CHAPTER 5 -

How can we be saved?

 

 

 

 

It is important that we have the correct teachings and idea of salvation. It is important because if we put our trust in issues that cannot save us, one day we may find ourselves in damnation. We may find ourselves in damnation because we have relied on things that do not hold fast on the other side of the border.

   Below, we are going to study salvation so that it might be clear to all. We will study it so that you who have not yet received eternal life can get it.

 

Can the church save?

 

Many Roman Catholics regard their church as a "mother" and that people must be members of the church in order to be saved. They may also regard it as "the only right church", and believe that nobody can be saved outside of it. The Roman Catholic Catechism illustrates this position:

 

What is the significance of the Roman Catholic Church being the only church with the four distinctive marks of a Church of Christ?

It means that the Roman Catholic Church alone is the right Church of Christ. (p. 50)

 

What do we call the Catholic Church because it has received from Christ the power and means to lead people to eternal salvation? (p. 53)

For that reason, we call the Catholic Church the only church of salvation. (p 53)

 

Since the Catholic Church is the only church that saves, what is the responsibility of every man?

Everyone who knows that the Catholic Church is the right Church of Christ is obliged to be a member, to believe its doctrines, to enjoy its sacraments, and to be subject to its authority or lose eternal life. (p. 53)

 

However, the Bible contains no references to the church’s role in salvation. The Bible does not instruct people to join some special church in order to gain salvation.

   Instead, the Bible very clearly states that salvation is found in Jesus alone. He is the way to God the Father and to Heaven, not a church organization. Why would we not turn to him, since eternal life is in Him alone?

 

- (John 5:40) And you will not come to me, that you might have life.

 

 - (John 6:68,69) Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? you have the words of eternal life.

69  And we believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God.

 

- (John 14:6) Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

 

- (John 8:24) I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.

 

- (Acts 4:11,12) This is the stone which was set at nothing of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

The conversation below also illustrates what we are talking about: we cannot let a religious system blind our spiritual eyes so that we can not see the most essential issue. The people in this story (the description is from Vihasta vapauteen [From Fury to Freedom], Raul Ries, p. 127) were Roman Catholics who formerly were not able to distinguish essential from non-essential:

 

He seemed a bit relieved.

- Uh-huh, so it was. And yes, I needed that change. Sometimes it is very difficult to admit that religion that has always been in the family is by no means as good as we imagined. Or at least it hasn't worked very well. It is difficult when one has always been a Catholic...

   Father's voice faded away when he became lost in his thoughts. I could not help but feel compassion when I knew his conflicting feelings. Of course, Jesus was a very important part of the Catholic faith. He was the Savior, who died on the cross for all our sins. He was raised from the dead and now He is in Heaven. Those points were quite valuable to Catholicism and as also to me. And yet...

- Dad, the problem is that we cannot receive forgiveness through a religious system. We have to get forgiveness from Jesus. There are too many traditions and works of man in Catholicism that many people miss the main point. Those people will never know God. And even more common is that they will never know that God really loves them!

- Yep, he gave a laugh, - I was never sure about the existence of God… Not to mention a God who loves me.

   I laughed too.

 

THE sacraments or FAITH?

 

The second common point upon which people – and especially many Catholics – may rely on are sacraments. In the Roman Catholic Church, there are seven sacraments (baptism, communion, confirmation, confession, extreme unction, ordination and marriage) and it is commonly believed that God's saving grace is transmitted through them. These sacraments– except for the last two – are mandatory, and if a man neglects to use the sacraments, he may lose God's grace. The Catholic catechism also very clearly illustrates their importance. The sacraments are discussed in the following:

 

How can the sanctifying grace be increased?

The sanctifying grace can be increased

1) by enjoying the sacraments,

2) by works performed in the condition of grace (p. 110)

 

What is a sacrament?

A sacrament is an external sign set by Jesus Christ, where God dispenses internal grace to us. (p. 112)

 

What grace do the sacraments give?

1) The sacraments give the grace of sanctification or increase what has already been received

 2) Each sacrament gives those gifts that correspond to its special purpose. (p. 113)

 

Through what are the gifts of redemption distributed?

The gifts of redemption are mainly distributed through the offering of the Holy Mass and by giving the holy sacraments. (p. 52)

 

We must note that the sacraments alone cannot save anyone. No ceremonies can themselves bring us God’s grace. It is essential that we believe in Jesus as the only source of our salvation; we receive this salvation simply by believing, by placing our trust in Him. When we believe in Jesus as Saviour, we no longer rely on other things, such as the sacraments or something in ourselves; we place all our trust in Him. Only in this way can we be saved:

 

- (John 3:14,15) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15  That whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

- (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

- (John 6:40)  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

- (Acts 10:43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins.

 

- (Acts 16:30,31) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house. 

 

- (Gal 3:22) But the scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

 

- (Eph 3:11,12) According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12  In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

 

- (1 John 5:13) These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

 

Confession – can a man FORGIVE SINS?

 

The third thing that Roman Catholics trust for salvation is confession and the absolution of their sins, as delivered by a priest. They think that when they confess their sins to a priest, that priest really does possess the power to forgive these sins.

  Doctor Zachello, who was a priest in the Catholic Church, tells how he faced this matter when he was in the confessional:

 

I was troubled mostly by suspicions in the confessional. People came to me, kneeled before me, and confessed theirs sins to me. And I promised with the mark of the cross that I had the power to forgive them their sins. I, a sinner, took the place of God. The people had broken God’s laws, not mine. Hence, they also should have confessed their sins to God, and pray for forgiveness from God alone. (11)

 

But it is good to note that no absolution given by man can replace the forgiveness and salvation that can be received from God alone. For, "who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7); and "Salvation to our God which sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (Rev 7:10).

   So we can receive forgiveness for our sins from God alone. We receive it by accepting Jesus into our lives and turning to Him. The forgiveness promised by God is in Jesus alone, and not in the formulas for absolution given by the priests:

 

- (Acts 10:43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins.

 

- (Acts 13:38,39) Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins:

39  And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

 

- (Eph 1:7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

 

- (Col 1:14) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

 

- (1 John 2:12) I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

 

Doing ONE’S best

 

Some people may put their trust in doing their best. They think that when they do their best to fulfill the will of God, God finally gives His grace and acceptance to them. Luther explained this, "in the clarification of the letter to the Galatians" (Finnish text, p. 214):

 

The correct way to receive righteousness isn’t that you do what you can; this phrase is used by sophists and scholastics. They say that if a man does what he can then God will definitely give His grace to him. This saying is one of the most important of the sophists and quite fitting to the article of faith.

 

We must note, however, that doing your best is not enough in the eyes of God. The Bible tells us that, "Yet none of you keeps the law," and for that reason, we are under a curse. We are under a curse, and we can never be acceptable before God by our own works:

 

- (John 7:19) …and yet none of you keeps the law…

 

- (Gal 3:10) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

 

Our only hope of becoming acceptable before God is through Jesus. He fulfilled for us what we could not fulfill ourselves. He fulfilled the law for us, that is, he bridged the gap between God and man: He became a Mediator for us:

 

- (Gal 4:4,5) But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

 

- (Rom 8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

 

 - (Matt 5:17) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

 

- (1 Tim 2:5,6) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

- (Hebr 9:15) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

 

THE ACTS OF Compensation and penance

 

The acts of compensation and penance ordered by the priests are also included in confession. Those can include such tasks as reciting the Hail Mary, the Lord's prayer or other prayers ten times, fasting, giving money, doing different kinds of good works, refraining from amusements, and/or other activities as ordered by the priest.

  The Catholic Almanac describes the significance of penance in the following way:

 

Penance is a necessary precondition for salvation (...) and Christ set it for the forgiveness of sins. (Finnish text, p.269, 559)

 

But can acts of compensation or penance remove our sins or save anyone? The answer is that they certainly can not. The following three points prove this:

 

Salvation is a gift. The first point that contradicts this notion that we can effect our own salvation through acts of compensation or penance as ordered by a priest is the fact that salvation is a gift. If we had to pay even a little bit, or somehow earn it, salvation would no longer be a gift but won on our own merits. Therefore, the gift must either be received or be lost. The Bible says this very clearly.

 

- (Eph 2:8) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 

- (Rom 3:24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

 

- (Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

- (Rev 21:6) And he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.

 

- (Rev 22:17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

 

Not by works. The second point contradicting the notion that man can effect his own salvation through acts of compensation or penance is the fact that our salvation is not gained through works. It is significant that it was the Apostle Paul who said this; Paul said of himself, "I labored more abundantly than they all." (1 Cor 15:10). So if Paul deemed his works insufficient to gain salvation, how can we put our trust in our own works? Our own works can never take us to Heaven, and they can not deliver salvation to anyone else:

 

- (Rom 3:20) Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

 

- (Rom 4:6) Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, to whom God imputes righteousness without works,

 

- (Gal 2:16) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

 

- (Gal 3:10) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

 

- (Eph 2:8,9) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

- (2 Tim 1:9) Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

 

 - (Titus 3:5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

 

Actually, our actions ought to spring from salvation. We should not be doing things to earn salvation; instead, we ought to be doing things because we are saved. The following conversation illustrates this point:

 

- No, not so much in that but in what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

- Why do you think Christ suffered on the cross?

- Oh, I know that now. He hung there for my sins. He fulfilled what can not be accomplished by any human power...

- But what will happen now to your acts of compensation and penance and your fasts and all your good works over these many years?

- Oh, don't speak about them. We can't add anything to that lovely redemption and atonement that Christ carried out. After all, you read me about His death on the cross because of my sins. There is nothing left for me to do...

   - How strange! If I understand you correctly, it seems to me as if you Protestants believe that we must confess our sins, and that we must have someone pray for us; you even seem to think that we must practice good works but only when we have been saved, not as tools to gain salvation, and you pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ and not in the name of the virgin Mary. (12)

 

Jesus' work for us. The third point that negates people's acts of compensation or other acts to gain salvation, is the fact that Jesus died for us, in our place. If he has already done everything for us, how can anyone’s actions work for their own salvation? It is almost 2,000 years too late for that:

 

- (Rom 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 

- (Rom 5:8) But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

- (Rom 8:32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

 

- (Gal 2:20)  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 

- (Gal 3:13) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree

 

- (1 Thess 5:10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

 

- (Tit 2:14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

 

- (1 John 3:16) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

 

- (1 Tim 2:6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

- (1 Peter 3:18) For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

 

- (Hebr 6:20) Where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

 

- (Isa 53:5-6) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

- (Rom 4:25) Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.

 

Pope's view on salvation

 

Although many verses in the Bible indicate that the basis of salvation is Jesus' work on our behalf and that we are not saved through our acts, several Popes have failed to understand this point.

   For example, Pope John Paul did not understand this. Instead, he replaced it with his own doctrine about salvation. His recommendations included giving up tobacco and alcohol, for example. He thought that people can receive forgiveness of sins through these things – which we should, of course, avoid. This statement by the Pope, in which is apparent a conflict with, for example, the verses above, appears in the following newspaper article published a couple of years ago. (So, when the Pope taught forgiveness of sins through giving up smoking, he was actually rejecting the work of Jesus and deeming it insignificant. Unfortunately, the Pope also led other people astray and to damnation, when he taught them to trust in issues that can never save them. His view was certainly caused by the fact that the Gospel had not become clear to him yet.):

 

 

Giving up Smoking Brings Heaven Closer

 

Now the church has announced it – in the Vatican and from the mouth of the Pope himself: he who stops smoking collects valuable bonus points for redeeming his place in heaven.

   In an official letter or a bulla, published for the 2000^th anniversary of Christianity, Pope John Paul lists the good works that can enable people to get absolution for themselves and relief for their loved ones in purgatory in the year 2000.

   Even by stopping smoking for one day, one can be forgiven many sins. The longer you are without smoking, the closer your place in heaven will be.

   The Pope's list of penances also includes giving up alcohol. When you don’t drink alcohol, you are again closer to paradise.

   The money saved by giving up these vices must, of course, be offered to charity.

   (...) Buying a remembrance mass for a dear departed is also regarded as a good deed. There is not an actual prize for this mass, but everybody can pay what he wants. Usually, at least FIM 150 is donated to the church.

   People already in the spiritual realm can be helped in this way and their time in purgatory will be shortened.

  (...) Next year, you can shorten the list of your sins by making significant donations to the church or to social activity, by confessing, and by taking part in the communion.

   Good Catholics often go to church and pray expressly for the issues presented by the Pope that also include a long life for the Pope himself. (...) (13)

 

BEComing holy

 

One peculiarity of the Catholic Church is "canonization". The Catholic Church has a practice in which dead people are canonized: it is believed that these people were somehow special and chosen by God. For example, Pope John Paul ll canonized almost 500 people. (Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat 6 October 2003), more than all those canonized by his predecessors since the 1500s.

   However, everyone can be holy and righteous – not by oneself but through Jesus. The following issues are connected to this topic, and we will study them in more detail:

 

1. God justifies the wicked      

2. Not a goal achieved little by little

3. The foundation is Christ's obedience  

4. No difference between people

 

1. God justifies the wicked. Many Roman Catholics and religious people generally believe that a man must first be good enough before God can justify him. They may think that a man must first have enough merits and good deeds, and only then will he be found acceptable and righteous before God. They regard changing oneself and becoming good a precondition for the fulfillment of God’s justification.

   However, this viewpoint is quite incorrect. God does not justify our life and works, but us ourselves, without considering our merits. The Bible even says that God justifies the wicked and the ungodly: that is, persons who have no merits. This does not mean that good deeds should be undermined. They may and they should be a consequence of salvation, but by themselves, good deeds save nobody. Salvation takes place at the moment we turn to God through faith in Jesus:

 

- (Rom 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 

- (Rom 4:5) But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

 

- (Rom 4:6) Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, to whom God imputes righteousness without works, 

 

- (Rom 3:28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

 

- (Rom 3:24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

 

2. Not a goal achieved little by little. Righteousness and becoming holy is not a process. It does not mean that man first "by the influence of the sanctifying grace" (generally, the religious people also say that even the best life is of the grace of God) does enough good deeds and bears such fruit of the Spirit that God finally justifies him.

   Instead, we become holy and righteous before God in one moment, -- that moment when we turn to Jesus. The verses below explain that people already have righteousness, not that they get it little by little. Even though members of the church in Corinth, for example, were very imperfect, they were still held as righteous, holy, and saints before God:

 

- (Rom 5:1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

- (Rom 5:9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

 

- (1 Cor 6:11) And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

 

- (1 Cor 1:2)  To the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s:

 

- (1 Cor 3:16,17) Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

 

3. The foundation is Christ's obedience. Many religious people may stress their religious achievements and compare themselves to others, by considering themselves better than other people.

   However, it does not make any difference if we are better than others when it comes to justification. The only possibility for anyone to become righteous is in that Christ Himself was obedient before the law. Only when we understand that the foundation of our salvation and righteousness is outside of us, that it is in Christ who Himself was obedient before the law, can we really gain salvation:

 

- (Rom 5:19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

 

- (Rom 4:25) Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.

 

4. No differences between people. When we receive Jesus Christ into our life, one consequence is that we will receive righteousness. Then, we are actually as acceptable before God as He Himself is, and this is why we can pray with confidence. This righteousness does not change daily as the tide, but it abides in us all the time, unless we ourselves give up to God, because it is not a question of our own righteousness, but the righteousness we get through Christ. The following verses are a few of the many references to this topic in the Bible:

 

- (1 Cor 1:30) But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

 

 - (Rom 3:22,24,26) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all and on all them that believe: for there is no difference:

24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus.

 

- (Acts 13:38,39) Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins:

39  And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

 

Also, when we receive the righteousness of Christ, there is no difference between us and the Apostle Paul; Elijah, the great hero of faith, was no more righteous than any one of us. Through the righteousness we gain through faith in Jesus Christ, we are all equal:  

 

- (James 5:16,17) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

 

He THAT has the Son has life

 

We discussed how people can base their salvation on the wrong foundation. It is not correct to think that trusting in one’s own acts, the sacraments, or trusting in the help of Mary and the saints will produce salvation.

   We need only to do one thing to get eternal life and salvation: receive Jesus, the Son of God, into our life. No one is saved through actions, but only through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. If we do not allow Him to enter our lives then we do not yet have eternal life. It is so simple:

 

- (1 John 5:12) He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life.

 

However, if you want to have eternal life, you can get it in an instant. Take these steps:

 

1. Turn to God and give your life to him

 

The first step is to receive God and Jesus Christ. Confess that you are a sinner who needs salvation and say that you want God's plan to come true in your life. You do not need to try to become better first, just turn with all your defects toward God.

 

2. Receive

 

Receive Jesus. Eternal life is received as a gift from the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and receive Him into your life. You can repeat these words:  "Lord Jesus, come into my life.” The Bible teaches us that Jesus is  already standing at the door of our heart and is waiting for a chance to step into our lives: 

 

- (Rev 3:20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

If you do this, then – according to the Scripture – you are a child of God and you have eternal life. You have this eternal life, no matter how you feel at the moment. Do not base your assurance of salvation on your ever-changing emotions, but rest in the word of the Bible and on Jesus Christ, just like the anchor of a ship is never thrown inside the ship but always outside.

 

- (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

 

- (1 John 5:11-13) And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12  He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life.

13  These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

 

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION:

  

Lord Jesus, I turn to You. I confess that I have sinned against You and I have not lived according to Your will. However, I want to turn from my sins and follow You with all my heart. I believe that my sins have been forgiven by Your atonement work and I have received eternal life through You. I thank You for the salvation You have given me. Amen.

 

 

 

References:

 

1) Quote from Marian kolmet kasvot by Paavo Hiltunen, p. 110, 111.

2) Pius lX, Ubi Primum, sit. Mark Miravalle, Introduction to Mary. The Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion. Queenship Publishing Co., Santa Barbara 1993

3) Leo Xlll, Octori mense, Quote Mark Miravalle, Introduction to Mary. The Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion. Queenship Publishing Co., Santa Barbara 1993

4) Quote from Vatikaani profetiassa by Leo Meller, p. 53,54.

5) Ries Raul, Vihasta vapauteen (From Fury to Freedom), p. 125, 126

6) Cruz Nicky, Juokse henkesi edestä (Devil on the Run), p. 19

7) Hiltunen Paavo, Marian kolmet kasvot, p. 82

8) Setälä Päivi, Keskiajan nainen, p. 42

9) Holmqvist Hjalmar, Kyrkohistoria 1, p. 152

10) Ries Raul, Vihasta vapauteen (From Fury to Freedom), p. 108

11) Berry Harold J. and Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, p. 203

12) Bird Cyril Mrs, Missä vietät iäisyytesi?, p. 43,44.

13) Article in newspaper Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, approximately in the year 2000 by Leena Sirkiä

 

Sources :

 

PAAVO HILTUNEN: Marian kolmet kasvot

LEO MELLER: Vatikaani profetiassa

JAN AARTS: Paavi

OSWALD J. SMITH: Kutsu elämään [The Challenge of Life]

RAUL RIES: Vihasta vapauteen [From Fury to Freedom]

ALBERTO R. RIVERA: Alberto