Do You Have the Right Christ?

Over the centuries billions of people have believed that "yes" is the answer to all of the above questions but the Bible proves the answer to each question must be NO!  The Bible explicitly says in Matthew 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one in your father, which is in heaven".  The Bible also says in Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one".  And in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" so the Pope cannot be the 'infallible Father' because he is a merely a man.  Peter was also just a man so even if the Popes were following after Peter's position as an Apostle, the Apostle Peter was never recorded in the Bible as having ever been in Rome.  And while we know he was crucified upside down and crucifixion was a Roman form of execution, this does not mean he spent time in Rome other than to be executed.  The Apostle Paul went to Rome as a prisoner so its possible Peter was sent there too as a 'criminal' (for his preaching Christ) to face execution there.  But the rumor that Peter was a Bishop there in Rome is nowhere documented, not in the Bible, nor in any other source.  There were historians who wrote during that time, such as Josephus, (who was the most famous non-Christian historian of that time, who documented things about Jesus, the Christians and the Jews), but he never wrote about Peter being in Rome.  So, there is absolutely no evidence that Peter was in Rome as an Apostle or a Bishop so calling him the first Pope is on very shaky ground!  Now let's explore Peter being the rock:  Christ's pronouncement to Peter in Matthew 16:18, "That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" , was based on Peter's confession on who Jesus is: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' . Jesus response to Peter, (whose name means little stone), was that with the wisdom God had given him, he was going to be used of God in a mighty way (rock being a large stone) to build the church of God.  So while it was the person of Peter who was first used to build the church, (at Pentecost 3,000 believers were added to the church from when he spoke to the people there), it was still the wisdom of who Christ is that actually builds the church.  Each person who believe in Jesus Christ is a living stone added to the Living Temple of Christ! Jesus Christ is the Rock and the foundation of Christianity:  I Corinthians 3:11 says, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ".  And while Peter was used mightily by God to build the church, no where does Scripture say Peter was above the other Apostles..  In fact the Apostle Paul wrote two thirds of the New Testament and he even one time admonished Peter (Galatians 2:11-14) for not sitting with the Gentiles because of the Jews who didn't accept them as Christians (because they were not circumcised) so it shows that Peter wasn't perfect.  So the infallibility of the Popes is something the Catholic church made up without any Scripture to back it up. To address the question of whether the Catholic church is Jesus Christ's one true church let's look at how many ways Roman Catholic practices contradict the Scriptures: (RC will stand for Roman Catholicism going forward)

1st Sacrament of RC - Infant Baptism:    Acts 2:38,41: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized."  How can a baby understand and receive God's Word and how can a baby repent of his sins?  They cannot, they are not able to be saved until they are old enough to hear, understand and decide to follow the Gospel.

2nd Sacrament of RC - Penance (the continual act of confession to a priest of sins committed for forgiveness):  I John 2:1-2 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (someone who pleads our case) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation (fulfilled God's requirement of a sacrifice) for our sins, and not ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." I Timothy 2:5 confirms this, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."  So confessing to a priest is a useless act since he is NOT God's appointed mediator and he has no power to forgive sins - only Jesus Christ fulfills God's standard as mediator!

Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist of RC - (see picture below of the eucharist held in a monstrance) RC teaches the wafer is held up by a priest and he commands Jesus to leave heaven and inhabit the wafer so Catholics can literally eat the body of Christ (and that it becomes the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ).  The Bible says in I Corinthians 11:24 - 25 "And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped , saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Jesus held up a piece of bread and a cup of wine, he did not then magically disappear into them so the disciples could partake of him physically, NO, he said eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of his sacrifice on the Cross.  The only time Jesus gave his real flesh and blood was at Calvary, he is NOT coming down from heaven perpetually, at the command of every priest holding mass services around the world to inhabit a wafer.  Jesus said on the Cross "It is finished" which Hebrews 10:10 and 12 back-up, "By the which we were all sanctified  through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all." "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God."  For the RC church to teach that priests can command the God of the Universe to come down off the throne and die perpetually at each and every mass service held all over the world is anti-Biblical.(not just extra Biblical but anti-Bibical) because it is in direct contract to what the Bible teaches.  The eucharist lie degrades the finished work of Christ and amounts to blasphemy.

The Sacrament of Confirmation of RC - (when the Catholic Bishop taps the side of a person's face to fill them with the Holy Spirit)  Acts 2:38,41: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."  We've already established the priest has no power to forgive sins so it stands to reason he has no power to give the Holy Spirit/Ghost.  Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to all who sincerely place their faith in Him, no man controls God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  On a side note, the giving of spiritual power by touch is something that is done in Eastern religions such as Hinduism, when gurus impart spiritual powers to someone, (and this is now also being done in hyper Pentecostal and Charismatic churches), so it is very dangerous to receive a spirit from someone who supposedly can "impart through touch" even if they say the spirit is the Holy Spirit, it is actually a counterfeit spirit that is coming into people since man does not have the authority to rule over and/or command God the Holy Spirit to do anything.  II Corinthians 11: 4 warns that it is possible to receive a different Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel that the Apostles did not preach.  II Corinthians  11: 13 - 15 goes on to say:  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The Sacrament of Matrimony of RC - (when two baptized Roman Catholics get married by a priest) - Marriage should not be considered "a work" towards one's salvation to get married because the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8,9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."  So, marriage cannot save a person and it cannot even be a salvation step since salvation is a gift of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  The other part of this Sacrament is The Sacrament of Holy Orders of RC (when men go into positions within the church such as priest or bishop): I Timothy 4: 1-3 talks about how in the last days, seducing spirits will teach doctrines of devils such as forbidding to marry (priests and nuns ) which has caused the horrible atrocity of the molestation of children by priests.  It also has ruined the lives of many men who suffered terribly in having to decide whether to serve God or serve the RC church.  Also there are reports of nuns having been raped by priests and aborted babies buried underneath monasteries.

The final Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick (formerly called Extreme Unction) - (when the priest hears a person's last confession before dying so they can go to purgatory)  Hebrews 10:14, 18 and 19 says, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are santified." "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin."  "Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."  These verses and many more show that a person who is saved by repenting and accepting Christ needs no further works (sacraments) to get into heaven. Christ's death on the Cross was the perfect sacrifice, so to say that we have to pay for the rest of our sins in a place called purgatory (which is not in the Bible) is to blaspheme Christ's holy work at the Cross.

So hopefully you can see now how RC has its parishioners focused on works rather than Jesus for salvation.  The RC church does not teach how perfect a Savior Jesus is and how perfectly He and the Father have provided a salvation plan for those who believe. The RC church says its a sin to say you know you are going to heaven but the Bible teaches a person is born-again by putting their faith in Jesus and at the time of their confession of Christ they get the Holy Spirit as a deposit of heaven.  The rest of their life is spent working on their relationship with God through sanctification, not salvation, because they already got salvation upon their acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord! 

There are many who have received freedom from RC's religious system to new life in Christ and you can be one of them!  Please read testimonies of former Catholics, Catholic priests and Catholic nuns to gain more clarity on the way to freedom:

(If any of these hyperlinks don't work, please copy and paste into the URL)

http://www.pro-gospel.org/site/cpage.asp?sec_id=180014816&cpage_id=180068147

www.evangelicaloutreach.org/catholic-ex.htm

www.bereanbeacon.org

 And this website has a DVD that is an excellent resource for church and Bible history and it exposes the corrupt papal system historically:

http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/1414.asp

Pope John Paul II is called Mary's Pope because he traveled to every one of Mary's shrines around the world and he professed his love for Mary more than any of the other previous Popes.  He is quoted as saying "only Mary could make one heart and one mind of Jesus' Apostles" which can no where be found in Scripture.

Why does RC always show Jesus on the Cross when He is no longer there but seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven?  Its the same reason they continually re-crucify Him in the mass 200 thousand times a day around the world.  RC teaches that Catholics are "being saved" with each mass.  This is contrary to the Scriptures - Jesus died once for all sin and He said "It is finished" just before He yielded up his spirit at the Cross of Calvary .  Mass is how the Roman Catholic church keeps a tight grip on its members and their wallets. But it does worse than that, it blasphemes the Lord Jesus Christ by calling Him the "eternal victim" (you just know that makes the devil laugh) and it lies about the finished work of the Cross which robs people of the assurance of salvation through Christ's once for all sacrifice.

Put your faith in Christ alone and receive His free gift of salvation right now!  To add anything to the finished work of Christ is to follow a different gospel, a different christ, and have a different spirit and the Apostle Paul warned about that in 2 Corinthians 11:3 "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtly, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Catholics worship Mary as Co-Redeemer with Christ but nowhere in Scripture does it say Mary was sinless or that she resurrected (or was assumed bodily and resides in heaven on the throne next to Jesus) or that she paid for the sins of mankind! This is something that has evolved into Catholic Tradition over the years; Mary received the title Mother of God with the teaching that she was given the grace by God to be saved of her sins by Jesus at her conception (rather than at her acceptance of Christ like the rest of us) and the worship of Mary began in A.D. 431. And the teaching of the  Immaculate Conception of Mary was made official in A.D. 1845.  (Many Catholics think Immaculate Conception means she was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, no it means that she was born sinless.) This directly contradicts Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" and Luke 18:19 where Jesus said "None is good, save one, that is, God. (And Jesus is God - see Biblical Christianity page.)  Catholics are taught that Mary remained a virgin her whole life but the Scriptures say that she remained a virgin until Jesus was born but then she had other children the natural way with Joseph. So Jesus had brother and sisters.  Matthew 13:55-56 says "Is this not the Carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren James and Joses, and Simon and Judas?  And his sisters, are they not all with us?" Also Catholics are taught that Jesus and God the Father are angry but Mary is merciful so they should pray to Mary when they need something.  All a person has to do to see this is not true is read the 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John and see the Father and the Son's love and mercy displayed in miracles and healings and  deliverances all the way up to the most loving act, the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, for our sins.  But also Catholics are told Jesus would never deny His mother's request so you are better off to pray to her so she can ask His provision for you.  Scripture shows twice where Jesus rebuked His mother: John 2:4 "Jesus saith unto her (Mary), Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." Matthew 12:47 - 50 "Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? Who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!  For whosoever shall do the will my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother." 

Messages from Heaven: Virgin Mary or Deception? is an excellent video which can be viewed for free on you-tube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrZlAFeJOjE shows the dangers of worshiping Mary as co-redeemer. 

The Passion of the Christ movie was created by Mel Gibson to uplift Mary as Co-Redeemer with Jesus Christ.  Please view this video teaching series called "The Poison in the Passion of the Christ" to see all of the ways this film has betrayed the teachings of the Bible.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7_4laCuli4

The 2nd Commandment found in Exodus 20:4,5 condemns all of the worship of statues that goes on in RC. Neither Mary, the Saints, nor Jesus in statue form are to be bowed down to and prayed to - it is idol worship.  And when signs and wonders take place during the worship of idols, you can bet its the devil pouring forth his magic because God won't bless what He has condemned in His Word!  If you don't see the condemnation of idol worship in Exodus 20:4 and 5 in your Bible, then you need to get a non-Catholic Bible so you can see where God has said he forbids it!  The Catholic church removed the 2nd commandment and to make sure there were 10, they divided the 10th commandment into two parts and re-numbered the whole thing.  Why the cover-up?  Because statue making is a big money making industry!  In fact its just one of the ways the Catholic church has gotten rich.  The Vatican was built by taking money for "mass prayers to be said to get loved ones out of purgatory sooner".  Purgatory is no where found in the Bible (the very idea of purgatory says Christ's sacrifice at the Cross was not enough, which is blasphemy!) and the fear of purgatory has cruelly punished grieving families for centuries.  Even the poor were told they would have to give whatever they had, even if it was their last cow that fed their children, to the priest or parish that would say the prayers for their loved one.  And widows with money were talked into becoming nuns and donating all of their possessions to the church. For more details on this please read the book 50 Years in the Church of Rome by former Roman Catholic Priest Charles Chiniquy for details on the historical practices of the Roman Catholic church.  Also please purchase the Dr. Alberto Rivero story on Chick.com.  He was a Jesuit priest in the early 1900s.  You can preview each book also.  Alberto is found here - http://www.chick.com/catalog/comics/0112.asp  and Double Cross - http://www.chick.com/catalog/comics/0113.asp and The Godfathers: http://www.chick.com/catalog/comics/0114.asp.  There are 3 more that follow if you are interested in the whole set.  His story as well as Charles Chiniquy will open your eyes to the inside story of what the priests were privy to and were never supposed to tell outside lay persons.  Thank God both men got saved and warned the rest of us who would've remained in the dark about the inner workings of the Vatican and the Jesuits!  Of course the testimony of Richard Bennett, former RC priest is also very informative and agrees with the testimony of these other men (see link to his website below, Berean.org) plus he offers a book by 20 former RC nuns.