World Religions in a Nutshell (13 page)

But according to the Bible,
everyone
who is born again by faith alone in Jesus Christ is a saint. For example, in Romans 1:7, the apostle Paul wrote to all the “saints” (Christians) in Rome, and he called himself a “saint” (Ephesians 3:8). In numerous passages throughout Scripture,
living
Christians are referred to as “saints.”
²⁰

Also, nowhere in Scripture is there any admonition for Christians to pray to someone who has died. Instead, Jesus Himself taught us to pray directly to the Father (Matthew 6:6–9).

Confession to a Priest:
The Roman Catholic church says that the priest is the only one who can forgive sins in the name of Christ.
²¹
However, the good news of the gospel is that
any
sinner can go directly to God and have his sins washed away by the blood of Christ. The Bible tells us that Peter told sinners to go straight to God (not to a man) for forgiveness (see Acts 8:18–22).

Worship of Mary:
The Roman Catholic church believes that Mary was “conceived immaculate” (born without original sin) and that she was “kept free from every personal sin her whole life long. She is the one who is ‘full of grace’ (Luke 1:28), ‘the all holy.
’”
²²
In addition, they believe she remained a virgin after giving birth to Jesus, despite the fact that Scripture says she had other children after she bore Jesus (see Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19.) Because
Mary was supposedly free from sin and its wages (death), they believe that she was taken up to Heaven without experiencing death, in what they call her “Assumption” (Catechism, par. 966).

The Roman Catholic church refers to Mary as “the Mother of God” and the “Queen of Heaven.” Even more alarming, the Catholic Catechism teaches that Mary offers salvation:

“
...Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation...Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.
”
(Catechism, par. 969)

“
Mary had only one Son, Jesus, but in him her spiritual motherhood extends to all whom he came to save.
Obediently standing at the side of the new Adam, Jesus Christ, the Virgin is the
new Eve
, the true mother of all the living, who with a mother’s love cooperates in their birth and their formation in the order of grace. Virgin and Mother, Mary is the figure of the Church, its most perfect realization.”
²³

However, the Bible says differently. Speaking of Jesus, Scripture says:

^■
For there is one God and
one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5, emphasis added).

^■
“
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is
no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, emphasis added).

^■
“
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me
”
(John 14:6, emphasis added).

How to Reach a Roman Catholic

Again, the fact that salvation comes by grace through faith alone is wonderful news for both the Roman Catholic and traditional Protestant churches. Eternal life is a free gift of God. Nothing we can do can merit it. All we can do is obey the command to repent and trust the Savior, and the moment we do that we will be born again and be granted the gift of God—eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Remember, the key to understanding this is a right understanding of our state before God. If we think we are good people, then all we have to do is some good works and that will earn us eternal life. But if we are confronted by God’s Law, it shows us that we are desperate criminals in God’s sight, and that the only way we could possibly be saved is through His mercy.

So how can we best relate this to a Roman Catholic without insulting and offending him? Let me tell you what I do. When someone says, “I’m a Roman Catholic,” I go deaf. Before I understood the use of God’s Law to bring to the knowledge of sin, I would panic and think, “Oh dear, now I am going to have to deal with papal infallibility, Mariology, confession to the priest, etc.” But now I ignore all that, and simply go straight for the conscience by doing what Jesus did and going through the Ten Commandments. The Law, in the hand of the Spirit, addresses the conscience and shows the sinner that he’s not good, and all the good works in the world cannot and will not bribe a holy God to pervert Eternal Justice.

Witnessing to a Roman Catholic

You:
Hello. Nice day.

Paul:
Yes, it is.

You:
My name is [your name here].

Paul:
I’m Paul.

You:
Pleased to meet you, Paul.

Paul:
Nice to meet you too.

You:
Paul, I have an interesting question for you. What do you think happens when someone dies? Is there an afterlife?

Paul:
Some people go Hell, some go to Heaven, and some go in-between.

You:
Where are you going?

Paul:
I think I’m going to Heaven...after a little time in Purgatory.

You:
Really? So, do you think that you are basically a good person?

Paul:
Most of the time...I’m a Catholic.

[Don’t panic. You don’t need to get into a conversation about the pope, transubstantiation, etc. In a sense, forget that he said that he is a Catholic, and simply share the gospel with him, emphasizing the new birth and salvation by grace through faith alone.]

You:
Have you been born again?

Paul:
Probably. When I was confirmed.

You:
You would know if you have. When it happens, instead of knowing
about
God, you come to
know
Him personally. Before I was born again I had an intellectual belief in God (I
believed
in Jesus). But the difference between being born again and just believing in Jesus is like the difference between believing in a parachute and actually putting it on. It may not seem important on the flight, but when you jump, you will definitely see the difference. Jesus spoke of the absolute necessity of being born again in John 3:3, where He said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” There’s an easy way to find out where you are going
after you die. Do you think that you are a good person?

Paul:
Yes. I am.

You:
Let’s go through a few of the Ten Commandments to see how you will do on Judgment Day. How many lies do you think you have told, in your whole life? I mean real lies, not “white” lies.

[Again, make a distinction between what he perceives as permissible lies and deceitfulness.]

Paul:
I have told quite a few.

You:
Ten? Twenty?

Paul:
Probably dozens.

You:
What do you call someone who tells lies?

Paul:
They are a liar. But I go to confession.

You:
Paul, we often think lightly of lying, calling them fibs or “white lies,” yet the Scriptures tell us that “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” That means lies are “extremely detestable” to Him. Have you ever stolen anything, in your whole life?

Paul:
Yes. I have.