This topic aims to look at some of the dogmas and doctrines of the Catholic faith and respond to it from a Biblical Christianity standpoint. The teachings and the citations of the Catholic Church (with emphasis added) are taken from the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church' (CCC), which is the official source of all Roman Catholic doctrine. The Bible references (with emphasis added) are aken from the Catholic Bible - The New Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition. The Catholic faith is based on dogmas and doctrines derived from three sources: Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium. (CCC para# 95) The Biblical responses presented in this Pocket Guide are by no means exhaustive. It is recommended therefore that the reader does further study on these and other related topics.

 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

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1. Baptism

a. Baptism makes us sons of God. CCC 1213 (cf. 1212)

b. Baptism results in New Life in Christ. CCC 1213 (cf. 1273)

c. Baptism makes us members of the Church. CCC 1277 (cf. 1274; 1257)

 

Biblical Truth:

• It is faith in Christ that makes us sons of God (Galatians 3:26).

• Those born of God through His sovereign work, have New Life in Christ (John 1:12-13).

• It is through this spiritual birth that one is baptized into one Body, making us members of His Church. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

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2. Catholic Church is the Sole Church of Christ. CCC 811

 

Biblical Truth:

• The true Church of Christ is not a visible organization, but rather, it is invisible, spiritual in nature and made up of living stones. (1 Peter 2:5).

• It is made up of all born-again believers, called 'saints'. (Ephesians 1:1)

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​​ 3. Outside the Catholic Church there is no Salvation. CCC 816; 846 (cf. 830)

 

Biblical Truth:

• Salvation is not a matter of one's church affiliation or membership. We are not saved through the Church, but we are saved through believing in Christ (Acts 4:12; 16:31; Romans10:9).

• All those who are saved in Christ, belong to the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:4-5)

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​​ 4. Pope and Bishops Represent Christ on Earth. CCC 882; CCC 1560

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Holy Spirit is the true representative of Jesus Christ. Christ entrusted the universal care of souls to the Holy Spirit. After He ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to us. (John 14:16)

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​ 5. Sin

a. There are Two Types of Sins - Mortal and Venial. CCC 1854 (cf. 1855)

b. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused ...he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. CCC 1459

 

Biblical Truth:

• All sin is mortal. It causes sinners to 'fall short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23), leading to eternal punishment (Romans 6:23).

• Christ has fully paid for all our sins (Colossians 2:13) and has obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:1).

• There is no need for us to ‘make satisfaction’ for our sins.

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​ 6. Confession

a. Confession to a Priest is Essential. CCC 1456 (cf.1485; 1493)

b. Bishops and Priests have the Power to Forgive all Sins. CCC 1461

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Bible does not teach us to confess our sins to a priest. A sinful man cannot forgive sins of another sinner. Only Jesus has the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-10; Luke 7:48-49).

• He alone is worthy to forgive our sins because, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross." (1 Peter 2:24)

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​ 7. Justification is by Faith plus Works. CCC 1815; CCC 1821 (cf. 2016)

 

Biblical Truth:

• We are not justified by our works, but through Christ's death and His merits.

• Justification is by faith alone, apart from works (Romans 3:28). We are justified by God's grace alone. (Romans 11:6)

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​ 8. Sanctification leads to Justification. CCC 2027; CCC 2010

 

Biblical Truth:

• It is Justification that leads to Sanctification, which is God's gracious work in a believer’s life.

• By the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be holy, as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and do good works (Ephesians 2:10), living out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

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​ 9. Mary is the Mother of God. CCC 509; CCC 966

 

Biblical Truth:

• Jesus was both God and Man. Mary was the mother of Jesus as 'Man', who was incarnated in her womb (Galatians 4:4). She was not the mother of Jesus as 'God', who was from the beginning. (John 1:1)

• Jesus, the Son of God did not have a human father or mother. (Hebrews 7:1-3)

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​ 10. Mary is the 'Mother of the Church'. CCC 963 (cf. 975)

 

Biblical Truth:

• There is no biblical evidence for this dogma. Mary was only given as a mother to John, and not as a mother to the Church (John 19:25-27).

• We cannot consider John to be symbolic of the 'Church'. Just because Mary was given as a mother to John, does not make her the 'Mother of the Church'.

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​ 11. Perpetual Virginity of Mary. CCC 510 (cf. 499)

 

Biblical Truth:

• There is no evidence that Mary remained a virgin all her life. Though Joseph had no marital relations with Mary she had borne Christ (Matthew 1:25), they had normal marital relations after the birth of Christ.

• The Bible, in fact, records that Mary had other children. (Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3)

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​ 12. Immaculate Conception of Mary. CCC 508 (cf. 411; 493)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Bible does not support the claim that Mary was immaculately conceived (born without sin). She was born with sin like all other human beings that came from Adam (Romans 5:12).

• Mary recognized her sinfulness before God and acknowledged her need for a Savior. (Luke 1:47)

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​ 13. Assumption of Mary. CCC 974 (cf. 966; 969)

 

Biblical Truth:

• There is absolutely no mention in the Bible that Mary was assumed (taken up) body and soul into heaven. It is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, His resurrection and His ascension that is the focal point of Christianity (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 12-20).

• He shares His glory with no one, not even Mary.

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​ 14. Mary is the ‘Queen of Heaven’. CCC 966 (cf. 974; 969) Veneration of Mary. CCC 971 (cf. 2675)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The only place where 'Queen of Heaven' is mentioned in the Bible refers to the Israelites worshipping this pagan goddess, thus provoking God to anger (Jeremiah 7:17-19; 44:15-18).

• Veneration of Mary by the Catholics amounts to a form of adoration and devotion that is only due to God (Exodus 34:14).

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​ 15. Mary is the Co-Redemptrix. CCC 964; CCC 966 (cf. 618) Mary is the Mediatrix. CCC 969

 

Biblical Truth:

• Mary cannot participate in the redemptive work of Christ. Jesus alone is our Redeemer, who gave Himself to redeem us (Titus 2:13-14).

• The gift of salvation does not come through Mary as a Mediatrix, but through Christ alone, as the only Mediator between God and men. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

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​ 16. The Eucharist. CCC 1413 (cf. 1374; 1367)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The belief that the bread and wine turns into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, has no scriptural evidence. (This is called 'Transubstantiantion' and this dogma was declared by the Fourth Council of the Lateran in1215).

• The bread and the cup was never meant to be worshipped, but only to be partaken in remembrance of Jesus, to proclaim His death until He comes again. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

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​ 17. The Ongoing Propitiatory Sacrifice. CCC 1323 (cf. 1068)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Lord's Table is to serve as a 'memorial' and not 'sacrifice'. Christ's ongoing sacrifice at Mass is contrary to the biblical truth that Christ's sacrifice is complete and once-for-all, never to be repeated. (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12, 28; 10:12-14; 18).

• Christ's redemptive work is finished. (John 19:30)

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​ 18. The Church is built on Peter the First Pope. CCC 552 (cf. 880)

 

Biblical Truth:

• Jesus said that He would build His Church on the ‘Rock’. The Catholic Church claims that Peter is the ‘Rock’. But, Christ, and not Peter, is the 'Rock' (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), the 'Foundation' upon which the Church is built.

• The Lord Jesus is the 'Chief Cornerstone'. (1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20)

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​ 19. The Infallibility of the Pope. CCC 891

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Holy Spirit is the only infallible Teacher. He teaches the believers all things and guides them into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13).

• The Holy Scripture is the only inspired and infallible source and guide for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21)

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​ 20. The Supremacy of the Pope over the Church. CCC 882 (cf. 936-937)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Lord Jesus, and not the Pope, has the full, supreme, and universal power over the Church – the Body of Christ.

• He is supreme over all things concerning the Church. God has put all things under the feet of Jesus and has made Him the head over all things for the Church. (Ephesians 1:22)

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​ 21. The Catholic Church and the Priesthood. CCC 1547 (cf. 1142; 1120)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Bible does not advocate a separate class of priesthood which is distinct from other believers in Christ. All believers are referred to as 'priesthood' (1 Peter 2:9).

• As priests, every believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest. (Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 4:14-16)

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​ 22. The Celibacy of Priests. CCC 1599

 

Biblical Truth:

• Celibacy is not a requirement for those in church leadership. According to the Scripture, the requirement for a leader is to be the 'husband of one wife' and to 'manage the family well' (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

• Paul warns against those 'forbidding to marry'. (1 Timothy 4:1-3)

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​ 23. The Temporal Punishment in Purgatory. CCC 1030; CCC 1031 (cf. 1472)

 

Biblical Truth:

• Purgatory provides a false hope of getting another chance to be purified after death. There is only judgement after death (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus has freed us from our sins by His blood (Revelation 1:5).

• According to the Scriptures, it is the blood of Jesus that saves us. (Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3: 18)

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​ 24. Helping the Dead in Purgatory. CCC 958 (cf. CCC 1032; 1371; 1689)

 

Biblical Truth:

• The claim that Catholics can help the dead to be released from Purgatory through their prayers, good works, offering of Masses, etc., is not biblical. Nobody can help those who are dead.

• The Bible says, "See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

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​ 25. The Granting of Indulgences. CCC 1471 (cf. 1476-1479; 1498)

 

Biblical Truth:

• Indulgences are the remission of temporal punishment due to sin. There is no temporal punishment for those in Christ. He forgave all our sins (Colossians 2:13), having suffered once for sins, to bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18).

• Justified by His blood, we are saved from God's wrath. (Romans 5:9)

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​ 26. Sacraments

a. Sacraments are Necessary for Salvation. CCC 1210; CCC 1129

b. Sacraments are Efficacious. CCC 1131 (cf. 1127)

 

Biblical Truth:

• There is no Scriptural evidence that Christ instituted the seven sacraments through which one must be saved. We are saved by believing on the Lord Jesus alone (Acts 16:31).

• Sacraments deny the efficacy and all-sufficiency of Christ's redemptive sacrifice on the cross. (Hebrews 9:12; 7:27)

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​ 27. Saints (Catholic)

a. The Canonization of Saints. CCC 828; CCC 1477 (cf. 1476)

b. The Veneration of Saints. CCC 957; CCC 962

 

Biblical Truth:

• There is no separate class of saints. The Bible addresses all believers in Christ as 'saints' - 'set apart' or 'holy one' (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Romans 1:7).

• We are to respect and imitate godly leaders (Hebrews 13:7), but the Bible does not permit adoring or bowing down before their statues.

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​ 28. Tradition and Scripture are Equal. CCC 80; CCC 82 (cf. 81)

 

Biblical Truth:

• Catholic traditions, added over the course of centuries, are neither found explicitly in the Scriptures nor taught by the Apostles.

• Only those traditions that were taught and passed on by the Apostles, whether by word of mouth or letter (epistle) are to be held fast. (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Jude 1:3)

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​ 29. The Magisterium Alone can Interpret the Scriptures. CCC 890; CCC 1008

 

Biblical Truth:

• It is believed that the Magisterium has the sole authority to infallibly interpret the Scriptures. But this is taking on the role of the Holy Spirit, who teaches the believers all things and guides them into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13).

• The Magisterium pronounces anathemas on those not accepting its teachings.

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​ 30. Apocrypha (Catholic) is part of the Old Testament Canon. CCC 120

 

Biblical Truth:

• The Apocrypha contains unbiblical teachings, such as, praying for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:38-46), praying to angels (Tobit 12:15) and offering alms for the atonement of sin (Sirach 3:30).

• This is contrary to the teachings found in Hebrews 9:27; Colossians 2:18 and Romans 3:20 respectively.

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​ 31. Images & Relics

a. The Veneration of Images. CCC 2132

b. The Veneration of Relics. CCC 1674

 

Biblical Truth: The honor paid to sacred images is believed to be a "respectful veneration". God commands us not to make images and bow down before them (Exodus 20:4-5). Venerating relics (skull, bone, nail, hair, flesh, blood, etc.) amounts to worshipping the created things, rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:25)

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