Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 4/5/2009

Question
I have read some reaponces to Catholics and understand that you don't view it highly. I was wondering how you say we are works centered when we plainly teach that Christs death ALONE is our redemption. Also what do you say of the 1500 years when Catholicism was the ONLY form of Christianity, did hades prosper against the Church for that long?
Thank you for your time and may the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Answer
Hi Seth,

Thank you for your question.  I would like to handle your matter of church history, then we will cover the doctrine.  We must remember that the Roman Catholic Church did not exist as it is now until about 300 years ofter CHrist's ministry.  The churches in the Bible mirror in doctrine and practice what we would call Baptist Churches now.  For a great look at the true history of churches please visit this site:   www.trailofblood.com   The classic little booklet "Trail of Blood" is available online for you to study.

The "Church" was not the Roman Catholic church...  it was not free from error for 1500 years, then all other non-catholics came from it.  Baptists do not consider themselves to be protestants.  We did not come our of Rome.  Our doctrine has always existed, mostly in the underground... since the days of Christ.

Now let us consider the fact that you believe that Catholics teach that salvation comes by faith alone, or Sola Fide.  Roman Catholics have rejected this Biblical teaching for thousands of years.  Let me quote from a RC teaching site:

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I. ONE BAPTISM FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

>977 Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved."521 Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that "we too might walk in newness of life."522

978 "When we made our first profession of faith while receiving the holy Baptism that cleansed us, the forgiveness we received then was so full and complete that there remained in us absolutely nothing left to efface, neither original sin nor offenses committed by our own will, nor was there left any penalty to suffer in order to expiate them. . . . Yet the grace of Baptism delivers no one from all the weakness of nature. On the contrary, we must still combat the movements of concupiscence that never cease leading us into evil "523

979 In this battle against our inclination towards evil, who could be brave and watchful enough to escape every wound of sin? "If the Church has the power to forgive sins, then Baptism cannot be her only means of using the keys of the Kingdom of heaven received from Jesus Christ. The Church must be able to forgive all penitents their offenses, even if they should sin until the last moment of their lives."524

980 It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be reconciled with God and with the Church:


Penance has rightly been called by the holy Fathers "a laborious kind of baptism." This sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn.525

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Taken from www.vatican.va

Clearly the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Salvation is ties into Baptism and Penance.  They even say that Penance is a laborious kind of Baptism!  This is working for one's salvation!  If there were any works I could perform in order to merit salvation, then Jesus died for nothing.

Galatians 2:21
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

Jesus died to free us from the futile practice of offering dead works in order to merit Heaven.


Hebrews 9:14
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  

The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

I hope that this helps you.

In Christ
Pastor DOn


PS... sorry for this late response.