Dear friend, it is my hope that there would be a member of the Catholic church reading this article or listening to the audio. For that reason, let me start off with saying that I do believe there could very well be people in the Catholic church that are firm believers in Christ. The purpose of this article is not to condemn anyone that has the assurance of salvation in Christ alone but rather deal with some of the common Catholic beliefs that cause me to conclude that Catholic folks indeed need Jesus. So let’s look at some of the core beliefs of the Catholic church.

The mother Mary

According to Catholic teachings, the reason Christ was able to be born in the womb of Mary is because God preserved her from sin. They further state that Mary was in total submission to the will of God and we should be praying to God to make us as holy as she was. These ideas contradict many clear scriptures. First of all, scripture teaches us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Let us also see what Mary herself said when Jesus was born. Reading in Luke 1:46-47  And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,  (47)  And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Why would Mary call God her saviour if she did not need to be saved? 

One mediator

Catholic believe that it is totally fine to pray to dead saints and Mary herself. They use examples in the Old Testament like Moses and Abraham to justify this action. However, we read in the New Testament in Hebrews 1:1-2  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,  (2)  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; You see how this passage clearly teaches us that a full transition to Christ alone has happened. The Bible further states in 1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Does one not mean one? It obviously does.

Confession of sins

Catholics expect congregants to regularly confess their sins to the priest. The only time we need to confess sins to another person is to make reconciliation with the person we have sinned against or in hopes to get help from the temptation of sin. We read in 1 John 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: So who is our advocate to the father? Jesus Christ. 

Faith alone

Catholics claim that we cannot be saved by faith alone and that works are necessary for salvation. They take an issue with the term “faith alone” because the term is only found once in scripture. However, a deeper study on the subject takes us to Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: And not to mention the Book of Romans which clearly teaches in Romans 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 

Purgatory

The Catholic church teaches that a person can die as a sinner and then enter into a place called purgatory where they can be purified. This is an obvious fallacy since we read in Colossians 1:14  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins. Catholics need Jesus because only through His blood can they be forgiven. Not through purgatory.

So in conclusion. Catholics need Jesus because He is the only that mediates, makes intercession, stands as the advocate and forgives us of our sins through His blood shed.