After reading an article online written by **Authors Ankerberg and Weldon in their biblical examination of Catholic doctrine, and referencing the article's points within key passages in the Bible, we have concluded that we must share several points that the Article focused on with those interested in Christianity and our works in our Educational, Non-Profit Religious Ministry and have offered credit for the quotes used in this article to the writers of said quotes and use them in the fair use doctrine of Title 17 of the US Copyright Act.
We are placing this article concerning the ** Teachings Of The Roman Catholic Church in demonstration of the Powerful Condemning Failure by the Roman Catholic Church to Teach and Disciple TRUTH and FACT of BIBLICAL SCRIPTURE and The Word Of God.
A: Has God Spoken?
Protestants maintain that God has spoken in the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament, and thus, only these books are divinely authoritative.
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"The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there are FIVE additional sources of Devine Authority.
- First, there are additional books written between the Old and New Testaments, known to Catholics as the deuterocanonical books and to Protestants by the term "Apocrypha." Roman Catholics consider these books as genuine Scripture and thus include them as part of their Bible.
- Second, Catholicism maintains that divine authority is to be found in the authorized Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, which is also classified as the "Word of God."
- Third, divine authority (infallibility) is given to the Pope when he speaks officially on matters of faith and morals.
- Fourth, when speaking or teaching in conjunction with the Pope and orthodox Catholic Tradition, Roman Catholic bishops are also held to be infallible, and hence, divinely authoritative.
- Finally, official Roman Catholic interpretation of the Bible (Catholic teaching) is considered to have divine warrant and authority. In essence, all five of these sources can be summarized by the term "Roman Catholic Tradition."
B: HOW SINS ARE FORGIVEN?
Is it a mere difference of opinion between the Protesters (PROTESTANTS) of the Roman Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church as concerns salvation? Or does the Bible Point Out The Truth?
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Bible:
"All sins are forgiven at the point of salvation-past, present, and future-because Christ's death satisfied all God's wrath against sin. (See Colossians 2:13.)Catholicism:
Sins are only potentially forgiven and so must be worked off through a process mediated by the Church and its sacraments over the lifetime of the believer."
C: Eternal Life?
Does one attain regeneration/everlasting life through Works Of Merit?
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"Bible:
The instantaneous imparting of eternal life and the quickening of the human spirit, making it alive to God.Catholicism:
(In part) The lifelong process of infusing grace (spiritual power) to perform works of merit."
D:
Justification? Who or what is the Justification for attaining Spiritual Rebirth and Life After Death?
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"Bible: The legal declaration of Christ's righteousness reckoned to the believer at the point of faith solely as an act of God's mercy.Catholicism: Spiritual rebirth and the lifelong process of sanctification which begins at the point of the sacrament of baptism. "
E: Doctrine?
Contrary to the New Testament and the Words of Jesus and Paul, the Catholic doctrine of salvation teaches and implies that actual forgiveness of sins comes not only by faith in Christ, but also through many or all of the following:
a) the sacraments, such as baptism and penance,
b) participation in the Mass,
c) the help of the virgin Mary,
d) the recitation of the rosary, and
e) purgatorial suffering after death.
F: What must Catholics Do?
The Bible Teaches through the Word Of God Spoken through Jesus the "assurance of having been saved" is a biblical doctrine.
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"1 John 5:13 proves.
"You also know that because Catholicism teaches that a Christian may lose his or her salvation, it argues that "not even faith ... or conversion... or reception of baptism ... or constancy throughout life... can gain for one the right to salvation..." and that all these are held to be only "the forerunners of attainment" toward salvation."Yet Catholics are TAUGHT and TEACH that the assurance of salvation is a ** "presumption upon the mercy of God" a rare occurrence when combined with the Roman Catholic fact that penance is required for the restoration from the "eternal separation from God," caused by mortal sin.
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"Jesus Himself taught that faith does bring the right to salvation: "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12, NASB, emphasis added). The Bible clearly teaches that by faith alone people can know that they are eternally saved because they, at the moment of saving faith, possess eternal life. You can know this by truly trusting in Christ for forgiveness of sins and making Him your personal Savior."It is therefore this KNOWLEDGE (not JUDGMENT) that leads us to inform you that Roman Catholics whom practice their faith under these Ideas and Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are Doomed To Eternal Pain and Suffering.
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For more information concerning the study of Roman Catholicism Vs Protestism please visit the Ankerberg website and SEACH "Roman Catholicism"
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**The information and quotes for and in this article where and are based on:
THE FACTS ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM:
What Does The Roman Catholic Church Really Believe?
By Authors Ankerberg and Weldon in their biblical examination of Catholic doctrine
For link to article 1
For Link To Ankerberg Web Site 2
For links to a critique of Ankerberg and Weldon 3***************************************
