No one can say whether a Roman Catholic is truly a Christian or not since we cannot know people's hearts. But, if anyone, Catholic included, openly denies essential doctrines2 then he is not saved, and this is the problem. It appears that the Roman Catholic church is denying the essential doctrine of justification by faith. It says...
"If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema," (Canon 9, Council of Trent).
"If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema," (Canon 14, Council of Trent).
For more on this, please see Council of Trent. Canons on Justification.
Notice that justification by faith alone is denied and heaven is the reward for doing good works. This is the problem. The RCC does not teach the biblical doctrine of justification by faith. It teaches justification by faith and works. If you want to see more on this, go to The Roman Catholic view on justification.
To read the rest of the article by Matt Slick, click here: Are Roman Catholics Christian? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
Posts
12 comments:
Matt Slick also said:
Finally, I believe that there are truly regenerate Christians in the Roman Catholic church. But, they are truly Christians in spite of official RCC theology and in spite of the ritualistic offerings of this ancient church which has had too many hands meddling in it through the centuries, gradually moving it away from orthodoxy and into apostasy. Yes apostasy. The Roman Catholic Church is no longer representing true Christianity.
The odds of anyone being a true believer within an apostate church like the Roman Catholic Church is so low as to be practically nil. Why Slick stoops to tolerate potential objections is beyond me.
Charlie
If you're saved by faith, are you going to claim Catholics don't have faith? How absurd.
Roman Catholics who believe the lies taught by their church are not saved. Even Matt Slick says this. Roman Catholics have faith... in a false gospel and a false Jesus. Roman Catholics have faith just as Mormons, Buddhists, Muslims, and Satanists have faith. Trouble is their faith in in wrong doctrine and the wrong god.
1 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
Justification is by faith alone, not by faith plus works...
Romans 4:1-12
It doesn't matter to the individual soul. If God justifies on the basis of Faith only, then he will justify those who have faith in his Son, even if they think there is more to the gospel than Faith alone. It's like saying I went to the grocery store for tea bags but came back with tea bags and sugar. Having something else does not negate the fact that I have tea bags.
And while any analogy will break down, and I don't even consider this one a great one, the point remains that all Christians have faith plus works and they must. How you understand those works affecting your salvation is not what keeps you in or out of heaven. The only way to argue that is to make Luther equal with Scripture by claiming Justification by Faith Alone is the doctrine on which the Church rises and falls. That is not biblical. What is biblical is this: "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." If you are going to boil down all Scripture and Christianity to the question of how is one saved, the Scriptures say nothing of understanding precisely how Justification works, but rather on the simplicity of a child-like faith in Jesus.
Billy, there is only one Gospel. Unless you believe that one Gospel you will not be saved. Your argument is essentially liberalism. Everyone believes in a gospel of their own preference and a jesus of their own imagination rather than in the Gospel of Jesus Christ who is revealed in Holy Scripture alone.
Anyone who thinks their own good works contribute to their justification before God in the final judgment is essentially saying that Christ paid for some of their sins and they themselves pay for some part of their other sins. Such thinking is confused, unbiblical and idolatrous.
Furthermore, Scripture makes it clear that salvation is not by good works whatsoever. Good works are merely a testimony before men that makes our profession of faith credible before the world and the church. But in the last day in the judgment before God our own works can never justify us since God is absolutely just and holy and cannot tolerate imperfect sinners to any degree whatsoever. Either we will stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ and be accounted righteous by a legal declaration OR we will stand before God in a meager attempt to justify ourselves without the cross and in our own good works.
Scripture makes it clear that those who trust in the works of the law are still cursed:
(Romans 3:20 ESV) For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
(Romans 3:28 ESV) For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
(Galatians 2:16 ESV) yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
(Galatians 3:2 ESV) Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
(Galatians 3:5 ESV) Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith--
(Galatians 3:10 ESV) For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."
Those who trust in works are trusting in another gospel which Paul did not preach:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9 ESV)
Those who believe in a jesus of their own making are not believing in the same Jesus of the Bible:
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ESV)
I might add that the canons of the Council of Trent condemn all who believe the Gsspel revealed in the Bible as "anathema". Those canons have never been repealed.
Rome teaches another gospel and anyone who believes that false gospel does not have faith, have not been regenerated, and are in need of conversion. I would include you in that same category, Billy. Unless you repent you will perish in your self righteousness just as the scribes and Pharisees did.
Charlie
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." 12 But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"-- 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:11-14 ESV)
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16 ESV)
Rome teaches that salvation comes through the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible teaches that salvation comes only through faith in the same Jesus Christ preached by Paul and the apostles, the same Jesus revealed in Holy Scripture.
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:1-4 ESV)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV)
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 ESV)
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12 ESV)
And to top it all off Article 18 of the 39 Articles teaches that salvation does not come through other sects but only through true faith in the Jesus revealed in the Bible:
Article XVIII
Of obtaining eternal salvation only by the name of Christ
They also are to be had accursed that presume to say that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law and the light of nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out to us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.
Maybe you need to go back and read Articles 9-18 again, Billy. They constitute a complete rebuttal of your false opinions. The Anglican faith is Reformed, not Roman Catholic or Anglo-Catholic. The Roman Catholic and Anglo-Catholic religions are both false religions which lead to hell.
Surely you're not going to claim that Rome and your Anglo-Papist buddies are preaching the same Gospel taught in Scripture, the same Gospel taught by the Protestant Reformers one and all? Please. Your comment above as much as admits the gospel taught by Rome is one of works. The Protestants all confess that salvation is completed by faith alone apart from good works. Period. Sanctification can never be the basis for salvation since it remains imperfect:
Article XI
Of the Justification of Man
We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort; as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:10-14 ESV)
Post a Comment