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Catholics & Christians Is There Any Real Difference In These Religious Names?
For several years now there has been a movement in our country toward greater harmony among the people who call themselves “Christians” and also among those who call themselves “God-followers.” This is a very admirable endeavor. At the same time, we observe a movement to categorize the Bible-believing person as a “right-wing extremist.” The Bible-believer is perceived as being less interested in harmony because he or she is viewed as less tolerant or accepting of people. I want to address these national tendencies in this article specifically as they have bearing on any merger of thought between Catholic and Christian beliefs. At the outset, let me state that I am a former Catholic and altar boy. I graduated from a Catholic elementary school and high school and attended a Catholic college. I have spent many years of my life speaking with Catholic priests and brothers and have studied the doctrines of the Catholic faith. I believe that Catholics make the best Christians! • I say that because Catholics already know about the Trinity. • They already know about Jesus being the Son of God who came to die for the sins of man and to pay the penalty that those sins involved. • They already know that the Bible is the Word of God (although they have not paid much attention to the personal reading of it). • They already know who the principle characters in Bible history are. • They already know that they are sinners. • They already know in their hearts that the concept of being entitled to heaven because they were baptized as a child is suspect. But they do not genuinely know how to be saved! They have been told that they are Catholics, and that Catholics get baptized, live in obedience to God’s laws, confess their sins, and will go to heaven. They believe all these things because someone told them, some priest, some nun, some church representative, — but they cannot point to God’s own Word for assurance. This is why the Catholic may lack confidence in his or her eternal destiny. It is because they should lack confidence in it! Now let me address some commonly asked questions: Question: Pastor, why don’t you like Catholics? What have they ever done to you? Answer: Please, do not assume that I do not love Catholics, — I do. As I stated earlier, I believe that Catholics make the best Christians! But it is very important, to point out that the Catholic man or woman has generally placed his or her trust in one of three things: (1) What the holy mother church says about God; (2) What the church tradition has been; or (3) What the pope in Rome has interpreted the Bible and church tradition to say or mean in the areas of faith and morals. The Christian, on the other hand, has placed his or her trust in what the Bible says about God period! The motto of the Protestant Reformation is still the motto for the true Christian today — Sola Scriptura — Only the Bible! I do enjoy Catholics, but to the degree that they vary from what God’s own Word says, then I am at variance with their thinking! Do you understand the distinction that I am making? I am saying that these are fine people. I am also saying that their approach to God is flawed. They may be quite sincere and also be sincerely wrong! Question: What you’re saying is making some sense, but I would like you to be more specific. Can you give us some example that would show us that Catholics believe in church tradition more than the Bible? Answer: Sure! I would be happy to. You are not asking a difficult question. In Roman Catholicism in the United States today, there are many such instances. For example, (1) Eating fish on Friday was never in the Bible (I also understand that it is no longer a church requirement); (2) Purgatory is not a location that is ever mentioned in the Bible. While it has become a mainstay of the Catholic doctrine of the afterlife, purgatory is a concept which is quite contradictory to what God’s own Word tells us about the outcome of all life; (3) The Mass has been defined by the Baltimore Catechism as the “unbloody sacrifice of Christ on the cross.” It is an important ritual in the Catholic tradition. Nevertheless, God’s Word, the Bible clearly states that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was absolutely sufficient “once for all.” Nothing more needs to be added to it. The Book of Hebrews in the New Testament states this quite clearly when referring to how “every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time sat down at the right hand of God,. . .” Heb.10:11,12. That’s the same writer who tells us that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient “once for all.” (10:10); (4) The Priesthood itself is something that Christ abolished and rendered unnecessary. When mentioning Christ’s finished work on the cross, the writer of Hebrews states, “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, and undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily like those high priests to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Heb. 7:26,27). While the Catholic faith may hold that the priest is the sufficient mediator between men and God, the Bible teaches something quite different. The Bible tells us that Christians have instant access to God through Jesus Christ and that He alone is the mediator between God and man. While the Catholic priest may desire to place himself in a position of importance in the process of confession, repentance and restoration, — the Bible teaches that Christ is the only one who can serve in this position since it was only Christ who paid the penalty for our sins. These may all seem like small points, — and I would grant that they can appear that way. They are collected here to remind true Christians that they are to rely on God’s Word alone while Catholics have made a choice to rely upon what someone else may say about God’s Word, namely their church traditions. We may all think that these are very small points, but believe me, this becomes very, very significant when it comes to dying. We must not ever think that we can go before a high and holy God and say, “Well, this is the way I see it God. Here’s what I think your entrance requirements should be.” Here’s a simple saying you may want to remember: If you want to get to God’s heaven, then you need to play by God’s rules! It is important to discover while you are still alive, just what God wants of you, and how you can make reservations in the life to come. If you are a Catholic and you do not have that assurance that you are going to heaven when you die (and you cannot, if you are relying upon what men say about the way to God) then you need to investigate Biblical Christianity. God’s own Word can withstand your personal scrutiny. It is without error and it always has been. For those who are genuine seekers, God tells us that He will not lose even one. He says that He knows all of His sheep by name. I would invite you to search the Scriptures. Pray for insight and understanding. Consider what Paul prayed to the Philippians, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that you may approve the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. 1:9-11) [If after reading this brochure, you have severe doubts as to whether you are “in Christ” or “in the faith” then we invite you to seek out someone in the leadership of this church. They will be pleased to answer your questions and lead you to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.] Pastor Jan Paul Sattem
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