Sincere, by sincerely wrong by Wilma Sullivan

formerly Sister Wilma Marie R.S.M.

"Sincere" and "zealous" are the words which describe the religious

aspects of my life for twenty-nine and a half years as a Roman

Catholic. I so desired to do what was right. I went to Mass, received

the sacraments, loved my neighbors, and basically tried to do good to

all people. I always thought that by going to Mass, doing good, and

being nice to people was the way to get to Heaven. The desire to do

good to all people led me to become a member of a religious order, the

Sisters of Mercy, for four years, 1967-1971.

In October of 1973, while waiting to undergo surgery, another

patient came into my hospital room and asked me a question. This

question would lead me to a totally new life in Christ as a child of

God.1 "If you were to die in surgery today, Wilma, do you know for sure

that you would go to Heaven?" she asked. "Yes, I do," I replied. Our

conversation was interrupted at that point by a nurse ordering her back

into her room across the hall.

During the next two weeks, however, we did talk more about where I

would spend eternity. She showed me verses from the Bible that

salvation --going to Heaven--is a free gift.2 She explained that there

was nothing I could do to earn that gift except receive it by faith,

because the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved

through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not

of works, lest any man should boast." Again, in Titus 3:5-6 it states

that it is "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."

I needed to realize that I was a sinner and that I needed to be a

saved, born- again child of God.3 Unless I trusted Christ alone to save

me, I could never hope to live in Heaven with a holy God Who would not

allow even one lie to exist in His holy dwelling.4

On November 11, 1973 I realized that I was lost: I was on my way to

Hell to receive the just payment for being a sinner because "the wages

of sin is death..."5 I realized that only Jesus Christ could take away

my sins "once for all."6 The only way that I could ever be saved was to

trust totally in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for my sins, and

realize that His resurrection from the tomb showed His power over sin

and death. I was saved that night because I claimed God's promise in

Romans 10:13 that if I would call upon the name of the Lord I would be

saved. Assurance of eternal life with Christ in Heaven was freely given

to me that night simply by claiming further promises of the God Who

cannot lie.7

Since then, I have come to realize that before I trusted Christ as

my personal Saviour, I had a "form of godliness, but [I] denied the

power thereof."8 I have searched the Bible diligently to find the will

of God for my life and to do it. Worshipping God is man's purpose for

living. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him MUST

worship in Spirit and in truth."9 Man is separated from God by sin. He

must be born again before communication with God is possible. True

worship is possible only after the sinner has been born again. When a

man is alive spiritually through the new birth, he will worship God in

truth by obeying God's Word--not man's traditions.10

As I compared the sacraments of Catholicism--communion, baptism,

penance, etc.--with the Bible, I discovered that they differed one from

the other. For example, regarding "communion", the Bible states that

Jesus needed to die only once for man's sin, 11 while Catholicism

claims that He must die daily for the forgive- ness of sins.12 The

Bible declares that "baptism" is only an outward expression of the

inward repentance of a sinner, 13 while Catholicism claims that the

rite of baptism takes away original sin and makes a person a child of

God.14 "Penance" in Catholicism is when a priest forgives a person for

his sins.15 This is un- scriptural because the Bible states that there

is only one mediator between God and men--the man Christ Jesus16--and

no one else! This same verse also helped me to realize that no "saint"

can or will hear and answer prayer for me--only Christ.

These obvious contradictions with Scripture confronted me with the

most important and difficult decision I had ever had to make. I had to

decide to believe the God Who cannot lie17 and follow His way in the

Bible, or believe man who can make mistakes.18 I decided on December

16, 1973 to leave Catholicism and to do only what the Bible commanded,

and simply leave the results with God. I can honestly testify that I

have never regretted my decision and have, by His love which constrains

me, "grown in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus

Christ."19 I now can say "I am sincere, but sincerely right!"

I extend a personal invitation to anyone who reads this testimony to

"come,...take the water of life freely, "20 that you may "worship Him

in Spirit and in truth"21 for His glory, for your eternal salvation,

and for the good of others.

Footnotes

1. II Corinthians 5:17 2. Romans 6:23b 3. John 3:3-7 4. Revelation

21:27, 22:15 5. Romans 6:23a 6. Hebrews 10:10 7. I John 5:13; Romans

8:38-39; Titus 1:2 Hebrews 6:18 8. II Timothy 3:5 9. John 4:24 10.

Psalms 119:89; Colossians 2:8 11. Hebrews 10:10-14 12. What Catholics

Believe, by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D., Tan Books and Publishers,

Inc. Rockford, IL, 1977, page 65. 13. Acts 2:41; 8:26-39; 16:25-34 14.

What Catholics Believe, pages 51-52 15. What Catholics Believe, page 79

16. I Timothy 2:5 17. Romans 3:4 18. Proverbs 14:12 19. II Peter 3:18

20. Revelation 22:17 21. John 4:24

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