“I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (
Romans 16:1919For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. (Romans 16:19)). The dark systems of men would be of little interest to us if it were not for that which followed, the glorious light of the reformation.
Gregory VII
Gregory I had declared some five centuries earliers, “Whosoever calls himself ... universal priest ... proudly puts himself above all others.” When Gregory VII became pope in 1074, he proudly took that position when he dictated: “It is laid down that the Roman pontiff is universal bishop, that his name is the only one of the kind in the world. To him alone it belongs to depose or to reconcile without the concurrence of a Synod. He alone is entitled to frame new laws for the church—to divide, unite, or translate bishoprics. He alone may use the ensigns of empire; all princes are bound to kiss his feet; he has the right to depose emperors, and to absolve subjects from their allegiance. He holds in his hands the supreme mediation in questions of war and peace, and he only may adjudge contested successions to kingdoms—that all kingdoms were held as fiefs under St. Peter. With his leave inferiors may accuse their superiors. No council may be styled general without his command. The Roman church has never erred, and, as scripture testifies, never will err. The pope is above all judgment, and by the merits of St. Peter is undoubtedly rendered holy. The church was not to be the handmaid of princes but their mistress; if she had received from God power to bind and to loose in heaven, much more must she have a like power over earthly things.” 7
Universal Church
The Church, the body of Christ, is composed of all true believers. Although the word “catholic” means universal, the Church of Rome has never been universal, neither during the Middle Ages nor at any time since. Rome makes much of the unity of the Church. Though there may be little in the way of outward unity in Christendom as a whole (and surely that should be a cause of great sorrow to us and an acknowledging of our complete failure), yet we are not told to keep the unity of the body. The body is one, it is His body, and outward unity cannot be kept by edict and sword. Christ is the true vine; there are no true branches outside of Him, and no false branches with Him: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:5-65I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:5‑6)). Christ alone is the Head of the church and the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls (1 Peter 2:2525For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25)). There is no other, in all things He must have the preeminence.
Infallibility
Gregory I and Gregory VII plainly contradicted each other, demonstrating that the popes are not infallible, contrary to the false claim of Gregory VII. Though there is authority in the assembly, it is not infallible. Authority and infallibility are never to be confused. The church does not have power to bind in heaven. The binding by the assembly is on this earth only: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:1818Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)). By claiming infallibility and the authority to frame laws, the church supplants the Word of God and takes the place of guide. Scripture does indeed say: “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:1515But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)). But the church is not the truth. The assembly is to uphold the truth, to be the candlestick; but it is not the truth.
The Scriptures (in contrast to the church) contain all things necessary to salvation.
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:15-1715And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:15‑17)).
Mass
The Mass is far removed from the simple remembrance that the Lord requests, “This do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Instead, the remembrance of our Lord has been made a propitiatory sacrifice. It is held that the bread and wine, by the words of consecration uttered by the priest, become the actual body and blood of Christ — that His whole body is contained in the sacrament. Was not Christ’s one sacrifice sufficient and complete to address once and for all the question of sin?
Nothing could be plainer; nothing could be simpler. There can be no more offering for sin.
John 6:5353Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (John 6:53), which is offered in support of this doctrine of transubstantiation, does not describe the remembrance: “Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Unless ye shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of Man, and drunk His blood, ye have no life in yourselves.” Instead, this verse speaks of appropriating for ourselves the death of Christ.
The wafer that is now considered the body of Christ is thus worshipped and adored. Great confusion is caused if it is lost after consecration. The wine is withheld from the people, and is only drunk by the priest. It is to be noted that this doctrine of transubstantiation was not an official part of the church dogma until 1215.
Purgatory
Purgatory is, to the Roman Catholic, a place were souls are cleansed by a temporary punishment. If a man dies, then he must suffer for those transgressions for which he has not paid sufficient penance. This is plainly contrary to Scripture. Saying that we must undergo suffering to atone for sin does not acknowledge the efficacy of the work of the cross.
Further, Roman Catholics believe that the prayers of the faithful and the sacrifice of the mass (for which money must be paid), will reduce the time of those in purgatory. Though men may offer arguments, offering various scriptures in support of their imaginations, such a doctrine that touches on the work of our Saviour must be utterly false. Under these false doctrines man is never free from sin; he is either brought under bondage, or else he feels free to do as he pleases.
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. ... [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:24-25, 8:1).
Confession
Probably no doctrine brings the individual under the power of the priest more than auricular confession. No act or wicked thought is to be kept from the priest. The priest has power to absolve a person of sin and to assign penance, or he may choose to withhold absolution if he so desires. Such is the power that the priest has over the individual — from the weakest to the mightiest. The scriptures appealed to are: “Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:1616Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)). “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; [and] whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:2323Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23)). The first verse refers to the mutual confession of faults on the part of Christians; the second to assembly discipline. Neither verse speaks of confessing sin to an intermediary between man and God. The Roman church did not always recognize confession to a priest; some of the so-called church fathers wrote against it. The Bible teaches us to whom we should confess our sins:
Dealing with such matters is very defiling. When the assembly must act in cases of discipline (for example 1 Corinthians 5), the matter must be dealt with carefully and with the exercise of due discretion (Galatians 4:11Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; (Galatians 4:1)).
Mary, Saints and Mediators
The worship of Mary springs from the same false reasoning as confession. Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is supposed to have a peculiar influence over her son, and as such, we should approach Mary, rather than her austere Son, as an intercessor. The desire of the enemy is that we might believe that God is against us, that he withholds His love from us. This has been the lie of Satan from the beginning: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-54And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:4‑5)). What a contrast to scripture:
As for a mediator, the Word of God is clear:
If we sin, our advocate with the Father is Jesus Christ the righteous, not Mary and not a saint.
Extreme Unction
The extreme unction is one of the so-called sacraments (of which the Roman Church counts seven — baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, ordination, and matrimony). It is administered when there is little expectation of recovery to health; the word ‘extreme’ is attached because it is the last sacrament to be administered before death. The individual is anointed with sacred oil, prayers are recited, and the subject is pronounced to be in a fit state to pass with safety into eternal happiness. While this appears to circumvent the necessity for purgatory, it doesn’t appear to cause any contradiction in the minds of the Roman Catholic theologian. The Mass is a sacrifice, but apparently not sufficient; the extreme unction is claimed to wipe away the remains of sin, but is in fact deficient as the soul must still pass through purgatory. The following scripture is appealed to, among others, in support of the extreme unction:
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:1515And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15)).
Clearly, these verses speak of one being raised up, not that he might die! If we own our faults and pray for one another, God’s government is avoided and we are healed.
Indulgences
It was the general practice of the Church of Rome to impose penance on offenders. When these were carried out they were call satisfactions. When the penance was shortened or remitted entirely because of good works, perhaps a donation of money, this was called an indulgence. An indulgence was like a fine, something that doesn’t seem, at least humanly speaking, so unreasonable — though entirely without place in scripture. An indulgence was not restitution; it was something paid either literally or in deed to the church. Indulgences were often granted to one that responded to a call to battle (for example, the Crusades). Who would not come, thinking that their sins would be remitted and that they would be guaranteed a place in heaven? Ultimately the notion that indulgences could be bought and sold came about. The merits of the saints that had gone before represented a treasury of merit to which the pope possessed the keys. Those merits could be purchased by the sale of indulgences. That anyone could purchase eternal forgiveness is plainly unscriptural. Many were deceived thereby, and to this day, both in and out of that vast system, men view alms giving as a means of obtaining favor with God. When Leo X needed money to complete St. Peter’s Basilica, it was through the sales of indulgences that he planned to raise it. As we shall see, it was this preaching that prompted Luther to make his grand appeal to common sense and the conscience of the German people when he nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg.