God's Attributes

People focus on God’s attributes such as:

• Love (John 3:16, 1 John 4:8b), see Agape Love in Spiritual Gifts.
• Good (1 Chron 16:34, Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 29, 135:3, 136:1).
• Grace means favor that we receive from God without deserving it
  (Exodus (2 Mos) 34:6, Psalm 116:5, 145:8). It can also mean supernatural help to accomplish something. We can't have peace with God until we have taken hold of God's grace. God's grace creates peace. When I know that
  I am loved by God because of his grace, there is peace in my heart.
  Grace establishes peace.  
• Mercy means that we don't receive from God what we deserve, as punishment for our sins (Rom 9:15–16, 18, 1 Pet 1:3, 1 Cor 1:3, Dan 9:9,
  Lamentations 3:22 (NKJV), Num 14:18a (NKJV), Psalm 116:5, 145:8–9),
  see Psalm 51: Coming to God when we fail.
• Forgiveness (Exodus (2 Mos) 34:7), see 
  Forgive and You will Be Forgiven.
• Restoration (1 Pet 5:10), see The Apostle Peter.
• Compassion (Exodus (2 Mos) 34:6 (NIV), Isaiah 30:18 (NIV),
  Psalm 116:5 (NIV), 119:77 (NIV), Rom 9:15, Mat 9:36).
• Patience (2 Pet 3:9).
• Caring (Proverbs 3:24).
• Mindful on us (Psalm 115:12–15).
• Order (1 Cor 14:33a, 40). Order brings peace. See What is Information? 
  God's order can be seen in the Mosaic Laws, which were part of the
  Old Covenant, given to give God's order to the nation of Israel.

All these attributes are true attributes of God. But God also has these qualities:

• Holy (see God is holy below).
• Righteous (Phil 3:9, Rom 3:26, Psalm 119:137).
• Just (Isaiah 30:18, 61:8).

An attribute is a distinguishing characteristic of God that constitutes and describes God in his being. These attributes describe who and what God is. They are objective, real, and permanent, they don’t increase or decrease, they are complete and perfect in quality. Every feature is flawless, without fault, to the highest degree. All God's attributes are equally important. There is absolutely nothing lacking in God when he puts his attributes together.

God never stops one feeling to express another, or any expression of his character. When God judges, he is no less kind, loving, merciful, and gracious. When God pours out his mercy and grace, he is no less just. There is always a perfect balance in the nature of God, of who he is. God never changes.

More attributes of God:

1. God has personality:
   God isn't a human but has the characteristics of a personality.
   We can have a personal relationship with God. He owns
   self–awareness (Exodus (2 Mos) 3:6), intelligence (Rom 11:33),
   emotions (Exo (2 Mos) 20:5, Deu (5 Mos) 1:37, John 3:16, 11:35),
   and he has a will (Psalm 115:3, John 6:38, Rom 12:2).
2. God is simplistic:
   God doesn't consist of different parts, different attributes. God is all his attributes. They all work perfectly together, and all exist forever. They are his nature. One attribute doesn’t override another. God can't deny himself
   (2 Tim 2:13b). God doesn’t change. This provides consistency and trust.
3. God is self-sufficient:
   God has never had a single need that his own divine nature could not supply (Acts 17:24–25). God has life in himself (John 5:26). God didn’t create man because he needed man, but because it pleased him to do so. We don’t worship God because he needs it, our worship pleases him, he desires it, see How should we worship God? in The Woman's Place in the Congregation.
   We proclaim his greatness (Eph 3:20–21). 
4. God is immutable:
   Basically, God is unchanging (Mal 3:6, Heb 1:10–12, 13:8, James 1:17). This makes God trustworthy, we can trust him as Christians. We can trust God's word today (Rom 8:29–30). It’s not changed. Although God can act as he wills, he always does so according to his nature, according to his attributes. However, God can use his attributes in different ways over time.
   We see more of his wrath in the Old Testament.
5. God is omnipresent:
   God is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7–10, Jer 23:23–24, 1 Kings 8:27).
   God is spirit and exists in a different way than we do in our bodies. God isn't physical. This means we can pray anywhere. The Holy Spirit dwells in every true believer. God can do it (Heb 4:13). This is good news for people struggling with loneliness or other difficulties, God is always there 
   (Isaiah 41:10, 43:2, Heb 13:5–6).
6. God is omnipotent:
   God is all powerful. God’s power is unlimited. It means that God can do whatever he wants (Gen (1 Mos) 1:1–31, Psalm 33:6, Job 42:2,
   Jer 32:17, 20–22, 27, Eph 3:20–21). No one can turn it back.
   No one can overthrow God (John 2:19).
7. God is omniscient:
   God knows everything. He does it perfectly, whether it’s about the past,
   the present, or the future, and he does so for all eternity
   (Isaiah 42:9, 46:9–10, Psalm 147:5). God knows everything about us,
   even our thoughts and what's in our hearts, and he does it wherever we are
   (Psalm 139:1–4, John 10:14). He had plans for us before we were born:
   "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16 (NIV)).
   This speaks against abortion. For example, God even had plans for Samson before his mother conceived (Judges 13:2–7).
   
   God showed his omniscient through prophesies about the coming of Messiah
   (Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, 53:3, Zechariah 9:9, 11:12–13, Psalm 41:9
   (10 in some translations)), John 13:18, see Prophecies that Jesus Fulfilled and Prophecies of Jesus' Second Coming. See The Predestination Theory. 
   God knows very well what he is doing. 
8. God has all wisdom:
   Wisdom is knowing how to use knowledge properly. God knows perfectly, completely, and accurately how best to use his knowledge to bring glory to himself (Col 2:3). Wisdom is the practical side of moral goodness. God knows what he is doing. God knows what is the best way for us to do. We should align ourselves with what God wants for our lives
   (Proverbs 3:5–8, Isaiah 5:21, Eph 4:17–18, Rom 8:28–30, Jer 10:23).
9. God is sovereign:
   Sometimes we project our strength and weaknesses onto God. We may believe that God's purpose is to bless us, that God is here to serve us. It diminishes God and gives a distorted picture of who God is. God is in complete control,
   he knows what he is doing, and has the power to carry out his will. God is the ruler, he is in charge. (1 Samuel 2:6–8, 1 Chronicles 29:10–12, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 14:27, 42:8, 43:13, 46:10, Rom 9:19–21).
   
   "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8–9). See these two verses explained at time 27:02–30:23 in
   Isaiah 54 - 56 • "My steadfast love shall not depart from you."
   
   No one is above God. No one tells God what to do. God can use evil and pagan persons to bring out his redemptive purposes, see Kings of Judah and Israel. God used the pagan king Cyrus to return the Jews to their homeland from their Babylonian captivity, prophesied by Isaiah 150 years before Cyrus was even born (Isaiah 44:24a, 28, 45:1–6, 13, 41:2–3, 25, 46:11a, 48:14–15), see
   The Book of Ezra. God answered the Jews who criticized him for using Cyrus
   (Isaiah 45:9–13). God even uses Satan for his redemptive purposes. It doesn't make God evil. It means that God will use someone's heart to accomplish his purposes. Satan can't do anything without God's permission. Satan asked God for permission to sift Peter as wheat (Luk 22:31), and was allowed by God to do so. Satan could not have done it without God's permission.
   A thorn in the flesh was given to apostle Paul, a messenger of Satan to harass him, to prevent him from becoming conceited (2 Cor 12:7). Satan just could hurt Job when God allowed him to do so, see The Book of Job. God sent a harmful spirit upon king Saul (1 Sam 16:14), see Samuel and Saul. See also 
   Explanation to Satan's Attack on the Woman in the Book of Revelation. The reason for this is that; God has the power to do this because he is sovereign.
   
   "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." (1 Cor 1:27–29).
   
10. God is jealous:
    Jealousy is part of God's character (Exo (2 Mos) 20:5, 34:14,
    Num (4 Mos) 25:11, 13, Deu (5 Mos) 4:24, 5:9, 6:15, 32:21, Joshua 24:19,
    1 Kings 19:10, 14, Eze 36:6, 39:25, Joel 2:18, Nah 1:2, Zechariah 1:14, 8:2). When we are jealous it causes destruction because of our sinful nature. It's controlled in our self-centeredness. God has no sinful nature. God's jealousy is guided by his desire for our good. God created us and knows what is best for us. When we worship him and have him as the center of our lives, we are at our best. God is never jealous of us. He is always jealous for us. He longs to see us in a place of blessing, wisdom, peace, and spiritual fruitfulness. It only comes into place if he is the center of our lives, and we serve and love him.
11. God is holy:
    God’s name is Holy (Isaiah 57:15) and he is holy (Psalm 99:3b, 5b, 9b). 
    The word holy means to separate, in this case from sin. It means a moral perfection. God can't lie (Heb 6:18). He is absolutely separated in his essence from his creation. God is a category all by himself (Exodus (2 Mos) 15:11, 
    1 Samuel 2:2, Psalm 111:9). God is also absolutely separated from all moral evil and sin (Habakkuk 1:13, 1 John 1:5, Leviticus (3 Mos) 19:2,
    1 Pet 1:15–16, Lev (3 Mos) 11:44–45, Psalm 99:9, Isaiah 6:1–5). God’s will is an expression of his holiness. The rules come from his holy nature.
    
    Holiness is seen in Jesus Christ (Joh 14:9, Heb 1:1–3). The virgin birth was necessary because the sin nature is passed on through Adam from generation to generation through the physical fathers (Rom 5:12). Mary didn't have to be sinless for Jesus to be without sin (2 Cor 5:21). The whole world changed because of a single sin by Adam and Eve. Jesus couldn’t have come to the cross at Calvary and paid the price for our sin unless he himself was perfect without sin. Otherwise, God the Father wouldn't have accepted it as a sacrifice for our sin (John 8:46, 1 Pet 1:18–19, 2:21–24, Heb 4:15).
    There is a moral gap between God and man (Isaiah 59:1–2).
    
    Because God is a holy God, he can’t accept sin. Because he is a righteous God, he must judge sin. Because he is just, the punishment must be just. God's holiness, righteousness, and justice demand that sin be paid for. God says that he took the punishment for us through Jesus' death on the cross 
    (John 3:16, 36). Jesus is accepted as a substitute for our sin, because
    Jesus was sinless. Jesus was punished on the cross for our sins. Jesus rose from the cross because he had no sin in himself. There is God's grace, mercy, and love. We must believe that Jesus did it, we must trust him, ask him to be our Savior, admit that we are sinners, and repent of our sins.
    
    How God can satisfy his holiness by judging sin without compromise
    with his love for the sinner is explained in time 4:18–17:40 and
    20:18–23:15 in the video 2 Corinthians 5 (Part 3) :18-21 Reconciled to God.
    God is both righteous and Savior at the same time (Isaiah 45:21b).
    
    We need to serve God with reverence and Godly fear (Heb 12:28–29), see
    To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man. God is a holy God. It should lead us to a life of humility, confession of our sins, and a desire to live a holy life, as Jesus did (Rom 12:1–2, 1 Pet 1:13–16).
12. God has wrath:
    We don’t see the wrath of God as much in the New Testament as in the
    Old Testament. God is unchangeable but can use his attributes in different ways over time. God's holiness secures God's wrath, makes him hate sin.
    God's wrath is that which is in God (his holiness, righteousness, and justice) that opposes sin and is shown by punishing sin (Nahum 1:2–3, 5–8, 
    Exodus (2 Mos) 15:7), John 3:36, Rom 1:18, 5:12, 6:23, Heb 9:27, 10:30–31, 2 Tess 1:6–9, Rev 14:9–11, 19:15–16, 20:11–15). God's wrath is an expression of God's holiness (Heb 12:29). God's wrath is his response to sin, see God's wrath in Balaam and Balak. God’s wrath is balanced with his love, in that he gave us a way to escape punishment, by judging his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 4:8–16), see Righteousness Through Faith in The Book of Romans. God must punish sin. It's impossible for God not to punish sin. God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion can’t violate his holiness, righteousness, and justice. All the attributes of God must work together and all must be satisfied. Note that God finds no pleasure in wrath and rather wants man to repent (Eze 33:11, 2 Pet 3:9).
    
    God’s wrath is active today. We reap what we sow (Gal 6:7–8). If society makes ungodly decisions, bad things happen (Rom 1:18–32). God then gives them over to a reprobate mind. When it goes that far, we are in trouble. Morality can’t be maintained without Christian principles. We need to repent and seek God (2 Chronicles 7:14, John 3:16–17, Rom 5:8–11). As Christians we should work on our sanctification (Phil 2:12–13, 1 Pet 1:13–19).
    

God can’t be fully known. God is infinite, we are finite. We are limited in our ability to understand God (Isaiah 40:28, 55:8–9, Psalm 8:3–4 (4–5 in some translations), 147:5, Rom 11:33–34). We can't fully comprehend God. God is over all
(Deu (5 Mos) 10:17).

God has revealed himself to us in the following areas:

1. Creation (Gen (1 Mos) 1:1, Psalm 19:1 (2 in some translations),
   Isaiah 42:5, Rom 1:20)
2. The Bible, it's the word of God
   (Isaiah 40:12–14, 22–23, 43:10–11, 46:9–10).
3. The life of Jesus Christ, his attributes (John 12:44–45, 14:8–9).

See also Some stories close related to the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

Homosexuality

What does the Bible say about homosexuality? By homosexuality in this article
I mean practicing it, living out a homosexual disposition.

Jesus loves all people (John 3:16–17, 2 Pet 3:9b). Even people who practice a homosexual orientation. But that doesn't mean he approves of such a lifestyle.

Homosexuality in the Old Testament:

Practicing homosexuality is ungodly and a sin against God. It's an abomination according to the Old Testament (OT) Law (Lev (3 Mos) 18:22–24).

The men of Sodom wanted sexual relations with two angels, who they thought were men (Gen (1 Mos) 19:1–11). They practiced homosexuality (Jude 1:7). It was an attempted sexual assault; homosexual gang rape. Gang rape was probably common in Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were obviously destroyed because of this type of sinful behavior related to sexual abuse.

A woman shouldn't wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment (transvestism) (Deu (5 Mos) 22:5). It's an abomination according to the Law in the OT. We shouldn't wear clothes that confuse the sexes, our identity as male and female. Society tries to remove the distinction between man and woman, but that isn't God's will.

There isn't one verse in the OT that supports the practice of homosexuality.

Homosexuality in the New Testament:

The New Testament (NT) describes the New Covenant that Jesus introduced
(Luk 22:19-20) and was activated at his death on the cross, see The Atonement.

Homosexuality is one of several consequences because people have rejected God and is against nature (Rom 1:18–32). It’s shameful to God. God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen by the things that have been made since the creation of the world. Therefore, there is no excuse for rejecting God.

The NT says that people who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9–10). We shouldn't be deceived by society that says it’s OK to live out
a homosexual orientation. Society has removed it as a sin, but God hasn’t.
God hasn't changed his mind about practicing homosexuality in the New Covenant.

An argument to live out a homosexual orientation is that man isn't justified by the works of the Mosaic Laws in the OT but by faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16). But the moral laws among the Mosaic Laws regarding sexual relations are similar and even stricter in the New Covenant than it was in the Old Covenant, see Jesus and the Law
and the comment to the 7th commandment in the The Ten Commandments.

Another argument for allowing homosexuality is that Jesus didn't specifically speak about it. But Jesus didn't specifically speak about pedophilia or bestiality which are considered wrong even by our society. So that argument doesn't hold. When Jesus spoke about sexual relations, it was always between male and female (Mat 19:4–5).

There isn't one verse in the NT that supports the practice of homosexuality.

What to do if being homosexual:

There is very little (if any) scientific evidence that a person can be born homosexual. There is no consensus among researchers on how to develop a homosexual orientation. Many think it’s an adaptation. But even if it is so, it's against God's word.

If you struggle with homosexuality, see as encouragement time 6:00–13:53 in

Titus 3 • Be careful to devote ourselves to good works.

We are all born with a nature that has been affected by sin. We are all sinners
(Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8–10). Because of that, we all have weaknesses of various kinds. We all struggle with different temptations. A weakness isn't an excuse for participating in it. God doesn't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability
(1 Cor 10:13). Take steps to avoid environments that we may not be able
to handle in a biblical way. We must choose not to give in to temptation
(Rom 13:13–14). See Sanctification.

As Christians, we are sanctified and can be set free (1 Cor 6:9–11). Jesus came to call sinners to repentance (Mark 2:16–17, 1 Tim 1:15). Sin includes living out a homosexual disposition, see it explained at: 

• Time 32:40–38:22 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul and Sue.
• Time 15:55–20:14 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul.

We can be freed from the bondage of sin:

1. Living out a homosexual orientation as a Christian is wrong.
   It’s a sin according to the Bible. (Rom 6:23).
2. Such a person must repent and be forgiven.
3. Invite Jesus into your life as your Savior, if you haven't already
   (John 5:24, 2 Cor 5:17), see Salvation. He forgives your sin.

How to relate to homosexual persons as a Christian:

As Christians we need to do the following:

1. If you hate or dislike homosexuals, you need to repent. There is no room for that for a Christian, even if people live a lifestyle that is contrary to the lifestyle of what is written in God's word. Jesus also gave his life for them.
2. We should show love, compassion, and deal with it in a loving way,
   see time 45:06–48:27 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │December 2023.
   We can even associate on an individual level with such a person (Gal 6:1).
   At the church level, we may need to withdraw from such a person
   (1 Cor 5:9–11, 2 Thess 3:6, 14–15), see Psalm 101: How to live a holy life. See this explained at time 43:37–45:53 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul . . ..
3. We should be characterized by a gentle and tender spirit towards homosexuals and their concerns. Jesus died no less for them than for anyone else
   (John 3:17). We should invite them to our services, to our churches.
4. We should pray for salvation for homosexuals, as we do for anyone else.
   It's not a question of hatred, bigotry or homophobia. That's wrong behaviour.
   
5. However, we must stand by God's word: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." (Isaiah 40:8). 
   See the consequences of this in these videos:
• Homosexuality and Christianity with Dr Frank Turek.
• Can You Be a Gay Christian? What Does The Bible Really Say?

It means teaching in the church that it's not OK to live out a homosexual orientation as a Christian. A Christian congregation therefore can't support such an approach, because it would be disobedience to the word of God (2 Tim 3:14–17). 
It's not personal, it's about obedience to God's word. See also the meaning of Do not judge others in The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said: 

• "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me." (John 14:23–24). 
• "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." (John 15:9–10).

See also Some stories in the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

Salvation

Content:

• Introduction
• Why we need a Savior
• Important words to understand
• Misconceptions about how to get to Heaven
• God's only provision for our salvation
• Example of a salvation prayer
• How I live my life in Christ
  
  

Introduction:

First watch these short videos:

• If You're Doing this ONE Thing, You May Not Be Saved.
• From time 0:44 in How to Know For Sure That You are Saved . . ..
• From time 1:09 in How to KNOW if you're really SAVED.
  
  

Why we need a Savior:

1. Our condition before God is that we are all sinners before him
   (Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8, 10, Ecclesiastes 7:20 (21 in some translations), Proverbs 20:9, Psalm 130:3, Isaiah 53:6, 64:6a).
2. God can’t have fellowship with sin or sinners because of his holiness
   (Isaiah 59:1–2, Gal 5:19–21).
3. God will judge us for our sin
   (Acts 17:31, Rev 20:11–15).
4. Death is the penalty for our sin 
   (Rom 5:12, 6:23). Death in the Bible is a separation, not a cessation of existence, not an annihilation. Physical death is when the spirit and soul are separated from the body, see Body, Soul, and Spirit in The Danger with Gnosticism.
   Spiritual death is when the spirit is separated from God. Failure to repent in this life means spiritual separation from God forever, first in Hell and then in the Lake of Fire. It’s an eternal conscious punishment where we are forever separated from God.
5. We are in a situation where we can’t save ourselves 
   (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2).

This puts us in a situation where we need a Savior to get us to God's Heaven instead of going to Hell. See also the following short videos: 

• Can you be "Born a Christian" or "Raised a Christian"? 
• Does Going to Church Save You?

God has made salvation very simple. It’s about accepting or rejecting Jesus, believing or not believing in Jesus:

• John 3:17–18, 36, 14:6
• Luk 19:10
• Acts 4:12
• Psalm 62:1 (2 in some translations)

It's important to be clear about this and not to teach a false gospel (Gal 1:6–9).

It matters what we believe.

There is disorder and confusion about how to be saved because of the following:

1. Sin:
   After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin has passed down to all generations. We have a sin nature that man follows. Man prefers to go his own way instead of God’s way (1 Cor 2:14). Man doesn’t understand God’s way (Eph 4:17–18). Man invents his own plan of salvation instead of obeying God.
2. Satan:
   Satan blinds us from seeing the true gospel (2 Cor 4:3–4).
3. Self:
   Besides our sinful nature, there are people who just don't want to listen to God, they don't want to hear the truth. Even if they know the truth, they don't want to act on it. Adam and Eve had one rule to follow, not to eat of the forbidden fruit. Satan brought temptations, he brought lies, he tried to get Adam and Eve to follow his will instead of God's will. Satan didn't force them, he deceived and lied to them. Adam and Eve used their free will to eat the forbidden fruit. Likewise, people follow false teachers because they say what people want to hear (Col 2:8, 2 Tim 4:3–4, Proverbs 3:5–7).

Disorder and confusion don’t come from God (1 Cor 14:33).

Important words to understand:

1. Saved (Acts 16:30) (sozo in Greek):
   We are saved from God’s judgement, from eternal punishment and separation from God because of our sin (Rev 20:10, 15).
2. Salvation (1 Pet 1:9) (soteria in Greek):
   Deliverance, to be saved from God’s wrath, from the punishment we deserve for being sinners (John 3:36, Rom 5:8–9).
3. Savior (Luk 2:11) (soter in Greek):
   Jesus is our Savior, our only Savior (Isaiah 43:11, Luk 2:11).
4. Believe (Acts 16:31) (pisteuo in Greek):
   It’s more than an intellectual acknowledgement that Jesus existed. It means trusting in him alone (and not in our good works), to have confidence in him, to put faith in him (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2, Gal 2:16–21). A belief that Jesus is the Son of God, who gives us eternal life in Heaven (John 3:18). That he died on the cross as full and sufficient payment for our own punishment.
5. Faith (Heb 11:1) (pistis in Greek):
   It means to be firmly convinced, a conviction of truth, and it's required of God (Heb 11:6). True saving faith is based on a firm rational belief and trust that God is who he says he is, and that God will do what he says he will do.
6. Godly sorrow (2 Cor 7:8–10):
   There are differences between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation, while worldly sorrow doesn't.
   Worldly sorrow is a sorrow of being caught and contains no repentance.
   See this described in The Book of Corinthians.
7. Repent (Acts 17:30–31, 26:20, Luk 11:32, 13:2–3, Jonah 3:6–8,
   Joel 2:12–13) (metanoeo in Greek):
   It involves a change of mind with a request to God for help to go in the right direction. My actions change when I receive Jesus as Savior
   (Luk 24:46–48, Mat 4:17, 21:28–31). It then means starting to live a life according to God. Without repentance there is no salvation (2 Cor 7:10). 
   You don't necessarily have to be sad to decide to repent (Acts 26:20). Some are but some aren't. Repentance is also an ongoing thing: We need to repent when we do wrong or when we become aware of areas in our lives that need
   to change, and then start moving in the right direction.
8. Confess (Rom 10:9–10, Acts 2:21) (homologeo in Greek):
   We need to speak the same thing as God says in the Bible,
   not necessarily publicly (1 John 1:9).

Misconceptions about how to get to Heaven:

1. I am a good enough person and should therefore go to Heaven:
   The problem with this reasoning is that it uses man's standard, not God's standard. If you break one law, you break all (James 2:10). God demands perfection because he is holy. One sin violates perfection. Adam and Eve committed one sin, and it drove them out of the Garden of Eden. It's not because a person is good that he goes to Heaven, it's because he is forgiven.
2. Doing good works:
   This is also man’s standard, not God’s standard. The wages of sin is death (Rom 5:12, 6:23, Eze 18:20). Good deeds don't make up for sins. Nor will a judge in court acquit a murderer, just because he has done good deeds.
   That's not justice. Likewise, sin is too terrible for a holy God to be paid by
   good works. The only payment for a holy God is death. 
3. A God of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness will send me to Heaven:
   This is why many believe that most people go to Heaven. These are true attributes of God. But God is also holy (Isaiah 6:1–3, 1 Pet 1:15–16), righteous, and just, and such a God must punish sin. Holy means to be separated from sin and to have a hostility to evil and sin. God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness can’t override God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice. God can’t act contrary to his nature. God’s attributes can’t conflict with each other. They must work in unity and harmony (Psalm 89:14 (15 in some translations)), see God's Attributes. A judge in court won't acquit a murderer, just out of love and compassion. That's not justice.

God loves us and doesn’t want us to spend eternity separated from him, first in Hell and then in the Lake of Fire (John 3:16–17, Rom 5:8–9, 1 John 4:9–10). Therefore, God almighty himself paid the price for our sin. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, took on flesh when he was born as a man so that he could die physically. God can’t die spiritually. Jesus shed his blood on the cross for our sin. He took the punishment
(Mat 27:46, Heb 2:9, 1 Pet 3:18). Jesus is the only one who could do that (Acts 4:12), because he had no sin (John 8:46, Heb 4:15, 1 Pet 2:22, 2 Cor 5:21). This is why the The Virgin Birth so important. God takes the righteousness of Christ and gives it to us, we who have received Jesus as our Savior (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2).

God's only provision for our salvation:

1. I must repent:
   See the definition above about Repent.
   It doesn't mean that you act differently before you come to God for salvation. But a change of behavior should come after receiving Jesus as Savior 
   (James 2:18).
2. Believe by faith that Jesus Christ is my Savior:
   See the definitions above about Believe and Faith.
3. I need to confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior:
   See the definition above about Confess.
   God says that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
4. Receive Jesus into my hart (John 1:12):
   That is, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, and asking Jesus to come into my life to be part of my life. God has given salvation as a gift. Many people miss it, because they don’t receive it as a gift (Mat 7:13–14), see The Narrow Gate. You can’t earn it, you will never be good enough for it, it must be received
   as a gift of grace through faith (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2). Grace goes against the principle that you get what you deserve (karma). Karma isn't biblical.
   God looks at your hart. You must mean it, you must be sincere. 
   Also see what really makes someone a Christian at time 3:34–5:08 in
   Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ August 2023.

By doing this you get the following:

• Forgiveness (Jer 31:34b, Acts 3:19).
  This is the main reason people come to Jesus.
• God's Holy Spirit.
  You receive God's indwelling Holy Spirit
  (Acts 2:38–39, 1 Cor 3:16, Rom 8:9b),
  see Jesus the Light of the World. 
• A new birth in Christ.
  You become a born again Christian (1 Pet 1:3, Titus 3:4–7, 2 Cor 5:17),
  see The Book of Peter.
• Become a child of God (John 1:12, Rom 8:16–17).
  
  

Example of a salvation prayer:

Watch the video How To Be Absolutely Sure You Will Go To Heaven.

Example of a salvation prayer:

"Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I know the truth is
that I have sinned by my own choice, and I am responsible for it.
I know that I deserve punishment from You, and that the just punishment is death. Jesus, I believe You died in my place. Forgive me for my sin.
I can't cover or take away my sin, I trust You completely. You are the
only one who can save me. I reject my sin, I turn away from it, I repent.
Come into my life, take away my sin and show me how to live my life
in a way that is right and pleasing to You." 

See how to do it in time 47:12–49:42 in Questions About HELL.

How I live my life in Christ (2 Cor 5:17):

1. Pray, develop a life of prayer (1 Thess 5:17, James 5:16).
   You can't talk to God too much. You can talk about anything with God.
   You should be sincere in your prayers.
2. Read the Bible (2 Tim 2:15, 3:16).
   God's basic instructions comes through his word. Read especially the
   New Testament. Get a good Bible translation. Study God's word.
3. Join a good Bible-believing church or Christian group (Heb 10:24–25).
   God wants us to meet with fellow believers. It should be a church or Christian group that preaches the word in its context. You must study the Bible yourself to verify that the teaching doesn't contradict the Bible.
4. Be baptized (Mat 28:19–20).
   This isn't a requirement for our salvation, but we should do it because
   of obedience to God's word. See Christian Water Baptism in
   The Book of Romans.

After being saved, our walk with God begins, with sanctification as the result.
For detailed information, see Sanctification.

The Christian life can be hard and difficult, it can bring more trials in your life.
If you want to live for the Lord; the world, the flesh (your own sinful nature),
and the Devil will come against you. You may lose friends. But God will always
be with you (1 John 4:4, Phil 4:13, Heb 13:5b). On the other side after death,
there is unimaginable happiness that enters your life.

Rejecting or ignoring the suggestion from God is the same as saying no to Jesus.
Our body will eventually die, but we all have an eternal soul and spirit that will live forever. According to the Bible, it will live in one of two places: God's Heaven or Hell followed by the Lake of Fire. We don’t get any second chance after death. Then it's too late to regret it. God doesn’t want us to go to Hell (John 3:16–17). The Bible says that Jesus is the only way for us to get to Heaven (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

See also Some stories in the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

The Roman Catholic Church

Content:

• Introduction
• Dangerous False Teachings
• Confession
• Transubstantiation
• Justification
• The Papacy
• Purgatory
• Mary
• Titles in the RCC
• Origins of the RCC
• The RCC in the Dark Ages
• The Inquisition
• Ban on Reading the Bible

(The verses are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV)).

Introduction

The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has several sound doctrines:

• The Trinity: God is one God, but three persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, that is: "One God in three divine persons".
• Incarnation of Jesus Christ: Jesus (the uncreated second person of the triune God) took on a human body and became both man and God.
• The Virgin Birth.
• The Resurrection of Jesus.
• The Return of Jesus.
• Heaven and Hell, see What Does the Bible Say about Hell?

But they confuse the doctrine of salvation, justification, and sanctification. They believe that people in higher positions in the clergy are holier than ordinary believers with the Pope at the top, and that there is an apostolic succession of who should be the Pope from Apostle Peter to this day. They believe that God works through these more holy persons in the clergy. Even though they teach that Jesus paid for our sins, they still believe that punishment is needed, meaning that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross wasn't enough. You must therefore spend time in purgatory after death.

The Bible teaches us the following: When Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins on the cross, we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we trust in him, God takes the work of Jesus on the cross and applies it to us. We are now righteous in God's sight. God sees us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification happens in an instant. Righteousness isn't a process. Sanctification is a process after we are justified, because we still live in a sinful body. Sanctification is about how we live
our Christian life. We should be more and more controlled by the Holy Spirit,
to live our lives more for God and not live a life of sin.

The RCC derives its authority from the following:

1. The Bible as the word of God.
2. Their interpretation of the Bible.
3. Added traditions, that is, added revelation from the leaders of the RCC,
   with the same or higher authority than the Bible.

The RCC adds authorities to scripture, which changes what the Bible teaches. The RCC doesn't believe in "scripture alone". They believe the Bible is the word
of God. But they also believe that their traditions have the same or higher
authority than the Bible. They also have the Pope, the council, and the bishops,
who interpret the Bible and the traditions, and they are infallible when they do so.
They believe that only the leaders of the RCC can interpret the Bible.

See time 3:02–8:53 in The False Gospel of Rome.

Jesus warns us to follow the tradition of man, see
Confronting Meaningless Religion. 

Instead, we should follow God's eternal words in the Bible:

• Rev 22:18–19,
  see time 16:47–21:17 in 10 Questions with Mike Winger (Episode 9)
• Proverbs 30:5–6
• 1 Pet 1:23–25
• 2 Pet 1:20–21, 3:15–16
• Acts 17:11
• Col 2:8
• Mat 15:1–6, 24:35
• 2 Tim 3:16–17
• Isaiah 40:6–8

Dangerous False Teachings

See The Catholic Church is Promoting These 7 DANGEROUS False Teachings!:

• Time 2:01–9:49: Prayers to the dead; veneration of saints.
• Time 9:57–21:14: Prayers for the dead and purgatory,
  see chapter Purgatory.
• Time 21:18–24:42: Transubstantiation , see chapter Transubstantiation.
• Time 24:46–32:52: Distinguish between venial sin and mortal sin,
  see chapter Purgatory.
• Time 32:56–37:59: Grace through works, see chapter Justification.
• Time 38:05–44:28: Confession to a priest, see chapter Confession.

Confession

It's the priest himself who forgives a person’s sin in the RCC, not God. The priest has the authority to do so in the name of God. If you don't receive forgiveness from a priest in the RCC, you have no hope of salvation. You must tell the priest everything that is happening in your life, every bad thought you have had, and you must confess it in detail. If you don’t, you will continue to be in sin, which means you will go to Hell when you die.

This isn't according to the Bible:

• Psalm 32:5    (we should confess our transgressions directly to the Lord)
• 1 Tim 2:5      (only Jesus is the mediator, no priest)
• Heb 4:14–16 (we should come to the Lord for mercy and grace)
• James 5:16   (we can confess our sins to one another)

See also Whose Sin can We Forgive?

Transubstantiation

The RCC means that the bread and wine are literally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ (Mat 26:26–28, Joh 6:53–58). Christ's body is sacrificed again. This is called transubstantiation and is done by the priest at the Mass.

Jesus doesn't speak literally. He doesn't speak spiritually (John 6:63). The bread and wine are symbols of Jesus' body and blood. We are to eat the bread and drink the wine to remember what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus offered his life once and for all, for all time (Heb 10:10–14, 17–18). Christ's body must not be sacrificed again. 

See also Jesus the Bread of Life.

Justification

Justification legally means to be innocent. In the biblical sense, it means to be righteous before God, to be saved. The price has been paid by Jesus on the cross.
He is our substitute. The RCC means that there is still a depth to pay for the sins we have committed. We must therefore either be punished in this life or in purgatory.

This isn't according to scripture:

• Rom 3:23–26, 8:1, 33
• 2 Cor 5:21
• 1 John 2:1–2, 4:10
• Heb 2:17

The RCC means you can’t know if God has forgiven you or if you are saved or not.
You must constantly work for your salvation.

The Bible says that salvation is a gift, by grace through faith, and that you can’t get it by works. Your part is to believe in Jesus, to trust in him, and to receive this gift.

• 1 John 5:13
• Eph 2:8–9
• Rom 1:17, 4:1–8, 11:6
• Acts 13:38–39

What the Bible means by believing in Jesus is to completely trust in him alone.
It's not in Jesus AND your works, or in Jesus AND any institution (like the RCC).

If one is saved, work will follow (James 2:18), see The Parables of the Talents and the Ten Minas, but that doesn’t mean that work is required to be saved.

The Papacy

The RCC believes that Apostle Peter was the first Pope. They think that Peter was the foundation (rock) on which the church was built, according to their interpretation of Mat 16:15–18. They believe that the Pope is the representative of Jesus Christ
on Earth. They also believe there is one apostolic succession as to who shall be the Pope, from Peter to this day.

A more biblical interpretation of Mat 16:15–18 is that Jesus isn't referring to Peter
as the foundation of the church. Jesus refers to himself as the foundation (the rock) of the church by referring to Peter's confession in Mat 16:16 (NKJV):
"You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of the living God".
This statement is the foundation of the church.

Jesus uses two different Greek words in Mat 16:18 (NKJV):
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church".
Peter: Petros in Greek meaning a rock or a stone.
Rock: Petra in Greek meaning a rock, cliff or ledge. Petra is used in the following ways in other parts of the Bible: Mat 27:51, 59–60, Rev 6:15–16. If Jesus meant that Peter is the foundation of the church, he would have used the same word.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only foundation:

• Acts 4:11
• 1 Cor 3:11
• Eph 5:23

Jesus is called Petra:

• 1 Cor 10:1–4
• Rom 9:33
• Mat 7:24–25, Luk 6:48: The Parable about the Wise and Foolish Builders.

The other apostles didn't see that Peter (or anyone else) had a supreme position:

• Mat 20:20–28, Luk 22:24–27: 
  Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Apostle Paul believed that the church was built on Christ, not on Peter
(1 Cor 3:9–11, 10:1–4, Gal 2:9a). Paul even rebuked Peter publicly (Gal 2:11–16). It wouldn't have been possible if Peter was a pope, infallible in all actions.
Peter made mistakes, such as denying Jesus three times (Mat 26:34–35, 69–75).

God is also called Petra in the Old Testament:

• Deuteronomy (5 Mos) 32:4
• Isaiah 44:8
• Psalm 18:31 (32 in some translations)

Peter himself used Petra to refer to Jesus, Jesus as the cornerstone, and saw all believers as a priesthood (1 Pet 2:4–6, 7–8, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 8:14, 28:16).
Peter never claimed to have a higher position than the other apostles. He saw himself as a co-elder (1 Pet 5:1), and he was indeed a pillar (Gal 2:9a) and leader in the early church. Peter refused to be worshipped (Acts 10:25–26). He instructed the other elders not to have a superior position (1 Pet 5:2–3). Peter never said that he was a pope or the like, the head of the church or that he had a supreme position. Although he sometimes acted as a spokesman for the early church, he never taught a papal succession (Acts 2:14–41, 3:11–26, 4:5–12).

The RCC claims that Peter was in Rome for 25 years to establish the church and establish the papal succession. It's believed that Peter was in Rome during the latter part of his life, when he wrote 1 Pet and 2 Pet shortly before his martyrdom under the emperor Nero. That he was in Rome is implied when he wrote about Babylon
(1 Pet 5:13), which in this verse is used as a code word for Rome, see also 
What is Babylon in the Book of Revelation? 

He wasn't in Rome before that, so he wasn't there for 25 years, and there is no information in the Bible to indicate that Peter established a papal succession. When Paul sends greetings in The Book of Romans (written just a few years before 1 Pet) to 27 different people by name (Rom 16), he doesn't mention
Peter. The Book of Acts makes no mention of Peter in Rome, although it was probably written around the same time Peter wrote 1 Pet. 

Peter probably came to Rome around 62 AD just before he wrote 1 Pet. According to church history, Peter was executed in Rome under Nero in the mid-60s AD under the same persecution that Paul was caught in: When Peter was told that he was going to be crucified, he asked them to do it differently because he didn't see himself as worthy to be crucified in the same way Jesus was, see The Crucifixion of Jesus.
They crucified him upside down and set fire to him (John 21:18–19).

Jesus also said to Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven." (Mat 16:19). But it wasn't just Peter who was given that authority. Later Jesus gave the same authority to the other disciples,
and by extension to all born again Christians: "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." (Mat 18:18). As Christians, we have the opportunity to bring people to Christ by preaching the gospel to them. Jesus even accused the scribes and Pharisees of closing the kingdom of Heaven to men (Mat 23:13, Luk 11:52),
see Jesus Denouncement of the Jewish Religious Leaders.

See this explained in Matthew 16 (Part 2) :13-20 Who do the people say that I am?

• Time 14:32–22:40: Who is Peter?
• Time 22:45–28:41: Who got the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven?

To summarize: Peter wasn't a pope and there is no apostolic succession in the Bible as to who should be pope. The Papacy is a man-made invention.

Purgatory

The RCC considers purgatory to be a place of temporary punishment for those
who are destined for Heaven but not completely free from venial sin (1 Cor 3:15).
The flames of purgatory are more unbearable than anything that can be experienced on Earth. The suffering is the same as in Hell. The ideas of purgatory came from Pope Gregory the Great around 600 AD.

They believe there are two kinds of sin: venial sin and mortal sin, where 
mortal sin sends us directly to Hell, and that it's venial sin that sends us to 
purgatory. They believe that you are further purified by being punished in purgatory to become holy enough to go to Heaven. Even if you are saved,
they believe that you aren't completely cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

This isn't biblical:

• John 5:24
• Rom 8:1
• Eph 2:8–9
• 1 John 1:7–9
• 1 Pet 3:18
• Luk 23:40–43

Nowhere in scripture does it say you must pay for your sin. It teaches the opposite, that you can’t pay for your sin. There is no work that we can add to the grace of God. Jesus made the payment with his blood on the cross. If you have true faith in Jesus, work will follow (James 2:18), see The Parables of the Talents and the Ten Minas, but that doesn’t mean that work is required to be justified.

1 Cor 3:15 above must be read in context. It’s not about salvation, it’s talking about rewards and loss of rewards. It has nothing to do with purgatory.

See also time 1:45–3:11 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │December 2023.

Mary

The Rosary refers to a form of repetition of prayer and contains a string of knots
or beads used to count the prayers, such as "the Lord's Prayer", and "Hail Mary".
The RCC teaches that blessings and favors are received by applying the Rosary 
and that praying to Mary purifies your soul and washes away sin. Most prayers in the Rosary are addressed to Mary. The RCC worships Mary, although they officially deny it. The worship of Mary is idolatry.

This isn't what the Bible teaches. All prayers in the Bible are addressed to God alone. We must not continue babbling when we pray (Mat 6:7 (NIV)).

Mary wasn't born without sin. As a human she was born to sin and needed a Savior like everyone else (Luk 1:47). Jesus, the Son of God, is this only Savior
(Isaiah 43:11, Luk 2:11), see Jesus – I AM. 

Mary isn't a mediator between God the Father and man, only Jesus is (1 Tim 2:5), see the short video: John MacArthur: Praying and Worshiping Mary.

This means that Mary isn't someone to whom we pray. We should only pray directly to God himself, see The Trinity. 

Titles in the RCC

Some titles in the RCC:

• The Pope: He is the holy Father.
• The priest: He is called Father in a spiritual sense, because in the Mass 
  he gives the body and blood of Jesus, and he forgives sins. It's God the Father who is the spiritual Father (Mat 23:8–9). According to the Bible, every true believer in Jesus is also a priest (1 Pet 2:5, 9, Rev 1:5–6).
• The saints: Canonization is an act in which the RCC declares a person
  who has died a saint. The person is then included in the list of recognized
  saints, called the "canon". But according to the Bible, every true believer in Jesus can be called a saint (Rom 1:6–7, 1 Cor 1:2, 2 Cor 1:1, Eph 1:1).

Origins of the RCC

Catholic means universal, which means that the Catholic Church (CC) means the universal church. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has established faith from Roman paganism. There is a difference between CC and RCC. But when we talk about CC, we often mean RCC. The RCC didn't exist in the first 300 years AD.
At that time, Christians based their faith solely on the Bible. They suffered persecution for their faith. We then had what we can call a true Christianity church. The Roman faith, roughly 500 BC to 300 AD, was based on paganism. The Roman empire believed in many gods and accepted the new gods that conquered peoples had. They persecuted the Christians because they believed in only one God and didn't accept the other gods, see Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

This changed under the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who accepted Christianity. He gave Christianity religious toleration around 314 AD. He wanted to unite the people under the same political and religious system. It meant that there were advantages to being a Christian. This resulted in many pagans becoming Christians just to be able to partake of these benefits, and to conform to the religion that the emperor supported. But they wanted to bring their pagan faith with them. The true Christian faith based on the Bible alone began to mix with pagan faith.
The church got more and more away from the Bible, had a desire to satisfy the will of the people and more pagan beliefs crept into the church. Here we see the start of the RCC. Examples of pagan beliefs that influenced the church:

• The worship of Isis. She was an important goddess in the ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world.
  She was absorbed by the RCC, that replaced her with Mary who was given an elevated position in the church. She became the Mother of God and a mediator between God and man.
• Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras, that was celebrated on December 25. Jesus' birth is now celebrated on this date. But Jesus was probably born late in the fall and not in December. Mithraism practiced a sacrificial meal that involved eating the flesh and drinking the blood of a bull. They believed that Mithras existed in the flesh and blood of the bull. Salvation was granted to those who ate this meal. The RCC introduced this as a sacrificial meal of Jesus Christ in the Mass. To be compared with
  transubstantiation above. Mithras had seven sacraments. The RCC also has seven sacraments.
  
  This doesn't mean that it's wrong to celebrate Christmas as a Christian. 
  We can have a traditional Christmas celebration and at the same time remember the incarnation: God becomes man in the person of Jesus Christ. We can then think and remember God's goodness and mercy.
• The RCC replaced the pagan gods with patron saints. These patron saints
  protect people in certain areas of their lives and should be given veneration. In practice, they are worshipped. It becomes idolatry.
• The Roman emperors were worshipped as pagan gods. They were high priests. The papacy was created to support the Roman emperors, as a supreme ruler of the church. The Bishop of Rome became the supreme ruler of the church. When the Roman empire fell, the Bishop of Rome became the Pope. Several of the popes lived very sinful lives, were corrupt and ungodly in their lifestyles (Mat 7:15–20, Luk 6:43–44).

Prayers for the dead was introduced around 300 AD. The use of images, statues came about 375 AD. The Mass came around 394 AD. The Mass became a sacrament in the 11th century. Attendance to the Mass then became mandatory.

The exaltation of Mary came about 431 AD. Prayers to Mary, saints, and angels came around 600 AD. She was declared sinless in 1854 AD. She was declared a mediator before God in 1894 AD. The Assumption of Mary was introduced in 1950 AD, that she was taken directly to Heaven without dying.

526 AD came Extreme Unction (Final Anointing), administered only to those who were about to die. Purgatory was founded in 593 AD and became an official dogma in 1439 AD. Using the Latin language in prayers and in the Mass came about 600 AD.

Holy water came around 850 AD. Canonization of dead saints came in 994 AD.
Celibacy of the priests came in 1079 AD, even though the Bible says the opposite:
1 Tim 4:1–3, 1 Cor 7:1–3, 6–9. The Rosary came in 1090 AD. About 1215 AD confession to a priest was introduced. In 1870 it was decided that when the Pope speaks about faith and morals he is infallible, he can’t be wrong.

The RCC in the Dark Ages

The Dark Ages was between 590–1517 AD. It was a dark time for Christianity.
The RCC controlled religion, philosophy, human morality, politics, art, and education. The RCC taught that it was only possible to be saved through the RCC, and to submit to the Pope. If you didn't, you were a heretic. See this explained at time 10:52–14:20 in Isaiah 57-59 • Idolatry, Fasting and the Lord's Salvation.

1378–1417 there were three popes at the same time. Each declared that he was the right pope. They were all declaring excommunication against each other.

The Inquisition

The Inquisition was introduced around 1184 AD. It was designed to seek out and correct people accused of heresy. The RCC proclaimed that there was no salvation
in any church other than the RCC. If you didn't believe the doctrines of the RCC you were a heretic. If you didn't follow the teachings and authority of the Pope, you were lost forever, and you were a heretic. The doctrines of the RCC were the standard to follow, not the Bible. If you were arrested as a heretic by the Inquisition and didn't convert to the RCC, you were tortured extremely severely, many times to death.
This, of course, isn't according to the Bible:

• Luk 9:54–56
• John 16:2–3

Ban on Reading the Bible

The Bible was forbidden to a layman. A layman wasn't allowed to read the Bible in any translation or own a Bible. It wasn't allowed to translate the Bible. The reason was to keep people ignorant of the contents of the Bible, to prevent questions about the doctrines of the RCC that didn't agree with the Bible. At the reformation it was no longer possible to prevent people from reading the Bible. To justify their erroneous teaching, the RCC introduced the tradition that the RCC is given the same authority as the Bible. The tradition contained revelations from holy figures in the past, mostly from popes. In this way, they could justify teachings that didn't agree with the Bible.

Only the Bible may be used for teaching, without introducing false doctrines contrary to the Bible or adding to the Bible: 2 Tim 3:16–17, John 5:46–47, Rev 22:18–19, Proverbs 30:6. God doesn’t contradict himself.

See also Some stories close related to the gospels at the end of
The Four Gospels.