Do We
‘Hear’, Do We ‘See’
the Evidence?
We should
all have great concern about what is called "Christian" today in so
many of our denominations and churches. Why? Because of what the
hearer is taught (or not taught) as truth, which then becomes what
they hold to as their faith . . . a faith, if taught in error, leads
many away from the Truth of Christ . . . away from the salvation He
alone can offer.
Many of
the denominational churches, as well as many of the independents,
have strayed from what appeals to God to that which appeals to the
eye of man (Ephesians 6:6). Most have great historical roots. But
these roots, by and large, are fed by what man has established as
the foundations of religion.
The
nutrition of God’s Word is filtered through a series of religious
ideologies, doctrines and practices . . . then in turn, fed to the
uninitiated. Only through the serious study of the Word of God,
guided by the Holy Spirit, can the child of God identify, and be
protected from, the contaminants in the diet fed to the masses
through what is called ‘religion’.
The great
majority of the denominations of today are able to trace their roots
back to the Roman Catholic Church. With this as their foundation,
plus the fact that many people have a great respect and admiration
for this religion and its tradition, they have held to, or are
accepting of, many of their unscriptural doctrines and traditions.
It must
be clearly stated: what we see in the Catholic Church is not unique
to this religion alone. Many, if not the great majority, of
denominational and independent churches, practice and teach
unbiblical doctrine mixed with scriptural truth. It is an accepted
‘norm’ to place these practices and doctrines as that which
distinguishes one form of religion from another. Seldom do we use
these differences as a means to identify religious practices and
teachings that separate the church from scriptural truths and
biblical adherence.
But
because of Catholicism’s impact upon, and origin of much of the
doctrine in the majority of non-Catholic churches today, I will use
this religion as an example to illustrate the deviation from, and
the subordination of Scripture to the tradition of a religion that
man so willingly accepts. Again, remember, this is not unique to the
Catholic Church alone!
I will
first make a very strong statement . . . a statement that many would
label as being judgmental and hateful. Scripture is very clear that
those that teach this form of religion are wolves in sheep’s
clothing. They are false apostles. They are false teachers. They are
an apostate church. The leaders of a heretical religion such as this
are already judged, as our Lord so clearly and emphatically states
throughout His Word, if they do not come to the Lord as He mandates
. . . not requests, not desires . . . but requires. The consequence
of His rejection will be to suffer eternally.
Those
that follow and practice the false doctrines and rituals of this
religion may meet the same demise as its leaders. (I ask that you
examine the Scriptures to find exceptions to this judgment directed
towards those that practice this form of religion
. . . I find no such exceptions.) Both you and I are
independently and personally accountable to our Christ (and not to
any man) for the religion we choose to practice, and for those we
choose to follow. No one will be standing between you and Christ,
where your "knee will bow
. . . and your "tongue will confess" (Philippians 2:10-11).
There will be no defense team, there will be no defense!
This is
why a child of God should have such great concern. This is an
admonition each member of the body of Christ should have
. . .
to do all we can possibly do to portray Christ as He
is, not as a neutered illusion taught in this apostate church . . .
or portrayed in any other man or religion that has subordinated the
Word of God to the doctrine of man.
You and I
know that every man and every woman is destined to suffer death
(Romans 5:12), "it is appointed for men to die once and after
this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
After
death, as we saw in Hebrews 9:27, is a divine judgment for all of
mankind, believers as well as unbelievers. There is no opportunity
for repentance after our physical death, there is no purgatory to
get prayed out of . . . nowhere in Scripture is such a doctrine
suggested or alluded to.
This
should be our reason for our relationship with so many we know and
love that are not of Christ. Their judgment of eternal punishment
has already been placed unless they come to a saving knowledge of
Christ . . . Christ as Lord, and come to Him as the only Saviour.
They must come to Him as a sinner knowing He is the one mediator
between God and man, "for there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"
(1 Timothy 2:5). God is described as one, as He is throughout
Scripture, so is the mediator described as one, which is
non-inclusive of any other.
The
Acceptance of a
Multifaceted Heresy
Facet
One: The Catholic Church gives us Mary as the "…Advocate, Helper
[Scripture gives us the Holy Spirit as the Helper in John 16:7 – "
. . . the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him
to you." Helper is a proper name for the Holy Spirit, not Mary.
He is thee Helper, not a helper], Benefactress, and Mediatrix."1
Facet
Two:
The Roman Catholic Church teaches its followers that, "A
PRIEST is a MEDIATOR, a GO-BETWEEN, whose work is to unite God and
man"2
(Emphasis theirs; see image #1). This is a direct contradiction to
God’s Word in 1 Timothy 2:5.
