The religion of Jesus is entirely different from the religion of the Roman Catholic Church. They hold to different gospels. They are two different religions. Practitioners of those religions have two different eternal fates.
Dr. John MacArthur gave a good effort at presenting the Gospel authentically and accurately to Ben Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, on Shapiro’s program several weeks ago. David Limbaugh, another evangelical, gave a perspective on Christianity that was not much different than MacArthur’s just a week later.
However, this week Shaprio invited Bishop Robert Barron, a Papist, to talk religion. What Barron demonstrates is that Catholicism is not a different spin on Christianity. It is a different religion from Christianity altogether.
There are five big differences between John MacArthur’s gospel presentation on Shapiro’s program and Robert Barron’s. These differences make the distinction between true and false religion.
5. JMac wanted Shapiro to read the Bible, but the Papist discouraged him from doing so and called it “irresponsible.”
MacArthur wanted Shapiro to read the Scripture and find Jesus in the pages of the Old Testament, perhaps to be quickened by the Holy Spirit.
The Papist, on the other hand, discouraged Shapiro from reading the Bible, claiming that it would be “borderline irresponsible.” You can listen to that at about the 1.30 mark.
4. JMac wanted Shapiro to embrace Christ and believe the Gospel, but the Papist didn’t think belief was necessary.
John MacArthur was very clear that only by belief in Jesus could anyone be saved from their sins. The Papist couldn’t have taught more oppositely.
At the 1.20 mark of this video, the Papist teaches that even atheists can be saved if they have “good will.”
3. JMac taught salvation was only by Jesus, but the Papist taught that salvation could be had by good works.
Barron very clearly said that Shapiro could be saved by Christ “indirectly received” by following their conscience or by following the laws of Moses. Watch this clip, beginning at the .06 mark.
2. JMac taught that Christianity was faith-based, and the Papist taught that his religion, like Judaism, is works-based.
You can listen to this clip (above)beginning at the 1.46 mark. You’ll hear Shapiro ask the Papist if Christianity is faith based, or like Judaism, works-based. The Papist argues that Christianity is not faith-based, but “love based.” Then he goes on to explain that “works of love” are necessary for salvation.
1. JMac taught that salvation was by grace, but the Papist taught that salvation was by grace first, but grace plus merit.
The Papist taught at the 2.33 minute mark that grace must be “cooperated with” and that Luther’s error was teaching Sola Gratia, or grace alone. Luther should have taught, so says the Papist, “Grace First,” not “Grace Alone.”
What stands out, when you compare the two, is that the Papist, Robert Barron’s faith, is actually much closer to Ben Shapiro’s Judaism than it is to MacArthur’s Christianity.
