13. The Christian Religion Was Taught by God
31. Christianity Satisfies the Highest Human Aspirations
Since Jesus taught the Christian religion, it is of divine origin, and it is the religion that God himself has taught us. Consequently, the truths it teaches (dogmas) are indeed true, none other than what God wants us to know, and its commandments (morals) are the ones God wants us to obey.
This fact can be confirmed by the internal motives of credibility, which were mentioned in Chapter 9. The motives of credibility can confirm the truth about the divine origin of Christian religion; their force of proof is not as strong as that of the Gospels’ miracles and prophecies, but they still have a unique value.
Christianity satisfies the highest human aspirations; no other system or doctrine can stake a similar claim.
With perfection surpassing the wildest human expectations, only the doctrine of Christ can satisfy the soul and meet all the following human aspirations: longing for self-fulfillment, for stability and serenity, for goodness, for freedom from moral imperfections and sin; aspirations toward a spotless, peaceful and fruitful life, toward sincere and faultless love, toward loving and being loved without any taint of selfishness; yearnings to understand, to find an explanation for the world around us, especially for suffering and death; and above all, the possibility of an everlasting life full of happiness.
Many would not agree that the above list is an accurate representation of human aspirations. Some would take issue with it because they do not have such aspirations themselves, or consider them unattainable. Others have set trifling goals for themselves on the grounds that any goals beyond those would be foolish illusions, mere wishful thinking. These objections do not invalidate the argument, just as a deaf person’s criticism cannot discredit a beautiful symphony.
32. The Sublimity of Christian Doctrine
Another argument in favor of the divinity of Christianity is the sublimity and internal harmony of Christian doctrine, its perfect balance between doctrine and life (that is, between theory and the possibility of putting it into practice), the corporeal and the spiritual, the natural and the supernatural, what is personal and what is social.
All this is found in Christian doctrine, and it had already caused wonder in Jesus’ times. The Gospels are filled with the wonderment produced by Jesus’ words and deeds. Perhaps two of the most significant illustrations are the reaction of the crowds after the Sermon on the Mount, who “were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt 7:28–29), and the amazement of the Sanhedrin constables sent to seize him, who returned empty-handed because “no man ever spoke like this man” (Jn 7:46). The first case corresponds to the beginning of his public life, and the second to the pinnacle of his preaching.
33. The Marvelous Life of the Church
The last proof Christianity’s divine origin is the marvelous life of the Church and the surprising vitality of this institution in spite of human defects.
At the dawn of Christianity, as well as in later days, the Church spread in spite of a hostile environment, opposing ideas and customs, and an initial group of propagators who had very little social or intellectual influence. They were just a few groups of uneducated Jews of no account, scattered in the midst of an overbearing society.
Later, the Church grew despite the hostility of society and the persecution of civil authorities. It had to face serious internal and external problems of every kind, often lacking suitable supporters.
Through nearly two thousand years, in all places and in very different cultures—even during periods of extremely fast change in human thought and institutions—the Church has remained faithful to herself and, thus, to God. She never allowed any adulteration of her doctrine. She never lacked eminent instances of sanctity to offset the infidelities of others. She has waged a continuous war against deforming influences in order to retain her authentic, pristine, and yet proximate shape (this is the meaning given in the Church to the term reform since very remote centuries), refusing to be deceived by the decoy of innovative changes.
The charges that can be brought against these arguments do not withstand serious historical analysis. They are usually based on either the failure of many Christians to lead a truly Christian life, the shortcomings we humans contribute to the life of the Church, or what some call the “social inefficiency” of Christianity.
The truly marvelous life of the Church has developed against a background of catholic unity: she has variety in what is accidental, and is respectful toward cultures, but is firm in her teaching of faith, dogma, and morals, and her discipline and organization.
We can summarize with the words of the First Vatican Council: “The Church herself, because of her marvelous propagation, her exalted sanctity, and her inexhaustible fruitfulness in all that is good, because of her catholic unity and her unshaken stability, is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and an irrefutable proof of her own divine mission.”1
Footnote:
1. DS 3013.
Since Jesus taught the Christian religion, it is of divine origin, and it is the religion that God himself has taught us. Consequently, the truths it teaches (dogmas) are indeed true, none other than what God wants us to know, and its commandments (morals) are the ones God wants us to obey.
This fact can be confirmed by the internal motives of credibility, which were mentioned in Chapter 9. The motives of credibility can confirm the truth about the divine origin of Christian religion; their force of proof is not as strong as that of the Gospels’ miracles and prophecies, but they still have a unique value.
Christianity satisfies the highest human aspirations; no other system or doctrine can stake a similar claim.
With perfection surpassing the wildest human expectations, only the doctrine of Christ can satisfy the soul and meet all the following human aspirations: longing for self-fulfillment, for stability and serenity, for goodness, for freedom from moral imperfections and sin; aspirations toward a spotless, peaceful and fruitful life, toward sincere and faultless love, toward loving and being loved without any taint of selfishness; yearnings to understand, to find an explanation for the world around us, especially for suffering and death; and above all, the possibility of an everlasting life full of happiness.
Many would not agree that the above list is an accurate representation of human aspirations. Some would take issue with it because they do not have such aspirations themselves, or consider them unattainable. Others have set trifling goals for themselves on the grounds that any goals beyond those would be foolish illusions, mere wishful thinking. These objections do not invalidate the argument, just as a deaf person’s criticism cannot discredit a beautiful symphony.
32. The Sublimity of Christian Doctrine
Another argument in favor of the divinity of Christianity is the sublimity and internal harmony of Christian doctrine, its perfect balance between doctrine and life (that is, between theory and the possibility of putting it into practice), the corporeal and the spiritual, the natural and the supernatural, what is personal and what is social.
All this is found in Christian doctrine, and it had already caused wonder in Jesus’ times. The Gospels are filled with the wonderment produced by Jesus’ words and deeds. Perhaps two of the most significant illustrations are the reaction of the crowds after the Sermon on the Mount, who “were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt 7:28–29), and the amazement of the Sanhedrin constables sent to seize him, who returned empty-handed because “no man ever spoke like this man” (Jn 7:46). The first case corresponds to the beginning of his public life, and the second to the pinnacle of his preaching.
33. The Marvelous Life of the Church
The last proof Christianity’s divine origin is the marvelous life of the Church and the surprising vitality of this institution in spite of human defects.
At the dawn of Christianity, as well as in later days, the Church spread in spite of a hostile environment, opposing ideas and customs, and an initial group of propagators who had very little social or intellectual influence. They were just a few groups of uneducated Jews of no account, scattered in the midst of an overbearing society.
Later, the Church grew despite the hostility of society and the persecution of civil authorities. It had to face serious internal and external problems of every kind, often lacking suitable supporters.
Through nearly two thousand years, in all places and in very different cultures—even during periods of extremely fast change in human thought and institutions—the Church has remained faithful to herself and, thus, to God. She never allowed any adulteration of her doctrine. She never lacked eminent instances of sanctity to offset the infidelities of others. She has waged a continuous war against deforming influences in order to retain her authentic, pristine, and yet proximate shape (this is the meaning given in the Church to the term reform since very remote centuries), refusing to be deceived by the decoy of innovative changes.
The charges that can be brought against these arguments do not withstand serious historical analysis. They are usually based on either the failure of many Christians to lead a truly Christian life, the shortcomings we humans contribute to the life of the Church, or what some call the “social inefficiency” of Christianity.
The truly marvelous life of the Church has developed against a background of catholic unity: she has variety in what is accidental, and is respectful toward cultures, but is firm in her teaching of faith, dogma, and morals, and her discipline and organization.
We can summarize with the words of the First Vatican Council: “The Church herself, because of her marvelous propagation, her exalted sanctity, and her inexhaustible fruitfulness in all that is good, because of her catholic unity and her unshaken stability, is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and an irrefutable proof of her own divine mission.”1
Footnote:
1. DS 3013.