Are Catholics Christians?
Are Catholics Christians?
In a dogmatic sense the answer is no. On a personal basis the answer is possibly.
In order to answer this question, we must define a Christian. The bible only mentions the word "Christian" a few times in the bible (Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16). A better term would be a Disciple of Christ. What defines a Disciple of Christ or a Christian?
The biblical definition would be a person who is saved by being born again and perusing a life of holiness and purity of thoughts, actions and deeds. This is a personal experience that happens to a person when they submit their lives to the total Lordship of Christ Jesus, thus not doing their own will any more but doing the will of the Father.
How does Catholic teaching differ from biblical understanding? First is salvation. Catholics profess that salvation is a process throughout the life of an individual and it requires a person to do works to earn merit to entering heaven.
The bible says over and over that a person is saved only by God's grace, not by works, so that no man may boast. The bible says no one can work to earn their salvation. So are Catholics saved?
The answer is... probably some... If a man or woman submits primarily to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through repentance and faith, and then obey those in authority (such as the catholic church, the government, etc) they are surely saved, however, if they are truly saved and they desire to start growing in Christ, they will certainly not stay in a place that teaches falsely based on the traditions of man.
Salvation is a one time event in a person's life. It can happen in one day or it can happen over months, but once it happens the relationship between a person and God is completely reconciled and that person is saved. Salvation can never be earned.
When a teacher or a group of teachers (church) miss the primary doctrines for salvation, other teachings will certainly be compromised as well. For instance, the esteem they give Mary is another falsehood that is clearly debunked by the bible, however their scholars twist and mis-read Holy Scripture to try to justify their teaching.
Finally the authority of the church has been seen as the literal anti-Christ for the past 200 years. The pope is an anti-Christ which means taking the place of Christ. When the pope is seen as having to be sinless while in the pulpit, this gives him a certain amount of god-status, which is problematic with scripture.
Put plainly, if you are a Catholic, I would encourage you to read the bible and don't trust man. The bible says that God can not lie, and it claims to be God's very word. Read it, and don't trust men. All men are liars.
In a dogmatic sense the answer is no. On a personal basis the answer is possibly.
In order to answer this question, we must define a Christian. The bible only mentions the word "Christian" a few times in the bible (Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16). A better term would be a Disciple of Christ. What defines a Disciple of Christ or a Christian?
The biblical definition would be a person who is saved by being born again and perusing a life of holiness and purity of thoughts, actions and deeds. This is a personal experience that happens to a person when they submit their lives to the total Lordship of Christ Jesus, thus not doing their own will any more but doing the will of the Father.
How does Catholic teaching differ from biblical understanding? First is salvation. Catholics profess that salvation is a process throughout the life of an individual and it requires a person to do works to earn merit to entering heaven.
The bible says over and over that a person is saved only by God's grace, not by works, so that no man may boast. The bible says no one can work to earn their salvation. So are Catholics saved?
The answer is... probably some... If a man or woman submits primarily to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through repentance and faith, and then obey those in authority (such as the catholic church, the government, etc) they are surely saved, however, if they are truly saved and they desire to start growing in Christ, they will certainly not stay in a place that teaches falsely based on the traditions of man.
Salvation is a one time event in a person's life. It can happen in one day or it can happen over months, but once it happens the relationship between a person and God is completely reconciled and that person is saved. Salvation can never be earned.
When a teacher or a group of teachers (church) miss the primary doctrines for salvation, other teachings will certainly be compromised as well. For instance, the esteem they give Mary is another falsehood that is clearly debunked by the bible, however their scholars twist and mis-read Holy Scripture to try to justify their teaching.
Finally the authority of the church has been seen as the literal anti-Christ for the past 200 years. The pope is an anti-Christ which means taking the place of Christ. When the pope is seen as having to be sinless while in the pulpit, this gives him a certain amount of god-status, which is problematic with scripture.
Put plainly, if you are a Catholic, I would encourage you to read the bible and don't trust man. The bible says that God can not lie, and it claims to be God's very word. Read it, and don't trust men. All men are liars.
posted by D @ Sunday, September 16, 2007
3 comments
