Other Gospels

Pope Benedict XVI and the Virgin Mary

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!"--Galatians 1:8

Many professing Christians get extremely upset with me when I criticize the Roman Catholic Church. They claim that when I do that I'm promoting disunity within the Body of Christ.

Evidently, they're either ignorant of Roman Catholicism, or they don't know the difference between the Roman Catholic gospel and the true biblical gospel. Or, they just simply don't care.

What's the difference between the two gospels? The difference is this: The Roman Catholic Church teaches a gospel of works while the biblical gospel, which predates the Catholic Church by nearly four centuries, proclaims a gospel of faith.

What does the Roman Catholic Church teach? That salvation is a lifelong process that begins with infant baptism and culminates after death in a place called Purgatory where a person's soul must be completely cleansed of sin by fire before that soul can be allowed into heaven.

Does any evidence exist to prove that gospel? None whatsoever. Then why should anyone believe it? Because the Catholic Church claims that it's absolutely true and you must accept it without question. 

What does the biblical gospel teach? It teaches that God offers the free gift of salvation to all who believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins on Calvary's cross and then rose from the dead. Here's what Christ said: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:16-18)

Here's what the apostle Paul taught: "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:8-10)

And here's what Paul wrote in his epistle to the church at Ephesus: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The biblical gospel is not only backed up by what Christ and the apostles taught, it's backed up by the writings of Israel's ancient prophets that foretold of Christ's life, ministry death and resurrection several centuries before Christ appeared in the world. That's evidence that can't be refuted.

The Catholic Church not only rejects the biblical gospel, it pronounces a curse upon anyone who believes it. For example: If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema. (Council of Trent: Sixth Session, Canons Concerning Justification Canon XXIV)

The Catholic Church also pronounces curses (anathemas) on those who reject its many other unbiblical doctrines such as the necessity of water baptism for salvation and the Mass as an essential sacrament for sanctification and the remission of sin.

The true biblical gospel teaches that faith in Jesus Christ--rather than water baptism--is essential for salvation. The true biblical gospel teaches that only Christ has the power to remit sin. The true biblical gospel teaches that neither works nor adherence to church mandated traditions play any role whatsoever in our salvation.

And the true biblical gospel teaches that we are to worship only God (The Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Son and The Holy Spirit) and not church icons such as Mary or saints. Because if we worship anything other than God, we become idol worshipers. And that's condemned by God in the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6)

The Roman Catholic Church is a cult. It is not true Christianity. And it never was. 

Does that sound harsh? It is what it is. There is no salvation in the Catholic Church. No one who follows the Catholic gospel will be saved. And no one who has ever followed its gospel throughout history since its inception has ever been saved.

Christianity's greatest purpose in this world is to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:16-20) by preaching the biblical gospel to the world. 

And there's only one true gospel. That's found in the Bible. All other gospels are false and should be rejected and condemned. Why? Because we're talking about the eternal destiny of human beings.