Ecclesiology - Is Rome the One True Church?
Roman Catholicism teaches there is one, holy, catholic and apostolic church whose bishops are successors of the apostles and whose pope is the infallible head of the church. It teaches that whoever listens to its bishops is listening to Christ and those who refuse to enter or remain in the Roman Catholic Church cannot be saved.
Soteriology - Does James Say Man is Justified by Works?
One of the most popular verses in Roman Catholicism is James 2:24 where it is written: "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone?" Why does James appear to contradict Paul and other writers of the New Testament?
Soteriology - Two Kinds of Faith
The Bible clearly tells us that the only way to come to God is through faith in Jesus Christ. However, faith is misunderstood. Jesus warned against false faith or non-saving faith in Matthew 7:21-23.
The Sacrifice of the Mass
The Roman Catholic Mass must be attended by Catholics every Sunday and holy days of obligation under the penalty of mortal sin. Following are seven bibilcal reasons why the Mass is a Catholic tradition that violates the perfect sacrifice for sin that was offered once, for all sin, for all time.
1. Jesus was never a "victim" as Rome purports, He went to the cross willingly in humble obedience to His Father (Philippians 2:8).
2. When Jesus said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood, His words were spiritual and not to be taken literally (John. 6:63). He was using figurative language, as He often did (John 16:25). His disciples were familiar with the figurative phrase "eating and drinking" to describe the appropriation of divine blessings to one's innermost being (Jeremiah 15:16; Isaiah 55:1-3).
3. Those who take "eating and drinking" literally must become cannibals to gain eternal life. Furthermore, consuming blood was forbidden; those who did were to be cut off. Jesus would not have asked the Jews to break the law (Leviticus 17:10-14). This also presents a dilemma, "What if a person eats and drinks but does not believe?" Or "what if a person believes but does not eat and drink?"
4. The alleged change of bread and wine into flesh and blood is not a miracle but a hoax because there is no change in appearance, substance and taste. True biblical miracles were real and observable.
5. Rome says the Mass is a bloodless sacrifice, but a sacrifice without blood cannot atone for sins (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as a memorial not a sacrifice (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24).
6. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find priests offering sacrifices for sin or Masses for the dead. Catholic priests violate Christ's unique role as mediator between God and men. (1Timothy 2:5).
7. To worship the elements of the Mass is to commit the sin of idolatry (Exodus 20:4-5).