The statement "If you get Jesus RIGHT, it doesn’t matter what you get right!" is from someone involved in a large Protestant ministry that has a large TV presence who is "NOT" a fan of Catholic beliefs nor is the ministry founder or the founder's wife. However, his statement is one thing that I can agree with him on because Jesus is the foundation and center of it all.
This ministry, like many Protestant ministries, doesn't seem to understand that the SAME JESUS CHRIST is the center of Catholicism. Yes, Catholicism has Jesus right. If someone doesn't believe that, they don't know Catholicism whether they are currently Catholic, formerly Catholic or non-Catholic. The same Jesus Christ at the center of Protestantism is the same Jesus Christ at the center of Catholicism. However, the guy that said that must think "Even if you get Jesus RIGHT, you can still be wrong in his eyes." So which is it? Whether I get Jesus WRONG or Jesus RIGHT, I'm still wrong?
I believe this individual and the ministry he is associated with, no matter how many millions they reach, do NOT truly understand Catholicism no matter how loving they say their approach is meant to be. They rely on their own private interpretation of scripture which is a key problem with Protestantism. There is actually is an authority grater than private interpretation: The Teaching Authority of the Church.
This is from the founder of this popular ministry: "I am convinced that many, many Catholics have been truly born again. Naturally, they will make heaven their eternal home, just as born-again Protestants will. However, for every one who is saved, scores of others are trusting in a false sense of salvation, which will, sad to say, cause them to be eternally lost." Maybe I'm taking this out of context, but it sounds like for every 1 Catholic that is saved that there are far more ( scores ) that will be lost.
The last part of what he is saying could be applied to many church going, professing Christians in name only, because it goes back to getting Jesus right. To be fair, the founder said Catholics and Protestants agree on these two things "(1) The Bible is truly God’s Word—His written revelation to man, and (2) the Bible is inspired and inerrant." But he goes on to point out tradition ( FYI, protestants have traditions. ) and that's why Catholics in essence get it wrong. However, he obviously doesn't truly understand "Sacred Tradition" the way the Catholic Church actually teaches it as being is in line with the Bible. I have links to more details on "Sacred Tradition" at the end of this post.
Both the man who quoted the title of this post and the founder of the ministry, with their own private interpretation of scripture, believe at the end of the day that Catholics have much (most) of it all wrong. That's their personal opinion that they try to back up with scripture through their own private interpretation and traditions ( Protestants often forget that they have rituals and traditions. ). But I do believe they have good intentions in their own minds and I'm not condemning them to hell because of it. I think their ministry has brought a lot of people to Christ and for that, I'm grateful.
I know that I know that I know that I've got Jesus right.
Although it's time for all Christians to stop finger pointing and start spending more time winning the lost for Jesus, I don't see the finger pointing stopping anytime soon. All Christians holding hands and singing Kumbaya will take a massive moving of the Holy Spirit. I don't want to point fingers, but I will defend my faith when it is attacked. Sadly, I will likely spend more time writing in defense of Catholicism in my articles on this site than I should. However, I'm not going to spend my time pointing out why I think "Mormons" and "Jehovah's Witness" are wrong. I don't plan to spend my time bringing the fight. I truly hope that I can spend a lot of my time sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and the true position of the Catholic Church.
I feel obligated to speak up when people are talking out of both sides of their mouth. Say what you mean, mean what you say and stand behind it "if" you truly believe what you say.
If the man that said "If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn’t matter what you get right!" actually believes what he says, he should leave Catholics alone because any faithful practicing Catholic knows who Jesus is and gets Jesus right. He is the same Jesus, 100% the same Jesus, that this protestant man believes he is.
Let me re-phrase what this man wrote from my personal perspective, "If I get Jesus RIGHT ( which I do ), who are you to say what else I get wrong based on your personal interpretation of scripture?" All you need is the word of God to figure it all out doesn't work or there would not be so much confusion within Protestantism. The word of God with ones own private interpretation of scripture is dangerous. The dangerous part is the private interpretation not the inspired word of God.
My journey in the Catholic Church has pointed me to Jesus so much so that most anti-Catholics and non-Catholics would likely have a hard time believing it if they gave me time to share it all. The center of the Catholic Church is JESUS CHRIST. Period. End of Discussion. No, it's not Mary and the saints, but they have their place. It truly is JESUS CHRIST at the core. Unlike "Mormons" and "Jehovah's Witness" who have a different view of Jesus ( dig deep to find it if it's not apparent on the surface ), Catholic Christians believe in the same Jesus as Protestant Christians.
Any faithful Catholic believes in Christ as stated in the creed that is verbally spoken at every Sunday Mass: "I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end." Provided these same Catholics believe that they are saying, have confessed their sins, have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and Christ is at the center of it all, what's the issue? Who are you to say that SCORES WILL BE LOST because of your interpretation of a false sense of salvation? You must not know your Bible or Catholics as well as you think you do. Yes, if you bring the fight, I will defend my faith.
The simple version of Catholic teachings on salvation are that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ by repentance and baptism. That only JESUS saves. No, it's not Mary or the Saints that save us. It's JESUS ONLY. Catholics believe in the SAME Jesus Protestants believe in. Is that point clear yet?
On a deeper level, we should live out our faith, live the teachings of the Catholic Church (Biblical Foundation), receive the Eucharist and more. But a sinner dying on the side of the road who has never known Jesus can repent, have faith in Christ and go to heaven for eternity. Although there are ordinary biblical foundations established in the Catholic Church, there is also a simplified means of salvation in this example of dying on the side of the road which by the way was one of my hang ups on my Catholic journey.
I actually used this example to try to understand what I thought was a complicated Catholic view of salvation. I wanted to know if the Catholic view taught that this person on the side of the road dying could sincerely accept Jesus with his or her last breath and make it to heaven. I also heard Steve Ray talk about it in one of his videos when he addressed what many think is a complicated Catholic view of Salvation ( not sure which one - maybe this one ).
So to reel this all back in .... "If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn’t matter what you get right!" and I say back to you my brother in Christ ... "If I get Jesus RIGHT ( which I do ), who are you to say what else I get wrong based on your personal interpretation of scripture?"
Why do you talk out of both sides of your mouth and attack my Catholic faith? Say what you mean, mean what you say and stand behind it "if" you truly believe what you say. No double talk allowed.
I get Jesus right! Do you?
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Sacred Tradition is too deep to get into on this post, so I'll share links to several articles: Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture Depends on Sacred Tradition and Explaining Tradition and Apostolic Tradition.
