If some misplaced theology offered a mixture of truth and lies which resulted in eternal jeopardy onto the backs of millions of innocent people who thought they were working their way toward Heaven … should we speak up or not?

What kind of catalyst or formula does it take for one to question their worldview before it is too late? And, as harsh as it may seem to be so bold as the title of this post is, what is worse, ignoring the reality of this statement from a Biblical Christian worldview perspective, or making the case in the hope some would hear and be saved?

Essential Biblical Christian and Roman Catholic Doctrine are Incompatible

There are many differences between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity. However, none are more impactful than the doctrine of salvation. Put simply, Roman Catholic theology is based on earning one’s place in Heaven, rather than solely by accepting God’s grace though faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. One of the best sources of a clear and concise understanding comes from GotQuestions.org. Their concluding paragraph on the matter reads …

“Are Catholics saved? Do Catholics go to heaven? It depends. If the question is ‘are there saved Catholics?’ then the answer is ‘yes.’ If the question is ‘will a person go to heaven if he or she holds to the official Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation?’ the answer is ‘no.'”

Biblical Christianity relies on Scripture to interpret Scripture. Catholicism relies on a mix of tradition placed on an equal standing with God’s Word. The original religion of Christians was called “The Way,” not Roman Catholicism. And, as with so many other areas where God offered something perfect, man has corrupted it through our sin nature. The rise of Catholicism is an example of that corruption.

“The Roman Catholic Church teaches that one must have good works and observe the rituals of Roman Catholicism in order to be saved.” (Details here)

Roman Catholic view of the doctrine of Salvation

Given the importance of our eternal condition, one would think that a denomination composed of 1.2 billion adherents under a single, human authority figure (the Pope) would have a clear message on what it takes to get to Heaven. Unfortunately, the path they present is both contradictory and, in all cases, in error.

According to Catholic.com (details here) “saving grace won by Jesus is offered as a free gift to us, accessible through repentance, faith, and baptism.”

Note that “baptism” is added to repentance and faith. Ron Conte, a Catholic theologian, further clarifies this by saying, “We must find sanctifying grace in this life in order to reach eternal life in Heaven. But there is only one way to obtain sanctifying grace: baptism.”

When man needs to do something to be saved, that is the definition of “works-based” salvation. In the case of baptism, it is only after the believer is saved does he/she desire to follow the Lord’s commands, found solely in Scripture, which includes a “Believer’s Baptism.”

Catholic.com, in offering an opinion on the eternal state of Billy Graham, stated, “If one refuses to become Catholic knowing that Christ made the Church necessary for salvation, that person couldn’t be saved because it would be tantamount to rejecting Jesus, through whom all salvation comes (details here).”

The Catholic Encyclopedia further states, “that man really cooperates in his personal salvation from sin.” Again, a sign of works-based salvation.

Finally, there has been a rising tension in the Roman Catholic church between the need for a personal acceptance of Christ’s substitutionary death for the sins of man, and a concept referred to as “anonymous Christianity” whereby one can be a saved Roman Catholic, but not know they are a Catholic at the point of death. Past tradition was that one had to be a practicing Roman Catholic to be saved. Protestants and all other religious groups were, therefore, considered outside of God’s grace.

Recently, Pope Francis offered the thought that:

“They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all. Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God …. There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].”

This would seem to broaden salvation through God (or a god) for those who reject Jesus Christ entirely. An amazing statement from the leader of Roman Catholicism; however, this view does have historical roots dating back to 2003 (details here).

Christian Theologians’ Stated Views on Roman Catholic Salvation

John MacArthur – “As in so many points, as I’ve been saying, Roman Catholicism is a mix.  It is mostly paganism with a little Christianity sprinkled into it and with a lot of Christian terminology in order to deceive and delude souls.  It is a demonic religion that does not bring salvation.  Cannot.” (details here)

R.C. Sproul – “I have written in strong terms in Are We Together? because I believe the errors of the Roman Catholic Church are deep and significant. I am happy to make common cause with Roman Catholics on social issues, but we have no common cause in the gospel. Rome has compromised the gospel with her unbiblical doctrines. I firmly believe that she is “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9).” (details here)

Martin Luther – “Luther’s view on salvation was a radical departure from the prevailing beliefs of his time, particularly the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. He rejected the idea that individuals could achieve salvation through acts of penance, indulgences, or other forms of religious observance. Instead, Luther emphasized the concept of “sola fide,” or “faith alone,” as the means through which individuals could attain salvation.” (details here)

J.D. Greear – “The Roman Catholic Church in Luther’s day taught that justification was a process whereby God made you into a righteous person by infusing his righteousness into you, bit by bit, by means of the seven sacraments—baptism, the Eucharist, confirmation, last rites, etc.” (details here)

Charles Stanley – “Every Roman Catholic writer should know, if he has read his own historians, that it is utterly false to say the church has always held the real presence in the Eucharist, or that it was a true propitiatory (a way of gaining favor with God) sacrifice for sins, continued, or repeated.” (details here)

Andy Stanley – “Sola Scriptura was cited by the reformers to correct abuses by the Roman Catholic church. It means that the Bible is sufficient for the faith and practice of a believer, as opposed to the Scripture plus church tradition, plus church councils, plus the statements of the Pope, and so forth.” (details here)

J.I. Packer – “Packer goes on by arguing why “the Roman system” is “unacceptable.” He is aware that Roman Catholicism is an integrated whole that is “theologically flawed,” especially because it misconceives the nature of the Church, blurs justification by faith, and attaches infallibility to church pronouncements. (details here)

Norman Geisler – “But what we know of as ‘Roman’ Catholicism today, with its belief in works being necessary for salvation, the veneration of and prayers to Mary, the worship of the consecrated host, buying indulgences, Purgatory, adding apocryphal books (in support of praying for the dead) to the inspired Scripture, and bowing to the infallibility of the Pope, simply cannot compete with the simplicity of the evangelical Gospel: ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved’ (Acts 16:31). And, ‘Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has [right now] eternal life.  He does not come into judgment, but has [already] passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24).'” (details here)

Albert Mohler – “The Roman Catholic Church believes we are in spiritual danger for obstinately and disobediently excluding ourselves from submission to its universal claims and its papacy. Evangelicals should be concerned that Catholics are in spiritual danger for their submission to these very claims. We both understand what is at stake.” (details here)

Robert Jeffress – “In 2011, Jeffress described Catholicism as a Babylonian mystery religion ‘that spread like a cult around the entire world’ and ‘infected the early Church’ and ‘corrupted’ it. He described it as a ‘cult-like, pagan religion’ and showing ‘the genius of Satan’.” (details here)

John Piper – “The Roman Catholic Church pronounced anathemas, curses, on the Reformers — like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli — and their Protestant heirs, like me, because the Reformers understood that the way we are justified before God is through the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, his perfection, to us through faith alone …. Now, one of the reasons that the Roman Catholic Church rejected this understanding of the Bible, this understanding of justification by faith alone through imputation, is that it seemed to them to lead to lawlessness. If Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us by faith alone, why should we pursue a daily, practical, righteous life — a holy life?” (details here)

Charles Spurgeon – “This Popish rubbish was found in layers; first one doctrinal error, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then another, until at this time the errors of the Church of Rome are as countless as the stars, as black as midnight, and as foul as hell.” (details here)

Biblical Christian view of the Doctrine of Salvation

Simply put, salvation or eternal life in Heaven can be seen and understood through the lens of two Bible verses.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

We are saved by God’s grace through faith in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, purely as a gift, not something we can earn in any way. This is demonstrated in many passages in Scripture, but none so clear as the thief on the cross who could only profess his faith in Christ, and yet was told by Jesus, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Further, there is no other way to be saved but to accept Jesus as our personal Savior and our Lord. This represents a heart change so that, once we ask Christ to forgive us of our sins and come into our lives, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and sealed until we pass from this life to the next (Heaven).

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Is Roman Catholic Doctrine Salvific?

From GotQuestions.org … “So, no, if a person holds to the official Roman Catholic understanding of salvation, he or she is not saved. Despite their vigorous affirmations, Roman Catholicism does not truly hold to salvation by grace through faith.”

There are many other areas of errant theology within Roman Catholic doctrine, such as the role of Mary, tradition being equal with Scripture, Purgatory, venial vs. mortal sins, the Pope as Peter’s direct descendant, transubstantiation, etc. (details here). However, salvation remains paramount as a theological dichotomy between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity, given a mutual agreement that there is only one of two places where one will ultimately remain for eternity.

Finally, to be clear, though Roman Catholicism is not salvific (a theology that is saving) there are many, many Catholics who view salvation through a faith-based Biblical Christian worldview of God’s grace offered through Christ’s sacrifice as the only, albeit narrow, road to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14).

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words

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