Free World Religions in a Nutshell by Ray Comfort

works”:
     
    “ We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere ‘to the end’ and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God’s eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ.” (Catechism, par. 1821)
     
    “ Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life. ” (Catechism, par. 2027)
     
    The Vatican teaches that salvation comes only through the Roman Catholic church, and (because it’s works-based), salvation can be lost through sin and is never assured in this life. They believe that the first step in salvation is to be baptized. Tragically, the Roman Catholic church maintains that in baptism (sprinkling) the new birth takes place. Jesus said that each one of us must be born again or we will not enter Heaven (John 3:1–7), but Scripture teaches only what is commonly called “believer’s baptism,” which occurs after a sinner repents and trusts in Jesus Christ. Because a baby cannot repent of sins committed, he is not saved by baptism—and therefore is not born again.
     
    In Catholicism, baptism erases sins up to that point and merely begins the process of salvation, a process that continues throughout life as one participates in the sacraments. The sacrament of penance is required to receive forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. Acts of penance vary but include prayer, saying the rosary, reading Scripture, saying a number of “Our Father” or “Hail Mary” prayers, doing good works, and fasting. In Catholic teaching, the sacraments “are necessary for salvation because they confer sacramental grace, forgiveness of sins, adoption as children of God, conformation to Christ the Lord and membership in the Church. The Holy Spirit heals and transforms those who receive the sacraments.” 18 God’s “grace” that is conferred simply enables believers to perform works that earn them the right to Heaven.
     
    Because salvation does not depend on a person’s repentance and faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, according to the Catholic church even those who have never heard of Jesus can be saved—even if they follow another religion:
     
    “… thanks to Christ and to his Church, those who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ and his Church but sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, try to do his will as it is known through the dictates of conscience can attain eternal salvation.” 19
     
    Again, the Bible is clear that forgiveness of sins does not depend on our own efforts, but only on what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross. Yet, like the Catholic church, much of the traditional Protestant church has moved away from the great truth upon which it was once founded. So my purpose isn’t necessarily to say that one side is right and the other is wrong. It is simply to say that the gospel is good news for both Catholic and Protestant—eternal life is freely available to all who do what the Scriptures command.
     
    Roman Catholic Beliefs
     
    In rejecting Scripture as the sole source of doctrine, the Roman Catholic church has justified several extrabiblical, and unbiblical, teachings. Some of these are discussed below.
     
    Transubstantiation: Transubstantiation is the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist wafer turning into the literal body and blood of Jesus during Mass. The Catechism even specifies when Christ comes into the Eucharist and how long He stays:
     
    “ The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.” (par. 1377)
     
    This belief is based on the passage where Jesus said,