999 BIBLICAL REASONS I CANNOT BECOME A ROMAN CATHOLIC
By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com
The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) puts as much stock in its “sacred traditions” and the papacy as it does the Word of God, the Bible. Strangely, they conflict with the Bible.
TRADITIONS
Where is it declared that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has more than one source of truth?
The church’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Chap. 2, 9, p. 682 asserts, "Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence"
What traditions does the RCC embrace?
With no biblical linkage are Roman Catholic doctrines and practices such as the literal bread and wine mass, Purgatory, the priesthood, transubstantiation, prayers for the dead, indulgences, penance, the worship of Mary, the use of images in worship, holy water, rosary beads, the celibacy of priests and nuns, the papacy, and many others.
Does the Bible condemn “traditions”? Yes and no.
The Bible does state in Mark 7:7 and 8:13, “You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions. . .In this way you make God's word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down."
In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, the Bible endorses traditions that supports the teachings of the apostles, and is consistent with biblical revelation.
In Matthew 15:3, the Bible says it is against tradition when it "transgresses the commands of God." By Jesus' own words, tradition is not to contradict the commands of the Bible. In other words, tradition should be in harmony with biblical teaching and not opposed it in any way.
Are there other sources the RCC point to for its truth? Yes.
The Church of Rome embraces teachings from the 15 books of the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is never quoted by Christ or by His apostles. However, the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament more than 250 times. The term Apocrypha means hidden and of questionable authenticity that makes it not Canon-worthy. The papacy gets no mention in the Bible.
NEW TESTAMENT
Were the 27 books of the New Testament approved by the Catholic Church? Yes.
The New Testament canon is the result of a lengthy and complicated process involving numerous councils conducted by the Roman Catholic Church.
It is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible. It was simply a matter of God imparting to His followers what He had already decided.
The Council of Hippo, meeting in Hippo, North Africa, in 393 AD, and the Council of Carthage, in 397, both affirmed the 27 books as authoritative. It follows that the Holy Spirit rode shotgun over the selection.
The Roman Catholic Council of Laodicea stated that only the Old Testament books and the 27 books of the New Testament, were to be read in the churches.
The criteria for which books were selected were -
1. Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle?
2. Was the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large?
3. Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching?
4. Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?
We must accept that the end result is the conclusive Word of God. Would the Creator of the universe give us a flawed manual? Hardly.
OLD TESTAMENT
When was the Old Testament closed?
The Old Testament canon was closed and accepted by the Jews from the time of the Septuagint in 275 BC, when the Jewish Scriptures were translated from Hebrew into Greek.
CHURCH LAUNCH
Was the Christian church launched the day of Pentecost? Yes
Fifty days after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles gathered in an “upper room” in Jerusalem.
Acts 2: 1-11 says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability… And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
“Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.’" The Bible records that 3,000 believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah that day.”
PETER THE ROCK
Is Peter the Rock and does he hold the keys to Heaven? No.
Roman Catholicism endeavors to defend the papacy by claiming that Peter was the first pope and was personally appointed by Christ.
They base this claim upon their interpretation of Matthew 16:13-19 in which Jesus responds to Peter's confession that He is the Christ by declaring that upon this rock He will build His church and will give the keys of the kingdom to Peter to bind and loose upon the earth.
The papacy claims that Peter is the rock, and the keys represent the pope's absolute authority and infallibility over the church. However, Jesus was not saying He would build His church upon Peter, but upon the simple foundational confession of faith. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ. Christ is the rock, not Peter.
Ephesians 2:20-21 says, “Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself. We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.”
The "keys" symbolize the authority to open the way of salvation through the preaching of the gospel to all those who are bound in darkness and sin. Peter was first entrusted with the keys because he was the first to give this confession of faith in Jesus and was instrumental in initially opening the door of salvation to the Jews at Pentecost, as stated in Acts 2, as well as the gentiles at Cornelius' house, as stated in Acts 10.
Matthew 18:18 points out that all true disciples possess the keys when proclaiming the way of salvation to unbelievers and offering them spiritual liberty through Christ.
The Scriptures disprove Catholic claims concerning Peter. Peter never claimed to be a pope, head over the church, or in a superior position over the other apostles. In 1 Peter 5:1, he simply referred to himself as an elder among many.
In 1 Peter 5:3, Peter challenged the dictatorial nature of the papacy by warning ministers not to lord over the flock.
In Acts 10: 25-26, Peter refused to receive homage from men.
PRE-NEW TESTAMENT
Did God provide a way for the early church to learn the truth of Messiah Jesus before the New Testament canon was approved in 393 AD at the Council of Hippo in North Africa? Yes.
The early church slowly transitioned from the verbal story and the traditions that accompanied it to the written record as it became available to them. The RCC wrongly states that the details of Jesus, the apostles and the writing of Paul were not made available to the common man until after the Council of Hippo in 393.
The New Testament message was circulated widely even before the canon was recognized.
MARTIN LUTHER
Was Martin Luther right to challenge his church? Yes
Martin Luther, born in 1483, was a German Roman Catholic priest, who had the guts to challenge his church for selling get-out-of-purgatory indulgences if a Catholic contributed to pope Leo’s construction fund to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Luther discovered and taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer from sin. This led to the launch of the Protestant Reformation.
DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS
Aren’t we to be part of one Body and not splintered? Yes.
There are said to be over 20,000 Christian denominations today. Roman Catholicism is ONE of them.
The Bible is void of church tags. Neither the words Protestant nor Catholic are in the Bible.
As believers, we should be of one mind on the essentials of the faith, but beyond that there is a great deal of latitude in how Christians should worship in a corporate setting.
This latitude is what causes so many different “flavors” of Christianity. A Presbyterian church in Uganda will have a style of worship much different from a Presbyterian church in Colorado, but their doctrinal stand will be, for the most part, the same.
BIRTH OF THE RCC
When was the RCC launched?
The Vatican claims its church was birthed by Christ is 33 AD. More correctly, the distinctive features of Catholicism originated several hundred years after the early church was launched by the apostles at Pentecost.
Roman Catholic dogma has gradually evolved over the centuries. None of its major traditions and doctrines we see today were taught, defended, practiced, or embraced by the apostolic church.
ABOUT MARY
Does Mary get much mention in the Bible? No.
Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, is mentioned 21 times in the Bible. The Apostle Paul is mentioned 153 times. There is no mention of Mary beyond the fifth book of the New Testament, in Acts. 1:14.
Is Jesus portrayed by the RCC in paintings and sculptures as a lesser light than Mary? Yes.
Jesus is presented primarily as -
1. A babe in the arms of Mary (even in Heaven!)
2. Hanging on the cross
3. Lifeless, lying on Mary’s lap.
Did Mary ever sin? It appears so.
Mary essentially declared that she was a sinner when she is quoted as saying in Luke 1:47, "And my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior." Only a sinner needs a Savior. A sinless person does not need saving.
Did Jesus call His earthly mother Mary “blessed?” No.
In Luke 11:27-28, it is noted, “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Is Mary ever called blessed? Yes.
Luke 1:42 record’s Mary’s sister-in-law Elizabeth saying, “And she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’. ”
Note that Mary is called blessed among woman, not above woman. We are to honor the earthly birth mother of the Lord Jesus Christ as a chosen earthly vessel of God. Are we to worship her as the "Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix," as the Vatican insists? No.
Did Mary experience a painful childbirth, a sign of a sinner? Yes.
The Bible declares in Genesis that because Adam and Eve chose to sin, many curses were pronounced by God upon the entire human race. They included pain in childbirth upon all women.
Did Mary experience a painful childbirth and therefore bear evidence that she had a sinful nature too? Yes. Revelations 12:2 points out, "And she [Mary] being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered."
Did Mary have other children? It appears so.
Altogether she had five sons and two daughters. Mark 6:3 says, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and of Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” He was not referring to His apostles or followers.
ONE MEDIATOR
Is Jesus Christ the lone Mediator in Heaven? Yes.
I Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” He – and He alone – has the ear of the Father. Mary, the apostles, a priest, a pastor do not. We can ask others who are alive to pray for us, but they must petition the Father through the Son.
Is there any mention of the pope or advocates other than Jesus in Revelation? No.
Mary and the pope are suspiciously absent in the apostle John's book of Revelation, a visionary tour of Heaven in which John saw differently ranked angels and Christ standing at the throne and at the prayer altar. Christ is seen as the only candidate worthy to open the seals of the title deed to earth.
NO “AHA” MOMENTS FOR MARY AND PETER
Did Jesus give us farewell advice about Mary or Peter? No.
The Lord Jesus Christ made no celebrated reference to Mary or (pope) Peter prior to His returning to Heaven? If they were to be elevated above others for special honor, wouldn't He have clearly reminded His followers to take heed? Of course He would have.
But he didn't. His silence speaks volumes, and again points out that Jesus is the one and only way to Heaven, with no others between or alongside, and that all His creation is fallen and is composed of equal sinners.
Has Mary always been held in lofty esteem by the Church of Rome? No.
It may surprise some that Mary hasn't always been held with such celebrated esteem The Church of Rome has given Mary a recent elevator ride, and her upturn of adoration is, for some unknown reason, gathering momentum.
Here, without biblical support, are Mary dates of note instituted by the Vatican:
-Worship of Mary is approved in 431 AD
-Prayers to Mary are approved in 600 AD
-The Ave Maria (Hail to Mary) is approved in 1508 AD
-Immaculate conception of Mary is announced and approved in 1854 AD
-Mary is proclaimed Mother of the Church in 1965 AD. Breaking news, so recent!
ABOUT THE POPES
Who has been the biggest cheerleader for mother Mary?
Pope John Paul became Mary's greatest promoter by dedicating his papacy to her and taking as his episcopal motto the Latin words, "Totus Tuus," meaning "Totally Yours," and had these words of devotion to Mary embroidered on his papal robes - "John Paul II's Devotion to Mary.” One would think a proclaimed follower of Christ would promote the Savior ahead of the Savior’s mother.
Did Pope John Paul overstate Mary any further? Yes.
The late pope promoted Mary through the roof with such proclamations as "Mary's mediation continues in the history of the Church and the world...and the Church expresses her faith in this truth by invoking Mary under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix." (Pope John Paul II Encyclical, "Redemptoris Mater," page 87.)
The pope further said, "She [the Virgin Mary] is the shrine of the Holy Spirit. This gift of outstanding grace makes her outstrip by far all other creatures in excellence, whether they are in Heaven or on Earth. All Christ's faithful must issue urgent pleas to the Mother of God and Mother of men" (Vatican II; Dogmatic Constitution on the Church).
Are these statements by the pope blasphemous? Yes.
Mary is not our advocate; Jesus Christ is. He died on the cross and rose again for our sins. Mary was an observer and has no role as "mediator."
Did the apostles honor Peter or Mary? No.
So why does anyone today make such a fuss over the blessed earthly mother of our Lord? It makes no sense.
Were Peter and Mary heralded when the Christian church was established the day of Pentecost? No.
Neither of them are mentioned when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 of His followers and empowered them to spread the gospel of eternal salvation through the finished sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Peter and Mary were praying with the others. There is no mention that they were being prayed to.
CONFESSION
Are we to confess our sins to a priest? No.
Mathew 18:15-18 says, “No man, by his own power and authority, could possibly forgive sins…”
Luke 7:48-50 reports a woman “who was a sinner” who came and annointed Jesus’ feet. “And He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ “Then those who were at the table with Him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ “And He said to the woman,” ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’."
The RCC Baltimore Catechism defines confession as "the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness." Catholicism stresses that priests have the power and authority to forgive sins without even asking God.
To be forgiven and cleansed of sin, a Roman Catholic Priest may assign penance, punishments in the form of good works, a certain number of prayers, fasting, or abstinence from certain pleasures as a token of repentance.
The Vatican says priests have the power to forgive mortal sins, but the penalty must be paid through penance and/or the performance of good works that the priest will chose to prescribe.
This flies in the face of Holy Scripture. The Bible says we are saved by the blood of the risen Jesus Christ.
IMAGES
Are we to bow to Christian images? No.
Exodus 20:4-5 says, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.”
BIBLE
Has the Roman Catholic Church ever forbidden its members from reading the Word of God, the Bible? Yes.
It was first officially forbidden to the people and placed on the index of Forbidden Books List by the Council of Valencia in 1229 A.D. The Council of Trent (1545-63 A.D.) also prohibited private Bible reading use and pronounced a curse upon anyone who would dare oppose this decree. Today, Catholics are encouraged to read the Bible. However, the bishops of Rome interpret their truth.
WORKS
Are good works necessary for salvation? No.
Catholicism teaches salvation, but substitutes a system of grace plus works in which human works are a necessary element for one's salvation. The Bible says that good works are evidence of our salvation, not the means of our salvation.
VATICAN
Is the Vatican the final authority with Biblical issues? Yes, and wrongly so.
The Church of Roman teaches that Christ established the Church but exalts a man (the pope) as its head. It invests absolute, infallible authority in him and his official decrees. The bishops of Rome have final interpretation when there are questions about Bible interpretation. RC church leaders tell us the interpretations have never changed. That is not true.
SAINTS
Are ALL saved Christians called saints? Yes.
The Bible uses several different labels to refer to those who are saved: Christians, saints, priests, children of God. In 2 Corinthians 1:1, the Apostle Paul called the believers at the church at Corinth “saints.”
Paul's remarks are directed to all the saints - meaning believers - in the city. The RCC has its own hall of fame of selected saints with no biblical foundation.
SAINT FRAUD
Did the RCC ever goof with its saint selection? Yes.
Remember awhile back, when that popular salt-shaker-sized Saint Christopher icon was affixed to the dashboards of many of the faithful? Roman Catholics were urged to pray to him for travel safety.
He was the Patron Saint of Travel. Where did he go? Catholic Online, a useful website, reports: "In 1969, the Church took a long look at all the saints on its calendar to see if there was historical evidence that each saint existed and lived a life of holiness.
“In taking that long look, the Church discovered that there was little proof that many ‘saints’, including some very popular ones, ever lived. Christopher was one of the names that was determined to have a basis mostly in legend. Therefore, Christopher (and others) were dropped from the universal calendar."
That means that the many millions who prayed and thanked "Saint Christopher" for traveling mercies prayed to someone who never existed or at best was based on a legend. Another lurch in the ever-shifting truth of the Roman Catholic Church! Where was the outrage?
PURGATORY
At death, are we purged of our unforgiven sins in Purgatory? No.
The Bible mentions no such place. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "Christ Himself. . .had died once for sins." In Matthew 8:12; 22:13; and 25:30, Jesus decreed for rebels eternal banishment from His presence into "outer darkness (where) there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The Bible says in Hebrews 1:33 that Christ "by himself purged our sins." If we could be purged of sin in any other way, then why did Christ die on the cross? Hebrews 9:27-28 says, "and as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."
Is Purgatory primarily a church moneymaker? Yes.
Rome collects millions of dollars – billions?-each year from grieving individuals who willingly pay to alleviate the agonies of those in Purgatory.
This frightening doctrine cannot find a single verse in the entire Bible to support it. Rome has had to rely on ingenious twistings of the Scriptures to defend this terrifying teaching. Its only support is an isolated passage from the apocryphal book of II Maccabees (12:39-45).
BISHOPS
Aren’t bishops in a church supposed to be married? Yes.
In 1 Timothy 3:2-5 says, "A bishop then, must be blameless, married but once, reserved, prudent, of good conduct, hospitable, a teacher...He should rule well his own household, keeping his children under control and perfectly respectful. For if a man cannot rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God?"
PRIESTS
Are all true Christians priests in the eyes of God? Yes.
1 Peter 2:5 says, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
BAPTISM
Are we to be baptized by immersion instead of sprinkling? Yes.
Colossians 2:12 says, ”For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”
CLERGY APPEARANCE
Is a member of the clergy to stand out from others? No.
Matthew 23:5-6 says, “But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues.”
DO NOT USE THE WORD “FATHER”
Does the Bible forbid us to address a religious leader as “father”? Yes.
Matthew 23: 9 says, “And call no man your father upon the earth: for One is your Father, which is in Heaven.”
THE MASS
At the Roman Catholic mass, does the bread and wine turn into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus? No.
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper – or the Passover meal – Jesus was alive. He used literal bread and wine and, as it says in 1 Corinthians 11:24, when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you: do this in remembrance of Me.” Jesus did not pass out pieces of His literal flesh but, instead, a symbol of it.
THE ROSARY
Are rosary-type prayers condemned in the Bible? Yes.
Matthew 6: 7-8 says, "In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them.”
The rosary is a device consisting of a chain of beads used in the ritualistic counting of repetitious prayers such as Hail Mary’s and The Lord's Prayer. It was first introduced by a monk named Peter the Hermit (1090 AD) but was not officially sanctioned by the Vatican until the 16th century.
RCC EVOLVES
Is Vatican “truth,” its interpretation of the Bible, ever-changing? Yes.
Biblical truth is replaced by the church's man-made traditions and ever-expanding “new truth” handed down by the Vatican.
Here is a list of RCC added “truths” that have no biblical foundation.
1. Prayers for the dead (AD 300)
2. Making the sign of the cross (AD 300)
3. Veneration of angels and dead saints, and use of images (AD 375)
4.The beginning of mass as a daily celebration. (AD 394)
5. The worship and exaltation of Mary and use of term "Mother of God"(AD 431)
6. Priests begin to dress differently from laity (AD 500)
7. Extreme unction (last rites) (AD 526)
8. The doctrine of Purgatory, instituted by Pope Gregory I. (593)
9. The Latin language used in worship and prayer, instituted by Pope Gregory I. (AD 600)
10. Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints, and angels (AD 600)
11. Title of "pope" or "universal bishop" first given to Pope Boniface III (AD 607)
12. Kissing the pope's foot, began with Pope Constantine (AD 709)
13.Worship of the cross, image, and relics (AD 786)
14. Holy water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by a priest (AD 850)
15. Worship of St. Joseph (AD 890)
16. College of Cardinals established (AD 927)
17. Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV (AD 995)
18. Fasting on Fridays and during Lent (AD 998)
19. The mass developed as a sacrifice and attendance made mandatory (AD 11th century)
20. Celibacy of the priesthood, decreed by Pope Gregory VII (AD1079)
21. The rosary, used in prayer (AD 1090)
22. The Inquisition, instituted by the Council of Verona (AD 1184)
23. Sale of Indulgences (AD 1190)
24.Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III (AD 1215)
25. Auricular (private) confession of sins to a priest, instituted by Pope Innocent III in Lateran Council (AD 1215)
26. Adoration of wafer (“host”), decreed by Pope Honorius III (AD 1220)
27. Bible forbidden to laymen and placed on Index of Forbidden Books by Council of Valencia (AD 1229)
28. The scapular garment, invented by Simon Stock, an English monk (AD 1251)
29. Cup forbidden to the people at communion by Council of Constance (AD 1414)
30. Purgatory proclaimed as a dogma by Council of Florence (AD 1439)
31. The doctrine of seven sacraments affirmed (AD 1439)
32. The Ave Maria (Hail Mary) invented and completed 50 years later (AD 1508)
33. Jesuit order founded by Loyola (AD 1534)
34. Tradition declared to be of equal authority with the Bible by Council of Trent (AD 1545)
35. The Apocryphal books added to the Bible by the Council of Trent (AD 1546)
36. Syllabus of Errors, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX and ratified by the Vatican Council, condemned freedom of religion, conscience, speech, press, and scientific discoveries which are disapproved by the Roman Church and reasserted the pope's temporal authority over all civil rulers (AD 1864)
37. Infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals, proclaimed by the Vatican Council (AD 1870)
38. Public schools condemned by Pope Pius XI (AD 1930)
39. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into Heaven shortly after her death) (AD 1950)
40. Mary proclaimed mother of the Church by Pope Paul VI (AD 1965)
ROMAN CATHOLIC CURSES
Do the curses (anathemas) entrap Roman Catholics? Yes.
Here are a few of the church curses established at the Council of Trent in northern Italy between 1545 and 1563. They are still enforced by the Vatican today. The Council was held to respond to the alarm bells set off by Martin Luther whose insight led to the birth of Protestantism.
If anyone denies that by...baptism, the guilt of original sin is remitted (or) denies that...[the] justice, sanctification and redemption...of Jesus Christ is applied both to adults and to infants by the sacrament of baptism...let him be anathema..... (Rome's emphasis)
If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law (i.e., the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church) are not necessary for salvation...and that without them...men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification...let him be anathema....
If anyone says that baptism is...not necessary for salvation, let him be anathema....
If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out...that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged, either in this world or in Purgatory before the gates of Heaven can be opened, let him be anathema....
If anyone says that the sacrifice of the mass...wherein that life-giving victim by which we are reconciled to the Father is daily immolated on the altar by priests...is a mere commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross but not a propitiatory one...offered for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities, let him be anathema.
If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.
Do anathemas and the Bible conflict? Yes.
No bolder or clearer rejection of the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ could be declared than by Catholic curses.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT RCC CURSES?
John 3:16-18 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; He who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:13 says, "It shall be whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no man can boast."
1 Peter 2:24 says, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His stripes we are healed."
John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my Word, and believes…Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
GULP
Today, a billion people are linked to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY WE MUST DO TO GET TO HEAVEN?
Forgiveness of sins and eternal life is a gift that was purchased by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and He offers us that gift today. A gift must be received. Because it is free does not make it cheap.
Salvation is not something we have to try to earn. As sinners, we cannot do enough to earn God's favor. It is not something that any church can earn for us. It is not something that can be obtained through a church ritual, such as baptism or confirmation.
Salvation is the free eternal mercy of God through Jesus Christ, and the Bible says He stands ready and able to receive every sinner that will come to Him by repentance and faith.
THE BIBLE SAYS WE CAN KNOW RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
1. "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" (1 John 5:12-13).
2. "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" (Ephesians 2:8,9).
3. "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" (Romans 11:6).
4. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Eternal salvation is a simple but honest prayer away. What do we pray? Well, something like this:
Dear God,
I am a sinner.
Others have sinned greater than I have, but, nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell.
I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a Man.
I choose to believe He allowed Himself to be put to death, arose again on the third day and is alive today.
The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believe that.
Father, I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now. I know I am not right with God, and I want to be forgiven. I want to go to Heaven when I die.
Right now, at (Time and Date)__________________________, I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sin there. ALL of it!
I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins - past, present and future.
I am sorry for my sin, and I accept your forgiveness.
Right now I declare that I am a saved Christian.
I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin, and give me the courage to say no.
I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on Earth count for eternity.
I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ - my new Lord and Savior - amen.
ANYTHING ELSE? YES
(1.) We are to tell someone in person that we have invited Jesus into our life as Lord and Savior.
(2.) Read the Bible, starting with the books of John and Romans in the New Testament.
(3.) Start attending a church were salvation through Christ is clearly preached.
(4.) Start, or continue, doing good stuff to demonstrate that Christ is within you.
(5.) Check out getting baptized by immersion.
