Q: Are both Catholics and Christians the same? Both believe in the same God, so which is more accurate?

I've written a few previous posts on catholicism, so I encourage you to read them when you have some time. This article provides a solid answer to your question. They argue Catholics and Protestant Christians differ in four major areas:

1. The sufficiency and authority of the Bible
2. The authority of the Pope
3. Salvation & justification, particularly the role of works/deeds
4. What happens when a person dies

Here is what they conclude:

While there are numerous other differences between what Catholics and Protestants believe, these four should be adequate to establish that there are serious differences between the two. In much the same way as the Judiziers (Jews who said that Gentile Christians had to obey the Old Testament law to be saved) that Paul wrote about in Galatians, Catholics, by making works necessary for one to be justified by God, end up with a completely different gospel. The differences between Catholicism and evangelical Protestants are important and significant.

It is our prayer that God will open up the eyes of anyone reading this article who is putting their faith or trust in the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is our hope that everyone will understand and believe that their “works of righteousness’ cannot justify them, or sanctify them (Isaiah 64:6). It is our prayer that all will instead put their faith solely in the fact that we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” (Romans 3:24-25). God saves us, “not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7).

I'd also recommend all these great articles to further your understanding on this crucial topic.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Is it okay for a confirmed Catholic to partake in Holy Communion in a Christian church?

If I'm a confirmed Catholic, is it bad to go to Christian church?

Hi friend. It seems you have two questions, so I'll answer them separately. To be clear, when you refer to the "Christian church," what you really mean is the Protestant church. Read about the differences in this previous post.

1. If I'm a confirmed Catholic, is it bad to go to Christian church?

It is not bad at all. At RHCCC, people of all faith backgrounds are welcome. However, I do challenge you to take a deep look into the core beliefs of both churches. There are major differences between what Protestants believe and what Catholics believe. Visit this website for dozens of articles that will be helpful for you.

For instance, consider the most crucial issue of salvation. If you genuinely hold to OFFICIAL Roman Catholic doctrine and believe you can enter God's kingdom (at least partly) on your own merit, you will be at odds with what Protestants believe. Sooner or later, you must make up your mind and settle on the belief system of one church. How do you know which to settle on? Always go back to Scripture. What does the Bible say? Regarding salvation, Romans 3:24-25 tells us that we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed as a propitiation in His blood through faith." Good works arise from faith in Christ and thus are an indication that one is truly saved. But in and of themselves, they do not justify or save us.

I hope you can see whether this is going. There are so many divisions between Protestants and Catholics that you cannot embrace both theological systems. I highly encourage you to read this article - I believe it will help in your faith journey. Also read this one.

2. Is it okay for a confirmed Catholic to partake in Holy Communion in a Christian church?

The purpose of communion is to remember the sacrificial death of Christ (N.B. This may contradict what you've been taught at a Catholic church. Read this post for further information). Here is an excerpt:

The Scriptures declare that the Lord's Supper is a memorial to the body and blood of Christ (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25), not the actual consumption of His physical body and blood. When Jesus was speaking in John chapter 6, Jesus had not yet had the Last Supper with His disciples, in which He instituted the Lord’s Supper. To read the Lord’s Supper / Christian Communion back into John chapter 6 is unwarranted. For a more complete discussion of these issues, please read our article on the Holy Eucharist.

The most serious reason transubstantiation should be rejected is because it is viewed by the Roman Catholic Church as a "re-sacrifice" of Jesus Christ for our sins, or as a “re-offering / re-presentation” of His sacrifice. This is directly in contradiction to what Scripture says, that Jesus died "once for all" and does not need to be sacrificed again (Hebrews 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18). Hebrews 7:27 declares, "Unlike the other high priests, He (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins ONCE for all when He offered Himself."

Summarily, you may take the communion if you are a Christ-follower, even within a Protestant church. However, when you do take it, please know that we do not practice transubstantiation. We hold to memorial view in which we remember and celebrate the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

Hope this helps.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Are only Protestant Christians going to heaven?

What about the other religions that use the Bible? For example, would Catholics or Presbyterians go to Heaven, or do they have to be Protestant?

Hi! Good question. I've written a previous post concerning this issue. Read it HERE. To answer this question, let's get some terminology cleared up. Protestants and Roman Catholics both fall under the banner of "Christianity." You can read up on their differences HERE. Presbyterians are NOT a third category, but rather fall under the umbrella of Protestantism.

Among the chief differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is this very issue of salvation. According to Roman Catholicism, man cannot be saved by faith alone in Christ alone. They teach that a person must rely on faith plus “good works” in order to be saved. Protestant teaching affirms Scripture, which says salvation comes from God alone through the death and resurrection of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8).*

So my answer is quite straight-forward: Anyone who receives and trusts in Jesus ALONE (& not their own merits/deeds/works) for the forgiveness of their sins gains salvation. If you genuinely hold to Roman Catholic doctrine and believe you can enter God's kingdom on his own merit, then please look at Scripture and instead put their faith solely in the fact that we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” (Romans 3:24-25). Good works arise from faith in Christ and thus are an indication that one is truly born again. But in and of themselves, they do not justify or save us.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

*This, in fact, is where Protestants received their name; they "protested" against Roman Catholic teaching.

Q: Will Catholics go to heaven?

First, read this previous post on the difference between Roman Catholics and Protestant Christians.

That being said, Roman Catholics have salvation and go to heaven IF they have trusted Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins. If they trust in their own works and good deeds, then they are not genuinely trusting Jesus and will be separate from God. Matt Slick and his team at CARM.org have answered this question in more detail. Read it carefully HERE.

At the end of the article, this is what the author contends:

If a Roman Catholic believes in the official Roman Catholic teaching on salvation, then he is not a Christian since the official RCC position is contrary to scripture. Therefore, as a whole, Roman Catholics need to be evangelized. They need to hear the true Gospel. They need to hear that they are not made right before God by being in a church, or by being baptized, but by receiving Christ (John 1:12), believing that Jesus has risen from the dead (Rom. 10:9), and that justification is by faith (Rom. 5:1) and not by our deeds (Rom. 4:5). It is only true faith that results in true works (James 2), not the other way around. Roman Catholics, like anyone else, need to trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins and not the Catholic sacraments, not the words of the priest, not the pope, not Mary, not the saints, not penance, not indulgences, not the rosary, etc. Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Finally, I believe that there are truly regenerate Christians in the Roman Catholic church. But, they are truly Christians in spite of official RCC theology and in spite of the ritualistic offerings of this ancient church which has had too many hands meddling in it through the centuries, gradually moving it away from orthodoxy and into apostasy. Yes apostasy. The Roman Catholic Church is no longer representing true Christianity.

Jesus alone saves. Jesus alone is Lord. Only Jesus' sacrifice can cleanse us. Only by faith are we made right before God. Justification is by faith, not by anything we do.

[Answered by Pastor HM, who has many Roman Catholic friends and family]

Q: What is the difference between Christian and Roman Catholic?

This is a BIG question! First, we must understand some basic terminology.

The term Christian refers to both Roman Catholics and Protestants (which is what you refer to as "Christian"). Actually, the term "catholic" means "universal" so in this way, we are all catholic Christians. We, however, are not Roman Catholic Christians. We are Protestant Christians.

Here is a link that will help clarify the differences. 

Additionally, Justin Taylor provides another good summary in his blog, Between Two Worlds.

Lastly, Matt Slick of CARM.org has a ton of articles and research that will help you understand the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings HERE. This will take some time to read, but if you're serious about this question, read it through carefully.

[Answered by Pastor HM]