Rachel Evans
Roman Catholics have a unique perspective on Christianity, and witnessing to them can be challenging. Many Catholics are born into their religion and have never scrutinized their beliefs through a scriptural lens. They are taught that salvation is attained through the church and its sacraments, rituals, and good works. To witness effectively, it is crucial to engage in patient, gentle, and non-condemning dialogue, focusing on the simplicity of the gospel and allowing Catholics to recognize the inconsistencies between their faith and the Bible. The key is to guide them to Christ as their all-sufficient Savior, helping them see that salvation comes through Christ alone, not any religious works or rituals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Approach | Simplicity of the gospel |
| Tone | Compassionate, not antagonistic |
| Role | Guided by the Holy Spirit |
| Scripture | Establish scripture as the supreme authority for truth |
| Salvation | Through Christ, not the Catholic Church |
| Gospel | Avoid tangents unrelated to salvation |
| Witness | Pray for their salvation |
| Belief | Show that no man or pope is infallible |
| Religion | Avoid attacking the Catholic Church |
| Reading | Invite them to read, not study, the Bible |
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What You'll Learn
- The simplicity of the gospel is what will appeal to Catholics
- Be compassionate, not antagonistic, and let the Holy Spirit guide you
- Avoid attacking the Catholic Church or suggesting your church is the true church
- Explain the need to repent from what they have been taught to do to save themselves
- Evangelise with the true Gospel of grace
The simplicity of the gospel is what will appeal to Catholics
Many of the 70 million Catholics in America were born into their religion and have never examined their faith through the lens of Scripture. From infancy, they are taught that salvation comes through their church as they merit saving grace through the sacraments and perform religious rituals and good works to be justified and re-justified. The Catholic Church insulates people from God, who can only be approached through priests and saints, and then only with the proper prayers, penance, and piety.
The Bible teaches us "the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3, NASB). Jesus extends the invitation to all: "Let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17). "Whoever has the Son has life" (1 John 5:12). Such simplicity will appeal to those laboring under a merit-based system of religious works. The idea is to "draw him out" and cause him to ask questions about his own faith.
When witnessing to Catholics, it is important to be compassionate, not antagonistic, and to let the Holy Spirit guide us. We must be "in the Word and prayed up." Our prayer should be: "Lord, You know the heart and the motives of this person. Give me the words she needs to hear." We must persevere with patience to untangle the sticky web of religious indoctrination that holds Catholics captive. We must follow the instructions of Paul and "not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, and correcting opponents with gentleness" (2 Tim. 2:24-26).
If you can create a dialogue with a Catholic, then your first invitation should be to read the Bible with you. Catholics rarely "study" religion except in school and feel that non-clergy persons are not qualified to teach them about religion. If you "read" together, it is a shared experience by equals, and the questions and answers that come from such activity are a dialogue rather than a teaching/learning experience. As they read the Word, they will be convicted by it.
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Be compassionate, not antagonistic, and let the Holy Spirit guide you
When witnessing to Catholics, it is important to be compassionate and not antagonistic. This means avoiding condemning what they believe and instead, answering their questions from the Bible. It is important to remember that Catholics see themselves as the only true church and have the statistics to prove it. Therefore, any discussion that begins by attacking this position will be dismissed. Instead, it is suggested that you invite them to read the Bible with you to create a dialogue and allow them to see the inconsistencies between the Bible and their religion. This will allow the Holy Spirit to guide them towards the truth.
The Holy Spirit is described as a "Comforter", "Counselor", "Helper", and "Advocate". He represents Jesus and makes His teachings clear, just as Jesus represented the Father and made His teachings clear. The Holy Spirit will guide individuals into spiritual truth and will testify or witness concerning Jesus. He will also remind individuals of what Jesus taught.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus said that the power of the Holy Spirit is for us to be witnesses for Him everywhere we go. God's power is bestowed upon us for a divine purpose. We can ask the Holy Spirit to prepare individuals to receive Christ as Savior and to lead us to these individuals at the proper time. As we witness, it is the Holy Spirit who penetrates the mind of the other person, revealing spiritual truth.
It is important to be led by the Spirit and to invite Him to control and empower us to lead a holy life and be a fruitful witness by faith. This can be done by studying and meditating on God's Word so that the Holy Spirit has something to work with in our hearts. By obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can witness "in the Spirit" and be used by God to speak to others on His behalf.
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Avoid attacking the Catholic Church or suggesting your church is the true church
When witnessing to Catholics, it is important to avoid attacking the Catholic Church or suggesting that your church is the true church. This is because Catholics view themselves as the only true church and will dismiss any suggestion that another church is superior. Instead, focus on establishing a dialogue and let them discover the truth for themselves through reading and discussing the Bible.
The Catholic Church teaches that salvation comes through their church and that grace is obtained through sacraments, religious rituals, and good works. This is a merit-based system that can be contrasted with the simplicity of the gospel, which extends an invitation to all. By reading the Bible together, Catholics may see the inconsistencies between their religion and the Bible, and be convicted by the Word.
It is important to be compassionate and gentle, and to let the Holy Spirit guide you. Pray for God to grant them repentance and a knowledge of the truth, and follow the example of Paul, who taught with kindness and patience.
Rather than attacking the Catholic Church, focus on proclaiming Jesus and His Word as the most trustworthy source of truth. Show that no man or pope is infallible and warn of the danger of following non-apostolic traditions. Explain the need to repent and believe the Gospel, staying focused on the message of salvation through Christ alone.
Remember that witnessing to Catholics is a gradual process that requires patience and perseverance. By avoiding attacks on the Catholic Church and emphasizing the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, you can effectively witness to Catholics and help them see the truth of the gospel.
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Explain the need to repent from what they have been taught to do to save themselves
Many of the 70 million Catholics in America were born into their religion and have never examined their faith through the lens of Scripture. From infancy, they are taught that salvation comes through their church and that they merit saving grace through the sacraments, religious rituals, and good works. This is why Catholics need to be evangelized with the true Gospel of grace.
The Bible teaches us "the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3, NASB). Jesus extends the invitation to all: "Let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17). "Whoever has the Son has life" (1 John 5:12). Such simplicity appeals to those laboring under a merit-based system of religious works.
The key to witnessing to Catholics is the simplicity of the gospel. In many ways, the Catholic Church insulates people from God, who can only be approached through priests and saints and then only with the proper prayers, penance, and piety. Reaching the heart of a Catholic is a gradual process. The idea is to "draw him out" and cause him to ask questions about his own faith.
To witness to Catholics effectively, we must persevere with patience to untangle the sticky web of religious indoctrination that holds them captive (Col. 2:8). We must follow Paul's instructions to "not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, and correcting opponents with gentleness" (2 Tim. 2:24). We must pray for God to "grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:25-26), that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, who holds them captive to do his will.
It is important to remember that Catholics have to be spiritually thirsty in order to search for valid answers. When their questions arise, we want to be in a position to answer them from the Bible. We must be compassionate, not antagonistic, and we must let the Holy Spirit guide us.
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Evangelise with the true Gospel of grace
Many of the 70 million Catholics in America were born into their religion and have never examined their faith through the lens of Scripture. From infancy, they are taught that salvation comes through their church and that they merit saving grace through the sacraments, religious rituals, and good works. This is why Catholics need to be evangelized with the true Gospel of grace.
The key to witnessing to Catholics is the simplicity of the gospel. The Catholic Church often insulates people from God, who can only be approached through priests and saints and only with the proper prayers, penance, and piety. The Bible, however, teaches us "the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3, NASB). Jesus extends the invitation to all: "Let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17). "Whoever has the Son has life" (1 John 5:12). Such simplicity will appeal to those laboring under a merit-based system of religious works.
It is important to remember that reaching the heart of a Catholic is a gradual process. The armor he wears must be chinked, piece by piece, as doubts arise in his mind about what he has been taught. The idea is to "draw him out" and cause him to ask questions about his own faith. We must persevere with patience to untangle the sticky web of religious indoctrination that holds them captive (Col. 2:8). We must follow the instructions of Paul and "not be quarrelsome but be kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, and correcting opponents with gentleness" (2 Tim. 2:24).
When witnessing to Catholics, it is important to establish Scripture as the supreme authority for truth (2 Tim. 3:15-17) and proclaim the Lord Jesus as the all-sufficient Savior (Heb. 7:25; Acts 4:12). Proclaim Jesus and His Word as the most trustworthy source for truth (John 14:6; 17:17; 18:37). Show that no man or pope is infallible. Peter, who Catholics believe was their first pope, admitted he was wrong (Gal. 2:11-14). Warn of the danger of following non-apostolic traditions (Mark 7:7-8, 13; Col. 2:8). Explain the need to repent from what they have been doing to save themselves, including the sacraments, the sacrifice of the mass, purgatory, indulgences, other mediators, good works, and infant baptism. These nullify God's grace and deny the finished and all-sufficient work of Christ. Stay focused on the Gospel, avoiding going off on tangents that are unrelated to salvation (1 Cor. 2:2).
If, through careful conversation, you can explain the differences between Roman Catholics and the church of Christ and create a dialogue with a Catholic person, then your first invitation should be to read the Bible with you. If you invite them to a worship service, they will usually decline because it is considered sinful. If they accept and go, they are usually very confused and threatened because the service is very inclusive and confrontational. A better "first" step is to ask them to "read," not "study," the Bible. "Study" implies work and a teacher-student dynamic, which puts Catholics at a disadvantage. Catholics rarely "study" religion except in school and feel that non-clergy persons are not qualified to teach them about religion. If you "read" together, it is a shared experience between equals, and the questions and answers that come from such activity are a dialogue rather than a teaching/learning experience.
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Frequently asked questions
The simplicity of the gospel is what will appeal to Catholics. The Catholic Church teaches that God can only be approached through priests and saints, with the proper prayers, penance, and piety. However, the Bible teaches the "simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3, NASB). It is important to be compassionate and non-antagonistic, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the conversation.
A good first step is to invite them to read the Bible with you. Catholics rarely "study" religion outside of school and believe that non-clergy persons are not qualified to teach them about religion. Reading the Bible together as equals can create a dialogue and help them see the differences between their beliefs and the Bible.
It is important to establish Scripture as the supreme authority for truth (2 Tim. 3:15-17) and proclaim the Lord Jesus as the all-sufficient Savior (Heb. 7:25; Acts 4:12). Show that no man or pope is infallible (Gal. 2:11-14) and warn of the danger of following non-apostolic traditions (Mark 7:7-8, 13; Col. 2:8).
