LESSON 23

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT TEACH ERROR

 "The gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For neither did I receive it ofman, nor did I learn it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1 :11-12)

DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDENT   Knowledge that the Church cannot teach error in matters of Faith and morals will keep you from falling away from the Church when temptations against Faith assault you. The Bible, even your prayers may at times seem to fail you. Now during this time of instruction if you understand that the Church cannot be in error you have a strong bulwalk against future temptations against Faith and morals. If you do not understand this lesson, you can easily fall away: and there may be little hope that you will ever come back to the Church.

A. WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT TEACH ERROR

When I say the Catholic Church cannot teach error, I mean that when God's only true Church, the Catholic Church, teaches religion to the people, it cannot teach error. The reason for this is that God Himself guides His Church so that His Church will never teach error. Therefore, ifl follow the teaching of the Catholic Church I can be absolutely sure that I will not be led into error by accepting this teaching.

B. GOD HAD TO SEE TO IT THAT HIS CHURCH WOULD NOT TEACH ERROR

"Who (God) will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:4) God demands that we believe His teaching under penalty of hell. " H e that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned." (Mark 16:16)

God therefore had to provide that the Church that He made to bring His teachings to all people would be protected from teaching error. Without a church that cannot teach error, we could never get Christ's true teaching in its fullness.

C. GOD DID TELL US THAT HIS CHURCH COULD NOT TEACH US ERROR

Christ promised that He would be with the Church when the Church teaches. "Going therefore, teach ye all nations 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." (Matthew 28:19-20)

He promised He would be with the Church in teaching. If Christ is with the Church in teaching, the Church cannot teach error! Christ also promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. " 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." (Matthew 16:18)

Christ said His Church, the one He made, is like a city built upon a rock and is so strong that not even hell can push it over. That certainly means at least that it will do what it is supposed to do, teach people the truth.

The Church is also called "the pillar and the ground of the truth."

D. THE SAME TEACHING YOU GET NOW IS THE TEACHING GIVEN AT THE TIME OF CHRIST   The Church, guided by God, has always taught what it is teaching today. It cannot change its teachings. It gives the same teaching in every nation, and every century of history .The other religions change the teaching of Christ. Some, now, teach that Jesus is not God or that the Bible is not inspired by God. Even though Christ clearly condemned divorce in the Bible, some religions now allow divorce. Some Christian religions allow birth control, but the true religion of Jesus Christ does not.

E. A CATHOLIC MUST OBEY THE CHURCH IN ALL MATTERS OF RELIGION      Catholics bow their heads in assent to the teachings of the Church even when we cannot understand some of them or live according to them. Even though the whole world be wrong, the Church alone will be right when it gives Christ's teaching. A Catholic cannot pick and choose from the teachings of Christ. he must accept what the Church teaches because the church cannot be in error.

The Church is somewhat like the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court tells us what the Constitution teaches. The Church decides any disputes about the teachings of Christ, and the Church cannot make a mistake in its decision.

F. TO BE A CATHOLIC IS A WONDERFUL CONSOLATION IN LIFE

A Catholic usually has no serious doubts and difficulties about religion. He does not have to enter into fruitless arguments about religion because he knows that he has found God's only true Church: he knows that the true Church cannot and does not teach error. In the modern world with its controversies about marriage and family life, its problems of having teenagers find the right goals in life, its problems in education, its problems about the very meaning of life itself, the Catholic stands firm with peace of mind and singleness of purpose. He has the correct answers to the important problems of life because he has received the answers from God's Church. The answers are clear: the teachings are unmistakable. Sometimes the Catholic scrub woman is more educated than the university professor who was not wise enough to look into the Bible, find Christ's Church, and follow its teachings.