Question:
How and Why does the Catholic church claim to be the first church, and that all other denominations broke from them.
Answer:
The Catholic wants to claim a direct line to Peter that they claim is the first Pope. This allows them to claim authority to change doctrines and forgive sins because they claim the church was built upon Peter. Peter didn’t have those powers and Roman Catholicism as we know it didn’t exist before the 6th century A.D. The Bible being the infallible authority is denied and the Pope is declared to be infallible. Most of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church are exposed as false when compared to the Bible. Most Catholics are kept ignorant of the Bible and are told that the Roman Catholic church is the authority. The doctrine of salvation of by works condemns them not to purgatory which doesn’t exist but to HELL. We need to pray for and reach them with the gospel of the grace of God.