Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from How to Be a Christian, by the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The appeal of Pope Leo XIII. to the Anglican Church for unity of faith, brings up for consideration two very important points as precedents for its accomplishment. The first is, that the Roman Catholic organization claims to be the exclusive and only Christ's Church of the gospel, and the second is that the so-called apostolic succession carries with it the Divine powers which Christ gave to his twelve apostles.
We find nothing in the apostles' creed or in its elaboration, the Nicene Creed, that settles definitely these two points: In the apostles' creed we read, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church (Christ's Church), and in the subsequently made Nicene Creed, "I believe in One Catholic Apostolic Church" (Roman Catholic Church) Every one must draw his own conclusion as to the reason why the first name given to Christ's Church was subsequently changed to the One Catholic Apostolic Church, as neither of these two points are found in the gospel, nor in the creeds of the Christian denominations which accept them, nor are they essentials for salvation; it is important for all christians to find out by what authority they are accepted, and whether they are accepted as a faith, or as a discipline, or as deductions.
The twelve apostles had the powers given to them by Christ of healing the sick, casting out devils, raising the dead, and forgiving sins, that they might possess the same powers that He used so successfully in His teachings. As the successionists of to-day are unable to perform these miracles, we naturally conclude that they do not possess the power to perform them, and we are therefore compelled to look into the gospel to find out how Christ disposed of those apostolic powers.
We find in Matt. xvi. 19, that Peter had an additional power of loosing and binding in Heaven and on earth.
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