What Does the Phrase "Holy, Catholic Church" Mean?

The Reformation is not yet over regardless of denomination. Baptists may be historically not Protestants but there were already groups that opposed the Vatican before it. The true Church is now in its hottest battles in the Laodicean age.

It's time to clarify another statement that is one of the most misused quotes by Ignatius of Antioch:

Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic Church. It is not lawful to baptize or give communion without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus, whatever is done will be safe and valid.

Roman Catholics have misused this quote to justify that they are the "true Church" that was supposedly founded last 33 A.D. but is it? Let us examine what the word catholic means. Catholic means universal. Also, to claim that Ignatius of Antioch was a Roman Catholic priest rather than a Christian bishop is pure nonsense. The word bishop means overseer. Who else is assigned to be an overseer but a pastor not a priest (Ephesians 4:11)? 1 Timothy 3:1-7 gives us the qualifications of what it means to be a bishop. A bishop is commanded to be a husband of one wife. No use trying to use 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 to justify priestly celibacy because nowhere in the Bible are priests commanded to be celibate. The Old Testament commanded priests to be married men. The priesthood was from the House of Aaron and Leviticus 22 also lists that priests should take wives in their virginity. How can a celibate take a virgin wife? They cannot because celibacy means staying single.

We should do a bit more study of Acts 9:31 and the Greek to understand what catholic means:

Kindly click to enlarge

If you try to notice the words kath holEs in the text, you can see that's where we get the word catholic. The translate is "down whole" or two, how is the word catholic used? The word catholic here is used as a synonym of the word universal. Catholic here is not used as a denomination but as an adjective. To say I believe in the holy, catholic church means I believe in a holy, universal church. It is not the name of a denomination. It is a description of what the church really is. 

The problem with the Roman Catholic institution calling itself the Catholic Church is no different than its rival cults. Do you know that the term Iglesia ni Cristo means church of Christ in English? Do you know some cults even call themselves Church of Christ or the Mormons call themselves the Church of Christ of the Latter Day Saints? The Watchtower Society calls itself Jehovah's Witnesses when they are not witnesses of Jehovah? Others call themselves with very Biblical sounding names but the doctrine is far from biblical. 

I would also like to address the question and dilemma Roman Catholics would have. They say we cannot find anywhere in the Bible that we should be born again Christians. What does Acts 11:26 say? Does it say that the disciples were first called Catholics or CHRISTIANS? 

Acts 11:26 

When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.

The believers were first called Christians and not Roman Catholics or Catholics. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to be called Baptists, Presbyterians or even Roman Catholics. As a Baptist, I admit that the Baptist Brider movement is heresy in itself. Jesus never told anyone to be a member of a particular denomination. The problem with Roman Catholicism is that it puts salvation in one's membership of a certain denomination rather than salvation in Jesus Christ. Church membership salvation is putting the cart before the horse. You get saved and you become part of a church not the other way around. How often does pride make the truth of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ before a changed life sound repulsive to the unrepentant sinner.

I admit the term born again Christian is not in the Bible then neither is the term Roman Catholic. New words are born as languages move forward. The word Trinity and Rapture were later invented to describe the Godhead and the Blessed Hope. Theologically speaking, the term born again Christian is like saying hot lava or cold ice cream. It sounds redundant yet today, the term is used to describe genuine Christians. Also, if they want to keep insisting in John 3's Greek that really says "born from above" I agree with that. But the question is John 3 never tells us to be Catholics either. The Christians were not called Catholics just Christian. Catholic was only used as an adjective to describe the nature of the Church not a denomination.

See also:

• Another Reason For Roman Catholics to Reject Sola Scriptura: To Keep Their OWN TRADITIONS!
• Are the Keys Handed Over to Peter the Seven Sacraments of Roman Catholicism?
• Beware of Being "Politically Correct" Over Being Scripturally Correct
• Commentary on 1 Timothy 3:15- The Church as the Pillar and Ground of the Truth
• Continue the Reformation By Soulwinning This Halloween
• Continue the Reformation, Expect Only Persecution!
• Continuing the Reformation Daily Also Means Upholding Sola Scriptura!
• Continuing the Reformation Means Taking the Risk to Get the Gospel Out!
• Continuing the Reformation Means Warning People That Church Attendance Doesn't Make Anyone a Christian!
• Defending the Doctrine and Tradition of Sola Scriptura
• It's Hypocritical How Unsaved People Condemn Christians for Their Slightest Mistakes While Condoning the Sins of Their Own Over a Million Times!
• It's Not Okay to Be Blindly Loyal to the Pope and His Army of Pharisees
• It's Rejecting Sola Scriptura That Creates Several Pseudo-Christian Groups
• Many Roman Catholics Play the Victim Whenever They're Told the Truth
• Misapplying Acts 9:31's Greek to Prove Roman Catholicism's "Legitimacy"
• More Often Than Not, Roman Catholics Tend To Have Contradicting Views Against Born Again Christianity!
• Murdering Christians in God's Name!
• Never Mind the Waves of Persecution, LOOK UP TO JESUS!
• Nine Signs of an Intellectually Dishonest Roman Catholic Apologist
• Part of Continuing the Reformation is Maintaining Peacefulness While Preaching the Truth
• Part of Continuing the Reformation is Sorrow For the Lost
• Pseudo-Christian Denominations Reject God's Word to Keep Their Own Traditions!
• Refuting the Ridiculous Claim That Sola Scriptura Condones to Certain Evils in Society
• Roman Catholic Double Standard: Sensationalizing the Sins of Quack Pastors While Covering Up the Sins of Roman Catholic Priests!
• Roman Catholic Mass Media's Selective Outrage 
• The Born Again Christian Legacy is Wrongfully Hated by the World!
• The Church DID NOT and DOES NOT Apostasize!
• The Church Was NEVER Designed to Adjust to the Times!
• The Error of Comparing Protestantism to New Atheism
• The Incredible Irony Behind Religious Roman Catholics and Their Sinful Lifestyles!
• The Papal Claim of Peter as First Pope Debunked
• The Poor Excuse of Roman Catholic Parishes to Keep Allowing Sinful Members to Attend Masses!
• The Problem With Chronological Errors
• The Reformation is Still Going On!
• The Simple Man with Knowledge of Scripture Is Better than the Pope or Any Council!
• Vatican's "Pro-Life" Hypocrisy
• The Ultimate Irony When Catholic Faith Defenders End Up Refuting Themselves Whenever They End Up Mentioning Scriptural Truths
• The Unholy Father and Blasphemy
• When Christians Study Their Bible Diligently, They'll Be A Greater Threat to the Evil of THIS DAY Than It Is a Threat to Them!
• Who Does Pope Francis Thinks He Is as He Calls for the Worldwide Abolition of Death Penalty?  
• Whose Rights Are Politically Correct Organizations Defending Anyway?
• Why Do Many in the Works Salvation Crowd Fall into Sinful Lifestyles?