One Priest and One Finished Sacrifice for Sin

By Mike Gendron

As a devout Roman Catholic for over 34 years, I was utterly dependent upon Catholic priests for salvation. The reliance on priests to avoid the fires of hell is common among all Catholics. All Catholics are enslaved and in bondage to these men in the following ways: to baptize them with water for regeneration and justification, to hear their confession and absolve their sin, to impart the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation, and to transubstantiate a wafer into the physical body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist so that He can be offered on an altar and consumed. Not only are Catholics utterly dependent on their priests in this life, but also in the next life. The priest ministers Last Rites to prepare them for eternity and then offers Eucharistic sacrifices that are purchased by loved ones to get them out of purgatory. No priest will say how many sacrifices must be offered before they can be released from purgatory. This keeps the money pouring into Catholic coffers.

By God's grace, I began reading His Word and discovered there is a perfect High Priest who is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him (Heb. 7:25). When Jesus cried out "It is finished," the curtain of the temple was torn open, giving believers direct access to God (Mat. 27:51). I soon realized there is no need for Catholic priests offering the same sacrifices repeatedly, which can never take away sins (Heb. 10:11). Jesus appeared once to do away with sin; then He entered the holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12, 26). He offered Himself once as one unrepeatable sacrifice for sins for all time (Heb. 10:10, 12). His offering made perfect forever those who are sanctified, and there are no more offerings for sin (Heb. 10:14, 18). No longer would I rely on priests continuing on an altar what Jesus finished on the cross. There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).

These glorious truths from Scripture are what God used to set me free from the bondage of religious deception (John 8:31-32). I soon realized the Catholic priesthood is completely unnecessary, superfluous, and unbiblical. According to the Bible, the only priesthood that is now present on earth is the priesthood of all believers, the royal priesthood that offers sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to God (1 Pet. 2:9; Heb. 13:15).

Catholics will continue to be utterly dependent upon their priests until they come to know the Great High Priest who is so gloriously revealed in His Word. May God give us all a greater compassion and more courage to make these truths known to those who are perishing in their misplaced trust.