Hard Questions To Ask Good Catholics	Are You Being Deceived?	Another Jesus?
One of the most effective ways to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to ask questions. This method is highly effective because it is biblical! It also shows people that you care for them. Usually people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. The Lord Jesus had some hard questions for good Jews. He asked questions, not only to make His Gospel known, but also to expose the errors of religious leaders. Jesus challenged Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, about his knowledge of the Kingdom of God: "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?" (John 3:10). He asked the stubborn-hearted Pharisees who were blinded by religious tradition: "If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?" (John 8:46). Then He exposed how corrupt their religion had become with this hard question: "Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Mat. 15:3). Possibly the most important question the Son of God ever asked was addressed to Peter: "Who do you say that I am?" (Mat. 16:15). The response to this question carries eternal consequences because Jesus warned: "if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins" (John 8:24). These questions must be answered correctly, not only by those lost in religion, but by everyone else. Following are some hard questions to ask good Catholics. Where do you go to find the truth about life's most critical issues? There is only one source that will never mislead you, never deceive you or try to control you. It is Christ and His Word (John 14:6; 17:17). Jesus said: "If you abide in My word ... you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). Free from what? Free from the bondage of religious deception. Knowledge of the truth is necessary to escape from the snare of the devil who holds people captive to do his will (2 Tim. 2:25-26). Satan uses deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ to blind people from the truth (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Knowing this, Rome defiantly declares its Bishops to be successors of the "apostles of Christ." According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), "whoever listens to them is listening to Christ" (CCC, para. 862). We must tell Catholics their bishops fail the test for apostles given in Acts 1:21-26. There have been only two successors of the apostles - Matthias was chosen by the apostles and Paul was chosen by Christ (Acts 9:1-19). God warns us: "Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation" (Psalm 146:3). Why the warning? Because "savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30). In light of these warnings, the most critical question is this: Will you trust Christ and His Word or man and his religious traditions. Did you know there is only one way to be saved? God's Gospel is by grace through faith in one person (Eph. 2:8-9). The gift of eternal life is given freely to those who trust the eternal God. incarnate - Jesus Christ - His virgin birth, His perfect life, His atoning death and His glorious resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-4). The Lord Jesus is sufficient to save sinners completely and forever. Diametrically opposed to God's Gospel is The Catholic gospel which offers salvation through its sacraments. The Catholic priest replaces the sovereign work of God by administering baptism which "not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte a new creature, an adopted son of God who has become a partaker of the divine nature, a member of Christ and co-heir with Him and a temple of the Holy Spirit" (CCC,1257,1265). Most baptisms are administered to new born babes who have no capacity to put their faith in anything. Did you know those who distort the Gospel are condemned? This includes apostles, priests, popes, pastors or angels (apparitions of Mary) from heaven. The apostle Paul warned: "there are some who ... want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:7-8). Catholics need to be warned that their clergy is under divine condemnation for adding works and sacraments to God's Gospel (CCC, 1129). Did you know that Jesus put an end to the ordained priesthood? God's Word reveals that the veil of the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from sinful man was tom open by God (Mat. 27:51). Man can now come directly to God through faith in the shed blood of the Savior (Rom. 3:2326). Priests are no longer needed to offer sacrifices for sin (Heb. 10:18). The only legitimate priesthood which remains on earth is the royal priesthood of all believers. They offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving for being called out of darkness into the marvelous light of the Son (1 Pet. 2:9). Do you really believe Catholic priests have the power to call the Lord Jesus down from heaven every day? According to Roman Catholic priest John O'Brien in his book Faith of Millions, "The priest ... reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man... Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows his head in humble obedience to the priest's command." Over 200,000 times each day, priests throughout the world believe they re-present Jesus on their altars as an offering for sins of the living and the dead (CCC, 1371-1374). Again Catholics ignore God's Word which declares that Jesus "having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation not to bear sin" (Hebrews 9:28). The Bible also tells us how and when Jesus will appear. He will return the same way he left, immediately after the tribulation with power and great glory (Mat. 24:27-30; Acts 1:11). By the authority of God's Word we must conclude that the Eucharist is a false Christ. Why do Catholic priests continue to offer Jesus as a sacrificial victim when He said "It is finished" (John 19:30)? God's Word says: Jesus appeared once and offered Himself once to bear sins. His offering is not to be done again (Heb. 9:25-28). When Jesus "offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, [He] sat down at the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:12). Disregarding the infallible Word of God, Catholicism teaches: "the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice. The victim is one and the same. In this divine sacrifice, the same Christ who offered himself once ... is contained and offered in an unbloody manner" (1367). Did you know Jesus has already obtained redemption for believers? Catholicism denies this by teaching: "The work of our redemption is carried on" every time the Eucharist is celebrated (CCC, 1405) God's Word declares: "He [Jesus] entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12). "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7). Why do you call Jesus the Savior when you have to save yourself? Catholicism teaches the sinner must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called "penance." (1459; "In this way they attained their own salvation and cooperated in saving their brothers" (1477). God's Word proclaims "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, b; which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Why do you believe a place called Purgatory can purify your sins? God's Word says "when He [Jesus] had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3). "He gave Himself for us to... purify for Himself a people for His own possession" (Titus 2:14). "The blood of Jesus... cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). These verses destroy the myth of Purgatory. Yet the Vatican continues to deceive Catholics by teaching they "must undergo purification [in Purgatory] to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (CCC, 1030). Why do you pray to Mary? Nowhere in the Bible do we see believers praying to anyone except God. Jesus taught us how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount. He instructed us to pray to the Father and not to use meaningless repetition (Mat. 6:713). Yet Catholics are taught to pray the rosary which is made up of over 50 repetitious prayers to Mary. Why aren't these Catholic traditions found in the 1st century Church? * Priests offering sacrifices for sins * Indulgences remitting sin's punishment * Church leaders forbidden to marry * Infallible men Did you Know that whenever you believe a doctrine, you must also for sake that which opposes it? Scripture reveals that Jesus saves... * by faith in Him, not baptism + His grace, not our merit * by His finished work, not our works + by His righteousness, not ours * by His one offering for sin, not the Mass + by His blood, not purgatory + by His obedience, not ours * by His Gospel, not our perversion of it Which Jesus will you trust? The Jesus of the Bible promises eternal life, the complete forgiveness of sins, a permanent right standing with God and the power to live a victorious life. The Catholic Jesus is a Jesus that was never preached by the Apostles (2 Cor. 11:4). This counterfeit Christ provides only conditional life, partial forgiveness of sins, an ongoing need for priests and mediators, uncertainty, fear and doubt. Those who reject the true Jesus, who is clearly and conclusively revealed in His Word, will be judged accordingly. The Lord Jesus Christ said, "The word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day" (John 12:48).	If I were to insult you, you'd feel the sting immediately. If I were to embarrass you, you'd be the first to know. But if I were to deceive you...you might never know it! As painful as being insulted or embarrassed can be, at least you're aware of what's taking place. But deception can be deadly because you don't realize you are being betrayed, misled, seduced or ensnared. It's much more than a clever slight of hand. Deceived people are not even aware they are being misled unless they are confronted with the truth. Tragically, many go to their graves deceived about their relationship with God. The Importance of Your Source for Truth What is your source for truth? Is it trustworthy? Will it protect you from the schemes and lies of the master deceiver, Satan? The biblical prophet Jeremiah gave wise counsel for choosing who to trust. He said if you put your trust in man you will be cursed like a withered bush in a barren desert. However, if your ultimate trust is in God, Jeremiah said you will flourish like a tree planted by the water (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Still many people today disregard Jeremiah's advice and in their search for truth put their trust in man--religious leaders--instead of God. Who Will You Trust? Catholics, for example, believe that the pope and the Roman Catholic Church teach exactly what Jesus and the Bible teach. But how do we know if the popes' teachings or the dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church are true? The only way we can be 100% sure is to do what the church of Berea did in New Testament times. They examined the Scriptures to see if what the Apostle Paul taught them was true (Acts 17:11). We must use the same scriptural standard for the teachings of all religious leaders. Disregarding the objective truth of God's Word in favor of the subjective teachings of men can be a tragic mistake. The Danger of Deception Would it surprise you to learn that many religious teachings go against the Bible? Shouldn't that concern you, since your eternal destiny may depend on such teachings? Here is how Catholic doctrine misleads people about God's plan of salvation: * All graces needed to attain eternal life can be merited (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2027). * Catholics are reborn as sons of God and freed from sin through water baptism (1213). * Purgatory is a cleansing fire that achieves the holiness necessary for heaven (1030-31). * Jesus is offered daily as a sacrificial victim on Catholic altars (1367). * Venial sins are not deserving of hell (1863). * By performing acts of penance, Catholics can expiate their own sins (1459,1477). The Bible says man is saved by believing God's truth (Ephesians 1:13-14). God can never deceive anyone (Titus 1:1-2). But man remains condemned if he continues in deception. False religious systems hold people in bondage to deception by perverting God's truth and grace. Any religion that teaches its followers that salvation is obtained through human effort and merit is nullifying the grace of God. Yet grace is the only means by which God saves sinners! The Bible says "if by grace, it is no longer because of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). Misplaced Faith Some people blindly put their faith in religious leaders, assuming that their leaders would never seduce anyone with a false plan of salvation. Yet the Apostle Paul warned that "from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them" (Acts 20:30). Other people simply choose not to respond or conform their lives to truth. Instead they turn away to listen to teachers who say what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:2-4). Then there are people who have a zeal for God, but not in line with the truth. Many people have been indoctrinated with false teaching and have difficulty believing the truth. They fail because they refuse to let go of unbiblical beliefs. It was disobedience to God, a lack of faith in His purpose, plan, and word that separated Adam and Eve from Him. Instead they chose to put their faith in the deceiver, which brought spiritual and physical death to us all. God uses the very instrument that separated us from Him--faith--to restore us back to Him. By repenting of our dead works and turning to God in faith, we receive spiritual and eternal life: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). God's Truth Determines Destiny The Bible makes it clear that: * We are either children of the devil (John 8:43-45) or children of God (John 1:12), * We live as slaves to sin or as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16-18), and * We will spend eternity under the wrath of God or in His loving presence. "Whoever believes in Him [Jesus Christ] will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:18). God has revealed that trusting in anything other than Christ and His Word is evidence of deception. Those who choose to follow the traditions, opinions, and philosophies of men will be condemned. Jesus said "Whoever rejects Me and does not accept My words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day" (John 12:48). By contrast, how wonderful are the words, "to those who did accept Him He gave power to become children of God to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). Are you basing your life and eternal destiny on the eternal truths of God's Word or on the Catholic traditions added to God's truth? How will you respond to God's truth? Compare these essential teachings of the Bible to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church: God Teaches The pope Teaches Salvation is only through Christ (Acts 4:12). Salvation is through the Roman Catholic Church and its sacraments (846, 1129). You are saved by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). You are saved by faith plus works (1815,1821,2010,2027). All who rely on observing the law--commandments--for salvation are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). Obedience to the commandments is necessary for salvation (2068). Salvation occurs at the moment you repent and believe the gospel (Acts 20:21, Ephesians 1:13). Salvation is a process from baptism through purgatory (161, 162, 1254, 1255). Only Jesus purifies sin (Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:22). Purgatory purifies sin (1030,1031). You can know that you have eternal life (John 10:27-30, 1 John 5:13). You sin if you presume to be saved without merit (2090-2092). The sacrifice of Jesus is finished (John 19:30). The sacrifice of Jesus continues in daily Mass (611, 1405). As you can see, these teachings directly oppose each other. One is truth that will set you free. One is deception that will hold you in bondage. Which teachings will you choose? Choose carefully. In this life you can be wrong about a lot of things and still survive. But when this life is over, if you were wrong about God's only provision for your sins, you will perish in the lake of fire for all eternity.	The False Christ! The Death Cookie! Is the Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church the biblical Jesus? Knowing and believing the real Jesus is critical because Jesus said, "If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins" (John 8:24). A different Jesus is preached by many deceivers (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) who deny His finished work of redemption. The Mormons preach Jesus is the brother of Lucifer and was a man who became God. The Jehovah Witnesses preach Jesus was not God but claim he was Michael the arch angel. Roman Catholicism preaches a Jesus that was unable to purge all sin or pay the complete penalty for sin. The Biblical Jesus assures Christians they have been saved from condemnation. "Now that we have been justified by His blood, it is all the more certain that we shall be saved by Him from God's wrath" (Roman 5:9). The one time, perfect and all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus completely satisfied the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). Roman Catholicism denies this fundamental teaching and deceives its people into believing that the sacrifice of the Mass satisfied God's wrath not only for the sins of the living but also for the sins of the dead (Canon 3, Council of Trent). Catholics are cursed with anathema by their church if they claim they are saved from God's wrath, (Canon 30, Council of Trent). Catholics know Jesus only as a "gate opener" to heaven. For Catholics to go through the gates of heaven they must save themselves through the Mass and sacraments. The Jesus of the Bible expiates sin. "Through His blood, God made Him the means of the expiation for all who believe" (Roman 3:25). Yet the Catholic Church teaches Catholics must expiate their own sins. "This may be done through the sorrows, miseries and trials of this life and, above all, through death. Otherwise the expiation must be made in the next life through fire and torments of purifying punishments" (Vatican Council II). The Jesus of the Bible is the only mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:15), yet the Roman Catholic Church offers Mary as the mediator. Pope Pius IX proclaimed that "God has committed to Mary the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: that we obtain everything through Mary." The Jesus of the Bible claimed He was the only way to the heavenly Father (John 14:6). Vatican II denies this by stating, "the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst who are the Moslems." So why does the Roman Catholic Church hide the real Jesus from its followers? Because the real Jesus sets people free! In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church maintains control of its people through legalistic rituals, sacraments and threats of anathema's. The biblical Jesus saves believers from the bondage of sin, deception and religion.