Roman Catholicism vs.
Biblical Christianity
A Brief History
*Notes compiled from the book Church History in
Plain Language; Bruce L. Shelley
- 70 AD to 312 AD is known as the Age of Catholic Christianity.
It was during this time the command of Matthew 28: 19-20 was being
developed. (Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.)
- Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was the first to coin the word
“Catholic Church.” This was to suggest that it was universal, in
spite of pagan ridicule and Roman persecution. To face the
challenges of their times Christians turned increasingly to their
bishops for spiritual leadership.
Christianity, as we have seen, began as a tiny offshoot of
Judaism. Three hundred years later it became the favored and
eventually the official religion of the entire Roman Empire.
Despite widespread and determined efforts to eliminate the new
faith, it survived and grew. By the reign of Constantine
(312-337) the first Christian emperor, there were churches in
every large town in the empire and in places as distant from
each other as Britain, Carthage, and Persia. [p.42]
- The movement of Christianity took a westward turn. Rome, being
the heart of the vast empire by drawing peoples from all regions,
was the “resting place” or area of authority with the church. This
is where the leadership assumed authority in Christian affairs.
- By the late second century, bishops in the church were gaining
much power and were left unchallenged with the affairs of the
church.
- As anti-church groups came about (such as the Gnostics, who
believed that Jesus entrusted a secret wisdom to certain teachers
before He ascended), the leadership of the Catholic church was
forced to make bold statements. One such statement was from Bishop
Cyprian of Carthage, who declared “Outside the church there is no
salvation.”
- As time went on, the Catholic church grew in prominence and
control over the people. During the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries, the church achieved an incomparable power and majesty.
By this time the rule of the papal office had firmly been
established. An example of the power that popes had was in
Innocent III.
[Pope] Innocent III told the princes of Europe that the
papacy was like the sun, while kings were like the moon. As the
moon received its light from the sun, so kings derived their
powers from the pope. The papacy’s chief weapons in support of
this authority were spiritual penalties. Almost everyone
believed in heaven and hell and in the pope’s management of the
grace to get to one and avoid the other. Thus, the pope’s first
weapon in bringing peasants and princes to their knees was the
threat of excommunication. He could pronounce their anathema
(horror) and they would be “set apart” from the church,
deprived of the grace essential for salvation. [p. 245]
- Holding the power over the people, the papal office during the
thirteenth century led Christianity to its peak of political and
cultural influence. The pope claimed power over the holy cause in
history and also authority over the souls of men even in eternity.
- During the late 1300’s an outcry began against the Catholic
Church.
- Two individuals began to question the idea that the Christian
Church was something other than a visible organization on earth
headed by the pope. These two individuals were John Wycliffe, and
John Hus.
- Wycliffe began teaching that “Every man, therefore, priest or
layman, holds an equal place in the eyes of God.” He also
contended that “The pope should be the shepherd of the flock and
the preacher who brings men to Christ.”
In a steady stream of charges Wycliffe showed how far the
papacy had departed from the simple faith and practice of
Christ and his disciples. “Christ is truth,” he wrote, “the
pope is the principle of falsehood, Christ lived in poverty,
the pope labors for worldly magnificence. Christ refused
temporal dominion, the pope seeks it.”
The papal institution is “full of poison.” It is
Antichrist itself, the man of sin who exalts himself above God.
Let judgment fall! [p. 245]
- Another major point that Wycliffe made was that every man had
the right to examine the Bible for himself. He stated: “The New
Testament is of full authority, and open to the understanding of
simple men….Christ did not write His laws on tables, or on skins
of animals, but in the hearts of men.”
- The years of 1517-1648 are known as the years of reformation.
During this time the people believed that the papacy was
essential, not only for the religious life of men but as a means
of sanctioning political rule.
- This is also known of the age of Protestantism. The answers to
four essential questions came about during this transition. 1) How
is a person saved? 2) Where does religious authority lie? 3) What
is the church? 4) What is the essence of Christian living?
- Martin Luther spoke out against the papacy.
Born in 1483, the son of a Saxon miner, Luther had every
intention of becoming a lawyer until, one day in 1505, he was
caught in a thunderstorm while walking toward the village of
Stotternheim. A bolt of lightning knocked him to the ground,
and Luther, terrified called out to Catholicism’s patroness of
miners: “St. Anne, save me! And I’ll become a monk."
Much to his parents’ dismay, Luther kept the vow. Two
weeks later, obsessed with guilt, he entered the Augustinian
monastery at Erfurt and proved to be a dedicated monk. “I kept
the rule so strictly,” he recalled years later, “that I may say
that if ever a monk got to heaven by his sheer monkery, it was
I. If I had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself
with vigils, prayers, reading and other work."
Luther pushed his body to health-cracking rigors of
austerity. He sometimes fasted for three days and slept without
a blanket in freezing winter. He was driven by a profound sense
of his own sinfulness and of God’s unutterable majesty. In the
midst of saying his first Mass, said Luther, “I was utterly
stupefied and terror-stricken. I thought to myself, “Who am I
that I should lift up mine eyes or raise my hands to the divine
majesty? For I am dust and ashes and full of sin, and I am
speaking to the living and eternal and true God." No amount of
penance, no soothing advice from his superiors could still
Luther’s conviction that he was a miserable doomed sinner.
Although his confessor counseled him to love God, Luther one
day burst out, “I do not love God! I hate Him!”
The troubled monk found the love he sought through the
study of Scripture. Assigned to the chair of Biblical studies
at the recently established Wittenberg University,…A new and
revolutionary
picture of God began to develop in Luther’s restless
soul. Finally, in 1515…Luther saw it clearly now. Man is saved
only by his faith in the merit of Christ’s sacrifice. The cross
alone can remove man’s sin and save him from the grasp of the
devil.
The implications of Luther’s discovery were enormous. If
salvation comes through faith in Christ alone, the intercession
of priests is superfluous. Faith formed and nurtured by the
Word of God written and preached, requires no monks, no masses,
no prayers to the saints. The mediation of the Church of Rome
crumbles into insignificance. [p. 256-8]
- Although Luther faced much opposition he continued to stand on
two convictions: First, salvation was by faith in Christ alone,
and second, the Scriptures, not popes or councils, are the
standard for Christian faith and behavior.
- Luther took four essential Catholic concerns and offered
invigorating new answers: 1) How is a person saved? By faith in
the finished work of Jesus Christ, not by works. 2) Where does
religious authority lie? God’s Holy and inspired Word. 3) What is
the church? The entire community of Christian believers. 4) What
is the essence of Christian living? Allowing God’s Holy Spirit to
empower you in order to serve and walk with God.
Comparison of Beliefs
* Taken from Roman
Catholicism: Scripture vs. Tradition
|
The Doctrine of Jesus
|
The Bible
(New American Standard Bible)
|
The Roman Catholic Church
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)
|
Jesus the Savior:
|
- Titus 3:5
- He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have
done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- For by grace you have been saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast.
|
RCC teaches that “by His death and resurrection, Jesus
Christ has ‘opened’ heaven to us” (1026). Each person
attains his own salvation by grace and by the Holy Spirit,
good works (1477).
|
Jesus the Redeemer:
|
- 1 Peter 1:17-19
- And if you address as Father the One who impartially
judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves
in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; knowing
that you were not redeemed with perishable things like
silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited
from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a
lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
|
RCC teaches that Mary is the sinless co- Redeemer.
“Without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself
entirely to the person and work of her son; she did so in
order to serve the mystery of redemption with Him…being
obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and
for the whole human race" (494).
|
Jesus the Redeemer: Jesus our Advocate and only
Mediator:
|
- 1 Timothy 2:5
- For there is one God, and one mediator also between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
- 1 John 2:1
- My little children, I am writing these things to you
that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
|
RCC teaches that Mary “did not lay aside [her] saving
office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring
us the gifts of eternal salvation.” She “is ...Advocate… and
Mediatrix” (969).
|
Jesus, Head of the Church:
|
- Ephesians 1:22-23
- And He put all things in subjection under His feet,
and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which
is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
|
RCC teaches that the Pope, “by reason of his office as
Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has
Full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church, a
power which he can always exercise un-hindered” (882). He
exercises infallibility when “he proclaims by a definitive
act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals” (891).
|
Jesus the soon-coming King:
|
- Acts 1:11
- and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand
looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up
from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as
you have watched Him go into heaven.”
|
RCC denies this by teaching that Jesus returns daily to
the altars of Catholic churches to be worshipped: “The body
and blood…soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ…is
truly, really and substantially contained" in the Eucharist
(1374-1378)
|
Christ's Work
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Jesus is the propitiation for our sin
|
- 1 John 2:2
- and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and
not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
- 1 John 4:10
- In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins.
|
RCC teaches that sins are expiated (forgiven) in
purgatory through “a cleansing fire” and that we “must
strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace"
(1030, 31; 1472-75)
|
Jesus finished the work of redemption
|
- Hebrews 10:14
- For by one offering He has perfected for all time
those who are sanctified.
- Hebrews 7:27-28
- who does not need daily, like those high priests, to
offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for
the sins of the people, because this He did once for all
when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as
high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath,
which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect
forever.
|
RCC denies it is finished. “The sacrifice of Christ and
the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice…the
same Christ who offered Himself once in bloody manner on the
altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody
manner" (1367). “Every time this mystery is celebrated the
work of our redemption is carried on" (1405). The sacrifice
is “offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the
dead" (1414)
|
His life, death, and resurrection provide the
only way to be saved
|
- Acts 4:12
- “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is
no other name under heaven that has been given among men,
by which we must be saved.”
|
RCC denies this by claiming the Catholic Church “is
necessary for salvation" (846) and claiming “the plan of
salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator,
in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims" (841).
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His shed blood is the only remission for sins
|
- Hebrews 9:22
- And according to the Law, one may almost say, all
things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of
blood there is no forgiveness.
- Hebrews 10:18
- Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there
is no longer any offering for sin.
|
RCC teaches “an indulgence is a remission before God of
the temporal punishment due to sins whose Guilt has already
been forgiven, which…may be applied to the living or the
dead" (1471).
|
Jesus cleanses us from sin
|
- Hebrews 1:3
- And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature, and upholds all things by
the word of His power. When He had made purification of
sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high;
- Colossians 1:22
- yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body
through death, in order to present you before Him holy
and blameless and beyond reproach—
|
RCC teaches that “all who die in God’s grace and
friendship, but still imperfectly purified…undergo
purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to
enter the joy of heaven" (1030).
|
Doctrine of Salvation
|
Salvation is proclaimed in the Gospel
|
- Romans 1:16
- For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the
power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
- Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also
you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in
vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what
I also received, that Christ died for our sins according
to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
- Galatians 1:9
- As we have said before, so I say again now, if any
man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which
you received, let him be accursed.
|
RCC preaches a different gospel by demanding additional
requirements for salvation, including: the Sacraments
(1129), meritorious masses (1405), church membership (846),
purgatory (1030), indulgences (1498), and baptism (1256).
|
Salvation is of God, not man
|
- Ephesians 1:13
- In Him, you also, after listening to the message of
truth, the gospel of your salvation— having also
believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of
promise,
- John 1:13
- who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
|
RCC teaches “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration ...
without which no one can enter the Kingdom of God" (1213,
1215)
|
Salvation is through faith, not works
|
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- For by grace you have been saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast.
- Psalms 49:7-8
- No man can by any means redeem his brother, or give
to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of his soul
is costly, and he should cease trying forever—
|
RCC teaches salvation through faith plus works. People
can obtain their own salvation and at the same time
cooperate in saving their brothers through good works and
indulgences (1477, 1479).
|
Salvation is by grace, not merit
|
- Romans 3:24
- being justified as a gift by His grace through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
- Romans 11:6
- But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis
of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
|
RCC denies justifying grace is undeserved: “We can merit
for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain
eternal life” (2027)
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Salvation rejected is Hell
|
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
- dealing out retribution to those who do not know God
and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord
Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal
destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from
the glory of His power,
|
RCC teaches that “Immediately after death the souls of
those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell,
where they suffer…eternal fire" (1035)
|
The Doctrine of Justification
Justification, what is it? - The act of pronouncing righteous,
acquittal
- Romans 5:18 says:
- So then as through one transgression there resulted
condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness
there resulted justification of life to all men.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches a different doctrine on
justification compared to that of Biblical Christianity.
Biblical Doctrine
|
Roman Catholic Doctrine
|
|
Justification is God’s act of declaring a sinner
righteous by faith
|
Justification is God’s act of making man righteous by
good works and obedience
|
|
Christ’s imputed righteousness makes the believer
acceptable to God
|
Infused sanctifying grace through the sacraments makes
the believer acceptable to God
|
|
Justification is received by faith alone
|
Justification is achieved by faith plus good works
|
|
Justification enables God to see the sinner as if he were
just
|
Justification is granted the sinner when he is actually
made just
|
|
Justification cannot increase since the ground is the
perfect righteousness of Christ
|
Justification can be increased by receiving more
sacraments
|
|
Justification is a permanent verdict and is not affected
by sin
|
Justification is affected by sin
|
|
Justification comes at the moment of faith in Jesus
Christ
|
Final justification is not determined until death
|
|
Emphasis is on God’s verdict
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Emphasis is on the sacraments
|
Dogmas Declared by the
Roman Catholic Church
Here are some Doctrines or Dogmas declared by the Roman
Catholic Church. These Dogmas violate the teaching of Scripture.
Year
|
Statement
|
|
437
|
Proclamation that infant baptism regenerates the soul
|
|
500
|
The Mass instituted as a re-sacrifice of Jesus for the
remission of sins
|
|
593
|
Declaration that sins need to be purged, established by
Pope Gregory I
|
|
600
|
Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints, and angels
|
|
786
|
Worship of cross, images, and relics authorized
|
|
995
|
Canonization of dead people as saints initiated by Pope
John XV
|
|
1000
|
Attendance at Mass made mandatory under the penalty of
mortal sin
|
|
1079
|
Celibacy of priesthood, decreed by Pope Gregory VII
|
|
1090
|
Rosary, repetitious praying with beads, invented by Peter
the Hermit
|
|
1184
|
The Inquisition, instituted by the Council of Verona
|
|
1190
|
The sale of Indulgences established to reduce time in
Purgatory
|
|
1215
|
Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III
|
|
1215
|
Confession of sins to priests, instituted by Pope
Innocent III
|
|
1229
|
Bible placed on Index of Forbidden Books in Toulouse
|
|
1438
|
Purgatory elevated from doctrine to dogma by Council of
Florence
|
|
1545
|
Tradition claimed equal in authority with the Bible by
the Council of Trent
|
|
1546
|
Apocryphal Books declared cannon by Council of Trent
|
|
1854
|
Immaculate Conception of Mary, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX
|
|
1870
|
Infallibility of the Pope, proclaimed by Vatican Council
|
|
1922
|
Virgin Mary proclaimed co-redeemer with Jesus by Pope
Benedict XV
|
Mary Glorified by the
Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church places Mary, mother of Jesus, in a
position of Deity. Listed are some of the prayers offered to Mary.
- Hail Mary
- Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed
art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
Whom you conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Holy Mary
Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our
death. Amen.
-
- Hail, Holy Queen
- Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness
and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To
thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley
of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy
towards us. And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed
Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin
Mary.
-
- The Memorare of St. Bernard
- Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it
known that nay one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help,
and sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this
confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother; to
thee I come; before thee I stand sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of
the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy,
hear and answer me. Amen.
Cardinal and Saint Apphonsus de Liquori wrote a book entitled The
Glories of Mary. The chapter titles ascribe attributes and titles
that belong to Christ alone. Some of the titles are:
- Mary, Our Hope
- Mary, Our Help
- Mary, Our Salvation
- Mary, Our Life
- Mary, Our Advocate
Sharing the Gospel
- Here are a few reminders when sharing the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to Catholics.
- Share your personal testimony. How did Jesus Christ make a
difference in your life?
- Know the truth and try to establish what truth is (John 14:6,
17:17; Colossians 1:5)
- Share with the individual that God’s Word is the final
authority on salvation (2 Timothy 3:15)
- Show the proper place of tradition with the position of
authority (Mark 7:7-8, 13)
- Discus the depravity of man (Romans 3:10-26)
- Agree what the Gospel of Christ is and its power in the life
of the believer (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Ephesians
2:1-10)
- Discuss the consequences of someone teaching a different
gospel or refusing to believe the true Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9; 2
Corinthians 4:3)
- Talk about Jesus
- Talk about Jesus
- Talk about Jesus
- Finally, talk about Jesus
What Do You Believe?
Use Scripture to support your position on each of the following
questions.
1. As Christians, can we be assured during this lifetime that we
will spend eternity with God?
Salvation is dependent on who God is and what He has
done. When we trust Christ as our personal savior, the Holy Spirit
places us in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3). Scripture tells
us that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of
redemption (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). To “lose” salvation would mean to
break the seal that God has put in place. It is the Father’s purpose
to keep us safe until we come into His presence (John 10:28-30; 13:1
and Jude 24).
2. What is the Trinity?
You probably know that the word “trinity” is not found
in the Bible. Charles C. Ryrie says this:
Any concept of the Trinity must be carefully
balanced, for it must maintain on the one side the unity of God, and
on the other, the distinctness and equality of the Persons. That is
why the word “trinity” only tells half of the doctrine - the
“threeness” part and not the unity. Perhaps the word “triunity” is
better since it contains both ideas - the “tri” (the threeness) and
“unity” (the oneness). [Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine p. 30]
The following is evidence for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
being God: (Listed are just a few references.)
Father: John 6:27, 1 Peter 1:2 (note that it is seldom
debated that the Father is God)
Jesus Christ: John 20:28, Matthew 9:4, Matthew 28:18 &
20, Mark 2:1-12;
Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3-4, 1 Corinthians 2:10; Psalm 139:7,
John 3:5-6, 8.
It is very important to remember that God is infinite and we are
finite. There are some aspects of God’s character that are true, yet
difficult to explain. As obedient followers of God, we need to take
by faith these characteristics that seem abstract.
3. What is God like?
Here are just a few characteristics of our God.
God is Omniscient (God knows everything): Isaiah 40:28;
45:21, Psalm 147:4-5, Acts 15:18.
God is Holy: 1 Peter 1:15, 1 John 3:3, Leviticus 11:44,
Hosea 11:9.
God is Just: Psalm 19:9; 116:5; 145:17, Jeremiah 12:1.
God is Love: 1 John 3:16; 4:8-10, Romans 5:8.
God is Immutable (He never changes): Malachi 3:6, Isaiah
46:9 -10, James 1:17.
4. What is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
The resurrection to Jesus Christ is significant for
many reasons. Here are a few: The resurrection proved the validity of
Christ’s claims to be God (Acts 2:30-31). It is a guarantee of our
forgiveness (1 Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection provides the
believer with power to live the Christian life during this time on
earth (Ephesians 1:19-22).
5. Did Jesus Christ exist before He was born in Bethlehem?
Here are a few Scripture references that indicate that
Christ did exist from eternity past: Micah 5:2, Habakkuk 1:12, Isaiah
9:6, John 8:58, Exodus 3:14-15, Colossians 1:16
Glossary of Catholic Terms
Taken from Roman Catholicism: Scripture vs.
Tradition
With references from the Catholic Catechism, 1994
Apocrypha: Fifteen writings recorded during the 400 years
between the Old and New Testaments. Twelve of them were declared
inspired and added to the Catholic Cannon in 1546.
Apparition: The perception of a disembodied person
often associated with an urgent message. The Vatican has
authenticated many visual and audible encounters with the Virgin Mary
throughout the world.
Doctrine: A principle or body of principles presented
for acceptance or belief.
Dogma: A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating
to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative
manner by a church.
Eucharist: A wafer claimed to contain the body,
blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ (1374), that is to be
worshipped, consumed, and sacrificed (1378).
Indulgence: The means of remission of the temporal
punishment for sins. It is gained by good works and can be applied to
the sins of the living and the dead (1471-79).
Infallible teachings: The pope and bishops are
incapable of error when proclaiming a definitive doctrine pertaining
to faith and morals (891).
Mass: The continuation of the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ at Calvary (1367) which carries on the work of redemption
(1405), appeases the wrath of God and atones for the sins of the
living and the dead (1371, 1414).
Mortal sin: A grave sin committed with full knowledge
and consent (1857). Those who die in this state descend into hell
(1035).
Penance: The sacrament of confessing sins committed
after baptism to a priest for forgiveness and reconciliation to God
and the Church (1456).
Purgatory: A place where those who die in God’s grace
are punished and purified by fire for sins that have already been
forgiven (1030-32, 1471).
Rosary: An expression of devotion to Mary, developed
in the 11th century by Peter the Hermit, using beads to count 53
repetitious prayers to Mary, six to the Father, and six to the
Trinity.
Sacraments: Seven efficacious signs of grace that are
necessary for salvation and by which divine life is dispensed (1129).
Venial sin: A sin that merits only temporal
punishment and does not deprive the sinner of grace, fellowship with
God or eternal happiness.
Bibliography
Books:
Hunt, Dave. A Woman Rides the Beast: The Roman Catholic Church
and the Last Days; Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR. 1994
McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart. Answers to Tough Questions;
Here’s Life Publishers, Inc. San Bernardino, CA. 1980
Ryrie, Charles C. A Survey of Bible Doctrine; Moody Press,
Chicago. 1972
Ryrie, Charles C. Concise Guide to the Bible; Here’s Life
Publishers, Inc. San Bernardino, CA. 1983
Shelly, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language; Word
Books Publishers, Waco TX. 1982
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language;
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Proclaiming the Gospel,
Roman Catholicism: Scripture vs. Tradition; Proclaiming the
Gospel Publications, P.O. Box 940871, Plano TX 75094
- April/May 1995. Vol. 4, No. 2
- Aug/Sept 1995. Vol. 4, No. 5
- Feb/March 1996. Vol. 5, No. 1
- Copyright © 1996, 1998 Bryan Ryan
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