he Holy Scriptures had prophesied the forthcoming end of the world. We are already seeing the signs. The emergence of many religious organizations is growing extensively. Many preachers are claiming that they teach and propagate pure and flawless biblical doctrines. One of them is the Iglesia ni Cristo established by Mr. Felix Manalo.
This organization claims that they are of God, inasmuch as they teach error-free and undisputed doctrines. Contrary to their claims many doctrines that this organization preaches are inconsistent and changeable.
The Iglesia ni Cristo, upholds many doctrines which do not conform to Biblical standards. Their statements change from time to time. The “Pasugo”, the INC’s official publication would feature a certain pronouncement, which would later be contradicted by another article of the same publication. One of these is their criticism of the Catholic Church’s belief concerning the shepherd that was mentioned in
John 10:11, 16, (KJV) which says,
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
The Catholics believe that the shepherd being referred to in these verses is the Pope in Rome. This belief was strongly opposed by the INC. Their assertion can be read in one of their publications,
"Ang Sulo," written by Mr. Manalo himself.
“Itinuturo din ng Iglesia Katolika na ang Papa ay siyang “Kataastaasang Pastor” (question box p.169). Ito’y salungat din sa turo ni Cristo at ng mga Apostol; sapagka’t sinabi ni Cristo: “AKO ANG TANGING PASTOR” (Juan 10:11,16); sinabi ng mga Apostol na si Cristo ang PASTOR AT OBISPO ng ating mga kaluluwa (I Ped. 2:25).
[The Catholic Church also teaches that the Pope is the Good Shepherd (question box p.169). This is contrary to the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, because Christ said: I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10:11,16). The Apostles said: CHRIST IS THE SHEPHERD AND BISHOP OF OUR SOULS (I Pet. 2:25)].
The INC clearly stated that, the Catholic Church’s teaching is wrong because the “good shepherd” mentioned in the verse is Christ. They criticized the doctrine of the Catholic Church, which teaches that the Holy Pope, who is the head of the Catholic Church, was the good shepherd because, according to them, it refers to our Lord Jesus Christ.
After a few years, the ministers of the INC joined the Catholic Church in their disbelief that the good shepherd is Christ. In 1976, they issued a statement that Mr. Felix Manalo was the realization of the “shepherd” who would gather the sheep, which are not in the fold. They believed that Manalo would be used by our Lord Jesus Christ so that His voice could still be heard although He is already in heaven. This could be read in the
August 1976 issue of the “Pasugo,” in the article
“The Church of Christ in the Philippines,” which was written by Mr. Cipriano Sandoval. On page 3, he said:
“Therefore, this Scriptural truth is revealed to us: as long as there is a messenger commissioned by God, Christ could continue establishing His Church. It is precisely through the instrumentality of that one Pastor, realized in the person of Brother Felix Manalo, that Christ established His other sheep into one flock that is the Church of Christ that emerged in the Philippines in 1914.”
This pronouncement, that claims that Mr. Manalo is the One Pastor, is an outright contradiction to Mr. Manalo’s teaching. The former article emphasized Manalo’s belief that Christ is the shepherd, while the latter showed that Manalo is the shepherd. Is this not being respectful to their late leader? Why did they allow Cipriano Sandoval to publish a doctrine that contradicted the teaching of their founder-leader?
Who is the real “One Pastor” (or good Shepherd) mentioned in John 10:11,16? “Pasugo” against “Pasugo”! How can we believe that this organization’s doctrines are correct and error-free when their own ministers do not believe what their “teacher” taught them? Is it true that Mr. Felix Manalo is the one Shepherd being mentioned in John 10:11,16 according to the Bible, or is this another weird doctrine?
