Are Roman Catholics saved?

Whether Roman Catholics Are Christians and Saved by Faith Alone

Are Roman Catholics Christian? That is a very important question, and the answer is vitally important. Roman Catholics are Christians if they have trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins.

However, if they believe that they are saved by God's grace and their works, or any combination of, then they are not saved, even if they believe their works are done by God's grace, since they deny, therefore, the true sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

Being a Christian does not mean being a member of the Roman Catholic Church. It means being a member of the Body of Christ, which is accomplished by faith and trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins.

It means that you do not add your works to His work. Sincerity does not forgive sins. Membership in a church does not forgive sins. Doing works of penance does not forgive sins. Praying to Mary does not forgive sins.

Forgiveness is received in the faithful trust and acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. You must trust Jesus, who is God in flesh, for the forgiveness of sins, not a man-made ritual and certainly not the Catholic Saints.

The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Salvation and the Catechism

Even though the Roman Catholic Church affirms the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the physical resurrection, it greatly errors in its doctrine of salvation by adding works to salvation. The official Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation is that the grace of God is infused into a baby at baptism, making him or her justified before God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 20 -20 says this,. "...justification has been merited for us by the passion of Christ. It is granted us through baptism. This justification can be lost through sin and must be regained by repeated participation in the many sacraments found in the Roman Catholic Church.

These sacraments increase the measure of grace in the person by which he or she is then enabled to do good works, which are in turn rewarded with the joy of heaven.". The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 18 -21,.

"...we can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love Him and do His will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere to the end and to obtain the joy of heaven as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ.".

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 20 -10,. "...moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification.". No one can say whether a Roman Catholic is truly a Christian or not, since we cannot look into and judge people's hearts.

The Council of Trent and the Anathema Against Justification by Faith Alone

But if anyone, Catholic included, openly denies the essential doctrines, then he is not saved. And this is the problem. It appears that the Roman Catholic Church is denying the essential doctrine of justification by faith.

It says this in the Canon 9 Council of Trent,. "...if anyone says that by faith alone the impious is justified, and such wise as to mean that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to the obtaining the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will, let him be anathema.".

The word anathema is used by Paul in his discussion of wanting to be separated from God so that Israel will be saved. This means cursed of God. It means lost. And the Roman Catholic Church pronounces anathema on those who would teach justification by grace alone, and faith alone, and Christ alone.

The Council of Trent says in Canon 14,. "...if anyone says that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified, or that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified, and that by his faith alone absolution and justification are effected, let him be anathema.".

This is serious stuff. The Roman Catholic Church is anathematizing anyone who would believe and affirm the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and Christ alone. Notice, justification, which is by faith alone, is denied, and heaven is the reward, according to Roman Catholicism, for doing good works.

This is the problem. The Roman Catholic Church does not teach the biblical doctrine of justification by faith. It teaches justification by faith in works. So what is Karma's official position on the Roman Catholics?

The Gospel Call to Roman Catholics and the Sufficiency of Christ Alone

It is very simple. If a Roman Catholic believes in the official Roman Catholic teaching on salvation, then he is not a Christian, since the official Roman Catholic position is contrary to Scripture. Therefore, as a whole, Roman Catholics need to be evangelized.

They need to hear the true gospel. They need to hear that they are not made right before God by being in a church or being baptized, but by receiving Christ, John 1 .12, by believing that Jesus has risen from the dead, Romans 10 .9, and that justification is by faith, Romans 5 .1, and not by our deeds, Romans 4 .5 says.

It is only true faith that results in true works, James 2. Not the other way around. Roman Catholics, like anyone else, need to trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins, and not the Catholic sacraments, not the words of the priest, not the pope, not Mary, not the saints, not penance, not indulgences, and not the rosary.

Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life, John 14 .6. Finally, there are probably truly regenerate Christians in the Roman Catholic Church, but they are Christians in spite of Roman Catholic theology and in spite of the ritualistic traditions which has moved it into apostasy.

The Roman Catholic Church is not representing true Christianity. It has fallen from the faith. It is no longer a true Christian Church. Jesus alone saves. Jesus alone is Lord. Only Jesus' sacrifice can cleanse us of our sins.

Only by faith in Him are we made right before God. Justification is by faith, Romans 5 .1. Not by something we do, otherwise we aren't saved by faith.