The Laying of Hands on Mr. Felix Manalo

e are inviting you to another important discussion on matters which are vital to our salvation. And these are the teachings of God. And as we have promised you, we shall continue tackling about the church which Mr. Felix Manalo established here in the Philippines in 1914 – the Iglesia ni Cristo or INC.

The topic that we would like to talk about, this time, concerns Mr. Felix Manalo’s being a messenger of God, according to them. But let us find out from the biblical standards if Mr. Felix Manalo is, indeed, a messenger of God. This is not to malign, or to put him in an embarrassing situation. We know very well that the personal life of a dead person should no longer be talked about, but the matters concerning principles. Actually, today, despite the fact that Darwin had long been dead, he is still talked about. People still talk about the good and the bad things that he did. And the same thing happens to
many of the prominent men who had passed away … and one of them is Mr. Felix Manalo, who became known, not only in this country, but also in some other parts of the world that had been reached by the preaching of the INC.

We will try to confirm from the Bible if he was really a messenger of God. You see, Mr. Manalo ascribed so many titles to himself, one of which is that, he was “the angel ascending from the east” being mentioned in Rev. 7:2-3. This claim could be read on p.29 of the July 1964 issue of the Pasugo. And this was written by a certain Joaquin Balmores. In that write up, they were claiming that the angel ascending from the east was nobody else but Mr. Felix Manalo.

Actually, the INC has many other claims, which they published in their “Pasugo”. In one of its issues, they claimed that Mr. Manalo was the “one shepherd” in John 10:16. In another issue, they claimed that he was the “worm Jacob” in Isa. 41. They took so many titles from the Bible and ascribed them to Mr. Felix Manalo. But in fairness to him, we shall not explain these matters based on our opinion only. We shall quote parts of their articles in the “Pasugo” for you to see what we are talking about. At least, even if we cannot talk to each other face to face on a debate, thru this, you can weigh both sides – theirs and ours. We will read their publications, and we will refute their claims by referring to what the Bible says. For them, Mr. Felix Manalo is a messenger because he built a church, and this is the INC.

Somebody once accused the Ang Dating Daan, in a letter, of maligning Mr. Manalo when we said that he built a church. But our statement was based on a document, which was a certified true copy of their registration to the Securities and Exchange Commission. And this was duly signed by the former Secretary General of the INC, Mr. Atanacio Morte.

If you were going to consult Mr. Webster for the meaning of the word “founder”, he would give you, “the one that takes the first step in building.” That is why, if we are going to consider what the poem on p. 26 of the November 1977 issue of the “Pasugo”, they were, in effect, implying that that the INC in the Philippines was really founded by Mr. Felix Manalo. This is what the second stanza said:

“Salamat na lamang at sa siglong ito

Sinugo ng Diyos na mangaral dito

Ang aming kapatid na Felix Manalo

Di siya nagtatag ng iglesiang bago

Itinuloy niya’y Iglesia ni Cristo

Inaral niya’y sadyang ebanghelyo.”

(Thanks that in this century

God sent here to preach

Our brother Felix Manalo

He did not build a new church

But just perpetuated the Church of Christ

He preached the true Gospel)

If you are going to analyze the stanza, it was saying that Mr. Manalo did not build a new church. On the other hand, their registration stated that Mr. Manalo was the founder of their church. Besides, while stanza two denied that Mr. Manalo built a new church, stanza four was contradicting it.

“Ang iglesiang ito ay iglesiang tunay

Si Cristo ang ulo, ito ang katawan;

Narito ang ating tanging kaligtasan,

Narito ang ating walang hanggang buhay

Dito namin kayo inaanyayahan

Magsilapit kayo sa tunay na Ilaw.”

(This church is the true church

Christ is the head, this is the body;

This is where our salvation is

This is where eternal life is

We are inviting you here

Come to the true Light.)

In other words, what they were referring to, here, is their own church. That is what they regarded as the true church. “Si Cristo ang ulo, ito ang katawan” (Christ is the head, this is the body). Which “body” are they referring to? They were referring to their church. But that is not right! Let us read what Ephe. 4:4 says. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.”

If there is only ONE BODY, that body does not have any duplicate. If this church in the Philippines is the “body”, that would mean that the body had become two. Their poem said, “Ang iglesiang ito …” (This church …) which church are they referring to? Of course, to the church, which was preached by Mr. Manalo in the Philippines, and which, according to their registration, was founded by Mr. Felix Manalo.

The Bible said, “There is one body.” Which is that “one body”? Rom. 12:4-5 says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

In other words, as early as the first century, there was already a “body”. The “body”, which was built in the first century, was comprised by the Apostles, the prophets, and the early Christians. If we are going to accept that there is another “body” here in the Philippines, that would make the body two. Let us repeat what their poem said. “Ang iglesiang ito ay iglesiang tunay/ Si Cristo ang ulo, ito ang katawan.” (This church is the true church/ Christ is the head, this is the body).

If what they said were true, it would appear that there are two bodies. But based on the Bible, God does not want the church to be two. No! There is but “one body”; there is but one church. We, Filipinos, are Gentiles. But, should Gentiles have another “body” here in the Philippines? Let us read Ephe. 3:6,

“That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.”

What must we, Gentiles, do? Shall we have another “body”? No! There is but “one head”, and He is Christ. Christ is the head of the “body”, and the “body” is the Church. And that “body” was already existed even during the time that our Lord Jesus was still on earth. If there would be another “body”, which the INC claimed is their church, that would mean that, that “body” is headless. Why? … because Christ is already the head of the church being mentioned in the Bible. And it is possible that another church would be built here in the Philippines. As the Bible said, we cannot have another “body” apart from the one which was mentioned in the Bible. “The Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body.” That is why, what we are supposed to do is to make ourselves a part of that “body”. We must not claim that we are the “body”, instead, we must only be parts of the “body”. We must join the body. The “body” is already formed. Since the first century, it was already existing; there was already a “body of Christ” being mentioned. What must we, who are living in this period, do? We must make ourselves parts of the “same body” by means of our acceptance of the Gospel. (Ephe. 3:6) “That the Gentiles shall be fellow heirs, and of the same body.”

We are not the “body”; we are only parts of the “body”. For instance, a house is already existing. So, you do not have to build another house. You only have to get inside the house. We, Gentiles, shall be made parts of that “body”. We are not supposed to have a separate body here in the Philippines, unlike what the poem in their “Pasugo” said:

“Ang iglesiang ito ay iglesiang tunay
Si Cristo ang ulo, ito ang katawan”
(This church is the true church
Christ is the head, this is the body).

Unfortunately, we cannot agree that the INC here in the Philippines is the “body”. That cannot be! Why? If your church is the “body”, what would happen to the first body? Just try to think about it. God would not permit that another “body” would be built. Remember what Ephe. 6:6 said? We will only have to make ourselves parts of the “body”, which, even during the time of Christ, was already existing, according to the Bible. That is why the poem of Mr. Jose Esperanza Cruz, which was authorized by the Administration of the INC to be published in their “Pasugo”, contradicted what the Bible said. While they claimed that Mr. Manalo did not build a new church, but only perpetuated the church of Christ, their registration stated that their church was founded by Mr. Felix Manalo.

Their claim that their church is the true church, and Christ is its head, is wrong! If that is so, it would mean that there are now two bodies. However, God does not permit that the “body” becomes two. Let us read our basis.

[Col. 3:15] “And let the peace of God dwell in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.”