EXAMPLES OF BIBLE VERSES USED TO CHALLENGE CATHOLICS

1. 1 Timothy 2:5 (Asking for Mary’s intercession)
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Cor 3:9: “For we are God’s fellow workers ... .” NAB: “co-workers” NIV: “co-workers in God’s service” KJV: “labourers together with God.” “Co-“ here means “with.”
 1 Tim 2:1-3: “intercessions be made for all men”. Our Blessed Mother intercedes for us, mediates “with,” but is in no way “equal to”, Christ. Mary can be a “co”-mediator just like we can be God’s “co”-workers.
 “The saints in heaven mediate the praises and petitions of the saints on earth (Rev 8:3). The rising smoke of incense is a visible sign of prayers ascending to God (Ps 141:2).” ICSB, Revelation 5:8. See also ICSB, Revelation 8:3.

2. Matthew 23:9 (Referring to Priests as “Father”)
And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 1 Cor 4:15: “For I [Paul] became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (same with NIV, The Message Bible, KJV: “ I have begotten you through the gospel”; see also Philemon 10
 Mt 23:9 is a warning against seeking honorific titles

3. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (The Bible Alone)
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. St. Paul makes the authority of sacred “tradition” very clear: See 1 Cor 11:2 (“Maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.”); 2 Thess 2:15 (“stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.”; 2 Thess 3:6 (“… not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”).
 While the Bible may arguably be sufficient, that does not mean nothing more has been GIVEN!

4. Matthew 15:3, 6 (Authority of Tradition)
He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. Only tradition from Christ and Apostles has DIVINE authority. See 1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15 & 2 Thess 3:6, above, regarding authority of “tradition” in the Letters of St. Paul. Same with NIV, The Message Bible, & NKJV. NLT: uses “teachings” (distinction without a difference?). KJV: “ordinances”? laws?
 The Church also rejects “human” traditions which negate the Word of God.

5. Romans 3:28 (Justification)
For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law. “works of the law” is used eight (8) times in the NT by St. Paul , especially Romans & Galatians. Not referring to the 10 commandments and the sacraments and commandments of Jesus.
 The phrase can also be translated “works of the Torah” and this is confirmed by the writings of the 1st Century Qumran Community discussed in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Refers to the Temple ceremonies and rituals as distinct from the 10 commandments and the moral law.
 This does not mean “good works” which are required in the Letter of St. James:
o “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? … So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. … You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. … For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:14, 17, 24, & 26.
o NIV: replaces “works” with “deeds.” NLT: mostly uses “good deeds”. KJV & NKJV: “works”
 Paul in Romans 3:28 is addressing issues related to “conversion”; our initial “justification” in Christ, through “faith.” “James is not contradicting this teaching. James is discussing the ongoing justification of believers who put their faith into action and strive to live the gospel in practical and charitable ways.” ICSB, Essay: “Faith and Works,” p. 443. “James is correcting those who took Paul out of context and minimized the importance of works as a proper and necessary expression of faith in the Christian life.” Id.
 We know that Paul was not rejecting but endorsing the rituals of the New Covenant as in Romans he then goes on to discuss Baptism.

6. John 3:3 (Have you been “born again?” Have you “accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior?”)
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This translation “born again” is derived from the Greek term “anothen” (ah-no-then), which can also be translated “born from above”, which is the NAB translation.
 What is being talked about is “baptism.” The discussion is sandwiched by talks about baptism. John 3 is talking about Baptism, not “choosing Jesus as personal Savior and Lord”, which is a phrase not found anywhere. Look at John 3:22. After the discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus and the Disciples went into Judea “and baptized.” John 4:1, more baptizing.

7. Hebrews 7:27 (Christ’s “once and for all” sacrifice)
He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. See also Heb 9:12: “… he entered once for all into the Holy Place …”; 9:25: Jesus did not die for us to “… suffer repeatedly …”.
 The Catholic Church holds that Jesus’ sacrifice is “re-presented” at every Mass. He is not “re-sacrificed.”

8. Matthew 18:15-20 (Jesus is where two or more gather in His name)If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. “tell it to the church”? What church? “THE” church.
 Does not undermine the Church, it presupposes that there is a visible Church for us to refer the dissenter.

9. Matthew 12:48-49 (Jesus’ “brethren”)But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brethren! The NT often mentions Jesus’ “brethren” (Mt 13:55; Mk 3:31, 6:3; Lk 8:19; Jn 2:12, 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal 1:19). The Church maintains, however, that Jesus’ Mother, Mary remained a virgin throughout her life. These so-called brethren of Jesus are thus his relatives but not children of Mary. Four observations support the Church’s tradition:
o The brethren are never called the children of Mary, although Jesus himself is (Jn 2:1, 19:15; Acts 1:14).
o Two names mentioned, James and Joseph, are sons of a different “Mary” in Mt 27:56 (Mk 15:40).
o It is unlikely that Jesus would entrust his Mother to the Apostle John at the Crucifixion if she had other natural sons to care for her (Jn 19:26-27).
o The word “brethren” (Gk. adelphoi) has a broader meaning than blood brothers. Since ancient Hebrew had no word for “cousin”, it was customary to use “brethren” in the Bible for relationships other than blood brothers. This usage is found throughout the Greek OT as well (1 Chron 23:21-22; Deut 23:7; 2 Kings 10:13-14; Gen 13:8; 2 Sam 1:26; cf. 1 Sam 18:3).

10. Exodus 20:4 (Catholic “graven images”)
You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Until Jesus came, we didn’t know what God looks like. Now we do. The same with the Mother of God.
 In the Old Covenant Saints were not glorified. In the New Covenant they are.
 What about pictures of Jesus in Sunday School classes and in all picture Bibles?