Ten Grave Errors of Roman Catholicism
1.
Justification by faith, baptism and works:
The Vatican Catechism claims that for God to justify us, which means ‘to cleanse us from our sins and to
communicate to us the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ and
through baptism’. This is a serious problem because if followed many
would not be saved at all. This is because their way of salvation is not the
one that God has revealed in His word, that is, salvation is by God’s free
grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The reality is that once you add to the
grace of God, then it is a claim to earn salvation by one’s own merit. This is
very wrong because it is not the teaching of the Bible since it adds that we
are justified not just through faith in
Jesus Christ, but also through
baptism! The Bible unequivocally states that, “For we hold
that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law “(Rom 3:28). Will any
sinner be saved from his sins? Then he must believe in Jesus Christ and he will
be saved (Acts 16:31).
2. Papal
infallibility
This infringes on the absolute
attribute of God - placing a man at par with God, whose Word only cannot be
broken (John 10:35). Popes are men and no man is infallible nor righteous – no,
not one (Rom. 3:11) – God alone is righteous, just and the justifier (Rom.
3:26) and it is only the word given by God that is inspired because it is
breathed out by Him (2Timothy 3:16). Popes do not and cannot speak from God as
they are carried along by the Holy Spirit. They err and have erred; they sinned
and have sinned and fallen into wickedness and perdition over and over again. Only
the Bible, is the Word of God and is the only rule for faith and for life.
Scriptures alone!
3.
Devotion to Mary
This teaching is blasphemous
because she is referred to as the mother of God. RCC follows even make prayers
through her and, even more, outrageously to her! Mary is made a mediator
between God and men yet we know that the Mediator is One – the Man Christ Jesus
(1Tim. 2:5). This is elevating a sinful person into God. Mary, just as any
other woman, while was highly favoured by God to bear the Messiah, is in
absolute need of salvation from her sins just like anyone else. The doctrine of
immaculate conception which is the conception of Mary, free from original sin.
RCC unashamedly teaches that God acted upon Mary in the first
moment of her conception keeping her
"immaculate".
4. The Mass
The Mass or Eucharistic
Celebration is the central liturgical ritual in the
RCC, where the Eucharist (Communion) is consecrated by the priest. RCC
describes the Mass as "the source and summit of the Christian life"
and teaches that through consecration by a priest the
sacrificial bread and wine become the body
and blood of Christ[1]. It is
blasphemous and foolish to suppose that the elements of the communion are
transformed miraculously to become the substance of the body and blood, soul
and divinity Christ, as to be worshipped or venerated. This tenet lacks common
sense and being deficient of Biblical truth is absurd.
We learn from the Scriptures “… that
the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when he had
given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same
way also he took the cup, after supper, saying. ‘This cup is the new covenant
in my blood. Do this, as often as drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and
drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death until He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:24-26). Therefore, the Holy Communion
or the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ, and the proclamation of His
death until He comes. It is not a sacrifice of Christ by the RCC priest as is
the mass. People are made to think that the grace of God flows to men through
sacraments yet we know that salvation is by faith in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8).
5. Devotion
to their priesthood
It is serious for mortal sinful men
to replace themselves with Christ by purporting to offer sacrifices. It is
wrong because Christ is the last and the great high priesthood, who has offered
Himself as the final sacrifice once and for all. The Bible clearly teaches that
we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places in the true tent that
the Lord set up, not man.
Read on from Hebrews 8:4-7, 13
Now if he were on earth,
he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts
according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For
when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying,
"See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you
on the mountain." But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as
much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since
it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been
faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second… In speaking
of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming
obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
At best the RCC priest serve in the
old covenant which has now been made obsolete – it is null and void because we
have a better covenant, the New Covenant in the blood of Christ. Devotion to
the earthly priests shows a religion that is deficient of the power to pardon
sin, and to convey divine salvation.
6. Penance
and auricular confessions
This is a terrible teaching which is out rightly deceptive, lacking any
warrant from the Holy writ, the Word of God. RCC classifies sins into mortal
and venial sins, something that the Bible doesn’t do but says that the wages of
sins (all) is death. It is wrong because the mediatorial role of Christ is
taken by a man, the priest who hears, receives confession of sins and conveys
forgiveness! Anyone who goes to the priest to confess his sins, wastes his
precious time and energy.
"Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
alone?" (Luk 5:21) The response to Jesus of these two questions is important on this
matter, “But that you may
know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Luk
5:24) Catholics
would be better instructed to go to Christ, who invites, “Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mat 11:28)
7. Indulgencies
RCC encourages their people to give
offerings, that is money, to the church for the sake of the dead relatives so
that their sins may be pardoned and that they may be transferred from purgatory
to heaven. This is ridiculously wrong because they provide another way in which
sinners can be saved. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ, for He is the
only way, the only truth and the only life – No one can get to the Father except
through Him (John 14:6).
8. Purgatory
This is middle-ground of eternal
destiny as one awaits judgment! It is wrong because it provides for a place
which the Bible does not talk about – a person dies once then after that is
judgement (Heb. 9:7). This is a human invention and cannot be found anywhere in
the Bible. Anyone who dies outside of Christ, will eternally live away from Christ
and will be subjected to the fires of hell forever, where the worm does not die
and the fire is unquenched.
9. Tradition
as an addition source of truth
This is the basic problem of the
Catholicism and it is a serious one, since for them the Bible is neither
sufficient nor final. It is wrong to add or to subtract from the Bible because
when all has been said and done – it is only the Bible that is able to make
people wise for salvation (2Tim. 3:15), not the traditions of Roman Catholic or
of pope. The warnings from the Word of God need to be sufficient reason for
them to stop any aspects of adding or subtracting to it.
You shall not add to the word that I
command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD
your God that I command you. (Deu 4:2)
"Everything that I command you,
you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. (Deu
12:32)
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke
you and you be found a liar. (Pro 30:6)
I warn everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues
described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy
city, which are described in this book. (Rev 22:18-19)
10.Inquisition
Those who dissented from the Roman
Catholic teachings were subjected to the cruellest trials that lead to tortures
and ultimately death at stake. This lead to truth being suppressed, and
resulted in a thousand years of the church being in darkness and shows how
serious it was. This has now been renamed to colloquium (conversation) and it shows that Catholicism has not
changed much. It is wrong to force rational people into adapting into a
theological system that is not even biblical. Christianity is a religion of
love, even for one’s enemies and we are told to pursue peace with all men (Heb
12:14). Never should a Christian use violence – it is for God to avenge. God
does this in the modern society through the state, which His agent, for good to
those who do good. The state is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out
God’s wrath (Rom. 13:4,5)
