Doctrine of Salvation from Divine Revelation
All the quotations of the Holy Scriptures in bold color are taken from the Douay-Rheims Bible, 1883.
Part III: Doctrine on The Church of Jesus Christ
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.
(Note: Thou art Peter, etc... As St. Peter, by divine revelation, here made a solemn profession of his faith of the divinity of Christ; so in recompense of this faith and profession, our Lord here declares to him the dignity to which he is pleased to raise him: viz., that he to whom he had already given the name of Peter, signifying a rock, St. John 1: 42, should be a rock indeed, of invincible strength, for the support of the building of the church; in which building he should be, next to Christ himself, the chief foundation stone, in quality of chief pastor, ruler, and governor; and should have accordingly all fulness of ecclesiastical power, signified by the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Upon this rock [ kepha in Aramaic, the spoken language of Our Lord], etc... The words of Christ to Peter, spoken in Aramaic, were the same as if he had said in English, Thou art a Kepha, and upon this kepha I will build my church. So that, by the plain course of the words, Peter is here declared to be the rock, upon which the church was to be built: Christ himself being both the principal foundation and founder of the same. Where also note, that Christ, by building his house, that is, his church, upon a rock, has thereby secured it against all storms and floods, like the wise builder, Matthew 7: 24-25. The gates of hell, etc... That is, the powers of darkness, and whatever Satan can do, either by himself, or his agents. For as the church is here likened to a house, or fortress, built on a rock; so the adverse powers are likened to a contrary house or fortress, the gates of which, that is, the whole strength, and all the efforts it can make, will never be able to prevail over the city or church of Christ. By this promise we are fully assured, that neither idolatry, heresy, nor any pernicious error whatsoever shall at any time prevail over the church of Christ).
1 Timothy 3:15. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
(Note: The pillar and ground of the truth.... Therefore the Church of the living God can never uphold error, nor bring in corruptions, superstition, or idolatry).
John 14:16. And I will ask the Father: and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.
(Note: Paraclete... That is, a comforter: or also an advocate; inasmuch as by inspiring prayer, he prays, as it were, in us, and pleads for us. For ever... Hence it is evident that this Spirit of Truth was not only promised to the persons of the apostles, but also to their successors through all generations).
John 14:17. The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him. But you shall know him; because he shall abide with you and shall be in you.
John 14: 26. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.
(Note: Teach you all things... Here the Holy Ghost is promised to the apostles and their successors, particularly, in order to teach them all truth, and to preserve them from error).
2 Timothy 1:13-14. Hold the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me: in faith and in the love which is in Christ Jesus. Keep the good thing committed to thy trust by the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in us.
2 John 1: 2. For the sake of the truth which dwelleth in us and shall be with us for ever.
Galatians 2: 20. And I live, now not I: but Christ liveth in me.
John 21: 15-17. 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.
(Note: Feed my sheep... Our Lord had promised the spiritual supremacy to St. Peter; Matthew 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).
Luke 22: 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.
(Note: 1. The charism of truth and never-failing faith was conferred upon St. Peter and his successors in this Chair, in order that they might perform their suppreme office for the salvation of all; that by them the whole flock of Christ might be kept away from the poison of error and be nourished by the food of heavenly doctrine; that the occasion of schism might be removed, the whole Church preserved as one, and, secure on its foundation, stand firm against the gates of hell. 2. The Roman Pontiff speaks ex-cathedra when, acting in the office of shepherd and teacher of all Christians, he defines, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, possesses through the divine assistance promised to him in the person of St. Peter, the infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to be endowed in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals; and that such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are therefore irreformable because of their nature, but not because of the agreement of the Church).
Matthew 18: 18. Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. (Note: loose and bind: the power is given by God to the Church to forgive, to absolve and to forbid, to condemn).
Acts 9: 1-5. And Saul, as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest. And asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues: that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus. And suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
(Note: "this way" is the Christian manner of living or Christianity as Our Lord said "I am the way, the truth, and the life." [John 14: 6].)
Acts 22: 3-8. And he saith: I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the truth of the law of the fathers, zealous for the law, as also all you are this day: who persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as the high priest doth bear me witness and all the ancients. From whom also receiving letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus, that I might bring them bound from thence to Jerusalem to be punished. And it came to pass, as I was going and drawing nigh to Damascus, at mid-day, that suddenly from heaven there shone round about me a great light: and falling on the ground, I heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered: Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
Part IV: Doctrine On the Interpretation of the Bible
2 Thessalonians 2:14. Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle.
2 Thessalonians 3: 6. And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition which they have received of us.
What is the Sacred Tradition? It is the teachings and teaching authority of Jesus, and derivatively, the Apostles.
1 Corinthians 11: 2. Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you.
1 Corinthians 15: 3-4, 11. For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures: And that he was buried: and that he rose again according to the scriptures... For whether I or they, so we preach: and so you have believed.
Jude 1: 3. Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.
Acts 2: 42. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles and in the communication of the breaking of bread and in prayers. (Note: the first Christians learned Christ's doctrine from the Apostles' oral preaching long before the written Bible. The fullness of Christ's teachings were found, right from the beginning, in the Catholic Church as the living embodiment of Christ, not in a book. The teaching Church with its oral Traditions was authoritative.)
1 Peter 1: 25. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel hath been preached unto you. (Note: it is oral , not written teaching. Preaching would be supplemented [but not supplanted] by the written Bible, though the Bible has its own authority.)
2 Timothy 2: 2. And the things which thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men who shall be fit to teach others also. (Note: Timothy, a Bishop, also learned through oral preaching, not through Bible.)
Roman 10:17. Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ. (Note: hearing a sermon, not reading a Bible.)
2 Peter 1: 20. Understanding this first: That no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation.
(Note: no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation... This shows plainly that the scriptures are not to be expounded by any one's private judgment or private spirit, because every part of the holy scriptures were written by men inspired by the Holy Ghost, and declared as such by the Church; therefore they are not to be interpreted but by the Spirit of God, which he hath left, and promised to remain with his Church to guide her in all truth to the end of the world. Some may tell us, that many of our divines interpret the scriptures: they may do so, but they do it always with a submission to the judgment of the Church, and not otherwise. etc.)
2 Peter 1: 21. For prophecy came not by the will of man at any time: but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 3: 16. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.
Created July 16, 1996. Sixth update January 2, 1997.