Are the sacraments necessary for salvation? No, absolutely not! One of the
biggest damnable heresies in the religious world is that a person MUST keep the
Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church in order to get to Heaven. The Bible
does NOT teach any such nonsense.
Truthfully, the Catholic religion is a conglomerate of manmade traditions, accumulated over the centuries. The heresy of keeping Sacrament to gain Heaven began with The Council of Trent in 1547. This damnable doctrine is mandatory for all Catholics, as taught in item # 1129 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Note: The Vatican has since posted all their beliefs in Latin so no one can understand and expose them. The Following links take you to the Vatican's website, but you won't be able to read it unless you know Latin. However, you can search the internet and verify these Catholic false teachings in any Catholic catechism online. I want to leave these original links, since they clearly expose the Vatican...
(Source: http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c1a2.htm).
"The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are
necessary for salvation." #1129
(Source:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c1a2.htm).
What are the sacraments?:
"There are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation,
Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony." #1113
(Source:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c1a2.htm).
These seven sacraments are nothing more than a series of good works. As we have already seen in previous chapters, the Bible states repeatedly that good works will never save anybody: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight..." Romans 3:20
Here is what God thinks of our good works: "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6
Must one be a Catholic to be saved?
Since the sacraments are supposedly necessary for salvation, and since the
sacraments are only available through the Catholic church, then obviously, one
must be a faithful member of the Catholic church to be saved.
Though you will never hear a spokesperson for Catholicism admit it, this is
exactly what this Catholic doctrine purports.
I ask you again, can you accept that everyone outside the Catholic Church will
burn forever in hell?
Traditions of men
Please understand, these sacraments, which the Catholic Church contends are
necessary for salvation, did not even come from God. They are man-made rules
which have been handed down through generations.
So when you perform them, you are not obeying God, you are obeying the
traditions of men.
One must wonder, under such conditions, if these sacraments are really necessary, or if the Catholic church is using man's traditions to scare people into lifelong obedience to the church, under the threat of eternal damnation.
Salvation: through Christ or sacraments?
If sacraments are necessary for salvation, why does God's Word proclaim the
following?
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." John 20:31
Paul, the Apostle, delivered these sobering words on the subject: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18
Catholic friend: do you believe that good works like the sacraments are necessary for salvation? Do you consider it foolishness to believe that salvation can only be obtained through faith in Christ' s work on the cross? If so, God's Word warns that you will perish in hell.
When Jesus declared that salvation came only through Him, not only was He telling the truth, He was repeating what He heard from the Father: "But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God..." John 8:40
To suggest that Jesus is wrong is to suggest that the Father is wrong, as well. Jesus goes on to explain why people refuse to believe His Words: "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." John 8:47
To accept this Catholic doctrine, you must refuse to hear God's Words. Jesus said that if you can do this, then you are not of God.
Are you sure, beyond any shadow of a doubt, Roman Catholic friend, that you are of God?
Are you willing to turn your back on God's Word to accept man's words. If you can, you have reason for grave concern: "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29
