Part 13 of
22
Salvation
According to “The Roman Catholic Church”
Most of my
comments thus far have addressed various wayward segments of Protestantism.
I’ve only mentioned Roman Catholicism in passing thus far. So now we must
further examine the largest segment of the so-called organized Christian
Church today, the Roman Catholic Church. This installment is lengthy due to
the several portions of information quoted as taken from the RCC
“Catechism” and the “II Vatican Council,” these appear on the last
three 3 pages of this installment.
Actually, I
have a deep appreciation for some of the deep believers who were members of
Roman Catholic Church. I have read, appreciated and learned much from Madame
Jean Guyon’s several books (1648 – 1717), and the books of Michael Molinos
(1628-1696), RE Fenelon (1651-1715), and John of the Cross (the book, “The
Dark Night of the Soul.”), and other Catholics or one-time Catholics. They
had a very deep understanding of the love and grace of the Lord’s working
within the lives of believers.
No doubt
today there are genuine believers among the members of the Roman Catholic
Church. Many, in spite of their clinging to what I might call excess doctrinal
baggage of the RCC, are members of the invisible body of Christ and do know
the Lord intimately. Nevertheless, the many false doctrines and teachings of
the RCC itself are most damaging and its fundamental errors must be exposed in
the light of Scripture “rightly divided.” The RCC teachings and
doctrines hinder and cloud the true simple gospel of the pure grace of God;
thus potential believers are blocked, hindered, and/or limited.
If we base
our discussion of doctrine solely upon the Scripture, as we believe it to be
the sole source of infallible truth, then any discussion with the RCC cannot
be had since the RCC admittedly DOES NOT ADHERE SOLELY TO
SCRIPTURE (Sola Scriptura) for spiritual guidance and
authority. The RCC clings to what has been described as a three leg stool as
to its basis for teaching authority; 1) the authority the Pope and the Magisterium),
2) Church tradition, and 3) The Holy Bible.
Bible believers
stand upon the five solas, as described in my
series titled “Five Solas.” The Five Solas are
five Latin
phrases that emerged during the Protestant
Reformation and summarize the Reformers’ basic theological
beliefs in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman
Catholic Church of the day. The Latin word sola means
“alone” or “only” in English. The
five “solas” articulate five fundamental beliefs of the Protestant
Reformation, pillars which the Reformers believed to be essentials of the
Christian life and practice. The difficulty is that while the reformers and
pure fundamental believers hold to the Scripture alone, the RCC has their
3-legged stool as its authority. Once we abandon “Sola Scriptura” we then
may have as many variations in so-called “truth” as there are men to have
them.
Defining
SOLA
SCRIPTURA
(“by Scripture alone”)
2
Timothy 3:16-17 (Paul writes) All scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may
be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Sola
Scriptura is the teaching
that the Bible
is the only inspired
and authoritative word of God. It is the only source for pure Christian
doctrine, and is accessible to all; to every believer — that it
is self-evident and self-interpreting. The Bible requires no interpretation
outside of itself.
“Sola Scriptura” is a
Latin term meaning "scripture alone." It is one of several
Protestant beliefs to come out of the reformation. This Protestant doctrine
says that scripture alone is the primary and absolute source of authority,
the final court of appeal, for all doctrine and practice. It holds that the
Bible is infallible, that it is sufficient, and that it is clear.
It is this last point, “it
is clear,” that is disputed by the Roman Catholic Church, which
holds that while the Bible contains all truth necessary for salvation, its
meaning is not clear and must be interpreted by an infallible
teaching authority, the Magisterium of the Church.
“Sola
Scriptura” is in fact an
idea directly opposed to the teaching of the Eastern
Orthodox, Oriental
Orthodox, Coptic,
Anglo-Catholic,
and Roman
Catholic traditions, which teach that the Bible can be
authentically interpreted only by Apostolic
Tradition, this being for the Roman Catholic tradition embodied in
the Magisterium, (that is the teaching authority embodied in Bishops in
union with the Pope).
Sola
Scriptura is sometimes
called the formal
principle of the Reformation, since it is the source and norm of
the material principle, sola fide (by faith alone).
The adjective
(sola) and the noun (Scriptura) are in the ablative
case rather than the nominative
case, not to indicate that the Bible stands alone apart from God
but that it is the instrument of God by which He reveals Himself for salvation
through faith in Christ alone (solas
Christus).
(Note:
Ablative means, “of, relating to, or being a grammatical case
indicating separation.” “Separation” or to stand alone indicates
an item that “stands on it own.”)
The
Magisterium is the “teaching authority of the Roman Catholic
Church”. The word is derived from Latin
magistra, which originally meant the office of a president, chief,
director, superintendent, etc. (in particular, though rarely, the office of
tutor or instructor of youth, tutorship, guardianship) or teaching,
instruction, advice. In the Roman
Catholic Church the word “Magisterium” refers to the teaching
authority of the Church. This authority is understood to be embodied in the episcopacy,
which is the aggregation of the current bishops
of the Church, led by the Bishop
of Rome (the Pope),
who has authority over the bishops, individually and as a body, as well as
over each and every Catholic directly. According to Catholic doctrine,
the Magisterium is able to teach or interpret the truths of the Faith, and it
does so either non-infallibly or infallibly.
RCC doctrine
does endorse grace and faith as being necessary for salvation but… they do
not hold to salvation being “not of works.” Law and works
are not part of the grace economy of God we live under today –
we live under pure grace. Romans 6:14b …for ye are not
under the law, but under grace. The RCC considers
that other denominations do not place the proper stress upon “good
works,” and that the RCC does place only the proper amount of
emphasis upon grace and faith.
So yes, the
RCC teaches that salvation by grace, through faith; BUT
to this they ADD many requirements to be fully saved to heaven;
such as keeping the seven sacraments, good works, almsgiving, confession,
penances, adherence to the laws of the church and church tradition,
maintaining ones self in a “state of grace,” etc. Even then, no person can
achieve heaven directly after death – RCC teaching says every person must go
to and through an undeterminate period of time in Purgatory before ever going
to heaven.
“Purgatory
is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in
which the souls of those who die in a state of grace are
made ready for Heaven. This is an idea that has ancient roots and is
well-attested in early
Christian literature, while the conception of purgatory as a
geographically situated place is largely the creation of medieval Christian
piety and imagination.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory)
The word
“purgatory,” and the idea of an intermediate state or place between earth
and heaven, is no where to be found in the Bible since Christ’s
resurrection. There is only “sheol” (hell) where the lost dead are
held temporarily (Rev 20:14), until the final judgment (at the “Great
White Throne” Judgment, Rev 20:11) and “paradise,” which is
now located “in heaven” (2Cor 12:1-4) since Jesus’ resurrection.
No person has yet been placed in “the lake of fire” or “Gehenna.”
The “the lake of fire” is “prepared for the devil and his
angels” (Matt 25:41).
Here is a
question that might come to the mind of any thinking person who honestly looks
at the RCC’s meritorious law and works program required for one to merit
eternal life in heaven. “Okay, if I need to do some kind of added works,
then how much works is enough to assure me of my salvation? When do I arrive
in heaven?” I challenge any proponent of works to gain or secure
salvation, whether of the RCC or the protestant denominations, to answer the
question. How much works would be enough? Nobody can answer this
question favorably because “meritorious works” in any measure is by
definition at odds with “grace.” Grace salvation is made available through
God’s “unmerited favor.” Paul calls this the free “gift of God”
in Eph 2:8. It also includes “the gift of righteousness” Romans
5:17b … they which receive abundance of grace and
of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life (Zoe, spirit
based life) by one, Jesus Christ. Paul tells us how we qualify to receive “this
gift of righteousness.” While we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us” (Rom.5:8). “God hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for
us...that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2Cor.5:21).
Consider that
reliance upon any measure of human works essentially says Christ’s sacrifice
at the cross was and is inadequate and in vain. Paul says, “I
do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Gal 2:21). Since
no measure of human works is adequate, then no person who strives under the
laws of such a works based merit system can have an assurance or confidence in
their salvation. By contrast, our Apostle Paul says we as believers in his
gospel message can be “confident” that when we leave this
physical body we will be with the Lord.
2
Corinthians 5:5-8 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame
thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest (down
payment) of the Spirit. 6 Therefore
we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we
are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8
WE ARE CONFIDENT, I SAY, AND WILLING
RATHER TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY, AND TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD.
Here now Paul
says, as a basis for salvation, grace and works
are diametric opposites. Any works requirement at all negates grace
entirely. “And if by grace, then is it NO
MORE OF WORKS: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if
it be of works, then is it NO
MORE GRACE: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans
11:6)
Roman
Catholicism agrees that men cannot be saved without Christ, without faith, and
without grace. But the
RCC objects to pure grace alone. They essentially say the
pure grace of God, accepted by faith in Christ alone,
is NOT ENOUGH to save. The Roman Catholic
Church requires repeated confessions to a priest, sacraments, penances and
indulgences from its adherents in order to minimize the adherent’s time in
Purgatory and not see eternal punishment. Indulgences are mechanisms in the
RCC by which the adherent can apparently have their sins removed. All of these
imply that faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is insufficient by
itself.
It
was primarily Martin
Luther's opposition to the evil practice of selling
indulgences that sparked the Reformation. While he sought to remain
within the Roman Church and bring reform to it [e.g., Martin Luther never gave
up the false doctrine of baptismal
regeneration], he was eventually excommunicated for his stand, as
were other Reformers.
The RCC’s
doctrine says salvation begins by water baptism. “All men are born in
original sin, and all must be cleansed by water baptism.”
(http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/baptism.htm). Actually, water baptism is not
a requirement for salvation at all. Consider that the thief on the cross
who looked to Jesus on the cross in his dying moments, he never had an
opportunity to be baptized. Was he not saved? (See Luke 23:42, 43) As Jesus
hung on the cross, He had said to the man, “This day thou shalt be
with me in paradise.” Can water baptism do what only the blood of
Christ can do? If so, then why does the Bible say Jesus shed His blood and
died “for the sin of the world”?
Concerning
forgiveness of sins, Paul writes of Christ…
“(Christ)
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (a sacrifice
able to atone) through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25)
“For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I REMEMBER NO MORE.” (Hebrews
8:12).
If a
believer’s sins are remitted “through faith in His blood” and
“remembered no more,” then why would there be need to do anything further.
Paul
then wrote; “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4). Think
about this; if “it is not possible for the blood of sacrificed bulls and
of goats to take away sins,” even though their sacrifice was prescribed
and required by God to cover the sins of the children of Israel under The Law,
how could any amount of baptismal water possibly wash away one sin or right
even one moral wrong? Actually, the blood of those God-prescribed animal
sacrifices only covered the sins of the children of
Israel
. It was not until the day when “the Lamb of God,”
Jesus Christ, came to earth and shed His blood for the remission of the sins
of the world that sins were actually expunged or “taken away”
(Jn. 1:29, Rev 7:14).
“And you,
being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He
quickened (made alive) together with [Christ], having forgiven you ALL
trespasses (sins);” (
Col
2:13)
Every
believer stands forever cleansed of “ALL TRESPASSES”
by Jesus’ shed blood, immediately upon his believing. Not only were our past
sins taken away but “all trespasses,” including
our present and future sins were removed by Jesus’ shed
blood the moment we trusted in Christ as our Savior. Jesus’
shed blood fully deals with all our
sins, both the sins of omission and the sins of commission.
Whether it is something we ought to be doing and are not doing or whether it
is things we are doing that we ought not to be doing. These are all
fully remitted by Jesus’ one blood atonement. Jesus’ one time
offering of His shed blood continues to make full atonement
(reparation) for future sins.
Isaiah wrote prophetically of
God’s words of promise to one day TAKE AWAY sins.
“I (God) have BLOTTED
OUT, as a thick cloud, THY TRANSGRESSIONS, and, as a cloud, thy
sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” (Isaiah
44:22) David spoke prophetically to this when he stated, “As far
as the east is from the west, so far hath HE (God) REMOVED OUR
TRANSGRESSIONS from us. (Psalm 103:12) God
promised not to remember our sins again. “I (God) WILL
REMEMBER THEM NO MORE AGAINST YOU FOREVER” (Jeremiah 31:34).
Understand
please that this is not to say we can just go ahead and sin …a truly saved
person won’t have that attitude. Despite our very best efforts, we are
sinners and we will yet sin (1John 1:8), but we can know that
we are forever saved; we don’t have to get saved again. As we
continue to walk thru this life we’ll only need to have our conscience
cleansed and refreshed, not forgiven, since Jesus’ shed blood accomplished a
one time cleansing from ALL sin: past, present, and future!
Jesus’ blood conquers all sin! Any gospel that omits
the blood of Christ as being fully sufficient is not the gospel of grace at
all.
“The
blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from ALL
SIN.”
(1John 1:7b) “But this man (Jesus), after he had offered
ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS
FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God.” Hebrews
10:12
Works based
religion always has a requirement for its adherents in order for them to
secure their salvation or relationship with God. Some protestant churches
require tithing, baptism, church attendance, prescribed Bible reading, church
membership, vows, etc., to count one as a good and satisfactory Christian.
Some of these items are not bad in themselves but they do not gain us
forgiveness of sins, save us, or gain God’s further blessing.
Millions of people are striving
to make their self acceptable to God by their good works. Such people are on a
treadmill by which they can never be sure of salvation. The simple reason is
that they can never be sure whether they have done enough good works or
whether they have done them in the right way. Some suppose that heaven can be
won if our good works outweigh our evil works, but this does not make sense
either, for good works are what all of us ought to do. If it depended upon us
then only one evil deed would prevent a just and holy God from justifying us
or admitting us into His Holy presence.
But Paul
speaks also of “good works.” Let’s not put the cart before the horse.
God does expect good works from His children but not as meritorious
payment for salvation, or as payment to keep one saved. Eternal
life and glory could not possibly be bought at any price. “Christ Jesus
came into the world,” says the Apostle Paul, “to save sinners” (1
Tim. 1:15). There is no amount of human works that ever will be
adequate to save us.
We can never
come to know that we’ve done enough to secure your own salvation.
“Knowing
that a man is NOT justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be justified by the faith of Christ, and NOT
by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified. (Galatians 2:16)
God expect us to do good works
only after saving us by His grace, but now, out of gratitude;
and as He inwardly leads us in our living.
It is interesting to compare
Titus 3:5 with Titus 3:8; “NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which
we have done, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US.”
(Tit. 3:5); “...these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that
they which have (already) believed in God might BE CAREFUL TO
MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS ...” (Tit. 3:8) Its clear from these
two verses that salvation through God’s grace and mercy is the root,
and then good works is the fruit. Thus we read in Eph. 2:8-10: “For
by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
We today live under the new
gospel paradigm that the ascended Christ gave Paul for the members of “the
body of Christ,” and which he describes as “the mystery”
under “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2). Paul
writes these satisfying and reassuring words to the believers, such as us
today.
And
if by grace, then is it NO MORE OF WORKS:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is
it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (Romans
11:6)
“Now
to him that worketh [i.e., for salvation] is the reward not
reckoned of grace, but of debt.
“BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM
THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR
RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Rom. 4:4, 5).
For BY
GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH;
and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: 9 NOT
OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. (Eph
2:8-9)
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Now note the following taken
below from the RCC “Catechism” and “Vatican
Council II” (1962–1965).
“The
Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church”
regarding “Indulgences, Penance and .urification from Sins.”
(http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm#X)
1032
Penance: The
Church also commends alms giving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken
on behalf of the dead. (Comment: Prayer
and penance for the dead is required in the RCC because no person is thought
to be acceptable to God upon death simply by their faith in Christ. All must
be processed through PURGATORY (see below) before achieving acceptance
by God.) PURGATORY:
Latin, “purgare”, to make clean, to purify), in accordance with Catholic
teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who,
departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults,
or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.
Purgatory is basically like a jail, except its not forever. Taken from www.catholicsoncall.org)
Let’s
permit the Bible to answer the question “Why would a believer need to be
purified if they are already washed clean?” Titus 3:5
(KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost; 1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV) And such were some of
you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
X. INDULGENCES
1471 The
doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the
effects of the sacrament of Penance.
WHAT
IS AN INDULGENCE?
“AN INDULGENCE
IS A REMISSION (REMOVAL) BEFORE
GOD OF THE TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT DUE TO SINS whose guilt has already been
forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under
certain prescribed conditions THROUGH THE ACTION OF THE CHURCH which, AS
THE MINISTER OF REDEMPTION, dispenses and applies with authority
the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”81
“An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either
part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.”82 The
FAITHFUL CAN GAIN INDULGENCES FOR THEMSELVES OR APPLY THEM TO THE DEAD.
THE
PUNISHMENTS OF SIN
1472 To
understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to
understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin
deprives us of communion with God and therefore MAKES US INCAPABLE OF ETERNAL
LIFE, the privation of which is called the “ETERNAL PUNISHMENT”
OF SIN. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy
attachment to creatures, which MUST BE PURIFIED EITHER HERE ON EARTH,
OR AFTER DEATH IN THE STATE CALLED PURGATORY.
This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal
punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a
kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the
very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity
can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that
no punishment would remain.83
These
quotations are taken directly from the “II Vatican Council” (1962-1965)
concerning Salvation, Penances, and Indulgences
The Basis for
Salvation
The Roman Catholic
Church claims that salvation is by grace through the shed blood of Christ on
the cross. But in practice and other teachings, how true is their affirmation
of that crucial doctrine?
Historically, Roman
Catholicism has maintained that Jesus merely made the way open for salvation.
But to enter into that salvation, one must live in obedience to the
authority of the papacy. In addition, Jesus' provision for salvation not
being complete, the Church offers other means to assure one's salvation.
It is through the Roman
Catholic Church alone that salvation in its fullest
sense can be attained:
“For it is
through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help
towards salvation. that the fullness of the means of salvation can be
obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the
head, that we believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New
Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all
those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of
God” (Vatican Council II,
p. 456).
Penance
On the subject of
salvation and the expiation of sin, Vatican Council II states:
“Therefore, the
Church announces the good tidings of salvation to those who do not believe, so
that all men may know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent and
may be converted from their ways, doing penance (Vatican
Council II, p. 6).
“The full taking
away and, as it is called, reparation of sins requires two things.
Firstly, friendship with God must be restored. Amends must be made for
offending his wisdom and goodness. This is done by a sincere conversion of
mind. Secondly, all the personal and social values, as well as those that are
universal, which sin has lessened or destroyed must be fully made good. This
is done in two ways. The first is by feely making reparation, which
involves punishment. The second is by accepting the punishments God's
just and most holy wisdom has appointed. From this the holiness and splendor
of his glory shine out through the world. ...
“The doctrine of
purgatory clearly demonstrates that even when the guilt of sin has been taken
away, punishment for it or the consequences of it may remain to be expiated
or cleansed. They often are. In fact, in purgatory the souls
of those 'who died in the charity of God and truly repentant, but who had
not made satisfaction with adequate penance for their sins and omissions'
are cleansed after death with punishment designed to purge away their debt”
(Vatican Council II, p. 64).
Indulgences
One step in the means of
attaining salvation from the punishment for one's sins is what the Roman
Church calls indulgences. These may be purchased with money or through acts
of penitence, acts of charity, or other pietistic means. The concept of
indulgences is based on the idea that one's good works merit God's
grace (<<< an oxymoron).
Since Christ's sacrifice was insufficient for the full
payment of the penalty of sin, acts of piety and gifts to the Roman
Church may be used as partial payment for one's sins. The efficacy of an
indulgence depends upon the merit attributed to it by the church. For example,
one may pay to have a mass said for a relative believed to be in purgatory.
The mass will then account for a certain number of days deleted from his
purgatorial sentence.
“The use of
indulgences spread gradually. It became a very clear element in the history of
the Church when the Popes decreed that certain works which were suitable for
promoting the common good of the Church 'could replace all penitential
practices' and that the faithful who were 'genuinely sorry for and had
confessed their sins' and done such works were granted 'by almighty God's
mercy and ... trusting in his Apostles merits and authority' and 'by
virtue of the fullness of the apostolic power' 'not only full and abundant
forgiveness, but the most complete forgiveness possible for their sins.
“For 'God's
only-begotten Son ... has won a treasure for the militant Church ... he has
entrusted it to blessed Peter, the key-bearer of heaven, and to his successors
who are Christ's vicars on earth, so that they may distribute it to the
faithful for their salvation. They may apply it with mercy for reasonable
causes to all who have repented for and have confessed their sins. At times
they may remit completely, and at other times only partially, the temporal
punishment due to sin in a general as well as in special ways (insofar as they
judge to be fitting in the sight of the Lord). The merits of the Blessed
Mother of God and of the elect ... are known to add further to this
treasure'” (Vatican Council II, p. 70).
While acknowledging that
indulgences have been abused, the Roman Church ascribes that abuse to “the
past,” as if no such abuse occurs today. But the very nature of indulgences
is an abuse against the purity of the Faith. To make matters worse, the Roman
Church condemns those who oppose the idea of indulgences:
“[The Roman
Catholic Church] 'teaches and commands that the usage of indulgences -- a
usage most beneficial to Christians and approved by the authority of the
Sacred Councils -- should be kept in the Church; and it
condemns with anathema [cursing by ecclesiastical authority] those who
say that indulgences are useless or that the Church does not have the power to
grant them.’” (Vatican Council II, p. 71)
In contrast
to the RCC condemnation noted above, we should note that the Apostle Paul says
“there is therefore NOW NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in
Christ” and there is no fear of death for the
believing member of “the body of Christ.”
“Therefore,
there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”
(Romans 8:1(NIV) “to deliver them who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb
2:15 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? ... 57 But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.” (1Corinthians 15:55, 57)
In Hebrews
2:15, above, Paul speaks of unbelievers who suffer insecurity
… “through fear of death... all their lifetime subject to bondage”
(verse 15 above). How often they must ask themselves: “What will
finally become of me?” The best they can hope is that God will be
merciful to them and accept them at last, but …God cannot do this
without a just basis. Since these unbelievers have
rejected Christ’s gracious payment for sin as being fully sufficient to
justify believers, they remain under the condemnation of sin. Many then hope
that physical death will be the end for them, but they also fear that the
Bible may be true and that physical death will not be the end. Thankfully,
every believer may come to “know” they are saved and a rebirthed
child of God (see Part 4 of 22).
“We give thanks to
God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers b; 3
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of
love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of
God and our Father; 4 KNOWING,
BRETHREN BELOVED, YOUR ELECTION OF GOD. 5
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and IN MUCH ASSURANCE…” (1
Thessalonians 1:2-5a) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16)
In the next several
installments of this series I will expand on the theme of “Salvation
by Grace through FAITH ALONE.”