I. ROMAN CATHOLICS.
1. Very few Roman Catholics have assurance of
salvation, indeed very few understand that it is
our privilege to know that we have forgiveness of
sins and eternal life. A good way then to deal
with a Roman Catholic is to ask him if he knows
that his sins are forgiven. Very likely he will
say that he does not, and that no one else knows
it either. Then you can show him that it is the
believer's privilege to know that he has
forgiveness of sins. For this purpose use Acts
13:39, "By him all that believe ARE JUSTIFIED,"
etc. and Ephesians 1:7:
"In whom WE HAVE redemption through his blood, THE
FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the riches of
his grace." Ephesians 1:7.
In a similar way, you can show him that it is our
privilege to know that we have eternal life. For
this purpose use 1_John 5:13. Oftentimes when he
is brought to see that it is our privilege to know
that we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life,
he will desire to know it too, and will begin to
see that we have something that he does not
possess. There is one point at which we always
have the advantage in dealing with a Roman
Catholic, namely, there are a peace and a power in
CHristianity as we know it, that there is not in
Christianity as he knows it, and he can be made to
appreciate the difference.
2. Another good way to deal with a Roman Catholic
is to show him the necessity of the new birth, and
what the new birth is. When the one with whom you
are dealing tells you that he is a Roman Catholic,
it is well to ask him if he has been born again.
Very likely he will say that he does not know what
that means {139} (though oftentimes Roman
Catholics do talk about the new birth). Show him
John 3:3-5,7, and emphasize what Jesus says, that
we must be born again. If he asks what the new
birth is, show him the following passages:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new." 2_Corinthians 5:17.
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be
PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust."
2_Peter 1:4.
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye
shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from
all your idols, will I cleanse you. A NEW HEART
ALSO WILL i GIVE YOU, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away the stony heart
out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of
flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall
keep my judgments, and do them." Ezekiel 36:25-27.
Many Roman Catholics understand the new birth to
mean baptism, and oftentimes if you ask a Roman
Catholic if he has been born again, he will say
"Yes," and if you ask him when, he will tell you
at his baptism. It will then be necessary to show
him that baptism is not the new birth. For this
purpose use 1_Corinthians 4:15:
"For though ye have ten thousand instructors in
Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in
Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the
gospel."
Here Paul tells the believers in Corinth that in
Christ Jesus he had begotten them through the
Gospel. If the new birth meant baptism, he must
have baptized them, but in 1_Corinthians 1;14 he
declares he had not baptized them.
Or you can say, "No, baptism is not the new birth,
for I can show you a person who we are told was
baptized, and yet St. Peter told him he had not
been born again." Then turn to Acts 8:13:
"Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was
baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered,
beholding the miracles and signs which were done."
When you have made it clear that Simon had been
baptized, turn to Peter's statement in the 21st to
the 23rd verses, to show that he had not been born
again. It is well to go a step further and show
the inquirer what the Biblical evidences of the
new birth are. For this purpose use the following
passages:
"If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that
every one that doeth righteousness is born of
him." 1_John 2:29. {140}
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for
his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God. ...
"We know that we have passed from death unto life,
because we love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abideth in death. ...
"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God
in him?" 1_John 3:9,14,17.
If the inquirer is sufficiently interested, he
will now want to know how to be born again. This
question is answered in:
"But AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name." John 1:12.
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, BY THE WORD OF GOD, which liveth
and abideth forever." 1_Peter 1:23.
"Of his own will begat he us WITH THE WORD OF
TRUTH, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of
his creatures." James 1:18.
3. A third way of dealing with a Roman Catholic is
to use Acts 3:19.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord."
This shows the necessity of repentance and
conversion in order that our sins may be blotted
out. What repentance is will be shown by Isaiah
55:7 and Jonah 3:10:
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return
unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
"And God saw their works, that they turned from
their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that
he had said that he would do unto them; and he did
it not."
In a similar way Acts 16:31 can be used to show
that the way to be saved is by simply believing on
the Lord Jesus Christ; then to show what it is to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ use John 1:12 and
2_Timothy 1:12.
4. Another good text to use in dealing with Roman
Catholics, and one which comes right at the heart
of their difficulties, is 1_Timothy 2:5:
"For there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN
GOD AND MEN, the man Christ Jesus." {141}
The Roman Catholic, if he is a true Roman
Catholic, is always seeking some mediator besides
Jesus Christ, and this verse declares expressly
that there is but "one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus," and not the priests or
saints or the Virgin Mary or anyone else.
Sometimes it is well to follow this up with
1_Timothy 4:1-3, but it is not well as a rule to
use this passage until one has made some headway.
It is also well to show the advantage of Bible
study, for as a rule the Roman Catholic does not
study the Bible at all, and in many cases is
practically forbidden by the priest to study it.
For this purpose use John 5:39; 1_Peter 2:1-2;
2_Timothy 3:13-17; James 1:21-22; Psalm 1:1-2;
Joshua 1:8; Mark 7:7-8,13; Matthew 22:29. These
texts, except the one in 1_Peter 2:1-2 are all
practically the same in the Douay or Roman
Catholic Bible as they are in the several
Protestant translations.
5. Still another way to deal with these people is
to use the same method that you would with any
sinner who does not realize his need of a Savior,
and has no real concern about his salvation (see
Chapters Six and Seven), that is to awaken a sense
that he is a sinner and needs Christ. This as a
rule is the best way if you can get the Roman
Catholic to listen to you.
However, many people think there is no use talking
with Roman Catholics, that they cannot be brought
to Christ. This is a great mistake. Many of them
are longing for something they do not find in the
Roman Catholic Church, and if you can show them
from the Word of God how to find it, they come
very easily, and make some of the best Christians.
Always be sure of one thing, do not attack the
Roman Catholic Church. This only awakens their
prejudice and puts them in a bad position to be
helped. Simply give them the truth, and the errors
in time will take care of themselves. Not
infrequently our attacks upon the Roman Catholic
Church only expose our ignorance for oftentimes
they do not believe just what we suppose they do.
It is frequently desirable to use a Roman Catholic
Bible in dealing with a Roman Catholic. Of course
if one is going to do that, he should study up the
texts beforehand in that version. Very many of the
texts are for all practical purposes the same in
the Roman Catholic version of the {142} Bible as
our own. One of the chief differences is that they
translate "repent," "do penance."
II. JEWS.
A great many Jews today are inquiring into the
claims of Jesus the Nazarene, and are open to
approach upon this subject. The best way to deal
with a Jew is to show him that his own Bible
points to Jesus Christ. Among the most useful
passages for this purpose are:
Isaiah 53, the entire chapter.
"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of
the prince that shall come shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be
with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined." Daniel 9;26.
"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE DELUDED
By R.A. Torrey