Some Unscriptural Teachings of the Catholic Church:
#1- Bishop and Priest are two different offices
Wrong:
Paul's reference to Philippians 1:1, mentions Bishops and Deacons, no third position of priest
mentioned.
That's because bishop and priest are the same thing.
The Catholic distinction is fictional.
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints
in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (Philippians 1:1)
Notice in Acts 20, "17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and
called the ELDERS OF THE CHURCH. 18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them,...Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you OVERSEERS, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. " (Acts 20)
Notice that Paul calls them Elders in verse seventeen and when they show up
he calls them overseers.
Same position.
Tell me where the qualifications for priest are separately mentioned in scripture.
Paul has qualifications for bishop and deacon, but not for priest unless Priest is bishop, and it
is.
#2 Mary is Sinless
Wrong:
23 since ALL HAVE SINNED
and fall short of the glory of God, 24 they are justified by his grace as a gift, through THE REDEMPTION WHICH IS IN
CHRIST JESUS, 25 whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's
righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins;
One even with a superficial understanding of scripture, including the OT knows that a
sacrifice for sins and sinners must be without blemish. (Isaiah 53; Exodus)
The only way we sinners, including Mary can be redeemed is with a sinless sacrifice, and if you don't
get that then it is time to go back to Christian basics 101.
Jesus is the only sinless one.
The apostles of scripture never believed in the sinlessness of Mary and Catholics cannot provide
any documentation that they did.
#3- The Bread and Wine of the Eucharist become the body and blood of Christ.
Wrong:
This is what the Catholic Catechism says:
1375 It is by THE CONVERSION OF THE BREAD AND WINE INTO CHRIST'S BODY AND BLOOD THAT CHRIST
BECOMES PRESENT IN THIS SACRAMENT. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word
of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom declares: It is not
man that causes the things offered TO BECOME THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself.
The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God's. This is
my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered. 204
However, the scripture says:
'This do in remembrance of Me.' 1 Corinthians 11
The sacrifice was 'once for all' (Hebrews 10:12)
#4- It is commendable to bow down before images of Mary
Wrong:
5 you shall not BOW DOWN TO THEM (images/idols)or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (Exodus 20)
Some translations say 'worship' others 'bow down', truth is I don't pick and choose what scriptures
fit my theology, so both of these translations are correct.
When one physically bows down before an image/idol they are showing the world the wrong thing.
The scripture says to 'flee the appearance of evil' (1 Thess. 5). The scriptures use the words 'bow
down' because that is what people look at.
The Jews were condemned because the 'world blasphemed God because of them.' Their actions spoke louder
than the inward idolatry that they were denying. (Romans 2:24)
In Fact Mohammed used the hypocrisy and the idolatry of the Jews and Catholics to help him form a
new religion that would be opposed to them until this day.
That is probably why the Catechism goes out of its way to declare that Catholic and Muslims worship
the same God.
In the Quran Mohammed is referring to the Mariolatry of the Catholics and even thought they were exalting
Mary to deity.
Catholics are telling everyone that appearances mean nothing. God says otherwise.
"Abstain from ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIL.
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and
I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24
FAITHFUL IS HE THAT CALLETH YOU, WHO ALSO WILL DO IT." (1 Thess. 5)
So one does not have to know the heart of the one doing the bowing, only that the appearance is enough
to be condemned in scripture.
#5-Saints are a special caste in the church
Wrong:
The scripture speaks of no special caste called saint. Every Christian is a saint.
#6-
Mary is a partner with Christ in salvation even to this day.
The Catholic Catechism says: "This motherhood of Mary in the order of
grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without
wavering beneath the cross, UNTIL THE ETERNAL FULFILLMENT OF ALL THE ELECT. Taken up to heaven SHE DID NOT LAY ASIDE THIS
SAVING OFFICE but by her manifold intercession continues to BRINGS US THE GIFTS OF ETERNAL SALVATION . . . . Therefore the
Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."512 "
969
Here it says she cooperated from the birth of Christ until the ETERNAL FULFILLMENT OF ALL THE
ELECT. The apostles not once mentioned any of this. Then it makes another 'assumption of Mary' and that she has a 'SAVING
OFFICE' AND 'BRINGS US THE GIFTS OF ETERNAL SALVATION'.
Here it is clear that this kind of cooperation that is alleged of Mary is not only unscriptural but
is blasphemous.
There is no scriptural evidence for this and it is quite ridiculous to assume that Christ, the apostles
and God all forgot to say anything about that in scripture, and there isn't even anything about this in Catholic Tradition
until hundreds of years later.
The Catechism also says: "By pronouncing her "fiat" at the Annunciation
and giving her consent to the Incarnation, Mary was already collaborating with the whole work her Son was to accomplish. She
is mother wherever he is Savior and head of the Mystical Body." 973
Funny, whenever Jesus referred to Mary He called her 'woman'
Why is it that whenever the Catholics represent Mary and Jesus together, He is either a baby or a
limp saviour in her arms?
Jesus said: I, I am The way and The Truth and The Life, .........................no
one comes to the Father except through ME
I couldn't find a way to get my english keyboard to place the accents above the greek words when needed.
Also I couldn't get Theta where I wanted it.
First, the definite article (The) is before Way-odos, Truth-aletheia and life-zoe. The definite article
above is h,
This means that Christ is not A way but The Way, The Truth and The Life. He shares his glory with
no other, including Mary.
This passage in Greek is even more exact in what he meant.
The Greek words
egw eimi are translated I, I am, which is him emphasizing himself. He didn't just say I am, He said, I, I am
The Way.
egw- ego
means I and eimi-amy means I am.
He doesn't stop there, The Greek word emou-emou is an emphasis on the word me. He could have said mou
but instead he said emou.
To subvert this plain and emphatic meaning communicated clearly to us
by Christ is tantamount to preaching another gospel and Paul the apostle pronounces eternal destruction-anathema on anyone
that perverts the gospel of Christ.
"And they said, Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16)
Nothing about Buddha, works for salvation, Mohammed, Mary or Bahaullah in what Paul preached. Jesus
Christ is The Way and The Only Way.
To ignore Christ's plain teaching in John is to discount the Greek, the definite article and Personal
Pronouns.
Personal Pronouns are when He emphasizes Himself with, 'I' and 'Me'. If we were to ignore PERSONal
Pronouns we could not communicate the most basic truths of scripture, which include the Trinity.
We couldn't even function in the real world anymore.
By Christ emphasizing himself he is discounting everyone else. When I emphasize me, it means me, not
my mother.
So any other message that includes anything or anyone that the Apostle Paul and Christ didn't include
is another gospel.
Paul says: "
I marvel that
ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the GRACE OF CHRIST unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another;
but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL unto you THAN THAT WHICH WE HAVE PREACHED UNTO YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that
ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1)
Notice that Paul defines ANOTHER GOSPEL as any gospel other THAN THAT
WHICH WE (Paul and his Associates at the time) PREACHED UNTO YOU (The people of his day)
This means that all we have to do is look at what Paul preached and compare it to any other message,
including messages that ADD to what Paul preached.
Did Paul include Buddha, Mohammed, Mary, Works for salvation in his message? Of course not and not
even once.
So any addition to his message is ANOTHER GOSPEL. Any message that makes JESUS A Way but not The Way
is another Gospel.
This is why a message of Mary as coredemptrix, advocate, mediator. or assisting in salvation (967-969-Catholic
Catechism) Purgatory, penance, or any other Catholic invention over the years automatically gets Pauls condemnation and no
matter how many Anathema's the Catholic Council of Trent pronounces on those that believe the apostle Paul's message I will
choose Paul's words over any Buddhist, Islamic, Catholic, Mormon teaching any day.
Jesus will not and did not share His glory with another human, not even with Mary.
#7 Christians can never know they are saved
Wrong:
Whoever is saved can know they are saved.
'I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that
you may KNOW that you have eternal life.' (1 John 5)
One that never knows whether they are saved or not must be living a miserable existence.
One that never knows they are saved MAY not be.
Being saved is being saved for something.
5 Who is it that overcomes
the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5)
One that is saved demonstrates fruit.
Saved for good works not saved by good works. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
BJ Maxwell
