If you’ve read my story and my blog, you now know that I am a true Christian. I am, because I placed my Trust in Christ Alone. Because I did this, I know for absolutely certain that I have Everlasting Life. I formerly fancied myself a catholic christian because I was a part of the catholic church (the church of Rome) but now, thanks to the precious gift of Eternal Life, I now know that the church of Rome is a false church, it is not the One True Church, which is Christ’s Body.

Now, because I am a part of God’s salvation plan, I have received the counsel of the Holy Spirit to guide me. Once I was enlightened by Him, I came to know that the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25th each year is nothing more than another man-made holiday that at best is completely misguided and at worst, intentionally designed to glorify a pagan holiday.

Isaac Newton argued that the date of “christmas” was chosen to correspond with the winter solstice. History tells us that in ancient times the winter solstice was marked on December 25. In 1743, Paul Ernst Jablonski stated that “christmas” was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a “paganization” that was essentially an insult to the True Church.

We know that the “True Church” is not an organized religion here on Earth, but rather “The Body of Christ” Himself, and thus any of us who are True Christians are a part of that Body. We make up that True Church as we are a part of Him, and He is It.

It should be quite obvious to even a non-religious observer of the Scripture that December is not the actual month of Christ’s birth, since events in the Holy Scripture clearly indicate circumstances which would not make a winter birth feasible. The most obvious Scriptural reference is from the Gospel of Luke which tells us that shepherds were tending their sheep in the fields when He was born.

The rains stopped and temperatures first allowed shepherds to tend their sheep in the fields around April. By December, the sheep were no longer in the fields. But does it matter exactly which month it was? No, certainly not. What does matter, however, is that once again the false church, the church of Rome, has developed a man-made declaration and set it down as truth to their followers. A “truth” for them which history proves to be a falsehood.

If you celebrate this pagan holiday, take a closer look at it. Refuse to allow yourself to continue to be misled.

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.

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.

We’ve had a lot of stormy weather in our area recently. A couple of days ago, a particularly violent storm ripped through the part of Florida where we live, and in my mother’s neighborhood a tornado actually affected a number of houses near her. Trees were severely damaged, large branches came down, hail fell and the wind whipped strong through the streets causing havoc as it did so.

Some people in her area suffered some property damages, but my mother’s home escaped without any significant problems. No lives were lost that I know of, but people living in the area were pretty shaken and some very scared. My mother, however, was not — despite the violence of the weather.

If you’ve read my catholic to Christian story, you already know that at the same time I decided to leave the catholic church in favor of God’s Truth to join the One True Church (Christ’s Body) my mother made the same decision. And I experienced great joy when she told me:

“Because I’m saved, even during that terrible storm I wasn’t scared at all.”

That’s the real deep and calming peace that comes with God’s assurance of Eternal Salvation. That’s what there is to gain by allowing yourself to hear God’s simple plan for your salvation. It is His one true Gift to you, and it’s completely free. Simply Trust in Christ Alone and you will be on your way to an eternity in the light of God’s Love.

If you have a chance, I’d encourage you to visit this Web site:

http://www.geocities.com/trvalentine/orthodox/rock.html

It provides an excellent examination of the Holy Scripture and how the catholic church (or should I say, the church of Rome) has used a self-serving interpretation of the Word to support their structure and power base. It is on this false interpretation that the catholic church expresses their false claim to authority over Christ’s Church. Those of us who have already received the gift of Eternal Salvation and have the counsel of the Holy Spirit already know that the catholic interpretation is, at best, flawed and is, at worst, intentionally wrong and intended to mislead and obscure the Truth.

Peter was NEVER named “the Rock” by our Savior. There is only ONE Rock, and that is God Himself.

Here’s another very nice e-mail from someone who has put aside the teachings of the false church in order to become a part of the TRUE Church, which is the Body of Christ. The most uplifting part of his message is:

“Praise the LORD for coming up with such truths.”

I’m very joyful that this person read my catholic Christian transformation story. Praise and glory to God.