Question:
I HAVE YET TO DETERMINE MY OUTLOOK ON CATHOLICISM I KNOW AS FAR AS THE BIBLE IS CONCERNED THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I AM WEARY ABOUT SUCH AS THEIR CONFESSION BUT I CANT SEE WHY THEY WOULDN’T HAVE THEIR TICKET INTO HEAVEN. THE BIBLE STATES ONLY ONE THING TO GET TO HEAVEN THAT’S EXCEPTING JESUS AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR BUT THE MORMONS AND JEHOVAH’S WITNESS DO THIS? BUT ARE THEY SAVED?
Answer:
The official Catholic doctrine does not teach people to trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, but in a whole system of works and sacraments. I am going to give you direct quotes out of their manual, “Vatican Council II,” and then the Scriptures that deal with what they say.
- The Mass.
“The Mass, the Lord’s Supper, is… a sacrifice in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated” (page 108). The word perpetuate means “occurring continually.” So according to official Catholic doctrine, the Lord’s Supper (their Mass), is a continuation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Every time that they observe the Lord’s Supper, they believe that Jesus body and blood is being sacrificed again.
Is that what the Bible teaches? That there needs to be a continuation of Jesus’ sacrifice? The Bible teaches the exact opposite. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in ONCE into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Hebrews 9:12)
He does not enter continually — but once. “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: NOR YET THAT HE SHOULD OFFER HIMSELF OFTEN, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For THEN MUST HE OFTEN HAVE SUFFERED since the foundation of the world: but now ONCE in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF.” (Heb. 9:24-26)
It is very clear that HE DOES NOT offer Himself often. If He did, then IT WOULD BE A CONTINUAL SUFFERING for Him. It is very clear that ONE TIME He sacrificed Himself for our sins. “So Christ was ONCE OFFERED to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)
We do not need a continual sacrifice to be made for us, because Jesus did it one time for ever. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.” (Hebrews 10:10) “For by ONE OFFERING he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14) “Now where remission of these is, there is NO MORE OFFERING FOR SIN.” (Hebrews 10:18)
What does the Catholic doctrine teach? That Jesus’ one sacrifice on the cross was NOT ENOUGH. And that Jesus must continually SUFFER for our sins. According to the Bible, this Catholic doctrine puts Christ to an open shame. “Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:6)
- Baptism.
Listen to these quotes from Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was published in 1994 in English.
“1263 — By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as punishment for sin.”
“1257 — The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation… The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude… God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism.”
So the official doctrine of the Catholic Church states that a person cannot be saved without being baptized. That is not what the Bible teaches. Romans 10:9,10 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Those verses tell you how to be saved, and baptism is not mentioned.
I Corinthians 15:1-4 gives the gospel. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. A person must repent and believe that gospel to be saved. In that same Book of the Bible, It says this, (1:17) “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” He is not contradicting other Scripture, but is simply saying that he came first and foremost to get the gospel to people so they could be saved. The baptism comes after that.
The Bible forbids a person to be baptized until he is saved. Acts 8:35-38 says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
Baptism does not save, but is only a picture of what has happened in a person’s heart when he or she did get saved. Romans 6:3-5 says, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”
The Catholic Church does not preach the Jesus of the Bible. Their Jesus is one who is continually sacrificed over and over again. The Catholic Church does not teach that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Their salvation is a works salvation (which is not salvation at all). Their religion is Jesus plus many other things.
Many more of their errors could be mentioned, by these should show you how they do not really follow the Bible, but their own false traditions.
So no, none of the groups that you mentioned teach the true and only way of salvation. John 14:26 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Have you come to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, and Him alone?