Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus

[CatholicCrusader]

This is what the Bible and the Church teach. If you are a protestant or anyone else who has pre-conceived ideas about what the Bible teaches, please disregard those for a minute while you read this. If the Bible doesn't contradict itself (which, of course, it doesn't because Truth cannot contradict Truth), then all these verses must be read apart from others that may supposedly "disprove" them, for as long as the Bible does not contradict, then these verses are all just as true as any others. Read it with an open mind, and you will see that unless you try very hard to twist the words, it is impossible to make it say something other than what my explanations state. Further, all Catholics MUST accept what the Bible teaches. These quotes will, if you are not Catholic, prove the Church’s teaching about much, and, if you are Catholic, reaffirm them strongly. It is long, but please read it through. God bless, and remember to keep an open mind while you read this. N.B. All the Bible quotes are from the Douay-Rheims Bible (the first and most accurate English Catholic Bible—in fact it was the first English Bible at all).

15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?
16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
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.
19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

St. Matthew xvi (It is clear what happens here. Our Lord says that God has revealed this Truth to St. Peter. He continues to say that His Church will be founded on St. Peter. He says that Hell shall not overcome or win victory over His Church; therefore, Her teachings will always be true. Finally, Our Lord gives St. Peter the keys to Heaven. He goes even further to say that anything that St. Peter states as true here on earth shall be true, and anything he states as false on earth shall be false. This is the promise of infallibility. St. Peter thought it right to pass this authority to his Successors, the Popes. According to Our Lord, this is also bound in Heaven, for St. Peter has spoken it as such. Therefore, this authority is passed to each Pope. Each Pope is infallible in Faith and Morals, in interpreting Scripture--which we will deal with later--and in forming Dogma. Infallibility does not extend to opinions, which are not of these categories. Also, discipline is not infallible. e.g. fasting before receiving Communion used to be from midnight until one received, but now it is merely one hour before one receives. Also, women were never permitted near the altar, let alone as altar boys or "lectors", "Eucharistic ministers", etc. until just recently. However, these are disciplines and are not infallible declarations. Therefore, one can openly disagree with these practices and not be a schismatic or apostate.)

15 In those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren, said (now the number of persons together was about an hundred and twenty):
16 Men, brethren, the scripture must needs be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus:
17 Who was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 And he indeed hath possessed a field of the reward of iniquity, and being hanged, burst asunder in the midst: and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: so that the same field was called in their tongue, Haceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein. And his bishopric let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men who have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, until the day wherein he was taken up from us, one of these must be made a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And praying, they said: Thou, Lord, who knowest the heart of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave them lot, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Acts i (This is a very important passage which is so easily overlooked by all protestants. Here the Apostles have actually shown that they pass on their authority. Judas, having killed himself, left a hiatus which needed to be filled. To do so, they called a proto-conclave. In this, many aspects of choosing a Pope are seen. Although St. Matthias was not the Pope, certain aspects accompany how any Bishop is to be chosen. They call upon Out Lord to choose who He wanted as a Bishop of His Church. St. Peter does this remembering the promise of His guidance and that of the Holy Ghost. This passage is used to illustrate how the Apostles had the ability to pass on their authority, which was confirmed by Our Lord when He chose Matthias as His Bishop.)

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself: but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak. And the things that are to come, he shall shew you.

St. John xvi (Here Our Lord promises the Holy Ghost shall guide the Church to Her infallibility, for the Holy Ghost could never allow falsity.)

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.
St. John xiv (The Holy Ghost will teach all things; therefore, not only is the Church free from all error, but She is also knowledgeable of all Truth. The Church possesses the fullness of Truth. Any other religion posses only partial, if any, Truth.)
16 He that heareth you [Apsotles and their successors: Bishops] heareth me [Our Lord]: and he that despiseth you despiseth me: and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me [God].
St. Luke x (Our Lord says that anyone who hears the Apostles and their chosen successors hears Him. Therefore, if we follow the Church, then we truly are following Our Lord, and, conversely, anyone who does not listen to the Church despises Our Lord and His Father! Our Lord Himself says this very clearly.)
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.

I Timothy iii (St. Paul here refers to the Church as "the pillar and ground of the truth." Our Lord called Himself the "Son of the living God." [If you have seen The Passion of the Christ, you should know that. He was called or accused of calling Himself this many times in the movie.] St. Paul reflects this by calling the Church the Church of the living God; hence, the Catholic Church truly is Our Lord's Church.)

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

St. Matthew xxviii (Our Lord did not say that He would be with His Church for 1500 years when someone "more enlightened" would come bringing a new and better "truth." Nay, He said that He would be with His Church to guide Her until the end of the world.)

3 Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling.
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians iv (Here St. Paul reminds the Ephesians that there is but one Truth and one Faith just as there is but one God. To believe that 33,000 different protestant heresies all believe the "essential" parts of the Truth is absurd, according to St. Paul. He says that the Church must be of one body and keep unity. The Holy Roman Catholic Church is the only Church that can even claim to have been around since the first century and has never disagreed within Herself about Dogma or any point of infallibility. To change what is correct by Faith and Morals is a clear measure of if a Church can even claim infallibility. No protestant religion can claim such, for they all opposed contraception before 1930. However, in the 1930s women wanted more "rights." Because of this, the first of all being the anglican religion, many protestant religions changed their views. Eventually it has come to the fact that only the Catholic Church still opposes this evil practice. It is clear, then, that these religions could never be infallible, for they have now completely changed from something being wrong to there being no problem with it. Infallible means that something can never be incorrect. Clearly these religions were either incorrect then or incorrect now. Hence, none can claim infallibility.)

8 Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today: and the same for ever.

St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews xiii (It is clear that Our Lord never changes. Therefore, His beliefs could never change. Any change in a moral belief, doctrine, etc. shows a lack of a belief in Our Lord, for Our Lord never changes. Any religion that changes doctrine clearly is not of Our Lord. Rather, it is a "church of devils" as, I think, St. Paul put it.)
St. Athanasius supported St. Paul's teaching by saying such: "let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the Apostles, and was preached by the Fathers [Popes]. On this was the Church founded; and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer ought to be called a Christian…" This was written in AD 360! Even in the earliest days of the Church it was clear that no one but those true Christians in Our Lord's Church could merit eternal life.
St. Alphonsus Ligori reiterates this after the lutheran and other protestant heresies were first revealed: "Innovators say that the Lord gives each of the faithful a clear knowledge of Scripture. Behold, the 'private interpretation' of the heretics which has produced such a variety of creeds! Hence, after all the Congresses and Synods they have held, they have never been able to draw up a formula of uniform belief; hence, everyone knows that among the Reformers there are as many formulas of faith as there are individuals. This alone is sufficient to show that they are in error and do not have the true faith. God arranged that the true faith would be preserved in the Roman Church alone, so that, there being but one Church, there would be but one faith and one doctrine for all the faithful."

20 Understanding this first: That no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation.

II Peter i (The "private interpretation" of Scripture is completely un-Scriptural! Is this not by what the protestant heresy lives and dies, personal interpretation? Here St. Peter, in his second Epistle, makes it clear that absolutely no prophesy [interpretation, understanding, etc.] of Scripture comes from one's own private interpretation. Only the Church has authority to make such a statement. Therefore, we must look to the infallible Church for guidance as to what is and what is not Truth.) We will now examine what She and Her Saints say about those existing outside of Her bosom:

"There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all can be saved." Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215

"We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff." Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302

"The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441

"To be subject to the Roman Pontiff is necessary for salvation." St. Thomas Aquinas

"No man can find salvation save in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church he can have dignities, he can have the Sacraments, can sing 'Alleluia', answer 'Amen', accept the Gospels, have faith in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and preach it, too, but never except in the Catholic Church can he find salvation." St. Augustine

"Know, my son, and make all others know, that it is a probable and proximate sign of eternal damnation to have an aversion, a lukewarmness, or a negligence in saying the Angelic Salutation (Hail Mary), w

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

Very nice post, but you forgot about the extraordinary circumstances in which one can attain salvation (Baptism of Desire, ignorance of the True Church, etc).

[CatholicCrusader]

We don't know for sure if God saves those who are not Baptized. We have to by what we know for fact, that is, that the Church is "absolutely necessary for salvation" and that "none existing outside" of the Church can be saved. These extraordinary means have not been dogmatically defined by the Church, whereas, the ordinary (or only?) means have been. Therefore, we must be ever more vigilant in converting souls to the Church of Christ in order that they may have life. In you think about it, if Our Lord is "the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life", if anyone rejects the Truth, He rejects Our Lord, which Our Lord Himself says when He stated: "He who rejects you (the Chuch), rejects Me, he who rejects Me, rejects the One Who sent Me." Therefore, we cannot have any "good hope" (or confidence, assurance, etc) that those who are not Catholic can go to Heaven (part of St. Pope Pius X's Syllabus of Errors). God bless.

[Theoketos]

[quote name='CatholicCrusader' date='Mar 23 2004, 09:17 PM'] These extraordinary means have not been dogmatically defined by the Church, whereas, the ordinary (or only?) means have been. [/quote]
Let us Open our hearts!

Just because something has not been dogmatically defined does mean that it is not ture.

A good example of this is Mary as co-redemtrix, btw.

[Theoketos]

P.S. If any one wishes to honestly propogate the truth they will do it with out barbs of intellectual arrogance.

For it is in pride people ears become closed to the truth.

[phatcatholic]

this topic has been beaten until there is no life left.........and i refuse to allow this to become another debate, especially here.

topic closed