5 Things About the Mormon (LDS)

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. - Gal 1:11,12

See some of the more noticeable traits in this group. See Section II.

The Mormons, known officially as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints represent the largest affiliated grouping of any religion which, while claiming to be Christian, is clearly outside of the mainstream of Christianity. It has officially declared all other Christian expressions to be apostate, and holds firmly to its claim to be the restored Church of Jesus Christ.  LDS (Latter Day Saints) sects, commonly called fundamentalists, exist in a variety of expressions and are known for embracing polygamy, an essential element of early Mormon doctrine1.  

1.) Understand Basic LDS History

Mormonism originated with Joseph Smith during the Second Great Awakening (1790-1840), a period during which America and Britain were particularly fascinated with millennial speculation2.  Joseph Smith’s testified visit of the angel Moroni (in 1820) and the discovery of the golden plates (the Book of Mormon) on the hill Cumorah in New York, set in motion the events which ultimately led the Mormons to the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847 under the leadership of Brigham Young3.

2.) Understand the First Principles of Mormons

Mormonism is a hybridization of pagan and Christian thought in a palpable mix.

A. Pagan thought. From the pagan, or creation based perspective, the core of LDS teaching fits the essential pattern of neo gnosticism4, though Joseph’s Smith’s teachings were not strongly associated with gnosticism until recent years5.

In this respect, Mormons are driven by the twin gnostic dynamics of enlightenment and progression. Therefore, to understand our LDS friends, it helps to have a good grip on Satan’s ultimate theology, or creation based worship. (See our article on that subject.)

1. Enlightenment. For a Mormon, enlightenment is a progressive experience which comes not only through cognitive processes, but through his mystical connection with the universe. Unlike Creator based worshipers, Mormons see matter as being eternal (albeit their view is that matter arose ex nihilo. Smith claimed that the Hebrew “barah” meant only that Elohim organized existing matter.) This is a hotly defended first principle of Mormonism. While the Mormon god, called Elohim (an elevated man), is neither omniscient nor omnipresent, he is able to communicate with men mystically. Nowhere is this more evident in LDS thought than in their reliance on the Doctrine and Covenants’ promise of an affirmative “burning in the bosom for truth seekers.”6

Remember, this notion of a universal mystical connection is at the basis of virtually all false thought and can be traced to early Babylonian, Egyptian, and Gnostic claims.

2.  Progression. No one has refined the notion of progression more dynamically than the Mormon and nothing is more important to him. Again, we have already indicated that a first principle of Satanic theology as expressed in all creation based worship is, “I will be like the most high...” Isaiah 14:14. Satan embraces progression. While Mormons use the term salvation, it connotes exaltation through progression in Mormon thought and has little or nothing to do with the biblical concept of being delivered from the penalty and power of sin in order to be glorified. Glorification, something God does for us once and for all as the end result of our election, can be seen in terms of our past, present and ultimate glorification (Romans 8:29-31). It represents our ultimate freedom from sin. Glorification for the non Mormon is in no way akin to LDS exaltation, which is a reference to the Mormon’s state in the next world.

B. Christian Hybridization. Essential to understanding Mormonism is knowing that the Book of Mormon’s cover declares it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” We are told that just as the New Testament replaces the dynamics of the Old Testament, so the Book of Mormon is the fruition of New Testament teachings and effectively supersedes it. Non Mormon Bible believers would quickly point out that the New Testament fulfills and completes the Old Testament and in no way contradicts it, whereas the Book of Mormon clearly contradicts both Old and New Testaments. Non Mormons would also point out that this same book claims to have been written hundreds of years before the King James Version of the Bible but quotes its dialect perfectly.  Equally as significant, the other “authorized” scriptures of Mormonism extend the errors of that book exponentially. The only response provided by Mormons is that modern versions of the Bible were clearly corrupted or “incorrectly translated”, though no evidence has ever been presented to establish the accuracy of these claims. Anyone who has ever had an in depth biblical discussion with a Mormon has heard the words “that must not have been translated correctly.”

The issue of hybridization deepens. Because Mormon teaching begins with gnostic first principles, it must redefine virtually every Christian term in order to accommodate the gnostic first principle of progression. Its god must be progressive, its revelations must be progressive, and its view of salvation or exaltation must be seen as a consummate result of progression toward perfection. The salvation which Christ provided is thus reduced little more than making provision for men to return to the path of upward progression (though Christ serves other LDS purposes).  According to Brigham Young, had Adam not exercised his “free will” and sinned, we never would have been able to progress. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches no such thing.

3.) Understand the Millennial Aspect of Mormonism

Like Roman Catholicism and other sects, Mormonism openly declares that it is Israel and it is the absolute inheritor of her promises.  The future Millennium she prophesies relates to her and not to ethnic Israel (now represented by the Navajo, an assumption now refuted by DNA analysis).  A literal interpreter of the Bible is quick to understand that God has not replaced Israel and His Son will one day rule the world from ethnic Israel’s throne. In the interim, Christ is working through His spiritual body and temple, the church, as He continues as a light to the gentiles.
As with Catholicism, this claim to be Israel includes the right to be called Christ’s church on earth. The moment any group makes this claim to temporal authority it also insists that salvation (however defined) can only be secured through Christ’s church, i.e. their church. This, in turn, requires a priesthood.

Again, like the Roman Catholic Church, Mormon replacement theology has led to the establishment of its own priesthoods, the Aaronic (ages 12-18) and the Melchizedekan priesthoods. The latter imbues its qualified men with all the apostolic gifts and privileges and is the basis for ordering all LDS ministry at every level.

Unlike Catholicism where priests carry out their temple ministries within the confines of their church altars, Mormonism places its emphasis on earthly temples where temple work is initiated and performed exclusively. There can be no Mormonism without temples, no temples without a priesthood, and no priesthood without replacement theology.

4.) Understand the LDS Beliefs which Result from these First Principles

The disparate views between Mormonism and biblical Christianity are stunning and cover virtually every area of Bible doctrine. This will be expanded in our second article 5 Tools for Conversing with Mormons. For the sake of brevity, we confine our discussion to three critical areas.

A. The LDS view of God.  The Mormon Elohim was once a man as we are, and has a material body of flesh and bones. He resides along with his many wives near the planet (or star) Kolob. From there spirit babies are produced in order to populate the planets. The scriptures are clear that there is one God, that He is a Spirit and that He is the creator of mankind. (Is. 43:10-11; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 21-22, John 4:24, Genesis 2 and 3.) For more information, see the article 5 Things About the Trinity.

B. The LDS view of Jesus Christ. Though LDS views vary, essential Mormonism sees Jesus as the result of the physical union of Elohim and Mary. He was not virgin born and attained godhood like any other man. Prior to coming to earth, He was the elder brother of Lucifer or Satan.  The Bible asserts that Christ was in the beginning with God and was God, and that He was born of a virgin. (John 1:1-3, Matthew 1:18-21). As an aside, The LDS Journal of Discourses declares that Jesus was married to Mary and Martha because Mary called Him “lord” a word which Mormons declare can also mean husband.  The JOD also tells us that Jesus was the bridegroom at Cana and was  married there so that He would be able to “see his seed,” before He died7.

C. The LDS view of Salvation. As noted earlier, Mormons see salvation as the achievement of celestial exaltation through good works. While Mormons teach that salvation is a gift, they redefine the word gift to mean something we must earn through strict obedience to the law. The Bible offers salvation as a free gift for anyone who will place his trust in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 4:4-5). See our paper entitled 5 Things our Works Oriented Friends Need to Understand.
Equally important, Mormons deny the substitutionary work of Christ.  His role as Saviour merely provided us with a means to achieve our exaltation.  For a fuller understanding of the doctrine of substitution, see our paper 5 Things About the Substitutionary Work of Christ.

5.) Understand what the LDS Needs to Hear

1. He must not take the witness of men over God’s witness. Our own religious feelings must be second place to what the Bible teaches (2 Peter 1:18-20).  If the LDS scriptures were true revelations from God they would agree with the Bible. The scriptures cannot be broken.

2. He, (along with the whole human race) has enslaved himself to sin and cannot remedy this through works. (Romans 3:10, 23). Our sin separates us from God and no amount of good works can remedy this. Seeking to gain the merits of heaven through our good works only adds to our debt (Rom 4:4-9).

3. A Mormon can know he has eternal life by believing on the Son (John 3:16-18,35).  To have the Son is to have life. To deny this truth is to make God a liar (1 John 5:10-12).

4. A Mormon can become a new creation in Christ, with new life (2 Corinthians 5:17).


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1.The Community of Christ, (formerly called The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), lays claim to the prophesied lineal succession of Joseph Smith, while the Salt Lake City LDS trace their history and doctrines through Brigham Young.  This brief study is devoted to the Salt Lake City Mormons only, and we will refer to them simply as LDS or Mormons.

2. Ironically, these millennial speculations were all varied expressions of replacement theology, handed down by the “church fathers.” See The History of Religion in America, by Hudson, a Scribner publication. Other American sects such as Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventism, and Watchtower, all emerged from this same era of millennial preoccupation.

3. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Latter_Day_Saint_movement

4. Seehttp://www.waltermartin.com/forums/showthread.php?2496-Are-Mormons-Gnostics

5. See also, http://gnosis.org/ahp.htm and http://usminc.org/mormonism.html for typical discussions on the subject.

6. See https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/sections-1-9/section-9-your-bosom-shall-burn-within-you?lang=eng

7. For a full discussion of this see: http://www.mrm.org/jesus-married

Additional Study Resources (Not carte blanc recommendations):
Martin, Walter. The Kingdom of the Cults. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1997.

The Dangers of the Cults (DVD) by David Reagan and Ron Carlson. www.lamblion.com

5 Things About Multiple (False) Authorities

 ... And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  ...And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:   Genesis 3:3,4

Regardless of their human origins, all non biblical religious systems come about as the result of mixing authorities.  Some deny the Bible totally while others prefer to mix the truths of God’s Word with the Bible.  All share the same root problem; they embrace multiple authorities. We have already provided a basic study on the Bible and its authority (See Sec II 1 Five Things About the Inspiration of the Bible). This study is devoted to understanding the devices of Satan which we encounter when casting down the imaginations of men (2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Corinthians 2:11).

1.) Understand the Satanic Origin of All False Authority.

We are in a battle for men’s souls against principalities, powers, and the doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1). God alone can open the eyes of men to the truth of His Word. Satan’s goal from the beginning (Genesis 3:1-13) has been to move us away from the first principles of the doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:1,2).  His methods have been to question and deny what God has said, to re-define what God has said, and to confuse what God has said by laying his own blend of lie and truth alongside God’s Word. It is important to hold men accountable to God’s authority. Most challenges can found in one of the three following categories.

2.) Understand Ancient, Ancestral, and Ethnic Challenges to God’s Authority .

Tradition, as an integral religious principle, can be found in different expressions at the base of Roman Catholic teaching, most first nations peoples, and other global groups. Of course, Roman Catholic traditions would vary from native Americans, for example, but they also have much in common.  Both traditions are rooted in ancient and pagan (creation based) worship practices. Both tout the values of ancient wisdom and blend it with their cultures. Both venerate the dead and both feel they can pray to the dead based upon the notion of mystical unity.

Speaking of veneration of the dead, Wikipedia notes:

The veneration of the dead, including one’s ancestors, is based on the beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Some groups venerate their direct, familial ancestors; some faith communities, in particular the Catholic Church, venerate saints as intercessors with God1.

In addition, many non Catholic traditional religions are ethnically based and choose to unfairly stereotype biblical Christianity as being the “White Man’s” religion in spite of the fact that there are more non white believers in the world than white ones. God saves men from all ethnic backgrounds (John 1:12-13, Acts 17:24-31).

The Bible warns and instructs us concerning these things:

1. Oral and eyewitness tradition (even from an apostle) is inferior to the written scriptures which are our sure word of prophecy. See 2 Peter 1:15-21, Mark 7:9,13, Matthew 12:50,  Colossians 2:8.
   
2. Although ethnic groups vary, the ancient wisdom they claim to embrace is all very similar.  The Bible speaks of the wisdom of this world and warns us that the wisdom of man is foolishness with God because the world cannot know God through wisdom. Learn to use 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
   
3. Although we are to love and respect our parents, (Matthew 15:4). The Lord Jesus clearly taught that we must not let our love for father and mother hinder us from obeying Christ (Matthew 10:37). The love of God in our hearts supersedes filial love (Matthew 12:50).
   
4. When conversing with Catholics who claim belief in the Bible, the Bible verses noted above are good starting points for talking. When witnessing to traditional peoples in general, the New Tribes Mission should be one’s first “go to” resource. Given the circumstances, one may not have opportunity to fully engage their Chronological Approach to witnessing, but these teaching principles are excellent2.

In all cases, when witnessing to others caught up in traditional worship we may respect their sincerity and appeal to their openness, but never (for a minute) give credence to their spirituality. All the world is guilty before God and need the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-25).

3.) Understand Institutional and Charismatic Challenges to God’s Authority

a. Charismatic authority. Personality driven groups rise and fall faster than the sun. The tendency in men to follow leaders other than God is as old as Genesis. Most personality driven systems are led by leaders who convince their followers of their great biblical wisdom and that God has visited them in one way or another with a sacred charge or calling. These imposters share the same thing in common, they are robbing Christ of the authority which belongs only to Him. These imposters can be readily seen as they walk after their own lusts. Read and be able to use the following passages: (Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 2:16, 18,  Jude 16, 1 Timothy 4:3, 1 John 3:7).

Followers of such men should not be excused for mere innocents and gullibility. The Bible says we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own lusts (not just sexual) and enticed (James 1:14). Such followers need to be confronted regarding their own tendencies which draw them into their webs (Galatians 1:6-9).

b. Institutional authority. Roman Catholics and many sectarian groups such as LDS and Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Christ instituted an earthly, temporal organization through which salvation must come. Each group, in turn, must claim extra-biblical proof to substantiate their claims. Again, each must claim to have a divinely inspired system for administering their “church.”  Catholics, for example, have established a non-existent New Testament priesthood, the LDS claim a separate set of visions given to their charismatic leader, Joseph Smith.  In all cases, these extra-biblical sources contradict each other and all contradict the Bible.

The church of which Christ and the apostles spoke was the “church which is His body,” formed on the day of Pentecost and joined by all who come into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Local churches are made up of those in a given area who have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.  Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church and the Holy Spirit is its guide and each believer is a priest. While God has graciously provided overseers who lead us and teach our local churches, He has not established a temporal institution, a successive line of leaders or sacramental priests.  All of these, in one way or another, would supplant the headship of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; 27, Ephesians 1:23; 4:12, Colossians 1:18). The fact that Christ would personally administer His church through His indwelling presence in individual believers (His body) was a mystery, kept secret from earlier ages (Colossians 1:24-27).

4.) Understand Rational and Pseudo Rational Challenges to God’s Authority.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 2 Peter 2:18

Men turn away from the truth for reasons which cunningly appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). This is particularly evident among systems which would confuse the listener by alluding to a large volume of “facts” and Bible quotations, generously mixed with false teaching.  This form of intellectual or rational bullying can be very convincing to the uninitiated. “This group must be right, just listen to all the deep teaching they offer!”  Many are so impressed with the package that they buy the product.

Without exception, groups which rely on great swelling words of vanity and stun us with rapid fire assertions, cannot stand the scrutiny of deliberate and careful comparisons of their message with the Bible:

1. High sounding rhetoric, and,
   
2. their non-connecting cut and paste theology, and,
   
3. their unwillingness to respect and properly define words, are quickly exposed when laid alongside of  the great themes of scripture by Bible students who make the Bible their first, last, and only authority. Do not be intimidated by high sounding words (Jeremiah 23:16, Ephesians 5:6).

5.) Understand How to Respond to False Authorities.

• Turn away from those who turn away (2 Timothy 3:1-9, Acts 18:6)
  
• Humbly approach those who are caught in their webs, considering our own selves, lest we be ensnared (2 Timothy 2:23-26).
  
• Remind your listeners that they are first accountable to the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 4:12,13).
  
• Rely on the power of the Word, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and prayer (1 John 2:14, Ephesians 6:11-17).

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1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veneration_of_the_dead

2. Consider getting the following resource: http://christiananswers.net/catalog/godstory-vs.html.

 

Creator Based Worship.

Helping people understand the starting points of their religion helps them understand what makes biblical Christianity unique.  Biblical Christians begin reasoning from a Creator who is entirely separate from His creation.  Without a single exception, all other worshipers see their deities as part of the creation and ultimately see us all as being connected..

(In contrast to Creation Based Worship)

 5 Things about Creator Based Worship

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. - Exodus 20:3

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. - Luke 4:8

1.) Definition of Creator Based Worship

Creator based worship begins and ends with the knowledge of God who alone is the creator of the universe.  God (as revealed in Christ) is our first principle, our starting point. God demands our worship by right of the fact that He alone is worthy of worship, by right of the fact that He created us, and by right of the redemption from sin which He alone has provided, (Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 12:31, Psalm 95:6, 1 Chronicles 16:29, Revelation 5:9-13). God’s Word (the Bible) is a record of His self revelation. We worship the Creator, not the fallen creation (Romans 8:19-23). Any other form of worship has exchanged the knowledge of God (in whole or in part) for  a brand of worship which originates from within the creation.  Romans one gives us a vivid description of this descent from the knowledge of God into creation based worship where we ultimately become our own gods.  We are to worship God alone.

Because Creator based worship begins with an unchanging God who exists outside of His creation and is separate from it, neither God nor His promises can change, although we may observe God’s program progressing in the course of history (Malachi 3:6).  Creation based worship, on the other hand, is in a state of continual evolution or change because it originates within a changing creation (Hebrews 1:10-12, James 1:17).

2.) Creator Based Worship is Exclusive, not Inclusive.

Our Creator God hates idolatry and is jealous of our worship. In our entry on the Triunity we taught what the Bible defends, God’s unity: The Bible clearly says that there is only one God and not many:  “The LORD our God is one LORD,” Deuteronomy 6:4. “For there is one God…,” I Timothy 2:5. The false gods are contrasted to the one and only true God: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”Exodus 20:3.  “Is there a God beside Me? Indeed, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:8.  “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”I Corinthians 8:4.

God is jealous in the sense that He expects our full love and wants us to know that all false or demon inspired  gods are unworthy of worship. Creation based worship is a counterfeit worship which robs God of the love and worship which belongs to Him alone.

Idolatry is the act of worshiping any created being or thing in place of God. The word idol means copy. All false gods are the construction of men and demons and all counterfeit God in one aspect or another.  Paul even goes as far as to say that coveting anything is an expression of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). When we place anything ahead of our love for God we are mixing creation based worship with Creator based worship.

3.) Creator Based Worship Must Meet God’s Requirements, Not Men’s Preferences.

Men cannot simply decide to worship God. They must meet God on His terms. God is a Spirit. He is not a part of the physical creation. Those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23, 24 ).Worship is an exercise of the heart, not an external ritual.  Those who worship God must come to Him through God’s prescribed way.  Jesus said “... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6.  Men have been seeking to approach God on their own terms from the beginning of history. (Genesis 4:4-5).

We must not be deceived (Ephesians 4:14). Creation based worship often sets a tone of “holiness” and “humility” but it is a false, external worship which God does not recognize.  It is easy to be seduced into false worship (Colossians 2:18,23), especially in artificially created “worship atmospheres.”

4.) Creator Based Worship Fosters True Unity

Those who believe in Christ alone have precious unity and fellowship in the person of Christ.  We enjoy union with Him and one with each other.  We are all a part of the body of Christ.  Christ prayed that we would all know and experience this unity, a unity which Satan hates and continually seeks to corrupt, (John 17:22-23).

Creation based worship, when fully expressed, teaches us that we are all a part of the universe (the creation) and therefore connected. Its advocates would have us all worship the same god, just in different ways.  It further teaches that we can all strive to experience this mystical unity, to converge in harmony with each other and with the universe, and to ultimately achieve world peace and harmony. Seasoned believers know this lie will culminate in Antichrist.  This counterfeit doctrine is one way in which Satan distracts us from finding the true unity which is ours in Christ alone. True world peace will come through Christ alone.

5.) Creator Based Worship Needs No Aids of Any Sort

Throughout time God has allowed and initiated what the Bible calls testimonies (or symbols) to remind us of a spiritual truth or special event. God further designated a place in ancient times where He would meet men, (Exodus 25:16,21-25). He has also made His glory known, for example, in the tabernacle. However, God has never vested mystique or authority in those symbols and they possessed no inherent powers¹. When Israel began worshiping God through those symbols, (using them as worship aids), those artifacts were destroyed (2 Kings 18:4).

God also ordained priests and prophets as a means to speak to Him and for Him.  However, God never made such men mediums.  No man has ever been required to access God by going through another man. In the same manner, spiritually significant locations in the Bible contain no inherent mystique and offer no special access to God.

Statan’s counterfeit, creation based religion relies on both methods and mediums in order to provide a pseudo sense of spirituality.   This is particularly evident in the eastern religions and to a given extent in Rome, where the artifacts of worship abound, and priestly leaders are often required if one would have the proper blessing and access to God through a given ritual.

Men today can worship God as the result of the shed blood of Christ on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.  We can be place into Christ and enjoy the wonderful unity and fellowship which comes from Creator based worship alone (Colossians 1:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

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Additional Resources:  Visit: http://www.compellingtruth.org/

¹Take, for example, 2 Samuel 6:1-7.  God smote Uzzah for touching the ark.  The ark itself did not kill him.

5 Tools for Conversing With Roman Catholic Friends

(Another page from our soon to be released Five Things You Should Know site.)

5 Tools For Conversing With Roman Catholics

The more acquainted we are with Catholics the more important it is to know and understand their background.  If you are new to our study, please take the time to read our Background footnote now1. We placed some emphasis on understanding Catholics in Section I. We now discuss the things Catholics need to better understand about us. Catholicism may rightfully be called a mystery religion with a complexity and language so expansive that few Catholics themselves have a grasp on it.  For this reason, it is important to keep our focus on root issues when talking with Catholics, and not to be caught up in esoteric, non productive, philosophical or historical issues.

1.) Catholics Need to Understand the Biblical words Justification and Righteousness.

Catholics often refer to their own term “Catholic guilt,” as a hint to the role guilt plays in their system.  This is not to say that Catholics own “the guilt business,” but it does point to an underlying condition. No Catholic may have assurance of eternal life and the Catholic is completely dependent upon the church for resolving his ongoing guilt issue and for any hope of future salvation.  Unlike the Catholic, the saved non catholic believes that Christ has, through His grace, freely given us eternal life and that our heavenly Father now lovingly disciplines us as Children.

No one needs to confront the discussion of the righteousness of God more than the Catholic. While many Catholics have already heard the question “If you were to die today do you know where you would go?” it still serves as a good starting point.  When the Catholic gives his usual ambivalent answer, it is important for us to follow through with a second similar question, “Just how good do you feel you have to be in order for God to accept you into His sinless heaven?”

These leading questions open up the discussion of the righteousness of God which is freely available to all, and there are two points you will want to drive home carefully:

1. God gives His righteousness, once and for all, to any who will receive it by faith. Romanism teaches infused righteousness, based on the idea that the believer lives in an ongoing pursuit of salvation, based on his submission to the sacraments. He does not see salvation as a permanent state. This means the non Catholic will want to be very familiar with the book of Romans, the Bible’s great thesis on God’s righteousness.

Romans 4:1-8 is a good starting place.  Verse 5 warns us that we add debt to our account when we try to please God with our works. 

Romans 5:1 tells us that we have been (the aorist tense here means that this action happened once and for all) justified by faith. We are presently being justified (enjoying the benefits of our justification) because we were justified once and for all when we came to Christ.

Romans 10:1-13 explains that just as the early Jews were ignorant of God’s righteousness and tried to establish their own righteousness, so many today have not submitted to the righteousness of God which is by faith, freely available in Christ.

2. When God gives us His righteousness, He places us in Christ and makes us a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). This is no small matter. It unveils a wide range of positional truth arising from this initial fact that we are new creations in Christ with new life because we have been born again (born from above). 

The Catholic believes that he is “born again” as the result of his sacramental baptism as an infant.  Non Catholics can overlook the point that Catholicism still requires a personal decision on the part of Catholics when they are mature enough to exercise their own “free will” and “come to faith.” That time of coming to faith is when Catholics would use the terms repentance and justification.   However, the Catholic does not see this as a one time, once for all event. His justification is seen as an ongoing matter, subject to his sacramental obedience2.  

The biblical term “born again” or “born from above” is important. The believer’s new life and new position in Christ is a result of his once-for-all justification.  Far more than justification is involved. As a result of being born again we become new persons in Christ. Our regeneration is the result of our justification (Romans 4:24-25). God commands us to appropriate and apply this truth to our daily lives (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). We are justified (made righteous) once and for all (Galatians 2:16-17; 3:24, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Romans 8:30). Each of the above references speak of justification in the Greek aorist tense, teaching that our justification is once and for all. 

2.) Understand Their Eucharist Does Not Save Men

Unlike the non Catholic who celebrates the Lord’s Table or Communion in remembrance of Christ our Passover who was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7, Greek aorist tense: once for all), the Roman Catholic also observes the Eucharist during the second liturgy of the Mass.  In this priestly celebration, Catholics believe the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ based on their interpretations of John 6:32-58; Matthew 26:26; Luke 22:17-23; and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25. In this respect, Catholics make some assumptions simply not found in the Bible.

a. Catholics presume a priest can actually offer a prayer which will turn physical bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, a concept not found anywhere in God’s Word.

b. While acknowledging that Christ died on the cross only once, Catholics believe that His sacrifice on the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the same sacrifice, thus Christ is being perpetually sacrificed. Even if we could follow the mental gymnastics required to see the sacrifice of Christ continuing perpetually through the Mass, we would be faced with the flat contradiction of the Bible which declares “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14.  The Bible, without exception, speaks of the offering of Christ in the past tense and in the context of one expression of one event. This is in contrast to the multiple sacrifices which were required to atone the consciences of Israel under Moses’ law. Hebrews further argues that if that one sacrifice was inefficient, Christ would have had to offer Himself continually from the foundation of the world. Instead, He offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 9:24-28).

c. The Bible is clear that a non-bloody sacrifice would not be efficacious (Hebrews 9:22). When it is suggested that Christ is being crucified 24 hours a day 365 days a year in the Catholic Mass, her priests remind us that His blood is not flowing all that time, because the mass is non-bloody.  Still, Catholic dogma insists the mass is propitiatory because it is the sacrifice of Christ, but without blood3.   

The simple truth is that we partake of the elements of the Lord’s Table in remembrance of Christ, looking forward to the day when all of His own will eat it again in His presence.

3.) Catholics Need to Understand Their Priestly Order is Unnecessary 

Even a first time Bible reader recognizes that the Bible did not establish any priestly orders, qualifications, or rites in the New Testament. This is not only because we are all kingly priests (1 Peter 2:5,9), but because there is no priestly sacrifice over which to officiate. Because the Catholic Church believes it is the true Israel, it has also sought to impose the Old Testament priesthood model. In an effort to further justify a priesthood not found in the Bible, Catholics went so far as to exchange the word elder (presbetuteros) for priest (hiereus). The Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible, for example, changes Titus 1:5, and James 5:14-15 from elder to priest.

4.) Catholics Need to Understand that Christ Alone is our Mediator

In the world of the Catholic, Jesus Christ is their mediator.  Priests are their mediators, and Mary claims to be their mediator. A mediator is not merely one who prays to God for us, a mediator is one through whom we access God, particularly through prayer. There are two reasons why we need no other mediator than Christ.

a. Christ claims to be the only mediator. Jesus not only claimed to be the only way to the Father, He gave us specific instructions that we were to pray to and through Him (John 14:6-13). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit assists us in our prayers (Romans 8:26).

b. Any other mediator would be superfluous. Paul adamantly declared that all men everywhere were to pray to the Father and that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). Neither Mary no any other saint could hear our prayers, and even if they could, they could only hear one prayer at a time. They are not God.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15.

5.) Catholics Need to Understand They Can Know They Are Saved

We end where we began. Above all, our dear Catholic friends need to know that they can have eternal life and know it, in spite of a church which openly declares they cannot.  The Bible says:

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. -1 John 5:9-13

1. We must not take the witness of men over God’s witness.

2. God’s witness was the testimony of His Son.

3. To have the Son is to have life. To deny this is to make God a liar.

4. We can know that we have eternal life by believing on the Son.

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1. Background. As noted in section I, chapter 4, Roman Catholicism, openly challenges the idea that the Bible alone is sufficient and that faith alone in Christ’s work is adequate for salvation. The Catholic church is the composite of its longstanding traditions, ancient pagan (creation based) religious practices, and Greek philosophy. The reader will want to study: Section II, chapter 8, Five Things About Works Based Systems, Section II, chapter 7, Five Things About Multiple Authorities, and Section II, chapter 5, Five Things About Creator Worship for a fuller treatment of these broad issues.

2. The following is a quote from Fr. Michael Garry in our personal correspondence. It clarifies the essential Catholic position: “...So, if things go as they ought, when the time comes this baptized person will choose to receive more deeply and personally the seed of faith that was infused in his soul at baptism. He will make it his own and thereby come to a personal faith, which is often (but not necessarily) marked by a dramatic experience of repentance from sin and trust in God. So, in the ordinary course of things (infant baptism, followed by growth to maturity) there always comes a point when a personal decision is necessitated. Keep in mind here that the Catholic understanding of justification is an ongoing process, not a single once for all event. Baptism is only the beginning and the simple fact that a Catholic was baptized will not save him any more than being a son of Abraham saves a Jew.”

3. Page 1367 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.” “And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner . . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory.”  Cited from: http://www.gotquestions.org/Holy-Eucharist.html.

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Additional Resources

Note: These are resources, not cart blanc endorsements

done. by Cary Schmidt, StrivingTogether.com

Talking with Catholic Friends and Family, James G. McArthy, Harvest House. This book addresses the commonly found, every day Catholic.

Five Things You Should Know

The following is a single entry from our upcoming website entitled Five Things You Should Know.  It focuses on providing an open minded understanding of men and their beliefs and providing some biblical responses to those who share other views.

5 Things about the  Roman Catholic

Like previous groups mentioned on this site Roman Catholics can be nominal and secular or they can be knowledgeable and committed.  While both kinds of Catholics need to be understood differently, all genuine Catholics believe that Christ has provided the means for us to realize our salvation through exclusive obedience to the Catholic sacraments and that salvation by faith through the grace of Christ alone is anathema. For our purposes, we are focusing on the seriously committed Roman Catholic in this overview.

1.) Where We Find the Catholic

The Roman Catholic is the fourth most likely person we will meet on the street. Other catholic brethren, found in various Orthodox churches, are not as visible locally, but remain present in our culture.  Roman Catholics, in general, present themselves as warm and loving (especially since Vatican II) and share a love for Christ, a love for life, a commitment to strong morals and strong family values with evangelicals. For this reasons, evangelicals are tempted to see them as truly saved in spite of their church’s dogma.  These expressions vary from country to country and certainly from history when our non Catholic forefathers readily agreed with Jim Lincoln, “Rome when in minority is as gentle as a lamb, when in equality is as clever as a fox, and when in the majority is as fierce as a tiger.”

2.) How the Catholic Sees Himself.

The Roman Catholic Church is the composite of its history, and no one can understand Catholicism who will not take the time to view that history. Based on history, Roman Catholics believe that they represent Christ’s kingdom on earth and that the reigning pope is His temporal vicar. Three historic influences have effected the evolution of Rome over the centuries.

a. The rise of the bishopric.  Well intended early churches in a given region would group themselves under a single bishop in order to protect themselves from false teachings (a practice not taught in the Bible).  Later, these bishops themselves came under the head of a single bishop who was, even later, called the pope.  Catholics believe they can trace their papal lineage back to Peter and their claim that Christ has built His church upon Peter (a Catholic interpretation of Matthew 16:18). Non Catholics, on the other hand, believe this doctrine of apostolic succession is not substantiated, either in the Bible or in history.

As Catholicism moved forward the church rested upon its ecclesiastical traditions as the authority through which the Bible was to be interpreted. The Catholic Church openly declares the Bible alone is not a sufficient rule of faith.  When dissenters challenge this point, Rome cites our trust in the canon as a typical defense.  How do we know the canon is inspired? Rome argues the Catholic church determined that it was, thus elevating the authority of tradition.1 Non Catholics contend that church councils merely affirmed what believers already held and that the Holy Spirit, not men, has guaranteed and protected the validity of our Bible books down through history

.b. The infusion of barbarians.  The end of Roman persecution and efforts to accommodate  the infusion of great hordes of barbarians into the “church” not only changed the barbarians, it changed the church.  To accommodate the mass migrations and conversions of the barbarians, Catholic leaders retrofitted many of the pagan practices of the barbarians with Christian meaning.  Saturnalia (retrofitted as a Christmas celebration),  the veneration of statues, and a host of other practices were imported into the church and were validated later under the banner of tradition. Thus traditions, built upon “the piety of the people,” became an avenue through which change could come about in the church which is not beneath saying it has never changed. The church insists that it has authority to bind and loose certain practices but that this does not constitute doctrinal change. 2

c.The influence of Philosophy.  The infusion of Greek thinking into Catholic thought also changed Catholic tradition. At this point it is very important to understand two key thinkers who have shaped Catholic thought.

1. Perhaps the most influential early Catholic was Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354 -430). Augustine (a Neoplatonist)  was converted out of a profligate life. He was highly analytic, but the mystical and allegorical influences of his philosophy are also visible in his prolific writings as a church leader. Most significantly, Augustine moved from a more traditional form of literal interpretation of the Bible toward an allegorical system. This system (reflected in his City of God) cemented the Catholic view that the Church is the inheritor of Israel’s promises and the rightful temporal ruler of the world.  Theologically, Augustine further supported the growing belief that salvation could come only through the mother church and its priests in the dispensation of the sacraments. He also taught that Mary was sinless.3

2. Perhaps the second most important figure in Catholic thinking was Thomas of Aquino (1225-1274) one of the most prolific of all Catholic writers. Thomistic philosophy infused the assumptions (premises) of Aristotle and the subsequent extension of his views (western science and math) into Catholic thinking. The Church has embraced Aquinas to the point where its pope has openly declared all of the church to be Thomistic.  In the briefest of summaries, Thomistic thought argues for a constant in the creation based on the unchanging nature of God. This Greek first principle, (in contrast with the changing creation which the Bible exhibits) allowed the Catholic church to put science on the same authoritative level as theology.  By imposing Augustine’s allegorical interpretation and Thomas’ natural law on Genesis one, for example, the Catholic church embraces theistic evolution.

3.)  The New Catholic is Becoming the Old Catholic

Many older and younger Catholics have differing world views because of the extensive changes the Vatican II church council brought about.  Prior to Vatican II (1962-1965), the mood and tenor of the church remained very much under the influence of the earlier  Council of Trent (1545-1563) and the First Vatican Council (1868-1869).  The Council of Trent was both dogmatic and antagonistic to non Catholics as a result of the Reformation.  That council provided a long list of anathemas which made it indelibly clear that any who disagreed with Rome were eternally doomed.4
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Vatican II squared up with the realistic fact that the Catholic Church was in a slide.  It had lost its vitality. While Vatican II affirmed the dictates of Trent, it set about to re-image a kinder, gentler church which labeled protestants as disaffected brethren, allowed for the Mass to be presented in the language of the peoples, and set a whole new relational or ecumenical tone in the Church and the world.5These external changes imposed by Vatican II confused many Catholics and non Catholics alike.  The dogma of Trent remained, but the ecumenicism of Vatican II seemed mutually exclusive.  Disaffected Catholics left the church while others returned. The question remained, could the church warm its dialogue, extend its reach to the disaffected (including divorced people, anti-celibates, and homosexuals), and woo evangelicals, all the while without changing dogma?

4. ) The Catholic Veneration of Mary

While non Catholics have not always given Mary her due honor, most of this neglect has been the result of over-reacting to the disproportionate stress they see Catholics placing on Mary.  It cannot be denied that this grassroots fascination with Mary has occupied Catholic attention and Mary more than at any point in history. Mary’s hands are openly depicted in Catholic art as being the instruments through which Christ’s blood flows.  While there have been scores of Marian apparitions (with various levels of official bishop approval) it is certain that Mary has called for her own veneration, declared that salvation is through her, and that she will be the instrument to bring about world peace. Catholics now believe Mary was conceived sinless, remained without sin, and was assumed into heaven.  A majority of Catholics have elevated Mary to the position of Co-Redemptrix, though there has been no papal declaration to that end.6The place of Marian adoration in Catholic history has been present for centuries, and is believed by many Catholics to supply a feminine side to Catholicism.  Some Catholics, for example, see the Father as having a fearful or angry face, Christ as having a serious and sober face, while Mary has a tender, beckoning, smiling face.  Non Catholics are quick to point out that love, tenderness, and compassion, are not uniquely feminine traits, and all are true of our deeply relational God. Femininity in religion has always related back to ancient pagan and gnostic practices.Clearly, it is impossible to give a full treatment of Catholicism in a short study.  Nevertheless, one does not have to be an expert on Catholicism to help Catholics understand the biblical issues.

5.) What the Catholic Needs to Hear

(The following represents some starting points for discussion. Please read the article: Section II: 5 Tools for Talking With Roman Catholics for more in-depth biblical responses.)

1. Catholics need to hear that if the Bible is God’s inspired Word, all subsequent traditions must be subject to it first. The onus is on the Catholic to show why his traditions supersede what the Bible says. Catholics need to hear what the Bible says, directly and succinctly.

2. Catholics need to understand that, in the end, there are only two views.  Either one must add his own efforts to the work of Christ, or one must rely on the work of Christ alone.  This should be the central talking point with all Catholics. More than anything in this world, Catholics need to know that the work has been done for them, and that there is nothing they can contribute to their salvation (Romans 4:1-8).

3. Catholics need to know that the Bible teaches we can have absolute assurance of eternal life.  (John 3:14-17;1 John  5:11-13.

4. Catholics need to know that the deep love of Christ which He showers upon the believer in a personal and intimate way, far exceeds the love that any human, even Mary, can offer (Romans 8:33-38).

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1. http://www.catholic.com/tracts/whats-your-authority

2. Catholics argue: “There are many examples of this authority to bind and loose in the arena of Church discipline.” http://www.catholic.com/tracts/whats-your-authority.

3. See the Augustine supplement.

4. See the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent. (See supplement or search for web link)

5. Though it goes beyond the intent of this paper, this teacher avers that Vatican II was really a return to ancient Catholic roots and the willingness to infuse pagan (creation-based) worship back into its worship regimen in an effort to revitalize it. The mystical side of the church had suffered too much under the influence of Greek materialistic thought, and a move was now in order to return the church to more creation-based thinking (as reflected in the Catholic work, The Cloud of Unknowing).  In the Catholic mindset, because we are all part of the same universe, we are all mystically connected at some level, and are all “brethren” at some level. Catholic ecumenism has always been based on Catholic pluralism (a mix of Creator based and creation based worship).  Catholicism has not one, but two first principles and has been argued by some to be essential panentheism.

6. The contemporary view of Mary as co-redeemer is an outgrowth of the early teaching that she was the New Eve, a virgin, just as the Catholic Church teaches Eve was a virgin in the garden, though married. See James White’s Mary, Another Redeemer? for a full discussion.

A side note: When purchasing study materials, keep in mind that, like non Catholics, Catholics tend to give poor reviews of books which disagree with their system.  We would expect nothing less and welcome legitimate criticism as no author is perfect.  Even so, the works recommended in this series are considered to be both trustworthy and reliable and are valuable tools for extending open minded discussion between Catholics and non Catholics.

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Visit Jim at www.MyNewCovenantLife.com

www.BiblicalIntensives.com

* We never set a price on our ministry and desire to go wherever the Lord leads.  However, we do ask that folks who use our ministry make a special effort to announce our Intensives and encourage attendance in advance of the scheduled dates, unless, of course, we are just conducting an all-day home-based seminar.