📖 Introduction to the Saddening News of Catholic Church Growth
Recent reports have highlighted the saddening news of Catholic Church growth worldwide. While many might see this growth as a sign of religious revival, a closer look through the lens of God’s Word paints a very different picture. The expansion of a religious body that upholds traditions and doctrines not rooted in the Bible is deeply concerning for anyone who loves the truth of Scripture.
Today, we will explore why the Catholic Church’s growth is not a cause for celebration but rather a call for vigilance and evangelism among those who seek to uphold the teachings of the New Testament church established by Christ.
📜 Why the Catholic Church’s Growth is Saddening News
At first glance, numbers might seem impressive. According to recent global statistics, the Catholic Church claims over 1.3 billion members, making it the largest religious group in the world. However, numbers do not equal truth. As Jesus taught:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”
— Matthew 7:13 (ESV)
The saddening news of Catholic Church growth lies not in the growth itself but in what is growing—a system that promotes doctrines of men rather than the pure gospel revealed in the New Testament.
📖 Catholic Doctrines That Depart from God’s Word
The Catholic Church’s teachings have introduced numerous doctrines and practices that are not authorized by Scripture. These deviations include:
✝️ Papal Authority
The Bible teaches that Christ alone is the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). The idea of a human pope serving as Christ’s representative on earth is foreign to the New Testament.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)
Yet the Catholic Church places the pope as the “Vicar of Christ,” undermining the exclusive mediatorship of Jesus.
🙏 Praying to Mary and Saints
The Bible never teaches that we should pray to anyone except God. Praying to Mary or deceased saints is nowhere authorized in Scripture.
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'”
— Matthew 4:10 (ESV)
The rapid spread of these practices contributes to the saddening news of Catholic Church growth because it leads people away from the direct relationship with God through Christ.
🕊️ Infant Baptism
The New Testament pattern for baptism requires belief, repentance, and confession before baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9–10). Infants, who cannot believe or repent, are baptized in the Catholic Church, contrary to biblical instruction.
🔥 Purgatory
The Catholic doctrine of purgatory—a place where souls are purified before entering heaven—has no basis in Scripture. It undermines the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement and contradicts the clear teaching that judgment follows death.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
— Hebrews 9:27 (ESV)
📖 The Danger of Human Traditions
Jesus Himself warned against elevating human traditions above God’s commandments:
“You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
— Mark 7:8 (ESV)
The saddening news of Catholic Church growth is a modern fulfillment of this very warning. As the Catholic Church continues to grow, millions are being led by traditions rather than truth, and sincere souls are being deceived into thinking they are following Christ when they are actually following man-made teachings.
🙏 Why Numbers Are Not the Measure of Truth
In today’s world, success is often measured by numbers: followers, members, influence. But in God’s eyes, truth has never been determined by majority opinion. Jesus taught that few would find the way to life:
“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
— Matthew 7:14 (ESV)
The growing numbers of the Catholic Church do not validate its doctrines. Instead, they fulfill what Paul warned Timothy about:
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”
— 2 Timothy 4:3 (ESV)
The saddening news of Catholic Church growth is a fulfillment of this tragic reality.
📖 A Call to Return to the New Testament Pattern
The church that Jesus built (Matthew 16:18) was simple, pure, and patterned after apostolic teaching. There were no popes, no purgatory, no prayer to saints, no invented sacraments beyond those authorized in Scripture.
To please God today, we must:
- Preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2)
- Follow the apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:42)
- Worship according to the New Testament pattern (John 4:24)
- Teach salvation as God outlined (faith, repentance, confession, baptism, and faithful living)
Rather than celebrating the expansion of a church that departs from this pattern, we should be grieved and motivated to shine the light of truth into the darkness.
🕊️ Conclusion: Stand for the Truth
The saddening news of Catholic Church growth should stir us—not to despair, but to greater diligence. It reminds us that error can be popular, but truth remains narrow.
As members of Christ’s true church, let us stand firm on God’s Word alone, exposing error with love, and inviting all people to return to the Bible—the only guide God has given us for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Let us remember: It is better to be few and faithful than many and misled.
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
— John 17:17 (ESV)
❤️ Final Thoughts: An Appeal in Love
This blog post is not written out of hate or malice toward anyone, but out of deep love and concern for souls. It is an earnest appeal for all who are part of the Catholic Church—or any religious body—to examine everything by the light of God’s Word.
The growth of the Catholic Church saddens us because it reflects a growing acceptance of traditions and teachings that cannot be found in the New Testament.
Our plea is simple: Return to the Bible.
Test every belief and practice by the inspired Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Question the acts and doctrines taught by the Catholic Church—and any church—against the teachings revealed by Christ and His apostles.
God calls all people to return to the pure, undenominated body that Christ established—the one true church described in the Bible (Ephesians 4:4–6).
It is there, in simple New Testament Christianity, that salvation and eternal life are found.
We invite you, with open hearts, to seek the truth that sets us free (John 8:31–32).
In His love,
Christ’s One Church
ChristsOneChurch.com
Author: Bobby Wiggins
Robert "Bobby" Wiggins is a dedicated student of God’s Word and a lifelong member of the church of Christ. With a passion for restoring New Testament Christianity and a commitment to speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), Bobby writes to encourage others to return to the Bible as the only true guide for faith and practice. Through careful study and a deep respect for the authority of Scripture, he strives to expose religious error and point seekers back to the one true church established by Christ on Pentecost. When he’s not writing or studying, Bobby is active in online evangelism, Bible teaching, and encouraging others to walk faithfully according to God’s will. Follow more biblical studies and resources at ChristsOneChurch.com.
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