A 4-Part Study

By Arthur J Licursi

Unveiling Three Key verses

that have the power to free any willing heart

from the bondage of man’s Hierarchical Systems of Religion.

Part 1 – Introduction

Being raised Catholic in the 1950s, I had never seen a Bible, just a Roman Catholic ‘missal.’ Neither had I heard Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” (cf. Acts 20:24). I was amazed when at the age of 22 I heard the gospel for today as presented in the Bible for the 1^st time. I then found that Roman Catholic doctrine was at odds with the truth of the gospel of the Bible in so many ways. My heart leaped when I first read and learned that God freely offers all men salvation from perdition by God’s grace solely through faith in the cross-work of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [grace is] not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

This same salvation summary message has been there for all mankind since the cross and resurrection of Christ. This salvation message is totally at odds with our involvement in any manmade religious organization’s rituals, rites, or any ‘performance requirements.’ Our performance is not the issue; only Christ’s death and resurrection is able reconcile us to Father God. As you can imagine this was a revolutionary discovery for me… and to think, it’s been there in the Bible all this time. Such ‘grace’ wins the hearts of us who may call ourselves ‘grace-based Bible believers.’

Then some years after first believing I was reading ‘the words of Jesus of Nazareth’ and the words of “the Apostle to the Gentiles,” Paul, both of whom expose so many contradictions between the doctrine of Romans Catholic teaching and that of the pure grace words of the holy Scriptures, when read in context.

In this study will cite just a few examples of Scripture that will be sufficient to seal this truth for anyone who might honestly seek and value understanding the words of truth as found in the Bible. Consequently, today I often simply call myself “a Bible believer,” having no membership in any hierarchical manmade religious system or group and having no building or ‘services’ to attend. Paul refers to us as the ‘heaven-bound’ (cf. Eph. 1:3-4), “church, which is His body” (cf. Eph. 1:22b-23a).

Have you ever considered how following centuries old religious tradition does not a guarantee that such religious tradition aligns with the written “word of God”, the Bible? Interestingly, Jesus warns men that the popular path is not always the true path (cf. Matt. 7:13-14). This then is unsettling because it requires the courage to face what the Bible teaches.

In this paper, we look at three Biblical principles that reveal truths that have been in the Bible for centuries… waiting for willing eyes to see. If you are truly seeking relationship with God based upon knowing the truth of Christ and His vicarious Cross-work, then this is for you. There is something that few have the courage to face head on when it comes to the truth of “the faith” that Paul references. I realize that certain questions may seem too unsetting such that the natural human tendency is to look away, change the subject, pretending doubt doesn’t exist. But the truth of the Bible is stubborn; does not disappear just because we close our eyes to it.

Yes, Roman Catholicism is without a doubt the largest religious organization the world has ever seen. Over the past 2,000 years it offered Popes who moved empires, cardinals have influenced wars, cathedrals that defy gravity, all with the splendor, pomp, ceremony, rituals and rites, and sacraments that accompany human beings from birth to death. It’s such a colossal religious machine, so well assembled, so deeply rooted in human culture, that many people simply assume something that has lasted so long and grown so much… must be right.

But is it in accordance with the word of God? Here lies the first dangerous deception… of confusing longevity with truth, confusing size with divine approval. The Bible, which is “the word of God” revealed to humanity, makes it very clear that the wide path, the popular path, the path that the majority follows, is not always the correct path. Jesus Christ said this in no uncertain terms in Matthew 7:13-14;

“Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a FEW find it.” (A few, not the majority, not the largest institution on the planet. A few.)

This paper is not an attack on the person who was born Catholic, grew up in the family’s faith, lit candles with their grandmother, prayed the rosary on their mother’s lap. That emotional connection is real. It is precious. It is profoundly human. But there is a huge difference between sincere devotion of a heart-seeking God and the doctrines of an institution that over the centuries as accumulated traditions that when placed side by side with the Bible… simply do not hold up. Please realize that the Bible is not a Protestant book, or evangelical interpretation, and not some text of dubious origin.

Part 2 – The 1^st of the Three Key Verses to Examine

As we proceed, we will consider three verses, three sentences, found in the Bible, the Catholic Bible included. The same Bible that priests use in mass and that bishops studied in the seminary, the same one that cardinals have in Latin on the shelves of their offices in the Vatican. So, these verses are accessible, waiting to be read with open eyes and a heart willing to follow the truth wherever it may lead.

There is an impediment that prevents for most Catholics from accepting Bible Truth. That impediment is… “institutional tradition.” When a practice of tradition becomes deep-rooted enough it begins to function as a filter that makes it difficult to hear and accept the truth of “the word of God.” Jesus spoke against the “tradition” practiced and taught by the Nation Israel’s Religious leaders. Jesus said;

“[you are] Making the WORD OF GOD of none effect through YOUR TRADITION, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” Mark 7:13

This verse above tells us Jesus Christ confronted the institutional tradition in the religious leaders of his time. He said the tradition of men NULLIFIEs the life-changing power of “the word of God.” For most folks the Bible starts to be interpreted not by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not by prayer, not by honest study, but through the lens of whatever the institution needs to be true … For It To Continue To Exist. Religious tradition does not compliment or enrich true faith in the word of God; Jesus said it Nullifies God’s word.

The ultimate question each of us needs to ask is not, ‘Does my denomination have tradition?’ The question is this, “Is what I believe aligned with what the Bible actually teaches?” In eternity, God will not ask which institution you belonged to. He will ask if you judiciously and experientially know His Son, if the faith you exercised was based on His word or the word of men. Note Peter’s words after he had come to faith in Christ and His words.

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God Rather Than Men.” Acts 5:29

All humans are fallible, whether a pope or a believing Christians. Israels 19 of Israel’s kings were fallible. Jeremiah wrote of Israel’s “priests” I and prophets.

“The [Israel’s] prophets prophesy Falsely, and the priests Bear Rule By Their Means [exercise rule by their own hand]; and [sadly] my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? Jeremiah 5:31 (KJV)

Paul here wrote similarly warning of corrupt teachers appearing in these days.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts [desires] shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴ And they shall Turn Away Their Ears From The Truth, and Shall Be Turned Unto Fables. [Gk. mythos, mythical fables]” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV)

The three Bible verses that follow are not just theological curiosities. They are intended to be as mirrors. When placed before the Catholic structure, they will reveal serious contradictions that no human argument can resolve.

The first verse that Paul wrote is enough to make any honest person stop to reconsider everything.

The second deepens what the first reveals and…

The third is the kind of passage that once read with care … changes how you see everything that came before, opening a path to pure faith God been waiting to show us.

The First Key Verse Concerns “ONE MEDIATOR”

The Apostle Paul wrote this verse with precision, leaving no wiggle room.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

This verse alone extinguishes the ‘mediatorial religious system’ of Roman Catholicism, the function of saints, Mary, and the priesthood. There are such verses in the Bible that don’t need elaborate explanation. Our text, 1 Timothy 2:5, shocked me when I first read it. One sentence, clean cut, no ambiguity, no room for maneuver, no space for creative reinterpretation; saying there is just “ONE MEDIATOR,” which is Jesus Christ” Himself.

Anyone who begins to consider this verse with honesty soon realizes that it is not talking about something peripheral. It is touching the very center of how human beings have traditionally related to God. Christ’s Mediation is the heart of the faith. It concerns the only the path by which the sinner reaches the creator. The Bible affirms that this path has “One Mediator,” one in name, only Jesus Christ. It is a declaration of exclusivity. The Greek word Paul used carries the meaning of “One” to be singular, and exclusive.

Salvation is Not based upon Christ plus what we can offer. This “One,” Jesus Christ, is not just the first on a list, or the one in a category. So, when you look at certain religious traditions, especially in the Roman Catholic system, what you find is a structure entirely built on HUMAN MEDIATION. And that’s not a matter of forced interpretation. It is official Catholic doctrine. Doesn’t the priest act as a mediator in the confessional. The adherent does not go directly to God to confess their sins. They go to the priest who then administers forgiveness.

• The 7 sacraments are supposed channels of grace that depend upon the priest’s ministry to be valid.
• Mary is officially declared and called the ‘mediatrix’ of all graces and even the co-redemptrix. These titles place her in a position of active participation in the work of redemption.
• The saints are invoked as intercessors receiving the prayers of the faithful to forward them to God.

The entire Roman Catholic religious architecture is a chain of Human Intermediaries between the adherent and their creator. This is precisely where 1 Timothy 2:5 comes in like a sword. The Bible says there is only “One Mediator.” The Bible does not say one main mediator or one supreme mediator with approved assistance. Any human figure placed between the believer and God contradicts what Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is not a matter of disrespect for Mary or the saints as historical figures. It is a matter of what “the word of God” says about Christ as our “One Mediator”.

Consider know that Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let US therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

This opens another window on the same theme. The author does NOT say, ‘Let us seek an intermediary to take us to the throne.’ This confidence exhibited in is not arrogance. It is faith based on what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. Its certainty says the way is wide open and Does Not Need To Be Mediated by a priest, saint, or virgin. Access to God is direct for everyone who comes through Jesus Christ.

Consider also Hebrews 7:25 that closes this argument with extraordinary force. “Therefore, he [God] is able to save completely those who come to God through him [Christ] because HE [Christ] always Lives To Intercede for them.” Jesus Christ lives to intercede in the present continuous eternal now of His position “at the right hand of the father.”

Since Christ is in fact alive and permanently interceding for every person who approaches God through Him, what would be the need to add another voice to His intercession? Since Jesus Christ intercedes completely, the addition of Mary or any saint does not contribute a thing. It would contradict His ‘all sufficiency.’

Please understand that this discussion does not arise from animosity towards the many sincere religious Roman Catholic people. Many who grew up within systems with this structure of mediation were genuinely devout, had real faith and sought God with their hearts. The problem was never with the sincerity of the people. It was the mediatorial structure they were taught. It is precisely out of love for true faith, that Jesus’ words in the Bible concerning tradition need to be taken seriously in everything it says, including as that which dismantles empty traditions.

Israel’s practiced ‘traditionalism.’ ‘Traditionalism’ can be said to be a rigid adherence to either 1) outdated practices that may never had been true or 2) practices that were once true but no longer hold relevance or truth because The Truth of Cross Of Christ Changed Everything. The resurrected “spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2) indwelling the heart of the believer (Colossians 1:26-27) ended The Mediatorial religious System forever.

Yet. ‘Traditionalism’ remains today just as rampant as it was in Jesus’ day… among the vast majority of sects and denominations of Christendom, including Romanism.

When the Bible says “One Mediator,” God is not being exclusive of Christ on a whim. He is protecting the believer, ensuring them access into God’s grace … without depending upon any human mediatorial hierarchical religious system, or the function of a a priest. The man who understands 1 Timothy 2:5 no longer needs to go through anyone to reach God.

“For there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)

 

Part 3 – The 2^nd Key Verse to Consider

Every soul needs to know and believe that Jesus Christ has already opened the way to everlasting salvation completely, permanently, all sufficiently. This is because all mankind is already “reconciled” to God… all the lost soul must do is believe, ‘trusting in Christ’s finished work of the Cross’ to Receive Reconciliation.

“For if, when [while] we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10 (KJV)
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled” Colossians 1:21 (KJV)

Knowing this, Paul writes this 2^nd Key Verse with impressive surgical precision.

“⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

Ephesians 2:8-9 are the verses that nullify need for any of the sacraments to be saved. Wen God put them in the Bible, he left no room for negotiation. Ephesians 2:8-9 is exactly that kind of passage. It’s a verse that ends the debate.

Every word here was chosen. Every blessed word of grace and faith here carries an exclusionary phrase by the words “Not of…”. When all the exclusions are placed side by side, what remains is a structure of salvation radically different from what many religious systems teach. The first thing that stands out is the source of salvation, Grace. Not merit, not ritual, not accumulated effort, grace. Grace, by definition, is something that cannot be earned. Whoever earns something establishes a credit. But God’s grace does not operate on a credit system. Salvation is a free-gift. Paul reinforces just that saying, “It is the gift of God.” A gift is to simply ‘be received.’ The way we receive it is faith, not practice, not ritual, not presence in a confessional.

Now when you understand what the council of Trent declared between 1545 and 1563, it becomes impossible not to see the contradiction. The Catholic Church in that historic council established that the seven sacraments, saying baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony are necessary for salvation. And it went further, declaring that anyone who affirms that the sacraments are not necessary would be under anathema, that is cursed. It is a harshly fixed position that still underpins Catholic theology to this day.

But Paul leaves no room for this. Romans 11:6, with the same clarity with which Jesus Christ spoke about the kingdom of God, says, “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works. If it were, grace would no longer be grace” Romans 11:6. Grace and works do not mix. This then is not a matter of theological opinion.

It is a matter of the internal logic of the inspired Bible text. If salvation had any component of human work, grace would cease to be grace and would become a wage. And wages are earned.

Gifts are to simply be received. What is a sacrament in practice? It is an action. It is Something One Does Or Receives From Another Human Being Through A Right Or Ritual. Going to the confessional is an action. Receiving the Eucharist is an action. Being water baptized in a ceremony is an action.

If salvation does not come from works, and the Bible is explicit about this, then none of these actions can be a condition for salvation. They can be expressions of devotion. They can be community practices with spiritual value, but they cannot be prerequisites for God to save a soul. Because if they are, salvation ceases to be a gift and becomes the result of religious performance. And there is something that needs to be said carefully but firmly. Ephesians 2:8-9 Is In the Catholic Bible. It is not a Protestant verse. It is not a later insertion. It is not a creative interpretation. It is there in the same cannon that the church itself recognizes as sacred. Priests have access to this text. It is read in masses. It appears in patristic commentaries. It is in the hymnals. Yet, when one observes the entire sacramental structure, it is as if this verse is treated with a kind of convenient deafness. The faith that saves according to Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul is not the faith that the sacraments work. It is faith in God in the gospel of his Son in the finished work of the cross. In John 6:47 Jesus says in no uncertain terms, “very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.” Not the one who participates in the sacraments, not the one who confesses regularly, but the one who believes. Faith is the channel, grace is the content, and God is the sole giver.

What Ephesians 2:8-9 exposes with almost unbearable precision is the difference between a Religion’s Performance Based Acceptance Systems and that of a soul’s ‘faith surrender.’ In a religion where salvation is based on one’s performance, the person must do enough to deserve or earn the divine favor. The problem is nobody can tell how much religious works is enough… that is because no human can in and of themselves, can please God, Only Our Sinless Jesus Christ’s Cross-work is able to Pay for ALL our sins, our past sins, present sins, and future sins. In ‘faith we surrender to God’s plan of Salvation by the cross of Christ. The believer must ultimately recognize that They Cannot Do Enough. They must freely receive from God what they could never achieve…. being declared justified by faith in Christ (cf. Rom. 3:26). Immediately upon our first believing, Jesus Christ immediately MEDIATES On Our Behalf, not as a human priest mediating a sacrament, but as The One Qualified MEDIATOR Between God And Men,

When this truth begins to settle in someone’s conscience, it doesn’t just change how that person understands the basis of their salvation. It changes how they face guilt, how they respond to failure, and how they can approach God… in Christ. Whoever understands that they were saved by grace through faith does not go to God carrying a list of religious works that they have performed. They go with empty hands. Interestingly, it is with our empty hands that God acts with more freedom and more power than any religious system has ever promised.

There are passages that take this discussion even deeper, touching not only on the nature of salvation, but on the very heart of what separates enjoying a living faith from a religion structured on obligations. This territory when explored in open hearted honesty reveals something that completely changes the way one reads everything the Bible teaches.

 

Part 4 – The 3^rd Key Verse to Consider

“Call No One On Earth Father” (Matthew 23:9).

This is the verse that invalidates the papacy. Of all the prohibitions Jesus od Nazaeth pronounced during his earthly ministry, few carry such surgical precision as the words recorded here in Matthew 23:9.

“Do not call anyone on earth your father. For you have one father and he is in heaven.”

This is not a suggestion. It is not a poetic metaphor. It is a direct instruction embedded in an entire chapter that deals with religious leaders who use titles to elevate themselves above others. And anyone who takes the Bible seriously cannot read this verse without feeling the weight of what it means for an entire institutional structure built on exactly what was forbidden. Roman Catholicism calls every priest father and in English this needs no translation. The supreme leader receives the title pope derived from the Greek πάππα (páppas), which originally means "father."

The most intimate, most affectionate, closest word a child uses to call their parent has become the greatest ecclesiastical title in Christendom. It was precisely this title, this institutionalized spiritual fatherhood, that Jesus Christ explicitly forbade. This is not a forced interpretation. It is the plain and simple text. The most common defense one hears is that Jesus was speaking figuratively and that if it were literal, it would be impossible to call one’s own biological father. Rediculous.

This response crumbles when one reads the entire chapter without cherry-picking. Matthew 23 is a continuous sequence of warnings against religious leaders who placed themselves above the people using titles and positions of authority. In its context, Jesus was not talking about natural family relationships. He was talking about spiritual authority exercised over other believers. The context is non-negotiable and the Bible must be read as it is, not as one would like it to be. But there is something even deeper here than the issue of the title. The verse destroys an entire architecture. Catholicism was literally built as a hierarchical spiritual family consisting of The Pope as the supreme father, the bishops as fathers of the diocese, the priests as fathers of the parishes. All authority descends from the top down from father to children, a model that Jesus explicitly rejected. In verse 8, Jesus said you are all brothers.

The biblical regenerated Christian church family is brotherhood, all being equal before God, all with equal direct access the heavenly Father via their union with Christ. And there is a testimony that few consider with the seriousness it deserves, that of Peter himself. Since Catholicism maintains that Peter was the first pope, it is worth asking how Peter described himself. In 1 Peter 5:1, he writes, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder [presbyter]….” Peter placed himself as an equal, as a brother in the faith, as someone who walks alongside, not as a supreme authority who fathers all the rest. This is different from what the papacy represents.

Note also what the Bible records in Acts 10:25-26, when Cornelius fell at Peter’s feet, he lifted him up and said, “Stand up. I myself am a man.” He did not accept reverence. He did not assume the posture of a supreme spiritual father, a man among men, a servant among servants. This is the image of Peter that the Bible presents and it contrasts dramatically with what centuries of tradition have built upon his name. Jesus Christ did not create a hierarchy of spiritual fathers. He inaugurated a family of brothers, all children of the same father, all with direct access to God through faith, without the need for intermediaries who place themselves as paternal authority over the conscience of others. The teaching of Matthew 23 is clear. There is only one father who is in heaven. There is only one teacher who is Christ. All others are brothers. This is more than a question of title. It is a question of who occupies the center of each believer’s faith. When this structure of institutionalized spiritual fatherhood is examined in the light of the Bible, it finds no support.

There comes a moment when the word of God does not ask for permission to speak the truth. It simply does. Throughout this study. There were no attacks, no disrespect, no invention of doctrines. What was placed before the eyes of the readers were three key verses taken directly from the Bible, the same Bible that Catholics carry, venerate, and quote in their services and masses.

These were three simple, direct references with no room for acrobatic interpretations, and their effect is undeniable.

The First key verse was 1 Timothy 2:5, where it is clearly written, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” one sentence. No exceptions, no loopholes for priests, canonized saints, or any other intermediary, no matter how sacred they may seem to humanize. If faith is placed in Jesus Christ as the sole mediator, then any system that inserts other mediators between the soul and God comes into direct conflict with this biblical declaration. And this is not a Protestant opinion. This is what the Bible says.

The Second key verse was Ephesians 2:8-9 where the Apostle Paul writes with a frankness that should end any debate about works, rites and rituals.  “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.”

These two sentences that dismantle centuries of a sacramental system. The idea that salvation can be earned through obligatory confessions, penances, indulgences, or any other ritualistic practice finds no support here. Faith in Jesus Christ alone is the way of salvation. The way has already been opened and paid for on the cross of Christ, completely.

The Third key verse was Matthew 23:9, where Jesus Christ explicitly forbade the use of the title “father” as an institutionalized spiritual authority. He said, “do not call anyone on earth father for you have one father and he is in heaven.” This was not a metaphor. It was not rhetorical exaggeration. This was a direct instruction from Jesus to his disciples.

This instruction was given in a context where he was precisely denouncing Israel’s religious leaders who had turned spiritual authority into human power over the members. Calling bishops and popes father or holy father goes exactly against what Jesus commanded.

Now, whoever has reached this point needs to understand something important. This is not about winning a theological debate. It is not about humiliating anyone or saying that a person is bad for following a tradition they learned since childhood. A person’s faith is a serious and delicate thing, deserving to be treated with genuine respect. But what cannot happen is the silencing of “the word of God” for fear of discomfort. The Bible was not written to please the human religious systems of men. It was written to liberate the souls of those trapped within manmade hierarchical religious systems.

The question that remains is simple; What to do with this? These verses did not disappear after being read. They are there in your Bible, available for anyone to check right now. It was not necessary to distort the text, take it out of context, or perform interpretive gymnastics. They are written with the clarity that only the word of God can have when it wants to be understood. God wants to be understood. He did not hide the path of salvation in complicated rituals or inaccessible hierarchies. He revealed it in Jesus Christ openly, universally, and freely.

If the person who read this is Catholic, the question is, ‘Is the faith you carry founded on “the word of God” or on the tradition of men?’ Judge for yourself. This is a question that deserves honesty.

There is no wrong answer for those who seek with sincerity. But there is a huge difference between following what was taught by custom and following what God really said. The Bible exists precisely so that each person can verify for themselves by depending on what the Bible says about building true faith, which comes by “hearing the word of God,” not by rituals.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (KJV)