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EMAIL QUESTION: Why doesn’t the Church Of Christ use the sign of the cross?
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Brother Bob Pellien, Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: Thank you very much, Ms. Ivy Armenton for your email question. Thank you for that. Before we turn to the Holy Scriptures for the Bible’s response, of course, to your question, for the sake of our viewers and even many other Christian-professing religions that—well, they may not yet know for sure what’s really meant by that whole “sign of the cross”. Let’s take a look at a couple of video clips here that show, first of all, how this is being done inside the Roman Catholic Church, and then together, let’s take a check of what the Bible actually has to say in response to all of that. Let’s take a look.
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Source: https://www.youtube.com/CatholicChicago
Priest: In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
Narrator: We begin with what is, perhaps, our earliest personal religious memory and practice: the sign of the cross. We invoke the name of the triune God: Father, son, and holy spirit. The God we have come to meet and the God whose life we share.
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Source: https://www.youtube.com/DominicanAllSaints
Narrator: As often as we make the sign of the cross, repeating at the same time these words:
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An indulgence of 100 days is granted for making the sign of the cross and saying the words.
An indulgence of 300 days for making the sign of the cross, with holy water.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
Brother Bob: So, Ivy, it’s clearly a sign that the members of the Catholic Church have made for themselves, and well, we can see it everywhere in their religion. We can see the cross on their worship buildings, we can see the cross on the rosaries that they always use. We can see the cross in so many places and it has become such a prevalent visual symbol and everyone is convinced that that is a good symbol.
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QUESTION: What have they themselves said about the importance of that sign they have given to their people?
What have they themselves said, in fact, about the importance of that sign that they have branded or let’s say they have given upon their people?
In a book they have written entitled Externals of the Catholic Church, page 218, let’s take a look at what they have written about the cross:
“The ordinary method of making the sign of the cross is that which every Catholic learns in early childhood – the putting of the right hand to the forehead…”
[Externals of the Catholic Church, p. 218]
Brother Bob: So, dear friends, what they’ve written in their book then, is that it’s a sign to only be used with the right hand—the right hand to the forehead. To use the left hand, that would be incorrect. That would not be the proper procedure. Right hand to the forehead is the method they teach. In fact, what else do they have to say in their religion about that sign on the forehead and the right hand?
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QUESTION: What else do they say about the sign on the forehead and right hand?
In another book, this one entitled 1000 Questions and Answers on Catholicism, on page 240, this is stated:
“What is the significance of the sign of the cross? The sign of the cross is an inseparable symbol of the Catholic faith.”
[1000 Questions and Answers on Catholicism by Philip O’Reilly, p. 240]
Brother Bob: So they claim that that symbol, the right hand to the forehead, is an inseparable symbol. It’s what identifies them as a Roman Catholic. It’s their symbol. It’s their sign. It’s what they have given upon the forehead of all their members.
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Why doesn’t the Church Of Christ use the sign of the cross?
Well, dear friends. Ivy. What more have they said about their symbol, the sign of the cross? Here’s what they had to say in another one of their books. This one is entitled My Catholic Faith, written by authoritative writer of the Catholic Church, the Bishop Louis La Ravoire Morrow. Page 392 in his book. This is very interesting, what he wrote:
“We usually begin and end our prayers with the sign of the cross.”
[My Catholic Faith by Louis La Ravoire Morrow, p. 392]
So first off, we can notice it’s how it’s they begin all their prayers; it’s how they end all their prayers. So it’s very important to them. Let’s continue:
“Nothing in the Church is begun, carried out, or completed, without the sign of the cross. It is used in innumerable blessings and ceremonials of the Church. At Mass alone it is used fifty one times.”
[My Catholic Faith by Louis La Ravoire Morrow, p. 392]
So we can also see here how important it is to them. In fact, they use it fifty-one times in the Mass. Beginning prayers, end prayers, fifty-one times. It is used in their ceremonies, they said. It’s very important to them. What else have they said? What does it show when the members of the Catholic Church are always using this sign. What does it demonstrate? Let’s continue. Same page:
“The sign of the cross is the most common way of confessing our faith. By it we can know Catholics from non-Catholics. It is believed that it had its origin in apostolic times.”
[My Catholic Faith by Louis La Ravoire Morrow, p. 392]
So, Ivy, it shows that it is a sign found—it is a sign made inside the Catholic Church. For what purpose? To brand, to identify a Catholic from a non-Catholic. To identify themselves, among the other reasons, some of which were also mentioned here.
So, let’s turn to the Holy Scriptures and pose some questions about the sign that they have presented, the sign of the cross. Let’s turn to the Scriptures and hear the response from the Bible about all of this. What does the Bible have to say about the sign of the cross?
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What does the Bible have to say about the sign of the cross?
–the sign made with the right hand to the forehead. They said, it’s a good sign. They said, it will bring God’s blessings into the one who receives that sign—or makes the sign of the cross, it will bring God’s blessing in their life. They said. Is that what the Bible says about that sign, the right hand to the forehead? Let’s take a look. We turn to the book of Revelation, chapter 13—first of all, where we can ask this question: does the Bible make any mention of that sign at all in the first place? Absolutely yes. 13:16:
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
[Revelation 13:16 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: That’s clearly a sign that is recorded in the Bible. A sign: from the right hand or the forehead. In the Catholic Church, it’s the right hand and the forehead. It’s both—that they make the symbol using the right hand, and the first place it goes is to the forehead. The Bible makes mention of such kind of a symbol like that, such kind of a sign. And, well, what we read, it’s a good sign, they said.
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QUESTION: What awaits those people who possess, or brand themselves with the sign of the cross on the forehead and the right hand?
What awaits the people who possess or brand themselves with the sign of the cross on the forehead, or on the right hand, or both for that matter. Is it a good sign? Should we all be making that sign of the cross? Is the cross—by the way, dear friends, isn’t it that the cross was the instrument that was used to murder our Lord Jesus Christ?
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The cross was used to murder our Lord Jesus!
They had capital punishment back then, and they used the cross to punish our Savior Jesus Christ. We’re going to honor that? We’re going to venerate that? We’re going to worship that? Bow down and say prayers to things of the cross? Brand ourselves on the forehead like what they do on Ash Wednesday every year?
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What does the Bible have to say about the sign of the cross?
They have that sign of the cross placed in ashes right there on the forehead, saying, “I’m a Catholic, I’m a sign of the cross maker, I’m branded with that cross.” That’s the instrument that was used to murder our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But, even considering all of that, we have to base our correct understanding and our correct faith and correct instructions from our Creator upon what’s recorded here in the Bible, of course. So let’s turn to the pages of the Holy Scriptures asking this question: Is it a good sign, yes or no?
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QUESTION: Is the cross a good sign?
We turn back again to the answer of the Bible. Revelation 14:9, 10 and 11:
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worship the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
[Revelation 14:9-11 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: Dear friends, is it a good sign? Should we all be identifying ourselves as a member of the Roman Catholic Church by placing that symbol on our forehead? Using our right hand to make that sign of the cross that identifies a person as Catholic? What did we just read? It is the sign and symbol of Catholicism. It is the symbol of those that are to be tormented in the lake of fire forever.
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The cross is the symbol of those to be tormented in the lake of fire forever!
The Bible described their torment: day and night without end. If that’s what a person sees for their future—if that’s what a person wants for their future, then that sign, given by the Pope to all Catholics—then that’s a good sign for them. Because that’s a sign that you’ll be tormented. If you do not want to be tormented, and who in their right mind would want to be tormented, right? It’s the sign of those to be tormented. It’s not a good sign, dear friends. It’s not a sign—don’t brand yourself with that sign: the sign of the cross. That is not assigned from God. That is a sign identifying one having been deceived by the deceiver, and he is branding them to be tormented in the lake of fire.
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Brother Bob Pellien, Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: Dear friends, when you’re ready to learn more about this and so many other important fundamental truths here in the Holy Scriptures—the teachings found, taught here inside the Church Of Christ, please visit incmedia.org.
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incmedia.org
There you’re going to find various series of programs, similar to this—all of them are dedicated to answering your spiritual questions. And you can also view our programs on the Iglesia Ni Cristo Media Facebook page,
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facebook.com/IglesiaNiCristoMedia
and you can also learn how the Church is interacting with our communities: Check out the Iglesia Ni Cristo News and Updates Facebook page for all of that.
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facebook.com/IglesiaNiCristoNewsandUpdates
And any time you would like to send us a video question, please email them to answers@incmedia.org.
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Send your videos to: answers@incmedia.org
Brother Bob: So to you, Ms. Ivy Armenton, thank you for your question, and to all of you, thank you for joining us in our study for today. We’ll see you again next time here on That’s in the Bible.
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