Is the Church in the Bible?

Did Jesus really intend to found a Church?

Did He establish a priesthood?

How did the early Christians view religion?

For most of us, these are familiar questions. We hear them from our Protestant brothers and sisters who believe the Catholic Church has no basis in Scripture, or even from fellow Catholics who don’t understand the hierarchy. When we have answers to these questions, everything falls into place: the priesthood, liturgy, our role as the laity.

Scott Hahn, Brant Pitre, and John Bergsma answer all these questions and more in “The Splendor of the Church” audio study. This nine-lesson study explores the biblical basis of the Catholic Church, specifically in the writings of Paul, John, and the Synoptic Gospels. It goes beyond this, too, to look at both the Old and New Testaments as a whole.

For example, many claim that John rejected a structured Church, but John Bergsma answers this claim by looking at John’s portrayal of Jesus Himself. Rather than rejecting the priesthood, John in fact explains that Jesus was the High Priest, the embodiment of the Temple. Dr. Bergsma illustrates the detailed aspects of Jewish priesthood to which John consistently alludes, aspects that John’s audience would have been familiar with but that we easily miss unless we are well-versed in Scripture.

Studying the Bible with the help of scholars unveils these lost connections. With the combined expertise of Dr. Hahn, Dr. Pitre, and Dr. Bergsma, the role of the Church in the order of creation becomes clearer than ever. Sunday Mass becomes more than a weekly chore—it becomes the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan for worship.

Listen to the whole study here. It’s free for all registered users. Just login or create an account.

Interested in learning more about the Church? The Catholic for a Reason series covers the foundational truths of the faith. Learn more about the Scriptural basis of the Church and her tenets in this four-book series featuring today’s most renowned theologians.