In the Roman Catholic
Church, justification means God's actually making a man innocent,
God's working in a man's heart. The church changed grace, an
attribute of God, his undeserved mercy and favor, into a quality of
man. The Roman Church taught and still teaches today a different
gospel: men are justified by God's grace in their hearts. That is not
the Gospel proclaimed by the apostles. The Roman Catholic Church's
teaching is accepted by many who think they are Christians, many who
do not even belong to the Roman Catholic Church.
What Does the Bible Say?
The Bible teaches that
believers in Christ are saved, not because of good works, good
intentions, religious experiences, or religious rituals “not even
because of what the Holy Spirit has done in their hearts “but
solely and only because of what Christ did 2,000 years ago when he
carried out the plan of God in salvation. Jesus Christ lived a
perfect and sinless life, thus fulfilling the demands of God's law
for his people. He died a substitutionary death, taking the
punishment that his people deserve for their sins. He came to life
again the third day, proving that God was satisfied with his perfect
life and sacrifice.
