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Topic: Are Catholics Christian?
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Catholic Catechism
816 "The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it. . . . This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in (subsist it in) the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him."267
The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God."268
824 United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through him and with him she becomes sanctifying. "All the activities of the Church are directed, as toward their end, to the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God."292 It is in the Church that "the fullness of the means of salvation"293 has been deposited. It is in her that "by the grace of God we acquire holiness."294
"Outside the Church there is no salvation"
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336
882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful."402 "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered."403
883 "The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its head." As such, this college has "supreme and full authority over the universal Church; but this power cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Roman Pontiff."404
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The Greek word used for rock (petra) is played against Peter (petros). Some use this passage to teach that Peter was the foundation stone of the church, that he had a primacy among the apostles, and that he became bishop of Rome. The verse will scarcely bear the first of these propositions, and certainly none of the others. Peter may be meant by the rock, but he was not the exclusive foundation.
The twelve-fold foundation of the apostles of the church:
Ephesians 2:
19
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Rev. 21:
14
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
This seems borne out by the fact that the words spoken unto Peter in Matt. 16:18, were spoken to all of the disciples in Matt. 18:
Matt. 18:
18
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The rock or foundation of the church is the confession (ultimately the doctrine) of the apostles, which became normative for the true church.
The word church (Greek ekklesia), means literally “ a chosen or called out assembly”. Thus the use of the word as a technical term for an assembly or group of believers in Christ was quite natural. It was not viewed as an external organization, denomination, or hierarchical system. The New Testament Church is a local autonomous congregation or an assembly which is a church in and of itself. John writes to 7 churches, in His Revelation, not to one.
Scofield commentary:
16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Peter
There is the Greek a play upon the words, "thou art Peter petros-- literally 'a little rock', and upon this rock Petra I will build my church." He does not promise to build His church upon Peter, but upon Himself, as Peter is careful to tell us
(1 Peter 2:4-9)
2:4 Coming to Him, a living stone--rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God--
2:5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
2:6 For it stands in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and valuable cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame!
2:7 So the honor is for you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected-- this One has become the cornerstone, and
2:8 A stone that causes men to stumble, and a rock that trips them up. They stumble by disobeying the message; they were destined for this.
2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
church:
2 (Greek - ajpovllumi (ek=="out of," kaleo =="to call"), an assembly of called out ones). The word is used of any assembly; the word itself implies no more, as, e.g., the town-meeting at Ephesus Acts 19:39 and Israel, called out of Egypt and assembled in the wilderness Acts 7:38. Israel was a true "church," but not in any sense the N.T. church--the only point of similarity being that both were "called out" and by the same God. All else is contrast.
Following are several of the doctrinal statements made on Justification at the council of Trent. After each Canon are scriptures that contradict that Canon.
Finally, you will see the word "anathema" used many times by the Council. This means that those who disagree with the doctrines of this Council are cursed. In Gal. 1:8-9, the word "anathema" is used. The curse must come from God. Therefore, we conclude that according to Roman Catholicism, anyone who disagrees with the following Canons are cursed of God. The Roman Catholic church excommunicates those under anathema. In other words, excommunication means being outside the Christian church. Being outside the church means you are not saved.
In spite of what Catholicism states, the Bible speaks differently. Following each Canon is a list of appropriate scriptures countering the Catholic position.
1. CANON 9: "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema."
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20).
B. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).
C. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).
D. "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3).
E. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
F. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).
G. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5).
2. CANON 12: "If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified ... let him be accursed"
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"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" John 1:12).
A. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).
B. "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3).
C. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (Heb. 7:25-27).
D. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).
3. Canon 14: "If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema."
.
"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3).
A. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
4. Canon 23: "lf any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, during his whole life, to avoid all sins, even those that are venial,- except by a special privilege from God, as the Church holds in regard of the Blessed Virgin; let him be anathema."
.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
A. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40).
B. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).
C. "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
D. "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (1 John 2:19).
E. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:13).
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Canon 24: "If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."
. "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:1-3).
A. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law" (Gal. 5:1-3).
•
Canon 30: "If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema."
. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
A. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" (Col. 2:13-14).
• Canon 33: "If any one saith, that, by the Catholic doctrine touching Justification, by this holy Synod inset forth in this present decree, the glory of God, or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ are in any way derogated from, and not rather that the truth of our faith, and the glory in fine of God and of Jesus Christ are rendered (more) illustrious; let him be anathema.
. This council declares that if anyone disagrees with it, they are damned.
While the apostasy of Rome wrested power for the papacy, and established the monarchy falsely using Peter's name, there was a group of believers following the only true head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. These were tortured and murdered by the bloodthirsty abomination of the Roman Papacy persecuted for the faith in Christ and the re-baptizing of Believers.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Amen Betty!!!
The Roman Catholic Church did NOT give birth to the New Testament, for the Apostolic writings were already recognized by the true Church from the time they were written:
2 Peter 3
1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
quote:
1. The Roman Catholic Church does not have authority over the Bible.
Since the Bible is the Word of God (whether we believe it or not), how can mere men give authority to the Word of their Creator and Lord? Even the Roman Catholic Church does not assume this proud position in its official writings. 'Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 86). Can a servant give authority to his master? Of course not! Neither can the church give authority to the Word of her Lord.
2. The Bible was not given by the Catholic Church.
The Bible is inspired by God: is not given by the church, but to the church. Catholic apologists are so eager to elevate the authority of their church, that they even flatly contradict the teaching of their own church. The First Vatican Council declared:
The books the church holds to be sacred and canonical not because she subsequently approved them by her authority after they had been composed by unaided human skill, nor simply because they contain revelation without error, but because being written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and were as such committed to the church.
The Scriptures are the rule of faith because they are the Word of God and not because they were approved by the authority of the church. So much for the idea that the church gives authority to the Bible, or that the church gave the Bible!
Having said that, I must add a very important remark. Though it is technically incorrect to say that the Church gives authority to the Bible, yet your statement certainly captures the spirit of Catholicism. With a false sense of humility, the Vatican professes that 'the magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is it's servant,' when in practice the Roman magisterium exalts itself to the highest. None can challenge their teaching by appealing to the Bible, since they claim that only the magisterium can interpret the Scriptures correctly. Moreover, the magisterium can always fall back on 'Sacred Tradition' as the divine source of their teaching. Since no one knows the contents of this Tradition apart from the teaching of the magisterium, they have a free hand to teach whatever they fancy.
How else can Rome justify her theological novelties, such as auricular confession, universal jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, and the Marian dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption? How can Rome legislate regulations such as celibacy and feasts of obligation without Biblical warrant unless it suppresses the ultimate authority of the Word of God?
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a24.htm
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Betty Louise
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We do not listen to the Catholic Church. God speaks to us through The Holy Bible NOT the Catholic Bible which has added and removed stuff that they as Catholics disagree with.
The Pope is NOT the authority over the Bible. A Priest does not have the power to forgive sins. Baptism saves no one. Prayer after death does not save a sinner. The Catholic Church left the truth because they found ways to make money off of having people light candles to and praying to "Saints" and other ways to make money that is opposite of what the Bible teaches.
Are their Catholic Christians? yes. Is the Catholic Church as a whole right with God? No.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Posts: 5051 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: May 2008
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Eduardo Grequi
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The following was found on a web sight. This is a view of a Catholic. And the meaning of that word.
F e a t u r e A r t i c l e
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What Does Catholic Mean?
By Steve Ray
As a Protestant, I went to an Evangelical church that changed an important and historic word in the Apostle’s Creed. Instead of the "holy, catholic Church," we were the "holy, Christian Church." At the time, I thought nothing of it. There was certainly no evil intent but just a loathing of the Catholic Church and a desire to distance ourselves from its heresy and manmade traditions. I assumed that Catholics deviated early on from "biblical Christianity," so they simply invented a new word to describe their new society. Since we Evangelicals were supposedly the ones faithful to the Bible, we had no interest in the word catholic, since it was found nowhere between the covers of the Bible. It was a biased word loaded with negative baggage, so we removed it from the Creed.
I should have asked myself, "Where did the word catholic come from, and what does it mean?" Was I right to assume that Roman Catholics invented the word to set themselves apart from biblical Christianity?
A short investigation will turn up some valuable information. Let’s start with an understanding of doctrinal development and the definition of catholic. Then let’s "interview" the very first Christians to see what they thought of the Church and the word catholic. Lastly, we will study the Bible itself.
How Doctrines and Words Develop
The development of doctrine is not just a Catholic phenomenon. It occurs also among Protestants and all religions or theological traditions. Over time, theological words develop to help explain the deeper understanding of the faith. As Christians ponder the revelation passed on by the apostles and deposited in the Church, the Church mulls over God’s word, thinking deeper and deeper.
Development of doctrine defines, sharpens, and interprets the deposit of faith. The Bible is not a theological textbook or a detailed church manual such as, say, a catechism or study guide. The Bible’s meaning is not always clear, as Peter tells us (cf. 2 Pet. 3:15?16). Thirty thousand competing Protestant denominations make this fact apparent as they fail to agree on what the Bible says. It takes the authority of a universal Church and the successors of the apostles to formulate the doctrines of the faith properly. As an Evangelical, I was naïve enough to think I could reinvent the theological wheel for myself.
To illustrate doctrinal development, let’s look at the word Trinity. It never appears in the Bible, nor does the Bible give explicit formulas for the nature of the Trinity as commonly used today, such as "one God in three persons," or "three persons, one nature." Yet the word Trinity, as developed within the Catholic Church, is an essential belief for nearly every Protestant denomination. The first recorded use of the word was in the writings of Theophilus of Antioch around A.D. 180. Although they are not found in the Bible, the early Church developed words such as Trinity that are used to define and explain an essential Christian doctrine.
While many Protestants object to the idea of development of doctrine within the Catholic Church, they have no problem with developments in their own camp—even novelties and inventions. Take for example the word Rapture, also not found in the Bible and not used in any theological circles until the nineteenth century.
It was the Catholic Church that defined the Blessed Trinity, the hypostatic union of divinity and humanity in the one person of Jesus, salvation, baptism, the Eucharist, and all the other doctrines that have been the bedrock of the Christian faith. It is also the Catholic Church that gave birth to the New Testament—collecting, canonizing, preserving, distributing, and interpreting the books therein. As a Protestant, I was quite willing to accept unknowingly the Catholic Church’s teaching on the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the closed canon of the New Testament, etc., but I willfully rejected the full teaching of the Catholic Church. I now realize that it is in the Catholic Church that we find the fullness of the faith and the visible, universal body of Christ.
The Word Catholic Defined
Catholic comes from the Greek katholikos, the combination of two words, kata (concerning), and holos (whole). According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, the word catholic comes from a Greek word meaning "regarding the whole," or, more simply, "universal" or "general." The word church comes from the Greek ecclesia, which means "those called out," as in those summoned out of the world at large to form a distinct society. So the Catholic Church is made up of those called out and gathered into the universal society founded by Christ.
For roughly its first decade of existence, the Church was made up exclusively of Jews in the area of Jerusalem. But as the Church grew and spread across the Roman Empire, it incorporated Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, Romans, freemen, and even slaves—men and women from every tribe and tongue. By the third century, one out of ten people in the Roman Empire was a Catholic. Just as the word Trinity was appropriated to describe the nature of God, so the term catholic was appropriated to describe the nature of Christ’s mystical body, the Church.
But let’s get back to the history of the word catholic. The first recorded use of the word is found in the writings of Ignatius of Antioch, who was a young man during the time of the apostles and was the second bishop of Antioch following Peter, who went on to become bishop of Rome. Ignatius was immersed in the living traditions of the local church in Antioch, where the believers in Christ were first called Christians (cf. Acts 11:26). He was taught and ordained directly by the apostles. From the apostles Ignatius learned what the Church was—how it was to function, grow, and be governed.
History informs us that Peter was the bishop of Antioch at the time; in fact, Church Fathers claim that Ignatius was ordained by Peter himself. Ignatius must have worshiped with Peter and Paul and John. He lived with or near them and was an understudy of these special apostles. Ignatius is known and revered as an authentic witness to the traditions and practice of the apostles.
In the existing documents that have come down to us, Ignatius is the first to use the word catholic in reference to the Church. On his way to Rome, under military escort to the Coliseum, where he would be devoured by lions for his faith, he wrote, "You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 8).
Another early instance of the word catholic is associated with Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who used the word many times. Polycarp was a disciple of the apostle John just as John was a disciple of Jesus. Like Ignatius, Polycarp suffered the martyr’s death in a coliseum in A.D. 155. In the Martyrdom of Polycarp, written at the time of Polycarp’s death, we read, "The Church of God that sojourns in Smyrna, to the Church of God that sojourns in Philomelium, and to all the dioceses of the holy and Catholic Church in every place" (Epistle of the Church at Smyrna, preface).
Later in the same book it says that "Polycarp had finished his prayer, in which he remembered everyone with whom he had ever been acquainted . . . and the whole Catholic Church throughout the world." They then gave him up to wild beasts, fire, and, finally, the sword. The epistle then concludes: "Now with the apostles and all the just, [Polycarp] is glorifying God and the Father Almighty, and he is blessing our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world" (8).
So we see that early in the second century, Christians regularly use the word catholic as an established description of the Church. From the second century on, we see the term being used consistently by the theologians and writers. One can conclude that catholic was a very early description of the Church
Augustine in the fourth century, relying on the tradition of the early Church, minces no words asserting the importance and widespread use of the term: "We must hold to the Christian religion and to communication in her Church, which is Catholic, and is called Catholic not only by her own members but even by all her enemies" (The True Religion 7, 12). And again, "The very name of Catholic, which, not without reason, belongs to this Church alone, in the face of so many heretics, so much so that, although all heretics want to be called Catholic, when a stranger inquires where the Catholic Church meets, none of the heretics would dare to point out his own basilica or house" (Against the Letter of Mani called "The Foundation" 4, 5).
The early usage and importance of the word also can be seen in both the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creeds. If you were a Christian in the first millennium, you were a Catholic, and if you were a Catholic you recited the Creeds affirming the "one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." Unhappily, some people today try to make a distinction between Catholic with a capital C and catholic with a small c, but such a distinction is a recent development and unheard of in the early Church.
Biblical Understanding of the Word Catholic
Jesus commissioned his apostles with the words, "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matt. 28:19–20). As Frank Sheed reminds us, "Notice first the threefold ‘all’—all nations, all things, all days. Catholic, we say, means ‘universal.’ Examining the word universal, we see that it contains two ideas: the idea of all, the idea of one. But all what? All nations, all teachings, all times. So our Lord says. It is not an exaggerated description of the Catholic Church. Not by the wildest exaggeration could it be advanced as a description of any other" (Theology and Sanity, 284).
Jesus used the word church twice in the Gospels, both in Matthew. He said, "I will build my Church" (Matt. 16:18). He didn’t say "churches" as though he were building subdivisions, nor did he imply that it would be an invisible church made up of competing groups. He was going to build a visible, recognizable Church, as shown by the fact that he appointed Peter to lead it in his absence. And in Matthew 18:17, Jesus said that if one brother offends another they were to take it to "the Church." Notice the article "the" referring to a specific entity. Not "churches" but one visible, recognizable Church that can be expected to have a recognizable leadership with universal authority.
One can see the sad state of "Christendom" today by comparing it to Jesus’ words about "the Church." If a Methodist offends a Baptist, or a Presbyterian offends a Pentecostal, which church do they take it to for adjudication? This alone demonstrates the problem when 30,000 denominations exist outside the bounds of the "one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." Jesus intended there to be one universal, authoritative, visible—and, yes, Catholic—Church to represent him on earth until his return.
Just before he was crucified, Jesus prayed not only for the universality and catholicity of the Church but for its visible unity: "That they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them that they may be one, just as we are one; I in them and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me" (John 17:21?23, NASB).
The early Church understood Jesus’ words. What good was an invisible, theoretical, impractical unity? For the world to see a catholic unity, the oneness of the Church must be a visible, real, and physical reality. All of this the Catholic Church is. Since the earliest centuries Christians have confessed that the Church is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." One because there is only one, visible, organic, and unified Church; holy because it is called out of the world to be the Bride of Christ, righteous and sanctified; catholic because it is universal and unified; apostolic because Christ founded it through his apostles (cf. Matt. 16:18), and the apostles’ authority are carried on through the bishops. Through the centuries, this creed has been the statement of the Church.
Likewise today, Christians need to stand confident and obedient in the heart of the Catholic Church. It has been our mother, steadfastly carrying out the mandate of Jesus Christ for two thousand years. As an Evangelical Protestant, I thought I could ignore the creeds and councils of the Church. I was mistaken. I now understand that Jesus requires us to listen to his Church, the Church to which he gave the authority to bind and to loose (cf. Matt. 16:19; 18:18)—the Catholic Church, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15).
Posts: 771 | From: Belvidere, IL | Registered: Oct 2004
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Eduardo Grequi
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quote:
[The Catholic Church adds to what is required of salvation. The Catholic Church believes in doctrine that is not in the Bible like purgatory.
The Catholic Church believes the Pope is the authority over Scripture. The Catholic Church is a harlot that gives false hope to many who believe that the Pope can forgive sin and that attending Mass is more important then having a personal relationship with Jesus.
betty
In a loving manner, how would you approach a Catholic who is ignorant of scripture and salvation as commanded in the bible?
Betty! How true this is! When I met my wife and married her, we were at a Baptist Church. After we were married, I found her upset. Her sister told her, your going to hell because you were married in a Baptist church. My wife carried on so bad,that I wanted to walk out of my marriage and get an annulment. However, that would not solve the situation. So we began to go to church. It was foreign to everything I believed about God except some of the music. When your Jewish and have been born again in a baptist church you see yourself praising God through the scripture and not through what a proxy would aspire to.
Posts: 771 | From: Belvidere, IL | Registered: Oct 2004
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No they have missed knowing Jesus and have added their own way! It is all about Jesus and not man.
Matthew 23:9
And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.
While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory. While Catholics claim Scriptural support for these concepts, none of these teachings have any solid foundation in the clear teaching of Scripture. These concepts are based on Catholic tradition, not the Word of God. In fact, they all clearly contradict Biblical principles.
In regards to the question “Are Catholics saved?”, this is a more difficult question to answer. It is impossible to give a universal statement on the salvation of all members of any denomination of Christianity. Not ALL Baptists are saved. Not ALL Presbyterians are saved. Not ALL Lutherans are saved. Salvation is determined by personal faith in Jesus alone for salvation, not by titles or denominational identification. Despite the unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, there are genuine believers who attend Roman Catholic churches. There are many Roman Catholics who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. However, these Catholic Christians are believers despite what the Catholic Church teaches, not because of what it teaches. To varying degrees, the Catholic Church teaches from the Bible and points people to Jesus Christ as the Savior. As a result, people are sometimes saved in Catholic churches. The Bible has an impact whenever it is proclaimed (Isaiah 55:11). Catholic Christians remain in the Catholic Church out of ignorance of what the Catholic Church truly stands for, out of family tradition and peer pressure, or out of a desire to reach other Catholics for Christ.
At the same time, the Catholic Church also leads many people away from a genuine faith relationship with Christ. The unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church have often given the enemies of Christ opportunity to blaspheme. The Roman Catholic Church is not the church that Jesus Christ established. It is not a church that is based on the teachings of the Apostles (as described in the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles). While Jesus’ words in Mark 7:9 were directed towards the Pharisees, they accurately describe the Roman Catholic Church, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
http://www.gotquestions.org/catholicism.html
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Posts: 3276 | From: Charlestown, IN | Registered: Jun 2002
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Catholic Cathechism:
969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."512
47. The RC teaches: Mary is the co-mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. (Catechisms 968-970, 2677).
The Bible teaches: Christ Jesus is the one mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. I Timothy 2:5, John 14:13&14, I Peter 5:7.
Main Entry: me•di•a•trix
Pronunciation: -'A-triks
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin, feminine of mediator
Date: 15th century
: a woman who is a mediator
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0685.htm
Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick
Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and Refuge of sinners, I fly top your motherly affection with lively faith, and I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God.
Into your most holy hands I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for health of soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving Mother, will hear my prayer.
Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body.
To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and disposed according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen.
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a64.htm
Every Christian should consider Mary with respect. She is forever to be called blessed. Yet, I think it is a sign of disrespect when people expect from her things that she cannot give. Why would people pray to her, when the Bible clearly teaches us that we should pray to God and that God alone knows our hearts (1 Kings 8:39)?
Why would people ask grace from Mary, when the Bible teaches us that all grace comes from God (1 Peter 5:10)?
Why should people call her "our life" and "our hope", when the Bible teaches us that the Lord is our life and hope (Colossians 3:4; 1 Timothy 1:1)?
Why would people make her a mediator, when the Bible says that there is one mediator, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5)?
And why should people trust even the hour of their death wholly to her care? Isn't the Good Shepherd of the sheep willing to keep His own and bring them safely to glory (John 10:27,28)?
Sadly, in practice many Catholics worship Mary because they pray to her, trust in her and attribute to her titles and honors, which belong to God alone. May God grant them repentance. Rather than looking unto a creature, we should follow Mary in her godly example and apply to the Lord for salvation and all spiritual blessings.
quote:
TESTAMENT OF THE HOLY FATHER
JOHN PAUL II
Totus Tuus ego sum
In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
"Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (Mt 24: 42) - these words remind me of the last call that will come at whatever time the Lord desires. I want to follow Him and I want all that is part of my earthly life to prepare me for this moment. I do not know when it will come but I place this moment, like all other things, in the hands of the Mother of my Master: Totus Tuus. In these same motherly hands I leave everything and Everyone with whom my life and my vocation have brought me into contact. In these Hands I above all leave the Church, and also my Nation and all humankind. I thank everyone. I ask forgiveness of everyone. I also ask for prayers, so that God's Mercy may prove greater than my own weakness and unworthiness.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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The Catholic Church teaches that:
1.
Baptism is necessary for salvation (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1277).
2.
Baptism causes regeneration. (In theological jargon, baptism is said to be the instrumental cause of regeneration). Baptism is not only a sign; it actually brings about the new birth. “Through baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1213).
As the other sacraments, baptism acts “ex opere operato” - literally, by the very fact of the action being performed. The right application of the outward sign is always followed by the gift of internal grace if the sacrament is received with the right dispositions.
In the case of infants, baptism removes original sin and regenerates even though the infant does not personally believe in Christ. “It may not be doubted that in Baptism infants receive the mysterious gift of faith. Not that they believe with the assent of the mind, but they are established in the faith of their parents” (Catechism of Trent).
In the case of adults, faith is necessary, but it is not sufficient for forgiveness or eternal life. Faith is considered as one of the factors constituting the “right disposition” for baptism. “Besides a wish to be baptized, in order to obtain the grace of the Sacrament, faith is also necessary” (Catechism of Trent). Yet the believer does not receive grace (forgiveness or regeneration) until and unless he is baptized with water.
This is Roman Catholic Dogma and contrary to the Word of God.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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quote:
Originally posted by Eduardo Grequi:
dogma is the teaching or by laws of a give church or denomination.
sometimes dogma is foreign to the scriptures. A dogmatic individual is lead by traditions and not be sound scripture advice when relating to faith. In a secular sense dogma mean, " I want it my way".
Define dogma, define Christian, define personal decision vs collective decision!
A Christian places their faith alone in Christ ALONE for their salvation.
The Roman Catholic places their faith and trust in the sacraments of the RCC for their salvation.
In its official writings, the Catholic Church teaches that faith is important; but it also insists on the necessity of good works to merit eternal life. Please read carefully the following quotations from the Council of Trent on Justification:
Canon 11. If anyone says that men are justified either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ or by the sole remission of sins, excluding grace and charity which is poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit and inheres in them, or also that the grace which justifies us is only the favour of God, let him be anathema. (see note 1)
Canon 12. If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema.
Canon 24. If anyone says that the justice (righteousness) received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of the increase, let him be anathema.
Canon 30. If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema.
Canon 32. If anyone says that the good works of the one justified are in such manner the gifts of God that they are not also the good merits of him justified; or that the one justified by the good works that he performs by the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ (of whom one is a living member), the justified does not truly merit an increase of grace, and eternal life, provided that one dies in the state of grace, the attainment of this eternal life, as well as an increase in glory, let him be anathema.
Official Catholic teaching would not allow the sinner to rely by faith on the mercy of God or to believe that his sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake only. Something more is required. You must keep yourself justified by your own good works. You must merit grace and eternal life by your works. You must pay the debt of sins by your penance and your purgatorial sufferings. That is Rome's salvation by works!
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
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Eduardo Grequi
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dogma is the teaching or by laws of a give church or denomination.
sometimes dogma is foreign to the scriptures. A dogmatic individual is lead by traditions and not be sound scripture advice when relating to faith. In a secular sense dogma mean, " I want it my way".
Define dogma, define Christian, define personal decision vs collective decision!
Posts: 771 | From: Belvidere, IL | Registered: Oct 2004
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WildB
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Apostolic Indulgences?
Indulgences which the Roman pontiff attaches to the religious objects
Indulgences, Apostolic.—The indulgences known as Apostolic or Apostolical are those which the Roman pontiff, the successor of the Prince of the Apostles, attaches to the crosses, crucifixes, chaplets, rosaries, images, and medals which he blesses, either with his own hand or by those to whom he has delegated this faculty. The principles set forth in the general article on indulgences apply here also. But since these Apostolic indulgences are among the most frequent and abundant of those now in use throughout the Church, they seem to require a separate and more detailed treatment. As the name implies, they are indulgences granted by the pope himself. Some of them, as will be seen from the subjoined list, are plenary, and others are partial indulgences. It may be observed that the possession of the cross or medal or other indulgenced object is not the sole or immediate condition for gaining the indulgences attached there-to by the blessing of the Holy Esther or his delegate. But the possession enables the recipient to gain the various indulgences on the performance of certain prescribed good works or acts of piety. In this respect the possession of the object may be regarded as analogous to the local or personal limitation of other indulgences. For in blessing the objects presented to him, the Holy Father thereby grants the indulgences, not to all the faithful indiscriminately, but to certain persons, to wit the actual or prospective possessors of these crosses, medals, etc., which may thus be regarded as the marks or tokens distinguishing those persons to whom this special privilege is given. At the same time, since it is open to all the faithful to obtain such blessed objects, especially now, when the faculty for giving this blessing is so readily granted to the clergy throughout the world, the Apostolic indulgences can hardly be reckoned with those that are merely local or personal.
Although the popes have been in the habit of granting indulgences from a much earlier date, some of them having an analogous limitation or connection with the holding or wearing of a blessed object, the Apostolic indulgences, as we now know them, date only from the year 1587—just a lifetime after the publication of Luther's famous theses against indulgences. And a curious interest attaches to the first origin of this familiar practice. Before that date popes had simply blessed medals or other objects presented to them for that purpose. But as Pope Sixtus V sets forth in his Bull "Laudemus viros gloriosos" (December 1, 1587), the workmen engaged in his restoration and adornment of the Lateran Basilica, in pulling down some very old walls, had accidentally brought to light a number of ancient coins bearing on one side a cross and on the other the likeness of one or other of the early Christian emperors. This remarkable discovery led the pontiff, in accordance with the opening words of his Bull, to sing the praises of those old rulers of Christendom, such as Constantine, Theodosius, and Marcianus. And, by a happy thought, he made their old coins again pass current, though bearing, as befitted their new life, not an earthly but a heavenly and spiritual value. In other words, he granted a number of indulgences, on the performance of certain pious works, to all who became possessors of the old coins enriched with this new blessing. The list of special indulgences set forth in this Bull as thus attached to those coins of the Christian emperors is the first instance of the Apostolic indulgences which the popes now attach to the medals, etc. presented for their benediction. It must not be supposed, however, that the Apostolical indulgences, now so generally given in this familiar manner, are in all respects the same as those granted on this special occasion by Pope Sixtus V. A comparison of the aforesaid Bull "Laudemus viros gloriosos" with the list in the instruction annexed to the customary faculty for blessing rosaries etc., attaching indulgences thereto, will show many points of difference, both in the extent of the indulgences and in the good works prescribed as conditions for gaining them. And it will be found, as might have been anticipated, that in some cases the indulgences given in the Sixtine Bull are more abundant than the others. In at least one important point both lists are in agreement. Thus it will be seen that in both cases a plenary indulgence may be gained by those who devoutly invoke the Holy Name of Jesus at the hour of death (in mortis articulo). But, on the other hand, the plenary indulgence for confession and Communion which the possessors of the Lateran coins could apparently gain on any day can only be gained by holders of ordinary indulgenced objects on certain great festivals, and that on the fixed condition of reciting certain prayers. In like manner the partial indulgences granted in the Sixtine Bull are in some cases as much as two or three hundred years; none of these in the modern lists are higher than seven years and seven quarantines (or spaces of forty days); and others are no more than one hundred days or fifty days.
The following list gives the indulgences now attached to chaplets, crosses, and medals blessed by the Holy Father or by any priest holding the delegated lacunas bendicendi coronas, cruces et sacra numismata :
(I) A plenary indulgence, to be gained by all who shall recite at least once a week the chaplet of Our Lord, or that of the Blessed Virgin, or the rosary, or the third part thereof, or the Divine Office, or the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, or the Office of the Dead, or the Seven Penitential Psalms, or the Gradual Psalms; or who shall teach the rudiments of the Faith, or visit those who are in prison or in a hospital, or succor the poor, or hear or say Mass, if being truly contrite and having confessed to a priest approved by the bishop, they receive the Holy Eucharist on any one of the following days, to wit: Christmas, the Epiphany, Easter, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, the Purification, Annunciation, Assumption, Nativity, and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, the feasts of St. John the Baptist and the Apostles Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, Philip and James, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude, Matthias, the feast of St. Joseph and All Saints' Day; and shall pray devoutly for the uprooting of heresies and schisms, for the propagation of the Catholic Faith, for peace and concord among Christian princes, and for the other needs of the Church.
An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines to be gained on the same conditions on any other feast of Christ or of the Blessed Virgin.
An indulgence of five years and five quarantines to be gained on the same conditions on any Sunday or feast of the year.
An indulgence of one hundred days, to be gained on the same conditions on any other day in the year.
All who are accustomed to recite at least once a week the chaplet, or the rosary, or the Office of the Blessed Virgin, or of the Dead, or Vespers, or at least one Nocturn with Lauds, or the Seven Penitential Psalms with their litanies and prayers, shall gain an indulgence of one hundred days every time they do so.
Whosoever in articulo mortis devoutly commends his soul to God, and being ready to accept death peacefully and willingly from the hands of God, and truly penitent, and having confessed and been refreshed with Holy Communion, or if this be not possible, at least contrite, shall invoke the Name of Jesus with the lips if possible, or, if not, at least with the heart, shall receive the fruit of a plenary indulgence.
Whosoever shall make a devout preparation before saying Mass, or receiving the Holy Eucharist or reciting the Divine Office or the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, shall receive an indulgence of fifty days every time he does this.
All who visit those in prison or the sick in the hospitals, helping them by some good work, or teach Christian doctrine in a church, or at home to their children, kindred, or servants, shall gain an indulgence of two hundred days.
Whosoever at the sound of a church bell shall say the Angelus morning, noon, or evening, or, not knowing it, shall say once an Our Father and Hail Mary, or at the evening signal for praying for the dead shall recite the psalm De Profundis, or if he know it not an Our Father and Hail Mary shall gain an indulgence of one hundred days.
All who on Friday shall devoutly meditate on the Passion and Death of Christ and say three Our Fathers and Hail Marys shall gain one hundred days indulgence.
Whosoever, being truly penitent, and firmly purposing to amend his life, shall examine his conscience, and devoutly repeat the Our Father and Hail Mary thrice in honor of the Blessed Trinity, or five times in reverence for the Five Wounds of Christ, shall likewise gain one hundred days' indulgence.
Whosoever prays with devotion for those in their agony, or says for them at least an Our Father and Hail Mary, shall gain an indulgence of fifty days.
In order to gain any of these indulgences the person must have the blessed medal, etc. with him at the time, or else have it kept in his room in some seemly place and say the prescribed prayers there. It is expressly declared in the instruction annexed to the faculty that this blessing and indulgence is not given to painted or printed images or to crosses etc. made of iron, pewter, lead, or any fragile material. The images, moreover, must represent canonized saints or those whose names are in the Roman Martyrology. The indulgence is confined to the person to whom the object is first given and it is lost if the object be given or lent for the purpose of transferring the indulgence; it is not lost, however, when lent for another purpose, e.g. for use in reciting the rosary. And when medals etc. have been enriched with these indulgences, it is strictly forbidden to sell them.
W. H. KENT
http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Apostolic_Indulgences
![[cool_shades]](graemlins/cool_shades.gif)
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That is all.....
Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004
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Caretaker
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quote:
Originally posted by Eduardo Grequi:
Are Lutherns Christians?
Are Baptists Christians?
Are Methodists Christians?
Are the Brethern Assembly Christians?
Are Church of Christ attendies Christians?
Are Anglicans or Episcopelians Christians?
Are Messianic Jews Christians?
Are Pentecostals Christians?
What church did Jesus give himself for?
Where was the Church founded?
If a dogma of Christian assembly differs from biblical scripture is your salvation in vain?
What does it mean to be defined as a Christian?
Are humans correct to judge another human whether he or she is a Christian?
Is Jesus the leader or head of your assembly? or is the Bishop or Elder the leader of your assembly?
Are Catholics Christians?
Where in the bible where the Jews first called Christians who walked in the Way?
Do not be quick to destroy the belief in Jesus? Be slow to speak and quick to hear?
Build up truth and abate untruth.
Judging Catholics
Question: Who has the right to judge whether Roman Catholics are Christians...surely not you!
Answer: You are right. I am not the one who would judge Catholics, and indeed anybody else. I am a nobody. God is the Judge of the world and we shall all appear before Him. It would be awful on that Day for every devout religious person - whether Roman Catholic, Protestant or whatever his religion might be - to find that his or her hope for salvation was unfounded.
Yet God is good. During our lifetime He has given us the Holy Scriptures - His inspired Word - for teaching and correction (2 Timothy 3:16) that we may discover our errors and know the true way to heaven. Moreover, the Lord wants His people to be a light in this dark world. They must proclaim the truth; they must expose error. God's servants "must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24,25). They must speak the truth in love, even though they are falsely accused of being judgemental and "bashing Catholics."
There is much in the Roman Catholic religion that is biblical and wholesome. Yet, sadly, erroneous human traditions have infiltrated Catholicism to such an extent that the Gospel is poisoned. Rome's message is "another" gospel.
Why do I point out the errors of the Roman religion? Is it because I enjoy being contentious? Is it because I'm "anti-catholic"? No! God knows my heart and my motives. I am "pro-catholic"! I am compelled by love to speak out. I care and pray for Catholics that they might turn from a distorted religion to a living relationship with Jesus Christ according to the truth of His Word.
Copyright Dr Joe Mizzi. Permission to copy and distribute this article without textual changes. < BACK TO Q&A
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a09.htm
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
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Betty Louise
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There is a difference in the Catholic Church and other Churches. The Catholic believes that the Pope's opinion is more important than what scriptures say. The Catholic Church adds to what is required of salvation. The Catholic Church gives false hope that if you are not saved you will not go to hell but to Purgatory where you can be prayed out by your loved ones. The Catholic Church teaches a false Gospel.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Posts: 5051 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: May 2008
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Eduardo Grequi
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Are Lutherns Christians?
Are Baptists Christians?
Are Methodists Christians?
Are the Brethern Assembly Christians?
Are Church of Christ attendies Christians?
Are Anglicans or Episcopelians Christians?
Are Messianic Jews Christians?
Are Pentecostals Christians?
What church did Jesus give himself for?
Where was the Church founded?
If a dogma of Christian assembly differs from biblical scripture is your salvation in vain?
What does it mean to be defined as a Christian?
Are humans correct to judge another human whether he or she is a Christian?
Is Jesus the leader or head of your assembly? or is the Bishop or Elder the leader of your assembly?
Are Catholics Christians?
Where in the bible where the Jews first called Christians who walked in the Way?
Do not be quick to destroy the belief in Jesus? Be slow to speak and quick to hear?
Build up truth and abate untruth.
Posts: 771 | From: Belvidere, IL | Registered: Oct 2004
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Caretaker
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Why I Left the Catholic Church
Question: I want to hear your story, if you are willing to share. Why did you leave the Catholic Church?
Answer: I was raised in a Roman Catholic home, and my parents and teachers taught me the fear of God, for which I will always be grateful. My country, Malta, is intensely Roman Catholic, with well over 95% of the population being Catholic. I was thoroughly indoctrinated in the Catholic religion since infancy. Sunday mass and daily rosary were obligatory in my family, and I happily attended mass on most days of the week before school. I was proud and sure of my religion.
All that was about to change unexpectedly when I was completing my secondary education in the Catholic seminary. One day my brother came home and told me that we are justified by faith and not by works. Later on I found out that he had met some Evangelical Irish tourists earlier that week and that they had convinced him about their religion.
I defended the Catholic teaching with much zeal. I remember arguing that faith must be accompanied by good works, the solid evidence of true faith. (Little did I know at the time that that was not what the Catholic Church teaches, but that good works actually increase and preserves the person's righteousness on the basis of which he would be justified at the end).
For two years I studied the Catholic Bible because I wanted to bring my brother back to "the true Church." I also sought the assistance of my spiritual director and several priests. I wanted to show him that the Catholic teaching is biblical. Slowly however, I begun to realize that many of the Catholic dogmas are not clearly taught in the Bible, or even worse, some seemed to contradict Scripture.
More importantly, I begun to feel the burden of personal sin and the frustration of trying to merit salvation by religion. This had become more than a religious controversy. It became a matter of life and death! I found peace after reading the Gospel of John. When I finished the book, I asked myself: What is the main purpose of the writer? The answer was simple and apparent, and yet absolutely wonderful. God the Father wants me to believe in His Son and in believing I would have eternal life!
Of course I already "believed" in Jesus. But I also believed in Mary, in the sacrifice of the Mass, in confession to a priest and penance, in purgatory, in myself and my good works by which I was expected to merit eternal life. By God's grace I realized that salvation is not what I do, or what the church does for me, or what Mary or the saints do. Salvation is of the Lord ALONE. I tossed away all these clutches, and I rested by faith on the Rock of my Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I know what it means to believe on the Son. And I know that I have eternal life. Praise God!
Eventually I reluctantly left the Roman Catholic Church because I could not remain a member of an institution that teaches a different way of salvation than what is taught in the Scriptures. In a very real sense my heart remains with Roman Catholics because I am a debtor to them. My desire is to share the Gospel of the Scriptures - let us keep what is holy and true in the Catholic religion, but let us not be afraid to clean the house of the erroneous traditions that have accumulated through the years.
Copyright Dr Joe Mizzi. Permission to copy and distribute this article without textual changes.
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a30.htm
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
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Caretaker
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Do Catholics Believe in Jesus?
Question: I am a Roman Catholic. Why can't you accept that Catholics believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour just like Baptists and other Christians? Why does it matter in what form we express our faith? Is it not more important that we pray to God, acknowledge Jesus as our Saviour, and try to live as a good and faithful servant?
Answer: It is not enough to say that “Catholics believe in Jesus Christ” since there are true and false kinds of belief. Saving faith is a gift of God, by which His children rely on Jesus Christ for salvation. Counterfeit faith is deceptively similar, but it is powerless and useless to save. While I sincerely hope that there are many Catholics who genuinely believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, yet there are reasons for serious concern. I ask you to read carefully the following checklist and examine yourself before God whether you really believe in Jesus Christ or not.
1. Assent
Faith implies the correct understanding of, and assent to, the teaching of the Bible about Christ. The Catholic Church rejects the various heresies about the person of Christ, such as the Arian denial of His Deity. I thank God that the Catholic Church continues to uphold the great truths on the Deity and incarnation, death and bodily resurrection of Christ, as expressed in the ancient creeds:
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day He rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
It is basic to know the biblical facts about Jesus Christ as expressed in the creed, and believe them to be true.
2. Trust
The Catholic doctrine on the person of Christ is biblical and true. But doctrinal orthodoxy is not sufficient by itself. For salvation, it is not enough to give your assent to the truths about Christ - even the demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God. More than accepting the doctrines on Christ as true, the sinner must also entrust himself to Him. The Christian does not merely believe something about Christ; the Christian believes in Christ.
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For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
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Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live' (John 11:25).
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To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins (Acts 10:43).
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To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26).
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Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame' (1 Peter 2:6).
As a Catholic you have been taught true and biblical teaching about Jesus. Now, do you believe in Him? - resting by faith, trusting in, relying on Jesus for salvation?
3. Living faith
St James warns us against a "faith" that is dead, and therefore impotent to save. His warning applies equally to all professing Christians, whether they’re called Catholic, Protestants, or by any other title they may choose. Someone may say, “I have faith,” even though a sterile and godless life contradicts the empty boasting. My country is predominantly Catholic. Over 96% of the population is Roman Catholic, but a good number of them couldn’t care less about the Gospel or the Law of God. They are preoccupied with their business and pleasure, and have no scruples to cheat, steal, slander and swear. Can that "faith" save them? Can such "faith" save anyone? Let us not fool ourselves!
4. Faith in the risen Christ
Christians believe in a living Saviour. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). Once He died on the cross, giving Himself as a sacrifice for sin; now He lives in glory forevermore, enthroned at the right hand of God. He does not need to offer Himself over and over again, for God forgives and perfects all His people on the infinite merits of that one finished sacrifice of His Son.
Though the Roman Church formally acknowledges that Christ offered a sacrifice "once for all", yet it also teaches that the sacrifice of Christ is carried on, perpetuated and renewed daily during the mass. It is significant that a crucifix is placed over the main altar in Catholic churches, reminding the people that Christ is being offered as a sacrifice for sin during the mass.
The need to renew and perpetuate the sacrifice implies that the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary was not sufficient to take away sin. If you knock on the door and nobody answers, you will have to knock again. But if your friend answers and opens the door, there will be no need to renew your effort. Your purpose would have been achieved.
Do you believe that the work of Christ on the cross is finished? That by one sacrifice He has accomplished eternal redemption for His people? Or do you believe that His sacrifice must be renewed daily to satisfy God’s justice for your sins? Do you believe in a dying or a living Saviour?
5. Faith in Christ alone
Jesus Christ is the one and only Saviour, and therefore our faith must be exclusively in Him alone. St Peter underlines this fundamental truth, saying: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Sadly, Roman Catholic piety leads many Catholics to turn their eyes from Jesus towards Mary. They still "believe in Jesus", of course, yet their heart is not reassured. They apply to someone else. “St John Damascene had no hesitancy in addressing our Lady in these words: Pure and immaculate Queen, save me, and deliver me from eternal damnation. St Bonaventure called Mary the salvation of those who invoke her” (The Glories of Mary, St Alphonsus Liguori).
You have to choose between the advise of the Catholic saint, who tells you to invoke the name of Mary for salvation, and the inspired words uttered by the apostle Peter, who solemnly warns that Jesus is the only name given among us whereby we must be saved.
6. Complete Faith in Christ
True faith in Christ is manifest in good works, yet the believer does not rely on the merits of his works for salvation. It is “to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). That does not mean that sterile and idle "faith" can save. The apostle Paul does not contradict his own writings where he insists that faith works by love, and that those who continue to live in sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. Rather, Paul is speaking about the Christian’s motive for doing good works. Paul asserts that the Christian “does not work” for the purpose of justification. “God imputes (ascribes, reckons, credits) righteousness apart from works.” The Christian rests by faith in Jesus, and God reckons the believer "righteous" for Christ’s sake.
Ask him, “Does God reckon you as righteous because you do good works?”
The Christian answers, “No, my best obedience is imperfect. God reckons me as righteous because Jesus’ blood washes me from all sin.”
“Well then, why do you perform good works at all? Why are you so concerned with obedience?”
“I obey Christ’s commands because I love Him! It’s the natural way to show my gratitude to the love that bought my salvation with an infinite price, His blood.”
Contrast this with the Catholic mentality. He speaks about Christ, God’s love, the cross, and faith, and yet his religion will not permit him to trust in Christ completely for salvation. He is urged to do religious works and perform penance in order to expiate his sins and to merit the grace of God. Good works should be the manifestation of faith, but in this case, they are the evidence of an incomplete confidence in Christ.
Do you believe in Jesus?
A mountain climber is stranded on a ledge. A rope is lowered from the rescue helicopter hovering above. He grabs the rope with one hand, but with the other hand he keeps holding on firmly to the rock. His trust in the rescuers is as good as no trust at all. Unless he lets go of everything and latches onto the rope, he cannot be saved.
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; do you believe that His work on the cross is perfect and finished? Is there evidence that your faith is genuine? Do you trust in Him alone? Do you trust in Him completely? Are you holding on to anything or anybody else? Or are you embracing Him by faith as your Lord and Saviour?
Copyright Dr Joe Mizzi. Permission to copy and distribute this article without textual changes.
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a36.htm
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Carol Swenson
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Member # 6929
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posted
This is not a Catholic message board. Don't promote Roman Catholicism on this board. One needs only to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. He alone can save you and nothing else. We believe in all Ten Commandments here. Especially the second one that the Catholic’s removed. And it was written in stone, it states:
Exodus 20:4 -5 (KJV)
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;…
I know this commandment doesn’t exist in the Catholic catechism, but it is there in the KJV Bible and on the Ten Commandments that Moses received written in stone, by God's own hand.
http://www.thechristianbbs.com/rules2.html
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Betty Louise
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Member # 7175
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posted
The Catholic Church adds to what is required of salvation. The Catholic Church believes in doctrine that is not in the Bible like purgatory.
The Catholic Church believes the Pope is the authority over Scripture. The Catholic Church is a harlot that gives false hope to many who believe that the Pope can forgive sin and that attending Mass is more important then having a personal relationship with Jesus.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Posts: 5051 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: May 2008
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Ed Fisher
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posted
Are Catholics Christians?
By Kathy Schley
Years ago I dialogued with another Christian (and anti-Catholic) for several years who told me that I possess a "false Jesus." If only he could see through his monitor he would see my eyes roll! There's nothing more that turns me off during a debate is the personal judgment of where we are with God and our eternal fate with Him because we do not embrace the other believer's doctrines in its entirety. I also see this condemnation in some members within my own religion. Before I get into my article I would like to say that I've met many Christians in Christendom who see Jesus Christ in other believers and worship our Savior together. But unfortunately there are some in Christendom who cannot see Jesus Christ in another believer, but instead see condemnation. The non-Catholic Christian who believed I possessed a false-Jesus had said to me many times, "I would love to see you in Heaven sitting at God's Table with me." And my reply to him would be, "I plan on being there, even without your approval."
Are Catholics Christian? This is an ironic subject to me. I've been asked what church I attend, what religion I belong to, etc. When I say I am Catholic, the other person responds, "I am Christian" (as if to imply Catholics are not Christian). I've also been told bluntly that Catholics are not Christian, and if Catholics believe they are Christian it's because they have a "false Jesus" lying to them. I've also been told that after the death of the apostles Satan took over the Church forcing Christians to go into hiding (however there aren't any recorded documents to support these claims but we are expected to believe these claims on heresay). Many do not know what "catholic" means? The term, "catholic," was first used by St. Ignatius of Antioch, an early Church father and bishop, and a disciple of the apostle John. The term means, Universal Faith. The Church father, St. Augustine, in the 4th century, used the term, "Catholic Church," to distinguish the true Church of the universal faith from heretical groups. The early Church fathers were Catholics because they belonged to a Church of a universal faith. It was also in the 4th century the Books of our Bible was declared as the inspired Holy Word of God by the early Church fathers in Synod of Hippo (367 AD), and the Canon was confirmed in the Council of Carthage (397 AD). It was Catholics who sifted the wheat from the chaff and declared which Books are the inspired Holy Word of God, and which books are not. Imagine, putting faith in the Bible, believing it to be the inspired Holy Word of God, because non-Christians, deceived by Satan, said it was!
I've been accused of being brainwashed, but common sense tells me the Bible didn't just fall out of the sky! God inspired men to write the Bible, and He also inspired men to sift through all the books declaring which Books are His inspired Holy Word, and which books are not. We have the infallible Word of God in this universal faith because Jesus promised the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. (Matthew 16:19) So when we accept the Bible as the inspired Holy Word of God, we accept it on the Catholic's word. So if Catholics today are not Christian, than neither were the early Church fathers who declared the Books of our Bible as the inspired Holy Word of God...and worst yet, Jesus lied!
Many "Bible-alone" Christians believe the Bible had always existed. They believe the Bible came before the Church. But according to history, the Church existed before the Bible. That means the "Bible-alone" Christians didn't have a Bible the first four centuries of Christianity. What did the "Bible-alone" Christians do without a Bible the first four centuries? I imagine they had the Word of God preached to them by the early Church, that St. Augustine called "The Catholic Church." Or as some believe with extreme rejection of Catholicism, they were hiding as the true Christians (although there aren't any recorded documents to support this claim). And although the Books of our Bible was given to us in the 4th century, it was still many centuries later before many possessed their own copy of it because it wasn't until 1440 the printing press was invented by a German inventor, Johannes Guttenberg. So Christians relied on the Catholic Church to learn the Gospel. And the churches had stories of the Gospel on stain glass windows. Even their statues gave a story of God's Word.
It has also been said to me that we must not be focused on the early writings of our early Church fathers because their writings are not the inspired Word of God. Catholics never said the writings of our early Church fathers are the inspired Word of God. But it's history that gives us an insight to what was believed and practiced in early Christianity. Also, our early Church fathers declared the Books of our Bible as the inspired Word of God. Certainly God would guide them to interpret these Books without error (Hence, infallibly). And some of our early Church fathers were Theologians and Biblical Scholars, and Doctors of the Church. My same opposers who tell me I should not be focused on the beliefs, practices and worship of our early Church fathers, also tell me I need to focus on my private interpretation. In other words, be a "Theologian" myself! The doctrines of the Catholic Church are accused of contradicting the Bible. However, if we have thousands of different doctrines and "Truths" to the Bible because we have made ourselves a Theologian, this is contradiction to the Bible! While there are Scriptures that speak to the individual personally and gives us a spiritual awakening, there are also Scriptures that only the Catholic Church can deliver without error. Jesus entrusted the Word of God to His apostles and to their successors beginning with "word of Mouth" (Tradition), and later in writings. The Bible itself teaches the Church came before the Bible. The early Christians learned the Word of God through Apostolic Tradition, just like the apostles learned the Word of God through Tradition, through the preaching of Jesus. We see "Tradition" when we read the Bible. We don't see any teachings of Jesus instructing His apostles to write down His Word. Nor do we see the apostles and their followers going in different directions with their own copy of the scrolls. We don't see private interpretation with every person being a Theologian. Instead we see Jesus building His Church on His apostles and entrusting His Word to His Church to be delivered without error. He promised the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church.
There isn't a Scripture that says God's Word is rooted in Scripture only. Instead St. Paul tells us God's Word is rooted in BOTH writings AND TRADITION.
"So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to THE TRADITIONS which were taught by us, EITHER BY WORD OF MOUTH, or by letter." (2Thessalonians 2:25)
"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord WITH THE TRADITION that you received from us." (2Thessalonians 3:6)
And St. Paul tells us it is THE CHURCH that is the pillar of faith. [Note: he didn't say the Bible is the pillar of faith]
"...if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is THE CHURCH of the living God." (1Timothy 3:15)
It is THE CHURCH that is the sole teaching of God. And the Books of our Bible came from Her.
The fact that the Catholics today adhere to Catholic doctrines and practices, they are judged by some as not being a Christian, and are not saved. But if we look at the early writings of our Church fathers on how they interpreted the Scriptures and what was passed down to them through Tradition, they believed and taught what the Catholic Church believes and teaches today, such as Tradition, the Real Presence, Purgatory, the Virgin Mary, Primacy of Peter, Infant Baptism, Communion of Saints, etc.. They too prayed to the Virgin Mary and to the saints, and prayed for those in Purgatory, and confessed to priests, etc. I cannot deny or ignore the fact that our Bible (a compilation of Books) was declared to be the inspired Holy Word of God by CHRISTIANS who believed and taught the very same doctrines that the Catholic Church believes and teaches today.
I've been told that I am not a Christian because I put my trust into men in my Catholic Church and into my own works to gain salvation, rather into Jesus Christ Himself. This accusation is a gross distortion of my religious views! And according to my opposers it is condemning to listen to the men in my church, however I must listen to my opposers (and they are not men?). And although they preach against the doctrine of mediation between men, a "mediator" is exactly what they are! I had written another article called, A Catholic's Salvation, that puts the Catholic doctrine of salvation into the correct perspective.
When I am asked, "Are you born-again?" My answer is, "I'm born again...and again...and again...and again." Is once enough?
Catholics also have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We recognize that Jesus is God. We recognize that we are not our own, and God (the Blessed Trinity) dwells within. After we get a taste of God, we become addicts of God and crave God to get closer to God. We can't get enough of God. We recognize God is Heaven, and to be in Heaven is to be with God. We recognize that our attachment to things that are not of God, and the sins we commit out of weakness, rob our sight to God and experiencing His Divine Characteristics.
All Christians will agree they are called to judge a doctrine that they believe is not a doctrine of God and defend God's Word. Christians are also called to warn others that certain acts in their lifestyle can prevent them from seeing salvation. Christians are called to share the Gospel of Christ. Christians are called to "test the spirits" because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1John 4:1) But God condemns passing personal judgment on another soul of where that soul is with God presently and in eternity. No one knows where a soul is with God, except for that soul and God. And only God can make that judgment of our eternal salvation with Him. Jesus says, "Judge not...the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Matthew 7:1-2) And St. Paul says, "For the Spirit searches every thing, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." (1Corinthians 2:10-11) Yet, many believe they were given a special calling to pass personal judgment. I've also seen and heard outrageous remarks made by individual members in my belief system to other Christians. Other Christians have also been judged as not being a Christian because they don't embrace Catholicism in its entirety. Sharing our differences with other believers is good and brings Christians closer together in unity. Many will find that there is more common ground to worship the Savior together, than there is division.
Do I believe only Catholics are Christians? Of course not. Do I believe only non-Catholics are Christians? Of course not. Do I believe bad trees that bore bad fruit such as Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein have died in condemnation? I don't know. Only God would know this answer. Anything can transpire between a soul and God during the soul's passing without the knowledge of witnesses. Only God would know whose names are in the Book of Life, and whose are not.
( Read these 2 links below )
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ASalvation
Address:http://www.kathyschley.com/Catholic_Churc/Salvation.html
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Caretaker
Advanced Member
Member # 36
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Are Catholics Christian?
Question: Are Catholics Christians? If not, why? This is not a negative question. I desire to honestly know if Catholics are considered to be part of the Christian faith.
Answer: This is a most important question anybody can ask. Am I a Christian? Or am I a Christian in name only? Do I have a living relationship with Christ?
Well then, who has the right to call himself Christian? Like the Jews of old, people still fool themselves in thinking that they are right with God because of some ritual (like circumcision or baptism) or because of their heritage ("I was born into a Christian family and attend a Christian church").
According to the Bible, a true Christian is chosen by God before the foundation of the world, redeemed and forgiven by the blood of Christ, illuminated by the Spirit, knows and obeys the truth of the Gospel. A Christian is someone who trusts in Christ for his salvation, and gives all praise to God for His grace. (Please read Ephesians 1:3-13).
Does a Roman Catholic fit this description? Superficially he does. He believes in Christ and speaks about the grace of God. But if he follows the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, regretfully I must say that he does not really believe in Christ nor does he know the grace of God. Please allow me to explain.
The Gospel teaches that "a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28). God regards a person just and righteous who trusts wholeheartedly in Jesus, and who does not attempt to win God's favour by his imperfect obedience of the Law. Sadly, Roman theology has rejected God's way of salvation. To faith, Rome adds a set of deeds (many of which are human inventions) and curses anyone who dares to completely trust in Christ alone for salvation. 'If anyone says that the faith that justifies is nothing else but trust in the divine mercy, which pardons sins because of Christ, or that it is that trust alone by which we are justified, let him be anathema.' (Council of Trent, session 6, cannon 12).
We firmly believe that our sins are pardoned because of the sacrifice of Christ alone. Rome would have us perform acts of penance and suffer in purgatory to expiate our sins. The Bible proclaims Christ, the Priest who offered himself once for all. Rome would have us apply to her priests who daily offer their sacrifices on the altar. The Bible proclaims Christ as the only Mediator, Rome would have us apply to other mediators, like Mary, the saints and the church.
Again, we assert that we are "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). The Bible clearly defines what grace is: "to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt" (Romans 4:4) Grace is unmerited favour, as opposed to the merit of works. Rome outwardly teaches that we are justified by grace. However the "grace" of Catholicism is a very strange species. The Catholic Church states that "we can then merit for ourselves...the graces needed...for the attainment of eternal life" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2010). To merit grace is a contradiction in terms. Rome would not allow you to receive the gift of salvation with a grateful heart, but would have you work like a slave to merit it.
We are forced to conclude that the message of Rome is a different gospel. It is a false gospel. I say this with much sadness and concern for the multitudes of Catholics who blindly follow this false system. I must warn every Catholic that Christ is of no avail to you unless you relinquish any confidence in yourself and your works, and in every other creature. Faith must be in Christ - alone!
Having said that, I gladly add the following caveat. There may be some nominal Catholics who, either out of ignorance or willful rejection of Catholic doctrine, truly trust in Christ alone for their salvation. They are Christians and really belong to God.
The book of Revelation describes a deceptive and false religious system named Babylon. It is not my intention here to discuss the exact nature of this Babylon - the principle remains the same. Some Christians are trapped inside this deceptive system and God gives them a specific command: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). Thank God that even in Babylon, God has His people. If you are a Christian entrapped in the false religious system of Rome, hear God's calling and come out of her. You will experience liberty and life like never before.
Copyright Dr Joe Mizzi. Permission to copy and distribute this article without textual changes. < BACK TO Q&A
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a21.htm
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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