Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Living Church of God?

By COGwriter

Nearly everyone in the West feels that they know about the Roman Catholic Church, but few understand what many of its original beliefs were. Additionally, most realize that they know very little about the doctrines of the Living Church of God (LCG). Since many equate size to God's favor, they may improperly understand which of these churches is the true and faithful one.

While both groups publicly provide doctrinal and historical materials, relatively few (if any) have attempted to do a detailed comparison of the two groups, especially in the 21st century.

What do Roman Catholics believe? What did they believe? What does the Living Church of God believe?

This fairly long article will attempt to highlight some of the major similarities and dissimilarities between the Roman Catholic Church and the Living Church of God --with a focus on the early beliefs of those who professed Christianity. Some of these differences should help demonstrate which one is the the true and faithful church.

Even though Eastern Orthodox and others consider themselves Catholics, for this article, Roman Catholics are defined as those supporting the Roman Catholic Church (which is why the term "Roman" is used). Historical writings that the Roman Catholic Church accepts (such as those from Irenaeus of Lyon, c. 180), items with an imprimatur, and other Catholic sources will be used. The terms Catholic, Holy See, and Roman Catholic may be used interchangeably here to refer to the church whose headquarters occupies Vatican City. The term Catholic is not intended to convey the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or other non-Roman Catholic churches, though in some early writings cited (prior to 200 A.D.) that term is not necessarily referring what is now considered to be the Roman Catholic Church (and in one or more early instances is apparently referring to those in the actual Church of God).

For purposes of this article, the Churches of God (COGs) are defined as groups holding to the basic teachings of the pre-1986 Worldwide Church of God (WCG), and specifically the current Living Church of God (LCG) which is the church that this writer attends. Historical writings from those considered to be true Christians by LCG and Roman Catholic Church, such as Polycarp of Smyrna (d. c. 156), will also be used. The term Church of God is not intended to convey Sunday-observing or "Pentecostal" groups that sometimes have also used that term.

The Apostle Paul taught,

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV).

A stigmatic Roman Catholic nun taught,

"If the Church is true all in her is true" (Cited in Schmoger Carl E. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Volume 2. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourgh Peter Joseph. TAN Books, reprint 1976, p.30).

The Eastern Orthodox correctly teach:

"Christianity, if true, has nothing to fear from honest inquiry" (Ware, T. The Orthodox Church. Penguin Books, London, 1997, p.201).

And since both the Roman Catholic Church and LCG consider that there is true Christianity, documenting the beliefs of both groups should assist any pursing honest inquiry.

The Original and True Church

Both the Roman Catholic Church and LCG teach that they are the original and true Church, but because of their many differences, only one still could be.

Roman Catholic Church:

It has been seen that Christ not only established the episcopate in the persons of the Twelve but, further, created in St. Peter the office of supreme pastor of the Church. Early Christian history tells us that before his death, he fixed his residence at Rome, and ruled the Church there as its bishop. It is from Rome that he dates his first Epistle, speaking of the city under the name of Babylon, a designation which St. John also gives it in the Apocalypse (c. xviii). At Rome, too, he suffered martyrdom in company with St. Paul, A.D. 67. The list of his successors in the see is known, from Linus, Anacletus, and Clement, who were the first to follow him, down to the reigning pontiff. The Church has ever seen in the occupant of the See of Rome the successor of Peter in the supreme pastorate (Joyce G.H. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. The Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

According to Catholic teaching any Christians who, banded together refuse to accept the entire doctrine or to acknowledge the supreme authority of the Catholic Church, constitute merely a religious party under human unauthorized leadership. The Catholic Church alone is that universal society instituted by Jesus Christ which has a rightful claim to the allegiance of all men, although in fact, this allegiance is withheld by many because of ignorance and the abuse of free-will. She is the sole custodian of the complete teaching of Jesus Christ which must be accepted in its entirety by all mankind. Her members do not constitute a sect nor will they consent to be known as such, because they do not belong to a party called into existence by a human leader, or to a school of thought sworn to the dictates of a mortal master. They form part of a Church which embraces all space and in a certain sense both time and eternity, since it is militant, suffering, and triumphant. This claim that the Catholic religion is the only genuine form of Christianity may startle some by its exclusiveness. But the truth is necessarily exclusive (Weber, N.A. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. Sect and Sects. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII. Published 1912. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

As the Divinely appointed teacher of revealed truth, the Church is infallible...

The Vatican Council declares: "The Holy Ghost was not promised to the successors of Peter, in order that through His revelation they might manifest new doctrine: but that through His assistance they might religiously guard, and faithfully expound the revelation handed down by the Apostles, or the deposit of the faith" (Conc. Vat., Sess. IV, cap. liv). The obligation of the natural moral law constitutes part of this revelation. The authority of that law is again and again insisted on by Christ and His Apostles. The Church therefore is infallible in matters both of faith and morals...(Joyce G.H. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. The Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Living Church of God:

Revelation 2 and 3 shows the history of the church...We are...the one true Church...The true church is mentioned in Revelation 12...it was a persecuted church...it was always small...We are that church...The true Church has always had its biblical name...The Church of God and sometimes with a location or another word associated with it (Armstrong HW. Approximate Quotes from: A History of the Church of God--The Transition from Sardis to the Philadelphia Era. Behind the Work Video Sermon, Feast of Tabernacles 1983).

Polycarp (ca. 69–155AD) had been a personal disciple of the Apostle John and was one of the few church leaders of his day to hold fast to the Truth...The Apostle John died in Ephesus at the end of the first century. The next faithful leader in Asia Minor...was Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. As a young man, Polycarp had been a personal disciple of John and had observed the Passover with him on several occasions. Polycarp became prominent during the first couple of decades of the second century. The churches under his leadership remained one of the few areas where God’s Festivals continued to be observed throughout the remainder of the second century. (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

God’s Church has endured through the ages. It is a “little flock” (Luke 12:32), but God has always remained true to His promise that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)...the true Church of God... The true Church, symbolized by a woman in Revelation 12, was forced to flee into the wilderness...the true Church’s history is not about one continuous human organization. The preserved history of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God has been almost entirely written by its enemies who viewed it as heretical (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

Through baptism and the receipt of God’s Holy Spirit, you are automatically baptized into the true Church of God. (Meredith RC. Christian Baptism. LCG Booklet, 2005).

"Where Is God’s True Church Today?...We in the Living Church of God are definitely focused on accomplishing the Work that Jesus Christ is doing through His Church in these last days...By examining the “fruits” you can see for yourself how God is using the Living Church of God today to accomplish His purposes. Remember, as indicated above, God’s true Church is the “body” of Christ...Rather than argue and make excuses to disobey, God’s Church keeps holy what God has made holy. It follows the inspired example of Jesus and the apostles in keeping God’s Sabbath and His annual Holy Days, which reveal His awesome plan. Finally, God’s Church does the Work of proclaiming as a “witness” the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and the good news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God based on His law. The organization that publishes this booklet strives to do all of these things. As you know, we in the Living Church of God try to follow all of the above truths with all our hearts and powerfully proclaim the end-time prophecies of the Bible..."(Meredith R.C. Where Is God’s True Church Today? LCG Booklet, 2005).

The Roman Catholic Church teaches the same visible organization (though its other literature suggests it somewhat includes autonomous groups, like the Eastern Orthodox) is the true Church. LCG teaches that the Bible shows that the Church will be in the wilderness for a time (Revelation 12:6) and does not have a continuing city (Hebrews 13:14), hence the true Church would not always clearly visible.

An interesting fact is that many prominent Roman Catholic Church scholars contend that statements implying that there were actual bishops of Rome who succeeded Peter are inaccurate as there were no leaders who held the title "Bishop of Rome" until about 80-90 years after Peter died (an article of related interest may be What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History?.

It should be noted that neither the Roman Catholic Church or LCG believe that their respective members are the only ones part of the Christian Church. However, the Roman Catholic Church believes there are thousands of times more actual Christians alive today than those in LCG believe that there are (though LCG believes that more will ultimately be saved than the Roman Catholics normally do).

Being Faithful to the Original Faith that Was Delivered

Both groups recognize that the true church would place the highest priority on being faithful to the original faith.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Rheims New Testament of 1582 (the English translation from the Latin Vulgate that Roman Catholics generally prefer) states:

...contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches:

Apostolicity of doctrine and mission is necessary. Apostolicity of doctrine requires that the deposit of faith committed to the Apostles shall remain unchanged. Since the Church is infallible in its teaching, it follows that if the Church of Christ still exists it must be teaching His doctrine (O'Reilly TC. Transcribed by Jim Holden. Apostolicity. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

In more recent times, Pope John-Paul II wrote:

GUARDING THE DEPOSIT OF FAITH IS THE MISSION WHICH THE LORD ENTRUSTED TO HIS CHURCH, and which she fulfills in every age. (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 1).

Furthermore, Pope Benedict XVI publicly stated:

Truth, and not what is "merely fashionable," must guide Christians as they enter into dialogue with those who hold different philosophies or religious beliefs, Pope Benedict XVI said..."People were created by God, who is truth, in order to find truth and not to settle for "the myths of custom, cultural habits or the fashion of the moment," he said. (Pope: Truth, not trend, must guide Christians in dialogue with others. Catholic News Service. March 21, 2007).

Living Church of God:

LCG's RC Meredith (its presiding evangelist--the top human position in that church) wrote:

Frankly, the "little flock" (Luke 12:32)—the true Church of God—has always understood the need to pattern itself after the teachings and examples of Christ and the Apostles. Although very few have seriously attempted to follow this pattern, many scholars and religious historians have understood the concept of the "Jerusalem Church of God." This is a vital concept to understand if we are sincerely interested in contending "for the faith once delivered." The Apostle Paul was inspired to write to the Thessalonians, "For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 2:14). The book of Acts makes it clear that the earthly "headquarters" Church of God—for many decades—was the Jerusalem Church...

Clearly the original Apostles and the Jerusalem Church of God set the inspired "pattern" for true Christianity—not just for that time—but for all time! Contrary to the heretical Protestant ideas that the Apostle Paul later was used by God to "reinvent" Christianity, the real Apostle Paul of the Bible—as we have seen—constantly showed deep respect for the original Apostles and deferred to the leadership at Jerusalem in all major matters!...

Most professing Christians today have no idea what first century Christianity was really like! Yet for decades—long after the cross and the reception of the Holy Spirit—the true Christians all believed and practiced a way of life and worship totally different from professing Christianity today!...

But the biblical and historical facts show that Christianity was a continuation—an enlargement and "magnification" of the teachings God gave through Moses—not something brand new! As the Apostle Paul was inspired in the New Testament to explain to the Gentile Christians at Ephesus: "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:19–20) (Meredith, RC. Restoring Apostolic Christianity, LCG Booklet) .

We are deeply committed to ... living by the first century Christianity of the early Church of God, which was later subverted by false teachers. We are dedicated to teaching the way of life consistently taught by Jesus Christ.

Reading what both churches teach on various subjects should make it clear which one still teaches the faith that Jesus entrusted to His Church.

The Name of the Church

Both groups recognize that the name of the early church was often "Church of God". Over time, the Roman Catholics preferred Catholic which, while also in several of the early writings as a descriptor, is not used as the name of the Church in the New Testament. The Living Church of God acknowledges that the term "Church of God" has been used by itself, or with other descriptive terms, throughout history.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Apostle Paul wrote in the Catholic approved translation of the New Testament:

PAUL called to be an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by the will of God, and Sothenes a brother, To the Church of God that is at Corinth, to the sanctified in Christ JESUS, called to be saints, with all that invocate the name of our Lord JESUS Christ in every place of theirs and ours (1 Corinthians 1:2, Rheims New Testament).

PAUL an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy our brother: to the Church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints that are in all Achaia (2 Corinthians 1:1, Rheims New Testament).

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to converse in the house of God, which is the CHURCH of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth (1 Timothy 3:15, Rheims New Testament).

(Note that I bolded the above, but did not capitalize anything--capitalization was by the Roman Catholic translators).

What is commonly called 1 Clement begins with:

The Church of God which sojourneth in Rome to the Church of God which sojourneth in Corinth, to them which are called and sanctified by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus, some of the earliest Roman Catholic accepted writings refer to the church as the Church of God.

The Catholic Encyclopedia states the following:

St. Paul...summoned "the presbyters of the Church", and in the course of his charge addressed them as follows: "Take heed to yourselves and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost has placed you bishops to tend [poimainein] the Church of God" (xx, 28) (Joyce GH. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York)..

The word Catholic (katholikos from katholou -- throughout the whole, i.e., universal) occurs in the Greek classics, e.g., in Aristotle and Polybius, and was freely used by the earlier Christian writers in what we may call its primitive and non-ecclesiastical sense. Thus we meet such phrases as the "the catholic resurrection" (Justin Martyr), "the catholic goodness of God" (Tertullian), "the four catholic winds" (Irenaeus), where we should now speak of "the general resurrection", "the absolute or universal goodness of God", "the four principal winds", etc...

The combination "the Catholic Church" (he katholike ekklesia) is found for the first time in the letter of St. Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, written about the year 110. The words run: "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus may be, there is the universal [katholike] Church." However, in view of the context, some difference of opinion prevails as to the precise connotation of the italicized word...by the beginning of the fourth century it seems to have almost entirely supplanted the primitive and more general meaning...The reference (c. 155) to "the bishop of the catholic church in Smyrna" (Letter on the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp, xvi), a phrase which necessarily presupposes a more technical use of the word, is due, some critics think, to interpolation...(Thurston H. Catholic. Transcribed by Gordon A. Jenness. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

It probably should be mentioned that although Ignatius did use the expression "he katholike ekklesia" one time, he used a version of the expression at "church of God" least four times in the other letters he wrote at that time (see (Ignatius'Letter to the Philadelphians 0:0, 10:1; Letter to the Trallians 2:2; Letter to the Smyrnaeans 0:0).

The Roman Catholic Church has continued to sometimes use the expression "Church of God" throughout history. In the writings from the Second Council of Constantinople it uses the expression Church of God six times in reference to itself. Here is one of them:

But we, having a commandment to exhort the people with right doctrine, and to speak to the heart of Jerusalem, that is, the Church of God, do rightly make haste to sow in righteousness, and to reap the fruit of life; and kindling for ourselves the light of knowledge from the holy Scriptures, and the doctrine of the Fathers, we have considered it necessary to comprehend in certain Capitula, both the declaration of the truth, and the condemnation of heretics, and of their wickedness (Second Council of Constantinople, A.D. 553).

Living Church of God:

The Apostle Paul also wrote:

Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32, NKJV).

Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? (1 Corinthians 11:22, NKJV).

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9, NKJV).

For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it (Galatians 1:13, NKJV).

I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15, NKJV).

Polycarp wrote:

Polycarp and the presbyters with him to the church of God that sojourns at Philippi (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians. In Holmes M. The Apostolic Fathers--Greek Text and English Translations, 3rd printing 2004. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI) p. 207).

Those in Polycarp's area wrote:

The church of God which sojourns at Smyrna to the church of God which sojourns in Philomelium (The Martyrdom of Polycarp. In Holmes M. The Apostolic Fathers--Greek Text and English Translations, 3rd printing 2004. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI) p. 227).

The Living Church of God teaches:

The biblical name of the true Church is "the Church of God." God names things what they are. The name is clearly stated in both singular and plural form in twelve different places in the New Testament—including Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:16; 1 Timothy 3:15. (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

In five places, the name of the Church signifies the entire Body of Christ—the Church as a whole, with all its members (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 10:32; 1 Corinthians 11:22; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13). In four places, it signifies a local assembly, usually with the name of its location
attached (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:5; 1 Timothy 3:15). In three places, speaking of the local assemblies collectively, the phrasing used is “the Churches of God” (1 Corinthians 11:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4) (Wheeler J. The Name of the Church in Both Testaments. Living Church News. May-June 2007, p. 15).

Twelve times in the New Testament (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:16,22; ;15:9; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:5,15), as well as throughout Christian history, the true church has used a version of the expression "Church of God" though often with another word, like a city or the word "living". The term universal or "Catholic" was not in the Bible or shown in early writings to be the name of the true Church, simply a description of one aspect of it. But by the fourth century, Catholic became recognized as the name for what we know commonly know as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

New Testament Church Started in Jerusalem on Pentecost

Both teach that the New Testament Church started on Pentecost in Acts 2.

Roman Catholic Church:

The doctrine of the Church as set forth by the Apostles after the Ascension is in all respects identical with the teaching of Christ just described. St. Peter, in his first sermon, delivered on the day of Pentecost, declares that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messianic king (Acts 2:36). The means of salvation which he indicates is baptism; and by baptism his converts are aggregated to the society of disciples (ii, 41). Though in these days the Christians still availed themselves of the Temple services, yet from the first the brotherhood of Christ formed a society essentially distinct from the synagogue. The reason why St. Peter bids his hearers accept baptism is none other than that they may "save themselves from this unbelieving generation". Within the society of believers not only were the members united by common rites, but the tie of unity was so close as to bring about in the Church of Jerusalem that condition of things in which the disciples had all things common (ii, 44). Christ had declared that His kingdom should be spread among all nations, and had committed the execution of the work to the twelve (Matthew 28:19). Yet the universal mission of the Church revealed itself but gradually. St. Peter indeed makes mention of it from the first (Acts 2:39). (Joyce G.H. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. The Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

1076 The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 304).

Living Church of God:

Jesus’ statement indicates that His Church would continue to exist down through the centuries. That Church began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1), and it is named in the New Testament the “church of God” (I Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; Galatians 1:13) (Winnail D. World Ahead Weekly Update, May 24, 2007).

Then we find that the inspired Apostolic Church began on another of God’s Holy Days, the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out: "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). (Meredith R.C. THE HOLY DAYS—God's Master Plan. LCG Booklet).

Strictly speaking, both groups believe that God had followers since Abel, but that a distinctly Christian Church was obvious by Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

The Church Should Have a Hierarchical Governance

Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Living Church of God believe in hierarchical governance. And both agree that Peter had a role that made him somewhat pre-eminent among the other apostles.

Roman Catholic Church:

The question at issue is, whether the Apostles did, or did not, establish in the Christian communities a hierarchical organization. All Catholic scholars, together with some few Protestants, hold that they did so.

...we find the Churches governed by a hierarchical organization of bishops, sometimes also termed presbyters, and deacons. That the terms bishop and presbyter are synonymous is evident from Titus 1:5-7: "I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest . . . ordain priests in every city . . . For a bishop must be without crime." These presbyters form a corporate body (1 Timothy 4:14), and they are entrusted with the twofold charge of governing the Church (1 Timothy 3:5) and of teaching (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9)...

The evidence thus far considered seems to demonstrate beyond all question that the hierarchical organization of the Church was, in its essential elements, the work of the Apostles themselves; and that to this hierarchy they handed on the charge entrusted to them by Christ of governing the Kingdom of God, and of teaching the revealed doctrine. (Joyce GH. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. The Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Living Church of God:

Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

In founding God's Church, Jesus worked primarily through one man, Peter, even though He originally chose His 12 disciples. Few have ever noticed that Peter was the real leader. Acts 15: Here is the crux chapter, not generally understood... The Jerusalem conference showed that PETER was preeminent over even Paul, although Paul was the ONE MAN God worked through primarily in the ministry to gentiles... This crucial crux chapter has been misunderstood, twisted and distorted. I have tried to take space to MAKE IT CLEAR in this article (Armstrong, Herbert W. Originally published in Worldwide News article 2/19/78 and quoted in the Living Church News. Jan-Feb 1999; p.7).

RC Meredith wrote:

It is clear that God's government throughout the Old Testament--AND in the soon coming World Ahead--was (and will be) a hierarchical government under God's direction, based on the Holy Scriptures...Throughout the New Testament, we find the Living Christ directing His servants to follow the same pattern of government he had inspired over the previous 1,300 years...Again God's Word states 'Without counsel plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established' (Prov. 12:15)...A dedicated servant of the Living God will always try to seek the counsel of at least several qualified individuals before making any major decision. Also, a true servant of God will spend much time in thoughtful fervent prayer to God--asking HIS WILL to be made clear--before making an important decision...A key distinguishing attitude of God's true servants is that they do regard themselves as that--servants...(Matt. 20:25-28). All authority in God's Church should have this attitude of service--and should act accordingly." (Meredith, Roderick C. What is the Biblical Form of Church Government? Global Church News. Sept-Oct 1995; pp:5,7,8)

Dear brethren, if you, each of you, see that you can better SERVE your brethren, and the people in the world whom we must 'witness' to, and God Himself by taking a certain action--then you should take that action. You should be constantly be thinking of better ways to give, to help, to serve--REGARDLESS of any title or immediate reward that may come your way. THIS is servant leadership!" (Meredith, Roderick C. What is Servant Leadership. Living Church News. Jul-Aug 1999; p.2).

Christ’s government will also be hierarchical —with those in authority appointed to their offices. There will be no voting and no politics, but rather a deep faith that Christ will install the right people in each office. That is why it is vitally important that we in God’s Church today learn to teach and practice God’s form of government in the Church— looking in faith to our living Head, Jesus Christ, to guide and orchestrate the government in His Church. For if we do not even have the faith now to trust Christ to lead His Church, how can we expect to have any significant responsibility in His soon-coming government?" (Meredith, Roderick. After God's Own Heart. Living Church News, Sept-Oct, 2002. pp. 1-2).

The top office in the Roman Church is that of the Bishop of Rome, the highest of the Roman bishops. A bishop is sort of like a supervising elder. The Roman Church also has a college of cardinals--cardinals are the "hinges" of the church and the concept comes from from pre-Christian times (please see the article Was Peter the Rock Who Alone Received the Keys of the Kingdom?).

The top office currently in the Living Church of God is that of the presiding evangelist, the highest of the LCG evangelists. LCG does not have cardinals, but does have an advisory council of elders who have some roles similar to the college of cardinals--though in reality those two bodies are quite different.

The True Church Has the Faith of All the Apostles, Not Just One of Them

Both teach that the true Church has the apostolic faith.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Catholic view is different from such an individualistic and mechanical approach. Its starting point is the collegium of the apostles as a whole; together they received the promise that Jesus Christ will be with them till the end of the world (Matt 28, 20). So after the death of the historical apostles they had to co–opt others who took over some of their apostolic functions. In this sense the whole of the episcopate stands in succession to the whole of the collegium of the apostles.

To stand in the apostolic succession is not a matter of an individual historical chain but of collegial membership in a collegium, which as a whole goes back to the apostles by sharing the same apostolic faith and the same apostolic mission (Kasper, Cardinal Walter. Keynote speech from the Conference of the Society for Ecumenical Studies, the St. Alban's Christian Study Centre and the Hertfordshire Newman Association at St. Alban's Abbey, Hertfordshire, England, on May 17, 2003).

Living Church of God:

Restoring Apostolic Christianity

The key issue, then, is our desire and willingness to get back to the true Christian faith, "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Are you willing to genuinely try to follow the Christianity of Christ? Or are you willing to "take a chance" in your relationship with God and in your quest for eternal life? Frankly, the "little flock" (Luke 12:32)—the true Church of God—has always understood the need to pattern itself after the teachings and examples of Christ and the Apostles...

Clearly the original Apostles and the Jerusalem Church of God set the inspired "pattern" for true Christianity—not just for that time—but for all time!...

The Apostle Paul instructed Christians: "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Apostle John observed: "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6).   These two, like all the Apostles, knew that Jesus Christ came to show the perfect example, and that Christians ought to follow His example, strengthened by the Holy Spirit...

Christians are to do as Christ did. In the "Great Commission" He instructed His followers: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19–20). Christians are to take His message to "all the nations" and teach "all things" that He commanded! They were not to change His message so much that it is today almost unrecognizable! (Meredith RC. Restoring Apostolic Christianity. LCG Booklet).

Hence current leaders in both groups recognize that the example of the apostles plural. Both proclaim that the true church has the same mission and the same teachings as the apostles. And of course, there is no legitimate type of apostolic succession without that.

John The Apostle Was a Prominent Leader, He Went to Ephesus, and Kept Passover on the 14th

Both teach that John was a prominent leader, kept the 14th Passover, was in Ephesus, and started/led churches.

Roman Catholic Church:

From The Catholic Encyclopedia:

John had a prominent position in the Apostolic body...St. Paul in opposing his enemies in Galatia names John explicitly along with Peter and James the Less as a "pillar of the Church"...the Apostle and Evangelist John lived in Asia Minor in the last decades of the first century and from Ephesus had guided the Churches of that province (Fonck L. Transcribed by Michael Little. St. John the Evangelist. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII Copyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Asia Minor was the principal scene of the labours of St. John; he wrote his Apocalypse on the desolate island of Patmos, and his Gospel probably at Ephesus. He established firmly in the latter city a famous centre of Christian life...From Ephesus St. John traveled much throughout Asia Minor and has always been credited with the first establishment of many of its episcopal sees...St. Peter, too, preached the Christian Faith in Asia Minor (Shahan, Thomas J. Transcribed by WG Kofron. Asia Minor. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Further, Irenaeus states that St. Polycarp, who like the other Asiatics, kept...the fourteenth day of the moon, whatever day of the week that might be, following therein the tradition which he claimed to have derived from St. John the Apostle (Thurston, Herbert. Transcribed by Michael T. Barrett. Easter Controversy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V. Published 1909. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Yet the Roman Catholic Church now indicates that observing Passover on the 14th has been regarded as heresy. Notice:

Still others...were called 'Quartodecimans", because they wanted Easter to always be on the quartodecima die, the fourteenth day, of the Jewish month of Nisan, when Passover is. They were regarded as heretics...In fact, whole segments of Christianity split with the Church over this issue (Johnson, Kevin Orlin. Expressions of the Catholic Faith. Nihil Obstat Robert A. Coerver, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur + Charles Grahmann, D.D., Bishop of Dallas. Ballantine Books, New York, 1994, p. 82).

Living Church of God:

From Polycrates near the end of the second century:

...the saints. Among these are John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord...observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. (Eusebius. Church History, Book V, Chapter 24. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two, Volume 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

From the Living Church of God:

Writing at the close of the first century, almost 30 years after the rest of the New Testament was completed, the aged Apostle John had to contend with heresies that were far more widespread than those of the days of Paul and Jude. John repeatedly emphasized the necessity of keeping God’s commandments (1 John 2:3; 3:4, 22; 5:3). He stressed in 2 John 7: "Many deceivers have gone out into the world." In 3 John 9–10, a leader by the name of Diotrephes had gained control of some congregations in Asia Minor and was actually putting out of the Church true Christians that remained loyal to the aged Apostle John and his teachings...Polycrates was the successor of Polycarp who was himself a disciple of the Apostle John...The Apostle John died in Ephesus at the end of the first century (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

The Living Church of God considers that while Peter was also a faithful apostle, that after Peter's death, John (the last of the original apostles to die) was the primary leader, and Peter was not followed by a succession of presbyters in Rome to rule Christendom (which is the position of many Roman Catholic scholars).

Thus while both groups consider that John was a faithful leader, the COG traces its leadership history through the Apostle John after the deaths of Peter and Paul, while the Roman Catholics prefer to believe that a non-apostle named Linus was the leader after Peter and Paul died (though several of their earliest historical source differ and claim Clement, and not Linus). For more information, please see the article on Apostolic Succession.

Polycarp Was A Successor to the Apostles

Both teach that Polycarp was a successor to the apostles and kept the 14th Passover.

Roman Catholic Church:

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna…always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, Verse 3 and Chapter 3, Verse 4).

And when the blessed Polycarp was sojourning in Rome in the time of Anicetus, although a slight controversy had arisen among them as to certain other points…For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp to forego the observance [in his own way], inasmuch as these things had been always observed by John the disciple of our Lord, and by other apostles with whom he had been conversant; nor, on the other hand, could Polycarp succeed in persuading Anicetus to keep [the observance in his way], for he maintained that he was bound to adhere to the usage of the presbyters who preceded him. And in this state of affairs they held fellowship with each other; and Anicetus conceded to Polycarp in the Church the celebration of the Eucharist, by way of showing him respect (Irenaeus. FRAGMENTS FROM THE LOST WRITINGS OF IRENAEUS. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Excerpted from Volume I of The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors); American Edition copyright © 1885. Electronic version copyright © 1997 by New Advent, Inc).

Living Church of God:

Polycarp (ca. 69–155AD) had been a personal disciple of the Apostle John and was one of the few church leaders of his day to hold fast to the Truth...The Apostle John died in Ephesus at the end of the first century. The next faithful leader in Asia Minor...was Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. As a young man, Polycarp had been a personal disciple of John and had observed the Passover with him on several occasions. Polycarp became prominent during the first couple of decades of the second century. The churches under his leadership remained one of the few areas where God’s Festivals continued to be observed throughout the remainder of the second century. In his old age, Polycarp even made a journey to Rome seeking to convince the bishop of Rome, Anicetus, of his errors in not celebrating the biblical Passover date and in observing, in its place, an annual Sunday Paschal observance (Easter) and a weekly celebration of "Eucharist" (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

Although both the Roman Catholics and LCG acknowledge Polycarp was a successor to the apostles, only the Church of God continues Polycarp's practices such as observing the Passover on the biblical date, instead of Easter. And it is LCG that traces its leadership history from Peter to the Apostle John then essentially to Polycarp, and then through physical and spiritual successors of Polycarp (many of which are no longer known).

The Original Church in Smyrna Was Faithful

Both teach that the original church in Smyrna was faithful to what was taught by the apostles.

Roman Catholic Church:

Smyrna...Christianity was preached to the inhabitants at an early date. As early as the year 93, there existed a Christian community directed by a bishop for whom St. John in the Apocalypse (i, II; ii, 8-11) has only words of praise…There were other Christians in the vicinity of the city and dependent on it to whom St. Polycarp wrote letters (Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", V, xxiv) (Vailhe’ S. Transcribed by Lucia Tobin. Smyrna. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna…always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time -- a man who was of much greater weight, and a more stedfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles...(Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, Verse 3).

Anyhow the heresies are at best novelties, and have no continuity with the teaching of Christ. Perhaps some heretics may claim Apostolic antiquity: we reply: Let them publish the origins of their churches and unroll the catalogue of their bishops till now from the Apostles or from some bishop appointed by the Apostles, as the Smyrnaeans count from Polycarp and John, and the Romans from Clement and Peter; let heretics invent something to match this (Tertullian. Liber de praescriptione haereticorum, circa 208 A.D. As quoted in Chapman J. Transcribed by Lucy Tobin. Tertullian. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Living Church of God:

The Church at Smyrna is the second of the seven Revelation churches to be addressed. The Apostle John died in Ephesus at the end of the first century. The next faithful leader in Asia Minor...was Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna...In the closing decades of the second century, Polycrates, a faithful church leader who had been personally trained by Polycarp, arose...

Victor of Rome sought to intimidate the churches of Asia Minor into conforming to the Roman Easter practice. Polycrates wrote Victor:

"We therefore observe the genuine day [Passover]; neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom. For in Asia great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again in the day of the Lord’s appearing, in which he will come with glory from heaven, and will raise up all the saints; Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis… John, who rested upon the bosom of our Lord… Polycarp of Smyrna… All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the gospel deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith… and my relatives always observed the day when the people threw away the leaven [Abib 14]. I, therefore, brethren, am now 65 years in the Lord, who having conferred with the brethren throughout the world, and having studied the whole of the sacred Scriptures, am not at all alarmed at those things with which I am threatened, to intimidate me. For they who are greater than I, have said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’" (Eusebius, xxiv)...

The great test of the Smyrna Era lay in two areas. One was their ability to distinguish between the continuation of the true Church of God and what was, in reality, the emerging Synagogue of Satan. The other lay in their willingness to endure persecution and even death in order to remain faithful to God (Revelation 2:9–10) (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

It may be of interest to note that Tertullian claimed that only two churches, the Roman one and the Smyrnaean one, could truly have any apostolic claim. We in LCG, of course, believe that it is only one, the one that considers the Smyrnaeans as their ancestors, that could be the true church today. The Roman Catholics do not keep various practices of the faithful Smyrnaeans such as Passover on the 14th or the days of unleavened bread. More about the practices of the Smyrnaeans is included in the article Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome.

Pentecost Was Observed on a Sunday

Although many, but not all, Jews observe Pentecost on Sivan 6, both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of God observe Pentecost on a Sunday.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches:

Pentecost...The term, adopted from the Greek-speaking Jews (Tob. 2:1; II Mac. 12:32; Josephus, "Ant.", III, x, 6; etc.) alludes to the fact that the feast, known in the Old Testament as "the feast of harvest of the firstfruits" (Exodus 23:16), "the feast of weeks" (Exodus 24:22; Deuteronomy 16:10: II Paralipomenon 8:13), the "day of firstfruits" (Numbers 28:26), and called by later Jews 'asereth or 'asartha (solemn assembly, and probably "closing festival", Pentecost being the closing festival of the harvest and of the Paschal season) (Souvay C.L. Transcribed by Mark E. Maier. Pentecost (Jewish Feast) The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Pentecost (Whitsunday) A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the "feast of weeks" or Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10). Whitsunday is so called from the white garments which were worn by those who were baptised during the vigil; Pentecost ("Pfingsten" in German), is the Greek for "the fiftieth"...

Whitsunday, as a Christian feast, dates back to the first century...That Whitsunday belongs to the Apostolic times is stated in the seventh of the (interpolated) fragments attributed to St. Irenæus. In Tertullian (De bapt., xix) the festival appears as already well established (Holweck F.G. Transcribed by Wm Stuart French, Jr. Pentecost (Whitsunday). The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York)

Living Church of God:

This Sunday, we will be observing the Feast of Pentecost that pictures the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the New Testament Church (Acts 2).  (Winnail D. World Ahead Weekly Update, May 24, 2007).

The Israelites were to count 50 days beginning with this Sunday: "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your habitations two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:15–17). Pentecost literally means "50th." By counting exactly 50 days from a designated Sunday, they would always end up a Sunday seven weeks later—but not, obviously, on any particular day of the month. If Pentecost had been commanded to be kept on a particular day of the month, the Bible would have clearly said so—and there would be no need to "count"! (Meredith RC. THE HOLY DAYS—God's Master Plan. LCG Booklet).

Both groups also recognize that Pentecost was observed by the early church--please see the article What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days?

The Churches in Asia Minor, like Smyrna, Kept the Sabbath, Which is the Seventh Day of the Week

Writings that both groups accept show that the Churches throughout Asia Minor, including Smyrna, kept the seventh-day Sabbath.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches:

St. Paul visited many parts of Asia Minor and established there the first Christian churches; in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Acts there is a vivid and circumstantial description of all the chief phases of his Apostolic activity (Asia Minor. The Catholic Encyclopedia).

Notice that the Sabbath then must have been one of the chief phases of the Apostle Paul's practices for see what is recorded in the Rheims' New Testament:

But they passing through Perge, came to Antioch in Pisidia: and entering into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbaths, they sat down...

And they going forth, they desired them that the Sabbath following they would speak unto them these words. And when the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews, and of the strangers serving God, followed Paul and Barnabas: who speaking exhorted them to continue in the grace of God. But the next Sabbath the whole city almost assembled to hear the word of God (Acts 13:14,42-44).

Note: Antioch in Pisidia is in Asia Minor (which is a different town than Antioch in Syria). As is Iconium below:

AND it came to pass at Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a very great multitude of Jews and of the Greeks did believe (Acts 15:1, RNT)

In Ephesus of Asia Minor, Catholic Saint Justin Martyr wrote, in response to a Jew named Trypho,

But if, Trypho, some of your race, who say they believe in this Christ, compel those Gentiles who believe in this Christ to live in all respects according to the law given by Moses, or choose not to associate so intimately with them, I in like manner do not approve of them (Justin.  Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 47. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Thus, Justin admits that there were two groups in Ephesus, one that kept all the law and the other that did not. He also admits that he did not approve of those who kept the law.

But this is what we are most at a loss about: that you, professing to be pious, and supposing yourselves better than others, are not in any particular separated from them, and do not alter your mode of living from the nations, in that you observe no festivals or Sabbaths…you do not obey His commandments (Justin Martyr.  Dialogue with Trypho. Chapter 10. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Excerpted from Volume I of The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors); American Edition copyright © 1885. Electronic version copyright © 1997 by New Advent, Inc.).    

While the Ephesians were told to live differently than the other Gentiles in whose nation they co-existed with, those with Justin Martyr could not be distinguished. It is interesting to note that Trypho expected that Justin would have kept the Sabbath--this is because that was the common practice of those that professed Christ in Asia Minor.

According to the letter The Martyrdom of Polycarp by the Smyrnaeans of Asia Minor:

...on the day of the preparation, at the hour of dinner, there came out pursuers and horsemen" and the Polycarp was killed "on the day of the great Sabbath (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Verses 7.1 & 8.1. Charles H. Hoole's 1885 translation. © 2001 Peter Kirby).

The use of these two expressions ("day of the preparation" and "the day of the great Sabbath") demonstrate that the Smyrnaeans were still keeping the Sabbath in the latter portion of the 2nd century (otherwise other terms would have been more appropriate--non-Sabbath observers do not call the day before Saturday "the day of preparation"). Since Asia Minor (including Smyrna) was a Gentile area, the terms preparation and Sabbath would not have been relevant.

Sabbath-keeping in Asia Minor was publicly still going on to at least 364 A.D. or else the Eastern Church would not have convened a Council in Laodicea to excommunicate any who rested on the seventh day as it declared,

CANON XXIX. CHRISTIANS must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ (THE COMPLETE CANONS OF THE SYNOD OF LAODICEA IN PHRYGIA PACATIANA).

Around 404 A.D. Catholic Saint Jerome noted,

...the believing Jews do well in observing the precepts of the law, i.e....keeping the Jewish Sabbath…there exists a sect among… the synagogues of the East, which is called the sect of the Minei, and is even now condemned by the Pharisees. The adherents to this sect are known commonly as Nazarenes; they believe in Christ the Son of God, born of , the Virgin Mary; and they say that He who suffered under Pontius Pilate and rose again (Jerome. Translated by J.G. Cunningham, M.A. From Jerome to Augustine (A.D. 404); LETTER 75 (AUGUSTINE) OR 112 (JEROME). Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series One, Volume 1. Edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. American Edition, 1887. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

It should be noted that Smyrna and all of Asia Minor are included in the area referred to above as the East.

In the fifth century, the Catholic-supporting historian Socrates noted:

For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this. (Socrates Scholasticus. Ecclesiastical History, Book V, Chapter XXII. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume 2. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Thus while Rome and Egypt dropped the Saturday Sabbath, its historically-accepted records show that those in Asia Minor and elsewhere still observed it.

Even leading Roman Catholic scholars know that the Bible itself endorses the Saturday Sabbath, though it now endorses something called "the eighth day"--a term never found in the New Testament to denote a day of worship:

But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday.  The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify (Gibbons, James Cardinal. Faith of Our Fathers. First published 1876).

The Sabbath is the seventh day, but the Lord's Day, coming after the seventh, must needs be the eighth, and is also to be reckoned the first. For it is called the first day of the week, and so from it are reckoned the second, third, fourth, and so on to the seventh day of the week, which is the Sabbath. But from Lord's Day to Lord's Day is eight days...(Augustine. Exposition on Psalm 150, Chapter 1).

The sabbath...The sacred text says that "on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done"...and that God "rested on this day and sanctified and blessed it"...But for us a new day has dawned...the eighth day (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 345,349. Imprimi Potest + Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, New York, 1994, p. 100).

Much more on "the eighth day" can be found in the article Sunday and Christianity.

Living Church of God:

The primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sabbath, and spent the day in devotion and sermons. And it is not to be doubted but they derived this practice from the Apostles themselves, as appears by several scriptures to that purpose. (Dialogues on the Lord’s Day, p. 189. London: 1701, by Dr. T.H. Morer).

. . . The Sabbath was a strong tie which united them with the life of the whole people, and in keeping the Sabbath holy they followed not only the example but also the command of Jesus. (Geschichte des Sonntags, pp. 13, 14).

The primitive Christians did keep the Sabbath of the Jews . . . therefore the Christians, for a long time together, did keep their conventions upon the Sabbath, in which some portions of the law were read: and this continued till the time of the Laodicean council." The Whole Works of Jeremy Taylor, Vol. IX, p. 416 (R. Heber’s Edition, Vol. XII, p. 416).

The Living Church of God specifically recognizes:

The churches in Asia Minor under Polycarp’s leadership observed the Sabbath and the Holy Days (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

Was the Headquarters of the True Church Expected in Remain in One Location?

Roman Catholic Church:

According to the Rheims' New Testament, Christians could not have a headquarters that was always in one city:

For we have not here a permanent city: but we seek that which is to come (Hebrews 13:14).

However, the Roman Catholic Church itself seems to have a different view:

It has been seen that Christ not only established the episcopate in the persons of the Twelve but, further, created in St. Peter the office of supreme pastor of the Church. Early Christian history tells us that before his death, he fixed his residence at Rome, and ruled the Church there as its bishop. It is from Rome that he dates his first Epistle, speaking of the city under the name of Babylon, a designation which St. John also gives it in the Apocalypse (c. xviii). At Rome, too, he suffered martyrdom in company with St. Paul, A.D. 67. The list of his successors in the see is known, from Linus, Anacletus, and Clement, who were the first to follow him, down to the reigning pontiff. The Church has ever seen in the occupant of the See of Rome the successor of Peter in the supreme pastorate (Joyce G.H. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. The Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Living Church of God:

God’s Church has endured through the ages. It is a “little flock” (Luke 12:32), but God has always remained true to His promise that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)...The Jerusalem Church of God...under the leadership...fled Jerusalem shortly before 70AD and went to Pella, a remote desert community...Writing at the close of the first century, almost 30 years after the rest of the New Testament was completed, the aged Apostle John {who was based out of Ephesus} had to contend with heresies...Polycarp (ca. 69–155AD) {who was based out of Smyrna} had been a personal disciple of the Apostle John and was one of the few church leaders of his day to hold fast to the Truth...the true Church of God....In the aftermath of the Council of Nicea, Emperor Constantine and his successors sought to stamp out all non-conforming brands of Christianity. Groups that refused to conform to the teachings and practices of the "established" church, which now called itself the Catholic (universal) Church of God, were viewed not merely as heretics, but as subversive enemies of the Roman state...The true Church, symbolized by a woman in Revelation 12, was forced to flee into the wilderness...Thus, the true Church would have to remain in hiding for 1,260 years following the Nicene Council. Historically, that is what happened. Though these were truly dark ages, there was a light that continued to burn. Its flame sometimes flickered, but it was never extinguished.  Several problems confront any church scholar or historian who wishes to trace the wanderings of the true Church during this 1,260-year period. This is because the true Church’s history is not about one continuous human organization. The preserved history of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God has been almost entirely written by its enemies who viewed it as heretical (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

The Living Church of God traces its history from the Apostolic Church in the Book of Acts (the Ephesian era) to the present. The message to the seven Churches in Revelation two and three successively shows the history of the true Church from that time forward. These seven Churches describe succeeding eras, or ages, of God’s Church. We believe that the Philadelphia era began in the 1930s, and that we are a continuation of that Philadelphia era" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

Let us look at what Jesus and Paul taught on this matter:

And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes (Matthew 10:22-23).

For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come (Hebrews 13:14).

Jesus, of course, has not yet returned. Whatever Christians there have been in the area of Palestine have been chased through all the cities in that geographic region since Jesus stated this (the Crusades helped insure this). Thus Jesus must be referring to more cities than just those in the area of Palestine (such as those Jacob was alluding to in Genesis 49:1-27). Jesus, thus, seems to be prophesying that it would not be possible that the headquarters of the true church could permanently remain in any one city for hundreds or nearly two thousand years. And Paul specifically says that we Christians do not have a continuing city--one whose headquarters would be relatively permanent. These statements from Jesus and Paul would suggest that only a church whose headquarters moved relatively often could possibly be the true church.

Furthermore, since John prophesied a time that the church would flee into the wilderness for apparently 1260 years (based on each day representing one year, such as shown in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6) in Revelation 12:6, this strongly suggests that the true church would be hard to locate for a very long time--and this simply is not the case with the Roman Catholic Church, but is the case for the Church of God (an article of possible interest may be The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3).

How Did the Early Clergy/Ministry Dress?

Both groups agree on how the earliest ministers dressed.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes:

Stephen 1...it is generally believed that he was consecrated 12 May, 254, and that he died 2 August, 257...In his days the vestments worn by the clergy at Mass and other church services did not differ in shape or material from those ordinarily worn by the laity (Mann H. Transcribed by Kenneth M. Caldwell. Pope St. Stephen I. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The liturgical vestments have by no means remained the same from the founding of the Church until the present day. There is as great a difference between the vestments worn at the Holy Sacrifice in the pre-Constantinian period, and even in the following centuries, and those now customary at the services of the Church, as between the rite of the early Church and that of modern times...Four main periods may be distinguished in the development of the Christian priestly dress. The first embraces the era before Constantine. In that period the priestly dress did not yet differ from the secular costume in form and ornament. The dress of daily life was worn at the offices of the Church. In times of peace and under normal conditions better garments were probably used...The second period embraces the time from about the fourth to the ninth century. It is the most important epoch in the history of liturgical vestments, the epoch in which not merely a priestly dress in a special sense was created, but one which at the same time determined the chief vestments of the present liturgical dress (Braun J. Transcribed by Michael T. Barrett. Vestments. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Published 1912. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

In other words, up until at least the fourth century, even Catholic leaders did not dress differently than members. It was apparently at least partially-based upon the influence of Constantine that this changed.

A former priest wrote:

Rome...successors will be not the servants but the masters of the world. They will dress in purple like Nero and call themselves Pontifex Maximus...

By the time Stephen III became pope, the church was thoroughly converted to the Roman Empire. From the Donation, it is plain that the Bishop of Rome looked like Constantine, lived like him, dressed liked him, inhabited his palaces, ruled over his lands, had exactly the same imperial outlook. The pope, too, wanted to lord it over church and state. (De Rosa, Peter. Vicars of Christ. Poolbeg Press, Dublin, 2000, pp. 34,45).

Living Church of God:

Jesus did not wear distinctive clothing or else Judas would not have had to point Him out:

Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him." Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him (Matthew 26:48-49).

Paul did not wear distinctive clothing or he would not have been misidentified:

Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek? Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?" (Acts 21:37-38).

There is no record in the New Testament of any instruction for the clergy/ministry to dress differently than the lay members. The true leaders from Jesus to Paul to Polycarp to beyond simply did not dress in special vestments. Thus there was no biblical reason considered necessary for vestments, etc.

The ministry of LCG wears clothing appropriate for their respective cultures. There is no clear distinction in dress for the ministry compared to the laity.

Actually, because of persecution, it would have been dangerous for elders/presbyters/bishops to adopt the type of dress Catholic clergy now wear in the days of early Christianity. It should be noted that early leaders/elders/priest did not have liturgical vestments as the Catholic/Orthodox priests and others now wear, as they did not exist that early. This is a minor, but noticeable, physical example of how the COG is more faithful to the original practices of the Christian church than the Roman Catholic Church is. More information on dress is included in the article What Were the Early Duties of Elders/Pastors?

Celibacy for Elders/Priests

Both groups do not require celibacy of their ministers. This later changed in the Roman Church.

Roman Catholic Church:

According to the Apostle Paul, bishops and elders were supposed to have a wife and children to demonstrate they could handle a church as he wrote:

1.FAITHFUL saying. If a man desire a Bishops office, he desireth a good work.
2. It behoveth therefore a Bishop to be irreprehensible, the husband of one wife,
sober, wise, comely, chaste, a man of hospitality, a teacher,
3. Not given to wine, no fighter, but modest, no quarreler, not covetous,
4. Well ruling his own house, chaving his children subject with all charity.
5. But if a man know not to rule his own house: how shall he have care of the Church of
God? (1 Timothy 3:1-5).

5. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest reform the things that are
wanting, and shouldst ordain priests by cities, as I also appointed thee:
6. If any be without crime, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not in the
accusations of riot, or not obedient.
7. For a Bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God: not proud, not angry, nor
given to wine, no striker, nor covetous of filthy lucre (Titus 1:5-7).

Hippolytus notes that in the third century, celibacy was not required for the clergy (and least not by his rival, Roman Bishop Callistus):

About the time of this man, bishops, priests, and deacons, who had been twice married, and thrice married, began to be allowed to retain their place among the clergy (Hippolytus. Refutation of All Heresies, Book IX, Chapter VII. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 5. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1886. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Even The Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges that from the beginning, celibacy was not a requirement for church leaders:

Turning now to the historical development of the present law of celibacy, we must necessarily begin with St. Paul's direction (1 Timothy 3:2, 12, and Titus 1:6) that a bishop or a deacon should be "the husband of one wife". These passages seem fatal to any contention that celibacy was made obligatory upon the clergy from the beginning (Thurston H. Transcribed by Christine J. Murray. Celibacy of the Clergy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Celibacy became an ideal for the clergy in the East gradually, as it did in the West. In the fourth century we still find St. Gregory Nazianzen's father, who was Bishop of Nanzianzos, living with his wife, without scandal. But very soon after that the present Eastern rule obtained. It is less strict than in the West. No one can marry after he has been ordained priest (Paphnutius at the first Council of Nicaea maintains this; the first Canon of the Synod of Neocaesarea in 314 or 325, and Can. Apost., xxvi. The Synod of Elvira about 300 had decreed absolute celibacy for all clerks in the West, Can. xxxiii, ib., pp. 238-239); priests already married may keep their wives (the same law applied to deacons and subdeacons: Can. vi of the Synod in Trullo, 692), but bishops must be celibate. As nearly all secular priests were married this meant that, as a general rule, bishops were chosen from the monasteries, and so these became, as they still are, the road through advancement may be attained (Fortesque A. Transcribed by Marie Jutras. Eastern Monasticism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Thus the celibacy requirement for clergy did not occur until the fourth century. It, however, contradicts the biblical teaching on this matter and has never been a requirement for the true Church of God.

Living Church of God:

Paul specifically confirmed that the apostles had a wife and that he had a right to have a wife in the first century when he wrote:

4. Have not we power to eat and drink?
5. Have we not power to lead about a woman a sister, as also the rest of the Apostles, and
our Lords brethren, and Cephas?
6. Or I only and Barnabas have not we power to do this? (1 Corinthians 9:4-6, RNT).

While Polycrates confirmed this for the second century when he wrote

Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus...All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord (Eusebius. Church History. Book V, Chapter 25).

Polycrates probably would not have been one of a line of bishops if all bishops and church leaders practiced celibacy. Note that since the Apostle Philip had at least three daughters, he could not have practiced celibacy.

Now everyone is aware that Peter had a wife (see Matthew 8:14), but did you know that even Judas had a wife (cf. Acts 1:20, Psalm 109:8-9)?

The presiding evangelist (and actually all the evangelists) in the Living Church of God is married.

Hence, celibacy was another change in the Roman Church. More information on that can be found in the article Was Celibacy Required for Early Bishops or Presbyters?. The Roman Church has had a great deal of sex-scandels in its history and in modern times, heavily caused by this change.

Head Coverings for Overseers/Bishops

Both groups agree that the ordained leadership did not originally wear head coverings to church services or while praying.

Roman Catholic Church:

The Rheims New Testament in 1 Corinthians 11 teaches:

3. And I will have you know, that the head of every man, is Christ: and the head of the woman, is the man: and the head of Christ, is God.
4. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered: dishonorest his head.
5. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered: dishonorest her
head: for it is all one as if she were made bald.
6. For if a woman be not covered, let her be polled. but if it be a foul thing for a woman to
be polled or made bald: let her cover her head.
7. The man truly ought not to cover his head...

Notice the only verse explanation given in the Annotations related to the above:

5. Every woman. ] What gifts of God soever women have, though supernatural, as some had
in the Primitive Church, yet they may not forget their womanly shamefastness 24, but show themselves
subject and modest, and cover their heads with a veil.

...24 shamefastness: modesty, bashfulness, decency.

And while it is not a biblical requirement that women must be required to wear veils, as hair length for a covering is the main subject here (please see Veils and Other Coverings), notice that the Catholic explanation of this is that to have one's head covered means a veil or some type of head covering. Thus, it should be clear that Catholic scholars should recognize that priests, bishops, and even popes should NOT wear head coverings at church or when publicly praying--yet they do.

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes:

The Ninth Ordo states that the camelaucum was made of white stuff and shaped like a helmet...The camelaucum was worn by the pope principally during solemn processions. The mitre developed from the camelaucum in this way: in the course of the tenth century the pope began to wear this head-covering not merely during processions to the church, but also during the subsequent church service...

The Roman cardinals certainly had already the right to wear the mitre towards the end of the eleventh century. Probably they possessed the privilege as early as in the first half of the century...

In the Orthodox Greek Rite (the other Greek Rites need not here be considered) a liturgical head-covering was not worn until the sixteenth century. Before this only the Patriarch of Alexandria, who wore one as early as the tenth century, made use of a head-covering, and his was only a simple cap (Braun J. Transcribed by William Stuart French, Jr. Mitre. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Also notice that it took many centuries before Catholic leaders did wear the type of head coverings that they now do. Hence, head coverings for priests/bishops/popes did not come from either the Bible OR early tradition.

Living Church of God:

Living Church of God leaders follow the teachings of the Bible, including 1 Corinthians 11:3-4. They do not pray or conduct church services wearing hats, mitres, or other head coverings. However, just like the Bible allowed the priests in the Old Testament to have beards (e.g. Leviticus 21:1-5; Psalm 133:22), church leaders can have beards or other facial coverings (though in modern times few do).

Every Catholic bishop or pope I have seen praying has done so wearing some type of head covering--and thus they are dishonoring their head (who is supposed to be Christ) by praying that way. Hence, they are disqualifying themselves as true Christian leaders by their head coverings.

Therefore, just seeing the appearance of any Catholic bishop should be enough to show people that the Living Church of God is more faithful than the Roman Catholic Church to the Bible and early traditions of the Church.

An article of related interest may be What Were the Early Duties and Dress of Elders/Pastors?.

Scripture and Tradition

Both groups have a different view of the applicability of tradition.

Roman Catholic Church:

Officially according to Vatican II, the Roman Catholic Church bases its teachings on what has been called "Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition" (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum #9, Vatican Council II. As quoted in Birch D.A. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph. Queenship Publishing Co, 1996; p.5).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 80. Imprimi Potest + Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Image Books by Doubleday, NY 2003, p. 31).

Part of the reason for this is based on the findings of the Council of Trent that was held in the mid 16th Century. The Catholic Encyclopedia reports:

The Council, as is evident, held that there are Divine traditions not contained in Holy Scripture, revelations made to the Apostles either orally by Jesus Christ or by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and transmitted by the Apostles to the Church. Holy Scripture is therefore not the only theological source of the Revelation made by God to His Church. Side by side with Scripture there is tradition, side by side with the written revelation there is the oral revelation. This granted, it is impossible to be satisfied with the Bible alone for the solution of all dogmatic questions (Bainvel J. Transcribed by Tomas Hancil. Tradition and Living Magisterium. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV, Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight Nihil. Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

In addition to traditions claimed to have come from the apostles, private revelations outside the Bible have also been accepted:

Private revelations (i.e. apparations and locutions with or without prophecies) are those which have been recorded since the days of Christ. Revelations which were recorded up to the days of Christ are known as public, biblical, or scriptural revelations...

Many Catholic devotions are based solely on private revelations: the Rosary, the Sacred Heart, and the Scapular are cases in point. More recently, devotion to Our Lady of Fatima was accepted and encouraged by the Church. (Dupont Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p.9).

In other words, even the rosary, one of the foundations of Catholic living, is admitted to have entered the Catholic world through "private revelation"--a tradition outside the Bible (the rosary "revelation" was supposedly given to "St. Dominic" the inquisitor in the early 13th century).

Living Church of God:

Don't believe me – BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE – BELIEVE GOD! I always say...check up! Listen without prejudice, with open mind, then check up--go to your BIBLE, and BELIEVE what you read there. (Armstrong HW. Personal from the Editor. Plain Truth. September 1963.)

[Correct] traditions...are right and decent standards derived from biblical principles (McNair R. Modest Attire: Our Christian Responsibility. Living Church News. January-February 2007, p. 12).

THE HOLY BIBLE The Bible is the inspired revelation from God to mankind. It is the true basis of all Church doctrine (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16). We believe the Bible is inerrant in its original manuscripts and is the authoritative foundation for all true knowledge (John 17:17) (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

We as the church had better become 'the church of the book'...We better believe and BE 'the people of the book' (Meredith R.C. Vital Keys to Understanding the Bible. DVE388. July 1, 2006).

While LCG considers that tradition can have a certain value, it specifically does not believe that tradition can be used to accept teachings contrary to scripture. This is a major difference between LCG and the Roman Catholics (an article of possible interest may be Tradition and the Bible).

The Ten Commandments

Both groups claim to keep the ten commandments. And while both groups accepted the same numbering initially, one changed.

Roman Catholic Church:

In the late second century, Irenaeus wrote that the ten commandments (which he calls the decalogue) are permanent:

Preparing man for this life, the Lord Himself did speak in His own person to all alike the words of the Decalogue; and therefore, in like manner, do they remain permanently with us, receiving by means of His advent in the flesh, extension and increase, but not abrogation (Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book IV, Chapter 16, Verse 4. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

In the early third century, Clement of Alexandria listed most of the ten commandments (note, he left out two commandments-- 3. cursing and 9. false witness):

The first commandment of the Decalogue shows that there is one only Sovereign God...

The second word intimated that men ought not to take and confer the august power of God (which is the name, for this alone were many even yet capable of learning), and transfer His title to things created and vain, which human artificers have made...

And the fourth word is that which intimates that the world was created by God, and that He gave us the seventh day as a rest, on account of the trouble that there is in life. For God is incapable of weariness, and suffering, and want. But we who bear flesh need rest. The seventh day, therefore, is proclaimed a rest...

Now the fifth in order is the command on the honour of father and mother...

Then follows the command about murder...

This is followed by the command respecting adultery...

And after this is the command respecting theft...

And the tenth is the command respecting all lusts (Clement of Alexandria. Stromata, Book VI, Chapter XVI).

It should be noted that Clement did not mention coveting your neighbor's wife within the tenth or did he give any indication that that could be a separate commandment from other lusts. Hence Clement endorsed the same order of the ten commandments that the COG still endorses.

In the fourth century, Aphraates wrote:

Clearly the congregation of the house of Israel, to which the ten commandments were given. They lost the first commandment—that in which He warned them saying:—I am the Lord your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt. And when they had lost this first commandment, also the nine which are after it they could not keep, because on the first depend the nine (Aphrahat. Demonstration 1 (Of Faith), Numbere 11).

From The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Called also simply THE COMMANDMENTS, COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, or THE DECALOGUE (Gr. deka, ten, and logos, a word), the Ten Words of Sayings, the latter name generally applied by the Greek Fathers.

The Ten Commandments are precepts bearing on the fundamental obligations of religion and morality and embodying the revealed expression of the Creator's will in relation to man's whole duty to God and to his fellow-creatures. They are found twice recorded in the Pentateuch, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5...

The Church, on the other hand, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the Third Commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord's Day. The Council of Trent (Sess. VI, can. xix) condemns those who deny that the Ten Commandments are binding on Christians...

The system of numeration found in Catholic Bibles, based on the Hebrew text, was made by St. Augustine (fifth century) in his book of "Questions of Exodus" ("Quæstionum in Heptateuchum libri VII", Bk. II, Question lxxi), and was adopted by the Council of Trent...According to this manner of reckoning, the injunction forbidding the use of the Lord's Name in vain comes second in order; and the decimal number is safeguarded by making a division of the final precept on concupiscence--the Ninth pointing to sins of the flesh and the Tenth to desires for unlawful possession of goods.

Another division has been adopted by the English and Helvetian Protestant churches on the authority of Philo Judæus, Josephus, Origen, and others, whereby two Commandments are made to cover the matter of worship, and thus the numbering of the rest is advanced one higher; and the Tenth embraces both the Ninth and Tenth of the Catholic division. (Stapleton, J.H. Transcribed by Marcia L. Bellafiore. The Ten Commandments. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Thus the Roman Catholic Church admits that the current numbering was done in the fifth century, that it changed the day for the Sabbath commandment, and that the ten commandments are binding.

Which should be bound, the original commandments or the renumbered ones?

Living Church of God:

In the early second century, Polycarp wrote:

But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, falsewitness; "not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians, Chapter II. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1as edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885).

From The Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of the Living Church of God:

God’s basic spiritual law is summed up in the "Ten Commandments" (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4). In the "Sermon on the Mount" and elsewhere, Jesus magnified God’s law (Matthew chapters 5-7; Isaiah 42:21), showing His followers that they must obey both the letter and the "spirit." "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12). It is practicing this way of life—through Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20)—that makes one a true "saint" (Revelation 14:12).

In the 21st century, a booklet by LCG's RC Meredith states:

The First Commandment..."And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me’" (Exodus 20:1–3)...

The Second Commandment..."You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). The second commandment tells us how to worship the true God, what pitfalls to avoid in our worship, and of the continuing blessing or penalty that comes to our progeny as a result of the way in which we worship Almighty God. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord [Eternal] your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:4–6)...

The Third Commandment...The third commandment deals with God’s name, His office, His position as the great sovereign Ruler of the universe: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7)...

The Fourth Commandment..."Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8–11). This command is, in its wording, the longest of any of the ten...

The Fifth Commandment..."Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12)...

The Sixth Commandment...Amid the thunder and lightning and literal shaking of Mount Sinai, God’s voice thundered the sixth commandment: "Thou shalt not murder" (Exodus 20:13, Jewish Publication Society translation). Biblical authorities agree that "murder" is a more correct reading of the original inspired Hebrew than the word "kill." For it is possible to kill, yet not to murder...the instructions in Numbers 35:9–34 show that accidental killing was not regarded as murder...

The Seventh Commandment..."You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14)...

The Eighth Commandment...This is God’s law protecting all private property and possessions: "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15)...

The Ninth Commandment..."You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). It is only in seeking and bearing witness to the truth that man is associated with God. For, in fact, God is truth! Jesus said: "Your word is truth" (John 17:17). And: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)...

The Tenth Commandment..."You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s" (Exodus 20:17). (Meredith RC. The Ten Commandments. Living Church of God booklet, Charlotte (NC)).

It does not seem logical that a statement in the middle of the tenth commandment could be made as a commandment separate from the rest of that statement.

Notice that even into the 21st century, the Living Church of God has retained the order of the ten commandments that was even recognized by Catholic-accepted leaders such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen (both of whom were praised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007). Perhaps it should be mentioned here that Jesus condemned the Pharisees of His day for lawlessness and hypocrisy (Matthew 23:28), essentially because they changed how the ten commandments should be kept because of their traditions (Matthew 15:3-6).

We in LCG keep the ten commandments as originally written. Should you?

What Happens After Death for Those Who are Neither Saints Nor Incorrigibly Wicked?

Both groups believe that God has some type of plan for those that are not incorrigibly wicked.

Roman Catholic Church:

LIMBUS PATRUM
Though it can hardly be claimed, on the evidence of extant literature, that a definite and consistent belief in the limbus patrum of Christian tradition was universal among the Jews, it cannot on the other hand be denied that, more especially in the extra-canonical writings of the second or first centuries B.C., some such belief finds repeated expression; and New Testament references to the subject remove all doubt as to the current Jewish belief in the time of Christ Whatever name may be used in apocryphal Jewish literature to designate the abode of the departed just, the implication generally is

• that their condition is one of happiness,
• that it is temporary, and
• that it is to be replaced by a condition of final and permanent bliss when the Messianic Kingdom is established.

In the New Testament, Christ refers by various names and figures to the place or state which Catholic tradition has agreed to call the limbus patrum...

The New Testament contains no definite statement of a positive kind regarding the lot of those who die in original sin without being burdened with grievous personal guilt...On the other hand, it is clear from Scripture and Catholic tradition that the means of regeneration provided for this life do not remain available after death, so that those dying unregenerate are eternally excluded from the supernatural happiness of the beatific vision (John 9:4, Luke 12:40, 16:19 sqq., 2 Corinthians 5:10...) (Toner, Patrick J. Transcribed by Simon Parent. Limbo. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX. Published 1910. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

It should be noted that the current Pope, Benedict XVI, has re-looked into the doctrine of Limbo--and he questions it. The Vatican put out a paper "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized" in April 2007 that essentially explains that God probably has a better plan than Limbo (some pontiffs in the past--Gregory I, Innocent I, Gelasius I--have suggested worse plans for infants, see De Rosa, p. 207).

The Catholic Encyclopedia taught the following on purgatory:

Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.

The Catholic doctrine of purgatory supposes the fact that some die with smaller faults for which there was no true repentance, and also the fact that the temporal penalty due to sin is it times not wholly paid in this life...Some stress too has been laid upon the objection that the ancient Christians had no clear conception of purgatory, and that they thought that the souls departed remained in uncertainty of salvation to the last day...There are several passages in the New Testament that point to a process of purification after death. Thus, Jesus Christ declares (Matthew 12:32): "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come"...

In Origen the doctrine of purgatory is very clear. If a man depart this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter. "For if on the foundation of Christ you have built not only gold and silver and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3); but also wood and hay and stubble, what do you expect when the soul shall be separated from the body? Would you enter into heaven with your wood and hay and stubble and thus defile the kingdom of God; or on account of these hindrances would you remain without and receive no reward for your gold and silver and precious stones? Neither is this just. It remains then that you be committed to the fire which will burn the light materials; for our God to those who can comprehend heavenly things is called a cleansing fire. But this fire consumes not the creature, but what the creature has himself built, wood, and hay and stubble. It is manifest that the fire destroys the wood of our transgressions and then returns to us the reward of our great works." (P. G., XIII, col. 445, 448). (Hanna, Edward J. Transcribed by William G. Bilton, Ph.D. Purgatory. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The Roman Catholics have accepted some teachings from Origen, but not all (nor should they have). However, it may be of interest to read what noted historian K.S. Latourette observed about Origen as it is closer to the Roman Catholic position on purgatory, but closer COG position on the what will happen to those not converted in this age:

Origen taught that ultimately all the spirits who have fallen away from God will be restored to full harmony with Him. This can come about only with their cooperation, for they have freedom to accept or reject the redemption wrought in Christ. Before full restoration they will suffer punishment, but that punishment is intended to be educative, to purge them from the imperfections brought by their sin. After the end of the present age and its world another age will come, so Origen believed, in which have been born again will continue to grow and the unrepentant will be given further opportunity for repentance (Latourette K.S. A History of Christianity, Volume 1, Beginnings to 1500. Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1975, p.151).

Here is are some quote directly by Origen:

...the good Father has not entirely deserted those who have fallen away from Him (Origen. Commentary on the Gospel of John (Book I). Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 9. Edited by Allan Menzies, D.D. American Edition, 1896 and 1897. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

It is to be borne in mind, however, that certain beings who fell away from that one beginning of which we have spoken, have sunk to such a depth of unworthiness and wickedness as to be deemed altogether undeserving of that training and instruction by which the human race, while in the flesh, are trained and instructed with the assistance of the heavenly powers; and continue, on the contrary, in a state of enmity and opposition to those who are receiving this instruction and teaching. And hence it is that the whole of this mortal life is full of struggles and trials, caused by the opposition and enmity of those who fell from a better condition without at all looking back, and who are called the devil and his angels, and the other orders of evil, which the apostle classed among the opposing powers. But whether any of these orders who act under the government of the devil, and obey his wicked commands, will in a future world be converted to righteousness because of their possessing the faculty of freedom of will, or whether persistent and inveterate wickedness may be changed by the power of habit into nature, is a result which you yourself, reader, may approve of, if neither in these present worlds which are seen and temporal, nor in those which are unseen and are eternal, that portion is to differ wholly from the final unity and fitness of things (Origen. De Principiis, Book I, Chapter 6, verse 3).

...and thus, through the numerous and uncounted orders of progressive beings who are being reconciled to God from a state of enmity, the last enemy is finally reached, who is called death, so that he also may be destroyed, and no longer be an enemy. When, therefore, all rational souls shall have been restored to a condition of this kind, then the nature of this body of ours will undergo a change into the glory of a spiritual body. For as we see it not to be the case with rational natures, that some of them have lived in a condition of degradation owing to their sins, while others have been called to a state of happiness on account of their merits; but as we see those same souls who had formerly been sinful, assisted, after their conversion and reconciliation to God, to a state of happiness (Origen. De Principiis, Book III, Chapter 6, verse 6).

While we in LCG would not word it quite that way, these quotes do show that the idea that God has a plan that will give the unrepentant an opportunity after this present age is not a new concept.

The following is from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Apocatastasis (Gr., apokatastasis; Lat. restitutio in pristinum statum, restoration to the original condition).

A name given in the history of theology to the doctrine which teaches that a time will come when all free creatures will share in the grace of salvation; in a special way, the devils and lost souls.

This doctrine was explicitly taught by St. Gregory of Nyssa, and in more than one passage. It first occurs in his "De animâ et resurrectione" (P.G., XLVI, cols. 100, 101)...A time, then, will come, when all evil shall cease to be since it has no existence of its own apart from the free will, in which it inheres; when every free will shall be turned to God, shall be in God, and evil shall have no more wherein to exist. Thus, St. Gregory of Nyssa continues, shall the word of St. Paul be fulfilled: Deus erit omnia in omnibus (1 Corinthians 15:28), which means that evil shall, ultimately, have an end, since, if God be all in all, there is no longer any place for evil (cols. 104, 105; cf. col. 152). St. Gregory recurs to the same thought of the final annihilation of evil, in his "Oratio catechetica", ch. xxvi; the same comparison of fire which purges gold of its impurities is to be found there; so also shall the power of God purge nature of that which is preternatural, namely, of evil...

The doctrine of the apokatastasis is not, indeed, peculiar to St. Gregory of Nyssa, but is taken from Origen, who seems at times reluctant to decide concerning the question of the eternity of punishment...Origen teaches the apokatastasis, the final restoration of all intelligent creatures to friendship with God...It must, however, always be accepted as a principle that God does not chasten except to amend, and that the sole end of His greatest anger is the amelioration of the guilty...All souls, all impenitent beings that have gone astray, shall, therefore, be res