Skip to main content

Iglesia Ni Cristo - Is it really the Church of Christ???

Image
By
+
JMJ

Recently a member of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), handed out pamphlets at an SSPX chapel.  While the Catholic Church is in a crisis on numerous levels, it remains today the Church of Christ.

As for the INC, there were a number of claims under the heading of "What We Believe and Why".  These are summed up as "the Iglesia Ni Cristo" upholds the pristine teachings of the Bible.

This will make our job of determining the veracity of their claims as to being the Church of Christ much simpler. 

Why?

Because if their belief can be found at fault in one aspect of the truths found in the Bible, then obviously their religion is not the Church of Christ.


I believe that the key is their rejection of the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here's what they believe on the topic:

The Lord Jesus Christ
The Iglesia ni Cristo believes that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 3:17), is the one and only Savior given by God (Acts 13:23). Christ is the sole mediator between God and men (I Timothy 2:5) and the only way to God (John 14:6).
But we do not subscribe to the belief that Christ is God-Man. He is man in nature according to His own testimony (John 8:40) and the teachings of His Apostles (I Timothy 2:5; Matthew 1:18).
The attributes of a human being were found in Christ. He hungered (Matthew 4:2), thirsted (John 19:28), became weary or tired (John 4:6), slept (Matthew 8:24), and died (Matthew 27:50; I Corinthians 15:3). However, Christ as distinct from all men, is the only one who did not sin (I Peter 2:21-22; Hebrews 4:15).
He has been exalted by God and given a name above all other names, that at the name of Christ every knee should bow, those in heaven, and those on earth (Philippians 2:9-11). He has been placed by God far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, and all things have been put under His feet (Ephesians 1:21-22). Christ will eventually subject all His power and authority to the true God (I Corinthians 15:27-28). He had in so many instances introduced Himself as the Son of God but never did He appropriate the title “God?nor “God the Son?for Himself because He is not God but man.

So, did Our Lord Jesus Christ ever claim or be acclaimed to be God in the Bible???

Looking at the "Textual Concordance of the Holy Scriptures" by Thomas David Williams, we find a number of references under the section "Christ is True God". Here is a sample of citations:
  1. John i. 1-3, 10,
  2. John viii. 57,58
  3. John viii. 25
  4. John x. 30-33
  5. John xx. 28, 29
  6. Acts iii. 14, 15
  7. Acts x. 36
  8. Coll. ii. 9.
  9. 2. Peter i. 1.
Obviously, just from looking at these scriptures it is obvious that Our Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed to be God.

Thus we can conclude that the claim of Iglesia Ni Cristo to being the Church of Christ is false.

As a Catholic, I state with St. Thomas:
28 Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.
29 Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.
Would that others who have not seen, would believe.

P^3
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

By
 + JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them.   I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest.  This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis?  When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due.   This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law- Part II: Dr. John Lamont

By
+ JMJ This is the second article from Dr. Lamont from his lecture given in May 2014. P^3 Source Part A: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny Source Part B: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny 8 May2014 The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law- Part II By John Lamont To understand how the Jesuit conception of obedience departed from earlier conceptions, it is helpful to compare it with the teaching of St. Thomas on obedience. The fundamental difference between the two is that St. Thomas considers the proper object of obedience to be the precept of the superior (2a2ae q. 104 a. 2 co., ad 3). Obedience that seeks to forestall the expressed will of the superior does not bear on what the superior wants or thinks in general, but only on what the superior intends to command. St. Ignatius’s lowest degree of obedience, which he does not consider to be virtuous, is thus what St. Thomas considers to be the only form of obedience. St. Thomas holds that St. Ignatius’s alleged higher forms of o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

By
+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3
Post a Comment
Read more

The Episcopal Consecrations of 1988, 1991 and 2015 - Some Perspectives

By
+ JMJ In defense of the recent consecration of Fr. Faure by Bishop Williamson, some have argued that the 1991 consecration of Bishop Rangel (RIP) by the Bishops of the SSPX present an equivalent standard of action and principles.  From this they conclude that the SSPX's condemnation of Bishop Williamson's action is flawed as the principles of the 1991 consecration and that of 2015 are equivalent.
2 comments
Read more

Skojec, Aliens, Critical Thinking and the Loss of Faith

By
 + JMJ   Introduction I have written my thoughts about Steve Skojec previously in The Curious Case of Steve Skojec (link) . In that article I compared him to others who have fallen in the fight and, to my mind, for the wrong reasons. Before he sold 1P5, I noticed his frustrated ranks on twitter/X. It was like there were two people. Anyway one theme that emerged was the appearance of a theme of UAPs being Alien  ... that is ... of extra-terrestrial origin. My first thought back then was, "I'd love to see incontrovertible evidence." A Little Background A little bit of history. Back in the heady days following 911. To be clear I'm not referring to the TV show but the September 11 attacks - Wikipedia .  A number of friends and even a priest provided 'evidence' on a DVD that actually got me angry. As my spouse has brought to my attention, I have a strong desire to seek the truth. This results in my attention to details and ... when I was younger ... a maddening com...
Post a Comment
Read more