Walking With Jesus as a Former Catholic

We have free-floating guilt, can identify the Ave Maria within thre notes, and likely have rosary beads somewhere in the attic. We also own at least one study Bible, listen to sermons in the car, and know that a ‘quiet time’ is different from a nap. We are followers of Christ who grew up Roman Catholic and are now Evangelical Protestants.”

That’s how Chris Castaldo begins his helpful, irenic, and humorous book, Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic. Chris was raised in an Italian, Roman Catholic family on Long Island, eventually graduated from Moody and Gordon-Conwell, and now serves as Pastor of Outreach and Church Planting at College Church in Wheaton. Talk about quite a journey. All roads lead to Wheaton I suppose.

Chris (I’m going to call him Chris since I’ve know him since seminary days) has written an extremely useful and needed book. Let’s be clear: this is not a book on what Catholics believe (though there is some of that); it’s not a polemic about why evangelicals are right and Catholics are wrong (though there’s no doubt who Chris thinks is right); it’s not a book about whether Evangelicals and Catholics Together has been a good idea (though that would be interesting). This is a book for ex-Catholics and for anyone with Catholic friends and family. It’s a look at why Catholics turn evangelicals and how Catholics-turned-evangelical can relate to the Catholics in their lives.

In Part 1, Chris explains–through surveys, interviews, and theological reflection–why some Catholics become evangelical. First, ex-Catholics appreciate an every-member ministry where all Christians are called to full-time service. Second, ex-Catholics are drawn to a personal relationship with Jesus that is more than just rule-keeping. Third, ex-Catholic evangelicals enjoy the direct access they have to God through Christ, without the need of any other intermediary. Fourth, ex-Catholics have come to see that only proper object of our devotion is Jesus Christ, not Mary or the saints. Fifth, ex-Catholic feel new freedom and joy in the salvation-by-grace-alone-through-faith-alone gospel that is championed in evangelical circles.

Underlying all of these differences between Catholics and evangelicals, Chris argues, is the issue of authority. Is Scripture our final authority or should we also put councils and encyclicals on equal footing with the Bible? With the possible exception of justification, there is no other issue that does more to separate Catholics and evangelicals more than this issue of authority.

In Part 2, Chris turns from analysis to praxis as he offers advice on how we can relate to Catholics. Because Chris can speak with an insider’s knowledge, I found it especially interesting to read his chapter on how Catholics view evangelicals. He explains that Catholics often think we are superficial, too chummy with God, hopelessly splintered, and only interested in “fire insurance.” In my experience all of these can be valid critiques of evangelicals, especially the first two. (I think “fire insurance” is pretty important, and I don’t for one minute think the Roman Catholic church is any less splintered over doctrinal and ethical issues than the Protestant church. The Catholics have more institutional unity on the face of it, but they have just as much dissension inside, not too mention plenty of people that flat-out ignore what the institution says.)

If I have a quibble with Holy Ground it would be that in one or two places I found myself wanting Chris to be just a little less accommodating and do just a little more to show how far apart Catholics and evangelicals are on some issues. But this does not detract from the overall value of the work. I have already recommended it to ex-Catholics and will again. The best part about this book is that it handles a controversial subject in way that manages to be both light and serious at the same time. This book is funny, smart, well-written, and full of grace and truth, with a healthy dose of common sense to boot. There really isn’t another book quite like it.

Holy Ground is the sort of book ex-Catholics will love to read and the sort of book they wouldn’t be embarrased to give to a Catholic friend. Chris is always respectful about his past, even as explains why he had to leave it. Many people will see their journey in this book. The rest of us will be helped to listen in on the story.

Salvation is not a single event that takes place once in time, and then is assured ever after. The bible says that we must believe to be saved, but it does not say that salvation is now guaranteed.

Sure it is. Salvation is a done deal when a person is born again.

Growing into Christlikeness, aka sanctification, is a life long process. But even with all the set backs that each and every one of us have, our salvation is not "lost" or forfeited. God doesn't disown His children every time they stumble and sin.

John 1:10-13 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Acts 16:27-31 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Romans 3:20-30 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Romans 4:1-25 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Romans 10:9-13 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Galatians 2:15-21 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 3:1-29 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Ephesians 2:1-10And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

You wrote....”This man clearly never knew or bothered to properly understand his Catholicism”....

As I have seen it for catholics it’s all about understanding their catholicism and practicing rituals far and above understanding the gospel message, which unfortunately is often simply used to support these practices and rituals that in turn often give a false sense of salvation where there is none...

.....Furthermore in attempting to understand their catholicism, rather than the Gospel and Jesus and encouraging study in Gods Word, vast amounts of authors and writers and catholic history is held and promoted in much higher regard then Jesus, His Word and the Gospel Message which can and does assure one of Salvation.

Therefore the ‘relationship” you spoke of is rare to go any further than rituals, church membership, and practices as the means of and assurances of ones standing in the church rather than in Jesus Christ.

That is another reason why cathoics have no assurances of salvation..and ‘refuse to believe’ even possible it can and is just as Jesus said....

...”These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,... ‘so that you may know’ that you have eternal life. This is the ‘CONFIDENCE’ which we have before Him...”.......I John 5

You writing and I quote.... “Salvation is not a single event that takes place ‘once in time’, and then is assured ever after. The bible says that we must believe to be saved, but it does not say that salvation is now guaranteed.”.....evidences clearly this assurance has escaped you.....but then you contradict yourself by saying....and I again quote....”ONLY souls in a state of grace will get to heaven.”

Jesus says otherwise.....that his life, death and resurrection assures us of what He himself has promised when He says in John 10...”I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

and further....John 11:25-26 tells us Jesus said.... “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

and additionally Galatians 2:20 assures us....”I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh ‘I live by faith in the Son of God’, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”....which is a completed and holy finished work only Jesus could and did complete.

Your further statement that quote... “born again is unbiblical”.....defies Jesus’s encounter with Nicodemus where he answered him saying with those very words.... “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are ‘Born Again’...... Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be Born Again.’..John 3

Nicodemus even responded ...“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus answeered...“You are Israel’s teacher,and do you not understand these things? ..... Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still ‘you people do not accept our testimony’..... I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?... Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone ‘who believes’ may have eternal life in him.”

Jesus further stating... “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.....Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Jesus further states...”This is the verdict:”

“Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But.. ‘whoever lives by the truth’.. comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Therefore salvation is very much assured, born again IS biblical, and our relationship with Jesus sealed bu His Holy Spirit... and His words to us confirms these truths. ...Not men...not ever...says the great I Am that I Am.

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