I received a wonderfully uplifting e-mail from a visitor to my site. It was from a woman who had grown up in the catholic church, and was so deeply caring about her religion that she was actually considering becoming a nun. Later, she began to more closely examine the teachings of the church of Rome and found that there were some key differences between the sacred Word found in Holy Scripture and what the so-called “church” was teaching her. I was joyful to see her say that, after spending time with the Scripture and with others who asked her questions about the catholic church, she found her way OUT of the darkness and into God’s wonderful Light.

That’s right, she rejected the false church, the church of Rome, the catholic church, and has joined God’s One True Church and has now converted to Christianity. She has gone from catholic to Christian just as I have and as has been told her in my catholic Christian story. She concluded her e-mail to me with this statement on the so-called catholic church:

“I see such hypocrisy and wonder how I fell for it. I understand how I did.
I praise God that I have a gift, though”.

I, too, praise God for Him sending this woman exactly what she needed in order to escape the clutches of a false religion.

As you probably know, I receive dozens and dozens of e-mails daily and I can’t necessarily respond to every one individually. I get many messages of thanks and good wishes, and sometimes I get e-mails from people who want to argue. I know that I have the Holy Spirit to guide me when it comes to Holy Scripture, so I do my best to guide those who are still lost and try to insist that my “interpretation” (I don’t interpret Scripture, it isn’t meant to be interpreted) is wrong — when I know, because I have The Comforter with me, that the message I get out of the Gospel is from the author Himself.

Today I received another joyful e-mail from someone who has visited my site:

It is not through my words, but through the power of the Holy Spirit that stories of repentance like these occur all the time. Through the Grace of God these people’s eyes are opened and when they Trust in Christ Alone they are able to escape the clutches of a false church and move from darkness into God’s wonderful Light. I am so very joyful that this man’s wife is now a part of Christ’s One True Church.

Indeed, I echo this e-mailer’s closing statement: all praise, honor, and glory to God.

In a previous post I talked about the correct meaning behind the message James was sharing with the Saved regarding how to behave and to display their faith so that it is not separated and set apart. To read the entire post, visit “Faith without Works is Dead“.

Now how can we be SURE that James is NOT saying that works are required for Salvation? Very simply (and this is the beauty of Holy Scripture) we know, FOR SURE, that James is NOT saying that works are necessary for Salvation because he specifically references Abraham. And, since Scripture is always read in light of Scripture, we can easily see the reference that James is making…

Romans 4:
“WHAT shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God. As David also termeth the blessedness of a man, to whom God reputeth justice without works: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin.”

Holy Scripture is not meant to be interpreted. That’s why all Bible translations are flawed (even the King James Version which is my preferred version) and why the Lord sends to us who are Saved the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word. Since there are so many out there reading my site who need a more “plain English” version of Scripture to help them until they have received the Gift of Eternal Salvation, I’ll share the NIV version of Romans 4, which should make it VERY clear…

“Abraham Justified by Faith: What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’

‘Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.’”

Had James intended to say that works are required for Salvation, he would have never referenced Scripture which says exactly the opposite.

Isn’t Faith amazing?

I get an absolute TON of e-mail every day, and there are so many interesting, uplifting, and even challenging messages to go through. I am sometimes approached for help, sometimes asked for guidance, sometimes attacked for my beliefs, sometimes accused of being anti-catholic (which you already know is not the case at all). And sometimes I receive simple, emotional, wonderful messages of thanks. Such is the case recently, and I thought I would share this very happy message with you:

“Thank you for posting your testimony here. God is using your story to
affect many lives. I came here as a Christian looking for more information
on Catholicism and how it differs from Christianity, so that I may share
it with my loved ones. I pray that God will work in their hearts as He did
in yours. Thank you once again.”

You’re very, very welcome.

It happens that at times when I talk to others about my catholic Christian journey, they sometimes try and categorize my message as a Christian vs catholic attack. I think some of that may be rooted in the fact that I spend a lot of time speaking to catholics directly about my transformation from catholic to christian, and I’m quite certain that they are immediately on the defensive because I’m telling them things that challenge their long-standing beliefs.

I know what they’re feeling, because remember that I was on the opposite end of that debate myself.

I have never, ever considered this online ministry to be a catholic vs. christian battle, but rather my intent is that perhaps through my story — as a former life-long catholic of 44 years — some who are currently a part of the church of Rome, a church which calls itself the catholic church, will begin to look at their church with a new perspective and will challenge the things this “religion” has taught them.

Unfortunately, catholics have generally been told that they are to strictly follow the teachings of the Roman church and to deviate from them would lead to dire consequences. I believe that it is this teaching, a teaching that prevents many practicing catholics from exploring the Holy Scriptures fully, which forms the basis of this impression that I’m setting up some sort of a Christian vs. catholic attack.

It isn’t true.

I know for certain that the vast majority of practicing catholics are sincere about their faith. I know this, because I was one for 44 years. I know for certain that the vast majority of lay people who have advanced into leadership positions within their parishes are sincere about their faith and their leadership roles. I know this, because I was one for nearly 30 years. I know that those in local parishes who teach others about the catholic religion are sincere as well, because I was one of those too, for many, many years.

So this isn’t a Christian vs catholic argument. My ministry, inspired by the Holy Spirit, isn’t set up to be a catholic vs. christian debate. In no way do I intend this to be a christian vs. catholic attack on another’s beliefs. Instead, I mean this to be a method for delivering my personal catholic to christian transformation story, and in the process of revealing my journey, I hope that others who are currently practicing catholics will take a step back and open themselves up to the fullness of God’s Word. If they do that, they will discover that God’s plan for salvation is a simple plan for salvation.

Remember, too often those who are members of the so-called catholic church believe that their religion should not be challenged. The Roman church has claimed for itself the sole right to “interpret” Holy Scriptures, and because of that many practicing catholics are simply too afraid or too accepting to compare the teachings of their church to the Word of God. The Holy Scriptures tell us that we should use the Scriptures to test what we are taught, not that we should accept without question what we are told and to be afraid to test it against the Word of God.

It seems more and more these days that people are attempting to place their trust in others instead of just realizing that they must Trust in Christ Alone for the Eternal Salvation. I know that it can be a hard thing to understand, but once understood, it is difficult for one to even fathom how we may have believed otherwise.

To Trust in Christ Alone means to completely surrender your trust in anything or anyone else. That means you can’t trust in yourself to try and save yourself (it is impossible, there’s nothing you can do of your own accord that will give you eternal life), you can’t trust in a priest or an organized religion like the catholic church or catholicism to save you (they aren’t able to do that, either), and you can’t trust in the words or actions of any other human being to save you.

It’s all up to you, and only you. God’s plan for Eternal Salvation isn’t complicated.

You must put aside your past beliefs and surrender your trust to Christ and to Christ Alone. Once you are able to do that, then you will open the door to your Eternal Salvation. It is then that you will begin to see how organized religion can get things all messed up, then you will be able to understand what is the difference between catholic and christian.

It isn’t easy, I struggled with this myself as I made my journey from catholic to christian, so I fully understand. I only ask you to remember this: if you cannot Trust in Christ, then in whom can you trust?

I’m often asked a question:

What is the difference between catholic and Christian?

I understand why there would be confusion. On the surface, the question may sound odd or even silly. Many folks will respond: there is no difference between catholic and Christian. Catholics believe in Christ, that makes them Christians.

Well, unfortunately, that answer isn’t necessarily accurate. First, simply “believing” in Christ isn’t sufficient to make on a Christian. It goes a lot deeper than that. If you wish, you can read a post of mine on the subject, called Believing in Christ Doesn’t Make You a Christian.

No, belief is not enough. So what else is there? What more must one do to actually become a Christian? The key word is:

Trust.

You must TRUST in Christ. And not only trust in Christ, but you must trust in Christ ALONE for your Eternal Salvation. You must trust that His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary paid your sin debt in full — which it did — and trusting in that payment means releasing your own need to have to “pay” for something that Christ Himself has already paid. His death released you from your debt.

It isn’t about “accepting” Christ or “believing” in Christ or “asking Christ into your heart”. It is only about trust and placing your trust FULLY in Him, your Savior. So what is the distinction between belief and trust? My brother likes to describe it this way:

“You believe in the chair that you are sitting on. You trust that the chair will carry your weight and support you”.

It wasn’t until I actually TRUSTED in Christ Alone that I received the Gift of Eternal Life. If you haven’t yet read my story, please take a few minutes to do so. That moment was a life-changing event, for both my earthly life and my eternal life.

So then what is the difference between catholic and Christian?

Most catholics have placed their trust in things other than Christ for their Salvation. This isn’t necessarily their fault directly, they’ve been raised that way. I know, I was raised that way myself and I was totally and completely sincere about my belief in Christ and that He died for my sins. But, like most other catholics, I also believed that I had to trust in the church of Rome for assistance in achieving Eternal Salvation. I had to trust in the leaders of the church to provide me with proper doctrine, in the priest in the confessional to ensure that I received absolution for my sins, in the wafer of bread that was supposedly transformed into the Body of Christ (something I now know is preposterous and not supported by Scriptures), and trust in the church of Rome’s claim to apostolic succession (read my post: Dispelling the Myth of the “Rock” Peter) to provide the authority to dictate to me what I must believe.

Catholics believe in Christ, as do true Christians. Christians TRUST in Christ Alone. Catholics, most of them anyway, trust in Christ plus, plus, PLUS. The Body of Christ is the one True Church and not a wafer of bread. Do not place your trust in something or someone other than Jesus Christ for your Eternal Salvation. It is through His sacrifice alone that you may have (not “will have” some time in the future) Eternal Life.

John 5:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

But here we see the word “believeth” and haven’t I just been writing about how it is TRUST and not belief that is the key? Well this is where we must take the time to look a little deeper. All “translations” of the Holy Scripture have flaws, even the version that I most favor, the King James Version. So let’s look at John 5:24 and see what the original Greek text used for the word “believe” in this instance. We find that the word used here is: “pisteuo” which has a definition (including: “to be intrusted with a thing; to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity; to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something; to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in) that is clearly much closer to the word “trust” for us who speak English.

Many have “believed” that Christ existed, but how many place their full TRUST in Christ as John tells us?

Is it possible for a practicing catholic to be a Christian? Of course anything is possible with God, but I would have say it is unlikely. Why? Because I was there, I was a part of that church, I was an educator in that church, and once I received the Gift of Eternal Salvation and received the counsel of the Holy Spirit, I saw that the catholic church as we know it is not Christ’s One True Church and as someone who had become a true Christian I realized that I had to remove myself from it to be a full part of the One True Church, Christ’s Body.

Again, if you haven’t read my Christian catholic journey, please check it out.