Sharing the Gospel with Catholic Friends

The Question Is What a Person Is Trusting

This is the last study in the series, and the reason for all the others. We have looked at what the Roman Catholic Church teaches about Scripture and tradition, the papacy, justification, the sacraments, the Mass, confession, Mary, the saints, and purgatory. None of it was meant to make you good at arguing with Catholics. It was meant to help you love Catholic friends well enough to tell them the truth: that Christ's finished work is enough, and that He saves everyone who trusts Him alone.

Many who read this have Catholic parents, grandparents, spouses, coworkers, and neighbors. For many families, being Catholic is woven into heritage, holidays, weddings, and funerals. That is exactly why this conversation needs both courage and tenderness. Paul felt the same weight for his own people.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”ROMANS 10:1–4 · KJV

Paul said his people had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. They were going about to establish their own righteousness, and so they had not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Many Catholics are sincere, devout, and zealous. Sincerity is not the question. The question is which righteousness a person is resting on: his own, built up through Rome's sacraments and his own merit, or the righteousness God gives freely, because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.