Part 1 - Intro: Which Church Did Christ Establish?

Introduction

If Jesus Christ truly is God made man, then the next question is unavoidable:

Did He leave mankind only a message, or did He establish a visible Church with authority to teach, govern and sanctify?

This Part examines what Christ actually founded and how that Church can be identified.

We will look at the Church’s visibility, unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity; the authority given to the Apostles; the role of Scripture and Tradition; the Magisterium; apostolic succession; and the place of the papacy. We will also consider why Catholicism differs from Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and what it means to belong to the Church Christ established.

The principal conclusion of this Part is that Christianity was not intended to remain a collection of independent believers or competing denominations. Christ founded one visible Church with a definite faith, sacramental life, hierarchy and mission. That Church must therefore be identifiable in history and must continue to possess the marks and authority He gave it.

With that foundation in place, we can begin by asking: Did Christ establish a Church?