THE SHIP ACROSS THE OCEAN AND THE TRUE CHURCH
“Paul said to the centurion, and to the soldiers: Except these stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Acts of Apostles 27:31. They were out in the middle of the ocean, and St. Paul told them to stay with the ship. Who could jump out of a ship in the middle of the ocean, and be saved? The ship represents Christ’s Church. Noah’s Ark was a figure of Christ’s Church. The saints tells us ,”Just as all those outside the Ark of Noah perished, also all those who die outside Christ’s true Church cannot be saved, but will perish eternally. ‘’ So the words of St. Paul quoted above indirectly refer to his Church.
If I were going to build a ship to go across the ocean, and Jesus Christ came down and was building a ship to go across the ocean, which ship would you get on when you needed to get to the other side? The answer is obvious, yet millions of people go to churches which talk about Jesus Christ, and yet are started by men. Most people have been deceived into believing it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe in Jesus Christ to get to heaven. This is called indifferentism. However, it does matter. Many preachers preach bad doctrine. True Doctrine is something that comes from God, and must be believed to be saved. False doctrine is that ‘’doctrines of devils,’’ St. Paul spoke of. You might call them ‘’lying doctrines,’’ because St. Paul says in Romans chapter 1 that they have changed the truth of God into a lie. Referring to correct doctrine, St. Paul instructed Timothy: “Take heed to thyself, and to doctrine, be earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16. St. Paul identified certain doctrines as doctrines of devils, and others as true. So it is imperative that we adhere to true doctrine.
But many will object: “I don’t think it matters which church you belong to as long as you believe in Jesus Christ as your Saviour.” Well, You certainly must have Christ for your Saviour, but if truth and falsehood do not matter, then why did Jesus say, “The truth shall make you free?” But Our Lord Jesus Christ established his Church as the foundation and pillar of truth, as St. Paul said, “The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15. Just as a building is held up by the foundation and the pillars, so the truth is held up by Christ’s Church. Note that St. Paul says, ‘’the church of the living God,” not the church of Martin Luther, or a John Smith, nor any other man who starts his own church. Note too that St. Paul is speaking in a singular manner, ‘’the church,’’ not ‘’churches.’’ St. Paul speaks of the church as a body with a head, not two bodies with a head, nor ten thousand bodies with a head. “Christ is the head over all the church, which is his body.’’ Eph. 1:22-23. And he says, ‘’The body is one…We are all baptized into one body,’’ that is, baptized into one Church. 1 Cor. 12:12-13. I hope and pray that after reading these lines, protestants and non-Catholics will see the absurdity of all these thousands of denominations which claim to be Christian. If we are Christian, we are followers of Christ and his Church, because they are one, just as the head and the body are one. St. Augustine said, “Whatever can be said about Christ, can also be said about his Church.” So how can we be following Christ when we are in a church established by some man teaching things contrary to Christ?
These Scriptures prove very plainly that Christ’s Church is only one. So why would the Church, and the saints such as St. Augustine say we cannot be saved outside the Church? St. Augustine explained it this way: “Sometimes in the order of nature a man may lose a finger, a hand, or a foot. What happens to that separated member cut off from the body? That separated member dies. As long as it was united to the body, it had life. Cut off, it dies. So too the Christian Catholic. As long as he is united to the body of the Church, he has life. Cut off, he dies.” This is why we see St. Paul writing in Ephesians, “He is the savior of his body,’’ Eph. 5:23; that is, He is the Saviour of his Church, and all those united to it. This is why we read in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke writes, “The Lord added daily to the Church, such as should be saved.: 2:47. Those who were such as should be saved were added to the Church. They were coming into the true Church., and finding salvation therein.
Another very grave point that people should understand is that Christ threatens us with damnation if we refuse to hear his Church. He says, “If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the tax collector.” St. Matthew 18:17. These people cannot be saved unless they convert, and theologians explain to us that Christ puts us in a class with them if we will not hear his Church. Stephen Ray and his wife came into the Church I think in the 1990’s. Stephen, remarking on this Scripture says, “Did Jesus say if a brother will not listen, take it to “a church,’’ or did he say, “Take it to the Church?” I am paraphrasing him, but his point was, Christ said to take it to the Church, not a church.
Now for many, they may be asking, “Yeah, but which one is the true Church?” How can you tell which one is right? First of all, we must be striving to do the will of God in order to know the truth to make us free. Jesus said, ‘’If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’’ St. John 8:31,32, “If,’’ he says, “You continue in my word.’’ In other words, there is a condition there for the truth to make us free. We must be continuing in God’s word. We must be keeping his commandments, avoiding immorality, immodest dress, cursing and so forth.
Secondly, we must be praying for the grace to do his will, and to be enlight- ened. “We cannot do his will without God’s grace. We do not gain this grace except by prayer. Therefore we must pray in order to be saved.” says Fr. Michael Mueller, from the book, Prayer The key to Salvation.
Thirdly, we must study and do research, and verify these things in Scripture. As it says of the Bereans in Acts: ‘’Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness, daily searching the scriptures, whether these things were so.’’ 17:11.
Now how will one know which Church goes back to 33 A.D.? For Christ says in St. Matthew 16:18 that ‘’the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church.’’ This means his Church must exist in all centuries up to the present day, or it is not the true Church and the gates of hell have prevailed. If Christ is God, then we know this is true. Here is a link that will give you all the popes back to St. Peter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes. St.Peter began the papacy in 33 A.D. after Our Lord died on the cross, arose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. On the day of Pentecost he began with his first sermon. Our Lord gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, St. Matthew 16:19; prayed his faith would not fail, and to confirm the brethren when he was once converted, St. Luke 22:32; and gave him charge over all the flock, the sheep and the lambs after the resurrection, St. John 21:14-17: ‘’This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead. When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. He said to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my sheep.’’ Footnote: [17] “Feed my sheep”: Our Lord had promised the spiritual supremacy to St. Peter; St. Matt. 16. 19; and here he fulfils that promise, by charging him with the superintendency of all his sheep, without exception; and consequently of his whole flock, that is, of his own church. For a more detailed explanation of St. Peter’s Papacy, I would urge the reader to obtain a copy of THIS IS THE FAITH by Canon Francis Ripley. Chapter 17 explains the Supremacy of the Pope, the Primacy of Peter, the Keys and so forth. Here is a good short presentation from Msgr. Patrick Perez, R.I. P. on the Primacy of Peter from that book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB02mUDyH0A
In ending, I would urge all my readers to obtain a copy of Fr. Arnold Damen’s sermons on THE ONE TRUE CHURCH, AND THE CHURCH OR THE BIBLE. These, and many other good resources can be found on this link: http://www.olrl.org/apologetics/ Protestants will be surprised to learn that their Bibles are not the guide to heaven. Fr. Damen gives you irrefutable arguments to back up this point. Do your research. It’s an easy read. Just a few pages. In ending, I ask you again, If I were going to build a ship to go across the ocean, and Jesus Christ was building a ship, which one would you rather be on?
FOUR CONDITIONS FOR A GOOD SERMON https://motherofgodlibrary.org/2021/11/22/396/