Monday, June 18, 2018

What is Wrong with the Roman Catholic Church?


Ten Grave Errors of Roman Catholicism
What is wrong with the largest ‘Christian’ denomination, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC)? Why should true Christians be more wary of it and run away from it? It is primarily because their teaching is opposed to God and the gospel of His Son. It is because its teaching holds no hope of salvation for sinners. It is because it’s teaching is heretical, erroneous to the mind. It is poisonous to the soul and can eternally condemn to hell. RCC does not claim to teach salvation from sin. It does not give any assurance of salvation to her follows. The head of the RCC, the Pope exalts himself against Christ, claiming to be the vicar of God.

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)




[1] Wikipedia

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