Matthew Ch 16)

"It is written, 'my house shall be called a house of prayer’” (Luke Ch 19)

 In the Old Testament the Holy of Holies was God’s residence on earth so His Church is Christ’s residence on earth.   “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.   For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew Ch 16) 

The Apostles: “And he went up on the mountain, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him.  And he appointed twelve, to be with him,” (Mk Ch 3)   “If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark Ch 9)     “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."(Matthew Ch 28)

There is no provision here on earth for applying the consequences of breaking the law.  "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke Chapter 6)

St Peter and his successors: “I will give you (Peter) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew Ch 16) 

 7. Obligations

1.     St Joseph representing humility or faith and trust in God which is the indispensable foundation of a true relationship with God

2.     Our Lady - representing communication with God through prayer and self-denial.

3.     St John - representing observance of the law which is written in Scripture and in the hearts of those who love the truth.

4.     The sacrificial lamb on the altar - representing the sacrifice of the Mass by which we are physically joined to Christ our King.    “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”    “    He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.   As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

8. Eternal Life 

The Resurrection: “Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; …….  But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.   And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew Ch 22).  Note: Angels often appeared in human form.  They even ate food which Abraham prepared for them.

 “Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.   And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.   Do you believe this?”  She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”’ (John Ch 11)   This shows that Jesus did not agree with Martha when she linked the resurrection to the last day.  

Timing of the resurrection: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live……for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement.” (John Ch 5)   “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split;  the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew Ch 27)

The last day: “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.   For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;  and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.” (John Ch 6)    “The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.    So it will be at the close of the age.   The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.   Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew Ch 13).

9. The State versus the Kingdom of Heaven

“They asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.  Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?’  But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ‘Show me a coin.   Whose likeness and inscription has it?’    They said, ’Caesars’    He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods.’  (Luke Ch 20)

The things that are Caesar’s:  It is clear that when God gave us dominion over Creation we are entitled to organise and control access to it for our benefit.

However, even though Scripture deals comprehensively with individual responsibility, it scrupulously avoids the area of state, corporate and community responsibility even in relation to the law of Moses except to say that power in this area comes directly from God.    Pilate said to Jesus:  "You will not speak to me?   Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin."(John Ch 19).

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such.   What do you say about her?" …….

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.    And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."    ...    But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest…” (John Ch 8).

The things that are God’s:   God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”      “…God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis Ch 1).    “Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100)     Scripture therefore makes clear that from the beginning God retained ownership rights in respect of human beings for Himself alone.  It follows that it is contrary to God’s law to appropriate to ourselves ownership rights in respect of human beings or the process through which human beings are made or to deny that God made us male and female.

Part 4: A very brief history of the Church to show how internal and external influences affected the Church 

“This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” (Matthew Ch 15)

For the first three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Christ His followers were a persecuted minority struggling for survival. A feature of this early Church was its reliance on a number of strong personalities starting with St Paul and included Irenaeus and Augustine whose main preoccupation was defending the Church from being taken over by their opponents.  How much they knew or were interested in Scripture, the law and Christ's fulfilment of the law is not evident in their legacy but the result was that to a very large extent the Church lost the person of Christ and took on the personality of what we now call the “Church Fathers“.  This became a “Tradition” which the Church has followed up to the present day.

A turning point which ended the persecution of the Church but changed it fundamentally happened in the early fourth century when the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great saw that he could use Christianity as a unifying force in his Empire.  It is debatable whether he became a member of the Church or not but he was allowed to take over the running of the Church even as far as convening councils to arbitrate between the heresies of the day.  It is to him we owe the “Nicene Creed” from the council of Nicaea, or what is now regarded as the first ecumenical council.   Constantine brought to an end the persecution of the Church but in doing so he brought the Church and the pope (the bishop of Rome) under the control of earthly rulers. Christ as a King was now competing with earthly kings who controlled the Church.

From Constantine onward the Church grew and prospered but unfortunately it was already on the wrong track. It began to imitate the pomp and power displayed by rulers in the secular world.  Even in the twentieth century the popes were being carried around in the trappings of royalty.

In the meantime most of Christ's teaching was being twisted out all recognition by influential theologians who believed that Christianity should be amenable to purely human reasoning. They believed that this could be done by adapting Christ's teaching to philosophy especially the philosophy of Aristotle. The best-known proponents of the philosophic approach were Boethius and Thomas Aquinas.  The result was that Church teaching was made to accommodate Greek philosophy even where there was a vast dichotomy between that and Scripture.  A practical example of this is the notion of separation of the human person into body and soul (more anon) which led to such contortions that it rendered most of Church teaching meaningless.

It was only a matter of time before disaster struck.

Disaster struck in the fifteenth century with what we call the Reformation coinciding with the invention of the printing press which made the written Bible widely available.  People were now able to see for themselves where Christianity came from.  Unfortunately the increased availability of the Bible did not have the expected result of bringing a recalcitrant Church back to the truth.  Instead it gave impetus to those who were unhappy with Church authority and those who wanted to interpret the Bible to suit their own purposes. 

Being used to quelling opposition the Church saw questioning as an affront to its authority. The hierarchy had grown fat on positions of power, wealth and patronage.  A Church used to arrogance and power was unfit to meet the challenge.  This offered a disgruntled clergy an opportunity to benefit from the religious susceptibilities of the people and it offered greedy rulers an opportunity to benefit from Church wealth. In the chaos that followed the seeds were sown for a vast exodus from the Church. 

Needless to say we now know that the Reformation generated more heat than light.  The approach to the study of the Bible was not impartial enough to provide the benefits of having Scripture more easily available.  Everyone had their own ideas which they wanted the Bible to support and the precedent of discarding Scripture in favour of the interpretations of “Church Fathers” and “Tradition” had already been set by the Church itself.  It was a free-for-all for those who saw the Bible as being there to be debated and there was no shortage of those who wanted to debate it.

If people did not see the relevance of the Kingdom of Heaven with Christ as its King in the beginning they certainly did not see it in the Reformation.  Rather instead they saw the Church as a purely human organisation with the pope as its head whose power and control should either be curbed or usurped.

This brings us to where we are today and it seems nothing has changed with the same issues arising.  Many people see only arrogance and power in the Church which they see as out of touch with reality.  Others complain that the Church is not sufficiently democratic so that they can take over the Church themselves.

In the early sixties it was becoming increasingly obvious that a new wave of defections from the Church was already taking place.  When Pope John XXIII became pope he called the Second Vatican Council of all the bishops of the Church for what he described as a renewal of the Church.  He did not live long enough to influence the deliberations of the Council.

Unfortunately the politics of power from both inside and outside the Church played a major part in the council's deliberations.  Rows began over what we now call the “liberal agenda” the promotion of contraception, women priest, married clergy, the acceptance of homosexuality etc.  Power struggles between the popes, the bishops, liberal and conservative theologians became common knowledge. Chaos reigned and the council did not stop the departures from the Church.  Rather it opened the floodgates for an exodus of both lay and clergy.

Neither did the Second Vatican Council do anything to answer questions on Christian belief.  If Scripture was the overriding principle in any of the discussions it did not appear so to the public at large.   Many fine speeches were made and many impressive documents were produced but the questions the Council was supposed to answer still remained unanswered. Indeed the problems multiplied.

New words and phrases were invented all meaningless to the ordinary person. A new breed on elite emerged, a sycophantic elite feeding off each other, endlessly quoting one another and clapping one another on the back.  Even today when discussion has ground to a halt the confusion is greater than ever it was before the Council met.

In the aftermath of the Council the practice of Christianity became more and more symbolic and irrelevant in the various practices of the Church.  The Christian basis seemed to disappear.  The central elements of Christian practice took on a more popular mantle. Baptism became a symbol of this or that depending on the priest performing the ceremony.  Church property is more often used as a backdrop for lavish wedding ceremonies than as a commitment to Christianity.  Many people have looked on in horror at the shallow nature of the celebration of the Mass.  Clapping, dancing, drums and guitars copying modern pop songs with the priest resembling a stage performer have become the order of the day.  No effort is spared to turn the Sacrifice of the Mass, both in description and practice, into something which bears little resemblance to the Last Supper and the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.  To the person in the pew the impression is given that even the priest does not really believe in what he is there for often appearing more interested in the entertainment he is providing.   Unfortunately, like the seed sown on rock, when the novelty of each new wave of entertainment wears off it is accompanied by more disillusion and defections from the Church.

It is no wonder then that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (“the New Catechism”) which I presume is meant to be the written distillations of Vatican II is largely a work of fiction and contradiction.  It is written in extravagant language with all the new words and phrases which we are told are now the central elements of Christianity.  Popular ideas, like the king’s new clothes, are in and Scripture is old hat.

So now, forty years after Vatican II, we know that neither Vatican II nor the Catechism of the Catholic Church will answer essential questions nor will they solve the confusion or defections from the Church.  Both are already irrelevant in a world which is used to putting time and effort in getting answers which yield practical and tangible results.  The Church is in such a parlous state that many believe it will soon disappear altogether.  The fear that there will be no clergy to carry on is palpable.

Part 5: What is to be done?

You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew Ch 5)

Was Christianity always irrelevant and therefore doomed to failure or is Christianity in the words of G. K. Chesterton a great idea that has never been tried?  The most obvious and sensible thing to do is to start again. This means going back to Scripture because Scripture is our only reliable link to Christ's teaching.

Due to various scholars studying the manuscripts we are lucky in the twenty first century to have Scripture available as near as possible to the original and it is easily and cheaply available.  An added bonus is we now have it in electronic format and we have in the computer a tool for searching and analysing information more easily and more accurately than ever before. The computer makes it much easier than before to accurately search, analyse and organise the relevant passages of Scripture.

Obviously a good place to start is to know and understand the essential elements of Christianity according to Scripture.  There is no reason today why we should not be able with an open mind and the use of modern technology to discover what these are.  We also have Church's teaching in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.    So now we can compare the two and find out where they differ.