For the Evangelicals the Catholic Church was inspired in the past but the same doctrines and Bible is no more inspired by the Holy Spirit

Yesterday I was talking to an Evangelical Christian. He was a young Rumanian baptised as an Orthodox Christian but who was now an evangelical Christian.

He was quoting the Bible but did not seem to know that the manuscripts for his Bible were approved by a Church Council.

He did not know that his concept of the Trinity and the prayer, the Our Father, also comes from the Catholic Church.

He said that he believed in Jesus without religion. I asked him how was it possible for any one to believe in Jesus without a religion. For example his Bible comes from a religion.Even his evangelical church was a religion and their liturgy was influenced by the Catholic Church.

He said he simply wanted to follow Jesus. He wanted to follow Jesus without the Church which gave us the Bible, amd the Eucharist  which was meaningless in his life .He did not want to follow the Church from where his Christian prayers were preserved?

Daniel said that he believed in the one true Church of Jesus. How would he know which was the one , true church. Would he have to depend on Luther? And then too how would he know if it is correct?

I believe that the Catholic Church was inspired by the Holy Spirit and so the Church chose the inspired manuscripts and we have the Bible in its present form. He agreed. The Church was inspired at that time. So we have a Church inspired in the past by the Holy Spirit but not inspired in the present times for him to join it ?

He believed that the Church was inspired to interpret the Bible for canturies but then after Luther it was no more inspired to affirm what it affirmed for centuries?

He said only faith in Jesus is enough. I said this would be true for a person who dies immediately after his initial conversion. However over time he would have to live the teachings of Jesus as did the first community.

These are just some of the things I enjoyed talking about.He had a conversion experience and has given up his old sinful way of living. He was correct on so many things. Even though he was not a Catholic I could agree with him.

I appreciated his conversion but told him that as a Catholic I believe outside the Church there is no salvation. We both agreed that it was not enough to know about Jesus but it was important to live Jesus' teachings and avoid sin.

But in which Church?

-Lionel Andrades