The Gospel of the Catholic Church
What is the Gospel of the Catholic Church?
The gospel of the Catholic Church is described in the following paragraph:
“The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are obligatory for Christians and that the justified man is still bound to keep them; the Second Vatican Council confirms: ‘The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments’” (para. 2068).
According to the Catholic Catechism, salvation is attained through three things: faith, baptism, and the observance of the Ten Commandments.
Although it is good and right to observe the Ten Commandments, this is a different gospel than that which is taught by the Bible. The Bible tells us that we are saved by faith and not by works, or things that we do. Note the following passages:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (Ephesians 2:8–10; italics added).
“Now we know that what the law says is addressed to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world stand accountable to God, since no human being will be justified in his sight by observing the law; for through the law comes consciousness of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God—to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus. What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:19–28; italics added).
“A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:4, 5).
These passages tell us that we are saved by the gift of faith, not by works, and apart from works of the law. The third passage goes so far as to say that one is justified and found righteous by faith “when one does not work.” Although it is good and right to observe the Ten Commandments, we are not saved by observing them, but are saved by faith apart from them.
Paul explained this in Galatians 3:21–25:
“Is the law then opposed to the promises [of God]? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could bring life, then righteousness would in reality come from the law. But scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:21–25).
Paul first explained that the law cannot bring life. He then explained that before faith came, people were held in custody under the law and that the law was their disciplinarian. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian; we are no longer under the law! This is further explained by Paul in the book of Romans:
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on their behalf is for salvation. I testify with regard to them that they have zeal for God, but it is not discerning. For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from God and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith” (Romans 10:1–4).
If a person has faith in Christ, Christ is the end of the law! Therefore, observance of the Ten Commandments is not part of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter how zealous we are or how well we observe of the Ten Commandments, we do not, and in fact cannot, attain salvation through them.
Paul wrote the following about those who attempt to attain salvation through the law:
“You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
This verse tells us that instead of getting closer to Christ, those who are attempting to be justified by law are actually separated from Christ. To attain salvation, we must not attempt to establish our own righteousness through works, but must submit to the righteousness of God through faith in Christ. When we receive God’s righteousness through faith, we no longer do our works to earn something for ourselves, but we do our works out of sincere and pure love for God and thankfulness to Him. (See chapter 11, “Penance and Good Works.”)
The passage from the Catholic Catechism quoted above shows that the gospel of the Catholic Church tells us that salvation may be attained “through faith, Baptism and observance of the Commandments.” The passages from the Bible show that the gospel taught by the Bible tells us that a person is freely saved by grace through faith apart from the law. These are clearly two very different gospels. One teaches that salvation is attained through faith along with works. The other teaches that salvation is attained through faith apart from works. This difference is very significant, because as shown in Romans 10:1–4 above, the apostle Paul desired that people would be saved, but instead of submitting to the righteousness of God through faith, they were trying to establish their own righteousness through works.
How serious is this matter? First, 2 Corinthians 11:3 and 4 warn against those who would come and teach a different gospel:
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere [and pure] commitment to Christ. For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough.”
Paul was warning that some will come after him who will preach a gospel that is different from the gospel of the Bible and that when they do, we should not put up with their false gospel; we should not accept it.
Paul wrote the following, which shows how serious this matter of a different gospel is:
“I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by [the] grace [of Christ] for a different gospel, (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach [to you] a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!” (Galatians 1:6–9).
Here Paul was writing about people who have turned away from the true gospel to a false one. He then said that if anyone preaches a different gospel than what he has preached, they should be accursed. “Accursed” means “spiritually doomed.” And if someone is spiritually doomed, they are destined to Hell. This statement would be strong if Paul had said only once that those who preach a different gospel should be accursed. But Paul said it twice to emphasize that this is an extremely serious matter and not just a trivial difference of opinion. We have seen that the gospel of the Catholic Church and the gospel of the Bible are significantly different, because one requires a person to add to Jesus’ righteousness and establish their own righteousness through works; while the other requires a person to trust completely in Jesus and receive the righteousness of God through faith apart from works. The gospel of the Catholic Church teaches that a person is saved by faith along with works, and the gospel of the Bible teaches that a person is saved by grace through faith apart from works. One holds us under bondage to be good; the other sets us free to do good. The apostle Paul warned us not to accept a gospel that is different from that which he taught, the gospel of the Bible. Which gospel are you going to accept?
____________________________________________________________
If you would like a free copy of the book
for yourself or to share with family or
friends, simply e-mail me at:
Joe@TeachingsOfTheCatholicChurch.com
and I will be happy to send one to you.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________