Does The Catholic Church Have The True God?
4:20 How have other Catholic priests explained the doctrine of the Trinity?
6:40 Does the Bible, the sole basis of faith for the true Christian Church, teach that God is a triune God?
9:19 What other Bible verse proves that the true God is absolutely one and not composed of several persons?
11:26 Who is the Lord who has spoken those two Bible verses, who declares that he is the true God, and that besides him, there is no other God. Is it Jesus?
14:03 When the Lord Jesus Christ was here on Earth, performing his public ministry, did our Lord Jesus Christ teach that God is a triune God?
20:19 Have Catholic priests also taught in their writings about God supposedly having become a man? Have Catholic Authorities stated in their books that God became a man?
23:08 Aside from teaching that God became a man, what else does the Catholic Church teach about God?
25:12 Does the Bible teach that God became a man? Does the Bible teach that God died when Christ died on the cross?
27:26 Does God agree that He is a man?
29:21 Is the Catholic Church right in saying that God died when Christ died on the cross?
30:48 What does it mean that God is immortal?
32:10 What are some more facts that people should know about the Trinity?
38:01 What is the further reason why people really should reject this Catholic doctrine about God that God has three persons?
39:21 According to our Lord Jesus Christ, what is the importance of recognizing that the Father is the one and only true God?
[Video starts]
{Source: youtube.com/catholicnewsagency]
Pope speaking in Italian, translated to English: God is all and only Love in a subsisting relationship that creates, redeems, and sanctifies all Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
[Video ends]
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Dear friends, does the Catholic Church have the true God? Whom do Catholics recognize as God? Is the God that Catholics believe in the same God whom the Bible introduces? Discover the truth today on the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition.
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Topic: DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVE THE TRUE GOD?
Brother Johnny Martin: I’m Johnny Martin joining us this week, are Brother Anthony Brandon in Toronto, Canada,
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Brother Ruben Bustos in Los Angeles, California.
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Ruben Bustos
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: and Brother Cromwell Correa in London, England.
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Cromwell Correa
London, England
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Hi, Brothers and thank you for being a part of our discussion.
Brothers: Hello Brother Johnny!
Brother Johnny Martin: Brothers and dear friends today, we will be holding a discussion that focuses on God. And we’ll thereby find out if the Catholic Church has the true God. The true Church has and recognizes the true God. And the true God is the one introduced by the Bible. So who is God? Whom does the Bible introduce as the true God? Well, before we get into that, let’s examine what the Catholic Church believes about God. Earlier, we heard the current Pope say that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How do Catholic authorities elaborate on this doctrine of the Trinity, or that in one God, there are three divine persons. Let’s watch this video clip.
[Video starts]
[Source: youtube.com/SPWP PatM]
Priest: The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, that there is one God, one substance, but there are three distinct persons, God the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit, is the central doctrine of our faith. It’s a mystery that we cannot totally understand. We would not know it, if Jesus had not revealed to us that there is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It had to be revealed by God himself. It is so important for us, we make the sign of the cross perhaps several times a day, we remember that probably the very first thing our mothers taught us when we were just babies was to make the sign of the cross. The sign of the cross is the first of all the belief that there are three persons in one God: God the Father who created us, God the Son who redeemed us, God the Holy Spirit who consecrates us and makes us holy. And secondly, the belief that Jesus Christ died on the cross as we just read in the Gospel for our salvation, so much does he love us? So the doctrine of the Trinity is so central to our beliefs.
[Video ends]
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Alright, Brothers, after watching that video clip where the Catholic priest is making various statements about their belief about God, what are some of the things that caught your attention? Brother Anthony, if we could begin with you, please?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Sure, Brother Johnny, actually, the statements that we heard were made by a Catholic priest and in his statements, he’s explaining the doctrine of the Trinity. Now the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that there is one God, but the one God has three distinct persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost.
Brother Ruben Bustos: He also mentioned Brother Johnny, that the doctrine of the Trinity is an essential doctrine of faith of the Catholic Church. He stated that the doctrine of the Trinity is so essential to the beliefs of the Catholic Church.
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny, he also mentioned that the doctrine of the Trinity is also referred to as a mystery that Catholic priests cannot totally understand.
Brother Johnny Martin: Okay, now, Brother Anthony, this is the first question here in our discussion today. How have other Catholic priests explained the doctrine of the Trinity?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Well, for our answer, we’re going to quote from another book, the title of this book is, This is Catholicism. Now this book is written by John Walsh, who is a Catholic priest, and the book has a Nihil Obstat by Alfred Jullen, and an Imprimatur by Richard Cardinal Cushing. Now, this is stated on page 185 of that book.
[This is Catholicism, John Walsh, Nihil Obstat by Alfred Jullen, Imprimatur by Richard Cardinal Cushing, Page 185]
- 2. Did Christ reveal to us the names of the three divine Persons?
They are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
- 4. Is each of the Persons divine?
Yes. The Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God.
- 5. Are they then three gods?
No, there cannot be three gods. The three persons are one and the same eternal God, for each of the Persons possesses one and the same divine nature.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Now, in this Catholic book, a Catholic priest is explaining the God that his religion believes in. They believe that their god has three different divine persons, meaning that there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Now, they believe that these three are one God, not that there are three different gods.
Brother Ruben Bustos: But it’s worth to note brothers, that he does not accept the logical conclusion that there are three gods. You know, he says that the three cannot or rather, there could not be three gods, but that the three persons are one God, and the same eternal God.
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny and our viewers, we have to understand what their book is saying, it’s an official book of the Catholic Church. That for the Catholic Church, their God is a Triune God.
Brother Johnny Martin: Okay, now, Brother Ruben. Let me ask you these questions, please. Does the Bible, the sole basis of faith for the true Christian Church, teach that God is a triune God? Does the Bible say that God is a trinity of persons? Does the Bible declare that in one God, there are three divine persons? What does the Bible teach about God?
Brother Ruben Bustos: Well, to find the answer, Brother Johnny, we need to read the book of Isaiah, chapter 45, verse 21, it mentions the following:
Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told that from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
[Isaiah 45:21 New King James Version]
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now we need to go back to the questions that were posed,
Brother Johnny. We asked the Bible, the sole basis of faith for the true Christian Church, to teach that God is a Triune God. Does the Bible say that God is a trinity of persons? That’s the Bible declare that in one God, there are three divine persons? Well, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding “no.” Why are we sure? Who was the one speaking here in this verse that we have read? It is the true God. Now who was the true God that is speaking here? The true God said, “I am the Lord, a just God and savior.” Besides the Lord speaking in this verse, is there any other true God? Well the answer is no. For he said, “There is no other God besides me, a just God and a savior, there is none besides me.” That’s why the Lord mentioned here is the true God, and besides Him, there is no other true God.
Brother Anthony Brandon: That’s true Brother Ruben and actually, what we should notice in the same verse is God does not say, there is no other God besides us. He doesn’t say that there’s none besides us. What he in fact says is there is none besides me, a just God and a savior. There is none besides me. So God himself is uncompromising in that teaching. He wants it to be clear to us that God is not composed of several different persons, as the Catholic Church teaches the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but that there is only one and no other true God.
Brother Johnny Martin: Brother Cromwell, Brother Ruben read a verse of the Bible in the book of the prophet Isaiah, showing us that there was really just one true God. Now what other Bible verse proves that the true God is absolutely one and not composed of several persons?
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny, we can actually read another verse in Isaiah 43:10. And this is what it states:
The Lord says, “You people are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so that you would help people believe me. I chose you so that you would understand that ‘I am He’– I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me.
[Isaiah 43:10 Easy-to-Read Version]
Brother Cromwell Correa: So, Brother Johnny, if we asked what other Bible verse proves that the true God is absolutely one, and not composed of several persons? Well, the one that we just read is Isaiah 43:10. But who is the one speaking in this verse? The true God. Who is the true God speaking here? The same Lord who spoke in the verse that we read just a moment ago in Isaiah 45:21.
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Topic: DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVE THE TRUE GOD?
Brother Cromwell Correa: Now what is it that we know we should notice? What does the Lord say about himself? He said, I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me. And take note, the Lord, who is the true God did not say, “We are the true God. There was no God before us, and there will be no God after us.” What does this statement show? It shows that there are no three persons in one God. The true God is not a Triune God. The Bible proves again, that the true God is absolutely one.
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, Brother Anthony, who is the Lord who has spoken those two Bible verses, who declares that he is the true God, and that besides him, there is no other God. Is it Jesus?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Oh, for our answer, Brother Johnny and dear viewers, we always turn to the holy scriptures or to the Bible for our answer. This time, we’re going to read what is recorded in the Book of Isaiah in chapter 63. In verse 16, we read this:
Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
[Isaiah 63: 16 New King James Version]]
Brother Anthony Brandon: Now, who is the Lord that was spoken in the two previously read verses in Isaiah chapter 45, verse 21, and in Isaiah chapter 43, verse 10, who declared that He is the true God and that besides Him, there is no other? In this verse that we’ve just read in Isaiah chapter 63. It makes it very clear– Doubtless you are our Father, you, O Lord are our Father. There’s really no room for any other, it makes it very clear. ‘Doubtless you are our Father.’ This, from what we’ve read, it’s not Jesus Christ, Brother Johnny, but it is the Father who is referred to as the true God and no other.
Brother Ruben Bustos: Brothers, the Father makes it clear that He is the one and only true God. Now, since the Father is the one and only true God, there is no room then for there to be a God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Ruben, if I may add to that, others like Catholic Popes, and priests may say that besides the Father, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. But that is not what the Father says. The Father who is the one and only true God makes it plain and clear, that only He is God. The Bible does not teach the doctrine of Trinity. The Catholic Church teaches that doctrine, but not the Bible.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, Brother Ruben, you know others would insist that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. Well, when the Lord Jesus Christ was here on Earth, performing his public ministry, did our Lord Jesus Christ teach that God is a triune God? Did our Lord Jesus Christ teach what others have referred to as Trinitarian monotheism? Did our Lord Jesus teach that in one God, there are three divine persons?
Brother Ruben Bustos: Well, Brother, let’s find out from our Lord Jesus Christ himself here and the Gospel according to Apostle John, in chapter 17, verses one and 3, he mentions the following.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
[John 17:1, 3 New King James Version]
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now is it right to insist that our Lord Jesus Christ is God? Well, the answer is no. It is wrong to do so if a person were to say that our Lord Jesus Christ is God. Now, why are we very sure? Because the one speaking in the verses we have read is none other than our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. What was He doing here in these verses? What the Bible says He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and He prayed. When He prayed, was he just talking to himself? The answer is no, He was not. He was speaking to someone else. Who was our Lord Jesus Christ speaking or praying to? He was praying to the Father in heaven. Now what did he say about the Father in heaven? He said, That they may know you, the Father, the only true God.
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Ruben, I hope that our viewers also noticed based on what our Lord Jesus Christ said here. We can see that the Lord Jesus Christ taught that the Father is the one and only true God. Now, did our Lord Jesus Christ teach that God is a Triune God? That when it comes to the true God, there is Trinitarian monotheism? That in the one true God, there are three divine persons? No, He did not. As far as our Lord Jesus Christ is concerned, the one and only true God is the Father in heaven.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Dear viewers, Brother Johnny, what we should also realize is that our Lord Jesus Christ, is not a Trinitarian. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not teach what others believe in and call Trinitarian monotheism, he did not espouse such a teaching, and the Bible itself does not have a teaching such as Trinitarian. monotheism, the Bible’s teaching is very clear, there is only one true God. The Bible teaches us very clearly, that the one true God is none other than the Father in heaven. This is the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now, dear friends, what the Catholic Church teaches about God, that God is a trinity is different, and goes against what the Bible teaches. When the Catholic priests say that God is a Triune God, then in one God, there are three divine persons. They say something that contradicts totally the Bible, they teach something that is wrong.
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, dear friends, does the Catholic Church teach any other wrong things about God? What do Catholics believe God did? Well, that’s what we’ll talk about after the break. The Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition will continue in a moment.
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Welcome back, everyone to the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. Our topic today is whether or not the Catholic Church has the true God. So far in our conversation, we have already seen that the Catholic Church as a teaching about God that is different and contradicts what the Bible says about God.
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Topic: DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVE THE TRUE GOD?
Brother Johnny Martin: For the Catholic Church, God is a Triune God. However, for the Bible, God is not a Triune God. For the Catholic Church, the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. But for the Bible, the Father is the one and only true God. And that besides Him, there is no other true God. Well, does the Catholic Church teach any other wrong things about God? What do Catholics believe God did? Let’s watch this video clip.
[Video starts]
[Source: youtube.com/adwmuk]
Priest: And so we can ask the question, another question, “What is God’s greatest glory or what is His greatest work?” Is it the creation? The creation of heaven and earth? Is that his greatest work? And the answer is, no, it’s not. His greatest work, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is the incarnation. When God became man, there can be no greater work than this.
[Video ends]
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Okay, Brothers after watching that video clip, what is it that you pick up from what this gentleman, this Catholic priest has to say about God?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Well, Brother Johnny, the first thing that I noticed is the source of his belief. He’s talking about what is God’s greatest work you know, he’s saying it’s not the creation. It’s not that but based on St. Thomas Aquinas is the incarnation. So I was kind of puzzled with his basis for that. He’s not saying from the Bible as it is but he’s using someone else’s teachings as if that is the basis of his faith.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Okay Brother Cromwell have Catholic priests also taught in their writings about God supposedly having become a man? Have Catholic Authorities stated in their books that God became a man?
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny, let us go ahead and read again from This is Catholicism. This is a Catholic book, written by John Walsh, and has Nihil Obstat by Alfred Jullen and an Imprimatur by Richard Cardinal Cushing. This is stated on page pages 187 and 188.
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Cromwell Correa
London, England
Minister of the Gospel
[This is Catholicism, John Walsh, Nihil Obstat by Alfred Jullen, Imprimatur by Richard Cardinal Cushing, Pages 187 and 188]
- 5. How did the Son of God become man?
The Church teaches that He became man by talking to Himself a human nature like ours. This event is known as the Incarnation, a word of Latin derivation, which means literally entering-into-flesh.
- 8. When the Son became man did He then cease to be God?
God can never cease to be God. In assuming our human nature, therefore, the Son began to be man while continuing to be God; He became man in addition to remaining God.
- 9. Does Jesus Christ, then, have two natures?
Christ possesses two natures: divine nature and human nature. He is both God and man.
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny, according to the Catholic book that we just read, the Catholic Church teaches that the Son of God became man by taking to himself a human nature like ours. This event is known as what they call the Incarnation, which means literally entering into flesh. They also said, God can never cease to be God, in assuming our human nature. Therefore, the sun began to be man while continuing to be God. He became man in addition to remaining God. If you simply put it, the Catholic Church believes that God became a man, that God changed, and became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. Now the question we need to ask is this, does the Bible teach that God changed and became a man?
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, dear viewers, we will get to that in a moment. But let’s address this first Brother Anthony, aside from teaching that God became a man, what else does the Catholic Church teach about God?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Well, let’s take another teaching, quoting from another book, this time, The Teaching of Christ, Catechism for Adults, which was edited by Ronald Lawler, and has Nihil Obstat by Lawrence Goldner and an Imprimatur by Leo Pursley. On page 100 of that book, we can read this:
[The Teaching of Christ: Catechism for Adults, Ronald Lawler, Nihil Obstat by Laurence Gollner, Imprimatur by Leo Pursley, Page 100]
Because Jesus is one Person who lives in two distinct natures, one can truthfully say of the Son of God whatever is true of Him in either of His natures. He suffered and died in his human nature, and he is God, and so we may say that God suffered and died.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Aside from the teaching that God became man. What else does the Catholic Church teach about God? Well, it teaches that God died. Where did they get that? Again, it stated in the Catechism, that Jesus suffered and died in His human nature, and He is God. So we may say that God suffered and died. So because of their erroneous teaching, that Jesus Christ is God now they’re saying that he has two natures as well both God and man, and that since they, the things that apply to them as a man also apply to him as God. They’re saying, well, since Jesus Christ suffered and died, the same thing is true of God that God not only suffered, but God died.
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Topic: DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVE THE TRUE GOD?
Brother Johnny Martin: So dear viewers, those are the two teachings of the Catholic Church that we’ll be examining in the light of the teaching of the Holy Bible. Now, Brother Ruben, does the Bible teach that God became a man? Does the Bible teach that God died when Christ died on the cross? Is the Catholic Church correct in teaching, that God became a man in the person of Christ?
Brother Ruben Bustos: Oh, let’s read the answer Brother Johnny here in the book of Malachi chapter 3, and the verses 6:
“For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
[Malachi 3:6 New King James Version]
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now does the Bible teach that God became a man? Well, the answer is no. It even contradicts what the Bible says. Now we are sure of this because for God to become a man would require God to change with regards to His state of being. The Bible teaches that God is a Spirit based on John chapter four, verse 24, which means that he does not have flesh and bones, according to Luke chapter 24, verse 39, or God has no material form.
God is spirit,…
[John 4:24 New King James Version]
…for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
[Luke 24:39 New King James Version]
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Ruben, the Lord, who is the one and only true God declared right here in the verse and I hope our viewers have noticed this. In the verse itself. It says, I am the Lord, I do not change. Therefore, God did not change and become a man in the person of Jesus Christ.
Brother Anthony Brandon: And we should also understand, dear viewers, Brother, Johnny and fellow ministers, that when our Lord Jesus Christ was here on Earth, doing the work that God the Father in heaven gave Him to do, He also made it very clear for us that the one true God, who is the Father is spirit in nature and remained a spirit in heaven, even though our Lord Jesus Christ was here on Earth. And actually, we could find that in the Holy Scriptures in the book of John chapter 17, verses one and 3, and also in John chapter four, verse 24.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, Brother Cromwell, what about this very simple question, but it’s a very important one. Does God agree that He is a man?
Brother Cromwell Correa: Well, Brother Johnny, we can read in Hosea chapter 11, and verses 9, this is what it states:
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.
[Hosea 11:9 New King James Version]
Brother Cromwell Correa: No Brother Johnny, when the Catholic Church teaches that God became a man, well, they reveal something about themselves. They show that they are not teaching what the Bible says that they’re actually teaching a doctrine that goes against what the Bible says. That proves that the Catholic Church is not the true Church and does not have the true God.
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Cromwell Correa
London, England
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, dear friends, what about the Catholic Church’s teaching that God died? Is the Catholic Church correct in saying that God died when Christ died on the cross? That’s what we’ll discuss after this break, the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. We’ll be right back. Don’t go away.
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To learn more about the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ), log onto www.iglesianicristo.net and www.incmedia.org
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Dear friends, welcome back to the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. We are continuing with our discussion on the teachings of the Catholic Church, about God. And we can see that the Catholic Church does not have or recognize the true God. What is more proof of this? The Catholic Church teaches that when Christ died, God died. Well, is that teaching of the Catholic Church true? Is this correct? Brother Anthony, is the Catholic Church right in saying that God died when Christ died on the cross?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Let’s get our answer from the Apostle Paul in his epistle in his first epistle to Timothy, in chapter 1, verse 17, the Holy Bible says this:
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
[Timothy 1:17 New King James Version]
Brother Anthony Brandon: Now, the first thing that we want to point out here, Brothers Johnny and viewers is that there’s no doubt at all in our minds, that our Lord Jesus Christ did die on the cross. In fact, we can read that in the Holy Bible, in First Corinthians chapter 15, in verse 3, but is the Catholic Church’s teaching that when our Lord Jesus Christ died, that God also died also based on what’s in the Holy Bible? The answer is absolutely, no. How do we know? Here Apostle Paul has made it clear for us that the true God is immortal, and being immortal, well, God can’t die.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, Brother Ruben, why are we very sure that God since He is immortal, He does not die? What does it mean that God is immortal?
Brother Ruben Bustos: Well, Brother Johnny, to make our study’s even clearer, we need to read that same verse, but we will read it from another biblical translation. We’ll read it from the Living Bible translation, we could read this:
Glory and honor to God forever and ever. He is the King of the ages, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God, and full of wisdom. Amen.
[Timothy 1:17 The Living Bible]
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now, when the Bible says that God is immortal, that means that God never dies. The verse said about the true God, He is the unseen one who never dies, he alone is God. That’s why the Catholic Church is wrong in their teaching, that God died, the one and only true God does not ever die. And anyone that the Catholic Church points to as being God is not truly God, if that one died.
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Ruben Bustos
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Anthony Brandon: So what we can see here is it the teachings of the Catholic Church, that God is a trinity or one god with three different persons, the teaching that God became a man and the teaching that God died, which are Catholic teachings are not based on the Holy Scriptures, and they are not found in the Holy Bible.
Brother Johnny Martin: And Brother Cromwell, what are some more facts that people should know about the Trinity?
Brother Cromwell Correa: And Brother Johnny, we can read here in a book called Systematic Theology, written by Augustus Hopkins Strong on page 304.
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Cromwell Correa
London, England
Minister of the Gospel
[Systematic Theology, Augustus Hopkins Strong, Page 304]
“The term ‘Trinity’ is not found in Scripture, …The invention of the term is ascribed to Tertullian.”
Brother Cromwell Correa: Now, our dear viewers, Brother Johnny, where does the Trinity come from according to what we have read. Let us first let us begin with the word itself. According to what we have just read, the word ‘Trinity’ is not found in the scriptures. There is a word that does not appear in the pages of the Bible. God did not use this word. God’s ancient prophets did not use this word. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not use these words, and not even the apostles use this word. That word is not in the Bible. That word can be found in a lot of books that others have written about God, but not in the Bible. Well, who invented that word? Trinity. A man named Tertullian.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Let’s talk a little bit about Tertullian. Tertullian is said to have lived in the second century, he was a church theologian. Now being a theologian, we still have to ask some questions. Who really was he? Was he someone who was a messenger of God? Was he someone whom God sent to preach His holy words? Was he a prophet of God? Well, so far, the answer is no. What else should we understand? He wasn’t with our Lord Jesus Christ during the time that our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth. Is not one of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. He’s not one of the ones that was given the task by God to write any of the Holy Scriptures. Who is he? He’s just a church theologian. And he lived after the time of our Lord Jesus Christ, after the time of the apostles, and after the last of the books of the Bible, were already written.
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now, the word ‘trinity’ and the Trinitarian concept of God that it represents are just mere human inventions that should never be accepted.
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, Brother Anthony, one of Catholic priests, admitted regarding their doctrine of the Trinity, or that in one God, there are three persons.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Let’s read now from another book, this one is entitled Dictionary of the Bible. It’s written by John McKenzie, who is a Catholic priest. And it has a Nihil Obstat by John Amberg, and an Imprimatur by Cletus O’Donnell, on page 899. This is written:
[Dictionary of the Bible, John McKenzie, Nihil Obstat by John Amberg, Imprimatur by Cletus O’Donnell, Page 899]
“Trinity. The trinity of God is defined by the Church as the belief that in God, there are three persons who subsist in one nature. The belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief.”
Brother Anthony Brandon: Would have Catholic priests admitted regarding their doctrine of the trinity or that in God, there are three persons?
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Topic: DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVE THE TRUE GOD?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Well, based on what we’ve read, they are admitting Brother Johnny, that the doctrine of the Trinity was only reached in the fourth and fifth centuries AD. And they also admit that it is not explicitly and formally a belief that is based on the Bible. And that it is not a formal and explicit teaching of the Bible.
Brother Ruben Bustos: You know, Brother Anthony, the belief that our Lord Jesus Christ is God was formulated only in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea. And the belief that the Holy Spirit is God was formulated only in 381 ad at the Council of Constantinople based on a book entitled, discourses on the Apostles Creed on page 206.
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DISCOURSES ON THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Clement Crock, Nihil obstat by Arthur Scanlan, Imprimatur by Patrick Hayes, Page 206
“Thus for example, it was not until 325 A.D., at the Council of Nicea, that the Church defined for us that it was an article of faith that Jesus is truly God. …In 381, at the Council of Constantinople, it was defined that it was an article of faith that the Holy Ghost is God.”
Brother Cromwell Correa: So Brother Ruben, Brother Anthony, and Brother Johnny, it is clear from the Catholic authorities. Both the word trinity and the doctrine of Trinity are not in the Bible. The Catholic Church teaches this doctrine about a Triune God, but that doctrine goes against what the Bible teaches. People should reject that doctrine of the Trinity.
Brother Johnny Martin: Dear friends, we just heard one of our Brothers mentioned that people should reject the doctrine of the Trinity, which is being upheld by the Roman Catholic Church. Now, if we have any friends joining us right now, watching the program who are members of the Roman Catholic Church, dear friends, we want to make it clear to you that it’s never our intention to hurt anyone’s feelings. But we believe that people would really like to know the truth. What is the truth about God? And we’ve seen so far in our study, that the Roman Catholic Church is not teaching the truth about God. When they say that God is a trinity of persons, that is not the truth. So people really should reject the Catholic doctrine about God. Well, Brother Ruben, what is the further reason why people really should reject this Catholic doctrine about God that God has three persons?
Brother Ruben Bustos: Well, to find out the answer, Brother, we need to read from the book of First Corinthians chapter 8, verses 5 through 6:
Even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth, and even though there are many of these “gods” and “lords,” yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.
[I Corinthians 8: 5-6 Good News Translation]
Brother Ruben Bustos: Now, the early Christians were not Trinitarians. They believed in only one God, and believed that the only one God is the Father, who was the creator of all things. That if we want our belief to be the same as that of the early Christians, then we should discard we should reject the belief regarding the Triune God or the Trinity and accept the truth, that God is absolutely one, and that he is the Father only.
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Ruben Bustos
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Ruben Bustos: You know, the early Christians learn the truth that the Father is the one and only true God from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Brother Johnny Martin: And Brother Cromwell, according to our Lord Jesus Christ, what is the importance of recognizing that the Father is the one and only true God?
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny, we can read that in the book of John, chapter 17. The verses are 1 and 3 this is what we can read from the Holy Scriptures:
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
[ John 17: 1,3 New King James Version]
Brother Cromwell Correa: Brother Johnny, what is the importance of recognizing that the Father is the only true God? According to our Lord Jesus Christ, this is eternal life. Now, since the Catholic Church does not maintain that God is absolutely one, and that the Father in heaven is the only true God, the Catholic Church is not the true Christian Church. It does not have the true God and does not have salvation and eternal life on Judgment Day.
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Cromwell Correa
London, England
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Anthony Brandon: The Church of Christ or the Iglesia Ni Cristo, however, continues to stand firm and maintain its biblical position that the Bible really teaches. There’s only one true God, that one true God is none other than the Father in heaven. This Church also has eternal life, and will receive salvation on the day of judgment, because all of the teachings that we uphold are based on what is recorded in the Holy Bible. Dear viewers, we’re also inviting you to come and listen to the teachings of the Church of Christ, and to learn what the Bible really teaches while you still have time.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, dear friends, that’s all the time we have for this week. So we’d like to thank Brother Anthony Brandon, in Toronto, Canada, Brother Ruben Bustos in Los Angeles, California, and Brother Cromwell Correa in London, England, for giving us a Bible-based answers so that as the Apostle Peter said, to the members of the church, ‘you will be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are,’ which we could read in first Peter 3:15.
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INC International Edition
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To learn more about the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ), log onto www.iglesianicristo.net and www.incmedia.org
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, dear friends, that does it for us here on the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. We hope you’ll join us again next time. I’m Johnny Martin and thank you very much for watching. Now, as we come to the end of the program, we invite you to join us for a short prayer
Brother Anthony Brandon: Our gracious and loving Father in heaven, as we have come to the end of our program, we thank you so much for the knowledge and wisdom that we have received through our study, and for giving us this time to understand what is really recorded in The Holy Scriptures. We understand now that you, Father, are the only true God and we pray that our viewers understand this as well. We are praying to God that you will continue to be with us each time we come together to study. Let your words be clear, we can learn the spiritual truths that we need, that each one will be led to the salvation and eternal life that we are longing for. May your blessings continue to be with us always Father, this we pray for in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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