Catholics and Christians

It is rampant right now, this notion that Catholics are Christians. I don't mean Catholics who think they are Christian, for they've always thought that, but I mean Bible believing Christians thinking this suddenly, en masse. While some Catholics might be saved in that religion, it is incidental because what is taught is not Scriptural. Adding to Scripture is a sin, and works-based salvation is selling people a false bill of goods. We can't pick and choose what we want to believe, either the Bible is entirely true or it is not, and if it is, what the Catholic church teaches is clearly in error. Jesus said he paid the price for our sin, once and for all. He does not need any help in satisfying God's wrath toward sin. 

We chose not to get on the board of a local pregnancy center because the statement of faith is broad enough that Catholics, and possibly other religions-of-man, could serve there. How can we, Bible believing Christians, stand alongside others who will not offer the true gospel to women in crisis? We would be selling Christianity short and possibly condoning their false beliefs.

Saving the unborn is critical, but saving souls and not blurring the message of salvation is tantamount. It was sad to realize we couldn't get involved as much as we might have with the new pregnancy center, but as Christians we are not doing God any favors pretending to unify with falsehood. Knowingly supporting, as a leader, one woman receiving an accurate gospel presentation and another a Catholic view of salvation would have been wrong for us.

Stating a religion is biblical doesn't make it so. There is one intercessor between God and men--Jesus Christ; not Mary or the Pope. We who are in Christ are called Saints according to Scripture--saints are not special people marked as such after they die, and they have no special power, even if their image is put on a medal or worn as a necklace. Finally, knowing the facts about Christ and believing them does not save--even Satan believes. It is faith that causes repentance which saves, and this faith will cause a person to live as best they can according to God's standards. If a lifestyle of sin can happen  comfortably, a person is not safely in the body of Christ. Sin cannot indefinitely abound in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. The most simple way to put it is this, we cannot be found in Christ if we do not ever realize how lost (ie sinful) we are, and in Catholicism there is a lot of pride of why you aren't 'that bad'. This attitude is what keeps people from truly being saved, because according to the Bible, we are ALL 'that bad' and our good works are called filthy rags.

Unity is only possible if we are all believing the truth which sets us free. Unity outside of biblical truth is dangerously close to being nothing other than a worldly, feel-good, social club, which far too many churches are becoming in this post-modern era.