Apologetics Session 1: The Church is One.

Apologetics is the defense of the Faith entrusted to the Church by God. The Faith is a gift to us, as Catholics, which comes also as a trust. The Faith - that is, the Truth entrusted to us by the Lord - must be guarded and preserved, and it must be passed on to all people in the Name of the Lord.

To be effective apologists with Protestants, we need to be kind, respectful, prayerful, and knowledgeable of our own beliefs as Catholics. As much as possible, we will need to be able to ground our part of the dialogue in Holy Scripture.

Challenge 1. What gives the Catholic denomination the right to "defend the Faith"? Doesn't the Bible say that the Holy Spirit will teach Truth to all believers? Why do I need any church to tell me what to believe; the Holy Spirit is my teacher! Scripture says,

[1 Jn 2:26] I write this to you about those who would deceive you;
[27] but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Response 1. The Holy Spirit was given to the Church - to the established communion of believers in Christ - and not to isolated individuals. John begins his epistle, that you have quoted,

[1John.1:1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life --
[2] the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us --
[3] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Scripture invites you into fellowship with the Church! The Faith is not a matter of individual interpretation. Also, the Spirit is a spirit of unity and of peace, not of dissention and division and "denominations". We read,

[Eph.4:1] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
[2] with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,
[3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
[4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,
[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
[6] one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

So - those outside of the one Church established by Jesus need to "defend" their separation, and their standing outside of the unity given us by Christ in His Church. We need to ask, with all charity and patience and compassion, "How can you justify these divisions and denominations? God established one Church!"

There is strong Scriptural warning against divisions, schism, and sectarianism:

[Mt 12:25-26] Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand;
and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?

Jesus established one Church:

[Mt 16:18-19] And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus intends one Church:

[Jn 10:16] And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

[Jn 17:20] "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word,
[17:21] that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
[17:22] The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
[17:23] I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.

The Church began in unity, and is to be one:

[Acts 4:32] Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

[1 Cor 10:16] The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
[17] Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

[1 Cor 12:12] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
[13] For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

There were challenges to unity very early:

[Rom 16:17] I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them.

[1 Cor 1:10] I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
[11] For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren.
[12] What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ."
[13] Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

[1 Cor 3:1] But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ.
[2] I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready,
[3] for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?
[4] For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men?

[Gal 5:16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
[17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.
[18] But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.
[19] Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
[20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit,
[21] envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
[23] gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
[24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

2 Pet 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
[2] And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled.

A final exhortation to remain in His unity:

Phil 1:27] Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
[28] and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Phil 2:1] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
[2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Question to consider in the next session:
Are the differences in churches important ones, or are they minor in the grand scheme of things?