Christians and Catholics Have a Different Church
This is the first part in a seven-part series entitled, ARE ROMAN CATHOLICS CHRISTIANS OR HERETICS. There are seven (7) major differences between Roman Catholic Doctrine and Christianity. They are a different Church, Authority, Jesus, Gospel, Mary, View of Sin, and a different Path to Eternity.
What Is Your View of the Roman Catholic Church?
It is important to have a beginning point. A place to start. So, we ask the question, how would you define the Roman Catholic Church? What do you believe?
The one true apostolic Church founded by Jesus.
A Christian denomination made up of brothers in Christ.
An apostate (false, heretical) church whose members need to be evangelized with true Christianity.
This is the question we will answer, without doubt, unequivocally, and in love based on God's Word and the truth about Jesus Christ--Creator, Savior, and only Way to God in Heaven.
Two Streams of Christianity
The Apostolic Church:
The Lord Jesus is the only builder and head. of the true Church.
“And he is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:17-18a).
It is made up of born-again Christians who are in Christ and sanctified by the truth of God's Word.
"Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born-again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). "the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27b). "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth" (John 17: 17-19). “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word" (John 17:6).
The Apostle Peter is fighting against false teachers. In doing so, Peter begins by mentioning that we have a "more sure word" to depend upon than even hearing the voice of God from heaven as they did at Jesus’ transfiguration.
"For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”—and we ourselves heard this declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:16-21).
This “more sure word” is the written Word of God. Peter later tells them again to be mindful of "the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior." Both the words of the holy prophets and the commandments Jesus gave to the apostles are recorded in Scripture and make up the Apostolic Church.
"to remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles" (2 Peter 3:2).
The Apostate Church:
Apostate Churches, denominations, and individuals are those that depart from the true Church, Holy Scriptures, and the faith of the Apostles.
"They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be evident that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:19). "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth (1 Timothy 4:1-3).
The Characteristics of Apostasy and Apostates
Jude was the half-brother of Jesus and a leader in the early church. In his New Testament letter, he outlines how to recognize apostasy and strongly urges those in the body of Christ to contend earnestly for the faith. This would be a continuous struggle and constant fight against false teaching. They should “agonize” over the fight in which they are engaged.
"Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints" (Jude 1:3).
After urging his readers to contend earnestly for the faith, Jude highlights the reason:
“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4).
In this one verse, Jude provides Christians with three traits of apostasy and apostate teachers:
First, Apostates have “crept” into the church. He says they are subtle (slip in sideways; come in stealthily; sneak in). The term Jude uses describes the cunning craftiness of a lawyer who, through clever argumentation, infiltrates the minds of courtroom officials and corrupts their thinking. The apostle Paul also speaks to the outwardly pleasing behavior of apostates and their teaching:
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13–14).
Second, Jude describes apostates as “ungodly” and as those who use God’s grace as a license to commit unrighteous acts. Beginning with “ungodly,” Jude describes seventeen unflattering traits of apostates:
they are ungodly (Jude 1:4),
morally perverted (vs 4),
denying Christ (vs 4),
ones who defile the flesh (vs 8),
rebellious (vs 8),
people who revile angels (vs 8),
who are ignorant about God (vs 8),
those who proclaim false visions (vs 10),
self-destructive (vs 10),
grumblers (vs 16),
faultfinders (vs 16),
self-satisfying (vs16),
people who use arrogant words and false flattery (vs 16),
mockers of God (vs 18),
those who cause divisions (vs 19),
worldly-minded (vs 19),
and finally devoid of the Spirit/unsaved (vs 19).
Third, Jude says apostates “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” How do apostates do this? Paul tells us in his letter to Titus,
“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:15–16).
Through their unrighteous behavior, the apostates show their true selves. Unlike an apostate, a true believer is someone who has been delivered from sin to righteousness in Christ and who refuses to continue in sin.
"What shall we say? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1–2).
Ultimately, the sign of an apostate (church or individual) is that they eventually fall away and depart from the truth of God’s Word and His righteousness. This would indicate that they were never Christians, to begin with.
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness’" (Matthew 7: 15, 21-23).
True Authentic Christianity can never be lost because salvation is a free gift from God and He is the one who keeps us saved.
“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish (literally live into the ages, forever); no one shall snatch them out of My hand, My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." (Jn 10:27–30).
Roman Catholics and Christians Have A Different Chruch
Since the Roman Catholic church claims to have 1.2 billion members it is imperative to preach the good news, Gospel, of Jesus Christ and expose their heretical demonic belief system. What's at stake here is the eternal destiny of human souls. There are many places in Scripture where God says the human race has no excuse not to know and believe in Him.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH | ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH |
One Head - Jesus | Two Heads - Jesus and Pope |
Join by Spirit Baptism | Join by child Water Baptism |
Sanctified by Truth | Inclusive and Tolerant |
Holy Spirit Led | Man Centered |
Names Enrolled in Heaven | Members Can Go to Hell |
Two Ordinances | Seven Sacraments |
Contends for the Faith | Departed from the Faith |
Proclaims the Gospel | Proselytizes Other Religions |
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Roman Catholic Church
According to the Roman Catholic church, it is the Mystical Body of Christ, established and ruled by Christ with the bishop of Rome (the pope). The Pope may at times pronounce dogma infallibly (doctrine required of all members to believe and follow), as its earthly head. It is called Papal Infallibility (a doctrine required of all members to believe and follow) and became a doctrine in 1879. This ordination supposedly goes back to the apostle Peter (apostolic) but actually started in the 6th century.
The foundation for the One True Christian Church was laid and completed 2000 years ago.
"No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Jesus is the head of the His Christian church, not any pope.
The following highlights the Roman Catholic's departure from the Christian faith making them an Apostate Church. None of the following doctrines and beliefs are found in the Bible. In 431 AD they declared that Baptism of Infants regenerates and is all that is necessary for joining. In 500 AD the Sacrifice of the Mass became church doctrine. In the 12th century, the Catholic Church accepted Indulgences. In 1215 AD Transubstantiation became doctrine. In 1431 AD the unbiblical doctrine of Purgatory. In 1545 AD tradition became equal with the Bible. In 1854 AD the Immaculate Conception of Mary was accepted as truth. In 1879 AD Papal Infallibility became church doctrine. In 1950 AD introduced and accepted the Assumption of Mary. All of these beliefs are not found in the Bible.
The Roman Catholic Church also requires church members to keep the seven sacraments so that one day they will go to purgatory, not heaven. Purgatory is a man-made doctrine of being purged of sin after you die. Catholic salvation is by faith plus: sacraments (ccc 1129), which include the Mass (ccc 1405), purgatory (ccc 1030), penance (ccc 980), indulgences (ccc 1498), infant baptism (ccc 1256), law-keeping (ccc 2068), and good works (ccc 2016).
The Christian Church
Believers are Born Again (regenerated) When They Believe
In the Roman Catholic Church, you become a member of the church when you are baptized as a baby. No conscious awareness of Jesus, no personal faith or belief, and no personal commitment. This is not Biblical, it is man-made. Let's compare what the Bible says and what it means to be a true Christian and part of the Church-body of Christ.
Christians believe you become a member or belong to God's Church when you believe by faith in Jesus Christ. At that moment you are born again and regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
The phrase translated “born again” can also be translated as “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation that could only come from above. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes.
"As Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He said, “‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again’” (John 3:3–7). "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3).
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God" (1 John 5:1-2).
John 1:12–13 indicates that being “born again” also carries the idea of becoming “children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12–13).
Five (5) Characteristics of God's True Church
The Church Is a Community of Believers in Jesus Christ. According to the Acts Church, it is best accomplished in a community. A community where people from all walks of life, do life together, and where Jesus is the very center, core, and life force.
The New Testament records the Church’s DNA. When we read the book of Acts and the Epistles, we watch the genetics of the Church of Jesus Christ expressing itself in various cultures during the first century. Because the Church is truly a spiritual organism, its DNA never changes. It is the same biological entity yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The DNA of the Church will always reflect the following five elements."
1. It will express Jesus as the headship and authority, the source in His Church.
2. It will always allow for and encourage the every-member functioning of the body or the Believer Priest concept.
3. It will always give a visible expression on earth as the body of Christ, as revealed in the
New Testament.
4. It will always be grounded in the fellowship of the triune God.
5. It will always rely on God’s Holy Word (Bible) as the only source of truth and practice.
"The Trinity is the paradigm informing us on how the Church should function. It would reflect an egalitarian (equal), reciprocal (mutual), accommodating, and nonhierarchical community within the Godhead.”
To get a more accurate and comprehensive view of the Roman Catholic church please read all my blogs outlining the seven (7) major differences between Roman Catholic Doctrine and Christianity. They are a different Church, Authority, Jesus, Gospel, Mary, View of Sin, and a different Path to Eternity. www.fullerofgraceandtruth.com/blog
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We All Have the Same Dilemma, We're Dead in Sin
Every human being, ethnic group, race, or gender finds themselves in this same dilemma. Therefore, there are three questions you would be wise to ask yourself and extremely prudent to answer.
One, why do I need to be saved?
Two, what does it mean for me to be saved?
Three, how am I saved?
I believe Only Jesus plus nothing not only saves you but answers these three questions.
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