SALVATION

Salvation is the most vital issue in any person’s life. What you believe about the Gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation, will have eternal consequences. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation is attainable by grace and good works; by obedience to the laws of God and to the laws of Roman Catholicism. Rome also teaches that there is no salvation outside of the Roman Catholic Church. Conversely, the Roman Catholic Bible states clearly that there is no salvation for those outside the Lord Jesus Christ, for those who do not abide in His Gospel.

Put simply, salvation, according to the Roman Catholic Church, is made possible by a combination of God’s grace and the good works that are given unto man to do by God through His grace, and also by obeying the laws of God and the laws of the Roman Catholic Church. Rome is quite adamant about this, as we see in the following pronouncement made by the Council of Trent: "If anyone saith that the good works of one that is justified...does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life and the attainment of that eternal life...let him be anathema (accursed or eternally damned)."¹

The Roman Catholic Catechism describes grace as a "...supernatural gift which God gives us to make us holy, and to help us to save our souls."²  The Baltimore Catechism adds that "Sanctifying grace is that grace which confers on our souls a new life, that is, a sharing in the life of God Himself."³

Rome teaches that this ‘sanctifying’ grace was obtained by Jesus Christ upon the cross, and the ‘new life’ that it confers is now available only through the Roman Catholic Church, by means of the seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, the Mass, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick.

The Council of Trent, on March 3, 1547, defined the nature of these seven sacraments and pronounced yet another curse on those who deny their necessity: "If anyone saith that the sacraments of the new law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God through faith alone grace of justification, though all are not necessary for every individual, let him be anathema."

The Roman Catholic Church does not teach that we can do nothing to merit heaven, but that "...without grace we can do nothing to merit heaven."⁴  Romanism insists that God’s grace supplies us with good works, which contribute towards the salvation of our souls and are not merely a result of salvation.

As was mentioned earlier, it is also claimed by the Roman Church, quite dogmatically in fact, that there is simply no salvation outside the Roman Catholic Church, implying, therefore, that faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, is not enough. One must be baptized into the Roman Catholic Church and live a life that is devoted to her, for it to be at all possible to one day ‘merit’ heaven. Justification, therefore, according to Rome, is the infusion of righteousness that enables a person to ultimately secure his own salvation by good works, which are given to him of God.

"The Roman Catholic Church teaches that through man’s faith, penitence and resolution of amendment, God is moved to infuse into one so disposed Justification, and with it the power to merit by good works increase of grace and eternal life."⁵ It is fundamental, however, to the teachings of Roman Catholicism, that justification is the result of being baptized into the Church of Rome.

Roman Catholics are instructed that in baptism, "...not only are your sins forgiven, but a righteousness is infused into you at your baptism, therefore you are made righteous by your baptism. Though you were an unconscious infant it does not matter, you are given this righteousness, your original sin is cancelled there and you are given this positive righteousness...it is not the righteousness of Christ, according to them, it is a righteousness made by God for those who are baptised. They are not ‘clothed with the righteousness of Christ’ but they are made righteous in the sight of God."⁶

More grace is needed, Rome contends, than a mere faith in Jesus Christ alone to secure salvation. As was mentioned earlier, this ‘sanctifying grace’ is obtainable only through the Catholic Church of Rome by means of the seven sacraments, good works and infused righteousness, rather than imputed righteousness, which all conspire to lead one more deeply into other erroneous Roman Catholic doctrines such as penance, purgatory and plenary indulgences.

The Roman Catholic Church also teaches that Jesus Christ’s death, alone, was not enough to save, but that Christ’s death simply earned "...‘satisfactions and merits’ which have been deposited into a ‘Treasury’ to which have been added ‘the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary [and] the prayers and good works of all the saints [beyond what they needed for their own salvation]’. From the most ancient times in the (Roman Catholic) Church good works were also offered to God for the salvation of sinners...Indeed, [by] the prayers and good works of holy people...the penitent was washed, cleansed and redeemed... Following in Christ’s steps, those who have believed in Him have always...carried their crosses to make expiation for their own sins and the sins of others. They were convinced that they could [by such good works and sacrifices] help their brothers to obtain salvation from God..."⁷

Along with all the instructions and directions given by the Roman Catholic Church concerning salvation, as will be detailed in a later chapter, she ultimately and categorically states that she and she alone is the fountain of salvation from which all must drink in order to spend eternity with God.

ROMAN CATHOLIC ‘EVIDENCE’ FOR SALVATION BY WORKS

The Roman Catholic Catechism teaches that man can do nothing to merit heaven without the grace of God. "The Roman Catholic doctrine, which asserts that we are saved by works, says that these are the gift of God and therefore not our own."⁸

We see then that the picture Rome paints is one wherein man, of himself, can do nothing to merit heaven, but through grace he is given a number of good works as a gift from God, and by performing these good works can earn his way to heaven. You see, "Romanism...teaches that salvation depends ultimately upon ourselves, upon what WE do; that one can ‘earn’ salvation by obedience to the laws of the (Roman) Catholic Church, indeed that the saints can even store up excess merits in heaven beyond the requirements of duty, through such things as regular attendance at Roman Catholic masses, by reciting rosary prayers, by fastings, and the wearing of medals, crucifixes, scapulars, etc. These excess merits Roman Catholicism calls ‘works of supererogation.’"⁹

All this is taught clearly in Roman Catholic Catechisms. "Sanctifying grace is increased by prayer and good works, and especially by offering the Holy Mass, and receiving the Sacraments."¹⁰ According to Roman Catholic teachings, salvation is not a free gift, it has to be earned, or won, as Vatican II has decreed: "...from the most ancient times in the (Roman Catholic) Church, good works were also offered to God for the salvation of the sinner...because they are necessary or at least better and more efficacious helps in the task of winning salvation."¹¹ This statement plainly demonstrates that Roman Catholicism does not teach that salvation has been won by the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for the sins of His people, but is still to be won—by good works!

Whilst the Roman Catholic Church does say that Christ Jesus died for sins, what she believes about His death is revealed in what she teaches was accomplished by that death. The Roman Catholic Church is the leading promulgator of the Pelagian or Arminian doctrine of Universal atonement—that Christ died for the sins of every individual ever born. The Roman Catholic Church wrongly states that His death was insufficient of itself to procure salvation for those He died for, and that our sufferings, which she calls Penance, must be added to Christ’s sufferings in order to make His death effective. "In accordance with this, many have tried to earn salvation by fastings, rituals, flagellations, and good works of various kinds. But those who attempt such a course always find that it is impossible to do enough to earn salvation."¹²

The issue of penance is a vital one, for many have been misled into believing that self-inflicted suffering in some way appeases God and ‘makes up’ for our sin. Needless to say, this has given many sincere people a false sense of security when it comes to the matter of their eternal destiny. It is a denial of Christ as Savior to believe that our sufferings can in any way make up for sin and appease the wrath of God, rather than His sufferings alone upon the cross.

"Penance is a wholly different thing from Gospel repentance. Roman Catholic Penance is an outward act; whilst Biblical repentance is of the heart. Penance is imposed by a Roman priest; repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit. Penance is supposed to make satisfaction for sin. But nothing that the sinner can do or suffer can satisfy the divine Justice. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can do that, and He did do it once and for all when He made atonement on the cross thereby completely satisfying the Divine Law of God. The error of Roman Catholicism is like that of the heathen religions, seeking to win forgiveness or deliverance from sin by self-inflicted or priest-imposed punishment. Such are the tortures of Buddhist and Hindu devotees.

"What God desires in the sinner is not a punishment of oneself for sins, but a change of heart, a real forsaking of sin, shown by a new life of obedience to God’s Gospel and commands. In short, penance is a counterfeit repentance. It is the work of man on his body; true repentance is the work of God in the soul (Romans 2:4). The divine Word of God commands: ‘Rend your hearts, not your garments’ (Joel 2:13). Penance is ‘rending the garments’; an outward form without inward reality, which Christ commands His people not to do."¹³

Let it be known that there is absolutely nothing that can be offered to God for man’s salvation. Only that which has been offered to God for the sins of His chosen, the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, is acceptable, for only "...the blood of His Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Every true Christian is "...now justified by His blood..." (Romans 5:9); and "In Him we have redemption by His blood..." (Ephesians 1:7). Salvation is not dependent on that which we do, but on what Jesus Christ HAS done, for "...if justification comes by the law (that is by works of obedience to God’s Law), then Christ died for nothing" (Galatians 2:21).

The passage of Scripture that the Roman Catholic Church has consistently relied upon in defence of its ‘salvation by works’ doctrine is that which is found in the second chapter of the Letter of James, verses 14-26. The key verses in the passage are: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (v.14) So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead (v.17). See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (v.24).

Roman Catholicism would seek to convince us that James is here saying that faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is not sufficient for salvation, but that faith must not only be accompanied by good works, these good works actually contribute towards attaining salvation. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the Roman Catholic position on the subject is to present to you several curses, which are proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church to this very day, upon any who would dare hold to the belief that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, and not by good works.

"If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than faith in the Divine compassion forgiving our sins for the sake of Christ, or that this faith alone is that by which we are justified, let him be anathema (accursed)." The Council of Trent also added: "If any shall say that justification received is not preserved and also increased before God by good works; but that these works are only the fruits and marks of justification obtained, and not the cause of increasing the same—let him be anathema."¹⁴

It is necessary to add at this point that every pagan system of belief demands that men do good works in order to earn salvation. All these systems, including that of Roman Catholicism, insist that by good works and merits, a man may earn his way to heaven. St. Augustine, considered the greatest theologian of the early Church and one whom the Roman Catholic Church has been most anxious to follow, clearly taught that salvation is purely a work of God by grace upon the sinner and is in no way attainable by mere human endeavour.

Perhaps the clearest teaching on the matter of works versus grace, or mercy, in the matter of salvation, may be seen in Luke 18:9-14 where we see the Pharisee, a religious leader, thanking God for the works he does: "...I thank You that I am not like the rest of humanity...I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income" (Luke 18:11,12). The publican, however, does not mention to God any works done by him but merely prays to God for mercy, thus placing himself completely in the hands of God, knowing that no good work of his own is even worthy of mention, let alone of attaining salvation: "...O God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). After the telling of this parable, the Lord Jesus remarks: "I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). The Pharisee thanked God for the good works he was doing but the Lord Jesus calls this exalting oneself! The Pharisee, just like the Roman Catholic, believed in a gospel that allowed room for him to boast of his works even though to his mind he was praising God for his good works. The only one who is justified is the one whose reliance for salvation is completely upon God and His mercy and on nothing that God has enabled the sinner to do. Good works follow salvation, they are a fruit of salvation, but in no way are they a contributing factor to it. Be not deceived! Any teaching that conditions salvation on anything other than the love, grace and mercy of God, is a boast in what man can do and boasts in man exalting him, rather than God ALONE.

"All men naturally feel that they should earn their salvation, and a system which makes some provision in that regard readily appeals to them. But the apostle Paul lays the axe to such reasoning when he says, ‘...for if a law had been given that could bring life, then righteousness would in reality come from the law’ (Galatians 3:21)."¹⁵ "But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Galatians 6:14)

Such curses as the above quoted anathemas of Rome are negated by the writings of the apostle Paul: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach [to you] a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!" (Galatians 1:8). Paul added: "FOR ALL WHO DEPEND ON WORKS...ARE UNDER A CURSE; for it is written: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing ALL the things written in the book of the law" (Galatians 3:10)—"The apostle Paul is teaching here that anyone who would seek to earn salvation by keeping the law, in other words by obeying the commandments of God, must render PERFECT obedience...which clearly is impossible for any human being. Hence Paul’s anathema shatters that of Roman Catholicism, for it is the curse of God that is upon any who teach salvation by works in any form."¹⁶

Further investigation into the writings of Paul confirm the fact that salvation cannot be of works: "He saved us and called us unto a holy life, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS but according to His own design and the GRACE bestowed on us in Christ Jesus BEFORE TIME BEGAN" (2 Timothy 1:9). "...no human being will be justified in His sight by observing the law...the righteousness of God has been manifested APART FROM THE LAW...the righteousness of God THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST for all who believe..." (Romans 3:20-22). The Scriptures state that salvation is not merited by the individual obedience of the many (those Christ died for), but "...through the OBEDIENCE OF ONE the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). The apostle Paul also wrote conclusively: "...we consider that a person is justified APART FROM WORKS..." (Romans 3:28).

We return now to Roman Catholicism’s favourite passage of Scripture when dealing with the subject of salvation, James 2:14-26. What James has actually said, which incidentally is in perfect harmony with other portions of Scripture unlike the Roman Catholic doctrine of works, is that faith, if it has no subsequent works, is dead: James said: "...you have faith and I have works. Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works" (James 2:18). Former Roman Catholic priest, Bartholomew Brewer, has wisely stated: "We are not saved BY good works, but we are saved FOR good works" as is made clear in Ephesians 2:10: "For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus FOR (not because of) the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them." James was not making works the basis or foundation of salvation, otherwise this passage would conflict with the rest of the New Testament, but was merely demonstrating that if one claims to have saving faith but has no subsequent works, then that faith cannot be of God. Having saving faith but no subsequent works is like having a foundation but no house built upon it. Remember, the Scriptures do not contradict one another. If there is confusion, it does not lie in the Scriptures but in the unregenerate minds of lost men.

What James was simply trying to point out was that one cannot merely profess to have faith in the fact there is One True and Living God and expect to be saved, for, according to James, "..even the demons believe that and tremble" (2:19) and yet surely they have not gained salvation. The same is the case with having a faith which does not have any accompanying works. James says that kind of faith is dead. A faith which comes from the mouth is a dead faith. That faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that comes from the heart, which produces accompanying works, is a faith that is alive. Good works are a result of the true and living faith that comes from God, however it is important to point out that such works do not in any way contribute to one’s salvation; they are the mere fruit of faith. In other words, ‘Faith produces works’ therefore ‘Works follow faith’.

James was speaking primarily to those who, at the time, thought that one could have true faith without works; a justification without sanctification. "Good works, of course, are pleasing to God, and they have an important and very necessary place in the life of the Christian. They naturally follow if one has true faith, and they are performed out of love and gratitude to God for the great salvation that has been bestowed. If any professing Christian does not want to obey the Bible and live a good Christian life, that is proof that his faith is not sincere."¹⁷ If you are a professing Christian and you do not have an overwhelming love and desire for, and belief in, God’s only Gospel, then it is of a surety you have never been truly born-again. The true Christian is "...born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God...This is the word which (by the Gospel) is proclaimed to you" (1 Peter 1:23,25). The footnotes to this passage from the St. Joseph edition of the New American Bible state: "The new birth of Christians derives from Christ, the imperishable seed or sowing that produces a new and lasting existence in those who accept the Gospel..."

"Good works...are not the cause and basis of salvation, they are not what the person does to earn salvation, but rather the fruits and evidence of salvation which is: "...not because of any righteous deeds we had done BUT BECAUSE OF HIS MERCY, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). The born again Christian produces good works as naturally as the grape vine produces grapes. They are a part of his very nature. He performs them not to get saved but because he is saved. And, it is to be observed further, that the distinguishing mark of a saint is not, as is the case in Roman Catholicism, what one has done for God, but what God has done for him."¹⁷

"The allegation which has been made by Roman Catholics and others is that this doctrine (faith alone through grace alone) makes good works of no value. Some have even called it an immoral doctrine. Nothing could be further from the truth. The apostle Paul anticipated such an objection when he wrote, ‘...Shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? Of course not! How can we who died to sin yet live in it?’ (Romans 6:1,2). The Reformers taught that belief in the mercy of God in Jesus Christ gives a new life from which good works must proceed, and that if these do not come, it is evident that the life is not there. They distinguished between the act of justification or the counting men as righteous, and the work of sanctification or the making them holy, but they looked on the one as the precursor of the other. While they taught that faith alone saves, they taught also that faith could not be alone."¹⁸

The apostle James, in his Letter, is not saying that salvation cannot be gained without good works, what he is saying, however, is that no one can show or prove that he is saved without them (see James 2:18; cf. Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:9ff; Titus 2:14). For every verse of Scripture the Roman Catholic Church employs in an effort to support its doctrine of ‘salvation by works’, there are whole passages in the Roman Catholic Bible that stand eternally against this teaching, and as you will soon learn, clearly state that salvation is purely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone and not of works at all, for it is the GIFT of God!

"A good tree is recognized as such because of its fruit. The fruit is only the outward sign that the tree is good. Believers are exhorted continually to let salvation work out its fruit in their lives for the glory of God (see Matthew 5:16). The nature of salvation is full proof that good works are the fruit of salvation and not a cause. Salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8). What the Roman Catholic must realise is that it cannot be by grace if works are required also "¹⁹ "A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the One Who justifies the ungodly, HIS FAITH is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:4,5). "But if by grace, it is no longer because of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6).

The doctrine of salvation by any degree of works, negates, it nullifies and blots out the doctrine of salvation conditioned solely on the grace and mercy of God revealed in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ the Savior. Paul said that he did not frustrate the grace of God seen in Christ’s death by conditioning his salvation on any work of his: "I do not nullify (neutralize or violate) the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing" (Galatians 2:21 cf. Romans 11:5,6). What Paul is saying is that if Christ is not, by His Person and Work, the Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end), the Author and Finisher, of all of salvation, then He is no Savior at all. If any part of salvation is due to, or conditioned on, anything a man does then grace is frustrated, it is nullified, salvation is by works and Christ has died in vain (see Galatians 5:1-4). In other words, if any part of salvation is achievable, any condition that can be met, by anything or anyone or any deed other than by Christ and what He has done—what has been provided in and by Him—then Christ’s death was all in vain. The doctrine that bases, or conditions, salvation on what a man does, is a doctrine that neutralizes and violates the doctrine of salvation by grace alone and trespasses upon what Christ has done, and therefore blasphemes His name. The Scriptures say, "And when He was made Perfect, He became THE SOURCE (AUTHOR) OF ETERNAL SALVATION for all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9). "And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for ‘the one who is righteous by faith will live’" (Galatians 3:11).

SALVATION BY ROME ALONE?

As was mentioned earlier, it is the contention of the Roman Catholic Church that there is no salvation whatsoever outside of her. ‘You must be a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church or you will be in hell forever and never see God’, is her cry. Vatican II declared: "This sacred Synod...basing itself upon sacred Scripture and tradition, teaches that the (Roman) Church...is necessary for salvation." Additionally, the documents state: "It is through Christ’s (Roman) Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help towards salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained..."²⁰

The New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism states: "It is through the Catholic Church alone that the whole fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. All are obliged to belong to the Catholic Church in order to be saved."²¹

The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism’s response to the question, ‘Is the Roman Catholic Church necessary for salvation?’, is an unequivocal: "Yes, the Church is necessary for salvation. Christ Himself declared that no one can be saved except through faith and baptism. He thereby affirmed the necessity of the Church...into which a person enters, as through a door, in the sacrament of baptism."²²

This baptism, of course, is a baptism into the Church of Rome and no other. Baptism, in actual fact, does not save anybody. True Christian baptism of believers is purely symbolic and in no way does it help attain, secure or maintain salvation. According to Roman Catholicism, you must, in order to be saved, also confess your sins to a Roman Catholic priest. You must do the penance which that priest imposes. A person must also, inevitably, endure the fabled fires of Purgatory before becoming ‘pure enough’ for heaven. All of this false teaching renders the magnificent saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross as merely another work that, added to our own, ultimately gains us salvation!! This is wrong teaching. It is false teaching. It is a different gospel compared with that taught in the pages of the Roman Catholic Bible.

Salvation is possible, according to the doctrines of Rome, if the Roman Catholic Mass be regularly attended. Belief is compulsory, upon threat of eternal damnation, in the claim that the Roman Catholic priest ‘miraculously’ changes the communion bread and wine into the literal body and blood, soul and divinity, of the Lord Jesus Christ, a process known as Transubstantiation.

The Roman Catholic Church also teaches that to ensure salvation, one must also be in subjection to the Roman Catholic Pope and his decrees. Pope Pius IX, quoting Pope Boniface VIII, once stated: "It is necessary to salvation that every man should submit to the Pope." The Second Vatican Council also confirmed the longstanding dogma of Pope Boniface VIII of 1301, ‘Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salvus’, meaning, ‘No salvation outside of the Church of Rome.’ The New York Catechism states: "The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth. He is the true vicar of Christ....God Himself on earth."

The more recent doctrine of Papal infallibility must also be adhered to by one who aspires to salvation: "Papal infallibility is the teaching of Roman Catholic truth, from which no one can deviate without loss of faith and of salvation." It was added: "If anyone—which may God avert—presume to contradict this our definition: let him be anathema"²⁴ The documents of Vatican II even state that "...loyal submission of the will and the intellect must be given in a special way to the authentic teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff even when he does not speak ‘ex-cathedra’... or ‘from the chair’ (Vol.1, pp.378-379). Ex-cathedra is when a Pope speaks of faith and morals defined by him as infallibly true and which is to be accepted by ALL Roman Catholics. In other words, the people are to completely submit to everything the Pope teaches, whether he speaks ‘infallibly’ or not!

According to Roman Catholicism, amongst other ‘necessities’ required for salvation is a belief in the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary. "The new dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1st, 1950. It makes the Roman Catholic teaching that Mary was ‘assumed (taken up) body and soul’ into heaven an article of faith to be believed on pain of eternal damnation."²⁵ St. Alphonsus Liguori whose book, ‘The Glories of Mary’, was pronounced without error by popes Pius VII in 1803, and Leo XII in 1825, and which is officially approved by the Roman Catholic Church, declared: "...our salvation is in the hands of Mary, he who is protected by Mary will be saved, he who is not will be lost."²⁶

In stark contrast to Liguori’s declaration, the Roman Catholic Bible states: "Whoever possesses THE SON has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12).

"You see how it works — everything in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church makes you dependent upon the Church. Are you saying that you can repent and go to Christ and believe in Him and be saved? No, you must have this operation worked upon you by the priest through your baptism. All along it makes the priest and the Church absolutely essential. You are helpless without them, you are bound to them. There is no direct communication with Christ, you have always to go through these intermediaries. The Bible says that there is only one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus. Not so in Rome—Mary, the Pope, the priests and all the hierarchy and all the underlings, all these are necessary too."²⁷

Dear Roman Catholic, I believe that you would scoff and laugh at me if I came to you saying that your salvation depended, not on God alone, but on your commitment to an organization AND God. Friends, you don’t need a man; you don’t need an organization to be saved from your sin. And you certainly do not need to seek out and embrace the man-made teachings of tradition to save you. You need the Lord Jesus Christ; you need God alone; you need His Holy Word, the Bible. You need to believe HIS GOSPEL wherein is revealed the Righteousness of Christ without which no man can be saved. You need to receive God’s Gospel Truth. At that Last Day, the Day of Judgement, you will not be among an organization of millions facing God, you will not be one of the crowd, you will be facing Him alone. It will be you face to face with God. He is the One you are answerable to and He is all you need. If one is not clothed with the Righteousness of Christ and has not completely rejected, just like the apostle Paul (see Philippians 3), all one’s religious efforts as being in any way a contributing factor to one’s salvation, as well as every thought that you were saved before hearing and believing God’s only Gospel, you will perish for all eternity.

A person or an organization may lead you to Jesus Christ but God does not require you to be a member of any organization on earth to be saved, other than a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ, the one that is made up of every true believer in Jesus. The Bible calls it the Church of the first-born (see Hebrews 12:23).

The Roman Catholic Church is no different to any cult or sect that preaches allegiance and devotion and trust in the organization, rather than in the God-Man Jesus Christ, alone, as the one and ONLY way to Salvation.

SALVATION - WHAT DOES THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLE SAY?

The fact that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, is clearly taught in the pages of the Roman Catholic Bible. There are an almost endless array of Scriptures that testify to this clearly and unmistakably.

Perhaps the two Scripture passages that are most clear are the following: "For by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and this is NOT FROM YOU; it is the GIFT of God; it is NOT FROM WORKS, so no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). This passage is clearly stating that salvation is by grace alone and no part of that salvation which comes from God is due to, or is a result of, anything that the saved person has done. The passage is saying that if any part of salvation is conditioned on man then he would have reason to boast in what he has done. But the Gospel of Christ is the only one that teaches that salvation, grace and faith are all from God, NOT FROM US, and therefore no man can boast before Him and ALL the glory for salvation belongs solely to God. Anyone who says or believes anything different to this preaches another gospel, which cannot save.

Paul the apostle could not have made it any clearer than this: "...a person is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS of the law, because by works of the law NO ONE will be justified" (Galatians 2:16). A man is justified by a WORK OF GOD and not by any work of his own. If a man could be saved by a work of his own, then there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to come to this earth and die on the cross for our sins. You cannot couple what Christ has done with what we do as being the means to salvation for either you embrace what Christ alone has done or you must trust solely in what you have done, "You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law..." (Galatians 5:4). What every Roman Catholic needs to ask himself, and then examine, is the question: ‘Why did Jesus Christ, the Son of God, come to this earth to die on a cross? What did He die for and for whom did He die?’

The word ‘justification’, as used by the apostle Paul throughout his letters, "...refers plainly not to an infusion of righteousness, as Rome contends, but to the accounting of a guilty man as if he were free from guilt."²⁸

"Stated very simply: because God treated Christ as if He had sinned our sin, He is now able to treat true believers as if they had never sinned. How? By laying to their account the righteousness of His Son. That is the essential meaning of justification. It does not mean that the sinner is REALLY made righteous (that has to do with sanctification), but that God REGARDS the sinner as righteous and declares him to be so."²⁹

"There can be no dispute that the word ‘justification’ in the New Testament has a judicial meaning. Whenever it is used with reference to our acceptance with God, it means the declaration that a person is just; it does not mean in any way a making just. God justifies us freely by His grace (Romans 3:24; that is, it has nothing at all to do with merit or goodness on our part, with what we are in ourselves. God is said to justify (declare righteous) the ungodly (Romans 4:5).

"On what ground does He do this? Clearly, not on the ground of the sinner’s righteousness, but on the ground of that righteousness which God has revealed and provided in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21,22). By faith we are ‘in Christ’ and His righteousness is imputed or reckoned to us who believe in Him: "For our sake He made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God IN HIM" (2 Corinthians 5:21). All this is quite distinct from and independent of the inward renewal or condition of the sinner. The ground of his justification is not found in himself but solely in Christ.

"Now this is the teaching that the Reformers and others since have so jealously guarded and sought to defend against every attempt to include within it the idea that justification rests in some way upon an inward change in the believer. To be sure, the man who trusts in Christ is a changed man, and inwardly renewed by grace, otherwise he would not have faith in Christ alone but, and this is the matter of vital importance which the Bible makes quite clear, his justification must never be confused with, or supposed to rest upon, that inward change or anything in himself, as its ground or reason. The Biblical doctrine of justification logically has nothing to do with inward change."³⁰ Listen to what the Roman Catholic Bible teaches: "...when one DOES NOT WORK, yet believes in the One who justifies the ungodly, HIS FAITH is credited as righteousness. So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness APART FROM WORKS" (Romans 4:5,6 cf. Romans 3:19,27).

As was stated earlier, no man can in any way effect his own salvation, though his life abound with religion and ‘good works’; these ‘good works’ in and of themselves can never save the sinner for, "...all our good deeds are like polluted rags..." (Isaiah 64:5) and "...without (saving) faith it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6). A good illustration, which may help in making this point clearer, is that of the rotten apple. Although it is diseased and rotting at the core, an apple may still have a pleasant aroma. And yet, no matter how pleasant the aroma may be, the rottenness remains! And no one is going to accept a rotten apple to eat, no matter how fragrant it is! So too, God will never accept an imperfect and sinful man, no matter how many ‘good things’ he might do, because his good deeds are all imperfect and can never do away with his rotten sinful state. The apple can do nothing to change the fact that it is rotten. It can never do away with its own rottenness. So too, a man who lives a life that gives off a sweet fragrance of good works, can never alter the fact that he is a sinner and can do nothing of himself to change the condition of his own unrighteousness before God. This can only be achieved by what His Maker, Jesus Christ, has done upon the cross at Calvary (see Romans 3:9-20; Galatians 3:10-14). Nothing we do, don’t do, or stop doing, can alter our sinful nature one bit. Man’s condition, and the fact that he can do nothing to change his state before God, and therefore please God, is highlighted by God Himself in the following verse: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin? the leopard his spots? As easily would you be able to do good, accustomed to evil as you are" (Jer. 13:23); "All have gone astray; all alike are worthless; there is not one who does good, [there is not] even one" (Rom. 3:12); "Yet there is no man on earth so just as to do good and never sin" (Eccl. 7:20).

That Jesus Christ is called Saviour is a simple reminder of, and points to, the fact that man cannot save himself, but is undeniably in need of One who can save him.

The Roman Catholic Bible makes it abundantly clear that salvation belongs to the Lord: "The salvation of the just is from the Lord..." (Psalm 37:39). Once you, the Roman Catholic, come to the point of accepting this truth, it will be easy for you to see and agree with the Word of God, which says that salvation is indeed "Not because of any righteousness which we had done but because of His mercy..." (Titus 3:5).

Eternal life is a gift, "...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23), which is given to those who are the elect of God, "not by works but by His call..." (Romans 9:12). "We are told that Christ suffered as a substitute, ‘the just for the unjust’. And when man is encouraged to think that he owes to some power or art of his own that salvation which in reality is all of grace, God is robbed of part of His glory. By no stretch of the imagination can a man’s good works in this life be considered a just equivalent for the blessings of eternal life. We are, in fact, nothing but receivers; we never bring any adequate reward to God, we are always receiving from Him, and shall be unto all eternity."³¹

A man’s works are not what justifies him before God. The Roman Catholic Bible has shown us that it is God alone who justifies. "Yet God can only justify us on the basis of faith. That is why the apostle Paul tells us that we are "...justified by faith..." (Romans 5:1); or we are "...saved through faith..." (Ephesians 2:8). Faith alone does not save, yet we cannot be saved without it."³²

The Roman Catholic Church wrongly instructs her followers that salvation is by a combination of God’s sanctifying grace, good works, the sacraments and by obeying the laws of God and the Roman Church. Yet the Roman Catholic Bible, as we have seen, simply declares that salvation is purely by grace, a gift of God, which no man can earn. Dear Roman Catholic, both teachings cannot be right. We either procure our own salvation by works, or a combination of our works and God’s grace; or God grants His people salvation completely and absolutely by His grace. The apostle Paul reiterates: "...if BY GRACE it is no longer because of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). If a man believes he is saved, to any degree, by his own works then grace cannot even play a small part in his ‘salvation’. The Bible simply states that if salvation is by grace, then it is NOT AT ALL by works, and, if salvation is by works, then it is NOT AT ALL by grace. Grace and works are like oil and water, the two simply will not mix! "...WE ARE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS..." (Acts 15:11); "They are JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24).

The Question & Answer Catholic Catechism says that in order for man to gain salvation, he must keep the 10 Commandments. It is interesting to note the irony of the fact that in most Roman Catholic publications that carry a list of the 10 Commandments, including catechisms, God’s Second Commandment, which Roman Catholicism is guilty of breaking, which forbids the making and worshipping of idols or images of anything in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, is excluded!! However, Roman Catholic Bibles do contain the proper listing of the Ten Commandments as they were given to Moses.

One example that may be presented to show that man does not acquire salvation by his own works, is that of the patriarch Abraham who, "...had done good works but they did not mean a thing before God" (see Romans 4:3). The Roman Catholic Bible teaches that Abraham was not saved because of obedience to the Ten Commandments, for they had not yet been given! He was not saved by a church, for there was none. He never heard of baptism or sacraments." Nor was he saved because of circumcision! "Abraham’s salvation was THROUGH FAITH IN HIS REDEEMER, and through faith alone. IT WAS NOT FAITH PLUS WORKS. IT WAS FAITH INDEPENDENT OF WORKS (Romans 4:6)."³³ "...if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works, he has reason to boast; but this was not so in the sight of God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham BELIEVED God and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:2,3). "Does this blessedness apply only to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? Now we assert that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was he circumcised or not? HE WAS NOT CIRCUMCISED, but uncircumcised" (Romans 4:9,10). Salvation comes by the gift of Faith and not by the works of man.

The following passage in the Book of Acts shows clearly that certain of the sect of the Pharisees "...who had become believers stood up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them (recently converted Gentiles) and direct them to observe the Mosaic law" (Acts 15:5) in order to be saved. Peter the apostle rose up in denial, declaring "Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are SAVED THROUGH THE GRACE of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they" (Acts 15:10,11). In no uncertain terms, Peter here shows that salvation is NOT by works, by anything a man does, but purely by the grace of God: "...you are not under the law but under GRACE" (Romans 6:14).

God’s objective in giving the commandments was to convince sinners of their guilt and to show them the impossibility of man being able to keep the whole of the law of God, and thereby merit heaven: "...the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified BY FAITH. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian" (Galatians 3:24,25; cf. Romans 6:14; 7:4; 8:2). The commandments of God are a guide for the believer’s life and should, of course, be obeyed by every true believer. But there is no salvation purely by keeping one’s life in accordance with the commandments, for one would have to keep them perfectly: "For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, HAS BECOME GUILTY IN RESPECT TO ALL OF IT" (James 2:10). The life of obedience is that which follows salvation, ie. belief in the Gospel.

The following is an important lesson for all Roman Catholics. The Jews were a people who also believed that salvation could be attained by their own works of righteousness. The apostle Paul, observing those who based their salvation upon their own good works, prayed for their salvation:"Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on their behalf is for salvation. I testify with regard to them that they have zeal for God, BUT IT IS NOT DISCERNING. For, in their awareness of the righteousness that comes from God, and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith" (Romans 10:1-4). An earlier statement of Paul’s in regard to Israel is one that should send a clear message to Roman Catholics, who have been misled into believing that salvation can be earned by, or is in any way dependant upon, good works: "...Israel who pursued the law of righteousness, did not attain to that law. Why not? BECAUSE THEY DID IT NOT BY FAITH, BUT AS IF IT COULD BE DONE BY WORKS" (Romans 9:31,32).

"...They were, therefore, not in the Church of Christ. He makes it plain that ‘the righteousness of God’ is given to us through faith, and that we enter heaven pleading only the merits of Christ. Time and again the Scriptures repeat the assertion that salvation is of grace, as if anticipating the difficulty that men would have in coming to the conclusion that they could not earn it by their own works."³⁴

The reality that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone, cannot be presented to you, the Roman Catholic, in a more succinct and clear way than in the passage found in Acts 16:30-32. This is the passage where the crucial question is asked: "...what must I do to be saved?" The apostle Paul’s answer is simply this: "...BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS and you...will be saved." The very next verse in this chapter reveals that those who gave this answer to the man who asked, "What must I do to be saved?" immediately "...spoke the WORD OF THE LORD to him..." The context of this chapter shows that the Word of the Lord they taught the man was indeed the GOSPEL (see Acts 16:10). The only way one can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is to hear God’s only Gospel wherein, and only therein, the true Christ and His Righteousness is revealed: "...Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the Word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). True saving faith will not come by hearing any other gospel—which is filled with words other than God’s Word. The Scriptures make clear that saving faith is not something that comes from man, but is a gift given to man by the grace of God (see Ephesians 2:8), which believes in no other gospel but God’s unique and only Gospel.

Jesus’ own words in John’s Gospel are just as clear: "...whoever BELIEVES (on Me) has eternal life" (John 6:47). The witness of John the Baptist is also in agreement: "Whoever BELIEVES in the Son has eternal life..." (John 3:36). Moreover, the Roman Catholic Bible testifies to the fact that, "To Him (Jesus) ALL THE PROPHETS bear witness, that everyone WHO BELIEVES IN HIM will receive forgiveness of sins through His name" (Acts 10:43). To believe in Jesus Christ is not merely to believe in a Supreme Being whom one address as ‘jesus’, it is to acknowledge and hold dear the doctrine that identifies the only Jesus whom God testifies to in His Gospel. The doctrine you believe is indicative of the God/god you have embraced. The apostle John concluded his Gospel by saying that the signs of Jesus Christ that he had written of, were written so that "...you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through THIS BELIEF you may have life in His name" (John 20:31; see also Romans 10:9; 3:26,27; John 1:12; 3:15,16). Again, to rightly and savingly believe in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God is to not merely utter these words and sincerely believe them to be true, but to believe what GOD has said in HIS Gospel concerning that which Jesus, as Messiah and the Son of God, would do for His people.

You will notice that in the above scriptures, no one spoke of a church, nor any of the sacraments, not even of baptism as necessary for salvation. The one requirement for salvation is that you BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ: "For, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED" (Romans 10:9). Of course, the word ‘believe’ involves far more than a mere acknowledgement of Christ’s existence and the historical facts pertinent to His life. The belief of a true Christian is "...according to the Scriptures..." (see 1 Corinthians 15:3,4) and cannot be separated from a deep reliance and trust upon the Saviour, Jesus Christ, and an adherence to His every Word. Believing in Jesus Christ is to entrust oneself to His care.

To believe this truth, which is in essence the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that upon believing on Him—that is, on His righteousness alone as that by which a man is saved—one is translated from the Kingdom of darkness and into God’s Kingdom of Light, the Roman Catholic "...would have to...completely reject Roman Catholicism’s false gospel" and confess that they were NEVER saved whilst believing a gospel that God does not teach. "One cannot believe two contradictory propositions at the same time; one cannot believe Christ obtained redemption through His blood and ALSO believe redemption is BEING accomplished through Roman Catholic liturgy; one cannot believe salvation is by faith and ‘not of works’ and at the same time believe that good works earn salvation." Paul the apostle counted all that he formerly did and believed as "...so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having ANY righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God depending on faith" (Philippians 3:8,9). So too, the Roman Catholic must turn his back on Roman Catholicism and her false gospel of works, completely rejecting any previous claim of being a saved Christian, realising that prior to hearing and believing the Gospel no one is saved.

"Paul declared that ‘all have sinned’ (Romans 3:23), and need to be ‘saved’ from God’s eternal judgement upon sinners. He also insisted that one can be saved ONLY by believing ‘the Gospel of Christ’ (Romans 1:16). The early Church ‘turned the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6) with the preaching of this Gospel which Roman Catholicism has denied for 1,500 years."³⁵

No one is saved, or can be saved, whilst believing in the false gospel of Roman Catholicism. The reason we can make such a sweeping statement is due to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church does not preach THE Gospel of God but a shrewd counterfeit. According to the Scriptures, none are or can be in a sanctified state, made righteous before God, by believing in falsehood. Speaking to believers in God’s Gospel, Paul the apostle states: "...God chose you as the firstfuits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the TRUTH. To this end He has [also] called you through OUR GOSPEL to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2Thessalonians 2:13,14).

This information is shared, not with the intention of mocking Roman Catholics because they do not know the true Gospel, but in an attempt to show to you, the Roman Catholic, that your Church has not taught you the truth. What chance do you have of believing and receiving the truth if you have not been taught it? We do not mock you, but we simply tell you, in love, that you have not been taught the truth about Jesus Christ and His Gospel!! We implore you to investigate what you have been taught and compare it with what the Scriptures say, for they are the very Word of God.

Roman Catholicism teaches a life of rituals and ceremonies, good works and devotion to the Church, priests, and Pope; of building a storehouse of merits in order to one day gain heaven. The Roman Catholic Bible, however, teaches that the true Christian worships God in spirit and in truth, and believes in Jesus Christ who "...is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20) and that it is "...through the OBEDIENCE OF ONE the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19).

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION - WHAT DOES THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLE SAY?

In spite of all that Roman Catholicism teaches is necessary for salvation, she flatly denies the Biblical truth that a person may have assurance of his own salvation. The Council of Trent, whose decrees were all affirmed at Vatican Council II, pronounced a curse upon anyone who would dare to presume that he had assurance of salvation: "...no man can know with infallible assurance of faith that he has obtained the grace of God." That means that not even the Pope, who one would assume would have assurance that he has obtained the grace of God seeing that the Roman Catholic Church says that he is Christ’s representative on earth, can say with any certainty that he is saved!

Moreover, "this very decree of Rome, while directly opposed to the Word of God, stamps its own lofty claims with the brand of imposture; for if no man who has been ‘regenerated’ by its baptism, and who has received its ‘absolution from sin’, can yet have any certain assurance after all that ‘the grace of God’ has been conferred upon him, what can be the worth of its opus operatum?"³⁶

Rome’s position then is that one cannot be saved unless one is baptised into the Roman Catholic Church, attend Mass, confess one’s sins to a priest and believe and adhere to many other teachings and practices of Romanism, yet none are, at any time, to dare presume that they have any assurance that they are actually saved!

"Such assurance is pronounced a delusion and a result of sinful pride, by the Roman Catholic Church. Rome keeps her subjects in constant fear and insecurity. Even at death, after Extreme Unction has been administered and after thousands of Rosary prayers have been said ‘for the repose of the soul,’ the priest still cannot give assurance of salvation. The person is never ‘good enough,’ but must serve in purgatory prison to be ‘purified’ of venial sins before he can be admitted to the celestial city. No one can be truly happy without the assurance of salvation; and particularly in spiritual matters a state of doubt and uncertainty is a state of misery."³⁷

The truth, however, is that "...Christ is able to keep His people saved, not because of their goodness or faithfulness, both of which are very erratic, but because of His power and grace: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them, to Me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand" (John 10:28,29). This eternal life that Christ speaks of is a gift (John 3:16); it is made effective by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the soul, which is called ‘regeneration’ (Titus 3:5), or a new birth, a being ‘born anew’ or ‘from above’ (John 3:3), and as such it is irrevocable—"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29). "Nothing less than a supernatural act on the part of God (regeneration) can bring a soul from a state of spiritual death to a state of spiritual life; and nothing less than another supernatural act of God could reverse that condition. This is the true ‘perseverance of the saints’—not that we persevere in holding on to God, but that He perseveres in holding on to us"³⁸ (see Jeremiah 32:40 & Hebrews 13:5).

Roman Catholicism vehemently denies that anyone can be assured of salvation, or even claim to be saved and to have ALREADY passed from death to life, as the apostle John mentioned in 1 John 3:14 concerning every true believer: "We KNOW that we HAVE passed from death to life..." Sadly, dear Roman Catholic people have been kept from the truth contained in their own Bible, whilst being taught to believe the lie that one never passes ‘from death to life’ but is always ‘earning salvation’ with the help of the Roman Catholic Church.

"In fact, excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church is the penalty for saying that one is saved and knows that he has eternal life through faith in Christ’s finished work. The very heart of the Gospel which evangelicals affirm is denied by the Roman Catholic Church in all its creeds, catechisms, canons, decrees and dogmas, and those who dare to affirm it are anathematized or eternally damned by the Church. The first page of the documents of Vatican II declares, ‘For it is the liturgy [Sacramental rituals] through which, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, the work of our redemption is accomplished.’"³⁹ The Roman Catholic Bible stands forever in disagreement! It states that the Gospel of Christ’s Righteousness: "...is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...for in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, 'the one who is righteous by faith shall live" (Romans 1:16,17). "Salvation is not channelled through sacraments. It is presented through the medium of preaching (Romans 10:10-15; 1 Corinthians 1:21). It is received by faith alone in the Saviour (Galatians 2:16)."⁴⁰

Dear Roman Catholic, "There exists a magnificent statement and it is found in the eighth chapter of Romans, verse 16" written to true believers: ‘The Spirit...bears witness with our spirit that we ARE children of God.’ "Do you know what that means? There is nothing more wonderful than that; but the Roman Catholic Church denies it completely."⁴¹

Such denial of the assurance of salvation, to which Roman Catholicism subscribes, would consign every apostle to hell, "...for they were all certain of going to heaven. The thief on the cross was happy in his assurance when Jesus said to him that he would be with Him in paradise that very day(Luke 23:43) ...Paul personally preferred to die, for he knew that death meant life in heaven for him (Philippians 1:20-23)."⁴²

John the apostle, in writing to Christians in his first letter, informed them: "I write these things to you so that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life, you who BELIEVE in the name of the Son of God" (5:13). Dear Roman Catholic, let this truth grip you and set you free from the lies of Roman Catholicism!!

"...When God saves a sinner, He saves him once and for all from the punishment due to his sin (John 6:37; 10:27-29). When God pardons a sinner, He pardons him once and for all (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 38:17; 1John 1:9)."⁴³

One of the reasons God Almighty has given us His Perfect Word, the Bible, is so that His people would not live in darkness and fear concerning where they would spend eternity, but that His chosen would be assured, and greatly comforted in the midst of their sufferings on earth, of the fact that those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ HAVE passed from death unto life, and can KNOW that they HAVE eternal life!!

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION!!

The Lord Jesus Christ has pronounced: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME" (John 14:6). The Roman Catholic Bible plainly informs all who read it that it IS possible for a man to be saved and know that he is saved once and for all. The Roman Catholic Bible exhorts us to trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross, where He bore the sins of all those the Father gave Him, and to receive from Him the free gift of eternal life: "...God gave us eternal life, AND THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON" (1 John 5:11).

The Lord Jesus is saying to each and every Roman Catholic person today: "...I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in the One who sent Me HAS eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but HAS PASSED from death into life" (John 5:24).

Jesus Christ did not teach that the Roman Catholic Church was the way, nor did He teach that the Protestant Church was the way. In other words, no one comes to the Father through a church. Salvation is to be found in Jesus Christ ALONE, not by being a devoted member of any organization here on earth.

Being a member of a Roman Catholic or Protestant Church, or for that matter, of any of the cults such as the Mormons or the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses, or Seventh-Day Adventism WILL NOT SAVE ANYONE!! It is the Church of the firstborn, the called out ones, those enrolled in heaven, the heavenly Church of Jesus Christ mentioned in Hebrews 12:23, that we must be a part of if we would see heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:18 informs the believer that God has "...reconciled us to Himself THROUGH CHRIST..." The writer to the Hebrews exclaimed that the Lord Jesus Christ "...is THE source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9). Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ is far more than merely the source or author of our salvation, but as His name, Jesus, implies, HE IS OUR SALVATION!! "...you are to name Him Jesus, because HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS" (Matthew 1:21 cf. Luke 2:30; 3:6). The apostle Peter says expressly: "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4:12). "‘No other name under heaven’ he insists. No Church of any kind. Salvation, declares the apostle Peter, is through Christ and Christ alone. Then why not turn to Christ? For [the] Roman Catholic Bible tells us that it is Christ and not the Church who saves."⁴⁴

"Salvation is based solely on the merits of Christ who suffered and died for His people. It is for this reason that God can command perfection of all who enter heaven and yet admit into heaven those who have been sinners."⁴⁵

"The basic and fatal error of Romanism is the denial of the sufficiency of Christ as Saviour. It denies the efficacy of His sacrifice on the cross. Oh yes, Roman Catholicism has a christ, but he is not sufficient as a Saviour. What the christ of Roman Catholicism has done must be repeated (in the mass) and supplemented (through works of penance), and this makes priestcraft and sacramentarianism necessary. Romanism, is a complicated system of salvation by works. It has a salvation to sell, but not on Isaiah’s terms—‘without paying and without cost (Isa. 55:1). It offers salvation on the installment plan, and then sees to it that the poor sinner is always behind in his payments, so that when he dies there is a large balance unpaid, and he must continue payment by sufferings in purgatory, or until the debt is paid by prayers, alms and sufferings of his living relatives and friends. The whole system and plan of Roman Catholicism calls for merit and money, from the cradle to the grave, and even beyond. Surely the wisdom that drew such a plan of salvation is not from above, but is earthly and sensual."⁴⁶

In closing our study on the subject of Salvation, let us look at an article that appeared in a magazine written by Dr. Walter M. Montano, former editor of ‘Christian Heritage’ magazine, in which he recalled the final moments of Pope Benedict XV, who died in 1922. Notice how even popes die without any assurance of salvation, and often in great dread of eternity: "One can feel only a sense of pity for the last end of such a man. How is it possible that the ecclesiastical demigod who allegedly had the keys of heaven and earth is unable to use those keys to gain entrance into his own eternal salvation? What a pathetic ending for a man who has devoted his life to religion; who has directed, as they say, ‘the barque of St. Peter’; who was ‘infallible’; who has elevated the Virgin Mary to a state that no other Pope had dared to imagine.

"At the end of his life he dies in fear and agony, not knowing what the future holds in store for him. All the pomp and ceremony, all the masterfully devised rituals in his honour may impress the people, especially Roman Catholics, but they cannot gain him one inch of heaven. And what about his soul and eternal destiny? What Roman Catholic knows where this Pope is right now? The doctrine of the Roman Church established that anyone who can say ‘I am saved’ at any time in his life commits a mortal sin.

"If Pope Pius XII had had the courage to express faith in the only One who died for sins; if he had realized that there is only One Mediator between man and God; if he had accepted the fact that Christ’s death invalidated any other sacrifice and that once for all He died for the sins of His people—then Pope Pius XII would not have faced a death of fear and desperation, an ‘agonizing death.’ Instead, he would have been able to say: ‘I know whom I have believed!’"⁴⁷

The Roman Catholic is again reminded that Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ ALONE can save: "...He (Jesus) is always able to save those who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

As the apostle Paul wrote, so does every Christian pray: "...that I might gain Christ and be found in Him, NOT HAVING ANY RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MY OWN based on the law but that which comes THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST, the righteousness of God depending on faith" (Philippians. 3:8,9).

COME OUT FROM HER....

The purpose of this booklet has not been to judge or condemn you, the Roman Catholic, but has been designed to educate you, to inform you of facts and proper biblical teaching which the Roman Catholic Church has not given you. It has been written in order to provide you with historical facts about the origins of many of your Church’s teachings and traditions. You have read for yourself what the Roman Catholic Church admits to and what your own Roman Catholic Bible says, and doesn’t say—what it teaches and simply does not support. Ultimately, this booklet is a plea for you to come out of the Roman Catholic Church, away from all its man-made doctrines and pagan practices, away from its false gospel. God must be worshipped HIS way, for no other way is acceptable unto Him. There is no other way to worship the true God—and therefore be a saved, justified and true follower of God—other than the way He has prescribed in His Holy Word. There is no Gospel that must be believed, by which a man is saved, other than the one that reveals the Righteousness of Christ.

We have presented the truth to you. Verifiable truth. We have quoted from many sources approved by your own Church including a Church approved Bible. But do not believe things simply because you saw them written in a booklet. The Bible commends those who properly investigate what is presented to them as truth and we encourage you to do so. In Acts 17:11 the apostle Paul and Silas preached to the people at Berea. The Roman Catholic Bible says that "These...were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all willingness and EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY TO DETERMINE WHETHER THESE THINGS WERE SO." The Scriptures were their sole authority. They did not refer to the writings of mere men, seeking out their opinions, but went immediately to the Holy Word of God knowing that His Word alone could be trusted, and was the sure test for all teachings being presented as God’s own decrees (see 2 Peter 1:19). Paul and Silas were not offended by their examining and putting to the test what they was saying, they did not say ‘How dare you examine what we have said to you; don’t you know who we are?’ Every Christian, indeed every person, is to examine by the Holy Scriptures all that is presented to him as God’s teaching, and if it does not match with the Scriptures, you can be sure it did not come from God and is to be rejected out of hand. Writing to true believers, John said, "Beloved, DO NOT TRUST every spirit BUT TEST the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).

The subtle deceptiveness of the Roman Catholic Church is that she teaches some truths of Scripture but always adds to them, something which the Scriptures roundly condemn: "Add NOTHING to HIS Words, lest He reprove you, and you be exposed as a deceiver" (Proverbs 30:6). In speaking against such deception the Lord Jesus warned His disciples to "...Look out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6 cf. Galatians 5:9). Later, the disciples "...understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of THE TEACHING of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:12). The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. The apostle Paul warned: "...watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent" (Romans 16:17,18). EXAMINE EVERYTHING! TEST EVERYTHING BY THE WORD OF GOD! For we are dealing with eternal issues here. We are dealing with heaven and hell, and what a person believes determines their eternal destiny, for the doctrine you hold to is the surest evidence of whether or not it is the true God Who has revealed Himself to you or whether it is a false god whom you have embraced.

Some examples of such deceptiveness are as follows: the Roman Catholic Church teaches her followers to pray the Lord’s prayer, but they are encouraged to do so whilst holding the Rosary which is a pagan invention and has nothing to do with true Christianity. Yes, Rome agrees that God alone forgives sin, but they add that this power to forgive has been given to her priests and one must go to them to receive it and not directly to God the Father through Jesus His Son, as the Scriptures prescribe. Yes, Roman Catholicism teaches that the Bible is the Word of God but it considers tradition to be equal to God’s precious Holy Word and insists that she is the only true interpreter of Scripture! In other words, what ROME says God’s Word is saying is what is to be obeyed, rather than what the Scripture’s interpretation of Itself is saying! Compare Scripture with Scripture, not Scripture with a man’s interpretation. All along, Roman Catholicism adds to God’s Word and in other instances withholds certain parts of it, such as the second Commandment, from its publications. It is true that Roman Catholicism teaches ‘the death, burial and resurrection’ of Jesus Christ but it is vitally important to note that while she may correctly teach some aspects of these things—things which are aligned with historical fact—the Roman Catholic Church does not teach the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ "...in accordance with the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).

It is no accident that so much pagan tradition is found today in Roman Catholicism. It has been carefully managed and seen to, that old pagan/occultic rites and traditions, which the Bible calls demonic, are continued to be adhered to and promoted as vigilantly as they were by the early pagans, but now with a Christian veneer thus setting up the Roman Catholic Church as the unmistakably identifiable anti-christian system referred to as ‘Babylon’ in the Bible. Roman Catholicism stands today not only against Christ, for it does not teach His Gospel, but Rome has also, in a most vulgar way, usurped Christ’s position. The papacy claims that it is the vicar of Christ on earth, rather than the Holy Spirit as the Word of God says.

That which immediately reveals a religious organization’s ungodly foundation may be seen in the gospel it teaches. What a person, or organization such as the Roman Catholic Church, says about Who Jesus Christ is, what He has done and for whom He has done it—in other words His Person and His Work—will reveal whether or not that person or organization is of God (see 2 John 9). After having preached to them the True and only Gospel of salvation which reveals the true God and true Christ, Paul the apostle warned the believers in Galatia that "...even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel OTHER THAN the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).

There are many who by nature are religious; many who are extremely zealous for what they believe to be the things of God, yet Scripture reminds us that by nature "There is no one just, not one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God" (Romans 3:10,11). Saving, God-given faith in the true and only Gospel of God shows that it is the true God Who has revealed Himself. Belief in any gospel other than that one and only Gospel of God reveals that it is not the true God Who has revealed Himself but rather a false god who cannot save.

We implore you to come out of the Roman Catholic Church. A Church which is headed, not by the Lord Jesus Christ, for it does not promote His Gospel, but by a man who calls himself the ‘Pope’, and who allows himself to be addressed as ‘Holy Father’, a title which God ALONE is worthy. God ALONE is Father, and God ALONE is Holy. The Lord Jesus only ever referred to God as ‘Father’, and in Revelation 15:4 Jesus, praying to the Father said: "...You ALONE are Holy..." How dare ANY man take upon himself a title of which ONLY God is worthy! Not incidentally, the Lord Jesus Christ also said to His followers not to call any man on earth father, that is in a spiritual sense, for One was their Father and He resides in heaven: "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven" (Matthew 23:9). Roman Catholicism responds to these words of the Lord Jesus by calling every one of its priests ‘father’, and demanding that everyone else, Roman Catholic or not, do likewise despite admitting in their footnotes to Matthew 23:9 that, "...Jesus forbids not only the titles (rabbi, father and master) but the spirit of superiority and pride that is shown by their acceptance."

Pope Leo XIII once blasphemously declared: "The Pope holds upon this earth the place of God Almighty..." Robert Bellermine, famous Jesuit Cardinal of the 16th century and also a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, had this to say: "All the names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ by virtue of which it is established that He is over the Church, all the same names are applied to the Pope." The Catholique Nationale of Paris, in its July 13, 1895 issue, contained the following claim made by the then archbishop of Venice, later to become Pope Pius X. He said, "The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself hidden under the veil of the flesh..." Dear Roman Catholic, the Pope is NOT Jesus Christ! JESUS CHRIST IS GOD!! ONLY through the Lord Jesus Christ is there salvation, not through the Pope and his ‘church’ of Rome.

"History is replete with sayings that mocked Romanism’s false claim to celibacy: ‘The holiest hermit has his whore’" and "‘Rome has more prostitutes than any other city because she has the most celibates’" are examples. Pope Pius II called Rome ‘The only city run by bastards, the sons and grandsons of popes and cardinals’.

"Even Roman Catholic historians admit that among the popes were some of the most degenerate and unconscionable ogres in all history. More than one pope was slain by a husband who found him in bed with his wife. To call such a man ‘His holiness vicar of Christ’ makes a mockery of holiness and Christ. Yet the name of each of these mass murderers, fornicators, robbers, warmongers—some guilty of the massacre of thousands—is emblazoned in honor on the Church’s official list of Peter’s alleged successors, the popes" (‘The Berean Call’, July ‘94, p.2).

"Will you believe the words of the Roman Catholic Church or will you believe the words of the Roman Catholic Bible? It is for you to decide. Remember, there are only two religions in the entire world, man’s and God’s. If it is not the truth of God that you are believing, then you have embraced the lies of the Devil." You have embraced a false gospel wherein is no salvation. "Man’s religion is by works—his own efforts, his fastings and prayers, his obedience to the Church. That, in effect, makes him his own saviour. God’s is by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid it all... The Roman Catholic Bible states clearly: "...we have been JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...Romans 5:1." The Roman Catholic Bible makes it perfectly clear that man cannot save himself and that Christ is his only hope; his only Saviour."⁴⁸

"Salvation is not dependent on a human priest, Mary, Baptism, the saints, the sacraments, the Mass, confession, good works, membership in the Roman Catholic Church or the Pope."

Salvation is not gained by our loyalty or service to a person—be they our parents or grandparents and their religious traditions which they have passed down to us—or to an institution such as the Roman Catholic Church, but rather by our acceptance of the truth!! "Jesus said: "...I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME" (John 14:6) and "I am the Gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved..." (John 10:9). Acts 4:12 says: ‘There is NO salvation through ANYONE else, nor is there ANY other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.’

It matters not how religious a person is or how sincere he might be in his religious pursuits, if a man has not the Gospel of God, if he does not "...remain in the teaching of the Christ (he) does not have God..." (2 John 9). "That all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned" (2 Thessalonians 2:12). Scripture also speaks of the vengeance that will be had upon the enemies of God "...at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels, in blazing fire, inflicting punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (1 Thessalonians 7-9).

Only through the Gospel of Christ wherein is revealed the Righteousness of Christ, without which no man can be saved, is there true salvation: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. IT IS THE POWER OF GOD for the salvation of everyone who believes: for the Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the Righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, the one who is righteous by faith will live" (Romans 1:16,17). Central to the Gospel message is the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and, according to the Scriptures, if one is wrong about Christ, if one has embraced erroneous doctrine concerning Christ the Person and His Work, one is not merely in need of correction yet nevertheless saved, one has in fact fallen for another jesus who is identified by false doctrine, and thus remains in a lost state. Only in the True Jesus is their salvation. Belief, however sincere, in a false jesus CANNOT SAVE! You see, not only does the apostle Paul state that the Gospel is the power of God but he also defines this statement in 1 Corinthians 1:18: "THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved IT (THE CROSS) IS THE POWER OF GOD."

Belief in false doctrines concerning Christ constitutes a belief in another gospel, one which does not represent the true Christ but a false savior (see 2 Corinthians 11:3,4). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) and never presents a man with, nor leads him to believe, a false gospel: "But when He comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you to all truth..." (John 16:13). Jesus prayed, "Consecrate them in the Truth. Your Word is Truth" (John 17:17). The true believer is consecrated, or sanctified, through the truth which is the Word of God and not through the lies of men. Speaking to saved men, the apostle Paul stated: "...God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation through sanctification BY THE SPIRIT AND BELIEF IN TRUTH" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). There is no true sanctification if one’s faith is not in the Truth of God.

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which says that man is dead in sin, without God and without hope of salvation by anything he is or does in an effort to please God and gain His favor, is a man saved: "Therefore, remember that at one time you...were at that time without Christ...without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:11-13). "You were dead in your transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). "All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which says that a man is saved not by works, not by anything he has done, is doing or will do, but solely by the grace and mercy of God, is a man saved: "...a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may 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 1:16). The cry of the truly justified sinner is that he is "...justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, Whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by His blood..." (Romans 3:24,25).

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which says a man is not saved based on anything he has done but solely by the grace of God through the election of grace, is a man saved: "...God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). "As He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him" (Ephesians 1:4); "He saved us and called us to a holy life, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, but according to His own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Timothy 1:9). No saved person ever came to God first (see 1 John 4:19). In every case God came to the person first and gave them the gift of salvation, not because they had in any way earned this gift, but freely and only by the will of God and the grace of God. Scripture says that by nature "...there is no one who seeks God" (Romans 3:11). "But when one does not work, yet believes in the One Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works" (Romans 4:5,6).

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which says that Christ died exclusively for His people, those whom God had given Him (see John 17:2), and has provided them with an atonement for their sin, having their sins imputed, or charged, to Him and imputing unto them His perfect righteousness, is a man saved. Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep....I will lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:11,15). Writing to true believers Paul said, "For our sake He made Him to be sin (for us) who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which says that all His people shall come to Him, hear and believe His Gospel, is there true salvation. None whom the Lord has given unto Him shall perish, none shall be plucked from His Hand, but all for whom He died shall be saved: "My sheep hear My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of My hand" (John 10:27,28). "Everything that the Father gives Me WILL come to Me..." (John 6:37).

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which states that none for whom He died shall ever perish, but all who have had their sins charged to Him shall be given eternal life, is a man saved. Salvation has not only been obtained for God’s chosen, but it is eternally maintained by the Will of God and all that Christ has done: "...Give glory to Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all You gave Him" (John 17:1,2). Christ has not only obtained salvation for His people, by paying the penalty for their sin and imputing to them His righteousness, He also maintains their salvation by His eternal and completed work upon the cross. Thus ALL the glory for salvation belongs to God and none of it is shared with any man based on his works. Only THIS Gospel gives ALL the glory to God for salvation and wherein there is no room for man to boast in anything he is or has done.

Only by belief in Christ’s Gospel, which states that no man is, or can be saved by his own righteousness, by his own efforts at obedience to God’s Law, but only by the perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ which is freely imputed based on His grace and mercy ALONE to all those for whom He died, is a man saved. The apostle Paul wanted to "...be found in Him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith..." (Philippians 3:9). Paul considered all that he was and did in the realm of religion as rubbish, and therefore himself as a lost person, before knowing Christ and His Gospel: "...because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish..." (Philippians 3:8).

Only those who have heard the Word of Truth, God’s Mighty Gospel, can be said to truly hope in the true Christ: "In Him you also, who have heard the word of truth, THE GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION, and have believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13).

Look then to the only true Jesus Who is the Author and Finisher of the Faith which God gives and which only believes in the true Gospel.

ANY AND ALL FAITH IN ANOTHER JESUS WILL NOT SAVE.

ANY AND ALL FAITH IN ANOTHER GOSPEL WILL NOT SAVE.

"Whoever believes (THE Gospel) and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16).

The true born again believer knows that "...by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

May God bless each and every one of you with His Truth as revealed in His Gospel.

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NOTES

1.   The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, 1919 edition.
2.   The Roman Catholic Catechism, article 147, Australian Catholic Truth Society, 1937.
3.   The Baltimore Catechism, p.60.
4.   Roman Catholic Catechism, article 148, op.cit.
5.   Romanism & Protestantism, Rev. R.W. Weir, p.97, A & C Black, Soho Square, Edinburgh, 1910.
6.   Roman Catholicism (booklet), p.13.
7.   Vatican II, Flannery’s edition, Vol.1, pp.64-66.
8.   Romanism & Protestantism, p.99, op.cit.
9.   Roman Catholicism, L. Boettner, p.255, Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing co., 1962.
10. Roman Catholic Catechism, article 151, op.cit.
11. The Documents of Vatican II, Abbott-Gallagher, 1966.
12. Roman Catholicism, p.257, op.cit.
13. Our Priceless Heritage, H.M. Woods, The Evangelical Press, Harrisburg PA, 1941.
14. Romanism & Protestantism, p.96, op.cit.
15. Roman Catholicism, p.259, op.cit.
16. Ibid., p.261.
17. Ibid., p.258.
18. Romanism & Protestantism, p.95, op.cit.
19. You Can Lead Roman Catholics to Christ, W. Ewin, p.108, 1961.
20. The Documents of Vatican II, op.cit.
21. All Roads Lead To Rome, M. de Semlyen, p.35, Dorchester House, 1993.
22. The Question & Answer Catholic Catechism, Doubleday & Co., 1981.
23. Bull Unam Sanctum, 1303, quoted by Pope Pius IX in his encyclical of December 8, 1864.
34. Decrees of Vatican Council, 1870, Session IV, Chapter 3.
25. Focus (magazine), March 1991 Issue, E. Sussex, U.K.
26. The Glories of Mary, St. A. de Liguori, ed. E. Grimm, Brooklyn: Redemptorist..., 1931.
27. Roman Catholicism (booklet), p.13, op.cit.
28. Romanism & Protestantism, p.98, op.cit.
29. Evangelical Catholics, S. Mawhinney, p.12, Christian Ministries Incorporated, 1982.
30. No Justification, Rev. D.N. Samuel (pamphlet), pp.4-5, The Australian Protestant Council.
31. Roman Catholicism, p.259, op.cit.
32. Evangelical Catholics, pp.12-13, op.cit.
33. You Can Lead Roman Catholics to Christ, p.93, op.cit.
34. Roman Catholicism, p.260, op.cit.
35. The Berean Call, (newsletter), p.2, May 1994.
36. The Two Babylons, Rev. A. Hislop, p.148, S.W. Partridge & Co, 1916.
37. Roman Catholicism, p.267, op.cit.
38. Ibid., p.268.
39. The Berean Call, p.2, op.cit.
40. You Can Lead Roman Catholics to Christ, p.94, op.cit.
41. Roman Catholicism (booklet), p.14, op.cit.
42. You Can Lead Roman Catholics to Christ, pp.94-95, op.cit.
43. Evangelical Catholics, pp.11-12, op.cit.
44. The Catholic Bible Has The Answer, O.J. Smith, p.14.
45. Roman Catholicism, p.260, op.cit.
46. Sermon delivered in the Jarvis Street Baptist church by D.D. Cole.
47. Christian Heritage, ed. W.M. Montano (magazine), December 1958.
48. The Catholic Bible Has The Answer, p.16, op.cit.