Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The Bible is not readily understandable to all.
Many things in the Bible are quite clear, but this is not true of every passage. Saint Peter himself tells us that in the Epistles of Saint Paul there are “certain things difficult to understand, which the unlearned and the unstable distort, just as they do the rest of the Scriptures also, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).
Not only does the Bible have serious drawbacks as the sole means of conveying revelation, but an investigation readily discloses that Christ never suggested that the Bible should be written. On the contrary, in accordance with the prophecies of the Old Testament, He established a religious society to carry on His work. He frequently speaks of this society under the Messianic titles of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. In other places He calls it a sheepfold, a field, a net, a grain of mustard seed. And again, He calls it His Church.
There cannot be a society without an organization, and Jesus definitely gave an organization to His Church. Out of a number of disciples He chose twelve men in a special fashion. “He summoned His disciples; and from these he choose twelve (whom he also named apostles)” (Luke 6:13). These were to be the leaders in His Church and He promised and conferred upon them wide powers for the execution of their work.
A society is powerless unless its leaders possess ruling authority. Jesus promised such authority to His Apostles. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18).
He instructed His Apostles in a detailed way concerning His teaching both before and after His resurrection, for they were to be His authoritative teachers. “And you also bear witness, because from the beginning you are with me” (Jn. 15:27).
The ultimate aim of the Catholic Church with its ruling and teaching authority is to bring men into union with God. For this purpose, Jesus gave to His Church in the Apostles various means of sanctification (e.g., the Sacraments).
After His resurrection Jesus conferred the powers he had promised. He gave the Apostles their Divine commission. “As the Father has sent me, I also send you” (Jn. 20:21). “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all days, even to the end of the world” (Matt. 28:19).
It is clearly impossible that He intended to with them in person; for they were not to live that long. So He must have meant that He would be with them in their successors. This is what the Apostles understood, for they certainly conferred upon others the same powers that they had received. To some they gave the fullness of these powers and to others a share in that fullness. Very early in Christian history those who received the fullness were known as bishops and those who received a share as priests and deacons. There are many examples of this conferral of power. Matthias was numbered among the Apostles to take the place of Judas (Acts 1:15 ff.). Paul and Barnabas were empowered by the Apostles (Acts 13:1 ff.). And Paul by the imposition of hands set up Timothy and Titus as bishops and charged them to choose others and ordain them to the ministry (Epistles to Timothy and Titus). This is also the testimony of ancient writers. For example, Clement, a companion of Saint Paul, wrote that the Apostles “from among their earliest converts appointed men whom they had tested by the Spirit to act as bishops and deacons for the future believers.” And he continued that they laid down a rule that “when these men die, other approved men shall succeed to their sacred ministry.” The Bible unaccompanied does not stand as the sole rule of Faith. Jesus established the Catholic Church and vested in Her sole authority to preach and teach the full truth of God’s revelation.