Catholicism: Tradition of Men
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Catholicism is the second largest false religion in the world, next to Islam. According to figures held by the Vatican, there were 1.2 million Catholic people in 2013. That is a big chunk of the world’s total population. That is a lot of people headed for a horrible wakeup call one day, when they discover that religion did not save them. And this is to say nothing of the scores of Catholic people who have already died, trusting in religion to secure them a place in Heaven.
How does a person become saved?
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
It is very simple to become saved. So why does Catholicism make it a lifelong process? Where do all of these Catholic requirements come from? Why does Catholicism make salvation so complicated? Catholicism is a religion. That is the problem.
Let me run through this: The apostle Paul, who was the apostle to the Gentiles in the age of grace (Ephesians 3:1-9), never described belief on Jesus Christ as religion. Paul claimed that the Jews were wrapped up in religion (Galatians 1:13-14). Their religion was the law of Moses, but more specifically, the idea that people can perform works in order to be saved (Romans 9:31-32, 10:3). Faith in Jesus Christ saves the soul of the believer (Acts 26:18). Works are not required (Titus 3:5). Salvation comes by God’s grace (Romans 5:2). Grace and works do not mix (Romans 11:6). Therefore, we can come to the following conclusion: Any belief system that requires you to do more than simply believe on Jesus Christ to be saved is a religion. Is Catholicism a religion? Most definitely. There is much we could look at, but we are going to view two small samples of what Catholicism teaches regarding a person’s salvation. Underlines have been added by me for emphasis.
Example 1:
“Are you saved? That question is a loaded one, implying that once you confess that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and savior, that's it, you're saved. If that were true, then we wouldn't need to go to Confession, nor would we need the Eucharist at each Mass, because we now have a get-out-of-jail-free card; that is, our professed belief in Jesus as our personal Lord and savior. In other words, they ask you that question to get you to leave the Catholic Church and join their protestant church.
A one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ is a great start, but there is much more to salvation than that. Jesus said that the Eucharist forgives sin (Matthew 26:28), Confession forgives sin (John 20:22-23, and the Last Rites forgive sin (James 5:14-15). This "I am saved" philosophy of many protestants doesn't require any of these methods of forgiveness, because they believe they are already saved and don't need any sacraments. And that begs the question as to why Jesus instituted these sacraments to aid us in our salvation if all we had to do was profess our belief in him one time.” – taken from catholicbible101.com
There is a lot of nonsense in the small passage you just read. What follows is not meant to be a deep study, but an illustration of some of the fundamental errors of Catholicism. What is more important to be right about than salvation? Catholicism gets salvation wrong. Now let’s find the errors in the above religious gibberish.
1. This first point is not about Catholicism, but about an accusation made by this particular Catholic writer. This writer mocks God’s simple plan of salvation by saying you cannot be saved just because “you confess that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and savior”. This is a misrepresentation of Biblical salvation, because the Bible never tells you to do that. Jesus is Lord (1st Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14), but we are never told to make Him our “personal Lord” to be saved. We are told to acknowledge Him (2nd Timothy 2:25), or to recognize that He is who Scripture claims Him to be (the Son of God, who was crucified, buried, and rose again). When Romans 10:9 teaches that you must “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,” this means you must acknowledge Jesus, not by making Him your “personal Lord,” but by admitting you believe in Him. Jesus is Lord whether you submit to Him or not. You do not have to submit to Jesus to be saved. You only have to believe on Him (John 3:16, 6:47, Acts 10:43, Galatians 2:16, 3:26, Ephesians 1:13, 2nd Timothy 3:15). Submitting to Jesus requires work. Believing on Jesus requires faith. Let me be very clear about this: You can submit to, or obey, Jesus, but that does not save you or play any part in saving you. Acknowledging Jesus and believing on Him amount to the same thing. If someone says, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God, died for my sins, was buried, and rose again,” that person has acknowledged Jesus, and clearly this person has believed on Jesus as well. This idea of making Jesus your “personal Lord” or “Lord of your life” is called Lordship Salvation, which is a false religion demanding you to perform works to be saved. You don’t make Jesus “Lord.” You believe on Jesus because He already is Lord. Note the wording in the following verse, a verse which tells you how to be saved.
Acts 16:30-31: “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
And finally, consider how this man became saved:
Acts 8:36-37: “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
This man acknowledged and believed on Jesus Christ, and he was saved. This was possible because all that is required for salvation is faith on Jesus Christ. Making Jesus “your personal Lord” is religious talk that corrupts the simplicity of salvation.
2. “If that were true, then we wouldn't need to go to Confession, nor would we need the Eucharist at each Mass, because we now have a get-out-of-jail-free card”. Did the apostle Paul tell anyone they needed to go to Confession to be saved? No. Did Paul tell anyone they needed the Eucharist, or even Mass? No. These are Catholic mandates, the traditions of men. Catholics, much like the Pharisees during the time of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, teach doctrines created by men and present them as though they are from God (Mark 7:7).
3. “A one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ is a great start, but there is much more to salvation than that.” That’s a straight-up lie. There is nothing more to salvation than faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
4. “Jesus said that the Eucharist forgives sin (Matthew 26:28)”. Really? Let’s see if that’s true.
Matthew 26:28: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jesus said that His blood was shed on behalf of many people, so that they could be forgiven of their sins. In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats was offered yearly to God because of the sins of the Jews, but this blood could never be good enough to fully deal with sin (Hebrews 10:1-4). After Jesus was crucified, Jesus rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25), which was accomplished when Jesus took His own shed blood to Heaven (Hebrews 9:11-12). Believers on Jesus Christ are justified by the very blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9). The Eucharist, or Communion, does not forgive sin. Jesus said that Communion was something to be done in remembrance for what He accomplished (Luke 22:19). Communion plays no part whatsoever in a person’s salvation. Communion does not take away sin. The blood of Jesus takes away sin (Colossians 1:14, Romans 3:25). Communion was simply instituted to remember the sacrifice Jesus became on the cross to make eternal salvation possible.
5. “Confession forgives sin (John 20:22-23”. Is this actually stated in the given reference?
John 20:22-23: “And when he (Jesus) had said this, he breathed on them (the disciples), and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
Confession is not mentioned here. The disciples were being given the power to deal with people’s sins. How so? They would soon be given the Gospel of Christ, and belief in this Gospel would result in the forgiveness of sins. Peter was one of the disciples, and here is what Peter said about the Gospel of Christ:
Acts 10:43: “To him (Jesus Christ) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Whoever believes on Jesus Christ is forgiven of all their sins.
Contrary to what Catholicism teaches, confession of sin does not keep a person saved. For the believer, sin breaks fellowship with God (1st John 1:6), and regular confession of sin restores that fellowship (1st John 1:9). But make no mistake, while sin interrupts fellowship with God, sin does not cause a believer to lose salvation. A believer’s sin is not even recorded to the believer’s record after salvation has occurred (Romans 4:8). Confession of sin is what you do after you have been saved, not something you do in order to be or remain saved. And you also don’t go to a priest to confess, because that priest is a sinner just like you. The Catholic Church wants you to confess to her priests in order to keep you in subjection, but those priests do not have special access to God. They are not even saved. There is only one person standing between you and God.
1st Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
In summary: Belief on Jesus Christ gets you a full pardon for sins, resulting in eternal salvation. Sin committed after salvation breaks fellowship with God, but does not undo salvation. If sin could undo salvation, then salvation would be dependent on a righteous lifestyle, and not merely on faith. Salvation is also not dependent on regular confession of sin, because that too would be requiring something other than simple faith. Confession of sin does not keep you saved, but instead keeps you in fellowship with God. Please keep confession in its proper place.
6. “the Last Rites forgive sin (James 5:14-15).” The Last Rites are prayers said for Catholics before death. This passage from James is not talking about Last Rites.
James 5:14-15: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
“Salvation” or the word “save” did not always deal with the subject of eternal salvation when mentioned in Scripture. A good example is Philippians 1:19, where Paul mentions his “salvation.” He was not referring to the salvation of his soul, but rather the freedom he desired from the prison he was being held in. This passage from James was clearly not teaching Last Rites, because no one was dying. The hypothetical sick person is said to be saved from his sickness, and raised up by God. The passage then seems to hint that sin can be connected to sickness, which is a not an original idea. In John 5, Jesus Christ healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. Later that day, Jesus came in contact with the man again.
John 5:14: “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”
We can interpret what Jesus said to mean that in some cases, for some people, sin can lead to sickness. Something this man had done in the past had brought on an illness for 38 years. Jesus told him not to commit that sin again, for fear that something even worse could happen to the man.
Last Rites is a Catholic doctrine, not a Biblical doctrine.
7. “And that begs the question as to why Jesus instituted these sacraments to aid us in our salvation if all we had to do was profess our belief in him one time.”
Jesus Christ did not institute any sacraments. We have seen how communion and confession serve a purpose in the believer’s life, but they do not “aid us in our salvation”. Last Rites, or the teaching that a person can be forgiven of their sins on their deathbed by a Catholic minister, is an idea not even found in the Bible. These “sacraments” are fictitious requirements created by the Catholic Church in order to make salvation something that must be earned. Sacraments are works, and you don’t have to perform works to be saved.
Romans 4:5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Jesus does not expect us to do works “to aid us in our salvation”. If we needed to do works, then Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was not good enough. Jesus did the work. All you have to do is believe it.
John 6:28-29: “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Catholicism exposes itself as a religion by expecting people to work to be saved, and Catholicism has the nerve to say that this was taught by Jesus. In reality, truth is missing in the Catholic Church, and in its place you will find nothing but the traditions of men being presented as Biblical doctrines.
Example 2:
“God wants all of us to be saved from hell and come to know the truth (1 Tim 2:4). Through Christ's Church - the Catholic Church, we can come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18). Through the Sacraments we receive God's saving grace as a free gift. But afterwards we must cooperate with that grace, since we have the free will (choice) to reject God at anytime through serious disobedience, i.e. mortal sin. After receiving God's redeeming grace in Baptism, we must continue to "work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling" [Philip 2:12]. Through Confession, we can ask God for His continuing merciful forgiveness and more graces to help us resist sins in the future. As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.” – taken from catholicnewsagency.com
Again, we have more nonsense from the Catholic Church.
1. “Through Christ's Church - the Catholic Church, we can come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18).”
First of all, if there is an organized denomination, or a particular “church” that can be identified with Jesus Christ, it would not be the Catholic Church. Jesus never taught people to worship Mary, and Jesus never gave us a way to be saved that required us to perform works, or as the Catholic Church calls them, sacraments. Second, let’s look at the verses of Scripture referenced.
1st Timothy 3:15: “But if I (Paul) tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
Matthew 16:18: “And I (Jesus Christ) 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.”
There are two kinds of churches under the New Testament: the true church and the local church. Believers on Jesus Christ are the true church (Acts 20:28, Ephesians 5:21-32). Believers make up the body of Christ, and this body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18, 24). There were also groups of believers who would meet and form local churches (1st Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:2, 1st Thessalonians 1:1). A church is not a building, and a church is not a denomination. Forget tradition and religious imagery. The true church is the worldwide collection of believers on Jesus Christ, and a local church would be a group of believers who meet in the name of Jesus. Believers used to get together at one believer’s house, and it was considered a church (1st Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 2). A group of believers could meet in a field and still be considered a church. We have images engrained in our conscious and subconscious of people meeting in fancy buildings with pews, stained glass windows, depictions of crosses, etc. These things are man-made traditions. Believers are the true church, and local churches can be held anywhere, not confined to religious buildings. You don’t get closer to God by going and kneeling down in a church. You especially will not be close to God if you go to a Catholic Church, because God does not attend their services, or religious rituals. God is not to be found in a physical building, and you don’t have to go anywhere to find Him. He is never far from wherever you are (Acts 17:27), and if you are saved, His Holy Spirit lives inside of you (Ephesians 1:13). You are part of the church of Christ, the very body of Christ. It is blasphemous for Catholicism, which is a man-made religion, to call itself the Catholic Church. It is no different from the Church of Satan. Religions have hijacked a word and a concept belonging to the truth and made it a part of their lies.
Do either of the verses of Scripture given by this Catholic writer teach that Catholicism is the official church of Jesus Christ? Look again at the following:
1st Timothy 3:15: “But if I (Paul) tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
In 1st Timothy 3, Paul instructed Timothy on how bishops and deacons should conduct themselves. Note the following verse pertaining to bishops:
1st Timothy 3:5: “(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
The church of God is the collection of believers on Jesus Christ. A bishop has a special role in the church, which is to care for the church, or more specifically, the local church he oversees. We see this same concept taught by Paul when he spoke to the elders of the local church in Ephesus.
Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
In 1st Timothy 3, Paul explained how bishops and deacons should behave. Bishops and deacons belong to the church of God, while at the same time they are the overseers of the local churches they tend to. They are held to higher standards than others due to their roles within the church of God. More is expected of them because of the positions they hold, not in physical buildings called churches, but in the body of Christ, the true church. This is not to say that bishops and deacons are sinless. But getting back to the main topic of this article, nowhere in 1st Timothy 3 do we find any mention of the Catholic Church.
What about that second verse that was mentioned? What did Jesus mean when He said “thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”? The Catholic Church would have you believe that Peter was going to establish Catholicism. Allow me to laugh for a moment…. Ok, getting back to reality, what was Jesus actually telling Peter? Upon Peter, Jesus was going to build His church, and we know that the church was referring to believers. How do you join this church, or the body of Christ? You believe on Jesus and become saved. After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was first used to spread the great news that belief on Jesus saves the soul? That’s right, it was none other than Peter, just as Jesus Christ had claimed would happen well in advance. Peter presented the Gospel to the Jews in Acts 2, and then Peter presented the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10. Jews and Gentiles began believing on Jesus Christ by the scores, becoming members of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ was the cornerstone (Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1st Peter 2:6-7), and Peter was the rock. The church was built, and is still being built, on the foundation of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 3:10-11), through the Gospel that was first delivered by Peter (though it was foreshadowed by Jesus Christ Himself in the book of John).
Lastly, that Catholic passage above says “we can come to a knowledge of the truth” through the Catholic Church. This is the biggest joke ever told. Jesus Christ is the truth, but the Catholic Church will introduce you to Mary worship and sacraments. Do you want the truth? Stay far away from the Catholic “Church.” You will find more truth by talking to the colorful puppets who live on Sesame Street.
2. “Through the Sacraments we receive God's saving grace as a free gift.” Oh, so that’s how you receive the free gift of God’s grace? You perform works to receive a free gift? But if you work for something, then how can it be given to you as a gift? Wouldn’t it be a payment?
Romans 4:4: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”
Catholicism has created a contradiction, teaching that grace is the result of works, while the Bible teaches otherwise. How does the Bible teach that you receive the free gift of God’s grace?
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The Bible says we receive God’s grace through faith. The Bible says this free gift of God is given without any works of our own. The sacraments are works, and they are required by the Catholic Church in addition to having faith in Jesus Christ. Now let’s say someone goes against the mad teachings of Catholicism and doesn’t do any works, but they believe on Jesus Christ. What happens to this person? According to Catholicism, this person is lost. But what does the Bible say?
Romans 4:5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Who justifies the ungodly? God justifies the believer (Romans 3:26, 8:33) through faith (Romans 3:28, 5:1, Galatians 3:24), by the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:9), and in the name of Jesus (1st Corinthians 6:11). Look again at the following:
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
We are justified by faith, and we receive God’s grace by faith. But wait, Catholicism teaches that we receive God’s grace through the sacraments. Catholicism lied.
3. “But afterwards we must cooperate with that grace, since we have the free will (choice) to reject God at anytime through serious disobedience, i.e. mortal sin.” So we can reject God through sin and lose salvation after receiving God’s free gift of grace? Can this be true? Let’s close the book of Catholic Fables and look at what the Bible teaches.
Can sin cause a believer to lose salvation? Let me ask you this: Is sin what separates unsaved people from salvation? No. Jesus Christ took away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 1st John 2:2). The only thing that keeps a person from being saved is unbelief in Jesus (John 5:40, Romans 11:20, 23). Now look at the following:
2nd Timothy 2:13: “If we (believers on Jesus Christ) believe not, yet he (Jesus) abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
Once you are saved, you could go so far as to not believe on Jesus anymore, and you will still be saved. When someone first believes on Jesus, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). If that person chooses to no longer believe, they are still sealed. For Jesus to deny that person their salvation would be the same thing as denying Himself, because His Holy Spirit lives inside of that person. That’s what you call security. If unbelief on Jesus is all that keeps a person from being saved, and unbelief after a person has been saved does not remove salvation, then why would sin take away a person’s salvation? Do you want to know how secure a believer on Jesus Christ truly is? Consider the following: Salvation is a gift from God (Romans 5:15-18, Ephesians 2:8-9), believers are purchased by God (1st Corinthians 6:20, 7:23, Acts 20:28), believers are adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:16, Galatians 3:26, 4:5, 1st John 5:1), and believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). Do you really think that God is going to allow sin to undo all of the precautions He took to make salvation so secure? Sins are not even recorded to the believer’s record in Heaven (Romans 4:8). God doesn’t allow sin to take away what He freely gives to the believer on His Son. You go to God and you say, “Ok, I’m a sinner and I can’t save myself. I believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again for me.” God then gives you the free gift of salvation, purchases you, adopts you into His family, and places His Holy Spirit inside of you to seal you as one of His own children.
John 10:28-30: “And I (Jesus) give unto them (believers) eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”
If you have believed on Jesus Christ, no one can take away your salvation. Not even you yourself. You can reject God, but God will not reject you. You can sin, but sin will not keep you from Heaven. However, don’t expect any rewards when you get to Heaven. The works of the flesh are sinful, and they are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Any works not done for Jesus Christ will be burned away and result in no rewards (1st Corinthians 3:11-15). But your soul will make it to Heaven. A lifestyle of sin may actually bring about the early death of a believer, but while the body is destroyed, the soul will remain saved (1st Corinthians 5:1-5). If you deny Jesus by not living for Him in this life, He will deny you the chance to reign with Him (2nd Timothy 2:12). But your soul will make it to Heaven.
4. “After receiving God's redeeming grace in Baptism”. Ok, now I’m just getting confused. Didn’t this Catholic writer just say that we receive God’s grace through the sacraments? Now we receive it through baptism? And no, water baptism is not necessary to be saved. In fact, the apostle Paul did not think it that important to baptize.
1st Corinthians 1:17: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
Did you know that believers on Jesus Christ receive a much greater baptism than simple water baptism? John the Baptist prophesied that this would occur.
Matthew 3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance (a change of mind from unbelief to belief): but he (Jesus Christ) that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
Jesus also prophesied about this baptism.
Acts 1:5: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye (the disciples) shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
Do you want to know how to receive this baptism? That is answered with a question. How do we receive the Holy Spirit? We believe on Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
1st Corinthians 12:13: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body (the body of Christ, the church), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body (the true church), and one Spirit (the Holy Spirit), even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Believers on Jesus Christ are not required to be baptized with water. They have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Catholicism places importance on the physical baptism with water, when what is truly important is the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit. Catholicism focuses on outside works, not inside faith. You do not receive God’s grace through water baptism, but instead through faith in Jesus Christ, which baptizes you with the Holy Spirit. Do you have to be baptized to be saved? Yes. But understand this is spiritual baptism, not physical baptism. Spiritual baptism occurs at the moment you believe on Jesus Christ. Anyone demanding you to be water baptized to be saved is a liar.
5. “we must continue to "work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling" [Philip 2:12].” The Catholic Church teaches that faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save the soul, and that works are necessary. This verse from Philippians would, on the surface, appear to support that idea. But let’s examine.
The book of Philippians was written to certain believers on Jesus Christ, meaning people who had already been saved. This is why Paul referred to his audience as “all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi” in the opening verse of the book. Look at what Paul wrote next:
Philippians 1:3-6: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Notice that Paul was confident that “he” who had started working in these believers would continue working in them until a certain, future day. Paul was not telling these believers to keep working for their salvation, because he knew that there was someone else who was doing the work. So who was this “he”? He is the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and yes, the Holy Spirit can be referred to as a “he” (John 14:16-17, 15:26, 16:13, 2nd Thessalonians 2:7). The Holy Spirit seals believers until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30), which will occur at the Rapture, when Jesus calls all believers, who were purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28, Colossians 1:14), to meet Him in the air (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17). The Holy Spirit enters a believer at the moment they believe on Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13), and the Holy Spirit performs His job as a seal until the day of redemption.
Now that we have established that Paul’s audience, the Philippian believers, were already saved, we can look at this seemingly confusing passage of Scripture being abused by Catholicism.
Philippians 2:12-16: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
Paul was instructing these believers to live like they were saved. He told them to work out their salvation, which was to say, let it work itself outward. These believers had done well in Paul’s presence, but Paul wanted to be sure that they would continue during his absence. Paul told these believers to have no “murmurings and disputings”, so that they would remain “blameless and harmless” by the outside, wicked world. (This idea that believers need to live correctly in order to keep a good testimony for the outside world to witness was also presented by Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:33-34). Paul wanted to be able to “rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” What does this mean? Paul compared the life of a believer to running a race.
Hebrews 12:1: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
1st Corinthians 9:24-27: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
Believers do not work for salvation, because salvation is a free gift from God. But good works done for the cause of Jesus Christ will result in something else: Rewards (1st Corinthians 3:14), or prizes. Paul pictured believers as being competitors in a race. Paul wanted to do his best in this race. Paul led many people to Jesus Christ, and he spent much time strengthening and exhorting the local churches he helped to form. Paul had his eye on the prize, an “incorruptible” crown. Think of athletes who compete in the Olympics. They train extensively and compete to win medals, which are nothing but shiny pieces of junk. I’m not trying to be ugly, but let’s be honest here. What good will those medals do for those competitors when they are dead? Believers on Jesus Christ have the opportunity to win prizes that will last forever. I don’t know what these prizes are, but I guarantee you they will be better than worthless medals. Paul wanted the Philippian believers to live the way they should, because that would look very good for Paul on the day when he stands before the judgment seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10-12). Paul would then know that he had not “run in vain, neither laboured in vain”, because his work would have produced good results.
Philippians 3:14: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” – Paul
Titus 3:9: “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”
Paul never taught the Philippian believers to work for their salvation, but instead, he taught them to allow good works to come out from the salvation within themselves.
6. “As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”
There is a lot wrong here. Let’s break this into three parts.
A. “As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians….”
This quote makes a distinction between sinners and Christians. Here is the better way to say it: Unsaved people and saved people. The only true difference between saved and unsaved people is faith in Jesus Christ. The idea that there are sinners and Christians is unfounded. Everyone is a sinner, and everyone becomes saved through faith.
Romans 3:22-24: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
Calling unsaved people “sinners” places those who are saved on a pedestal above the unsaved. It is condescending. Saved people are sinners too.
1st John 1:8: “If we (believers) say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
The apostle Paul, who wrote a big chunk of the New Testament, was still a sinner after being saved.
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Every person in the world is a sinner, whether a believer or an unbeliever, saved or unsaved. But believers can be assured of their salvation.
1st John 5:10-13: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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.”
If you believe on Jesus Christ, you have eternal life. It is not said you will have it someday. You already have it. Believers are still sinners (1st John 1:8, Romans 7:14-25), but God does not record a believer’s sin to the record books (Romans 4:8). So what does God place on the record of the believer? The righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25-26). If you are a believer, then you can most definitely be assured of your salvation. And yes, sinners can indeed be assured of their salvation, as long as they are believers on Jesus Christ.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – Jesus Christ
Look again at the quote from this Catholic writer: “As sinners we are not assured of our salvation.” It is much simpler than this Catholic writer would have you know. Believers have salvation, and unbelievers do not.
All of this may seem like a lot of fuss over a poor choice of words, but it is much more than that. Many religious people tend to think of themselves as holy, and they look down on people they believe to be underneath them. Any religion that demands you to have works to go to Heaven, and this would be every religion, causes a very unfortunate side effect in its members: Pride. Why does this happen? Because when people feel they have accomplished something, it can be easy and tempting for them to feel proud. Whether it is Catholicism, Lordship Salvation, or another religion, people who adhere to those belief systems think that effort is required on their part for salvation. People who feel they have given up their sins, performed good works, etc., see themselves as being more worthy of God’s grace than the common “sinner.” People become high-minded when they feel holier than others. God hates pride (Proverbs 8:13). Pride defiles the people who experience it (Mark 7:20-23). Look carefully at the following passages of Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 3:27: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
God designed salvation in a very ingenious way. Because people do nothing to earn salvation, they can never boast of having it. Works can be bragged about, but salvation comes only by faith. This was a deliberate part of God’s plan, because God wanted to be sure that His children would not begin to think themselves better than anyone else. Note the following passages of Scripture:
1st Corinthians 1:27-31: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory (boast) in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory (boast) in the Lord.”
Galatians 6:14: “But God forbid that I should glory (boast), save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
No one has the right to boast in the presence of God. Anyone who brags about their religious works and accomplishments is forgetting that they are still a sinner just like everyone else. If you want to brag, brag about what Jesus Christ accomplished with His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. If you are a believer on Jesus Christ, then you are saved, but don’t make the mistake of calling people who are not believers “sinners.” That is prideful, and people who use such terminology seem to think that they have risen above sin. This is the fruit of religion, and God does not endorse it.
1st Peter 5:5: “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
B. “But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”
There are no “Channels of God's saving grace”. This grace is given freely to everyone who believes on Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:1-2). Catholicism wants you to place your faith in your own works. Sacraments are works, and they are not Biblical. They are man-made requirements and traditions.
1st Corinthians 2:5: “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Don’t place your faith in man’s wisdom, which is religion. Place your faith in the power of God. What is the power of God?
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
1st Corinthians 15:1-4: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that 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:”
You can place your faith in what you can do, or you can place your faith in what Jesus Christ already accomplished. Don’t have any confidence in your own abilities (Philippians 3:3). This world is prideful, and so are its religions. Man fails when he becomes prideful and tries to earn his own righteousness (Romans 10:3-4). Satan is the god of this world (2nd Corinthians 4:4), and this world teaches religion in order to keep people lost. If you want to overcome this world and all of its deception, believe on Jesus Christ.
1st John 5:5: “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
C. I know it may seem redundant, but please read this quote once more:
“As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”
Let me paraphrase: “If you are religious and perform the works that the Catholic Church tells you to perform, you then have the right to hope that you will make it to Heaven. But there is no guarantee that you will make it.”
According to Catholicism, you do what the Catholic Church says and hope that you did good enough. You will never know if all your effort was good enough until you die. What a lousy deal. Imagine that you live in a house and you decide to get an insurance policy on that house. You set up monthly payments, and you pay month after month. Forty years pass by, and then one day, the house burns down. You contact your insurance company, who tells you “Oh well.” Despite all those years of faithful payments that you made, you are told that you will receive nothing in your time of need. Wouldn’t you be mad? Wouldn’t you feel cheated? What were all of those payments for?
That is how Catholicism operates. It takes your time and money. It takes your faith. It is entrusted with the most important thing in the world to you: Your soul. And what does it give you in return? No promises. Just “hope”.
Catholicism teaches that there is no such thing as eternal security. In other words, in this life, you can never know that you will make it to Heaven. The Catholic Church makes slaves out of people who want security. The Catholic Church does this in order to keep people in subjection. Fortunately, God is not Catholic. God knew that people need security, and God came up with a plan. God sent His Son to earth to carry out the plan that would offer people the greatest insurance policy of all time. Believers on Jesus Christ are in good hands. In the event of death (the destruction of your earthly, bodily home), believers have a spiritual home reserved in Heaven. Catholicism is a scam. Jesus Christ is the best deal you will ever find. Nobody has to be in subjection to the Catholic Church, or any religious organization. Eternal salvation is not found in an organized religion. It is found in a person, Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Catholicism offers hope. God offers something much better: Adoption.
John 1:12: “But as many as received him (Jesus Christ), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Galatians 3:26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Don’t belong to organized religion. Belong to the family of God. Security is just one small step of faith away.
1st John 5:13: “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.”
How does a person become saved?
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
It is very simple to become saved. So why does Catholicism make it a lifelong process? Where do all of these Catholic requirements come from? Why does Catholicism make salvation so complicated? Catholicism is a religion. That is the problem.
Let me run through this: The apostle Paul, who was the apostle to the Gentiles in the age of grace (Ephesians 3:1-9), never described belief on Jesus Christ as religion. Paul claimed that the Jews were wrapped up in religion (Galatians 1:13-14). Their religion was the law of Moses, but more specifically, the idea that people can perform works in order to be saved (Romans 9:31-32, 10:3). Faith in Jesus Christ saves the soul of the believer (Acts 26:18). Works are not required (Titus 3:5). Salvation comes by God’s grace (Romans 5:2). Grace and works do not mix (Romans 11:6). Therefore, we can come to the following conclusion: Any belief system that requires you to do more than simply believe on Jesus Christ to be saved is a religion. Is Catholicism a religion? Most definitely. There is much we could look at, but we are going to view two small samples of what Catholicism teaches regarding a person’s salvation. Underlines have been added by me for emphasis.
Example 1:
“Are you saved? That question is a loaded one, implying that once you confess that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and savior, that's it, you're saved. If that were true, then we wouldn't need to go to Confession, nor would we need the Eucharist at each Mass, because we now have a get-out-of-jail-free card; that is, our professed belief in Jesus as our personal Lord and savior. In other words, they ask you that question to get you to leave the Catholic Church and join their protestant church.
A one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ is a great start, but there is much more to salvation than that. Jesus said that the Eucharist forgives sin (Matthew 26:28), Confession forgives sin (John 20:22-23, and the Last Rites forgive sin (James 5:14-15). This "I am saved" philosophy of many protestants doesn't require any of these methods of forgiveness, because they believe they are already saved and don't need any sacraments. And that begs the question as to why Jesus instituted these sacraments to aid us in our salvation if all we had to do was profess our belief in him one time.” – taken from catholicbible101.com
There is a lot of nonsense in the small passage you just read. What follows is not meant to be a deep study, but an illustration of some of the fundamental errors of Catholicism. What is more important to be right about than salvation? Catholicism gets salvation wrong. Now let’s find the errors in the above religious gibberish.
1. This first point is not about Catholicism, but about an accusation made by this particular Catholic writer. This writer mocks God’s simple plan of salvation by saying you cannot be saved just because “you confess that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and savior”. This is a misrepresentation of Biblical salvation, because the Bible never tells you to do that. Jesus is Lord (1st Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14), but we are never told to make Him our “personal Lord” to be saved. We are told to acknowledge Him (2nd Timothy 2:25), or to recognize that He is who Scripture claims Him to be (the Son of God, who was crucified, buried, and rose again). When Romans 10:9 teaches that you must “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,” this means you must acknowledge Jesus, not by making Him your “personal Lord,” but by admitting you believe in Him. Jesus is Lord whether you submit to Him or not. You do not have to submit to Jesus to be saved. You only have to believe on Him (John 3:16, 6:47, Acts 10:43, Galatians 2:16, 3:26, Ephesians 1:13, 2nd Timothy 3:15). Submitting to Jesus requires work. Believing on Jesus requires faith. Let me be very clear about this: You can submit to, or obey, Jesus, but that does not save you or play any part in saving you. Acknowledging Jesus and believing on Him amount to the same thing. If someone says, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God, died for my sins, was buried, and rose again,” that person has acknowledged Jesus, and clearly this person has believed on Jesus as well. This idea of making Jesus your “personal Lord” or “Lord of your life” is called Lordship Salvation, which is a false religion demanding you to perform works to be saved. You don’t make Jesus “Lord.” You believe on Jesus because He already is Lord. Note the wording in the following verse, a verse which tells you how to be saved.
Acts 16:30-31: “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
And finally, consider how this man became saved:
Acts 8:36-37: “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
This man acknowledged and believed on Jesus Christ, and he was saved. This was possible because all that is required for salvation is faith on Jesus Christ. Making Jesus “your personal Lord” is religious talk that corrupts the simplicity of salvation.
2. “If that were true, then we wouldn't need to go to Confession, nor would we need the Eucharist at each Mass, because we now have a get-out-of-jail-free card”. Did the apostle Paul tell anyone they needed to go to Confession to be saved? No. Did Paul tell anyone they needed the Eucharist, or even Mass? No. These are Catholic mandates, the traditions of men. Catholics, much like the Pharisees during the time of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, teach doctrines created by men and present them as though they are from God (Mark 7:7).
3. “A one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ is a great start, but there is much more to salvation than that.” That’s a straight-up lie. There is nothing more to salvation than faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
4. “Jesus said that the Eucharist forgives sin (Matthew 26:28)”. Really? Let’s see if that’s true.
Matthew 26:28: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jesus said that His blood was shed on behalf of many people, so that they could be forgiven of their sins. In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats was offered yearly to God because of the sins of the Jews, but this blood could never be good enough to fully deal with sin (Hebrews 10:1-4). After Jesus was crucified, Jesus rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25), which was accomplished when Jesus took His own shed blood to Heaven (Hebrews 9:11-12). Believers on Jesus Christ are justified by the very blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9). The Eucharist, or Communion, does not forgive sin. Jesus said that Communion was something to be done in remembrance for what He accomplished (Luke 22:19). Communion plays no part whatsoever in a person’s salvation. Communion does not take away sin. The blood of Jesus takes away sin (Colossians 1:14, Romans 3:25). Communion was simply instituted to remember the sacrifice Jesus became on the cross to make eternal salvation possible.
5. “Confession forgives sin (John 20:22-23”. Is this actually stated in the given reference?
John 20:22-23: “And when he (Jesus) had said this, he breathed on them (the disciples), and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
Confession is not mentioned here. The disciples were being given the power to deal with people’s sins. How so? They would soon be given the Gospel of Christ, and belief in this Gospel would result in the forgiveness of sins. Peter was one of the disciples, and here is what Peter said about the Gospel of Christ:
Acts 10:43: “To him (Jesus Christ) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Whoever believes on Jesus Christ is forgiven of all their sins.
Contrary to what Catholicism teaches, confession of sin does not keep a person saved. For the believer, sin breaks fellowship with God (1st John 1:6), and regular confession of sin restores that fellowship (1st John 1:9). But make no mistake, while sin interrupts fellowship with God, sin does not cause a believer to lose salvation. A believer’s sin is not even recorded to the believer’s record after salvation has occurred (Romans 4:8). Confession of sin is what you do after you have been saved, not something you do in order to be or remain saved. And you also don’t go to a priest to confess, because that priest is a sinner just like you. The Catholic Church wants you to confess to her priests in order to keep you in subjection, but those priests do not have special access to God. They are not even saved. There is only one person standing between you and God.
1st Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
In summary: Belief on Jesus Christ gets you a full pardon for sins, resulting in eternal salvation. Sin committed after salvation breaks fellowship with God, but does not undo salvation. If sin could undo salvation, then salvation would be dependent on a righteous lifestyle, and not merely on faith. Salvation is also not dependent on regular confession of sin, because that too would be requiring something other than simple faith. Confession of sin does not keep you saved, but instead keeps you in fellowship with God. Please keep confession in its proper place.
6. “the Last Rites forgive sin (James 5:14-15).” The Last Rites are prayers said for Catholics before death. This passage from James is not talking about Last Rites.
James 5:14-15: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
“Salvation” or the word “save” did not always deal with the subject of eternal salvation when mentioned in Scripture. A good example is Philippians 1:19, where Paul mentions his “salvation.” He was not referring to the salvation of his soul, but rather the freedom he desired from the prison he was being held in. This passage from James was clearly not teaching Last Rites, because no one was dying. The hypothetical sick person is said to be saved from his sickness, and raised up by God. The passage then seems to hint that sin can be connected to sickness, which is a not an original idea. In John 5, Jesus Christ healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. Later that day, Jesus came in contact with the man again.
John 5:14: “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”
We can interpret what Jesus said to mean that in some cases, for some people, sin can lead to sickness. Something this man had done in the past had brought on an illness for 38 years. Jesus told him not to commit that sin again, for fear that something even worse could happen to the man.
Last Rites is a Catholic doctrine, not a Biblical doctrine.
7. “And that begs the question as to why Jesus instituted these sacraments to aid us in our salvation if all we had to do was profess our belief in him one time.”
Jesus Christ did not institute any sacraments. We have seen how communion and confession serve a purpose in the believer’s life, but they do not “aid us in our salvation”. Last Rites, or the teaching that a person can be forgiven of their sins on their deathbed by a Catholic minister, is an idea not even found in the Bible. These “sacraments” are fictitious requirements created by the Catholic Church in order to make salvation something that must be earned. Sacraments are works, and you don’t have to perform works to be saved.
Romans 4:5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Jesus does not expect us to do works “to aid us in our salvation”. If we needed to do works, then Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was not good enough. Jesus did the work. All you have to do is believe it.
John 6:28-29: “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Catholicism exposes itself as a religion by expecting people to work to be saved, and Catholicism has the nerve to say that this was taught by Jesus. In reality, truth is missing in the Catholic Church, and in its place you will find nothing but the traditions of men being presented as Biblical doctrines.
Example 2:
“God wants all of us to be saved from hell and come to know the truth (1 Tim 2:4). Through Christ's Church - the Catholic Church, we can come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18). Through the Sacraments we receive God's saving grace as a free gift. But afterwards we must cooperate with that grace, since we have the free will (choice) to reject God at anytime through serious disobedience, i.e. mortal sin. After receiving God's redeeming grace in Baptism, we must continue to "work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling" [Philip 2:12]. Through Confession, we can ask God for His continuing merciful forgiveness and more graces to help us resist sins in the future. As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.” – taken from catholicnewsagency.com
Again, we have more nonsense from the Catholic Church.
1. “Through Christ's Church - the Catholic Church, we can come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18).”
First of all, if there is an organized denomination, or a particular “church” that can be identified with Jesus Christ, it would not be the Catholic Church. Jesus never taught people to worship Mary, and Jesus never gave us a way to be saved that required us to perform works, or as the Catholic Church calls them, sacraments. Second, let’s look at the verses of Scripture referenced.
1st Timothy 3:15: “But if I (Paul) tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
Matthew 16:18: “And I (Jesus Christ) 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.”
There are two kinds of churches under the New Testament: the true church and the local church. Believers on Jesus Christ are the true church (Acts 20:28, Ephesians 5:21-32). Believers make up the body of Christ, and this body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18, 24). There were also groups of believers who would meet and form local churches (1st Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:2, 1st Thessalonians 1:1). A church is not a building, and a church is not a denomination. Forget tradition and religious imagery. The true church is the worldwide collection of believers on Jesus Christ, and a local church would be a group of believers who meet in the name of Jesus. Believers used to get together at one believer’s house, and it was considered a church (1st Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 2). A group of believers could meet in a field and still be considered a church. We have images engrained in our conscious and subconscious of people meeting in fancy buildings with pews, stained glass windows, depictions of crosses, etc. These things are man-made traditions. Believers are the true church, and local churches can be held anywhere, not confined to religious buildings. You don’t get closer to God by going and kneeling down in a church. You especially will not be close to God if you go to a Catholic Church, because God does not attend their services, or religious rituals. God is not to be found in a physical building, and you don’t have to go anywhere to find Him. He is never far from wherever you are (Acts 17:27), and if you are saved, His Holy Spirit lives inside of you (Ephesians 1:13). You are part of the church of Christ, the very body of Christ. It is blasphemous for Catholicism, which is a man-made religion, to call itself the Catholic Church. It is no different from the Church of Satan. Religions have hijacked a word and a concept belonging to the truth and made it a part of their lies.
Do either of the verses of Scripture given by this Catholic writer teach that Catholicism is the official church of Jesus Christ? Look again at the following:
1st Timothy 3:15: “But if I (Paul) tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
In 1st Timothy 3, Paul instructed Timothy on how bishops and deacons should conduct themselves. Note the following verse pertaining to bishops:
1st Timothy 3:5: “(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
The church of God is the collection of believers on Jesus Christ. A bishop has a special role in the church, which is to care for the church, or more specifically, the local church he oversees. We see this same concept taught by Paul when he spoke to the elders of the local church in Ephesus.
Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
In 1st Timothy 3, Paul explained how bishops and deacons should behave. Bishops and deacons belong to the church of God, while at the same time they are the overseers of the local churches they tend to. They are held to higher standards than others due to their roles within the church of God. More is expected of them because of the positions they hold, not in physical buildings called churches, but in the body of Christ, the true church. This is not to say that bishops and deacons are sinless. But getting back to the main topic of this article, nowhere in 1st Timothy 3 do we find any mention of the Catholic Church.
What about that second verse that was mentioned? What did Jesus mean when He said “thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”? The Catholic Church would have you believe that Peter was going to establish Catholicism. Allow me to laugh for a moment…. Ok, getting back to reality, what was Jesus actually telling Peter? Upon Peter, Jesus was going to build His church, and we know that the church was referring to believers. How do you join this church, or the body of Christ? You believe on Jesus and become saved. After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was first used to spread the great news that belief on Jesus saves the soul? That’s right, it was none other than Peter, just as Jesus Christ had claimed would happen well in advance. Peter presented the Gospel to the Jews in Acts 2, and then Peter presented the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10. Jews and Gentiles began believing on Jesus Christ by the scores, becoming members of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ was the cornerstone (Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1st Peter 2:6-7), and Peter was the rock. The church was built, and is still being built, on the foundation of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 3:10-11), through the Gospel that was first delivered by Peter (though it was foreshadowed by Jesus Christ Himself in the book of John).
Lastly, that Catholic passage above says “we can come to a knowledge of the truth” through the Catholic Church. This is the biggest joke ever told. Jesus Christ is the truth, but the Catholic Church will introduce you to Mary worship and sacraments. Do you want the truth? Stay far away from the Catholic “Church.” You will find more truth by talking to the colorful puppets who live on Sesame Street.
2. “Through the Sacraments we receive God's saving grace as a free gift.” Oh, so that’s how you receive the free gift of God’s grace? You perform works to receive a free gift? But if you work for something, then how can it be given to you as a gift? Wouldn’t it be a payment?
Romans 4:4: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”
Catholicism has created a contradiction, teaching that grace is the result of works, while the Bible teaches otherwise. How does the Bible teach that you receive the free gift of God’s grace?
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The Bible says we receive God’s grace through faith. The Bible says this free gift of God is given without any works of our own. The sacraments are works, and they are required by the Catholic Church in addition to having faith in Jesus Christ. Now let’s say someone goes against the mad teachings of Catholicism and doesn’t do any works, but they believe on Jesus Christ. What happens to this person? According to Catholicism, this person is lost. But what does the Bible say?
Romans 4:5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Who justifies the ungodly? God justifies the believer (Romans 3:26, 8:33) through faith (Romans 3:28, 5:1, Galatians 3:24), by the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:9), and in the name of Jesus (1st Corinthians 6:11). Look again at the following:
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
We are justified by faith, and we receive God’s grace by faith. But wait, Catholicism teaches that we receive God’s grace through the sacraments. Catholicism lied.
3. “But afterwards we must cooperate with that grace, since we have the free will (choice) to reject God at anytime through serious disobedience, i.e. mortal sin.” So we can reject God through sin and lose salvation after receiving God’s free gift of grace? Can this be true? Let’s close the book of Catholic Fables and look at what the Bible teaches.
Can sin cause a believer to lose salvation? Let me ask you this: Is sin what separates unsaved people from salvation? No. Jesus Christ took away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 1st John 2:2). The only thing that keeps a person from being saved is unbelief in Jesus (John 5:40, Romans 11:20, 23). Now look at the following:
2nd Timothy 2:13: “If we (believers on Jesus Christ) believe not, yet he (Jesus) abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
Once you are saved, you could go so far as to not believe on Jesus anymore, and you will still be saved. When someone first believes on Jesus, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). If that person chooses to no longer believe, they are still sealed. For Jesus to deny that person their salvation would be the same thing as denying Himself, because His Holy Spirit lives inside of that person. That’s what you call security. If unbelief on Jesus is all that keeps a person from being saved, and unbelief after a person has been saved does not remove salvation, then why would sin take away a person’s salvation? Do you want to know how secure a believer on Jesus Christ truly is? Consider the following: Salvation is a gift from God (Romans 5:15-18, Ephesians 2:8-9), believers are purchased by God (1st Corinthians 6:20, 7:23, Acts 20:28), believers are adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:16, Galatians 3:26, 4:5, 1st John 5:1), and believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). Do you really think that God is going to allow sin to undo all of the precautions He took to make salvation so secure? Sins are not even recorded to the believer’s record in Heaven (Romans 4:8). God doesn’t allow sin to take away what He freely gives to the believer on His Son. You go to God and you say, “Ok, I’m a sinner and I can’t save myself. I believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again for me.” God then gives you the free gift of salvation, purchases you, adopts you into His family, and places His Holy Spirit inside of you to seal you as one of His own children.
John 10:28-30: “And I (Jesus) give unto them (believers) eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”
If you have believed on Jesus Christ, no one can take away your salvation. Not even you yourself. You can reject God, but God will not reject you. You can sin, but sin will not keep you from Heaven. However, don’t expect any rewards when you get to Heaven. The works of the flesh are sinful, and they are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Any works not done for Jesus Christ will be burned away and result in no rewards (1st Corinthians 3:11-15). But your soul will make it to Heaven. A lifestyle of sin may actually bring about the early death of a believer, but while the body is destroyed, the soul will remain saved (1st Corinthians 5:1-5). If you deny Jesus by not living for Him in this life, He will deny you the chance to reign with Him (2nd Timothy 2:12). But your soul will make it to Heaven.
4. “After receiving God's redeeming grace in Baptism”. Ok, now I’m just getting confused. Didn’t this Catholic writer just say that we receive God’s grace through the sacraments? Now we receive it through baptism? And no, water baptism is not necessary to be saved. In fact, the apostle Paul did not think it that important to baptize.
1st Corinthians 1:17: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
Did you know that believers on Jesus Christ receive a much greater baptism than simple water baptism? John the Baptist prophesied that this would occur.
Matthew 3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance (a change of mind from unbelief to belief): but he (Jesus Christ) that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
Jesus also prophesied about this baptism.
Acts 1:5: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye (the disciples) shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
Do you want to know how to receive this baptism? That is answered with a question. How do we receive the Holy Spirit? We believe on Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
1st Corinthians 12:13: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body (the body of Christ, the church), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body (the true church), and one Spirit (the Holy Spirit), even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Believers on Jesus Christ are not required to be baptized with water. They have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Catholicism places importance on the physical baptism with water, when what is truly important is the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit. Catholicism focuses on outside works, not inside faith. You do not receive God’s grace through water baptism, but instead through faith in Jesus Christ, which baptizes you with the Holy Spirit. Do you have to be baptized to be saved? Yes. But understand this is spiritual baptism, not physical baptism. Spiritual baptism occurs at the moment you believe on Jesus Christ. Anyone demanding you to be water baptized to be saved is a liar.
5. “we must continue to "work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling" [Philip 2:12].” The Catholic Church teaches that faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save the soul, and that works are necessary. This verse from Philippians would, on the surface, appear to support that idea. But let’s examine.
The book of Philippians was written to certain believers on Jesus Christ, meaning people who had already been saved. This is why Paul referred to his audience as “all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi” in the opening verse of the book. Look at what Paul wrote next:
Philippians 1:3-6: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Notice that Paul was confident that “he” who had started working in these believers would continue working in them until a certain, future day. Paul was not telling these believers to keep working for their salvation, because he knew that there was someone else who was doing the work. So who was this “he”? He is the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and yes, the Holy Spirit can be referred to as a “he” (John 14:16-17, 15:26, 16:13, 2nd Thessalonians 2:7). The Holy Spirit seals believers until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30), which will occur at the Rapture, when Jesus calls all believers, who were purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28, Colossians 1:14), to meet Him in the air (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17). The Holy Spirit enters a believer at the moment they believe on Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13), and the Holy Spirit performs His job as a seal until the day of redemption.
Now that we have established that Paul’s audience, the Philippian believers, were already saved, we can look at this seemingly confusing passage of Scripture being abused by Catholicism.
Philippians 2:12-16: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
Paul was instructing these believers to live like they were saved. He told them to work out their salvation, which was to say, let it work itself outward. These believers had done well in Paul’s presence, but Paul wanted to be sure that they would continue during his absence. Paul told these believers to have no “murmurings and disputings”, so that they would remain “blameless and harmless” by the outside, wicked world. (This idea that believers need to live correctly in order to keep a good testimony for the outside world to witness was also presented by Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:33-34). Paul wanted to be able to “rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” What does this mean? Paul compared the life of a believer to running a race.
Hebrews 12:1: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
1st Corinthians 9:24-27: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
Believers do not work for salvation, because salvation is a free gift from God. But good works done for the cause of Jesus Christ will result in something else: Rewards (1st Corinthians 3:14), or prizes. Paul pictured believers as being competitors in a race. Paul wanted to do his best in this race. Paul led many people to Jesus Christ, and he spent much time strengthening and exhorting the local churches he helped to form. Paul had his eye on the prize, an “incorruptible” crown. Think of athletes who compete in the Olympics. They train extensively and compete to win medals, which are nothing but shiny pieces of junk. I’m not trying to be ugly, but let’s be honest here. What good will those medals do for those competitors when they are dead? Believers on Jesus Christ have the opportunity to win prizes that will last forever. I don’t know what these prizes are, but I guarantee you they will be better than worthless medals. Paul wanted the Philippian believers to live the way they should, because that would look very good for Paul on the day when he stands before the judgment seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10-12). Paul would then know that he had not “run in vain, neither laboured in vain”, because his work would have produced good results.
Philippians 3:14: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” – Paul
Titus 3:9: “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”
Paul never taught the Philippian believers to work for their salvation, but instead, he taught them to allow good works to come out from the salvation within themselves.
6. “As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”
There is a lot wrong here. Let’s break this into three parts.
A. “As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians….”
This quote makes a distinction between sinners and Christians. Here is the better way to say it: Unsaved people and saved people. The only true difference between saved and unsaved people is faith in Jesus Christ. The idea that there are sinners and Christians is unfounded. Everyone is a sinner, and everyone becomes saved through faith.
Romans 3:22-24: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
Calling unsaved people “sinners” places those who are saved on a pedestal above the unsaved. It is condescending. Saved people are sinners too.
1st John 1:8: “If we (believers) say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
The apostle Paul, who wrote a big chunk of the New Testament, was still a sinner after being saved.
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Every person in the world is a sinner, whether a believer or an unbeliever, saved or unsaved. But believers can be assured of their salvation.
1st John 5:10-13: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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.”
If you believe on Jesus Christ, you have eternal life. It is not said you will have it someday. You already have it. Believers are still sinners (1st John 1:8, Romans 7:14-25), but God does not record a believer’s sin to the record books (Romans 4:8). So what does God place on the record of the believer? The righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25-26). If you are a believer, then you can most definitely be assured of your salvation. And yes, sinners can indeed be assured of their salvation, as long as they are believers on Jesus Christ.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – Jesus Christ
Look again at the quote from this Catholic writer: “As sinners we are not assured of our salvation.” It is much simpler than this Catholic writer would have you know. Believers have salvation, and unbelievers do not.
All of this may seem like a lot of fuss over a poor choice of words, but it is much more than that. Many religious people tend to think of themselves as holy, and they look down on people they believe to be underneath them. Any religion that demands you to have works to go to Heaven, and this would be every religion, causes a very unfortunate side effect in its members: Pride. Why does this happen? Because when people feel they have accomplished something, it can be easy and tempting for them to feel proud. Whether it is Catholicism, Lordship Salvation, or another religion, people who adhere to those belief systems think that effort is required on their part for salvation. People who feel they have given up their sins, performed good works, etc., see themselves as being more worthy of God’s grace than the common “sinner.” People become high-minded when they feel holier than others. God hates pride (Proverbs 8:13). Pride defiles the people who experience it (Mark 7:20-23). Look carefully at the following passages of Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 3:27: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
God designed salvation in a very ingenious way. Because people do nothing to earn salvation, they can never boast of having it. Works can be bragged about, but salvation comes only by faith. This was a deliberate part of God’s plan, because God wanted to be sure that His children would not begin to think themselves better than anyone else. Note the following passages of Scripture:
1st Corinthians 1:27-31: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory (boast) in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory (boast) in the Lord.”
Galatians 6:14: “But God forbid that I should glory (boast), save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
No one has the right to boast in the presence of God. Anyone who brags about their religious works and accomplishments is forgetting that they are still a sinner just like everyone else. If you want to brag, brag about what Jesus Christ accomplished with His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. If you are a believer on Jesus Christ, then you are saved, but don’t make the mistake of calling people who are not believers “sinners.” That is prideful, and people who use such terminology seem to think that they have risen above sin. This is the fruit of religion, and God does not endorse it.
1st Peter 5:5: “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
B. “But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”
There are no “Channels of God's saving grace”. This grace is given freely to everyone who believes on Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:1-2). Catholicism wants you to place your faith in your own works. Sacraments are works, and they are not Biblical. They are man-made requirements and traditions.
1st Corinthians 2:5: “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Don’t place your faith in man’s wisdom, which is religion. Place your faith in the power of God. What is the power of God?
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
1st Corinthians 15:1-4: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that 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:”
You can place your faith in what you can do, or you can place your faith in what Jesus Christ already accomplished. Don’t have any confidence in your own abilities (Philippians 3:3). This world is prideful, and so are its religions. Man fails when he becomes prideful and tries to earn his own righteousness (Romans 10:3-4). Satan is the god of this world (2nd Corinthians 4:4), and this world teaches religion in order to keep people lost. If you want to overcome this world and all of its deception, believe on Jesus Christ.
1st John 5:5: “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
C. I know it may seem redundant, but please read this quote once more:
“As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God's saving grace - without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.”
Let me paraphrase: “If you are religious and perform the works that the Catholic Church tells you to perform, you then have the right to hope that you will make it to Heaven. But there is no guarantee that you will make it.”
According to Catholicism, you do what the Catholic Church says and hope that you did good enough. You will never know if all your effort was good enough until you die. What a lousy deal. Imagine that you live in a house and you decide to get an insurance policy on that house. You set up monthly payments, and you pay month after month. Forty years pass by, and then one day, the house burns down. You contact your insurance company, who tells you “Oh well.” Despite all those years of faithful payments that you made, you are told that you will receive nothing in your time of need. Wouldn’t you be mad? Wouldn’t you feel cheated? What were all of those payments for?
That is how Catholicism operates. It takes your time and money. It takes your faith. It is entrusted with the most important thing in the world to you: Your soul. And what does it give you in return? No promises. Just “hope”.
Catholicism teaches that there is no such thing as eternal security. In other words, in this life, you can never know that you will make it to Heaven. The Catholic Church makes slaves out of people who want security. The Catholic Church does this in order to keep people in subjection. Fortunately, God is not Catholic. God knew that people need security, and God came up with a plan. God sent His Son to earth to carry out the plan that would offer people the greatest insurance policy of all time. Believers on Jesus Christ are in good hands. In the event of death (the destruction of your earthly, bodily home), believers have a spiritual home reserved in Heaven. Catholicism is a scam. Jesus Christ is the best deal you will ever find. Nobody has to be in subjection to the Catholic Church, or any religious organization. Eternal salvation is not found in an organized religion. It is found in a person, Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Catholicism offers hope. God offers something much better: Adoption.
John 1:12: “But as many as received him (Jesus Christ), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Galatians 3:26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Don’t belong to organized religion. Belong to the family of God. Security is just one small step of faith away.
1st John 5:13: “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.”
We have taken a brief look at just some of the heresy that abounds in the Catholic religion regarding salvation. Catholicism fails immensely with its salvation message, teaching a works salvation, a salvation that can be lost, etc. Now let’s go to the main man himself, Pope Francis, and examine some interesting and ridiculous claims he made in June 2014.
“It is through our brothers and sisters with their gifts and their limits that he comes to us and makes himself known. This is what belonging to the church means. Remember: Being Christian means belonging to the church. If your first name is Christian, your last name is Member of the Church.”
Remember what we previously learned: Believers on Jesus Christ belong to the true church, which is the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:29-30, Colossians 1:18, 24). Unfortunately, this is not what Pope Francis was speaking of. Pope Francis was demanding that anyone calling himself a Christian must belong to the Catholic Church. Is it really mandatory that believers belong to the Catholic Church? Or was Pope Francis simply attempting to keep people in subjection to the religious empire he oversees? In Acts 8:26-39, when Philip led a man to belief on Jesus Christ, did Philip tell the man that he must become a member of the Catholic Church? No. Philip said nothing about joining any church at all. You can indeed be a Christian and not be a member of a church.
Pope Francis claimed that Christians should never “give into the temptation of thinking you can do without others, without the church, that you can save yourself, of thinking you can be a laboratory Christian.”
This was more authoritative talk from Pope Francis, who would have you believe that he comes from a position of authority. He claimed that you cannot “save yourself”. This is true. A person can do nothing to save himself. A person can only believe on the work of Jesus Christ, and then God declares that person saved because of that faith. But this is not what Pope Francis was teaching. Pope Francis was saying that a person cannot be saved outside of the Catholic Church. Remember, Catholicism requires works, or sacraments, for a person to be saved. This teaching serves a dual purpose. First of all, it teaches people to place their faith in their own ongoing, righteous works instead of in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Secondly, it keeps people in subjection to the Catholic Church and its manmade rules, which would dissolve if only people woke up to the truth and left religion behind. The Catholic Church is not designed to save, but rather enslave. I’m here to tell you that a person, no matter who they are, can indeed be saved without the aid of any other person or organization. Let’s say a person gets a hold of Scripture, whether a physical copy of the Bible or online. And let’s say this person reads about Jesus Christ and believes in His death, burial, and resurrection. This person never enters a physical church, and this person never seeks the advice or guidance of some religious “authority.” Is this person saved? The answer is yes. The Catholic Church wants to keep you in subjection, but you need only have faith in Jesus Christ to be saved, and you need only go to Jesus directly.
1st Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Jesus Christ alone stands between you and God. No one else is in the way. Not the Catholic Church, the pope, any priest, etc. The Catholic Church keeps gullible, ignorant people in subjection by means of religion, tradition, and lies. The Catholic Church comes to you in the name of God, but it places itself between you and God. Instead of showing you the way to God, the Catholic Church acts as a roadblock, or some unauthorized gatekeeper. What should be the true goal of a person or organization that claims to come to you in the name of God? Look carefully at the words of Paul in the following verse of Scripture, which was written to the local church that was in Corinth.
2nd Corinthians 1:24: “Not for that we (Paul and Timothy) have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.”
Every word counts here. There are three lessons to be taken from this verse.
1. Teachers of Jesus Christ have no dominion, or rule, over you or your faith.
2. Teachers of Jesus Christ should help you (the true goal). They should do this by telling you what you need to know, the Biblical doctrines you need to hear. Unsaved people need to hear the Gospel of Christ, and saved people need to be taught Scripture. If you heed the doctrines of Scripture, you will have joy. To the Corinthian believers, Paul wrote that he and Timothy were “helpers of your joy”. The book of 1st John has many instructions about how believers should live. Look at one of the opening verses from the book:
1st John 1:4: “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
3. If you are a believer on Jesus Christ, then your faith is what you are standing on. You are not saved by standing on the Catholic Church, on righteous works, etc. The reason you will have the right to stand before Jesus Christ one day is because of your faith.
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The Catholic Church is not here to help people become saved or to aid those who are already saved, but rather to enslave people who desire to be saved and teach people manmade doctrines instead of Biblical doctrines. Thus, the Catholic Church is not truly coming to you in the name of God. Contrary to what Pope Francis said, nobody needs the Catholic Church. You can be saved all by yourself when you trust in Jesus Christ. And I don’t even know what Pope Francis meant by saying you can’t be “a laboratory Christian.” Was this a slam against believers on Jesus Christ who disagree with the heresies of the Catholic Church? Sounds to me like more condescending talk from the most pompous man in the world. Why do I say this about the pope? Do you remember what we learned earlier? Remember how religion creates pride? What do you think happens to the person who rises to the very top rank of a religion? The pope is a man who sits at the top of the Catholic empire. The pope believes he is the mediator between people and God. The pope believes he has the power to forgive sins. In other words, the pope has taken on the role of Jesus Christ. I would say someone has a serious problem with pride.
Pope Francis said that some people “think they can have a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside of the communion and the mediation of the Church. Such temptations are dangerous and harmful. They are, in the words of the great Pope Paul VI, absurd dichotomies.”
Again, Pope Francis condemned the idea that a person can have a spiritual life outside of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis claimed that the “mediation” of the Catholic Church is necessary for a person to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Previously, we saw how the pope tries to hijack the role of Jesus Christ. Now we see that the Catholic Church itself attempts to take on a mediator role as well. Look carefully at the definition of “mediate”:
“to settle (disputes, strikes, etc.) as an intermediary between parties; reconcile.” – taken from dictionary.com
Pope Francis was saying that the Catholic Church is the middle man between each person and Jesus Christ, and the purpose of this middle man is to bring about reconciliation, or harmony, between the two parties. However, people don’t need reconciliation between themselves and Jesus, but between themselves and God. Once again, note the following:
1st Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Jesus Christ is the middle man between people and God. Scripture says nothing about there being a middle man between people and Jesus. Now what about reconciliation? How are we reconciled to God? Through the middle man, Jesus Christ.
2nd Corinthians 5:18-19: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us (Paul and Timothy) the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
Believers are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Believers on Jesus do not have their sins, or “trespasses”, recorded, and this makes peace between God and believers, because God can never allow sin in His presence. Paul and Timothy, who helped establish the early local churches, viewed their job as “the ministry of reconciliation”. God had given these men “the word of reconciliation”, or the news of God’s plan. This is another way of saying that these men carried with them the Gospel of Christ, the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Paul and Timothy did not reconcile people to God. Instead, they simply told people how to be reconciled, by belief in Jesus Christ. Those who have been reconciled to God can then take the message to others, meaning that every believer can spread “the word of reconciliation”.
Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is necessary for reconciliation. And yet, instead of telling people to simply believe on Jesus Christ to receive reconciliation, the Catholic Church demands people to keep the sacraments, or to have works. The Catholic Church does not teach “the word of reconciliation”, but rather religion and the tradition of men, designed to keep people in subjection to the Catholic Church. This is why Pope Francis said that the idea of having a relationship with Jesus Christ outside of the Catholic Church is “dangerous and harmful.” Those words were carefully chosen in order to attack people who know the truth, and to keep people who are unaware of the truth in subjection to the Catholic Church. It is extremely arrogant for the Catholic Church to place itself between people and Jesus Christ. In fact, it is quite dangerous, and that is why the pope used that word, in order to accuse others of doing what he himself is a part of.
In closing, the three quotes from Pope Francis carry a common theme. In case you did not catch it just yet, here it is: Subjection, or slavery. Members of the Catholic Church are slaves to a system designed to keep them from the truth and lock them into subjection to a manmade religious empire. Jesus Christ offers freedom. Catholicism is the tradition of men. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Choose Jesus over Catholicism or any other religion.
“It is through our brothers and sisters with their gifts and their limits that he comes to us and makes himself known. This is what belonging to the church means. Remember: Being Christian means belonging to the church. If your first name is Christian, your last name is Member of the Church.”
Remember what we previously learned: Believers on Jesus Christ belong to the true church, which is the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:29-30, Colossians 1:18, 24). Unfortunately, this is not what Pope Francis was speaking of. Pope Francis was demanding that anyone calling himself a Christian must belong to the Catholic Church. Is it really mandatory that believers belong to the Catholic Church? Or was Pope Francis simply attempting to keep people in subjection to the religious empire he oversees? In Acts 8:26-39, when Philip led a man to belief on Jesus Christ, did Philip tell the man that he must become a member of the Catholic Church? No. Philip said nothing about joining any church at all. You can indeed be a Christian and not be a member of a church.
Pope Francis claimed that Christians should never “give into the temptation of thinking you can do without others, without the church, that you can save yourself, of thinking you can be a laboratory Christian.”
This was more authoritative talk from Pope Francis, who would have you believe that he comes from a position of authority. He claimed that you cannot “save yourself”. This is true. A person can do nothing to save himself. A person can only believe on the work of Jesus Christ, and then God declares that person saved because of that faith. But this is not what Pope Francis was teaching. Pope Francis was saying that a person cannot be saved outside of the Catholic Church. Remember, Catholicism requires works, or sacraments, for a person to be saved. This teaching serves a dual purpose. First of all, it teaches people to place their faith in their own ongoing, righteous works instead of in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Secondly, it keeps people in subjection to the Catholic Church and its manmade rules, which would dissolve if only people woke up to the truth and left religion behind. The Catholic Church is not designed to save, but rather enslave. I’m here to tell you that a person, no matter who they are, can indeed be saved without the aid of any other person or organization. Let’s say a person gets a hold of Scripture, whether a physical copy of the Bible or online. And let’s say this person reads about Jesus Christ and believes in His death, burial, and resurrection. This person never enters a physical church, and this person never seeks the advice or guidance of some religious “authority.” Is this person saved? The answer is yes. The Catholic Church wants to keep you in subjection, but you need only have faith in Jesus Christ to be saved, and you need only go to Jesus directly.
1st Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Jesus Christ alone stands between you and God. No one else is in the way. Not the Catholic Church, the pope, any priest, etc. The Catholic Church keeps gullible, ignorant people in subjection by means of religion, tradition, and lies. The Catholic Church comes to you in the name of God, but it places itself between you and God. Instead of showing you the way to God, the Catholic Church acts as a roadblock, or some unauthorized gatekeeper. What should be the true goal of a person or organization that claims to come to you in the name of God? Look carefully at the words of Paul in the following verse of Scripture, which was written to the local church that was in Corinth.
2nd Corinthians 1:24: “Not for that we (Paul and Timothy) have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.”
Every word counts here. There are three lessons to be taken from this verse.
1. Teachers of Jesus Christ have no dominion, or rule, over you or your faith.
2. Teachers of Jesus Christ should help you (the true goal). They should do this by telling you what you need to know, the Biblical doctrines you need to hear. Unsaved people need to hear the Gospel of Christ, and saved people need to be taught Scripture. If you heed the doctrines of Scripture, you will have joy. To the Corinthian believers, Paul wrote that he and Timothy were “helpers of your joy”. The book of 1st John has many instructions about how believers should live. Look at one of the opening verses from the book:
1st John 1:4: “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
3. If you are a believer on Jesus Christ, then your faith is what you are standing on. You are not saved by standing on the Catholic Church, on righteous works, etc. The reason you will have the right to stand before Jesus Christ one day is because of your faith.
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The Catholic Church is not here to help people become saved or to aid those who are already saved, but rather to enslave people who desire to be saved and teach people manmade doctrines instead of Biblical doctrines. Thus, the Catholic Church is not truly coming to you in the name of God. Contrary to what Pope Francis said, nobody needs the Catholic Church. You can be saved all by yourself when you trust in Jesus Christ. And I don’t even know what Pope Francis meant by saying you can’t be “a laboratory Christian.” Was this a slam against believers on Jesus Christ who disagree with the heresies of the Catholic Church? Sounds to me like more condescending talk from the most pompous man in the world. Why do I say this about the pope? Do you remember what we learned earlier? Remember how religion creates pride? What do you think happens to the person who rises to the very top rank of a religion? The pope is a man who sits at the top of the Catholic empire. The pope believes he is the mediator between people and God. The pope believes he has the power to forgive sins. In other words, the pope has taken on the role of Jesus Christ. I would say someone has a serious problem with pride.
Pope Francis said that some people “think they can have a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside of the communion and the mediation of the Church. Such temptations are dangerous and harmful. They are, in the words of the great Pope Paul VI, absurd dichotomies.”
Again, Pope Francis condemned the idea that a person can have a spiritual life outside of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis claimed that the “mediation” of the Catholic Church is necessary for a person to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Previously, we saw how the pope tries to hijack the role of Jesus Christ. Now we see that the Catholic Church itself attempts to take on a mediator role as well. Look carefully at the definition of “mediate”:
“to settle (disputes, strikes, etc.) as an intermediary between parties; reconcile.” – taken from dictionary.com
Pope Francis was saying that the Catholic Church is the middle man between each person and Jesus Christ, and the purpose of this middle man is to bring about reconciliation, or harmony, between the two parties. However, people don’t need reconciliation between themselves and Jesus, but between themselves and God. Once again, note the following:
1st Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Jesus Christ is the middle man between people and God. Scripture says nothing about there being a middle man between people and Jesus. Now what about reconciliation? How are we reconciled to God? Through the middle man, Jesus Christ.
2nd Corinthians 5:18-19: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us (Paul and Timothy) the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
Believers are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Believers on Jesus do not have their sins, or “trespasses”, recorded, and this makes peace between God and believers, because God can never allow sin in His presence. Paul and Timothy, who helped establish the early local churches, viewed their job as “the ministry of reconciliation”. God had given these men “the word of reconciliation”, or the news of God’s plan. This is another way of saying that these men carried with them the Gospel of Christ, the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Paul and Timothy did not reconcile people to God. Instead, they simply told people how to be reconciled, by belief in Jesus Christ. Those who have been reconciled to God can then take the message to others, meaning that every believer can spread “the word of reconciliation”.
Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is necessary for reconciliation. And yet, instead of telling people to simply believe on Jesus Christ to receive reconciliation, the Catholic Church demands people to keep the sacraments, or to have works. The Catholic Church does not teach “the word of reconciliation”, but rather religion and the tradition of men, designed to keep people in subjection to the Catholic Church. This is why Pope Francis said that the idea of having a relationship with Jesus Christ outside of the Catholic Church is “dangerous and harmful.” Those words were carefully chosen in order to attack people who know the truth, and to keep people who are unaware of the truth in subjection to the Catholic Church. It is extremely arrogant for the Catholic Church to place itself between people and Jesus Christ. In fact, it is quite dangerous, and that is why the pope used that word, in order to accuse others of doing what he himself is a part of.
In closing, the three quotes from Pope Francis carry a common theme. In case you did not catch it just yet, here it is: Subjection, or slavery. Members of the Catholic Church are slaves to a system designed to keep them from the truth and lock them into subjection to a manmade religious empire. Jesus Christ offers freedom. Catholicism is the tradition of men. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Choose Jesus over Catholicism or any other religion.