Italya po ang lehitimong nagmamay-ari ng simbulong iyan at hindi ang INC™ 1914.
Gayun din naman sa pangalan. Hindi porke't may pangalang "Iglesia Ni Cristo" o "Church Of Christ" ay pagmamay-ari na ni Cristo. Ipinangalan hango kay Cristo ngunit HINDI si Cristo ang may-ari kundi si Ginoong Felix Y. Manalo. Itinatag niya ang kanyang iglesia noong July 27, 1914.
PASUGO Mayo 1968, p. 7:
“Ang tunay na INK ay iisa lamang. Ito ang Iglesiyang itinayo ni Cristo. Kung mayroon mang nagsisibangon ngayong mga Iglesia at sasabihing sila man ay Iglesia ni Cristo rin, ang mga ito ay hindi tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo kundi huwad lamang."
Pansin naman siguro ng mga kaanib ng Iglesia Ni Cristo® 1914 na tatag ni Ginoong Felix Y. Manalo ang masidhing pagsintasa natin sa KRUS ng ating Panginoong Jesuskristong. Tayong mga TUNAY na KAANIB sa TUNAY na IGLESIA NI CRISTO ~ ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA ay tumatalima sa mga sinabi ng mga alagad tulad ng itinuro ni Apostol San Pablo sa mga taga Corinto.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." -1 Cor. 1:18 (NKJV)
"Sapagkat ang mensahe ng krus ay kahangalan sa mga napapahamak, ngunit para sa ating mga naliligtas, ito ay kapangyarihan ng Diyos."
Ang sabi pa ni Apostol San Pablo sa mga taga-Galacia ay ganito:
"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Gal. 6:14 (NKJV)
"Datapuwa't malayo nawa sa akin ang pagmamapuri, maliban na sa krus ng ating Panginoong Jesucristo, na sa pamamagitan niyao'y ang sanglibutan ay napako sa krus sa ganang akin, at ako'y sa sanglibutan."
Ang KRUS pala ng ating Panginoong Jesus ay KAPANGYARIHAN ng Diyos, kahangalan sa mga mapapahamak.
Sa mga kaanib ng INC™ 1914, hindi ba't ang ginagawa nilang pagyurak at pagkamuha sa Krus ng Panginoong Jesus ay siyang kanilang ikapapahamak?
At sa mga tunay na Kristiano ~ mga tunay na kaanig sa iisang iglesia ~ ang Iglesia Katolika, wala tayong dapat ipagmapuri, maging sa ating mga sarili sapagkat tanging ang KRUS ng PANGINOONG JESUS lamang sapagkat sa ating pagmamapuri sa Krus tayo ay natututong magpakumbaba sa harapan ng Diyos. At sa pamamagitan ng pagpasan natin sa ating mga krus, tayo ay nakikiisa sa pasakit Niya at tayo rin ay makikibahagi sa Kanyang pagkabuhay na mag-uli at makikipisan sa Kanyang kaharian sa langit. Iyan ay pangako! Iyan ay turo! Tayo'y tumalima hindi sa mga bulaang propeta at sa kanilang mga anti-Cristong aral na sumulpot lamang noong 1914.
THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO's denial of Jesus' deity is nothing new under the sun. Their opposition to Christ's deity has long been refuted by the Church Fathers and theologians both Catholics and Protestants in huge volumes of books since the CHURCH of CHRIST affirmed this doctrine in 325 AD. And as a Catholic, I am compelled to share my thoughts on this. We Catholics who love the Lord and His one true Church should never leave their lies and deceitful teachings against our Lord God Jesus Christ unchallenged.
Rejection of Christ's deity was all evident in the Bible itself. It is understandable because, among biblical personages like the prophets and sages, our Jesus Christ is UNIQUE, from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah none of them ever claimed divinity or God himself 'manifested in the flesh'. And because Christ's claim goes against the Jewish belief in 'ONE GOD', Him being equal with God ~ and God himself makes him answerable to the Law~ The SHEMA ~ therefore He was found guilty of BLASPHEMY~ A MAN making himself GOD ~ deserving DEATH.
"The Jews answered him, 'We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a MAN, are making yourself GOD.'" -John 10:33
No doubt, as a PROPHET Jesus was loved by His own people (the Jewish people). However when he was found doing GOD'S BUSINESS on earth such as FORGIVING sins (God alone can forgive sinsMark 2:7) or BREAKING the SABBATH laws (...the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath (Mat. 12:1-8), it was problematic for the Jewish authorities, for GOD ALONE is the only one who could forgive sins and not men. And for a pious Jew, braking the Sabbath Law is breaking God's law itself! By breaking the Sabbath law, Jesus was perceived not from God but as an enemy of the Jewish people.
Also very disturbing for the Jewish authorities was His claim of ETERNAL EXISTENCE ('before Abraham came to be I Am'.John 8:58).
And when He was BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN our Lord Jesus Christ then boldly proclaimed the TRUTH about HIM saying: "I AM" the MESSIAH -THE SON OF GOD and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven."(Mark 14:62)
To his horror and disgust, the High Priest of the Jewish temple TORE his sacred garments before the tribunal and PRONOUNCED his verdict against Jesus: "What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the BLASPHEMY. What do you think?" (Mark 14:63-64). And they ALL CONDEMNED Him to DEATH!
AS GOD MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, He raised up the DEAD, defied laws of nature, and even commanded the sea and the wind and they obeyed (Mk 4:35-41). Deeply disturbed and baffled, His disciples start questioning WHO JESUS WAS: "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" A MAN in appearance yet can COMMAND NATURE and they ABIDE?
But the greatest thing and I would say, the most scandalous ACT OF LOVE He selflessly performed was when HE SAVED the world through his PASSION and DEATH. For a mere man SAVING mankind from the pit of damnation is not even possible. There is no other Savior but ONLY GOD ~ "I am the LORD, your God, since the land of Egypt; You know no God besides me, and THERE IS NO SAVIOR BUT ME." -Hosea 13:4. And there is no one who could give eternal life BUT God (John 17:2)
Given those Biblical facts above about our Lord Jesus Christ we, therefore, re-affirm what was affirmed in 325 AD that our LORD JESUS is GOD COMING IN THE FLESH (2 John 1:7). He is 100% MAN and 1005 GOD. DIYOS SA KALIKASAN, TAO SA KALAGAYAN!
RECYCLED ARIANISM
Aside from the Jewish authorities, in TIMELINE of Christianity, some few disillusioned people came up with the same recycled REJECTION like the Jewish authorities. Among them was ARIUS, a bishop of Alexandria (Egypt) who denied Jesus co-equal with God the Father, created and thus inferior in essence and nature. Other than Arius were Nontrinitarians such as Theonas, Secundus of Ptolemais, Eusebius of Nicomedia, and Theognis of Nicaea. Their false teachings were all condemned by the Church of Christ ~ the Catholic Church.
So that in 325 AD at the Council of Nicea, the one and only CHURCH of CHRIST which was the CATHOLIC CHURCH defended and condemned the false teachings of Arianism and finally defined and AFFIRMED the official Christian doctrine on JESUS CHRIST the SECOND PERSON of the HOLY TRINITY, true GOD and true MAN - all beautifully summarized in the Nicene Creed.
INC's teachings are hinges into two major doctrines: (1) CHRIST IS NOT GOD - ONLY A MAN and (2) THE ORIGINAL CHURCH of CHRIST (the Catholic Church) APOSTATIZED. Refuting one will make their doctrine collapse. Refuting two will make their man-founded church crumble.
Their Pasugo magazine was incorrect: The title should be 'THE BIBLICAL PROOF THAT CHRIST IS GOD'. The teaching of the Iglesia Ni Cristo® founded by Mr. Felix Y. Manalo in 1914 in the Philippines wasn't a secret at all. Manalo's founded church does not have an extensive and scholarly written catechism that is publicly available in print or online like the Catechism of the Catholic Church which was made available for public reading, for evangelization and teachings, for moral and practical guidance. A glimpse of their recycled Arianism can only be read in their official magazine called 'PASUGO' just like what was published online above.
No serious Christian would deny the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ was born a man. It's all there in the Bible. However, Christ being God is deeply problematic to the Jewish authorities and the Iglesia Ni Cristo® preachers. They failed to discover it. And they refuse to see the Truth. They chose to remain blinded and are leading their own followers to fall on their own pit.
Never in John 8:40 (NKJV) was Jesus DIVINITY denied. His being a man does not deny him being DIVINE.
In fact, on the contrary, the same New King James Version of John Chapter 40:42-58 confirm HIS BEING DIVINE:
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God...”
“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Jesus claimed eternal EXISTENCE even before Abraham was ~ 'I AM'!
In Hos. 11:9 and Ezek 28:2 (NKJV) were quoted OUT OF CONTEXT. These verses DO NOT apply to Jesus even he was found to be a man. These verses were addressed to mortal men like us, who, by no means were creatures created by God's power and not applied to our Lord Jesus. That's becasue JESUS was NOT CREATED! He is BEGOTTEN UNCREATED Son of God.
You see the parallelism between the Iglesia Ni Cristo's argument and the Jewish people during the time of Christ, both denied Jesus' divine origin because He is a Man in appearance yet making Himself equal with God.
Therefore let us boldly confess this truth about our Lord Jesus Christ, that He is FULLY HUMAN (John 8:40) and He is FULLY DIVINE (John 1:1). St. John the Evangelist was very consistent with this truth 'Jesus (God) coming in the flesh'! (2 John 1:7)
If John Chapter 8 ended at VERSE 40 then together with the Iglesia Ni Cristo®, we could certainly conclude the same. But the whole chapter 8 NEVER talked about Jesus'NOT being GOD' but it talks about Jesus, eternal GOD manifested in the flesh (MAN), God - distinct from the Father, in essence, same God with the Father.
Here is the context in John 8:
Verse 40 - Jesus, a man who told you what He heard from God
Verse 41 - The Jews said God is their "Father"
Verse 42 - Jesus said, if God is their "Father", they should believe Him because He is from God
Verse 44 - Jesus confirms that those who deny Him aren't from God but from the devil.
Verse 45 - Jesus tells the truth and those who deny him (God in the flesh) do not want to listen.
Verse 47 - He who is of God hears Him, the Word of God. He who is not from God denies Him.
Verse 56 - Jesus claimed to see Abraham (Abraham preceded Jesus in the flesh 18 Centuries)
Verse 57 - Jews understood what Jesus meant. So he was questioned 'You're not in your 50s and yet you claimed to have seen Abraham' (who was 1,767 years older)?
Verse 58 - Jesus confirmed to the Jews that BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS"I AM"! Boom!
Are we not supposed to be preaching the TRUTH about our Lord Jesus Christ? But what the Iglesia Ni Cristo® preachers doing is exactly the opposite. They twisted the Bible to suit their deceitful teachings and lied about our Lord Jesus Christ.
In quoting Acts 2:22 (NKJV) these deceivers made it appear to their readers that the Apostle St. Peter was a LIAR.
They put their false understanding of Jesus into the Apostle's thoughts and then made it appears that St. Peter was their witness against Jesus' divinity.
How could the Apostle Peter denies Jesus' divinity when he deeply knew who JESUS WAS. And because of his deep faith conviction, he ultimately offered his own life for the sake of the Lord and His Church?!
So that in 2 Peter 1:1 he confessed our Lord JESUS is GOD AND SAVIOR!
"To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of ourGOD AND SAVIOR Jesus Christ"
For thousandth times, the CATHOLIC CHURCH ~ the ONLY TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST AFFIRMS and DEFENDS this TRUTH. That our LORD JESUS CHRIST is 100% MAN – born of the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary – but NOT a 'man ONLY'! Matthew 1:18, 20 DOES NOT DENY HIS BEING DIVINE. This verse is still in parallel with the WHOLE BIBLICA TRUTH about our Lord Jesus Christ that HE'S GOD BORN IN THE FLESH!
A slap in the face, here is Apostle John 1:1 -3 declaring this ultimate Truth!
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Apostle John was declaring JESUS was the WORD ~ He was WITH GOD ~ and He was GOD ~ everything was created, without Him, nothing came to be. The WORD - GOD BECAME FLESH and we see His glory! The GLORY of the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON ~ JESUS CHRIST our Lord and Savior God!
"For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh."
THEREFORE those WHO DO NOT CONFESS GOD coming in the flesh are called DECEIVERS!
And what shall we do to these "DECEIVERS"?
The Apostle sternly WARNED us of their coming, he said (2 John 1:8-11):
"Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.
"Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds."
Beware of the "DECEIVERS" Do not take them into your houses and do not greet them! That's the right thing to do!
How could Paul's Letter to the Galatians (4:4) is contextually opposed to the book of the Old Testament (Numbers 23:19) when they were written a thousand years apart?
Copying a phrase from one book and paste it to another phrase from the Bible and to form a sentence is THE WORK OF A DECEIVER!
Again Galatians 4:4 does not deny Jesus' divinity. The truth about Him being the LOGOS ~ Word of God, God himself who became flesh can never be disproved by quoting Galatians 4:4.
God is TRUTH. Numbers 23:19 says it. God is NOT a man! We as mortal beings can never be gods.
But GOD can be a MAN as He wishes. He is omnipotent! And when he chose to be incarnated into FLESH, He was still God! Diyos sa kalikasan, Tao sa kalagayan!
The deceivers of faith, they cannot provide a single verse from the Bible that says "JESUS IS NOT GOD". They could only assume He is not God by using verses that say Jesus was born a man!
This is a product of poor theology. That's understandable because none of the INC™ paid ministers is a theologian. With no theology of their own and no book written, their ministers heavily rely on what was written or said by other preachers and theologians during their pamamahayag. Their ministers could only explain their doctrines by demonizing Catholic doctrines. What a deceiver!
From its founder Felix Y. Manalo to his grandson Eduardo V. Manalo, none of them earned a doctorate in the field of theology and yet their copied blasphemous interpretation of the Bible against our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is the only accepted basis for their "aral" or "doktrina".
"God from God, Light from Light"is what was affirmed by the Church of Christ at the First Council of Nicea in 325 AD. The Iglesia Ni Cristo's misinterpretation of John 8:42 was nothing but intentional deceit for deception. It was twisted so that they may justify their twisted doctrine and blaspheme our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus "proceeded forth and came from God" interpreted as a "beginning" of Christ was really misleading. It suggests that Christ WAS CREATED.
The Bible is very clear on this issue: that Jesus (Word) was the CREATOR, not creation (All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made -John 1:3)!
These INC™ paid ministers are mocking John's theology of the Logos (Jesus the Word of God) when he said "All things were made through Him (Word), and without Him (Word) nothing was made that was made." (John 1:3) Indeed JESUS THE WORD of GOD was THE CREATOR. Jesus Christ HAS NO BEGINNING, he is THE CREATOR the beginning of everything!
Watch brother Mario Joseph, a Muslim convert to Catholicism on JESUS - WORD OF GOD (CREATOR vs CREATION)
GOD (THE FATHER) AND JESUS THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA (First and the Last)
In ISAIAH 44:6 (NKJV) says GOD ALONE is the FIRST and the LAST and besides Him, there is NO OTHER!
"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God."
Another compelling truth about Jesus' divinity was recorded THREE TIMES in the Book of Revelations where He proclaimed HE IS THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA - THE FIRST AND THE LAST!
Rev. 1:8 (NKJV)"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the [b]Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Rev. 21:6 (NKJV)"And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."
Rev. 21:13 (NKJV) "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."
For the Iglesia Ni Cristo® and nontrinitarian sects, having the Father and the Son as both God makes TWO GODS. Adding the Holy Spirit makes THREE. While the official teaching of the Church of Christ says there is ONLY ONE GOD and NOT three (read HOLY TRINITY)
"The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin" -CCC 234 (emphasis mine)
If Christ died, that's because He was 100% HUMAN. Yet that does not deny him being God.
As God, he has the power to lay his life and to claim it back.
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." -John 10:17-18
Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ is 100% ETERNAL GOD!
He died in the FLESH as he is subjected according to the FLESH "God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" -Romand 8:3
But Him being in the Flesh is NOT his original nature. HE'S GOD "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." -John 8:34
So no one is denying Jesus being human. Similarly, no one denies Him being God. And when our Lord God, the Alpha and the Omega - the First and the Last will come again to judge the living and the dead, everyone will see Him, even the one who pierced Him! -Revelations 1:7-8
Christ recognizes God the Father as His God (Mark 15:34)! Christ recognizes God the Father as His Father and THEY ARE ONE (John 10:30) Jews, too, recognize Jesus divinity but rejected it! (John 10:33)
'Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He (Jesus) should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.' -John 17:1-5
And it is a blatant LIE to say that God the Father DID NOT recognize Jesus His Son. His baptism, the Father already declared Him His Son His beloved: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) And again during Jesus' transfiguration, God the Father declared the Son: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear him!" (Matthew 17:5)
God told us to LISTEN TO JESUS and NOT to paid Ministers of the Iglesia Ni Cristo®! And if we listen to Jesus, we should listen to His original CHURCH He founded. Because His Church is the PILLAR and GROUND of TRUTH! (1 Timothy 3:15) Jesus has NOTHING to do with the Iglesia Ni Cristo® founded by Mr. Felix Y. Manalo in 1914! Do not listen to them.
I cannot find any proof in Isaiah 44:8 that says God DID NOT RECOGNIZE Jesus as God! That verse only proves our belief in ONE GOD while they believe in Three Gods
If the Prophet Isaiah would be alive today, he would have rebuked this Iglesia Ni Cristo® paid minister for LYING! "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." -Isaiah 7:14
IMMANUEL, according to St. Matthew (1:23) means GOD WITH US! For indeed GOD was BORN to us IN THE FLESH! God with us ~ Immanuel! (John 1:1; 14)
According to the Bible CHRIST is able to sympathize with us because HE was born LIKE US in everything EXCEPT sin!
"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." -Hebrews 4:15
So what's unusual to see Christ "worried" after all he is 100% human? And if God has to be less of human qualities, why is it that God has to REST after creating the entire universe in 6 days? (Genesis 2:2-3)
In conclusion, the Bible says, 'JESUS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER' (Hebrews 13:8)! If Christ is GOD eternally from the beginning, He is God when He was born flesh and He is the same God when He will come again!
CHALLENGE TO THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO® 1914
That's why we shouldn't be wondering why Jesus ate and drink, he was tempted, he cried, he was angry, he suffered, he feared and he died ~ because HE WAS HUMAN LIKE US (born in the flesh) but NEVER in the Bible, he was said to be "NOT GOD"!
As a challenge to all paid ministers of the Iglesia Ni Cristo®, please give us the following exact words/phrase in the Bible.
1. Bible verse that explicitly denies Jesus NOT God.
2. Bible verse that the Father denied Jesus as God.
3. Bible verse that says we should recognize TWO LORDS!
4. Bible verse that says we should worship a MERE MAN aside from God the Father.
5. Bible verse that spells out Felix Y. Manalo as the 'Last Messenger of God in these Last Days."
6. Bible verse that explicitly says 'The Church of Christ will completely apostatize' and that a man from the Philippines will emerge and re-establish His Church!
7. Bible verse that explicitly says the Church would be named "The Iglesia Ni Cristo"
8. Bible verse that mandates Christians to call themselves "Iglesia"
9. Bible verse that says only members of the 'Iglesia Ni Cristo' are saved!
10. Bible verse that says 'The Bible is the sole authority" in matters of faith and morals!
Si Félix Manálo, na kilalá ring Ka Felix, ang tagapagtatag ng Iglesia Ni Cristo, bagama’t sa mga opisyal na talâ ng nasabing simbahan, siyá ay tinawag na Unang Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan at Huling Sugo ng Diyos sa mga Huling Araw.
Isinilang si Manalo sa Taguig noong 10 Mayo1886. Ang kaniyang mga magulang ay sina Mariano Ysagun at Bonifacia Manalo, na isang debotong Katoliko. Nang yumao ang ina, bilang pagpapahalaga rito ay pinilì niyang maging Manalo ang kaniyang apelyido. Bagama’t lumaki sa aral ng Simbahang Katolika, naging mapagtanong ang isip ni Manalo kayâ lumahok siyá sa iba’t ibang sekta upang masagot ang kaniyang mga tanong. Naging tagasunod siyá ng Colorum, isang grupong nagdaraos ng paglalakbay sa isang banal na bundok. Pagkaraan, nilisan niya ang Simbahang Katolika at naging pastor sa Methodist Episcopalian Church. Tumigil siyá ng pag-aaral nang mamatay ang kaniyang ina at nang bumalik sa pag-aaral ay nagpatalâ sa Presbyterian Bible School. Nakakilála niya ang grupong Christian Mission at nag-aral sa Manila College of the Bible sa loob ng apat na taón. Sa grupong ito, natutuhan niyang pahalagahan ang pagbibinyag sa pamamagitan ng paglubog sa tubig. Naging tagapangaral siyá ng Salita ng Diyos kabilang sa isang grupong nakilalang Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Pinakasalan niya nang mga panahong ito si Tomasa Sereneo na taga-Paco, Maynila.
Naging miyembro siyá ng Seventh Day Adventism at nang yumao ang kaniyang asawa, nagpakasal naman siyá kay Honorata de Guzman, na kabílang sa nasabing sekta. Ngunit sumapit ang panahon na kinukuwestiyon na niya ang pangingilin ng grupo kapag araw ng Sabado. Nang hindi makatanggap ng kasiya-siyang sagot, nagbitiw siyá bilang ministro noong 1913. Nagtatag siyá ng sariling grupo noong 1913, na kilalá ngayong Iglesia Ni Cristo (nang una ay Kristo ang baybay). Ipinatalâ ang Iglesia noong 27 Hulyo 1914, ang araw ng pagsisimula ng Unang Digmaang Pandaigdig. Noong 1922, pinalutang ng Iglesia ang idea na si Manalo ang “huling sugo ng Diyos,” dahil para sa kanila, ang kanilang tagapagtatag ay maihahambing kay Moises o kay Pablo ang Apostol. Ang isa pang dahilan ay upang mapatatag ang pamumunò ni Manalo sapagkat may isang sektor na nagtangkang umagaw ng pamamahala ng simbahan. Yumao si Felix Manalo noong12 Abril 1963.
Mabilis na lumago ang mga aral ng Iglesia. Noong 1948, mayroon itong 60,000 miyembro, na naging 200,000 noong 1960. Nagkaroon ito ng mga simbahan hindi lámang sa Filipinas kundi sa 75 iba pang bansa sa buong mundo. Ngayon, mayroon na itong 1,250 lokal na kapilya at 35 katedral sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Mayroon din itong 21 kongregasyon sa Estados Unidos. Noong 27 Hulyo 2007, sa ika-93 anibersaryo ng pagkatatag ng INC, isang panandang pangkasaysayan ang inilagak ng National Historical Institute (NHI) sa bahay na sinilangan ni Manalo sa Barangay Calzada, Tipas, Taguig. Idineklara rin ng dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ang Hulyo27 bilang “Araw ng Iglesia ni Cristo.” (AEB)
At sino ba ang tunay na PANGINOON: Ang AMA ba na siyang tanging DIYOS o si JESUS na TAO lamang sa kalagayan?
Sa mga nagninilay, nagsusuri at naguguluhan dahil sa mga salungatang aral ng mga BULAANG PROPETANG NAGSULPUTAN sa ating kapanahunan, hindi po pwedeng DALAWA ang PANGINOON at DALAWA rin ang TAGAPAGLIGTAS. Ito ay HINDI SINASANG-AYUNAN ng Biblia.
Ang sabi ni Apostol San Pablo sa mga taga-Efeso (4:5-6) ay may IISANG PANGINOON katulad ng pagkakaroon ng IISANG PAGBIBINYAG, IISANG DIYOS at Ama nating lahat.
Kung sasabihin man ng mga INC™ na ang Efeso 4:6 ay siyang nagpapatunay na ang Ama 'lamang' ang Diyos ay isang malaking kahangalan sapagkat hindi ito sinasang-ayunan ng Biblia. Wala pong salitang 'lamang' rito at lalong hindi naman sinasabi rito na ang Panginoong Jesus ay hindi Diyos.
Lumilitaw sa bersikulo 6 na MAS SINASANG-AYUNAN nito ang TURO ng TUNAY na Iglesia ~ ang Iglesia Katolika "na sa pasimula ay siyang Iglesia ni Cristo" (Pasugo Abril 1966, p. 46) na ang DIYOS ay IISA (CCC 129) at hindi tatlo ayon sa binibintang ng mga unitarians(na unang sumulpot noong Enero 22, 1556 sa Poland.
Maraming talata sa Biblia ang nagpapatunay na ang Diyos Ama ay siyang tagapagligtas (2 Samuel 22:3, 2Hari 13:5, Salmo 106:21, Isaiah 19:20, Isaiah 43:3, Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah 45:15, Isaiah 45:21, Jeremias 14:8, Osea 13:4, Lukas 1:47, Jude 1:25 at marami pang iba.
Maraming talata rin sa Biblia ang nagpapatunay na ang Panginoong Jesucristo ay siyang tagapagligtas (Lukas 2:11, Juan 4:42, Gawa 5:31, Gawa 13:23, Efeso 5:23, Filipos 3:20, 1 Timoteo 1;1, 1 Timoteo 4:10, 2 Timoteo 1:10, Titus 1:13, 2 Pedro 2:20, 1 Juan 4:14, at marami pang iba.
Ibig bang sabihin ay MAY AGAWAN sa PAGLILIGTAS ng Diyos Ama at ni Jesus na tao lamang ang kalagayan (ayon sa INC™)?
Kung ang DIYOS ay IISA, hindi tatlo, gayon din namang ang PANGINOON ay IISA ~ hindi dalawa. At kung ang Diyos ay IISA, ang Panginoon ay IISA, hindi ba't ang PAGLILIGTAS ng Ama at ni Jesus ay IISA ~ hindi magkaiba at hindi nagtatalo? Kung gayon, ang pagiging DIYOS at PANGINOON ng AMA at ni JESUS ay IISA!
Sa kabuuan, ang turo ng tunay na Iglesia ~ ang Iglesia Katolika ~ ay may IISANG DIYOS, IISANG PANGINOON, IISANG BINYAG at IISANG IGLESIA na siyang dapat aniban ng lahat ng tao at ito ay ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA. Sapagkat ang PAGLILIGTAS ng IISANG Diyos ay IISA sa kanyang IISANG PAGBIBINYAG! (Efeso 4:5-6)
There is no greater Church that the original Church of Christ and this is a FACT: The Iglesia Ni Cristo® - 1914, must accept that the Catholic Church is STILL the ONE and ONLY CHURCH OF CHRIST the LORD JESUS established on earth and no other. The CATHOLIC CHURCH was established in the First Century by the LORD Himself that's why the Church is STILL the OLDEST, THE BIGGEST and the GREATEST!
"... the Catholic Church is the world's BIGGEST and OLDEST organization. It has buried all of the greatest empires known to man, from the Romans to the Soviets. It has establishments literally all over the world, touching every area of human endeavor. It's given us some of the world's greatest thinkers, from Saint Augustine on down to René Girard. When it does things, it usually has a good reason."
During a "frustrating argument" with a Roman Catholic cardinal, Napoleon Bonaparte supposedly burst out: “Your eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?” The cardinal, the anecdote goes, responded ruefully: “Your majesty, we, the Catholic clergy, have done our best to destroy the church for the last 1,800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you.” (Ercole Cardinal Consalvi)
Yep! that should shut Napoleon's mouth.
DID YOU TRY TO DESTROY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
The Jews tried to destroy it, but they in turn were almost totally destroyed on 70 AD. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
The Romans tried to destroy it, but they in turn were destroyed and the entire empire collapsed in 471AD. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
The muslims tried to destroyed it in the middle ages, but failed. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
The Protestants tried to destroy it in the reformation, but failed. And look what happened to them? The church of protestantism which Luther founded was from the very beggining divided and splintered. Look at protestantism today, over 40,000 splinters and still dividing up every day. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
Hitler tried to destroy it, but failed. Where is he and his 100 year Reich now? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
Communism tried to destroy it, but failed. And where is communism today? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
The Klu Klux Klan and Freemasonic Mafia tried to destroy it, but failed. Look where are they now? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE.
Napoleon Bonaparte tried to destroy it, but failed. What happened to Bonaparte? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HERE!
SO, IF ALL OF THE ABOVE MORE FORMIDABLE FOES TRIED BUT FAILED TO DESTROY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN SUCCEED?
For 2,000 years since its existence, this Church had outlasted every oppressive governments and empires.
Remember, if you fight against God's Church, you fight against God Himself.
"If God is For Us, Who is Against Us"?
(Rom. 8:31)
Matthew 28:20 (Jesus told Apostles)
... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
Isang malaking balakid para sa mga kalaban ng tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo ang isa sa mga titulo ng Inang Birheng Maria bilang INA NG DIYOS. Sa mga Protestante, hindi parepareho ang kanilang pananaw tungkol kay Maria. Ang mga Lutherans ay hindi katulad ng mga Anglicans o mga Episcopalians. Ganon din ang mga Calvinist, Presbyterian, Methodist at iba pang mga sinaunang grupo ng mga Protestante. Sila ay maituturing nating iba rin sa mga evangelicals (o mga "Born Again") at hindi rin sila sumasang-ayon sa bawat isa sa mga Baptist, at hindi rin sila katulad ng mga paniniwala ng mga Pentecostals. Sa Pilipinas, ang mga kaanib sa iglesiang tatag ni Ginoong Felix Manalo ang madalas na kumakalaban sa Iglesia Katolika sa radyo man, telebisyon o sa mga limbag na magasin at aklat. Ang Iglesia Ni Cristo®-1914 ay kabilang sa sangay ng Protestante na kung tawagin ay "Restorationists" at kabilang sila sa mga ereheng sumasalungat sa Doktrina ng Trinidad na kung tawagin ay mga Unitarians (halos silang lahat ay sumulpot sa Estados Unidos o Europa).
Ngunit ang isang bagay na sila'y nagkakaisa, ito ay ang kanilang pagtutol sa mga parangal na ibinibigay ng mga Katoliko at mga Orthodox kay Maria bilang INA NG DIYOS (THEOTOKOS).
Bakit nga ba si Maria ay tinatawag ng 'Ina ng Diyos'?
Ang titulong ikinabit kay Inang Birheng Maria ay hindi parangal sa kanya bilang tao kundi ito ay PAGPAPATIBAY sa katotohanang si JESUS AY DIYOS!
Ang pagtawag kay Maria bilang 'Theotokos' (God-bearer) o Ina ng Diyos ay hindi na bago sa kasaysayan ng Santa Iglesia. Ito ay matagal nang pinaniniwalaan at sinasampalatayanan ng Unang Iglesia. At upang mapanatili ang pangkalahatang paniniwalang ito, sa Konsilyo ng Efesus (431 A.D.) ginawang opisyal ang titulo ng Inang Maria bilang "Ina ng Diyos".
"Kung ang sinuman ay hindi magpapahayag na ang Diyos ay tunay na Emmanuel (nagkatawang-tao), at sa saligang ito ang banal na birhen ay ang" Theotokos "(sapagkat ayon sa laman ipinanganak niya ang Salita ng Diyos, naging laman sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang pagsilang) siya nawa ay itiwalag." (If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel, and that on this account the holy virgin is the "Theotokos" (for according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth) let him be anathema. -The Council of Ephesus, 431 AD)
Bakit hindi na lamang tawaging 'Ina ni Cristo'?
Tanggapin man natin o hindi, hindi lahat ng mga taong nagsasabing sila'y mga 'Kristiano' ay naniniwalang si Cristo ay Diyos. Isa na rito ang mga kaanib ng INC™-1914. Para sa kanila, si Cristo ay TAO LAMANG.
“TAO rin ang kalagayan ng ating Panginoon Jesucristo sa Kanyang muling pagparito sa araw ng paghuhukom. Hindi nagbabago ang Kanyang kalagayan. Hindi Siya naging Diyos kailanman! TAO ng ipinanganak, TAO ng lumaki na at nangangaral, TAO ng mabuhay na mag-uli, TAO nang umakyant sa langit, TAO nang nasa langit na nakaupo sa kanan ng Diyos, at TAO rin Siya na muling paririto.” -PASUGO, Enero, 1964, p. 13 (Sinulat ni Emiliano Agustin)
Sa kanilang opisyal na limbag na magasing Pasugo na ating sinipi sa itaas, ang Iglesia Ni Cristo®-1914 ay pinagdidiinan ang pagka-TAO ni Jesus at TINATAKWIL ang Kanyang orihinal na kalikasan bilang Diyos.
Taliwas sa mga bagong sulpot na relihiyon sa Pilipinas, ang orihinal na Iglesia, si Cristo na ITINATAG NI mismo ni CRISTO ay naniniwalang HINDI LAMANG TAO ang Panginoong Jesus kundi SIYA AY DIYOS at NAPARITO ayon sa LAMAN (naging TAO). Kaya't sa maikling salita, si Cristo ay TOTOONG DIYOS at TOTOONG TAO at sa kabuuan ng kanyang 'essence at being' SI CRISTO AY IISA, hindi siya kalahating Diyos at kalahating Tao. O hindi siya dalawa (Jesus na Diyos at Jesus na Tao) kundi IISA ANG PANGINOONG HESUCRISTO. Si CRISTO ay DIYOS bago isilang; DIYOS pa rin hanggang ipinanganak ayon sa laman (sa pamamagitan ni Maria) at naging TAO (Juan 1:1-4, 14) at Diyos pa rin hanggang sa kanyang pagbabalik (paghuhukom)!
Iyan ang PINAGDIDIINAN sa SULAT sa mga HEBREO (13:8) na ang Panginoong Jesucristo ay MANANATILING SIYA KAHAPON, NGAYON AT MAGPAKAILAN MAN.
Kaya't kung si CRISTO ay DIYOS noon, siya ay mananatiling DIYOS ngayon, at DIYOS pa rin MAGKAILANMAN hanggang sa Kanyang paghuhukom.
Malinaw itong sinampalatayanan ni Apostol San Pablo sa kanyang sulat sa mga taga-Filipos:
"Taglayin ninyo ang mga damdamin na tinaglay din ni Cristo Jesus, na bagaman NASA KANYA ANG KALIKASAN NG DIYOS ay hindi niya inangkin ang matulad sa Diyos; sa halip ay pinawi ang sarili, kinuha ang kalikasan ng alipin at TUMULAD SA MGA TAO." (Ang Banal na Biblia)
Para kay Apostol San Pablo, si Cristo ay taglay ang KALIKASAN NG DIYOS ngunit sa Kanyang kababaang-loob ay KINUHA ang KALAGAYAN BILANG TAO, naging animo'y alipin, masunurin hanggang kamataya ~ oo, kamatayan sa Krus.
Kaya't sa mga KATOTOHANANG ating binanggit, ang IPINANGANAK ng Inang Birhen ay DIYOS NA TOTOO. Samakatuwid, si MARIA AY INA NG DIYOS! (CCC 963)
BABALA NG BIBLIA AT NG SANTA IGLESIA
Ang babala ay mula kay Apostol San Juan (1 Juan 1:2-3), ang sinumang HINDI TANGGAP si CRISTO (Diyos) na NAPARITO SA LAMAN siya ay ANTI-CRISTO!
Batid ni Apostol San Juan ang PAGDATING na mga EREHE at mga HUWAD NA MANGANGARAL mula noong IKA-16 SIGLO sa Europa hanggang dumating ito sa Pilipinas noong 1900's at umusbong ng husto noong 1914.
"Sapagkat nagkalat sa daigdig ang maraming mandaraya na ayaw kumilala na si Jesucristo ay nagkatawang-tao; ganyan nga ang mandaraya at ang anti-Cristo. Mag-ingat sana kayo..." (2 Juan 1:7-8a Ang Mabuting Balita)
Ang di-pagtanggap kay Maria bilang INA NG DIYOS ay katulad ng hindi rin pagtanggap kay JESUCRISTO bilang DIYOS na NAGKATAWANG-TAO.
"If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel, and that on this account the holy virgin is the "Theotokos" (for according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth) let him be anathema". -The Council of Ephesus, 431 AD
At sa mga katulad nila, ibilang sila bilang mga kampon ng kasamaan, mga bulaan, mandaraya, manlilinlang ~ mga ANTI-CRISTO!
