Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholicism
As an ex-Roman Catholic, I am often asked, "Can Catholics be saved?"
Of course they can be saved! I was; Martin Luther was; many more were, and many more continue to be saved.
But that is the wrong question, the correct question is: Will a person, once saved, remain in the Roman Catholic Church?
My answer to that question is an unequivocal NO.
So this is my reasoning: A person is saved, when the Holy Spirit gives them spiritual life; births them again. They were previously spiritually dead, but they have now been made alive by the Holy Spirit, who then lives within them. He is the Spirit of Truth, he is the author of scripture, which is Truth, so, he will not allow a person to whom he has given spiritual life, and within whom he lives, to remain in a system that is holding to, and teaching things that are contrary to his word, which is Truth.
There is Truth and there is Error, and Jesus defined error for us: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." Mat 22:29
Ignorance of the scriptures, and obviously then, anything that does not agree with what the scriptures teach, is error, it is wrong. The Roman Catholic system is 100% contrary to scripture. Not one of its major doctrines can be supported by scriptures, but are in fact all contrary to what is taught in scripture.
Many will wonder about that statement, others will take great offense, and others will say it is just my opinion. Fair enough! So read for yourself, investigate what Roman Catholic OFFICIAL doctrine is.
I will not argue my position, but if you want to participate in discussing this issue, you need the facts. I simply offer the below books which show the un-scripturalness of Rome's teachings.
Luther's Commentary on Galatians, often referred to as "The Magna Carta of Christianity."
https://archive.org/details/commentaryonst00luth
James A. Wylie's book "The Papacy: its History, Dogmas, Genius, and Prospects," which he wrote in 1851, and for which he received a prize from the Evangelical Alliance. He was a Scottish minister, and is most famous for writing "The History of Protestantism."
https://archive.org/details/papacyitshistory00wyli
Alexander Hislop's book "The Two Babylons," shows Roman Catholicism’s growth out of, and parallel to, the ancient religion of Babylon. He was also Scottish, and lived in the early 1800s.
https://archive.org/details/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft
Lorraine Boettner's book "Roman Catholicism," is so good, it has drawn much systematic attach from the Roman Catholic church; they are afraid of it. Boettner lived in the early 1900s, was a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and was a well regarded scholar.
https://archive.org/details/roman-catholicism-boettner-loraine
The above are theological in nature, the below biographical: an ex-priest and an ex-nun. Just an FYI, remember, Luther was an ex-priest, and his wife an ex-nun.
Charles Chiniquy's book "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome," is a classic. From Wikipedia: Charles Paschal Telesphore Chiniquy (30 July 1809 – 16 January 1899) was a Canadian socio-political activist and former Catholic priest who left the Catholic Church and converted to Protestant Christianity, becoming a Presbyterian minister. He later rode the lecture circuit in the United States, denouncing the Catholic Church. His themes were that Catholicism was pagan, that Catholic worship of the Virgin Mary, and its theology was anti-Christian.
https://ia801303.us.archive.org/13/items/fiftyyearsinchur00chin/fiftyyearsinchur00chin.pdf
https://archive.org/download/fiftyyearsinchur00chin/fiftyyearsinchur00chin.pdf
Enrichetta Caracciolo's book "The Mysteries of the Neopolitan Convents," stirred up quite a fuse in the 1800s! She was the daughter of Gennaro Caracciolo, the prince of Forino, but upon his death in 1840, she was forced into a convent, and was not able to get her freedom until 1860; she was imprisoned in the convent, and had to get government permission to leave! She was nobility, and so had social status, and as a friend of Garibaldi, she had political status, and so her book, being an expose of real life behind the walls of a convent, was read, and believed.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029414947
Here is the heart of the issue:
Rome says Jesus made Peter his Vice-Regent (king), to rule here on earth, and all her popes descend directly from him. They are infallible, and have been invested position and authority to be the head of all Christians, and head of all civil governments. They parallel Christ: he is head of the church, they are head of the church; he is king of kings, they are king of kings!
As an example, Queen Elizabeth I was excommunicated by Pope Pius V on February 25, 1570, through the papal bull "Regnans in Excelsis," which declared her a heretic and released her subjects from their allegiance to her.
Since the Pope is infallible, they have never been wrong, they can never be wrong. They never have to change, and they have never changed. What they believed in the Middle Ages, they still believe; what they did in the Inquisition was right. They will never apologize for killing our Christian brothers and sisters; they don't need to, they are infallible! Have you ever read Foxe's Book of Martyrs? It is a chronology of our brothers and sisters who were martyred by the Roman Catholic church, for holding biblical faith.
Their official position is that there is no salvation, for anybody, outside of the Roman Catholic church, along with the required submission to the pope. Protestants are heretics! That was the basis for the Inquisition: to get ride of heretics!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition
Though they do not push these things today, they have not renounced those positions; they don't need to, they can't! They are infallible!
So, will the Holy Spirit allow a person to whom he has given spiritual life, and in whom he lives, to remain in a church that holds doctrine contrary to his word, and has persecuted and killed his people?
I say no, the Holy Spirit will lead them out, and into the light of Truth.
29 November 2025