The Bible is the Absolute Basis of Truth

Scripture Alone is Inspired and Inherently Authoritative

The Biblical message breathed out by God is revelation in written form. (2 Timothy 3:15-16).  The Biblical claim is that what God has inspired was His written word (2 Peter 1:20-21).  When the Lord Jesus Christ said, “the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), He was speaking of God’s written word.  The events, actions, commandments, and truths from God are given to us in propositional, i.e. logical, written sentences.  God’s declaration in Scripture is that it and it alone, is this final authority in all matters of faith and morals.  Thus there is only one written source from God, and there is only one basis of truth for the Lord's people in the Church.

The Truth and the Scripture

The Lord Jesus Christ, in His great high priestly prayer, declared clearly the truth of God's Word.  He said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”  This was consistent with the declarations right through the Old Testament in which the Holy Spirit continually proclaims that the revelation from God is truth, as for example Psalm 119:142, “thy law is truth.”  The Lord Himself therefore identified truth with the written Word.  There is no source; other than to Scripture alone, to which such a statement applies.  That source alone, the Holy Scripture, is the believer’s standard of truth.

In the New Testament, it is the written word of God and that alone to which the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles refer as the final authority.  In the temptation, the Lord Jesus three times resisted Satan, saying, “It is written” as for example, in Matthew 4:4, “he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  In stating “It is written,” the Lord used the exact same phrase that is used in the Holy Bible forty six times.  The persistence of the repeated phrase underlines its importance.  The Lord's total acceptance of the authority of the Old Testament is evident in His words found in Matthew 5:17-18, 

“Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil.  For verily, I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.”

Other Sources of Authority Condemned

Furthermore, in refuting the errors of the Sadducees, the Scripture records the Lord saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).  Christ Jesus continually castigated and rebuked the Pharisees because they made their tradition on a par with the Word of God.  He condemned them because they were attempting to corrupt the very basis of truth by equating their traditions to the Word of God.  So He declared to them in Mark 7:13 “[You are] making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such things do ye.”  Since Scripture alone is inspired, it alone is the ultimate authority, and it alone is the final judge of Tradition.

The Word of the Lord says as a commandment in Proverbs 30:5,6 “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”  God commands that we are not to add to His Word: this command shows emphatically that it is God's Word alone that is pure and uncontaminated. 

Aligned with Proverbs, the Lord’s strong, clear declaration in Isaiah 8:20 is: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”  The truth is this: since God’s written word alone is inspired, it and it alone is the sole rule of faith.  It cannot be otherwise.

The Expression "Sola Scriptura"

From the time of the giving of the Decalogue on Mt. Sinai, when Holy God wrote with His finger on the tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18), until this present day, the written word of God has been extant in the world.  The term “sola Scriptura” or “the Bible alone” as the measure of truth is short hand, as it were, for the emphatic and repeated statements of Scripture and of the commandment of God.  The very phrase “ It is written” means exclusively transcribed, and not hearsay.  The command to believe what is written means to believe only the pure word of God.  It separates from all other sources the corpus what a man is to believe.  What is at stake before the All Holy God is His incorruptible truth. 

In the very last commandment in the Bible God resolutely tells us not to add to nor take away from His Word.

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19) His Word is absolutely sufficient in itself.  (Psalm 119:160)

The Prescript and Interpretation

The principle of "sola Scriptura" is consistent with the very way in which the word of truth that comes from God, is to be interpreted, as Psalm 36:9 explains, "For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light we see light".  God's truth is seen in the light of God's truth.  This is exactly the same as the Apostle Paul says, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (I Corinthians 2:13).  It is precisely in the light which God's truth sheds, that His truth is seen.  (Cp. John 3:18-21, II Corinthians 4:3-7.)

The Apostle Peter, under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, declares, "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.  For prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:20-21).  Logically then, Peter makes it very clear that in order to maintain the purity of Holy God's written word, the source of interpretation must be from the same pure source as the origin of the Scripture itself.  Scripture can only be understood correctly in the light of Scripture, since it alone is uncorrupted.  It is only with the Holy Spirit's light that Scripture can be comprehended correctly.  The Holy Spirit causes those who are the Lord's to understand Scripture (John 14:16-17, 26).

Since the Spirit does this by Scripture, obviously, it is in accord with the principle that Scripture itself is the infallible rule of interpretation of its own truth "it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth" (I John 5:6).

Those truly desiring to be true to Lord in this very matter of the standard of "sola Scriptura" must turn to the Lord to obey His command, "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you" (Proverbs 1:23).  If one is yearning of truth in this essential matter, in the attitude of Psalm 51:17 "with a broken and a contrite heart", the Lord God will not despise, but reveal to him or her the basic foundation where the Lord Christ Jesus stood, as did the apostles.  In the words of the Apostle John,  "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true." (John 21:24).  The Apostle John wrote, as did Peter and Paul, in order that those who are saved should know that his testimony is true.

The Adequacy of Scripture

The total sufficiency of Scripture is declared by the Apostle Paul, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  For final truth and authority, all that we need is the Scripture.

The Claim That Sola Scripture was not Possible

In an attempt to justify a tradition as an authority, an appeal is often made to the very last verse in John's gospel where it is stated, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen”. (John 21:25)  Of course there were many of the deeds and sayings of the Lord, which are not recorded in Scripture.  Scripture is the authoritative record that Holy God has given His people.  We do not have a single sentence that is authoritatively from the Lord, outside of what is in the written word.  To appeal to a tradition for authority when Holy God did not give it is futile.  The idea that somehow sayings and events from the Lord have been recorded in tradition is simply not true.  

Another desperate attempt to justify Tradition, is the statement that the early church did not have the New Testament.  The Apostle Peter speaks about the writings of the Apostle Paul when he states, "…even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction”  (2 Peter 3:15-16).  Peter also declares that he was writing so that the believers could remember what he said.  So he wrote, "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

From the earliest times a substantial part of the New Testament was available.  Under the inspiration of the Lord, the Apostle Paul commands his letters to be read in other churches besides those to which they were sent.  This clearly shows that the written word of God was being circulated even as the Apostles lived.  The Lord's command to believe what is written has always been something that the believers could obey and did obey.  In this matter we must have the humility commanded in the Scripture not to think above what is written.  "…that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6).

THE REGULATION AND OUR LOVE OF GOD

The Lord brings the topic of truth to bear on our love for Him.  This again underscores its importance.  “Jesus answered and said to him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings; and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent Me” (John 14:23-24).  And then again “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

The Lord himself looked to the authority of the Scriptures alone, as did His apostles after Him.  They confirmed the very message of the Old Testament. “The law of the LORD is perfect” (Psalm 19:7).  The believer is to be true to the way of the Lord, holding alone to what is written:  “Thy Word is truth.” All true believers therefore must acknowledge that there is an absolute measure by which a thing may be judged to be truth or false.  In times past, that standard was called “the rule of faith” or “the basis of truth”, meaning the measure by which truth is known.  This principle is as we have seen clearly demonstrated in both the Old and New Testaments, is that the written word of God itself is the basis of truth.

The basis of truth for the Roman Catholic Church is a relative standard.

For Roman Catholicism, the basis for truth is not absolute.  Rather, its basis is threefold: the Bible, tradition, and what is proposed as divinely revealed by the Roman Catholic Church.  Of these three sources, the ultimate authority is the decision and decrees of the reigning pope. This is seen in official documentation from Roman Catholic sources.

Post-Vatican Council II Canon Law

Canon 750“All that is contained in the written word of God or in tradition, that is, in the one deposit of faith entrusted to the [Roman Catholic] Church and also proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of the [Roman Catholic] Church or by its ordinary and universal magisterium, must be believed with divine and catholic faith . . .” 

Canon 749“The Supreme Pontiff, in virtue of his office, possesses infallible teaching authority when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful...he proclaims with a definitive act that a doctrine of faith or morals is to be held as such.”(Sec.1)

Canon 752 

“A religious respect of intellect and will, even if not the assent of faith, is to be paid to the teaching which the Supreme Pontiff or the college of bishops enunciate on faith or morals when they exercise the authentic magisterium even if they do not intend to proclaim it with a definitive act; therefore the Christian faithful are to take care to avoid whatever is not in harmony with that teaching. ”

Canon 333“There is neither appeal nor recourse against a decision or decree of the Roman Pontiff.”  (Sec. 3)

Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) 

Paragraph 80“Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other.  For both of them, flowing out from the same divine wellspring, come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal.” 

Paragraph 81“Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.

And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit.  It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound, and spread it abroad by their preaching.”

Under the heading called The Apostolic Tradition and the sub heading ….continued in apostolic succession. The following is stated,

Paragraph 77   “In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors.  They gave them ‘their own position of teaching authority.’  Indeed, ‘the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time.” 

Comment: Nowhere in Scripture is there reference to the existence of the apostolic succession.  In the New Testament the Apostles appointed not apostles but elders and deacons. There is no Biblical text for these power-endowing sentences of the new Catechism. Paragraph77 is an example of so-called “truth” by decree.

Paragraph 78“This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it.  Through Tradition, ‘the [Roman Catholic] Church, in her doctrine, life, and worship perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes.’  ‘The sayings of the holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of this Tradition, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life of the Church, in her belief and her prayer.’”

Comment: Official RC teaching as Roman Catholic authors fail to define what are the contents and precise doctrines of the claimed “apostolic Tradition”.  The simple reason that is not done is because it does not exist. The only special revelation man possesses today from God that was committed to the Apostles is the written Scriptures There does not exist any corpus of doctrine form the Lord or the apostles outside of the written word of Scripture. It is truly arrogance to declare RC tradition as “living transmission accomplished in the Holy Spirit”.  Colossians 2:8 sounds the warning against such manmade tradition, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Paragraph 82“As a result the [Roman Catholic] Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, ‘does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone.  Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”  [Same as Vatican Council II, Sec. 9, p. 755]

Paragraph 84“The apostles entrusted the ‘Sacred deposit’ of the faith (the depositum fidei), contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the [Roman Catholic] Church.”

Paragraph 85“The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the [Roman Catholic] Church alone.  Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.’ This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.”

Comment:  Why would anyone be motivated to read the Bible if he is not allowed to let the Bible interpret itself?  (Psalm 36:9; II Peter 1:20-21).

Paragraph 67“Throughout the ages, there have been so-called ‘private’ revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church.  They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith.  It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history.  Guided by the magisterium of the [Roman Catholic] Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ of his saints to the Church.”

Comment:  The teaching in this paragraph is an example of Tradition attempting to nullify the written word of God.  According to Rome’s teaching, while ordinary Catholics may be vehicles for extra-Biblical revelation, discernment of the authenticity of such revelation does not extend to the ordinary Catholics themselves.  Rather it must be fed through the magisterium of ‘Mother Church', which does claim such authority [See also canon 750 above.]  Rome rationalizes acceptance of other sources of extra-Biblical revelation by stating that the ordinary faithful Catholics welcome whatever the magisterium of the Roman Church guides them into accepting.  She consolidates her power over the rank and file Catholics by denying in practice that revelation is complete and definitive. The Bible warns, “not to think above that which is written”.  Here Rome gives acceptance to private extra-Biblical revelation, but only at her discretion.  What follows from such unbiblical doctrine is, for example, the tide of acceptance of apparitions of “Mary” and her “works-gospel”.

Summary:  In face of the principle of Sola Scriptura, the written word of God alone being the ultimate authority, Rome has attempted to establish her own Tradition.

The Church of Rome never defines the doctrinal content of this supposed apostolic Tradition that is binding on all men! Yet one is told is that it exists, that the Roman Catholic Church possesses it, and that one bound therefore to submit to the Roman Church which alone possesses the fullness of God’s revelation from the apostles. What official RC teaching, and Roman Catholic authors fail to determine, is the contents and precise doctrines of the claimed “apostolic Tradition”. The simple reason that they do not give such is because it does not exist.  If any one claims 2 Thessalonians 2:15 as establishing Tradition, they are challenged to list the doctrines Paul is referring to in which the he says he committed orally to the Thessalonians. The only special revelation man possesses today from God that was committed to the Apostles is the written Scriptures. As we have seen the Lord Christ Jesus looked to the authority of the Scriptures alone, as did His apostles after Him.  They validated the very message of the Old Testament. The true believer holds alone to what is written:  “Thy Word is truth.” As the Lord Himself repudiated that Tradition which attempted to make the written word of God to be on none effect, so must we. 

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Baptism in the New Testament

The glorious history of the Reformation has been entangled in the whole question of the efficacy of the waters of baptism.  It appears that impressive Gospel message of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone has been ensnared by a Reformed tradition.  In the Reformed and Presbyterian world, a huge conflict has taken place over the meaning of water baptism.  The reason for this is what is called the Auburn Avenue controversy.  From 2002 Doug Wilson, Steve Wilkins and Steve Schlissel, leading Presbyterians have advocated the new birth in Christ Jesus by means of the waters of baptism. Thus Doug Wilson states, “Baptism is our introduction to union with Him.”, and “while we do not take the connection between water baptism and grace and salvation as an absolute, we do take it as the norm.” 

In Jeremiah 31:31-34 we read that the New Covenant was not to be like the Mosaic Covenant, which the Israelites broke.  Plainly put, the New Covenant is unbreakable.  Furthermore, as the Lord reports through Jeremiah, God will write His law upon the heart of every member of the New Covenant, and every member of the New Covenant will know Him.  In stark contrast to the word of the Lord through the Prophet Jeremiah, Steve Wilkins teaches that by means of water baptism God elects His people into a conditional covenantal union.  Wilkins states, “The elect are those who are faithful in Christ Jesus.  If they later reject the Savior, they are no longer elect.”  In other words Wilkens teaches that there can be covenant breakers within the New Covenant, when the Lord clearly declared the opposite through the Prophet Jeremiah.  This is just the top of the iceberg of what is now a massive movement inside Presbyterian Reformed circles and beyond.  There is an equally strong movement that opposes these teachings by upholding the traditional teachings of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the teachings of such as Calvin and Luther.  What is necessary in the face of this monumental struggle is to go back to the clear-cut teaching of God’s Words in the New Testament. 

In the New Testament there is an absolute connection between the Spirit and the Word of God and not between physical water and grace.  Thus the Lord Christ Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”   The Apostle Paul spoke of “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  The Word of God and the Spirit of God are so connected that they cannot be separated.  Coming to new birth in the New Testament is by the Holy Spirit through the instrument of God’s Word.  Thus the Apostle Peter proclaims, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”  Consistently and absolutely in the teaching of Christ Jesus and the Apostles, sinful people receive the Spirit simply by the hearing of faith, “this only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”  Conversely the absolute word of God also proclaims how salvation is not accomplished.  It is “not of works, lest any man should boast.” Similarly, when the Jews asked Jesus what they should do to work the works of God, He responded, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29 --- footnote it if you like it).  Salvation is not by means of the moral law or any ceremony, as the Scripture states, "and if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace”.  Thus the Lord Christ Jesus clearly stated, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  The Apostle Paul states how this same Biblical principle is lived out, “for we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”  In this passage Paul has reference to the true circumcision, the circumcision of the heart, as opposed to that ritual which was merely outward in the flesh.  

The Scripture clearly states that, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” The parameters of salvation are the Lord and His grace, as is stated in Romans and Ephesians, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”  The Gospel of the Lord Christ Jesus in the Word of God is the only channel through which the Spirit of God communicates new life to a sinful human being. 

The Holy Spirit’s Baptism that brings New Life

The direct work of the Holy Spirit on the soul of man is necessary because man is spiritually dead.  In the words of the Apostle Paul, “for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”  In similar fashion the Apostle Paul wrote,  “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God”.  The new birth is a change wrought by God’s sovereign Holy Spirit.  The new birth by the Holy Spirit is essential because natural man is totally deficient in and of himself.  It is not that he is weak and needs stimulation.  Spiritually he is dead.  As the Apostle writes elsewhere, “and you has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”  Because there is a direct connection between the redemption of Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it is a soul damning error to substitute ritual or ceremony for the work of the Holy Spirit.  “God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son.”  The work of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary to bring the sinner to Christ, to overcome his innate opposition, and induce him to believe.  And it is sinful arrogance to suppose that you have had either the inclination or the capacity to affect this change in yourself by any work or ritual.

Concerning the Holy Spirit, the Lord promised that, “when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”  The Holy Spirit convicts of sin as He makes the sinner realize his lost condition and brings him to sense his need of Christ’s righteousness.  The Holy Spirit alone can impart spiritual life to the soul and supernatural light to the mind.  Therefore the Lord Himself proclaimed, “verily, verily, I say unto thee except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  The Holy Spirit is the sole and only efficient cause of being “born again”.  The same principle of life is later repeated by the Lord, “it is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing…”  The wonderful work of the Holy Spirit opening the mind and heart to redemption is highlighted by the Apostle Paul, “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”  The Lord God saves sinners gloriously, “according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”  True believers are “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” for “of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.”  This is utterly splendid, clear, and profound.  The Spirit of God’s unique work is to apply Christ’s redemption to the sinner.  In this regeneration He works as a free agent.  He dispenses His power where, when, and on whom He pleases.  In the words of the Lord, “the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”  The wind is an element which man cannot control.  As the wind is not regulated by man’s desires or plans, so likewise it is with the Spirit of God.  He is absolutely sovereign in all His operations. 

Water Baptism in Contrast

In stark contrast to the written statements of leading Presbyterian Pastors, the words of the risen Christ in giving the Gospel are crystal clear.  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned.”  Faith is the key of saving grace, and unbelief is the chief damning sin.  Faith is what is necessary for salvation, and baptism is an ordinance that follows faith and simply testifies to it.  Proof of this is found in the fact of the omission in the second half of the verse:  it is not “he that is not baptized shall be damned,” but rather “he that believeth not.”  

The sign of the New Covenant is not baptism but regeneration.  Nevertheless, many force a parallel between circumcision, the Old Covenant sign, and baptism, far beyond anything, which the Scriptures intend.  Nevertheless, if for the sake of argument we concede such a parallel, we must consider the significance of the fact that Paul declares that Abraham was justified prior to his circumcision.  And he received circumcision as a sign of the faith, which he had previously exercised.  If we are to force a parallel between circumcision and baptism, is it not obvious that baptism should be the sign of a faith previously exercised?

Faith is so indispensable that though one is baptized yet believes not, he shall be damned.  The sinner is condemned because of his sin nature and his personal sin.  God’s divine justice is upon him; nothing can propitiate God’s justice but saving faith in Christ.  This faith, by God’s grace, brings instantly God’s act of justification.  

Doug Wilson teaches that the sacrament of baptism creates a union with Christ. He says, “Moderns who are stuck with the language of Westminster want to say that we actually have to understand this as a sacramental union, with the word sacramental being understood as some sort of diluting agent. But I want to say that it is a sacramental union, with union meaning union.”  This teaching mocks both the justice and grace of the Lord God.  The Scriptures proclaim the Holiness and Righteousness of God in the flawless life and death of the God-man the Lord Christ Jesus.  Justification in the first place has to do with God Himself, to show that He is just in justifying the sinner in Christ.  He brings about legal union with Christ only by the Gospel that deals with who God is in His Holy and Righteous nature.  The Gospel demonstrates that because of who God is, He alone justifies.  Thus Romans 3:26 states, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”  The final cause of justification is the glory of the Divine Holiness, Justice, and Goodness.  Thus the one who teaches union with Christ by means of a sacrament is teaching another gospel accursed by God.  In the ministry of the Apostle Paul, the jail keeper in great agony of spirit, asked, “What must I do to be saved?”  The clear and direct answer of the Apostle Paul and Silas to the question was, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”  The jail keeper and his household heard the Word of the Lord first in order that they might believe.  “And they [Paul and Silas] spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”  Believing on Christ Jesus is life and salvation.  In the words of the Apostle, baptism is important because the Lord commanded it.  It testifies to saving faith and is a public declaration of the finished work of Christ applied to an individual soul.  Faith is what is necessary for salvation; but baptism, while important, is not of the essence of salvation.  In Christ Jesus’ own words, “he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

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The Accomplishments of John Paul II

A major news network in 1999 applauded John Paul II in the following words, 

“No other world figure has commanded the admiration he has enjoyed as the globe-trotting (over 1/2 million miles) Pope.  His kindly smile and fatherly wave have made the ‘Pope Mobile’ a legend.  Although they might disagree with his theology, both Catholics and Protestants have joined in the accolades of praise for this man. …Billy Graham has extolled Pope John Paul, ‘as the conscience of the whole Christian world.’”[1]  

“Pope John Paul II wrapped up a grueling week of ceremonies Wednesday [Oct 22nd 2003] to celebrate his 25th anniversary…A day after giving the 30 new members of the College of Cardinals their trademark scarlet hats, the 83-year-old pope presented the men with their cardinals’ rings, which symbolize their link to the Church and the pope….The pope suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which in the last few months has made it difficult for him to speak clearly. He is also unable to walk or stand, hobbled by hip and knee ailments and arthritis.”[2]  

The world was quite clearly being prepared for the death of the Pope.  As the world gazed with fascination on this man and his endeavors, it is of paramount importance to know what the Pope believed, as his title and teachings captivated the hearts of millions.  In human terms of worldly success and acclaim it is hard to find an equal to John Paul II.  During his twenty-five year reign as head of the Roman Catholic Church, he has traveled more, spoken more and published more than any of his predecessors.

 “John Paul II has logged more than 1,126,541 kilometers from visits to 102 countries, which is like going around the earth close to 30 times…But perhaps the most lasting imprimatur he has left is his contribution to Christianity’s growing list of saints.…Vatican observers credit the Pope with being the single biggest influence in the collapse of Communism and the Berlin Wall, for instance his opposition to Poland’s Communist regime early in his career showed him as a man who was not just part of the crowd… In 1980 in his address to the United Nations General Assembly he had hoped that there would be ‘No more war, war never again! …In more recent times, in the wake of 9/11 he has appealed to the Christian world not to equate Islam with terrorism.  The Pope has not only sought collaboration between various churches but also preached reconciliation between the religions of the world…Witness his gift for the grand gesture of kissing the soil of a country on arrival, visiting a mosque, inserting a scroll into a crevice of Jerusalem’s Western Wall, embracing the handicapped…Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, who heads the Vatican office responsible for saints' causes, came somewhere close to assessing 25 years of John Paul II’s pontificate, when he said early this month: 'I think this pope will deservedly pass into history as the pope of sainthood.  The pope often recalls that sanctity is part of the Church’s nature, it is in its DNA.’”[3]

But the question is this:  Has sanctity of life been the consequence of the accomplishments of the Pope?  Christ Jesus said, “sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”[4]  Has there been this sanctity of which the Lord spoke?  The mark of authentic sanctity is obvious in the Word itself, “if a man love me, he will keep my words…He that loved me not keepeth not my sayings.”[5]  The duty of those who claim to be Christ’s followers is keeping His Word.  Since the Pope in 1994 proclaimed to the world that his “certainty about all revealed truths was not derived from the Holy Scriptures alone, but that ‘both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence,’”[6] he must be evaluated in line with the Lord’s measure, for “…the scripture cannot be broken.”[7]  

The Faith and Practice of John Paul II

The Pope professes to work sanctity in the hearts and souls of men.  He and his Church state publicly that baptism regenerates the soul of man.[8]  By anointing with the oil of chrism, he claims that young people and adults are filled with the Holy Spirit by the sacrament of confirmation.[9]  By the words “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” uttered in the confession box, the Pope purports to forgive sins.[10]  Four words uttered at the altar during Mass, he believes, change the bread into the body of Christ.[11]  The Pope then claims that power effectively flows from the element of Communion itself, “Holy Communion separates us from sin.’”[12]  This bread is also called the “Eucharist”, of which the Pope teaches, “the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins.”[13]  These enticing words teach the age-old tradition of looking to a physical substance to obtain protection from sin.  What makes the doctrine all the more repulsive is that this very teaching, which speaks of preserving from serious sin, is itself blasphemous.  Such teachings as these come under the eternal curse of perverting the Gospel of Christ.[14]  Christ Jesus’ words are spirit and life, “it is the Spirit that quickeneth.”[15]  To propose an oral ingesting of Christ’s body in Communion is bad enough, however this is the very centerpiece of the teaching of John Paul II.  It is the “‘Eucharistic face’ of Christ” of which he recently wrote,

“By proclaiming the Year of the Rosary, I wish to put this, my twenty-fifth anniversary, under the aegis of the contemplation of Christ at the school of Mary.  Consequently, I cannot let this Holy Thursday 2003 pass without halting before the ‘Eucharistic face’ of Christ and pointing out with new force to the Church the centrality of the Eucharist.”[16]

A big part of gala and pomp that is now capturing the world is this “Eucharistic face of Christ”.  Those closest to the Eucharist are Catholic priests; they confect it in Mass and receive it each day.  One would therefore think that they would by far surpass other people in sanctity of life.  It is, however, the opposite. “Well-informed victims’ advocacy groups in the United States estimate there are between 2,000 and 4,000 abusive priests in America at this time, or a number between 4 percent and 8 percent of the 48,000 U.S. priests.  If true, that would reflect an incidence of abuse alarmingly above that of the general population…”.[17]  The Savior gave the proper test of sanctity.  Christ Jesus said, “ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”[18]  Pretensions belong to man-made religion.  Conduct is the fruit that determines the nature of the doctrines that have been taught.  The Pope also 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.”[19]  The New Testament established pastors and elders to lead the Lord’s flock; the Pope, however, conveniently bridges over twenty centuries to join his sacrificial priests to Christ Himself.[20]  It is of utmost importance therefore that the Pope’s beliefs be understood, as they convey some of the greatest temptations that can be imposed on the souls of men and women.  

Oldest, Most Alluring Temptation

The Pope’s beliefs and teachings are in fact the oldest temptation known to man.  Physical things, instead of symbolizing spiritual realities, are presented as bringing about sanctity and salvation.  Looking to physical things to give spiritual life was a first lie of Satan. “…in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”[21]  Satan offered the fruit as the efficacious means of bestowing good upon Eve.  She believed in the fruit’s inherent efficacy to open the eyes and to give knowledge of good and evil.  In the same way, the Pope and his Church present the seven physical sacraments as the inherent means of obtaining the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Thus the Pope and his Church teach,  “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.  ‘Sacramental grace’ is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament.”[22]  All of this sacramental power is cleverly intertwined with the political objectives.  The Pope on June 28th 2003 claimed for his Church, “a unique contribution to the building up of a Europe open to the world”.  In his document, Ecclesia in Europa (The Church in Europe) he states, 

“…the Catholic Church can offer a unique contribution to the building up of a Europe open to the world.  The Catholic Church in fact provides a model of essential unity in a diversity of cultural expressions, a consciousness of membership in a universal community which is rooted in but not confined to local communities, and a sense of what unites beyond all that divides.”[23]             

The pronouncement is a stunning ploy that purportedly proclaims the Christian message, while in fact it teaches the rites and rituals of the Papacy.  For example, the concept of the “Gospel of hope” is mentioned forty times in the dissertation.  The message, however, is not one of hope; rather it is an adept counterfeit.  For example Paragraph 74 begins by stating, 

“A prominent place needs to be given to the celebration of the sacraments, as actions of Christ and of the Church ordered to the worship of God, to the sanctification of people and to the building up of the ecclesial community.”

The Pope continues to presents his physical symbolic sacraments as the efficacious cause of sanctity and salvation.  In place of the direct obedience to Christ Jesus, as demanded in the Gospel of faith, the sacraments are purported to be “actions of Christ”.  This is where the Vatican’s pretense of “hope” lies.  Rome sets aside the direct grace of God in Christ Jesus through her sacraments and attempts to steal from Christ His priesthood, robbing Him of His power as Mediator.  Through them she also attempts to rob God the Spirit of His peculiar work as the Sanctifier, attributing to her own sacraments His power of giving grace.  From God the Father she attempts to take His prerogatives of justifying and forgiving sinners.  The reality and power behind the concept of “Sacramental grace” is purported to be “the grace of the Holy Spirit.”  This identification of “Sacramental grace” with the Holy Spirit of God is a formal and explicit sin against the Holy Spirit.  This teaching is all the more to be condemned because it leads millions into fully relying on physical sacraments for salvation. 

Pope’s Creed Satisfying to Many

The Gospel is never more dangerously attacked than when the counterfeit is concealed under the pretence of having divine power.  However, people in general seem well pleased with the Pope and his message.  Generally speaking, the world and those inside Catholicism love the Pope and his activities.  People love a religion that has everything as it were “on tap”.  In Catholicism there is something that corresponds to every class and liking, emphasizing adaptability to most tastes and receiving the support of men of diverse intellectual and moral temperament.  To the person who likes rituals and pomp, here is everything to satisfy his heart’s content, sacramental rituals being acted out amidst candles, palms, charcoals, ashes, and the perfume of incense, bymen in multicolored vestments.  It has some of the finest architecture in the world and some of the most captivating music.  To the politician or military man, it has all the grandeur of rank and hierarchy.  For one seeking direct communication with God, it has a long tradition of mysticism.  To the ascetic, there are penances and sacrifices in monastic and convent life.  For the Catholic charismatic, there is drama, signs and wonders.  For those captivated by visions and apparitions, there is on hand a vast, worldwide assortment of Marian apparitions and messages.  For those seeking the pleasures of life, there is the tradition of Carnival, yearly parish festivals with liquor, parish dances, and parish bingo.  The Papacy is an organization fully adapted to man.  It corresponds with the whole scope of his hopes, fears, desires, passions, quirks, and preferences.  The world can find in the Papacy something that matches most tastes and affections. 

In the Papacy, flagrant wealth and pomp join hands with poverty and pain.  The Pope, in his palace, arrayed with crown, and surrounded with Cardinals and Archbishops decked out in scarlet and purple, welcomes the poor and suffering of the world, and all are impressed.  Nothing seems too exalted for him, while at the same time, nothing is too low to be beneath his care and concern.   The Pope’s religion is the religion of man and the world loves to have it so.  The honor and veneration paid to the Pope is great.  The world wonders after him, they admire his power, and policy, and success.  So great is the darkness, degeneracy, and madness of the world!

The Clinching Touch

This Pope encourages mankind in its yearning to contact the dead.  He publicly teaches, “Communion with the dead.  In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead...Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping ‘them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.’”  “We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.”[24]  

Supposed communion with the dead and deification of the dead has held a prominent place in nearly every system of paganism.  The dead are consulted to give help to the living, which is the alluring charm of the occult.  The practice of communicating with the spirits of the departed is sinful, since the Word of the Lord forbids it, “there shall not be found among you any one...that useth divination…or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer, [one who calls up the dead].”[25]  The Pope’s teachings on communion with the dead, in which he says, “our prayer for them is capable not only of helping ‘them, but also of making their intercession for us effective,’” is quite similar to what one finds in the pages of the occult, “The dead love to celebrate, dance, and cavort with the living, and spirits love spirits, so we invite them with ritual libations...”[26]  The Lord Christ Jesus commanded worship in prayer to God alone, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”[27]  He gave the indispensable command that communication in worship is due to God alone and must not be given to any creature. “I am the LORD thy God…Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”[28]

It is not simply that the Pope recognizes and approves of “communion with the dead”, he has created more and more personages to be contacted, and recently with great speed. 

 “Mother Teresa is just one miracle away from sainthood.  No, that's not hyperbole, just part of the fast-track canonization process that Pope John Paul II is pushing through the Vatican.  Last Sunday crowds flooded St. Peter’s Square in Rome to witness the pope’s beatification of Mother Teresa, who died in 1997.  Since most candidates are not even up for consideration until five years after their death, John Paul II is wasting no time.  But this is not so surprising—if you consider John Paul II’s record over the past 25 years.”[29]

“John Paul II has created more saints and beatified more people than all the popes put together. He has so far named 477 men and women as saints, and beatified 1,318 others, as it were, putting them into orbit for final elevation to the heavenly pantheon of Christian saints.”[30]  

The Pope continues his teaching regarding the dead by declaring that there is an interchange of holiness in expiation of sin, shared even with the dead in purgatory.  He officially states, 

“In the communion of saints, ‘a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth.  Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.’  In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others.”[31]

An abundant exchange of all good things in Scripture is in Christ alone, “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”[32]  To assign Christ’s role to humans, including the dead ones, is a serious contradiction of God’s truth.  God’s righteousness, which is credited to the believer at Christ’s expense, fills the believer again and again with awe, worship, and praise to the Holy God, Who Himself has provided the permanent finished work of justification for sin.  To purport an imputation of righteousness outside of Him is preposterous in face of Biblical truth.  Jesus Himself said, “Truly truly, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”[33]  The assertion of an exchange of merit between the believer and dead “saints” is egregious effrontery against the biblical truth that God alone justifies the sinner.  The Pope’s pantheon of Saints is a collection of traps.  In giving glory, honor, and communion in prayer, which is due to God alone, to the spirits of departed humans, the Pope flagrantly sins against the First Commandment.  This prohibition includes a precept that is the foundation of the whole law, that we know the Lord is our God, acknowledge that He is God, accept Him and worship Him in prayer, and set our affections entirely upon Him alone.

Apocalyptic in Character, Adamant in Law

The figure of John Paul II is almost apocalyptic in grandeur.  Underneath the façade, however, is an iron fisted hold on people in terms of law.  Like Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085), who resolved never to rest until he had subjected all authority and power, both spiritual and temporal, to the “chair of Peter”, so also the present Pope is determined to build such an empire, by both Church and civil law.[34]  John Paul II has been adamant in his efforts to update the laws of the Roman Catholic Church.  Since the days of Gregory VII, Popes have seen the necessity of making iron and inflexible church laws before attempting to control their subjects and others by compulsion, if necessary.  In 1983, John Paul II’s revision of the 1917 Code of Canon Law added to the Roman Catholic laws, for example, “The Church has an innate and proper right to coerce offending members of the Christian faithful by means of penal sanctions.”[35]  

Examination of these added laws shows them to be even more absolute and totalitarian than those of the past.  In his law the Pope, in clearer terms than any cult, enunciates the necessity of suppressing one’s God given faculties, especially the mind and will.  “A religious respect of intellect and will, even if not the assent of faith, is to be paid to the teaching which the Supreme Pontiff...”[36]  The consequences of not submitting are also spelled out in his law, “The following are to be punished with a just penalty: 1. a person who…teaches a doctrine condemned by the Roman Pontiff….”[37]  Specific penalties are also decreed, “The law can establish other expiatory penalties which deprive a believer of some spiritual or temporal good and are consistent with the supernatural end of the Church.”[38]

John Paul II knows right well how to enforce his will in law.  In few things is his genius more conspicuous than in this.  There are no checks and balances to his absolute power authority.  In the official commentary on his Canon Law is the following, 

“The Church’s governmental system is vastly different from the notion of a balance of powers.  In fact, the three functions are situated in the same office....Unlike the American system, ecclesiastical law does not arise from the will of the governed, nor does the Church’s juridical structure rely on a system of checks and balances to maintain its effectiveness...The Code promotes this system through a hierarchical structure that is more vertical than horizontal.  Ultimately, the highest judge, the pope, is also the highest legislator and administrator....”[39]

An article in the Catholic World Report, “Rome Has Spoken¾Again”, shows how in practice the Pope imposes his will, “‘The Pope Moves to Stamp Out Liberal Debate on Heated Issues,’ headlined the New York Times in a front-page story, warning darkly of possible ‘just punishment’ for dissenters…In another front-page story, the Washington Post introduced its coverage with a headline reading, ‘Papal Letter is Divisive, Critics Say’, nor did the Post fail to add the obligatory sub-headline about how ‘Dissent on Dogma Risks Punishment....’” [40]

John Paul II can appear to be eminently pious, and yet, when one studies his laws and their implementation, he is a prince in dictatorial power.  Solemn warnings are given in the Word of God, “for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”[41]

A Précis Portrait of the Pope

John Paul II, while purporting to be Christian, sits among God’s people speaking ex cathedra with a declared absolute authority, as his own teaching proclaims, “the Supreme Pontiff, in virtue of his office, possesses infallible teaching authority…”[42].  He has usurped the title and counterfeited the function of “The Holy Father”[43], claiming to be  “The Vicar of Christ”.  He professes to impart Christ by Masses and the Holy Spirit by Sacraments.  He claims to fortify the faithful with crucifixes, rosaries, statues, holy water and saints.  He alleges that he can shorten the sufferings of souls in purgatory by indulgences.  He professes to mediate between God and man; to hold the keys of heaven and hell; to forbid marriage to his priests, and to control lust and sexual scandals by the rule of celibacy.  He has commanded to abstain from meats and has clothed his cardinals in purple and scarlet and fine linen with gold and precious stones.  He claims the prerogative to judge all, but to be judged by none, “the First See is judged by no one.”[44]  There is no appeal in any forum being possible against his laws, “there is neither appeal nor recourse against a decision or decree of the Roman Pontiff.”[45]  The list goes on and on.  He has counterfeited and set aside all that is vital and valuable in Christianity.  In a word, he has set up a system of unrighteousness and called it, “our holy mother, the Church”.  He teaches that “The Church is the mother of all believers.  ‘No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.’”[46]

His predominant presupposition is that the Lord set up a totalitarian hierarchy with himself on the top, followed by Cardinals, Patriarchs, major Archbishops, Archbishops, Metropolitans, coadjutor Archbishops, diocesan Bishops, coadjutor Bishops and Priests.  The Biblical organizational structure of the bride of Christ is utterly different.  In the true body of Christ, those ordained as elders and deacons are still only brothers within the same body and the one Master is Jesus Christ the Lord, “for one is your master even Christ and ye are all brethren.”[47]

As Catholics live their lives under his jurisdiction and teachings, they have a long journey through the Sacrifice of the Mass, sacraments, good works, merit, veneration of Mary and the Saints.  Each one is required to partake of the sacraments in order to be good enough to die in “sanctifying grace” and then to be saved, or at least, it is hoped, to land for a time in purgatory.  Even on a natural level one wonders how a Catholic can have any hope.  The sacrifice of the Mass and the sacraments are such that the most they can promise is a pseudo-hell called purgatory.

Major Evangelical Leaders Ecumenize with Rome

More and more so-called Evangelicals have accepted Roman Catholicism and its Pope through the Papacy’s plan of dialogue spelled out in 1964”[48]  The success of compromise is described by Catholic Keith Fournier in his book Evangelical Catholics.  He says, “In our meeting room were major Evangelical leaders I’ve admired for years Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson, and many others.  I found not only a tremendous openness to my presence, but also a growing respect for my church and a thawing in what had been hard ice in the past.”[49]  Some of the compromisers have been J.I. Packer, Charles Colson, Robert Schuller, John R. W. Stott, Os Guinness, Richard Land, Timothy George, T.M. Moore, John Woodbridge, Tony Campolo, James Dobson, Luis Palau, Franklin Graham, Carl Henry, Bill Hybels, Jack Van Impe to name but a few.  And such self-styled Evangelical institutions as Christianity Today, Christian Research Institute, Fuller Seminary, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, Thomas Nelson Publishers, United Bible Societies, Campus Crusade, Wheaton College, World Magazine, World Vision, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and Youth for Christ have also aligned themselves with the Roman Catholic Church.  Pope John Paul II has worked successfully to implement and promote the re-entry of Protestants back into the Roman Catholic Church.

A Decisive Moment:  Where Do You Stand?

The change in leadership in Rome is soon to occur, but her objectives and laws remain the same.  It is time for those who really love the Lord and the truth of the Bible to show where they stand.  One is commanded by the Lord not only to contend for the faith; but also to separate from those who have already compromised.  His great commandment to give the Gospel is laid on those of us who call ourselves biblical Christians.  To uphold His Gospel of truth based on His written Word is what is laid before us!  The Lord Himself warned believers against “other christs”, Peter warned of “false teachers”, Paul warned of “wolves” within the flock.  It is not simply that apostates existed in former days.  

As the Lord exposed the Pharisees for trying to establish their own righteousness, making the written word of no effect, so the true believers today ought to oppose the apostate system that officially gainsays the glorious truths of our God—and those who stand with them.  The salvation of many is involved.  The Lord faced the sincere and devout Pharisees with a very strong word.  They were looking to their leader and chief, Caiaphas, the High Priest.  The Lord said to those Pharisees,“ if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins.”[50]  Like the Pharisees, many present-day Catholics look to the Pope.  And likewise, today as with the Pharisees, if anyone continues to recognize the Pope as “Holy Father,” he is in fact denying the true Father and the Son.”[51]  He who persists in his sin will likewise die in his sins.  The Lord Christ Jesus died in place of the true believer.  His life and finished sacrifice alone are the ransom for the believer.  “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”[52]  This was the price demanded by the All Holy God in order that His justice might be satisfied in the forgiveness of sins.  As a result of this payment the true believer on Christ Jesus alone is freed from sin and Satan.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”[53] ¨

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[1] http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/pope/legacy/ 12/9/04

[2] www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100860,00.html 10/22/03

[3] http://sify.com/news/international/fullstory.php?id=13285712  10/28/03

[4] John 17:17

[5] John 14:23, 24

[6] “As a result the [Roman Catholic] Church...does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone.  Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Wash. DC:  United States Catholic Conf., Inc., 1994, 1997) Para 82  

[7] John 10:35  

[8] Code of Canon Law, Latin-English Ed. (Wash. DC:  Canon Law Society of America, 1983) Canon 849

[9] Catechism, Para. 1316

[10] Catechism, Para. 1493

[11] Catechism Para # 1413

[12] Catechism, Para. 1393

[13] Catechism Para. 1395

[14] “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:9

[15] John 6:63

[16] Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Para 7

www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/realpres/euchency.htm  10/18/03

[17] http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/asyo10262003.htm   10/28/03

[18] Matthew 7:16

[19] Catechism, Para. 983

[20] Vatican Council II:  The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, No. 63, Presbyterorum Ordinis, 7 December 1965, Austin Flannery, ed. (Northport, NY:  Costello Publ. Co., 1975), Vol. I, Sec. 7, p. 875

[21] Genesis 3:5

[22] Catechism, Para 1129

[23] Eccelsia in Europa, The Church in Europe Para 116  9/23/03

www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_20030628_ecclesia-in-europa_en.html  

[24] Cathecism, Para 958 and Para 2683 respectively.  

[25] Deuteronomy 18:10-11

[26] www.festivalofthedead.com/voodoocemeterygods.html   10/29/03

[27] Matthew 4:10

[28] Exodus 20:2-3

[29] www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/142/52.0.html  10/28/03

[30] http://sify.com/news/international/fullstory.php?id=13285712  10/28/03

[31] Cathecism, Para. 1475

[32] Ephesians 1:7

[33] John 10:1

[34] See our article, “Vatican Prepares to Control Through Civil Law.”

[35] Code of Canon Law, Can. 1311

[36] Canon 752

[37] Ibid., Can. 1371, Para. 1

[38] Ibid., Can. 1312, Para. 2

[39] The Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary, James A. Coriden, Thomas J. Green, Donald E. Heintschel, eds. (Mahwah, NJ:  Paulist Press, 1985) p. 2

[40] Msgr. Michael J. Wrenn & Kenneth D. Whitehead, “Rome Has Spoken¾Again”, The Catholic World Report, August/September 1998, pp. 44-52

[41] II Corinthians 11:13-14

[42] Catechism, Para 891

[43] The Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Broderick, ed. (Nashville, TN: Thos. Nelson Inc., 1976) p. 217

[44] Canon 1404  

[45] Canon 333, Sec. 3  

[46] Catechism Para 181

[47] Matthew 23:8

[48] Vatican Council II Documents, No. 32, “Decree on Ecumenism” (Unitatis Redintegratio) 21 Nov. 1964, Vol. I, p. 456, “ecumenical dialogue…serves to transform modes of thought and behavior and the daily life of those [non-Catholic] communities.  In this way, it aims at preparing the way for their unity of faith in the bosom of a Church [the RCC] one and visible.”

[49] Keith A. Fournier, Evangelical Catholics (Nashville, TN:  Thos. Nelson Publisher, 1990) p. 172

[50] “He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” John 8:24 

[51] 1 John 2:22

[52] Mark 10:45

[53] Romans 6:23

A Portrayal of the Woman of Revelation Chapter Seventeen

The Holy Spirit in Revelation Chapter Seventeen vividly depicts the features of the Apostate Church.  It is done in graphically precise detail.  The Apostle John beheld the ten-horned beast carrying a woman dressed in purple and scarlet, decked with gold, precious stones, and pearls, a harlot, and the mother of harlots and abominations.  She is the paramour of kings, merciless, cruel, intoxicated with the blood of the saints and of the martyrs of Christ Jesus.  These symbols are brilliantly portrayed.  “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (v 9).  This the Holy Spirit clarifies by proclaiming, “the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (v 18).  The city indisputably is Rome.  The name upon the harlot’s brow is “mystery” (v 5).  She cannot be heathen Rome of which there was no mystery because her character was never concealed.  “Christian” Rome, however, is a mystery, for she is not what she appears.  Babylon, in the book of Revelation, is a city and a harlot.  Jerusalem, in the same book, is a city and a bride.  Babylon is the fraudulent lover of earthly kings; Jerusalem, the chaste bride of the King of Kings.  The contrast is between the faithful Church and the Apostate Church.  Chapter Seventeen thus describes in detail the character of the Apostate Church.  

Religious Power Seated on Civil Power

The woman is seen “sitting upon the scarlet-colored beast” (v. 3).  The woman, the Papal Church, is seated upon a scarlet-colored beast, the civil power.  She controls and directs for her own ends the civil power on which she rides.  The political civil power is subordinate to the spiritual control of apostate Rome and is the Pope’s necessary instrument used to fulfill his aspirations and objectives.  This is exactly the history of the Papal Church.  

The Papal Church arose through the favor of the Emperors of the old Imperial Roman Empire.  Constantine who in 313 AD declared Christianity to be the state religion of Imperial Rome set the stage for this.  Before that time, the church was the fellowship of believers under one head, the Lord Jesus Christ, working under their pastors by the authority the written Word as received in the gospel accounts of the life of the Lord, and the writings of the Apostles together with the Old Testament.  The church by Constantine’s design, however, was to be organized and governed on the Imperial Roman Empire model.  Thus was governance of the church divided into four great provinces and a bishop in each province elevated above his brothers.  Historically, the power of the Bishop of Rome increased as the imperial power of the Emperor declined.  Besides Justinian’s edict in 538 AD, the edicts of the Emperors Theodosius II and Valentinian III proclaimed the Roman Bishop “as Rector of the whole Church.”  So it is that by the edicts of civil powers, with the sanction of the Italian bishops, the Roman Bishop became the head of the Western clergy.  By this time, however, the demise of the Imperial Roman Empire was at hand, and one might have thought that the state church would fall with the Empire.  The Bishop of Rome, however, claimed an authority on a higher than that given by civil power, in order that his position would be secure perpetually.  Skillfully he grasped to himself the ideal tool, the title of successor to the Apostle Peter, through which he claimed himself to have been invested with the authority of Holy God.  In doing this, he rose to a position far above that of mere patriarchs and emperors.  Wylie summarizes,

“With the assertion of this dogma the system of the Papacy was completed essentially and doctrinally, but not as yet practically.  It had to wait the full development of the idea of vicarship, which was not till the days of Gregory VII [Hildebrand, 1073-85].  But here have we the embryotic seed—the vicarship to wit—out of which the vast structure of the Papacy has sprung.  This it is that plants at the centre of the system a pseudo-divine jurisdiction, and places the Pope above all bishops with their flocks, above all kings with their subjects.  This it is that gives the Pope two swords….The day when this dogma was proclaimed was the true birthday of the Popedom.  The Bishop of Rome had till now sat in the seat of Caesar; henceforward he was to sit in the seat of God.”

To do this, of course, required intrigue, deceit, suppression of the Bible and the Gospel—all of which was accomplished over the course of time so that by the time of the great Reformers of the sixteenth century, it was clearly understood that the Papal church was the woman who rides the beast.  Among us today is this same church, the Roman Catholic Church, still claiming the same authority and still pursuing the same agenda.

In Daniel chapter seven, the little horn, symbolizing the papacy, persecuted the saints and spoke against God “the most High” but would come to its end at the termination of 1260 years.  That occurred in 1798 with the arrest of Pope Pius VI in the wounding of its head, 1260 years after Justinian’s edict of 538 AD.  The Papal Church languished and lost its civil power for decades.  Revelation chapter thirteen explains however, a second rise of this same political-ecclesiastical institution as a last day power, “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed:  and all the world wondered after the beast.”  This came to fruition, just as Scripture had foretold.  In 1929 Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty with Pope Pius XI officially conceding Vaticanus Mons (Vatican Hill) from the nation of Italy to the Pope.  The wound was healed!  At the hand of civil power, the Papal Church had once again sprung forth as a landed theocracy, still claiming for her Pope the titles of Successor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ.  

While she became the smallest independent state in the world (108 acres) she again has become one of the greatest in political intrigue, in the words of Lord Acton “the fiend skulking behind the Crucifix.”  Because she is established on civil power and as a sovereign state, she wields much sway in national and international law, particularly in the nations in which she has papal nuncios as ambassadors.  At present she maintains civil relations with 172 countries at Embassy level.  According to the Catholic Almanac, “An apostolic nuncio has the diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary…a nuncio has precedence among diplomats in the country to which he is accredited and serves as dean of the diplomatic corps on state occasions.”  The history of Papal Rome, her seeming demise, and her present day position in the world, show that she fits what the Holy Spirit revealed Revelation 17.  

Significance of Place, Attire, and Possessions

The place of residence of the Papal church was never in doubt, “the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (v. 9).  The system itself still delineates the area of residence of the Papal State, “...It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper now is confined....”  The revelation of God shows forth the attire and possessions of the Apostate system, “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (v. 4).  Scarlet, the usual color of the robes of kings and military men, was and still is the favorite color of Papal Rome.  Cardinals for example, are clothed all in scarlet.  Papal patriarchs, metropolitan archbishops, archbishops and bishops wear purple and “the Pectoral cross”.  “The Pectoral cross” is declared by Rome to be “decorated with gems; that of a bishop usually contains relics of a martyr.”  Papal Rome has the “the golden cup” in the chalice on her altar, which must be gold or gold-plated.  Biblically, gold represents perfection and the things of God.  Deceptively Rome offers a “pure” outward display, but of her Eucharistic use of that golden cup she states, “…in the sacrifice of the Mass Our Lord is immolated.”  In Scripture Lord Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice was once offered.  Thus the golden cup she holds out as the center of her worship to God is filled with the most odious of abominations, an apt image to denote her idolatry and superstition. 

Description of the Inner Character

Verse 5 delineates her inner character “upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”  She is called “great” because of the scale of the Papal influence, and because of the multitude of kings, princes, and presidents with whom she has done business.  The Papal Church is also invested with the title, “Mystery Babylon the Great”.  Throughout her history she has been an enigma.  She continues to be so, even to those within her own system.  Truly God’s Word describes her as a “Mystery”.   She is also called “Babylon” as she is the exact antitype of the ancient Babylon in her idolatry and cruelty.  Babylon of old was only a miniature pastel portrait of her.  “Babylon the great” titles herself as “Holy Mother Church”.  She has the audacity to proclaim, “‘No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.’”  In truth the Bible has revealed her inner character as, “the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (v. 5).  The Pope and his Church bring into the worship of God the worship of the communion bread and Mary as “‘Mother of Mercy,’ the All Holy One,” with the Pope himself designated as “Most Holy”.  The traditions of “Holy Mother Church” also bring into the worship of God the frustrated lives of celibate men and women, and worst of all, it brings in the idolatry which God hates.  Icons and saints’ bones alike are venerated as relics.  Papal Rome encourages people to contact the dead.  She teaches, “In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead...Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping ‘them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.’”  As the promoter of lewdness through the institutions of her unholy traditions, there never was a more expressive or appropriate title applied to her than that penned by Holy Spirit through the Apostle John.

Her History of Persecution of True Believers

The Roman Church has employed kings and princes in her work of persecution.  Her courts first tried and condemned the believers, after which they were delivered over to the civil authority to be executed.  In the Papacy’s crusades against Bible believing cities, towns and territories, Rome enlisted the civil power of kings and potentates to carry out her cruel deeds.  In those many years, the Papal system was “drunken with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs” (v. 6).  The Crusades against the Albigenses, the Vaudois, and the Waldenses were replete with outrageous slaughters and barbarities.  The individual hounding down of true believers that resulted in atrocious torture and death is the documented history of the state religion of the Papacy.  For centuries through her Office of the Inquisition, she organized wars against Bible believing cities and territories.  In the middle of the thirteenth century, Pope Innocent IV devised in detail for the many inquisitors how torture was to be perpetrated.  “Innocent IV gave comprehensive instructions regarding how torture was to be applied in his bull At Extirpanda (1252).  This was revised and reissued by subsequent Popes.  Torture is prescribed, but it was to stop short of pulling off limbs or causing death...Ruinous punishments are enacted on all who harbor or give advice or favor to a heretic.  How completely the abominable system was the direct achievement of the Papacy is show by the clause that no change could be made without the special authority of the Apostolic See.”  

“From the birth of Popery in 600, to the present time, it is estimated by careful and credible historians, that more than fifty millions of the human family, have been slaughtered for the crime of heresy by popish persecutors, an average of more than forty thousand religious murders for every year of the existence of Popery.”  Roman Catholic author, Peter de Rosa, wrote of the atrocities of the Roman Catholic torture machine,  

“The record of the Inquisition would be embarrassing for any organization; for the Catholic Church, it is devastating.  Today, it prides itself, and with much justification, on being the defender of natural law and the rights of man.  The papacy in particular likes to see itself as the champion of morality.  What history shows is that, for more than six centuries without a break, the papacy was the sworn enemy of elementary justice.  Of eighty popes in a line from the thirteenth century on, not one of them disapproved of the theology and apparatus of Inquisition.  On the contrary, one after another added his own cruel touches to the workings of this deadly machine.”  

The Papacy has shockingly fulfilled the image from Revelation of the woman blood-drenched from six centuries of her murderous rampage.  In the Bible, the Holy Spirit foretold of her lust for power and blood.  History has recorded some of the gruesome details.

Mixture of Political and Spiritual Power

How could the fusion of the political and deceptive spiritual power of the Papacy be better represented than in Revelation 17?  In her unending challenge to the Lord Jesus Christ for His place and prerogatives to rule over the kings of the earth, her monarchy and priesthood persist in associating with rulers and governments as she continues to grasp insatiably at the power to rule supreme on earth.

As the Word of God is fulfilled, and until the Lord Christ Jesus comes, it is the commission of believers to warn one another with that same clarity that the Bible sounds forth.  It is the duty of true believers to show forth the fulfillment of what was predicted in Revelation 17.  Such was the conviction of the believers of old.  It is only by honest and faithful testimony to the revelation of the Holy Spirit that freedom from her control will come to those presently ensnared by her lies.

Present Day State of Affairs

Papal Rome has stood in direct opposition to the Gospel of Christ.  For this, the judgment of God will come upon her.  There never was a clearer duty than that of withdrawing from Papal Rome and her ecumenical followers.  Her iniquity is corrupting and intoxicating the nations with a counterfeit head of the Church, a sham gospel, and will make her utter ruin the just and righteous act of God!  The voice of the Lord thunders from the final chapters of the Bible and reverberates throughout the world, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”  The Woman sitting upon the scarlet-colored beast will continue and wax strong and draw to her bosom multitudes, nations, and power and glory of the world, as the Lord said she would.  However the final condemnation of her and those within her is already written, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  God’s reserved wrath, His punishing justice, and His enmity to sin, will be revealed to the entire world.  The destruction of Papal Rome will proceed from the glory of His power.  “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.”  Idolatry is a damning sin of human nature.  It will prove fatal to those who persisted in it, in the very presence of the Savior they have slighted and rejected.

Bible believers of old recognized the Apostate Church from the pages of Scripture and were prepared to both expose her and to face her in the strength and wisdom of the Lord.  Among many others there were John Wycliff, John Huss, and Savonarola.  During the Reformation, among many others were Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, John Bradford, and John Foxe.  In the 17th and 18th centuries produced believers such as John Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible, and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist Confessions of Faith.  Sir Isaac Newton, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Wesley add to the list.  In more recent times there were men such as Charles Spurgeon, Bishop J. C. Ryle and Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones.  All these men and many more knew the precision of Scriptures regarding both the true bride of Christ and the Apostate woman “drunken with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs.”  The Written Word has been fulfilled in history, in both light and darkness.  Like those believers of old, we must enter into battle.  He is with us, and we will have the final victory.   The words of the Apostle we repeat,  “…having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore.”.  The certainty of the final triumph should animate us in our efforts, and encourage us in our struggles.  The punishment Christ Jesus will inflict in “the wine of the wrath of God” is echoed the words of the great The Battle Hymn of the Republic: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;  He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on….Glory! Glory! Halleluja! His truth is marching on….He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;  Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him!  Be jubilant, my feet; Our God is marching on.  Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!  Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!  His truth is marching on.”   ♦