The following notes were the foundation of much of my preaching on the streets of Philadelphia when Pope Francis visited there. Hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholics perishing under antichrist, soul damning doctrine filled the streets of the city of brotherly love with idols of Mary on long poles thrust ten feet in the air. As I preached “Jesus” as the one “name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12) the direct response of thousands of Catholics to the name and Gospel of Jesus, was to alternate between crying, “Francis! Francis! Francis!” and lifting their idols of Mary high, chanting, “Mary! Mary! Mary!” It was a surreal scene of medieval idolatrous passion unleashed in present-day America.

In the midst of the chaos there were regular threats of physical violence, a few threats of murder, priests often led the crowds in their antichrist chants, one priest slapped me, and another priest called on a transvestite to aid him in his defense of Catholicism. The city of Philadelphia assigned an armed Free Speech Police Unit to protect our team and ensure that our freedom of speech wasn’t infringed upon. They watched over us for three days while the Word of God was preached with sufficient amplification to cover a city block. There were continual, precious, and promising Gospel conversations with Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

It was a privilege to love tens of thousands of Catholics in Philadelphia with action and truth, alongside Evangelist Jeff Rose and the JeremiahCry team of evangelists—proclaiming salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, from the Scriptures alone. Back in my home city of Portland, Oregon, I’ve been blessed over the last 20 years of pastoral ministry to personally witness to a few thousand Catholics (including many priests) by visiting local Roman Catholic churches periodically (especially at Easter and Christmas) to distribute hundreds of Gospel tracts and engage them with conversation; by ministering the Gospel at abortion clinics to doctors, nurses, mothers, fathers, and many prolife Catholics who are there praying the rosary and sprinkling “holy” water; by going house to house, and by regularly preaching the Gospel in Portland’s parades, in the city square, and at the riverfront.

Possessing a basic understanding of Rome’s heresy and having certain Gospel clarity is essential in evangelizing Catholics. The notes below will prove useful to you in gaining and maintaining basic clarity as to what the Biblical Gospel is in direct comparison to the heretical teachings of Catholicism as contained in the universally binding and authoritative Catechism of the Catholic Church. These notes remain printed out and inserted in the front of my Bible. That enables me to always be ready to engage Roman Catholic men and women with the truth that they must hear in order to “repent and believe the Gospel” (Jesus, Mark 1:15). For the glory of Christ and the redemption of those for whom He died, I pray you too will print these notes out, study them, place them in the front of your Bible, and prayerfully and lovingly use them to the same end.

Gospel compromise is rampant even in conservative, Biblical, Reformed circles. The notes below will aid you in avoiding apostasy with Rome and aid you in rescuing others from it. There’s a growing number of men (men who should know better) who say people can be Catholic and genuine believers at the same time. We have professing Reformed men in vital positions of influence who are declaring that they personally know Catholics who genuinely know and love Jesus. That is dangerous teaching. It defies both logic and the Gospel. No man or woman can believe the heresy of the Roman Catholic Church contained in their catechism and simultaneously believe the Gospel. Belief in one negates belief in the other. They are mutually exclusive beliefs. Unless Catholics repent of Catholicism’s false christ and false gospel, and believe on the true Christ and the true Gospel of Scripture, they do not know or love Jesus, they are not believers, and they are not saved.

Our evangelistic task is to show our Catholic neighbors from the Scriptures that they must repent of Catholicism’s many blatant heresies and believe upon the true Christ and His true Gospel for salvation. No man or woman is saved—unless—they actually repent of their Gospel denying heresy and actually believe the Gospel. Just as with the Church of the Latter Day Saints, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and every other cult and false religion, repentance will of basic necessity, include departing from and denouncing the Roman Catholic Church and its gross idolatry (2 Cor. 6:11-18 & 2 Cor. 7:9-11). That is not extraordinary repentance, it is essential repentance empowered by the regeneration, illumination, and indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and denoted by the promise of God, “such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Our certain confidence is that all whom the Lord is calling to Himself, will hear the Word of God, will repent of sin and heresy, will confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and will become new creatures in Christ (1 Cor. 1:18-25; 2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Tim. 3:15; John 6:36-37; John 6:44-45).

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:6-10

It’s shocking that professing Reformed men would negate the sovereign outworking of the omnipotent Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in regenerating dead Catholic souls, providing Catholics with the gift of repentance of sin (including heresy and unbelief), and providing Catholics the gift of saving faith (meaning they actually comprehend the Gospel, believe the Gospel, and forsake that which is contrary to the Gospel). Keep it clear. Cut it straight. Unless men “repent and believe the Gospel,” they are not believers and they are not saved. May the Lord protect His Church and 1.2 billion Roman Catholics from the counter-reformation that many “Reformed” men are actively carrying out from within Reformed circles. May the Lord grant His Church Gospel clarity and true Christian charity to declare it, define it, and defend it for Christ’s glory and the souls of men.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM’S  FALSE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST IN THE MASS

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

PARAGRAPH 1323 of the CCC: “At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’”

PARAGRAPH 1324 of the CCC:

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.

PARAGRAPH 1357 of the CCC:

…bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.

PARAGRAPH 1367 of the CCC:

The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: ‘The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priest, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.’ In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner.

PARAGRAPH 1405 of the CCC:

Every time this mystery is celebrated, ‘the work of our redemption is carried on’…

The Word of God:

Heb. 1:1-3 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. PURGED OUR SINS

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Heb. 7:26-27 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. DOES NOT NEED DAILY

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices,

*Heb. 9:12 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. ONCE & OBTAINED REDEMPTION

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Heb. 9:22 NON-BLOODY SACRIFICE VS. WITHOUT BLOOD NO REMISSION

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Heb. 9:24-28 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. ONCE & PUT AWAY SIN

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another —  26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Heb. 10:11-14 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. ONE SACRIFICE FOREVER

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man (CHRIST), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

1 Pet. 3:18 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. ONCE (PETER’S WORDS)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God,

John 19:30 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. IT IS FINISHED!

He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Rom. 6:9-11 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. DIES NO MORE!

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rev. 1:17-18 REPEATED SACRIFICE VS. ALIVE FOREVERMORE!

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.  18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM’S IDOLATRY IN THE MASS

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Is Christ bodily transubstantiated out of heaven and into the wafer? Is the wafer worthy of worship? Does the wafer have the power of justification, the forgiveness of sin? No! Christ finished His work upon the cross, said, “It is finished,” bowed His head, gave up His Spirit, and now sits at the right hand of the Father as the one Mediator between God and men! (SEE John 19:30; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 10:12)

Is Christ in the cup? Is it literally the transubstantiated blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same as the blood that flowed down at the cross? Is it worthy of worship! Does it have the power to save? A thousand times no! And no matter how big the cup of Roman Catholic wine, or who prayed over it, there is no Christ therein, or power therein to save!

PARAGRAPH 1375 of the CCC:

It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament.

PARAGRAPH 1377 of the CCC:

The Eucharist presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharist species subsist.

PARAGRAPH 1378 of the CCC:

Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord.

PARAGRAPH 1183 of the CCC:

The tabernacle is to be situated “in church in a most worthy place with the greatest of honor. The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.

The Word of God

Ex. 20:4-5 says,

You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord  your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Isa. 42:8 says,

I am the Lord , that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Heb. 10:11-14 SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man (CHRIST), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Mark 13:21-23 says,

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it.  22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

Mark 13:26 says,

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Acts 1:10-11 says,

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Matt. 25:31-32

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM’S IDOLATRY OF MARY

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Regarding Mary’s so-called “saving office,” paragraph 969 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . Therefore the blessed Virgin is invoked in the church under the titles Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”

This is a denial and blasphemy of Christ! Christ alone is our Advocate and Mediator! Christ sent the Spirit to be our Helper. Mary is none of these things, nor is she the “Queen” of heaven as para. 966 blasphemously declares.  Bowing before a statue of Mary and/or praying to her is idolatry.

The Word of God:

1 John 2:1 CHRIST IS OUR SINGULAR ADVOCATE

If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 Tim. 2:5 CHRIST JESUS IS OUR ONE MEDIATOR

There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.

John 14:16-17 THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS OUR HELPER

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth.

John 16:7-8 THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS OUR HELPER –SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUDGMENT

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM’S BAPTISM HERESY

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

PARAGRAPH 1263 of the CCC:

By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.

PARAGRAPH 1265 of the CCC:

Baptism 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,’ member of Christ and co-heir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

PARAGRAPH 1213 of the CCC:

Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, and are incorporated into the Church…

The Word of God:

1 Pet. 1:18-19 WATER VS BLOOD OF JESUS

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Rev. 5:9 WATER VS BLOOD OF JESUS

You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Col. 1:13-14 WATER VS BLOOD OF JESUS

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

1 John 1:7 WATER VS BLOOD OF JESUS

The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 Cor. 1:17-19 CATHOLIC BAPTISM VS NOT SENT TO BAPTIZE, BUT TO PREACH

Christ did not send me to baptize, (if baptismal regeneration were true, Paul would not say this) but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Tit. 3:5 CATHOLIC BAPTISM VS HOLY SPIRIT

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

Eph. 2:8-10 CATHOLIC BAPTISM VS GRACE AND FAITH THAT IS NOT OF OURSELVES

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

ROMAN CATHOLICSIM’S ECUMENICAL HERESY

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

PARAGRAPH 1129 of the CCC:

The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. ‘Sacramental grace’ is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament.

What does the Catholic Church teach regarding non-believers?

“GOOD” PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN WITHOUT CHRIST OR THE CHURCH:

Paragraph 847 the Catechism says opens with these words:

Outside the [Roman Catholic] Church there is no salvation

and yet in direct contradiction the paragraph goes on to say,

This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation.

What does the Catholic Church teach regarding Muslims who deny the deity of Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection?

“GOOD” MUSLIMS GO TO HEAVEN WITHOUT CHRIST OR THE CHURCH:

PARAGRAPH 841 of the CCC:

The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. ‘The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.’

According to Pope Francis and the Catholic Church, all you have to do to go to heaven is be a “good” pagan, or a “good” idol worshiping Muslim. This is a blasphemy of Christ! This is the very definition of a “broad road” false gospel. The Catholic gospel is a gospel that the Bible knows nothing of.

The Word of God:

Matt. 7:13-14 says,

Enter by the narrow gate; (CHRIST ALONE) for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. [ROME’S ECUMENICAL WAY] Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

John 3:16 ROME CAN’T EVEN GET JOHN 3:16 RIGHT!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:18 says,

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 says,

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 14:6 says,

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Rom. 1:18-20

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse

2 Thess. 1:8-9 says,

[Jesus Christ is returning] in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

Rev. 21:8 says,

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Let us hear & heed the words, warning, and admonishment of C. H. Spurgeon…

Everybody admires Luther! Yes, yes; but you do not want any one else to do the same to-day. When you go to the Zoological Gardens you all admire the bear; but how would you like a bear at home, or a bear wandering loose about the street? You tell me that it would be unbearable, and no doubt you are right.

So, we admire a man who was firm in the faith, say four hundred years ago; the past ages are a sort of bear-pit or iron cage for him; but such a man to-day is a nuisance, and must be put down. Call him a narrow-minded bigot, or give him a worse name if you can think of one. Yet imagine that in those ages past, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and their compeers had said, “The world is out of order; but if we try to set it right we shall only make a great row, and get ourselves into disgrace. Let us go to our chambers, put on our night-caps, and sleep over the bad times, and perhaps when we wake up things will have grown better.”

Such conduct on their part would have entailed upon us a heritage of error. Age after age would have gone down into the infernal deeps, and the pestiferous bogs of error would have swallowed all. These men loved the faith and the name of Jesus too well to see them trampled on. Note what we owe them, and let us pay to our sons the debt we owe our fathers.

It is to-day as it was in the Reformers’ days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it, but inwardly abhor every line of it. The faith I hold bears upon it marks of the blood of my ancestors. Shall I deny their faith, for which they left their native land to sojourn here? Shall we cast away the treasure which was handed to us through the bars of prisons, or came to us charred with the flames of Smithfield?

Ashamed of the Gospel, John MacArthur, pg 54