Salvation Through The Church?

Roman Catholicism teaches that salvation is available only through the Catholic church:

"The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: 'For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained.'" Pg. 215, #816

Here, the 1994 catechism reaffirms the existing teaching of Vatican II, that salvation can be obtained only through the Roman Catholic church. The catechism leaves no doubt that the Catholic church is necessary for salvation:

"...all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation..." Pg. 224, #846

Past popes have taught this doctrine, as have previous catechisms and church fathers. Here is but one example

On May 7, 2001, Pope John Paul II told 2,000 youth gathered at the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of Damascus that "you cannot be a Christian if you reject the Church founded on Jesus Christ."1

Catholic friend, you personally may not believe this, but your pope does. And it is an official doctrine of your religion.

If you check God's Word on this subject, you will not find a single verse requiring one to go through a church to be saved. In fact, the opposite is taught:

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the full price for the sins of all mankind. According to God's Word, anyone can go directly to Him for salvation. Jesus Himself announced that:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

Jesus preached:

"He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life" John 5:24

"He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6:47

Jesus repeats this message in John 3:16, 3:18, and 6:40. If the Catholic church really is necessary for salvation, then Jesus Christ is a liar.

The Apostle Paul gives step by step instructions on how to be saved:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9-10

Notice, no church is required. So if Catholicism is right, then the Apostle Paul is also a liar. And since he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is a liar as well.

"But as many as received (trusted in) him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1:12

John says you become God's child by believing in Jesus Christ. If this Catholic doctrine is true, then John's name must be added to the list of liars.

But John is not a liar. Jesus never requires a church for salvation:

"To him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43

The key is belief in Christ, not a church:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" Romans 1:16

According to Paul, Timothy needed faith in Christ to be saved, not a church:

"And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15

When the Philippian prison guard asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved?," did Paul answer, "You must become a member of the Roman Catholic church?" No, he responded:

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" Acts 16:31

Remember when Jesus was hanging on the cross? The thief on the cross next to Him cried out:

"Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42

When that dying sinner uttered those words of faith, Jesus responded by saying:

"To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

Salvation is in Christ not in a church.

The catechism claims salvation comes "through Christ's Catholic Church alone" But God's Word says it is obtained through Jesus Christ:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

"God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." 1 John 4:9

Only Christ can offer us salvation because He alone shed His blood for us:

"Much more then, being now justi-fied by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." Romans 5:9

No church can offer salvation. Only Jesus can:

"Neither is there salvation in any other (except Jesus): for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:10, 12

Conclusion

Since the Bible and Catholicism clearly disagree, here are some questions you must answer:

• If the Catholic church is necessary to escape hell and reach heaven, would not God have clearly stated it in His Word? at least once?

• Why would Jesus repeatedly lie by saying that salvation is available through faith in Him?

•Are you willing to call Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John all liars? For your religion to be right, you must.

• For centuries, Bible believing Christians have contended that this unbiblical doctrine was created to keep members in bondage. Was it?

• Lastly, you must again answer the question, "Which will I obey and serve, the traditions of men, or the Word of God?" You cannot say "both" because each says the other is wrong.

Someday you will stand face to face with Jesus Christ. You will look Him right in the eyes. You might want to start thinking about how you are going to tell the Lord that you rejected His teachings and obeyed the traditions of sinful men because you assumed He was lying.

"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men?" Mark 7:8

some links that claims Roman Catholic church as necessary for Salvation.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/
http://www.catholicism.org/eens.html
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html

When Worry Strikes...

Ive been worrying too much these past few days due to unfavorable circumstances happened to me. After reading the word of God, worry slowly diminishes away. So i thank God for it. Well, maybe i have the burden to share some of the promises of God to all the readers of this blog. When worry strikes, here are some promises of God to ponder.

Isaiah 41:10
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness."

Matthew 11:29-31
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Romans 14:17
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

2 Thessalonians 3:16
"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all
means. The Lord be with you all."

Philippians 4:6-7
"Be careful (filled with care, anxious) for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus."

1 Peter 5:6-7
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care
upon him; for he careth for you."

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Good works or God's work?

How could one enter heaven? Is it by good works or by God's work?

Many believe that Salvation can be obtained by doing good things for others and for God. Some people even go to church and attend mass often as they believe their efforts are credited for heaven. There are also people who believe that by helping the poor and sharing their financial blessing to others would give credit to their salvation someday. But how sure are they that these things that they believe are true? Are these things give assurance for our salvation? Are we to do enough good works to be saved?

To answer this... Let us examine the scriptures:

First off, We cannot save ourselves because we are separated from God because of our sins. Infact God considered us His enemies apart from having reconciliation to Him through his Son Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:10-11
"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages(payment) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Yes that is true. All have sinned and the payment of sin is death. Death here refers to spiritual and physical death. Physical death is a condition where our heart stops pumping and our lungs is tired of supplying us oxygen. The principle is this... All will die because of sin. Spiritual death in the other hand refers to our separation from God. God is holy and we are sinful. This is the condition where we are considered spiritually dead. We are separated from God.

Sounds horrible right? We are sinners, we are separated from God and we are considered His enemies. We are doomed to hell.

But...... God loved us so much. He does not want you to suffer and to be separated from Him.

That is why He did His Work. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

This is God's work. To save us.
Luke 19:10 Jesus said, "For the Son of Man(Jesus Christ) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 6:23b "... but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"

Because of Jesus we will be saved from the punishment of our sins only if we believe that He alone could save us and that we will accept Him in our lives as our Savior and Lord. He is the gift given to us by our heavenly Father. A Gift is something that we did not work to earn it.. it is given to us freely and the only thing we need to do is to accept it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works(your works), so that no one can boast.

By faith through prayer, accept Him now as your Savior and Lord. Ask Him to come into your life and pray that He will make you the person He wanted you to be. Give your whole trust in Him like a sky diver who gives all his confidence that his parachute would carry him safe.

Could you follow this prayer and take it as your own. Please pray this sincerely.

"Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life and make me the person you want me to be."


1 John 5:11-13
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Colossians 1:21-22
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—



To answer the question above.... its pretty obvious. :)

God Bless you reader.

Thank you for taking time to read.