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Witnessing to Roman
Catholics By
Massimo Lorenzini The Biblical and Historical Precedent to Defend the Gospel Early on in the history of the Christian Church, the
Apostle Paul had to contend with those who would alter the Christian message.
He boldly defended that there is only one way to understand the gospel and
anyone who perverted it was an enemy of Christ and was to be vigilantly
opposed. An example of this is how Paul defended the gospel message against the
legalistic distortions of the Judaizers in the letter to the Galatians: Gal 1:6-9, 6 I marvel that you are
turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a
different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some
who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But
even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what
we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have
said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you
than what you have received, let him be accursed.[1] Gal 2:16-21, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." Why was there a Reformation in the 16th century? What was the driving force behind it? People not wanting to be oppressed anymore? NO! People wanted to be free from tyranny? NO! The driving force behind the Reformation was a wholehearted commitment to the Word of God as fully authoritative and the doctrine of salvation by faith alone as the only hope. Many think Rome has changed and is now more biblical no need exists to evangelize Catholics. Not so. Her battle cry is “semper eadem!” – always the same. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) may make some superficial changes now and then, but the basic dogmas of the Church can never change. For some, it may seem unnecessary to learn about witnessing to Roman Catholics because they are thought of as Christians—even the “original” Christians out of which all the other groups were spawned. Many today are accepting Roman Catholics as fellow believers. Many are also being converted to Catholicism from Protestantism. We need to know what the Roman Catholic Church teaches and evaluate it in light of God’s Word. By doing so, we will discover that Roman Catholics who believe what their Church teaches are not biblical Christians and are not saved. It is our love for Catholics that should cause us to seek to evangelize them. In what follows, we will examine the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in light of the Bible in three areas: (1.) Roman Catholic theology in general; (2.) The Roman Catholic view of teaching authority and salvation in particular as the two most important issues with Roman Catholicism; and (3.) practical suggestions on how to witness to Roman Catholic people. Roman Catholic Theology The Doctrine of God · One Supreme Being · Creator of all things · Self-sufficient · Eternal · Trinitarian The Doctrine of Scripture · OT & NT, including Apocrypha, are inspired by God and authoritative as the Word of God. · The Church is considered the source of Scripture and therefore has authority over Scripture and is the only authoritative interpreter of Scripture. · Sacred Tradition is considered an authoritative revelation equal to the Scriptures. Sacred Tradition is: o Oral Tradition handed down from the Apostles o Found in the doctrine and practice of the church. The Doctrine of Sin · Two kinds of sin: Mortal Sin & Venial Sin Mortal Sin · More serious sins · Done with sufficient reflection and full consent · Results in total alienation from God · Destroys sanctifying grace and makes one subject to everlasting punishment in Hell Venial Sin · Less serious sins (“daily sins”) · Insufficient reflection and consent · Does not destroy sanctifying grace (makes one sick, but the life principle is still within the person to get “healed”) The Doctrine of the Church · “Catholic” means universal · Catholics view the universal church as a physical, visible organization. · “Roman Catholic” indicates their belief that the Church of Rome with its Bishop (the Pope) is the central authority of the church universal (“catholic”). · One cannot legitimately be part of the universal church without being in communion with the Roman Church. The 7 Sacraments of the
Catholic Church · The sacraments are: “The instruments God uses in causing in us or communicating to us the graces of salvation” (Thomas Aquinas). · The sacraments are both a symbol and a reality. · “What they indicate, they also give. They actually accomplish what they signify. The Eucharist is nourishment through Jesus’ body” (A New Catechism). o Baptism is re-birth. o What is indicated symbolically is really given. o “ex opera operato” means “by the working of the works.” The works themselves are efficacious to impart what they signify. 1. The Sacrament of Baptism · Baptism removes original sin and actual sin. · Imparts grace to the recipient and makes one a regenerated Christian. o The Catechism of the Catholic Church (hereafter, CCC) teaches the following on role of Baptism in regeneration: “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word’ ”(CCC, paragraph 1213). 2. The Sacrament of Confirmation · Confirmation imparts the Holy Spirit to the recipient. o “Through the sacrament of confirmation, those who have been born anew in baptism receive the inexpressible Gift, the Holy Spirit himself, by which ‘they are endowed . . . with special strength’ ” (The Catholic Encyclopedia). 3. The Sacrament of the
Eucharist · An unbloody sacrifice (mass) · “Wherein the body and blood of Christ, the same offering that took place on the cross at the crucifixion of Christ, becomes the sacrifice of the Church because Christ unites the Church’s offering to His own” (The Catholic Encyclopedia). · Transubstantiation o “A singular and wondrous conversion of the total substance of bread into the body and the total substance of wine into the blood of Christ, the external appearances only remaining unchanged” (The Council of Trent). o “The Church is so closely united with Jesus Christ . . . that Paul can call it his body, with all the inward and outward endowments which it has received from Jesus. And to remain the body of Christ and become so more truly, it eats and drinks every day, inwardly and outwardly, through our mouths and through our hearts, the Eucharist, the body of Jesus” (A New Catechism). · Refutation of Transubstantiation o The elements of the Lord’s Supper only symbolize the body and blood of Jesus o It is a memorial · “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). · Matt 26:26-28; John 6:35 were intended to be understood symbolically, not literally. · Matt 18:20; Acts 1:11 · Transubstantiation contradicts the pattern found in biblical miracles. o The wedding feast in Cana (John 2:9-10). The water literally became wine. · Transubstantiation is not verifiable o In can be neither confirmed nor disproved by the use of the senses. 4. The Sacrament of Penance · Consists of remorse and sorrow for sin. · Confession of sins to a priest. · Priest grants absolution (to remove the guilt and eternal punishment) and prescribes works of penance (to mitigate the temporal punishment). · Works of penance provide a “satisfaction” for sin which removes the penalty. The Doctrine of Indulgences · This is closely linked to the sacrament of penance. · “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints” (CCC, 1471). · Partial and plenary (full) indulgences. ·
There exists a
“treasury of merit” which can be dispensed through indulgences to those living
and those in purgatory for the remission of temporal punishment. ·
A 16th
century Catholic monk named John Tetzel angered Martin Luther with his crass
sale of indulgences which amounted to purchasing of salvation. He is quoted as
saying, o “Come, and I will give you letters furnished with the seal by which the sins, even those you may have a mind to commit hereafter, shall be all forgiven you. I would not exchange my privileges for those of St. Peter in heaven; for I have saved more souls by my indulgences, than the Apostle by his discourses. Indulgences not only save the living, but they save the dead too. Priest, noble, merchant, woman, young girl, young man, hearken to your parents and your friends who are dead, and who cry to you from the bottom of the abyss, ‘We are enduring tortures! A small alms would deliver us; you can give it, and you will not!’ The very instant the piece of money chinks at the bottom of the strong box, the soul is delivered out of purgatory, and flies up to heaven.” · Indulgences continue today. · For example, Pope John Paul II granted a plenary indulgence (full pardon) to all who did certain pious acts or pilgrimages during the Jubilee year of 2000. o “With the indulgence, the repentant sinner receives a remission of the temporal punishment due for the sins already forgiven as regards the fault” (Pope John Paul II). · According to the Vatican’s web site (www.vatican.va), Pope John Paul II issued the following as ways to obtain a plenary indulgence. With regard to the required conditions, the faithful can gain the Jubilee indulgence: o (1) In Rome, if they make a pious pilgrimage to one of the Patriarchal Basilicas, namely, the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour at the Lateran, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major and the Basilica of Saint Paul on the Ostian Way, and there take part devoutly in Holy Mass or another liturgical celebration such as Lauds or Vespers, or some pious exercise (e.g., the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, the recitation of the Akathistos Hymn in honour of the Mother of God); furthermore, if they visit, as a group or individually, one of the four Patriarchal Basilicas and there spend some time in Eucharistic adoration and pious mediations, ending with the “Our Father”, the profession of faith in any approved form, and prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. To the four Patriarchal Basilicas are added, on this special occasion of the Great Jubilee, the following further places, under the same conditions: the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Campo Verano, the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love, and the Christian Catacombs.(25) o (2) In the Holy Land, if, keeping the same conditions, they visit the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, or the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem or the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. o (3) In other ecclesiastical territories, if they make a sacred pilgrimage to the Cathedral Church or to other Churches or places designated by the Ordinary, and there assist devoutly at a liturgical celebration or other pious exercise, such as those mentioned above for the City of Rome; in addition, if they visit, in a group or individually, the Cathedral Church or a Shrine designated by the Ordinary, and there spend some time in pious meditation, ending with the “Our Father”, the profession of faith in any approved form, and prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. o (4) In any place, if they visit for a suitable time their brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty (the sick, the imprisoned, the elderly living alone, the handicapped, etc.), as if making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them (cf. Mt 25:34-36), and fulfilling the usual spiritual and sacramental conditions and saying the usual prayers. The faithful will certainly wish to repeat these visits throughout the Holy Year, since on each occasion they can gain the plenary indulgence, although obviously not more than once a day. · “The plenary indulgence of the Jubilee can also be gained through actions which express in a practical and generous way the penitential spirit which is, as it were, the heart of the Jubilee. This would include abstaining for at least one whole day from unnecessary consumption (e.g., from smoking or alcohol, or fasting or practising abstinence according to the general rules of the Church and the norms laid down by the Bishops' Conferences) and donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor; supporting by a significant contribution works of a religious or social nature (especially for the benefit of abandoned children, young people in trouble, the elderly in need, foreigners in various countries seeking better living conditions); devoting a suitable portion of personal free time to activities benefitting the community, or other similar forms of personal sacrifice.” 5. The Sacrament of Anointing of
the Sick (formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction) · Given only by priests and bishops to those who are in danger of death because of illness or old age. 6. The Sacrament of Holy Orders · Bishops, priests, and deacons receive this sacrament for power for service. 7. The Sacrament of Marriage · Confers grace upon married people to love their spouses with the love with which Christ loved His Church (CCC, 1661). · Remarriage by a divorced Catholic is not allowed if the original spouse is alive (CCC, 1665). · The Church frequently grants annulments in which case remarriage is allowed. The Doctrine of Salvation · Salvation is mediated through the Church: o “God, however, does not make men holy and save them merely as individuals, without bond or link between one another. Rather has it pleased Him to bring men together as one people, a people which acknowledge Him in truth and serve Him in holiness” (Instructions in the Catholic Faith). · Salvation is a process. · Salvation begins at baptism and only ends when one gets to Heaven. · No assurance of final salvation. The Doctrine of Apostolic
Succession · An unbroken chain of Bishops and Popes from Peter and the original twelve apostles to the present Pope and bishops. · They have the power of binding and loosing (Matt 16:19). o You want forgiveness? You want truth? You go to the Pope and His bishops. The Doctrine of Mary · Immaculate conception (Born without original sin) · Bodily assumption o At the end of her days on earth, she was taken up, body and soul to Heaven (CCC, 975). · Perpetual virginity o She had no other children after Jesus because she remained a virgin for the rest of her life. · She is called “Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church” (CCC, 975). ·
“the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the
titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix” (CCC, 969). o “For there is one God and one
Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). · She is the “Queen of Heaven,” the “Mother of God.” o “…exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things…” (CCC, 996). · “At the command of Mary all obey, even God. She is omnipotent, for the queen, according to all laws, enjoys the same privileges as the king; and since the son’s power also belongs to the mother, this Mother is made omnipotent by an omnipotent Son. Therefore, . . . God has put the whole Church not only under the patronage, but even under the power and authority, of Mary” (The Glories of Mary [abridged version] by St. Alfonsus Liguori, p. 114.) ·
Three kinds of
worship: (1) Latria – worship given to God alone; (2) Dulia – a secondary kind
of veneration given to saints and angels; and, (3) Hyperdulia – a higher kind
of veneration given to the Virgin Mary. ·
So technically,
they don’t officially teach worship of Mary, but in practice this happens quite
often. The slogan, “through Mary to Christ” doesn’t change the fact that for
many the devotion stops with Mary. ·
Mary is given hyper-dulia worship. The following are
actual prayers to Mary to illustrate the adoration or hyper-dulia worship given
to Mary: o
“O most pure heart of Mary, full of goodness, show your love
towards us. Let the flame of your heart, O Mary, descend on all people. We love
you immensely. Impress on our hearts true love so that we may long for you. O Mary, gentle and humble of heart, remember us when we sin. You know that all people sin. Grant that through your most pure and motherly heart, we may be healed from every spiritual sickness. Grant that we may always experience the goodness of your motherly heart, and that through the flame of your heart we may be converted. Amen” (Taught by the Blessed Mother to Jelena Vasilj in Medurgorje on 18 November 1983). o “O Virgin Mary, My Mother. I give to your
Immaculate Heart, my body and my soul, my thoughts and my actions. I
want to be what you want me to be, and do just what you want me to do. I am not afraid
because you are always with me. Help me to love your Son Jesus, with all my
heart and above all things. Take my hand in yours so I can always be with you” (A Child’s Prayer to the Immaculate Heart). o “Mary, Most Holy and Immaculate Mother of God, of Jesus, our Victim-High Priest, True Prophet, and Sovereign King, I come to you as the Mediatrix of All Grace, for that is truly what you are. O Fountain of all Grace! O Fairest of Roses! Most Pure Spring! Unsullied Channel of all of God's Grace! Receive me, Most Holy Mother! Present me and my every need to the Most Holy Trinity! That having been made pure and holy in His Sight through your hands, they may return to me, through you, as graces and blessing. I give and consecrate myself to you, Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, that Jesus, Our One True Mediator, Who is the King of All Nations, may Reign in every heart. Amen” (from a RCC web site). ·
The biblical Mary would be grieved to no end to see
people “venerating” or praying to her. The only command she ever gave in the
Bible is, “Whatever he says to you, do
it (John 2:5).” ·
S. E. Anderson
wrote: “Roman priests
call Mary the ‘mother of God’, a name impossible, illogical and unscriptural.
It is impossible, for God can have no mother. He is eternal and without
beginning while Mary was born and died within a few short years. It is
illogical, for God does not require a mother for His existence. Jesus said,
‘Before Abraham was born, I am’ (John 8:58). IT is unscriptural, for the Bible
gives Mary no such contradictory name. Mary was the honoured mother of the
human body of Jesus – no more – as every Catholic must admit if he wishes to be
reasonable and Scriptural. The divine nature of Christ existed from eternity
past, long before Mary was born. Jesus never called her ‘mother’; He called her
‘woman’ ” (From the booklet “Is Rome the True Church?”). · The correct statement of the person of Christ in this regard is: “As His human nature had no father, so His divine nature had no mother” (Loraine Boettner in Roman Catholicism, p. 135.) Two Crucial Issues Regarding
Catholic Theology: Authority and Salvation The Protestant View of
Authority: Sola Scriptura In the words of reformer Martin Luther, the doctrine of sola Scriptura means that “what is asserted without the Scriptures or proven revelation may be held as an opinion, but need not be believed.” Roman Catholicism flatly rejects this principle, adding a host of traditions and Church teachings and declaring them binding on all true believers—with the threat of eternal damnation to those who hold contradictory opinions. John Calvin wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion: “Let this be a firm principle: No other word is to be held as the Word of God, and given place as such in the church, than what is contained first in the Law and the Prophets, then in the writings of the apostles; and the only authorized way of teaching in the church is by the prescription and standard of his Word.” The living Word of God says: · 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:15-17). Luther’s Rediscovery of Scripture. John Piper made the following observations about Martin Luther’s view of Scripture: One of the great rediscoveries of the Reformation -especially of Martin Luther- was that the Word of God comes to us in a form of a Book. In other words Luther grasped this powerful fact: God preserves the experience of salvation and holiness from generation to generation by means of a Book of revelation, not a bishop in Rome. The Word of God comes to us in a Book. That rediscovery shaped Luther and the Reformation. One of Luther's arch-opponents in the Roman Church, Sylvester Prierias, wrote in response to Luther's 95 theses: "He who does not accept the doctrine of the Church of Rome and pontiff of Rome as an infallible rule of faith, from which the Holy Scriptures, too, draw their strength and authority, is a heretic." In other words, the Church and the pope are the authoritative deposit of salvation and the Word of God; and the Book is derivative and secondary. In 1539, commenting on Psalm 119, Luther wrote, "In this psalm David always says that he will speak, think, talk, hear, read, day and night constantly-but about nothing else than God's Word and Commandments. For God wants to give you His Spirit only through the external Word." This phrase is extremely important. The "external Word" is the Book. And the saving, sanctifying, illuminating Spirit of God, he says, comes to us through this "external Word." Luther calls it the "external Word" to emphasize that it is objective, fixed, outside ourselves, and therefore unchanging. It is a Book. Neither ecclesiastical hierarchy nor fanatical ecstasy can replace it or shape it. It is "external," like God. You can take or leave it. But you can't make it other than what it is. It is a book with fixed letters and words and sentences. And Luther said with resounding forcefulness in 1545, the year before he died, "Let the man who would hear God speak, read Holy Scripture." The Word of God that saves and sanctifies, from generation to generation, is preserved in a Book. And therefore at the heart of every pastor's work is book-work. Call it reading, meditation, reflection, pondering, study, exegesis, exposition or whatever you will-a large and central part of a Christian pastor’s ministry is to wrestle God's meaning from a Book, and proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Catholic View of
Authority In Roman Catholicism, “the Word of God” encompasses not only the Bible, but also the Apocrypha, the Magisterium (the Church’s authority to teach and interpret divine truth), the Pope’s infallible ex cathedra (lit., “from the chair”) pronouncements, and an indefinite body of church tradition, some formalized in canon law and some not yet committed to writing. Whereas evangelical Protestants believe the Bible is the ultimate test of all truth, Roman Catholics believe the Church determines what is true and what is not. In effect, this makes the Church a higher authority than Scripture. The Bible, Tradition, and the
Magisterium · The Bible and Tradition are equal: o “As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."[CCC, 82] o See Mark 7:6-9b regarding tradition. o Some of the traditions:
· The Magisterium is the authoritative interpreter of all revelation whether in the Bible or in tradition: o “The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him” (CCC, 100). o Roman Catholic author John O’Brien in The Faith of Millions wrote: “Far from being hostile to the Bible, the Catholic Church is its true mother. She determined which are the books of religion from the many writings circulated as inspired in the early Christian ages and assembled them all within the covers of a single book…She is not the child of the Bible, as many non-Catholics imagine, but its mother. She derives neither her existence nor her teaching authority from the New Testament.” o In an earlier booklet entitled “Finding Christ’s Church,” O’Brien wrote: “Great as is our reverence for the Bible, reason and experience compel us to say that it alone is not a competent nor a safe guide as to what we are to believe.” · The Bible, Tradition, and the Magisterium are interconnected: o “It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls” (CCC, 95). The Protestant View of
Salvation (Justification) According to Roman
Catholicism, justification is a process in which God’s grace is poured forth
into the sinner’s heart, making that person progressively more righteous.
During this process, it is the sinner’s responsibility to preserve and increase
that grace by various good works. The means by which justification is initially
obtained is not faith, but the sacrament of baptism. Furthermore, justification
is forfeited whenever the believer commits a mortal sin, such as hatred or
adultery. In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, then, works are
necessary both to begin and to continue the process of justification. The
error in the Catholic Church’s position on justification may be summed up in
four biblical arguments. First, Scripture presents justification as instantaneous,
not gradual. Contrasting the proud Pharisee with the broken, repentant
tax-gatherer who smote his breast and prayed humbly for divine mercy, Jesus
said that the tax-gatherer “went down to his house justified” (Luke 18:14). His
justification was instantaneous, complete before he performed any work, based
solely on his repentant faith. Jesus also said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he
who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not
come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). Eternal
life is the present possession of all who believe—and by definition eternal
life cannot be lost. The one who believes immediately passes from spiritual
death to eternal life, because that person is instantaneously justified (see
Rom. 5:1, 9; 8:1).
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