Today we talk about some of the deadliest errors of present day Roman Catholicism and

over the next month we look at Rome historically this October we're celebrating the Reformation together,

Martin Luther's great stand against the Pope and against Rome's spiritual abuses and

theological errors, but Luther didn't stand alone. Other men stood for this same cause before and after Luther, people

like John Wickliff, William Tendale, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and John Calvin, and many other lesser known names paid the ultimate price in the reformation, men and women and even teenagers who stood against Rome and who were bled and burned and drowned for it.

These stories of sacrifice are our focus in the month ahead in a 31 day tour that you can complete in just five to seven minutes each day.

It's titled Here We Stand.

You can subscribe to the email journey today by going to desiring God.org

forward slash stand or just go to desiring God

dot org and click on the link on the top of the website.

I hope you'll join us in remembering the price paid for

the spiritual blessings and the religious liberties that we enjoy today.

Those core beliefs enshrined by the Pope and in the practices of Rome that deeply concerned the reformers 500 years ago

or some of the very same concerns for Protestants today, leading to this question

about whether someone in a Roman Catholic church today could be genuinely saved.

The question comes from a listener named Jimmy who writes this, hello, Pastor John.

A close friend of mine passed away recently.

He was a great man, a good friend, a mentor to many young men like myself, and he

was a devout Roman Catholic. My questions for you are these. Will I see my friend in heaven, or do his theological views make this impossible?

Can I rightfully experience Paul's sorrowful yet always rejoicing mantra?

Or was my friend merely a devoted husband, a wonderful friend, and a good man?

In other words, do you believe devout Roman Catholics can be genuine Christians?

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