Personal
Evangelism Handbook
CHAPTER XIII
The Roman Catholic
YOUR COMMON GROUND
As believers there are some
doctrines we do have in common (at least in part) with
the Roman Catholic. However, Roman Catholic doctrines
vary from decade to decade and from country to country.
Below are some doctrines you
can use to establish some rapport with the Roman
Catholic:
1. The Bible is God's Word.
(Although they interpret it by the dictates of the Pope
and their tradition.)
2. Jesus is God. (Although they
elevate the Pope and Mary to heights of glory belonging
only to Christ.)
3. Man needs a Saviour.
(Although they don't believe Jesus alone can save man
through man's faith in His payment for all their sin on
the cross. )
4. There is a heaven and a
hell. (Although they also believe in limbo and
purgatory, which are not taught in the Scriptures . . .
and they do not teach the difference between going to
heaven or hell is FAITH.)
GRACE and WORKS
The main issue, the constant
issue in witnessing to Roman Catholics, is grace and
works. The Church has set up myriads of rites, rituals,
and rules which its subjects (and I use the word
advisedly) must follow if they are to have any hopes of
reaching heaven someday (maybe even centuries after they
die).
It is amazing but true that
when a group is "off" on grace and works,
almost every other doctrine it holds is also affected by
the poison. As God said in Galatians 5:9, "A little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
There might be a time when you
are witnessing to a Roman Catholic and think you have
just gotten the plan of salvation really ACROSS to the
person. But then he will make a comment or ask a
question that will tell you right away that he really
doesn't understand salvation is by faith and not of
works.
The reason he doesn't
understand the gospel is because teaching after teaching
has been drilled into his head ever since he was a tiny
child that salvation is not by faith alone, and that
many more things than just faith are required of the
person wanting to go to heaven.
From every side the error is
brought in, and sometimes the reasons behind the
doctrines are subtle-subtle with the cunning and
wickedness of Satan. And again we warn you, as Paul
warned those in his care, "But I fear, lest by any
means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,
so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ." And, "Beware lest any man
spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and
NOT AFTER CHRIST" (II Cor. 11:3; Col. 2:8).
The Catholics' loud claims that
the Church was built upon Peter . . . the adoration of
saints . . . the exaltation of Mary . . . if Christ had
brothers . . . confession to the priest . . . the rosary
. . . YOU COULD ARGUE ALL DAY AND NIGHT WITH A CATHOLIC
ABOUT THESE THINGS AND YET NEVER LEAD HIM TO KNOW CHRIST
AS HIS SAVIOUR!
If you have been born again,
you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you and enlightening
your mind with a clear understanding of Scripture on all
these things . . . but the person who has been brought
up in the Catholic Church is probably NOT born again,
and so does NOT have the benefit of the Holy Spirit
teaching him DETAILS in the Word of God (even if they
are important details).
What is the Holy Spirit busy
convincing the world of? John 16:8-11 teaches us the
Holy Spirit is convincing the world of sin, that they
lack righteousness, and that judgment is coming. And why
are they being convinced of sin? Because they do not
BELIEVE on Christ as their Saviour ( 16:9).
If you want to do your
witnessing in COOPERATION with what the Holy Spirit is
trying to do in the lives of unbelievers . . . speak
about the GOSPEL . . . how the person can be saved . . .
that salvation is a gift of God received by faith . . .
and leave the OTHER QUESTIONS to be answered (as much as
possible) AFTER the person is saved!
JESUS PAID FOR ALL SIN
In the Roman Catholic doctrine,
sin is compartmentalized. There is venial sin which the
Baltimore Catechism No. 3 defines this way: "What
is venial sin? Venial sin is a less serious offense
against the law of God, which does not deprive the soul
of sanctifying grace, and which can be pardoned even
without sacramental confession."
There is also, in the Catholic
doctrine, mortal sin. "What is mortal sin? Mortal
sin is a grievous offense against the law of God. Why is
this sin called mortal? This sin is called mortal, or
deadly, because it deprives the sinner of sanctifying
grace, the supernatural life of the soul. Besides
depriving the sinner of sanctifying grace, what else
does mortal sin do to the soul? Besides depriving the
sinner of sanctifying grace, mortal sin makes the soul
an enemy of God, takes away the merit of all of its good
actions, deprives it of the right to everlasting
happiness in heaven, and makes it deserving of
everlasting punishment in hell."
The Catholic Church also
recognizes Adamic sin, that is, the sin or sin nature
which man inherits from Adam. It is for the Adamic sin
that Christ supposedly died. You must show the Catholic
that Jesus Christ has completely paid the full price for
all of his sin.
First, show from Scripture that
all sin is mortal, or deadly (James 2:10; Rom. 6:23).
Second, use Scripture to show that all sin-no matter how
one classifies it-has been paid for by Christ (Heb. 1:3;
I Pet. 2:24; 3:18; I John 2:2).
"Be it known unto you
therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him
all that believe are justified from ALL things, from
which ye could not be justified by the law of
Moses" (Acts 13:38, 39).
Even keeping the commandments
would not "justify you from all things." In
the first place, no one has kept them. In the second
place, keeping the commandments still wouldn't make you
perfect. Hebrews 7:19 says, "For the law made
NOTHING perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope
did (Jesus, v. 22); by the which we draw nigh unto
God."
JESUS is the only way to
heaven. "Jesus saith unto him, I am THE way, THE
truth, and THE life: no man cometh unto the Father but
by Me." Salvation is not in a church. It is not in
the Mormon church. It is not in the Protestant church.
It is not in the Roman Catholic church. Salvation is in
a Person. Salvation is in Jesus. "For the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ" (John 1: 17).
HOW CAN WE BE CLEANSED OF
SIN?
When a Roman Catholic sins, he
is supposed to do several things:
(1) Go to the priest and
confess his sin.
(2) Receive from the priest the
penance he is to do, and go home and do it. (This often
consists of reciting a certain number of
"rosaries," "Lord's Prayers," etc. )
(3) Go to Mass.
(4) Be arranging for people to
pray for his soul after he dies, so his soul can be
released from purgatory in time.
To a person who has received
the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, God says of his
sins: "And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened
together with Him, having
forgiven you ALL TRESPASSES; blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it
to His cross" (Col. 2:13, 14).
The Christian does not need
another offering (Mass) for his sins. "For by ONE
offering, He (Christ) hath perfected FOREVER them that
are sanctified (made pure and holy)" (Heb. 10:14).
"Now where remission of these is, there is NO MORE
OFFERING FOR SIN" (Heb. 10:18).
The Roman Catholic is forever
trying to re-crucify Christ . . . all in vain. Christ's
ONE death on the cross paid for ALL sin of ALL people
for ALL time for EVERYONE who would receive that payment
by faith.
WHEN THE PRIEST OFFERS THE
SACRIFICE OF MASS
"And every priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices which can NEVER take away sins" (Heb.
10:11).
Whatever the Catholic might
think the sacrifice of Mass can do for him, ONE THING we
know it can NOT do. IT CAN NOT TAKE AWAY SINS!
It is God's will that the
sacrifice of Christ would pay for all sin, and that
those who would receive that payment would be made pure
and holy in God's eyes forever. "By the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10).
The Catholic Church teaches
that Mass is the sacrifice of Christ OVER AGAIN for
sins. But Romans 6: 9 says, "KNOWING that Christ
being raised from the dead DIETH NO MORE...."
The problem with the Catholic
is that he doesn't really believe Christ paid for ALL
his sin. And yet the Bible is very clear, "Who gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from ALL
iniquity . . ." (Titus 2:14).
This is why it is a problem of
grace and works. God says salvation is by grace. The
Catholic will not deny this. But at the same time he
believes he must follow rituals and rules to
make this grace of God
effective on his behalf. And this is unscriptural. What
verse shows that if salvation is of grace, then it
cannot be of works as well? I hope you said,
"Romans 11:6."
Do you see that what the
Catholic needs most, then, is for you to go over the
plan of salvation with him, simply and with Scripture,
showing him that THE BIBLE says salvation is "by
grace through faith"? It might take a long time for
the "light to break through." But be patient.
Remember, his parents, his teachers, his priest, even
the Pope, have been teaching him contrary to the Word of
God on this subject of salvation all of his life.
It is only when the Catholic
seems REALLY bothered by some other question that you
should spend any length of time on anything other than
salvation itself, or after he is saved.
But for your own information,
the following are some errors in the Roman Catholic
theology and the correct teachings from Scripture.
1. The Roman Catholic worships
Christ, but worships Him in vain. "But in vain they
do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments
of men" (Matt. 15:9). See also Galatians 5 :1-4.
2. They teach that Peter was
the first Pope and that the Popes are to exercise
authority over the people. However, this is contrary to
what Peter himself expressed in Scripture. "The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also AN
ELDER (not one Pope, but one among many elders), and a
witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker
of the glory that shall be revealed: FEED the flock of
God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
NOT BY CONSTRAINT, but willingly; NOT FOR FILTHY LUCRE,
but of a ready mind; NEITHER AS BEING LORDS over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock" (I
Peter 5 : 1-3 ).
The Bible never teaches that
the spiritual leader of the flock is to be the
"boss." The leader is to give positive
leadership, yes, but not to try to play "God"
in people's lives.
Scripture is full of evidence
that the true spiritual leader will be a SERVANT of the
people rather than some boss.
"For we preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves YOUR
SERVANTS for Jesus' sake" (II Cor. 4:5).
Jesus had much to say along
this line. "But Jesus called them to Him, and saith
unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule
over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their
great ones exercise authority upon them.
"But so shall it NOT be
among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall
be your MINISTER. And whosoever of you will be the
chiefest, shall be SERVANT of all.
"For even the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).
If you study much of the
history of the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy, you
will see the magnitude of their error in exercising
"lordship" over the flock.
3. Matthew 23: 9 says,
"And call no man your father upon the earth: for
one is your Father, which is in heaven." The
Catholics make a great mistake in that they demand
reverence of human beings. Only God should be
worshipped. Other worship constitutes idolatry.
4. Veneration of Mary and the
"Saints." Scripture says of Mary, "Hail,
thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:28). Mary was
a wonderful, godly woman. But Mary, like everyone, was
still a sinner (Rom. 3:23). She herself acknowledged God
as her SAVIOUR, "And Mary said, My soul doth
magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Saviour" (Luke 1:46, 47). A person who isn't a
sinner doesn't need salvation, and thus doesn't have a
Saviour.
Scripture teaches that all
believers are saints. The word has the meaning of
"pure and holy ones." All those who have
received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour are
"pure and holy" through the righteousness God
gives to them (I Cor. 1:30; II Cor. 5:21; etc.). The
Apostles referred to the whole group of Christians as
"saints" (Eph. 1:1; II Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1;
etc.), and not just to those in a select group. God
makes a person a saint; man does not. God points out the
person as a saint; man does not. God sets us the
conditions of being a saint; man does not . . . and
neither does the Roman Catholic Church.
5. The Pope, the priest, Mary,
the saints . . . none of these can mediate between God
and man. "For there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR
between God and men, the man CHRIST JESUS" (I Tim.
2:5). The believer is invited to come straight to the
Lord, through Jesus, in time of need.
"Seeing then that we have
a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which can not be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore come BOLDLY UNTO THE THRONE OF GRACE, that we
may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need" (Heb. 4:14-16).
"Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest BY THE
BLOOD OF JESUS, by a new and living way, which He hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say,
His flesh" (Heb. 10:19, 20).
"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 . . ." (Rom. 5:1, 2).
6. Whom should we confess our
sins to? The Catholic Church says we should confess them
to the priest. The Bible says only God can forgive sins,
and that we should confess our sins to Jesus, because He
is our advocate-He is our intercessor.
"If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness . . . and if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous" (I John 1:9; 2:1). Our advocate is
not Mary, nor the priest . . . our advocate is Jesus!
7. Purgatory is not mentioned
in the Bible. There is no "place of cleansing"
other than the blood of Jesus Christ. I John 1:7 says
". . . the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST His Son cleanseth
us from all sin."
One of the things that caused
Martin Luther to speak up against the Roman Catholic
Church and its practices regarding the sale of
indulgences was remarks made like, "The moment you
hear your money drop in the box, the soul of your mother
will jump out of purgatory," by Tetzel, a Dominican
Friar ( The Church in History, by B. K. Kuiper, page
160). Indulgences were sold to people who went to the
priest for penance, and who would rather pay a sum of
money to the Church than do some other form of penalty
or satisfaction for their sin. In time, indulgences were
also sold to those who were trying to help the soul of a
departed one to go from purgatory to heaven. The people
found it easier to pay a sum of money for the soul of a
dear one than to spend all the time otherwise required
for them to pray for them. This system pleased the
Church very much, as it gave them an amazingly large
source of revenue. It is said that the St. Peter's
Cathedral in Rome was built through the sale of these
indulgences.
This whole concept is so out of
keeping with Scripture! "Forasmuch as ye KNOW that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD
of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot" (I Peter 1:18, 19).
"But Peter said unto him,
Thy money perish with thee, because thou has thought
that the GIFT OF GOD may be purchased with money"
(Acts 8:20).
It is not within the power of
human beings to in any way aid in the redemption of
another person. (You cannot even redeem your own soul,
for that matter.)
"None of them can by ANY
MEANS redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for
him" (Psalm 49:7).
"The soul that sinneth, it
shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the
father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of
the son . . ." (Ezekiel 18:20).
The Bible teaches that if a
person is lost, he goes to hell. If a person is saved,
he goes to be with the Lord in heaven. There is no such
thing as purgatory. ". . . to depart, and to be
with Christ . . ." (Phil. 1:23). "We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from
the body, and to be PRESENT WITH THE LORD" (II Cor.
5:8). "For we know that if our earthly house of
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of
God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the
HEAVENS" (II Cor. 5:1).
Once a person has received
Christ as his Saviour, he does not have to worry about
being condemned for his sin. Punished on earth, and
without much reward in heaven, yes . . . but condemned
to purgatory for a time, or to hell for eternity . . .
NO!
"Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him
that sent Me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall NOT come
into condemnation: but is PASSED from death unto
life" (John 5:24).
If there were such a place as
purgatory, Jesus certainly left it out of His remarks.
Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Today shalt
thou be with Me in paradise." If the thief went to
purgatory, then Jesus was a liar.
8. The Catholics say Mary
remained a virgin all her life, and that Christ had no
flesh and blood sisters or brothers. (He did have
half-brothers and sisters, as Joseph was not the father
of Christ. ) "Is not this the carpenter, the son of
Mary, the BROTHER of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and
Simon? And are not his SISTERS here with us?" (Mark
6:3)
9. "Forbidding to marry
and commanding to abstain from meats." Is this
doctrine of the Catholic Church from the Bible . . .
from the Lord?
"Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of DEVILS, SPEAKING LIES in hypocrisy; having
their conscience seared with a hot iron: forbidding to
marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God
hath created to be RECEIVED with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth" (I Tim. 4:1-3).
"Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath
days" (Col. 2:16). "Let no man beguile
(defraud) you of your reward in a voluntary humility and
worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which
he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind .
. . Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the
rudiments of the world, WHY, as though living in the
world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste
not; handle not; which all are to perish with the
using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will
worship and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in
any honour to the satisfying of the flesh" (Col. 2:
18, 20-23).
The Scofield Reference Bible
makes the notation in regard to this verse, "Which
do not really honour God, but only satisfy the flesh
(i.e., by creating a reputation for superior sanctity)
."
The Catholic system of
self-imposed worship and self humiliation and
degradation, thinking that somehow this would please
God, is actually contrary to Scripture, as human logic
often is.
Christ said in Matt. 9:13,
". . . I will have MERCY, and NOT SACRIFICE: for I
am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance (to change their minds)."
It is the sacrifice of Christ
that God looks at for our salvation, not any sacrifice
we might make for Him. However, after we are saved, we
are invited to serve the Lord-but this is our REASONABLE
service, rather than a sacrifice. It is to our benefit,
both now and later.
10. The Catholic Church teaches
that the "true church" (their church) is built
upon Peter, using Matthew 16:18 as its textual basis for
this claim.
Upon examination of this
passage in Matthew 16, however, we do not find this
teaching at all. Verses 13-16 record Jesus asking His
disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man
am?" Simon Peter gives the correct answer,
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God." Peter knew Christ was God . . . the Son of
God.
In verse 17 Jesus said,
"Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona (son of Jonas):
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
My Father which is in heaven." Jesus is saying that
while He is the Son of God, Peter is the son of man.
Verse 18, "And I say also
unto thee, That thou art Peter (petros), and upon this
Rock (Petra) I will build My church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus is
saying, "Peter, you are a little stone, a small
pebble. Upon this big Rock, this boulder (Christ) I will
build My church."
I Cor. 3:11, "For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
JESUS CHRIST"-not Peter. Jesus is the foundation
upon which the true church is built.
Eph. 2: 20, "And are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, JESUS
CHRIST HIMSELF being the CHIEF CORNER STONE."
Even Peter himself speaks of
believers as "stones," but of Christ as the
"CHIEF CORNER STONE" (I Pet. 2: 4-8). Also see
Acts 4:11.
11. The Catholic Church teaches
water baptism is necessary for salvation. Please refer
to Chapter Nine which covers this thoroughly.
The above eleven points, as we
mentioned before, should rarely, if at all, be brought
up during your presentation of the gospel to a Roman
Catholic. If you do feel it is imperative to go into
something along those lines for some reason, please do
so with genuine love and patience. Remember, the person
you are witnessing to did not make up these doctrines.
Usually he believes them simply because this is what he
has been taught, and he has not searched the Scriptures
for himself, "whether those things were so."
If you really want to win
Catholics (or anybody, for that matter) to the Lord . .
. stay with the gospel and the simple verses that make
the plan of salvation clear and understandable to the
lost, such as John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Acts 16:31.
