(Continued from Previous Post - The Counterfeit Church)
Judges or preachers?
Did Christ constitute his disciples judges or proclaimers of the gospel? The Catechism teaches: "Priests have received from God a power that he has given neither to angels nor to archangels...God above confirms what priests do here below" (paragraph 983). The priest is a judge: if he forgives on earth, God confirms that same forgiveness in heaven. But the Lord Jesus said nothing of the sort. He did not say, "Whose soever sins ye forgive will (then) be forgiven." Christ used the perfect tense:
"Whose soever sins ye remit, they are (already) remitted unto them." The disciples' ministry resembles that of a messenger sent to a guilty prisoner. The president has forgiven him and granted him liberty. The messenger enters the cell and proclaims to him: "You are forgiven!" It is not implied thereby that the messenger enjoys judicial authority; he has simply proclaimed forgiveness already granted by someone else. Even so, the Lord's disciples are proclaimers of the free and gracious forgiveness of God. In no sense are they judges.
The correct interpretation of the Lord's commission recorded in John 20 should be consistent with the rest of Scripture, for God does not contradict himself. Naturally, then, we ask: "How did the early apostolic church bring God's forgiveness to the world? Was it through the confessional? Or was it through the preaching of the gospel?
Luke the evangelist, like John, includes the Lord's commission; he specifically informs us how this forgiveness was meant to come to us. He does not leave us at liberty to apply the Lord's instructions in any capricious way. He quotes the Lord Jesus just before his ascension:
- Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the death the third day; and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name among all nations (Luke 24:46,47).
The method is plainly outlined. How is forgiveness to be brought to the nations? By the preaching of the gospel. Christ did not inaugurate auricular confession to the priest. At least in the apostolic age the church did not so understand his words. When we investigate the Acts of the Apostles and all their writings, the result will further confirm the evangelical position. We find no single instance of any of the apostles or early Christians granting sacramental absolution. In no case do the apostles hint that Christians or anybody else should confess to a priest.
Historically, private confession was introduced gradually; it was only in 1215 that it was established officially by Pope Innocent III. The Catechism of the Catholic church admits that from the seventh century onwards "the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest" and calls it a "new practice" (paragraph 1447).
The apostles announced God's forgiveness through their preaching; they urged men to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thus enjoy full forgiveness of sins. Trusting in Jesus, humbled and subsequently exalted, thousands experienced God's gracious forgiveness. To take a sampling of Peter's preaching:
"To him (Jesus) all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). The apostle Paul expounds the gospel thus:
"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 13:38). On his part, the apostle John assures all believers in the Lord Jesus:
"Your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake" (1 John 2:12).
I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions
Upon whom have you fixed your gaze? Whom are you trusting for cleansing from sin? Is it a human priest, a sinner just as you are, who claims to be a judge? Or is it the only God, the Judge of all the earth? Remember the warning of Scripture:
"There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy." Take heed of the gospel as faithfully preached by the apostles and hear the Lord's calling, whose Law you have set aside:
- I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins...
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. The idea of obtaining priestly absolution is totally foreign to Scripture. Rather, God invites you to turn to him. He knows your sins; all your secrets are well-known unto him. He will certainly forgive you if you turn to him in sincere repentance and genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Father who art in heaven...forgive us our trespasses
God's grace is truly marvellous. Through his only-begotten Son, God bestows upon his elect children all spiritual blessings. Not only does he cleanse them of all their iniquities, but he also adopts them into his family. Formerly they were far away and enemies of God because of their disobedience; now they are his beloved children. All this comes about because of Christ's death and glorious resurrection. Before their conversion they neither feared God nor sought him; but now they sincerely desire to magnify his Name, and walk in new obedience. Before they did not know God; now the Holy Spirit indwells them.
Nevertheless, while on the earth, sin still clings to them. A relentless battles is waged within God's children during their whole lifetime. As much as they yearn and endeavour to lead a holy life, all genuine Christians humbly admit that they still sin daily.
But God the Father does not cast them out of his family. They are forever his children; he remains forever their heavenly Father. So when they sin, they do not approach a stern Judge, but together with their Mediator Jesus they flee unto the bosom of their Father.
"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." They draw near confidently, for God has promised them that
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). They confess directly to God, and to nobody else, for they are mindful of their Master's instructions concerning acceptable prayer:
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven...forgive us our debts" (read Matthew 6:9-13).
The Law brings us to Christ
Since we cannot earn life by our obedience, then what's the whole point of the Law? Paul explains one of its main purposes as follows:
- Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 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. (Romans 3:19-20).
The Law resembles a mirror. Looking steadfastly into it you will come to realize how spiritually unclean you really are. But the Law cannot wash you clean. To employ another simile: the Law acts like an x-ray, penetrating beyond the surface and revealing your heart, sick unto death. But the Law cannot heal you. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is able to wash sinners from their filth and give a new heart.
As a teenager I remember reading the Sermon on the Mount. I was much impressed and resolved to adopt it as my rule of life, my manifesto. I did my very best, but it eventually dawned upon me that the more I endeavoured to keep the standard, the more my frustration increased and my failure became apparent. How could I ever be perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect?
But the Lord was teaching me a simple yet profound lesson. Simple, I said, but so difficult a lesson for a 'good' teenager to grasp. The 'good' teenager is a sinner! Then I began to appreciate the Lord Jesus Christ; I began to understand what the Bible means when it speaks about the grace of God manifested so beautifully on Calvary. Only then is the soul ready to flee to Christ for refuge.
Initially God deals with man on Mount Sinai, creating a wholesome fear of him and a sure conviction of sin. God again deals with the sinner on the Calvary's hill. There he bestows his forgiveness; there he extends his life and frees the sinner in truth. God's use of his Law would have reached its fundamental purpose:
- The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24).
Justified by faith alone
How can man, burdened down with the guilt of his sin, obtain peace with his Creator? According to Scripture, only one way is available: being justified through faith in Christ.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
Justification is a crucial Bible term; how may we define it properly? From the very outset it must be borne in mind that the word 'justification' is borrowed from the law-courts; it is a legal term. Those who conduct themselves in conformity to the law are just, or righteous; on the other hand, transgressors of the law are unjust and guilty. The judge is called upon to justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. Thus justification refers to the judge's favourable pronouncement, declaring the accused to be 'not guilty,' and on the basis of this judicial sentence liberates him from all punishment of the law.
Man's woe springs from such facts of life. It goes without saying that the Lord, the righteous judge of all the earth, abominates him "that justifieth the wicked, and him that condemneth the just." Undoubtedly, all God's dealings are carried out with utmost rectitude. In his very nature God can neither ignore sin nor infringe upon his holiness and righteousness. He will certainly justify us if we were righteous. But the lamentable truth is that we are far from being righteous or even from attaining righteousness. On the contrary, we must all plead guilty. In our sinful state God's righteous sentence must be our condemnation. The patriarch Job gave vent to our dilemma several thousand years ago: "How should man be just with God?" In one sense, our eternal bliss, or else our eternal misery, rests upon the answer given to this monumental question.
God justifies the ungodly
Should the sinner atone for his own failures and lead a life altogether righteous, God would be obliged to justify him (since then man would be truly righteous). Roman Catholics are taught that justification "conforms us to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy" (Catechism, paragraph 1992). According to this position, God justifies man when the sinner becomes just in himself.
Admittedly, God operates in the heart and life of his children, transforming them and bringing them into conformity to the character of his Son. Still, as long as they are in "the body of this humiliation," Christians act sinfully. Scripture warns us:
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). How then does the Catholic church pretend that man can ever be justified here below, since sin still indwells every Christian? "God justifies the righteous" is bad news indeed for the sinner! But may God be praised for his unspeakable mercy: within the pages of Scripture a totally different message is penned down!
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness (Romans 4:4,5).
God declares the believing sinner 'not guilty!' He does not justify the righteous (for there are none such); rather he justifies the wicked. He justifies the wicked not because he does his utmost to convert himself and become a good man. God justifies those who have no good deeds to their credit. This is the true gospel, comforting balm for the poor sinner's soul!
But how can God justify the believing person, seeing that he is still a sinner? First of all, God does not charge his sins against him any longer.
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Romans 4:7,8).
Furthermore, God credits to the believing sinner a perfect righteousness for which he has not striven nor earned by his endeavours.
David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works (Romans 4:6).
In brief, God justifies me (frees me from condemnation) not because I have become sinless, or because I have grown rich in good works. God justifies me solely by his undeserved love and mercy.
God is just and justifies
It must be accentuated that God is perfectly just when he justifies those who believe in him through his Son Jesus Christ. It would be inadequate to affirm that God does as he pleases. God is not capricious; he cannot brush aside the exercise of his righteousness and holiness so that he may welcome the sinner and be compassionate to him. In a very sublime way, God's justice and grace are equally manifested on Calvary (Romans 3:21-26). Christ, the Lamb of God, accepted full responsibility for the sins of his people, and paid the penalty due to them by shedding his own blood. This mighty transaction was foretold by the prophet:
"The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
The apostle Paul expounds this truth as follows:
- Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood (Romans 3:24,25).
Believers are counted right with God on the basis on Christ's redemption, that is, the liberation from the condemnation and curse of the law which Christ accomplished on the cross. God reckons believers righteous because Christ took upon himself the full penalty which they deserved. Christ is therefore the propitiation. The blood which Christ shed on the cross as an atonement for the sins of his people averted God's righteous wrath and displeasure from them. So then, God is
"just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).
Be merciful to me, a sinner
Scripture unmistakably points the way forward. God wants us to trust him, to yield ourselves to his mercies. We are to depend completely upon him, not on ourselves or our feigned righteousness.
The Lord Jesus once narrated a parable in the hearing of some "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous."
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other (Luke 18:9-14).
Ponder a little while upon these two men. The first one presented his own righteousness and good works to God. The second approached God empty-handed. The Pharisee considered himself righteous and came confidently forward. The publican realized how poor he was in spirit; he was ashamed of himself. Both went up to the temple to pray; the self-righteous man asked for nothing while the publican, indebted to God, pleaded for nothing but pure mercy. Both returned home. One was trusting in himself to be spiritually acceptable, but in God's sight he was very far from reaching the mark. The other one depended solely upon God's mercy, nothing but his mercy. And it was this believing sinner that went home justified, that is, declared righteous by the Judge of heaven and earth.
Which one of them is your model? In whom are your trusting for your acquittal, in your own attainments or in the mercy of God as revealed upon Calvary's cross? Are you seeking to be accepted of God because of your deeds, or are you leaning upon the all-merciful God in Christ, by faith?
Everyone makes his choice between these two alternatives: there is no middle-ground. Either you are trusting in God's plenteous mercy alone, or else you are cherishing your co-operation and best efforts. On one hand, the Roman Catholic church pronounces her curse on all those who say that "justifying faith is nothing more than confidence in the divine mercy, which forgives sins because of Christ" (Council of Trent, session VI, canon 10).
On the other hand, we enjoy the infallible teaching of Christ. The publican had nothing but "confidence in the divine mercy," and according to the Lord Jesus, he became right with God.
Sola fide
Together with the apostle Paul, evangelical Christians
"conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28). Historically this biblical position has been known as sola fide, by faith alone; in his justification, the personal obedience of the believer does not come into consideration.
The Catholic church only admits that "faith is the beginning of human salvation, the fountain and root of all justification" (Council of Trent, session VI, VIII). According to Rome faith is necessary but it's not enough. To obtain justification Rome prescribes faith plus works. "He who says that the received righteousness is not preserved and even increased before God by good works...let him be accursed" (Council of Trent, Session VI, canon 24).
The Catholic message is: faith and works lead to justification. The gospel embedded in Scripture is of a radically different sort.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16,17).
"From faith to faith," for Christians do not seek their salvation in Christ together with their personal achievements.
"From faith to faith," denoting that true believers depend completely on Christ both in time and eternity.
A cesspool of error
Besides the grievous heresies discussed above, I will simply mention others in passing. The third council of Ephesus (431) accepted Augustine's teaching that infant baptism is necessary for salvation.
In the fifth century Christian clergy functioned as a priesthood.
The Lord's supper became a theoretical sacrifice.
High value was attached to the intercession of martyrs.
Priests became mediators between God and man.
At the fifth ecumenical council held at Constantinople under Justinian in 553, the council accepted Augustine's De Civitate Dei as theory for earth rule. Under it the secular state would gradually be replaced by the visible church empire ruled by the Bishop of Rome.
Gregory the Great (590-604) outlined the new Middle Ages theology. It included salvation by works, a purgatory and masses or offerings of Christ in sacrifice.
Formerly the Abbot of a cloister, Gregory organized and financed the first Church Army.
Though previously stated by Siricius, Bishop of Rome (384-398) and claimed by Leo II (440-461), the title "universal Bishop" became official only in 707.
The false donations of Constantine appeared in 751. The documents claimed Constantine the Great had given to the pope, absolute supremacy over all churches and secular power over the earth.
Supposed pieces of the cross, pictures, statues and articles from early centuries became accepted as spiritual treasures during the eighth century.
The seventh ecumenical council, convened by Empress Irene and held at Nicea in 787, officially approved prayers to dead saints and martyrs.
The canonization of dead saints began in 995 by John XV.
Pope Gregory VII introduced celibacy of the clergy in 1074. He also said: "The Roman church was founded by God alone; the Roman pope alone can with right be called universal; he alone may be judged by no one; the Roman Church has never erred, nor will it err in all eternity."
The celibacy of the clergy was imposed by Pope Calixtus II in 1123.
The Second Lateran Council was called in 1139 by Pope Innocent II to plan for the destruction of all non-conformists.
The sale of indulgences began in 1190 with Pope Clement II.
Auricular confession was instituted at the fourth Lateran Council in 1215.
Transubstantiation was also declared a dogma at that time.
In 1229, at the Council of Toulouse, Pope Gregory IX placed the Bible on the Index of Forbidden Books.
The dogma of purgatory was pronounced by Eugenious IV at the Council of Florence in 1439.
The number of the sacraments was officially limited to seven in 1439 at the Council of Florence, though earlier some had claimed the number to be about thirty.
The immaculate conception was declared a dogma by Pope Pius IX; it stated the Mary was exempt from original and actual sin.
Is Romanism Christian?
The apostle Paul was evidently in great distress and anguish when he penned his letter to the Galatians. The glory of God and the salvation of men were at stake. False teachers had dogged his steps and distorted the gospel he had preached. They did not deny faith in Christ, or the grace of God. They simply added the rite of circumcision and obedience to the Mosaic Law as conditions for justification. He considered their teaching as
"another gospel" (Galatians 1:6-8). If he considered that the addition of God's Law and circumcision to faith invalidated the gospel, what is the biblical judgement on the gospel of Rome? The "gospel" of Rome is faith plus works, grace plus merit, Christ plus the church, baptismal regeneration, penance, masses, the rosary, indulgences, Mary, the pains of purgatory, and so on. The apostle warns those who, in addition to faith in the Lord, seek to be justified by ritual or works of the Law, that they are alienated from Christ, and that he could be of no avail to them (Galatians 5:2-4).
Since the gospel of the Scriptures is Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, Rome's message (faith plus, grace plus, Christ plus), is a false gospel. The church that propagates a false gospel cannot justly be called a church of Jesus Christ. And those who follow its teaching are deceived and in peril of eternal perdition.
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