The Catholic apologist's scriptural cheat sheet

Last revised September 25th, 2001 by Christopher Wong (cwong@world.std.com)

Sola scriptura

Jn 21:25 ... not everything is in the Bible.
2 Thess 2:15; 2 Tim 2:2; 1 Cor 11:2; 1 Thess 2:13 ... Paul speaks of oral tradition.
Acts 2:42 ... early Christians followed apostolic tradition.
2 Pet 3:16 ... Bible hard to understand, get distorted.
2 Jn 1:12; 3 Jn 1:13-14 ... more oral tradition.
2 Pet 1:20-21 ... against personal interpretation.
Acts 8:30-31 ... guidance needed to interpret scriptures.
Heb 5:12 ... need to be taught.

Sola fide

Jas 2:14-26 ... what good is faith w/o works?
Heb 10:26-27, Rom 8:12-13 ... must avoid sin.
Jas 5:20 ... "earning" forgiveness.
Lk 6:46-49; Mt 7:21; Mt 19:16-21; Jn 5:28-29 ... must do will of God.
1 Cor 9:27 ... "buffet my body"
Phil 2:12; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 2:6-13; Mt 25:32-46; Gal 6:6-10; Rev 20:12; 1 Pet 1:14-17 ... works have merit.
1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:24; 1 Jn 5:3 ... keep commandments.
Intellectual assent (1 Th 2:13), confidence in promise (Rom 4:2-3, Gen 15:5-6), obedience (Rom 1:5) and love (Gal 5:6) implied by faith.

Salvation (once and for all?)

1 Cor 9:27 ... after preaching ... I myself disqualified.
1 Cor 10:12 ... thinks that he stands ... lest he fall.
Phil 2:12 ... work out salvation with fear and trembling.
Heb 4:1 ... fear of failing to reach salvation.
1 Jn 5:16-17 ... some sins are mortal, some not.
Rom 11:21-22 ... spare branches, continue or be cut off.
Heb 6:4-8 ... believers can apostasize, be damned.
Heb 10:26-29 ... those sanctified who sin can still be damned.
2 Pet 2:20-21; 1 Cor 8:10-13; Gal 5:4 ... righteous can fall.

Deuterocanonicals

Deuterocanonicals were used in NT: 2 Mac 6:18-7:42 ... Heb 11:35; Wisdom 3:5-6 ... 1 Pet 1:6-7; Wisdom 13:1-9 ... Rom 1:18-32
Septuagint (Gk, w/ Deuterocanonicals) version of OT quoted in NT, noticably different from Hebrew version: Is 7:14 ... Mt 1:23; Is 40:3 ... Mt 3:3; Joel 2:30-31 ... Acts 2:19-20; Ps 95:7-9 ... Heb 3:7-9 etc.

Purgatory

Lk 12:58-59; 1 Cor 3:15; Mt 5:25-26 ... temporary agony.
Heb 12:6-11 ... God's painful discipline.
Mt 12:32 ... no forgiveness ... nor in the age to come.
1 Pet 3:18-20 ... might be purgatory (limbo?).
1 Pet 4:6 ... preached to the dead.
Rev 21:27 ... nothing unclean shall enter heaven.
Heb 12:23 ... souls in heaven are perfect.
Col 1:24; 2 Sam 12:13-14 ... "extra" suffering.
2 Mac 12:43-46 ... sacrifice for the dead. (not in Protestant Bibles)
2 Tim 1:15-18 ... prayer for Onesiphorus for "that Day."
1 Jn 5:14-17 ... mortal/venial sins

Eucharist

Mt 26:26-27; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:24-25 ... this is my body ... this is my blood.
1 Cor 11:26-30 ... sinning against the body and blood.
Jn 6:32-58 ... long discourse on Eucharist.
Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4; Heb 7:1-17 ... Melchizedek.
Acts 2:42 ... breaking of bread.
Ps 14:4; Ps 53:4; Is 9:18-20; Is 49:26; Micah 3:2-3; Rev 17:6,16 ... symbolic interpretation of Jn 6 inappropriate.
Ex 12:8,46 ... paschal lamb has to be eaten.
Jn 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7 ... Jesus is lamb of God, paschal lamb.
Jn 4:31-34; Mt 16:5-12 ... Jesus speaks symbolically of food.

Baptism

Acts 2:38-39; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; Acts 18:8; 1 Cor 1:16 ... suggests baptism of all, incl. children.
Jn 3:5; Rom 6:4; Mk 16:16 ... necessity of baptism.
Col 2:11-12 ... circumcision (normally performed on infants c.f. Lk 2:21; Gen 17:12) replaced by baptism.
Acts 22:16 ... baptism removes sin.
1 Pet 3:21 ... baptism saves by water.

Forgiveness of sins

Jn 20:22-23 ... "if you forgive ... they are forgiven."
Mt 18:18 ... binding on earth and heaven.
2 Cor 5:18 ... ministry of reconciliation.
Jas 5:14-16 ... forgiveness of sins, anointing of the sick, confession.

Papacy/infallibility

Mt 16:18-19 ... Jesus gives Peter primacy: rock, keys, binding and loosing.
Is 22:22; Rev 1:18 ... keys as symbol of authority.
Jn 21:17 ... "feed my sheep"
Mt 10:1-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13; Lk 9:32 ... Peter mentioned first, as foremost apostle.
Mt 18:21; Mk 8:29; Lk 12:41; Jn 6:68-69 ... Peter speaks for the apostles.
Acts 2:14-40 ... Pentecost: Peter who first preached.
Acts 3:6-7 ... Peter worked first healing.
Acts 10:46-48 ... Gentiles to be baptized revealed to Peter.
Jn 1:42 ... Simon is Cephas (Aramaic: Kepha for rock).
Lk 22:31-32 ... "Simon ... strengthen your brethren".
Lk 10:1-2,16; Jn 13:20; 2 Cor 5:20; Gal 4:14; Acts 5:1-5 ... "vicars" (substitutes) of Christ.
Mt 17:24-27 ... Peter, Jesus' representative, is exempt from temple tax.
Mk 6:20; Lk 1:70,2:23; Rom 12:1; Act 3:21, 1 Cor 7:14; Eph 3:5; Col 1:22 ... humans can be holy ("call no one holy").

The 'Brothers' of Jesus

Mary wife of Cleophas and "sister" of the Virgin Mary (Jn 19:25) is the mother of James and Joset (Mk 15:47; Mt 27:56) who are called the "brothers of Jesus" (Mk 6:3).
Acts 1:12-15 ... apostles, Mary, "some women" and Jesus' "brothers" number about 120. That is a lot of "brothers."
Gen 14:12-14 ... Lot, Abraham's nephew (Gen 11:26-28), described as Abraham's brother (KJV).
Gen 29:15 ... Laban, Jacob's uncle, calls Jacob his "brother" (KJV).
John 19:26-27 ... Jesus gives care of Mary to John, not one of his "brothers."
2 Sam 6:23, Gen 8:7, Dt 34:6(KJV) ... "until."
Jn 20:17-18 ... "go to my brethren/brothers": Mary goes to disciples.

Mary

Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5; 2 Kings 2:1-13 ... Enoch and Elijah taken to heaven.
Lk 1:28 ... annunciation.
Lk 1:42-48 ... blessed among women. All generations shall call her blessed.
2 Tim 4:8, Jas 1:12, 1 Pet 5:4, Rev 2:10 ... coronation awaits saints.
Jn 2:1-5 ... Mary's intercession.
Jn 19:26-27; Rev 12:17 ... suggests Mary's motherhood of all Christians.
1 Kings 2:19 ... queen mother, intercessor.

Saints

Mk 12:26-27 ... "not God of the dead, but of the living."
Jn 15:1-8 ... vine and its branches.
1 Cor 12:25-27; Rom 12:4-5 ... body of Christ.
Eph 6:18; Rom 15:30; Col 4:3; 2 Thess 1:11 ... intercessory prayer.
Jos 5:13-14; Dan 8:15-17; Tobit 12:15-16 ... veneration of angels united with God (Mt 18:10).
1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2 ... saints also united with God.
Lk 20:34-38 ... those who died are like angels.
2 Mac 15:11-16 ... deceased Onias and Jeremiah interceded for Jews.
Rev 8:3-4; Jer 15:1 ... saints' intercession.
Is 14:9-10, 1 Sam 28:8-19, 1 Pet 3:19, Lk 16:19-31, Mt 17:3, Rev 5:8, Rev 7:9-10, Rev 6:9-10 ... those who have died are not in a coma.

Statues, images and relics

Ex 25:18-22, Ex 26:1,31; Num 21:8-9 ... God commands images made.
1 Kings 6:23-29, 35, 1 Kings 7:29 ... Solomon's temple: statues and images.
Acts 19:11-12 ... Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons.
2 Kg 13:20-21 ... Elisha's bones.
Acts 5:15-16 ... Peter's shadow.
Mt 9:20-22 ... Jesus' garment cures woman.

Church and authority

Acts 2:42 ... doctrine, community, sacred rite (bread).
Eph 5:25-26 ... Christ loved the Church.
1 Tim 3:15 ... church is pillar/foundation of truth.
Mt 16:18 ... Christ protects Church.
Heb 13:17 ... obey.
Mt 18:17-18 ... church as final authority.
Mt 23:2-3 ... Pharisees succeeded Moses (seat of Moses).
1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20 ... excommunication.
Jn 17:21 ... that they may be one.
Jn 10:16 ... one flock, one shepherd.

Priesthood

Acts 1:15-26; 2 Tim 2:2; Tit 1:5 ...unbroken succession.
Acts 15:6,23; Acts 14:23; 1 Tim 4:14, 1 Tim 5:22; 2 Tim 1:6-7; 1 Tim 5:17; Jas 5:13-15 ... presbyters/elders (priests) were ordained, preached and taught the flock, administered sacraments.
Jn 8:56; Lk 16:24; Rom 4:1,16-18; 1 Cor 4:14-15; Acts 7:2; 1 Thess 2:11; 1 Jn 2:13-14; Judges 17:9-10; Judges 18:19; ... "call no one father"?
1 Cor 7:7-9 ... Paul unmarried.
Mt 19:12; 1 Cor 7:32-33, 1 Tim 4:11-12 ... celibacy.
Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4; Heb 7:1-17 ... Melchizedek.
1 Cor 12 ... different roles of members of body.

Worship

1 Kg 8:54; 2 Chr 6:13; Ezra 9:5; Mt 17:14; Lk 5:8 ... kneeling.
Rev 8:3-4; Lk 1:8-9; Ex 30:7-8 ... incense.
Col 2:16 ... don't condemn concerning sabbath.
Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2 ... Eucharist, collections on Sundays.
Rev 4:8, Mt 26:44 ... "vain repetition"?

Justification

1 Jn 1:7, 2 Pet 1:9 ... purified from sins.
Jn 1:29, Heb 9:26-28 ... takes away sin.
Acts 3:19; Ps 51:1-2, Ps 103:12, Is 43:25 ... blot out, clear away sin.
Tit 3:5-7 ... regeneration, renewal part of justification.
Rom 2:13, Rom 3:20 ... future justification.
Heb 11:8... Gen 12:1-4; Rom 4:2-3... Gen 15:5-6; Jas 2:21-23... Gen 22:1-18 ... justifications of Abraham.
2 Pet 1:4 ... become partakers of the divine nature.

Morality

Gen 38:9-10 ... Onanism.
Mal 2:14-16 ... God hates divorce.
1 Cor 7:10-11 ... don't divorce.
Mt 5:32-33; Mt 19:4-6,9; Mk 10:11-12; Lk 16:18 ... Jesus prohibits divorce.