“JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH #2”“JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH #2”
Roman
Catholic Doctrine of Justification by Faith
THE
MYSTERY OF INIQUITY
Answers
to the Quiz in “Justification by
Faith #1”
1(a);
2(a); 3(a); 4(b); 5(a);
6(b);
7(b); 8(a); 9(a); 10(a)
How
did you go? The questionnaire demonstrates that
a very large proportion of Christians are more Catholic than Protestant
in
their concept of justification.
Dear
Reader, by human reasoning, is it possible for an apple
to be an onion
at the same time?
Your
answer would have to be “No, of course not!”
Why?
Because the apple would have to be an onion on the inside.
Bob
says to Fred “Hey Fred … taste this apple.”
Fred
takes a bite … and says to Bob “Hey Bob … you kidding me … Yuk! That’s
an
onion!”
Is
it possible for a snake to be a wombat at the same time?
And
again your answer would have to be “No!”.
Why?
Because the snake would have to be made up of wombat flesh on the
inside.
And
this is the basis of Roman Catholic theology … based on human
logic …
that a sinner CANNOT claim to be sinless at the same time.
Catholic
reasoning is this “How can a sinner stand before God and claim to be
sinless …
unless he be sinless on the inside?”
Furthermore
“How can an unrighteous man claim to be righteous … unless he is
righteous on
the inside first?”
Roman
Catholic logic is this … only if a man is interiorly
pure
can he claim to be pure.
That
is … only if a man is interiorly righteous can
he claim to
be righteous.
And
this Dear Reader, is the religion of human nature.
Roman
Catholic theology is based on the logic of human reasoning.
But
Rome agrees it is “By Grace Alone”
It
is an absolute surprise to many Christians … that Rome and Catholic
authors
quote the Bible on salvation by grace alone.
Roman
Catholic authors have no problem in agreeing with Paul that salvation
is by
grace alone … with the following scriptures …
Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ
Jesus: (Romans 3:24)
Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the
law. (Romans
3:28)
But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)
And
if
by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is
no more
grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work
is no
more work. (Romans 11:6)
Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith
of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be
justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we
seek to
be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is
therefore
Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things
which I
destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead
to the
law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live
in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for
me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by
the law,
then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:16-17,18-20,21)
For
by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Not
by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and
renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ
our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be
made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)
Indeed,
the canons of the 1547 Roman Catholic Council of Trent
clearly
state …
Canon
1
says “If anyone says that man can be justified before God by his own
works,
whether done by his own natural powers or through the teaching of the
law,
without divine grace through Jesus Christ, let him be anathema
(cursed,
excommunicated, damned)”
Canon
3
says “If anyone says that without the predisposing inspiration of the
Holy
Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love or be
repentant as he
ought, so that the grace of justification may be bestowed upon him, let
him be
anathema.”
Furthermore,
many Christians are surprised with the Roman Catholic author, Stephen
Keenan,
in his work Doctrinal Catechism, where he presents Rome’s
stance …
“Q:
What is justification?
A:
It is a grace that makes us friends with God.
Q:
Can a sinner merit this justifying grace?
A:
No, he cannot; because all the good works that a sinner performs whilst
he is
in a state of mortal sin, are dead works, which have no merit
sufficient to
justify.
Q:
Is it an article of the Catholic faith, that the sinner, in mortal sin,
cannot
merit the grace of justification?
A:
Yes; it is decreed in the 7th chapter of the 6th
session
of the Council of Trent, that neither faith, not good works preceding
justification, can merit the grace of justification.
Q:
How then is a sinner justified?
A:
He
is justified gratuitously by the pure mercy of God, not on account of
his own
or any human merit, but purely through the merits of Jesus Christ; for
Jesus
Christ is our only mediator of redemption, who alone, by his passion
and death,
has reconciled us to his Father.
Q:
Why then do Protestants charge us with believing that the sinner can
merit the
remission of his sins?
A:
Their ignorance of the Catholic doctrine is the cause of this, as well
as many
other charges.”
Dear
Reader, be in no doubt, that justification is the heart of Roman
Catholic
doctrine.
Without
a shadow of a doubt, Rome teaches that justification is by an act of
God’s
grace.
Rome
has never taught anything else other than justification is God’s
gracious act.
Indeed,
those who surmise that Roman Catholic theology teaches a righteousness
by man’s
own works, will not recognize the DOCTRINE OF THE MYSTERY OF
INIQUITY.
Harley
Hitchcock
September
2026
This
website’s front page is:
www.
“JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH #1”
Introduction
and Questionnaire
“JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH #3”
The
Mystery of Iniquity
“JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH #8”
“JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH #9”
