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As I said, Baptism and the Eucharist are two of the means of salvation provided for us by Christ.

whoa....now you're back to claiming this....even though we just went through the proofs that neither baptism nor communion can save you unless you have faith in Jesus....to which you admitted.

I want this point clearly understood by anyone reading this thread.

If you're baptized without faith in Christ, you're still a wet sinner.

If you participate in communion without faith in Christ, you are still a sinner.

A soul in mortal sin cannot receive grace.

Let's clarify this false teaching of the roman catholic church.

First, every soul, before faith in Jesus, is in "mortal" sin. You have already been judged according to John 3:19. This means you do not go to Heaven when you die....you go to Hell. At this point, Momma can't help you, grandma can't help you, your friends can't pray you into Heaven. It's a done deal.

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has already been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:19 NASB).

Roman catholicism teaches you can commit a sin that causes you to lose your salvation. Really?? There is a sin you can commit that cannot be forgiven by Christ or has not already been forgiven by Christ? Or that somehow undoes what Christ did on the cross?

And to be clear the roman catholic church teaches that if you died in what they call "mortal sin", you do not gain Heaven. You go to Hell. Unless....you make it to the priest on time and he "forgives" you.

If you get "forgiveness" from the priest, the Roman Catholic church teaches you must do penance to "pay" or "atone" for your sin. Really?

What "work" or how many "hail Mary's" come close to what Christ did on the cross for us?

If there was something we could do to atone for our sins then Christ died needlessly. Paul wrote about this in Galatians 2:21.....I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness come through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.

We should be thankful that there is another way that is based on the Word.

For a believer in Christ, a Christian, there is not a sin that cannot be covered by the blood of Jesus' death on the cross.

Colossians 2:8-14 makes this clear.

8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

All of this comes about through faith/belief in Jesus. Nothing. Nothing else can save you.

Romans 1:16...for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek.

Hebrews 11:6....And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.