On October 31, 1517, a Roman Catholic monk and doctor of theology named Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Cathedral of All Saints (Wittenberg, Germany) a compendium of pastoral critiques to his Church, which is now known as The 95 Theses of Martin Luther. However, Dr. Luther would quickly realize that these pastoral deficiencies were the direct consequence of the multiple doctrinal errors that the Church of Rome had been teaching for some centuries. This event began the Protestant Reformation, which spread throughout Europe.
Thus, enormous figures of Historical Protestantism emerged, such as John Calvin, John Knox, Thomas Cranmer, Peter M. Vermigli, Philip Melanchthon, etc., who dedicated their lives to denouncing those errors of Rome, which had led the Church of God to a babilonic captivity for so long. And although Martin Luther formally began this movement, the Church has had preachers throughout its history who protested against this captivity, among which stand out Jan Hus, Peter Waldo, John Wycliff, and Jerome Savonarola, who were fervent pre-reformation preachers, and gave their lives in martyrdom for the truth.
Therefore, it is natural to ask ourselves, in what points is the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) far from the Scriptures? This question will be addressed in this article with love to God, his Word, and the lives of those martyrs who fought for the truth. To this end, we will go doctrine by doctrine, showing first the Roman Catholic perspective and then the biblical perspective on the matter.
1. Original Sin
1.1. The Roman Catholic Perspective
The RCC mantains that man was created in the image and likeness of God to glorify Him and live in communion with Him, but in Adam, he fell from this state, which partially affected all his descendants. Original sin is not a crime that condemns man, but rather a state in which the soul has been wounded.
1.2. The Biblical Perspective
The Bible teaches that God created human beings in his image and likeness to glorify him and live in communion with him (Gen. 1:26, 31). However, it presents a more serious view of the human condition, where original sin implies a total depravity of human nature (Is. 64:6-7; Rom. 3:10-18). This sin is a crime that condemns everyone, since Adam sinned on behalf of all humanity. God made a pact with him, with a penalty: death. Hence “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Rom 5:12). That is, everyone is guilty of the sin of the first man. That is why Solomon counts all humanity in Adam when he says: “God made man upright, but they sought many perversions” (Eccl. 7:29). Thus, we are not only children of a sinner, but by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), that is, deserving of condemnation.
2. Soteriology
2.1. The Roman Catholic perspective
Rome proposes a salvation process as follows: (1) Man is converted, that is, he turns to God and abandons sin. (2) Man is initially justified, that is, forgiven of his sins, made righteous, sanctified and renewed. Man initially receives all this through faith and Baptism, which acts “ex opere operato”, that is, by the very fact that the action is performed. In children, conversion comes along with justification. (3) The individual must persevere in good to maintain this state of grace and achieve final justification, because it can be lost. If during this process the man commits venial sin, he will go to Purgatory to be purified. If he sins mortally, will go to hell. If he remains in grace, he will reach heaven.
2.2. The Biblical Perspective
The Word of God proposes the following order (Rom. 8:28-30):
(1) God effectively and irresistibly calls man to be regenerated (Hos. 11:4). (2) He is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, passing from spiritual death to new life (John 3:3; James 1:18). (3) He converts, turning away from sin and turning to God (Eph. 4:22-24). (4) He receives faith as a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9). (5) With this faith, he is justified, receiving the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:3-8; Phil. 3:9). (6) The justified is sanctified, being renewed for new life (1 Thes. 5:23). Here it begins to manifest fruits of righteousness, since the faith that justifies is active and works out of love (Gal. 5:6) and not a dead faith (James 2:17). And although faith is what justifies (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16), not deserving justification but being the means to receive it, works are the fruit of that faith and contribute to sanctification (1 Thes. 4 :7). This sanctification is the work of God (John 17:17; Eph. 5:25-26; 2 Thes. 2:13), but man cooperates (1 Pet. 1:15-16) (7) Finally, man will be glorified after his death and at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 3:2).
The problem lies in Justification and Sanctification. Rome asserts that initial justification is received by faith and Baptism, making man righteous; Instead, God’s Word teaches that justification is a legal declaration of righteousness, received by faith alone (Rom. 4:3, 23-25). Rome confounds justification with sanctification, and thus they seek merit before God through works. Paul states that it is better “to be found in Christ, not having my own righteousness, but the righteousness of God which is through faith” (Phil. 3:9). Orthodox teaching holds that man is justified only by faith without works, which acts out of love and produces fruits of holiness, and that nothing can interrupt this process once begun by God (Rom. 8:28-39; Phil. 1:6).
Furthermore, we find no evidence of a Purgatory in Scripture. On the contrary: “those whom he justified…he glorified” (Rom. 8:30). This implies that no one who has already received justification will be able to fall into sin so serious that they do not reach the goal; and no one who goes to hell in the end has ever been justified. Christ “made perfect forever those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14), so no further sacrifice or purification is required. He himself affirms: “You are now clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). If we are already clean and perfect, why need another purification or a Purgatory? This reflects a lack of faith in the sufficiency of Christ’s work.
3. Sacramentology
3.1. The Roman Catholic perspective
In Roman Catholic teaching, the Sacraments are considered infallible means of God’s grace. They act “ex opere operato“, which means that the grace is granted by the act itself, without considering who administers them or how they are received. The RCC recognizes seven Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Marriage.
Regarding Baptism, the RCC teaches that it is necessary to receive the grace of justification, conferring it by its mere realization. Regarding the Eucharist, it is held that the bread and wine really and substantially become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ after consecration. For this reason, the faithful worship the sacramental bread as if it were God, considering that the Sacrament itself is God himself.
3.2. The biblical perspective
The Word of God teaches that the Sacraments are seals and signs of the Covenant of Grace (Rom. 4:11), and there are only two: Baptism (Mt. 28:19) and the Holy Supper (Mt. 26:26-29 ). The Lord Jesus did not institute more, so the other five that Rome proposes, although they may be rituals of the Church, are not properly Sacraments. These Sacraments seal and signify the union of the believer with Christ (Rom. 6:4; Jn. 6:55-56). Regarding Baptism, Scripture teaches that “Christ has instituted (Mt. 28:19) the outward washing of water, adding this promise (Acts 2:38), that, as we are washed with water, we are also cleansed from our sins by his blood and Spirit (Mark 1:4)” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 69).
Scripture teaches that in the Lord’s Supper we are promised that the shed blood and broken body of Christ have been offered for us on the Cross (1 Cor. 11:23-26), and that through this we are united to Him by the Holy Spirit (John 6:55-56). Eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ, in this context, means embracing the promises of the Gospel with faith, which is “the hand and mouth of our soul” (Belgian Confession, art. 35); not bringing him back to earth, but our souls, by the Holy Spirit, are brought to Him to unite us with Him. Who participates in the body and blood of the Lord? All those with true faith who are united to Christ; unbelievers do not, since Jesus says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:54), and clearly an unbeliever has neither life nor part in the resurrection.
Regarding the conversion of the elements in the Eucharist, the Bible teaches that it does not occur physically and literally. The elements are visible signs of a spiritual reality. Jesus clarifies: “The spirit is what gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63), indicating that his teaching must be understood spiritually. Worshiping bread or wine as if they were God is idolatry, since they are only Sacraments of his flesh and blood, and not God himself. This arises from the desire to add to the Lord’s promise something that He did not teach.
4. Papal Infallibility
4.1. The Roman Catholic perspective
Rome maintains that the Pope, in speaking ex cathedra on faith and morals, does so infallibly by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This doctrine is a dogma that must be accepted for salvation; those who reject it cannot be saved. It is based on the fact that the Pope is the direct successor of the Apostle Peter, to whom Christ said: “I have prayed that your faith may not fail… confirm your brothers” (Lk. 22:32). Furthermore, it is stated that Peter received special assistance from God in declaring truths of faith (Mt. 16:17) and that he was given the power to bind and loose (Mt. 16:18). The Pope receives the same promise and authority by succession.
4.2. The biblical perspective
First, it is important to note that defining new dogmas apart from what is clearly taught by Scripture and imposing them as necessary for salvation is the same as human traditions to the Word of God, creating an unnecessary burden for the faithful. Scripture teaches that salvation is based on “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), so there should be no new dogmas. Who believed in the Assumption of Mary before the 5th century or in the infallibility of the Pope before the 17th century? Nobody. To claim that these doctrines are necessary for salvation is to preach an adulterated gospel. If the Pope preaches a different gospel, he falls under Paul’s warning of being accursed (Gal. 1:8), regardless of his supposed succession from Peter.
Much can be argued about the alleged direct succession of Peter to the current Pope, but the central point here is that, if a presumed successor has sinned gravely, such as the case of Pope John XII or Pope Alexander VI, no physical succession has value. What matters is succession in doctrine and morals, since we are not a kingdom of this world (John 18:36). Furthermore, the authority to bind and loose was not given to Peter alone, but to the entire Church (Mt. 18:18). The Rock on which the Church is founded is not Peter, but his confession: “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16). And even if we hypothetically grant that Peter is the Rock, there is no evidence that he conferred that rank on any successor, much less the bishop of Rome, since he was previously in Antioch; In any case, the Rock would be only Peter, and that primacy ended when he died.
It is not consistent with what is revealed in Acts that Peter is the Apostle of the Apostles with a higher rank. For instace, James presided over the Council of Jerusalem, because although Peter spoke first, it was him who made the final decision (Acts 15:13-20). Furthermore, Peter was sent by the other Apostles, acting as a subject, not a leader (Acts 8:14). Christ teaches that “the rulers of the nations lord it over them, but it will not be so among you” (Mt. 20:25-26), which shows that authority would not be delegated to a single man, since this would be imitating the kingdoms of the world, but in the Church it would be different. Specifically, authority was delegated to the Twelve and then to all the elders of the Church (Eph. 4:11-12). It is unthinkable that one man has all the authority in the Church of God.
5. Communion of Saints
5.1. The Roman Catholic perspective
Rome teaches that Christians on earth can ask intercession from saints in heaven, who can hear and fulfill these requests. Mary receives a special role, considering her the mother of the entire Church (Jn. 19:26-27) and the most powerful intercessor, since being the mother of Christ, she can ask him more closely. An example of this is at the wedding at Cana, where Jesus answered Mary’s request (John 2:1-5).
5.2. The biblical perspective
The Word of God teaches the communion of saints, showing that the early Christians lived in community (Acts 2:44-47) and were commanded to love one another, especially among believers (Rom. 12:10; Gal. 6 :10). And all believers are holy, since Christ makes them holy (Heb. 10:14). Thus, the communion of saints refers to the common life of love in the Church. However, Scripture does not teach deceased saints to pray or suggest that they can listen to us. There are no biblical instances of this.
On the other hand, if we consider that Mary is only a creature, it is illogical to think that she could hear millions of prayers simultaneously, unless she is believed to have that power, making her equal to God, which is idolatry. Prayer is worship, and it should be directed only to God, so isn’t praying to someone other than God idolatry as well? Rome distinguishes between latria (worship of God) and dulia (to the saints), but this distinction may be Satan’s subtle means of introducing idolatry into the Church. Praying to saints or angels, in any form, is an act of idolatry. Christ taught to pray only to God, and Christians do well to follow his example.
Scripture, as a Rule of Faith, must prevail over any human teaching that seeks to contradict or distort it. Scripture alone is “the surest prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp that shines in a dark place” (2 Pet. 1:19). Thus, I hope that this exposition serves as an edification, and more than anything, so that each one can affirm themselves in that faith once given to the saints, of which Judas the Apostle speaks, without allowing ourselves to be seduced by fallacious arguments and sophistry that can disturb the faith.
