Over time the Roman Catholic Church has moved away from the words of the biblical truth that we are saved by the grace of God, received by faith in Jesus. Instead, they have created a system by which salvation is achieved by a mixture of God’s grace and our own performance, through reception of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.
What the Roman Catholic Church has done is placed itself between God and man when all God wants is for us to receive his free gift of forgiveness so that we can have relationship with him.
“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10 verse 9
The Bible is clear: If we confess and believe in Jesus, we are saved. God does not require our ongoing contribution.
”Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
Galatians 3 verse 2 – 3
Paul is referencing the Jewish people at the time but the sentiment applies to the Roman Catholic Church of today. Trust in what Jesus has done, not in your own actions.
You can see in our section regarding the History of the Roman Catholic Church how the Roman Catholic Church has placed itself between man and God, specifically what was introduced at the Council of Trent in 1563. However, we can see that in scripture this is not how God intended to have relationship with mankind, or how Jesus and the early believers intended the church to be.