Happy Birthday, Reformation!

Well, let's open our Bibles to Galatians chapter 2, you know, it's interesting.

I think the very first No compromise radio we ever had We were live.

I know that was a fact and we were in the studios at WVNE and After we were on for a little while somebody called up and accused us of Catholic bashing

And I just thought you know as I was preparing for this tonight I just thought there there are so many ways to go at this

I mean, it's like I need to chop down one tree and there's a forest of trees

There are just so many errors. And so when we talk about Catholic bashing Well, let me just put it this way

Roman Catholicism Let me make sure I'm getting this on tape Roman Roman Catholicism is a false religious system and Somebody who follows that system is bound for hell

It is not biblical Christianity It has a gospel that cannot save it discards and discounts the

Word of God I mean there there are so many ways to go after this, but let me just read Galatians 2 verses 20 to 21 and then

You know 20 30 minutes from now. I'll get around to talking about it But I want to read the the verses anyway, and by the way, let me just reference while I'm thinking about it

Larry read Galatians 1 at my request and one of the reasons I wanted him to read that is

Paul writes in there that if there's another gospel, it's not really a gospel. I don't know if I can hear me either

In fact, it sounds more like you're amplified than I'm amplified Let me see. I am on see green light.

Just aim that green light at everybody Okay One of the reasons

I wanted him to read Galatians 1 is it says if somebody preaches another gospel then what

Let him be a curse. Let him be anathema and I'm telling you tonight

Rome has a separate a different gospel Which is no gospel at all and they freely

Pronounce anathemas via the Council of Trent and other councils and I have no problem saying that the

Roman Gospel is no gospel at all and those who preach it should be

Condemned let's put it that way Galatians 2 verses 20 and 21

The Apostle Paul writes I have been crucified with Christ It is no longer

I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life. I now live in the flesh.

I Live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me

I do not nullify the grace of God for if righteousness were through the law

Then Christ died for no purpose Now some of the material

I'm going to talk about I I took wholesale from Eric Davis at the cripple gates

It's a website very good one But I want to underscore tonight the need for the

Reformation both by examining and Refuting some errant Roman Catholic teaching and by declaring the truth

What do we do, you know under tight the tightest mandates for elders? We exhort in sound doctrine and we refute those who contradict

Let me just kind of go big picture if there was no Reformation Would people still be getting saved and why do you say that?

Why would people be getting saved even that without the Reformation because people were getting saved before that God always has a remnant.

God is always saving people But before the Reformation those people were often hunted down and killed as heretics

So what the Reformation really did was not only kind of expose

Rome for what it is this false religious system, but it also set free the

Word of God it put Scripture and the glory of God and the effective work of Christ on Center stage so that we could now enjoy it more freely

So was the Reformation? Necessary the answer is absolutely. Yes Well, what does

Rome? Teach that needs reforming and I really seriously could spend about if I had enough material

I guess I could spend four or five hours I mean there are things that I'm not even going to talk about tonight.

I'm not going to talk about last rites I'm really not going to get into too much about baptismal Salvation by baptism.

I'm not going to talk about a number of things that they teach that are just flat -out wrong I'm not going to talk about confession.

Although I see I just did I'm going to try to stay on some bigger pictures and then some kind of quirky things that they do, too

But I have eight errors and then we'll we'll talk about those a little bit and then we'll get into Galatians First error wrong view of justification now, that's pretty big

That's pretty big cuz because if you understand not only did Luther say that this is

You know the heart of the the heart of the issue and Calvin talked about it being the hinge upon which the whole gospel swings if You get justification wrong.

You're gonna get everything else wrong so listen to this from the Council of Trent if anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification

The guilt is so remitted and the debt Excuse me and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner that no debt of Temporary punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened

Let him be Anathema let him be accursed What are they saying?

They're saying if you believe that Jesus Christ's death is enough to pay for all of your sins

You're accursed That's a problem. That's a real problem

According to Rome justification is not a one -time declaration by God It is a process and that process begins at the moment of baptism when you get baptized as a baby the process of justification

Begins in you which is false

I want to read Romans 328 and if you have a Bible go ahead and turn there for a moment

Romans 328 because we're going to go from Romans 3 to Romans 5 as We use the book of Romans against the

Roman Church Romans 328 for we hold that one is

Justified listen by faith apart from works of the law

This goes counter to everything that Rome says It says that one is justified present tense

Which means ongoing it's a constant state Justified how by faith faith is the instrument of?

Justification apart from works of the law meaning what that no matter? What you do how much merit

Rome says it has? There's nothing you can add to the finished work of Christ. It is done

When he said it is finished. He didn't say until you start your own justification process

He finished the work that the father sent him to do Justification is a one -time declaration

By God at the moment of salvation where he declares you Not just innocent because that wouldn't be enough he declares you righteous, and I talked about this morning in Sunday school

God the Father in Christ Jesus for those in Christ he sees the righteousness of Christ and he imputes that to the believer and He takes the sins of the believer, and he imputes or accounts those to Christ so that on the cross

Jesus paid the price for all the sins of every single person who would ever believe and then his

Righteousness that is to say his perfect obedience to the law is accounted to every single believer

So that when we stand before the throne of God one day on Judgment Day He won't see us.

He'll see the righteousness of Christ. He won't see our sins. He'll see the finished work of Jesus and On the cross what happened was all of our sins were placed upon him and Jesus paid the price for those sins

But again listen to what Rome said The Council of Trent if anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted

In other words you no longer bear that Guilt and the debt of eternal punishment in other words the wrath of God the punishment of God is so blotted out

That no debt of temporary punishment remains to be discharged either in this world

And I don't really understand how Anything that happens in this world could satisfy the wrath of a almighty

God, but Or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened let him be anathema

Wrong let's go to Romans 5 verse 1 Therefore since we have been justified by faith

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ This is the first part of it is passive language we have been justified as something that's done to us.

We are declared righteous But notice that second part we have peace. It's present tense.

It's ongoing Why would we cease to have peace with God?

Where's the idea that one can? be declared righteous by God Justified and then somewhere along the line be

Unjustified have that whole process or have that declaration reversed And the answer is that's nowhere in Scripture listen to Trent again in the

Different Canon it says if anyone saith if anyone says that by faith alone the impious that is to say the sinner is justified in such a way as to mean that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to the obtaining of grace of justification

And that it is in not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will

Let him be anathema in other words if you're gonna say that it's not a matter of works It's it's not a matter of your free will acting and pursuing

Forgiveness of sins if it's not a matter of what you do then the Roman Catholic Church says we have a message for you

You are damned Another Canon says this all from the

Council of Trent if anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than Confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified

Let him be accursed in other words faith alone Sola Fide Draws an anathema from Rome, so that's number one wrong view of justification

Number two one of my favorites Wrong view of the papacy. What's the right view of the papacy?

Does somebody say it makes a nice Halloween costume okay? That would be decent this from the

Roman Catholic Catechism the Pope Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful for the

Roman Pontiff by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ and as pastor of the entire church has full

Supreme and universal power over the whole church a power which he can always exercise unhindered

What does that say he's basically the dictator of the church

He could do whatever he wants But you know the one that bothers me the most Is this idea of Vicar of Christ that he is

Basically Christ personal representative here on earth Leo the 13th

Pope Leo the 13th Said this he said the Pope holds Upon this earth listen to this the place of God Almighty Of course when you're the

Pope you say things like that the Vicar of Christ his personal representative

Let's look at Matthew 16. This is what they based it on And I want us to think about this for a minute

Do I have any amplification at all or am I just no? It's all me okay.

I'm being recorded. That's fine Edit the tape Matthew 16 18 verses 18 and 19, and I tell you you are

Peter This is after Peter's confession, and I tell you you are

Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth Shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven

Now I'm gonna say to you even if I grant you everything that Rome believes about this

Up to a point if I if I grant you that What it means is that Jesus is so impressed by what

Peter has said that he's going to build his church upon the rock of Peter and That the gates of hell won't stop him from doing that and then he's so impressed also with the statement that he's going to give

Peter the kingdom the keys the kingdom of heaven and the keys So that whatever he binds on earth will be bound and whatever he binds in heaven, etc.

Etc Even if I give you all that Where would I get the idea that Peter can then pass this authority on I wouldn't get that idea

Where would I get the idea that the Roman Catholic Church is supposed to be the home of this?

Pope and this power I wouldn't get that I would only get that if I were the

Bishop of Rome and I wanted that kind of power then I would have that idea

It is not anywhere taught in Scripture by the way, that's not right Peter didn't have that kind of power

Peter wasn't that kind of wonderkind and Peter also, you know Just a few verses later.

He says something so dopey that Jesus says what? Get behind me

Satan, so it's not like Peter suddenly became infallible or anything like that and notice also

Jesus says I will build whose church I will build your church Peter I will build the church of every single

Pope that follows after you Said I will build my church and he never says that he's going to Grant this kind of dictatorial power to some

Pope. Let's look at Ephesians 1 Verses 22 and 23 you would think that Paul being a loyal Subject of Peter Allegedly would understand that the structure of the church and and how it's supposed to be but Ephesians 1

Paul doesn't put it quite the same way in verses 22 and 23. He says this and he being the father

Put all things under his Jesus feet and gave him Jesus as head over all things to the church he's in charge and The church is described here in verse 23, which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all

So Paul didn't understand the concept that Peter was in charge of the church In fact, we can look at Galatians where he he goes to him and confronts him on his doctrine

But I don't want to spend the whole time just blowing up the papacy But there's a real problem here.

Listen to what Spurgeon says. I really like this quote he says of all the dreams that ever diluted men and Probably of all blasphemes that were ever uttered

There has never been one which is more absurd and which is more fruitful in all manner of mischief

Than the idea that the Bishop of Rome can be the head of the Church of Jesus Christ know these

Popes die and How could the church live if its head were dead?

The true head ever lives and the church ever liveth in him

Chalk one up for Spurgeon Spurgeon one Rome zero Okay third

Error of Rome here that we're going to talk about tonight wrong view of Mary Wrong view of Mary sounds like I am being amplified now, so I'll try to control myself a little bit wrong view of Mary Mary is

Venerated I would argue she's worshipped With titles such as listen to these titles for Mary in the

Catholic Church Queen of the universe not Miss universe, but Queen of the universe

How about this one my sovereign the hope of Christians Here's a really bad blaspheme more merciful than Jesus She receives greater veneration than all other saints and angels

Some of you will already know this when we talk about not the immaculate reception which was the

Pittsburgh sealers But the immaculate immaculate Conception the immaculate conception who was born

Who's conceived in the immaculate conception? That's right. It's not Jesus.

It's Mary and you know the the logic is impeccable because if God is going to Bring Jesus into the world sinless

Well certainly his mother couldn't be a sin bearer That's the logic behind it, where would we find that in the scriptures?

Well, we wouldn't find it, but that doesn't really matter This is the doctrine that teaches

Mary was conceived without a sin nature thus she was not a recipient of Jesus redemption, but instead was and is a participant in the redemption of people in fact they call her a

Co -redemptrix that is that she works to redeem people Pope Leo the 13th he seems to be popular tonight said in an encyclical encyclical

Encyclical sorry on September 22nd 1891 Listen as no man goeth to the father, but by the son so no man goeth to Christ, but by his mother for anyone who says

Well, you know what? Roman Catholic system, it's it's just another church.

No, it's not listen to that again So no man goeth to Christ, but by his mother

Completely extra biblical completely made up They also have a doctrine called the

Treasury of Merits And I'm not going to go into that in depth, but just this to give you this quote about again about Mary The Pope said

Leo said this it is a great thing in any saint Listen to this to have sufficient grace for salvation of many souls but to have enough to suffice for the salvation of everybody in the world is the greatest of all and this is found in Christ and the

Blessed Virgin She has enough grace To save everybody in the world that's blasphemy and It also is a misappropriation a misapplication of the word grace if grace is unmerited or demerited

Favor from God to sinners, how can any sinner? Which Mary is and we'll see that in a minute, but how could anybody have enough grace for other people the

Another canon of Trent says this if anyone says that a man once justified can sin no more nor lose grace and that therefore

He falls and sins and never was justified or on the other hand that he is able during his whole life to avoid all sins even those that are venial except by a special privilege from God as The church holds in regard of the

Blessed Virgin Let him be anathema in other words. She has a special exemption from the from the church and So therefore the church holds that she avoided all sins.

She was perfect Let's turn for a moment to Luke chapter 1 and listen to Mary and see what she has to say on the matter

Luke chapter 1 verse 46

We won't get to too many of these I can see that. Okay, and Mary said verse 46 of Luke chapter 1 and Mary said my soul magnifies the

Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior For he has looked on the humble

Estate of his servant for behold from now on all generations will call me blessed

For he who is mighty and has done or has done great things for me and holy is his name.

What does she need that for? She never sinned according to them. She wasn't born with a sin nature

She doesn't even need redemption. She doesn't need saving according to Rome I like to call her at times and this takes a moment to sort of do the math

She's the fourth person of the Trinity in the Roman Catholic system. There's a real problem with her

Perpetual virginity Well, I I mean there are a number of problems even with that When you when you think about allegedly

Mary being a perpetual virgin not only does it not wash because we know that she had other children And I'm gonna kind of go fast about this

What does that say about marriage and what does it say about sex in Mary even in marriage?

To me it says if she's a perpetual virgin and she's married then it says that sex is optional

Which is not what the Bible says about Marriage and it also gives you the idea that maybe there's something wrong with it

That it's inherently sinful to engage in otherwise. Why would they worry so much about her perpetual virginity?

So I I think there's a real problem with that number four Error, we're gonna skip over a lot of the teaching about Mary here number four error from Rome wrong teaching on purgatory.

Well again, what's the wrong just like it was with the Pope? What's the wrong teaching on purgatory? any teaching on purgatory

Because it doesn't exist. It's nowhere mentioned in the Bible if it was so important Then Scripture would tell us about it

If Scripture provides everything we need with regarding or with regard to life and godliness

Then certainly the Bible would tell us about purgatory and it doesn't even mention it but in some sense

Davis says purgatory holds Roman Catholicism together He says a works -based salvation renders its adherence without assurance of heaven

Purgatory is a salvation approaching implement which gives hope to devotees that they may be able to make it someday to heaven on purgatory

Rome teaches this Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment

Resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in purgatory You know what

Tetzel said when the what was it when the coin of the coffer clings a soul from purgatory springs right beautiful poem the idea was

That if you paid Rome then the Pope could then give a an indulgence to let somebody out of Purgatory, it's a nice way to raise money, but it has nothing to do with Scripture Just a couple verses on this 2nd

Corinthians 5 8 Paul writes this he says yes We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the

Lord Not you know somewhere between heaven and earth in purgatory being purified for a time before I get to go home to be with the

Lord and It also denies the efficacy. This is more important even than whether it's mentioned in Scripture or not

What does it say about the death of Christ? What does it say about his finished work? It says it's not enough in fact

Hebrews 10 verses 10 and 12 says this and by that and by that will

Will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all and Every priest stands daily at his service offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins but when

Christ had offered for all time a Single sacrifice for sins he sat down at the right hand of God his work is finished.

It is done in Terms of taking away the sins of all who would ever believe so purgatory is wrong indulgences are wrong

Let's move on to a wrong view of Scripture Wrong view of Scripture Rome says that it established the canon of Scripture That we would even know what should be in the

Bible if it wasn't for the church at Rome well, that's wrong too, but They add an additional seven books that they call

Deutero canonical And it's mostly so they can get in some spurious doctrines like purgatory

But even worse than that Rome teaches that the church councils and other teachings take priority over Scripture Listen to Carl Keating a famous Roman Catholic apologist.

He says it is true that Catholics do not think revelation ended With what is in the

New Testament? They believe though that it ended with the death of the last

Apostle The part of revelation that was not committed to writing that part

That is outside of the New Testament and is the oral teaching that is the basis of tradition that part of revelation

Catholics also accept well, what's the problem with accepting so -called tradition?

That's outside of Scripture Anthony What's that You make it equal to Scripture and actually

I would say that you Make a superior to Scripture, but the other problem with it is what's the source for tradition it?

What's that? Yeah, it's man -made. I mean they it could be whatever they want it to be and that's why you get things like the celibacy of priests or the

Immaculate conception of Mary these kind of doctrines just kind of grow out of you know

One step of church tradition somebody saying something and then over the centuries these things just sort of build on themselves

Yeah, but ultimately church tradition and church teaching take precedence over Scripture because when they conflict

Scripture loses for example, you know the perpetual virginity of Of Mary instead of saying of stead of taking a plane reading like Jesus had brothers

They say well those weren't brothers those were Male relatives of some distant kind.

Okay, whatever You know Jesus talks about his brothers when he's getting ready to go up to Jerusalem.

Well, those were distant male relatives Well distant male relatives would include most of Israel wrong view of sainthood

Instead of just taking what the Bible says they have this whole process and I can't even

I For the sake of time, I won't even go into all of it. But I I do want to just mention this

That after you die in order to become a saint, this is kind of what has to happen here. Your life is evaluated

Were you Orthodox were you to Orthodox Orthodox Catholic? Did you have heroic virtue if so, then you're considered venerable then they start looking

Examining your life everything that you did and looking to see if there was Well, actually, it's not even during your life.

It's after you die after you die. Can you be associated with a miracle? If so, then you're one step closer you have to have two miracles though after death

I Mean it's just it's just crazy

But they they they say that because here's the point They say that this is because those miracles show that the candidate for sainthood is in heaven and able to intercede

For those who pray to them bad Okay, number seven wrong view of angels wrong view of angels they

Venerate them. In fact parents are taught to pray to angels on behalf of their children

Pope Francis recently called on us to pray to them so that we were we are reminded of God's presence

Number eight wrong view of the Lord's table. This is a big one the mass Each time the mass is celebrated

Rome teaches Christ is Resacrificed that is to say the the bread they teach actually becomes the physical body of Jesus the wine becomes his blood again false but listen to what the

Council of Trent says about it if anyone says that the sacrifice of the mass is one only of praise and thanksgiving

Do this a remembrance of me like Jesus said or that it is the mere commemoration of the sacrifice?

Consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory one or that it profits him only who receives

And ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins punishments satisfactions and other necessities

Let him be anathema in other words If you don't believe there's efficacy and taking it if you don't believe that you are actually having sins propitiated by taking the mass

Then you are to be accursed Okay, so now let's go back to Galatians 2 because I do want to wrap this up here

Galatians 2 the key to adapt to understanding Galatians if we were to understand it this way that Paul is defending the gospel of Justification by faith alone in other words the pure gospel without works

It was under attack by the Judaizers who wanted to Put Christians back under the

Jewish law and with false religions It's always

Jesus plus believe plus works Why is that and I'm gonna say and I think this is the issue with Rome.

I think it's about control Because as long as there's something more that you need to do

Then you're dependent upon the church and Roman Catholicism is all about making people dependent upon the church.

In fact, they teach that there is salvation Only through the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Church Now that's why I think one of the Popes called us estranged brethren

Because somehow, you know Protestants were gonna be brought back into the church maybe after some time in purgatory or whatever

But the key to them was salvation is only through the Roman Catholic Church Jesus plus is what false religions do now.

Can you imagine? Paul Who had the Damascus Road experience because he was zealous for Judaism zealous to punish

Christians zealous to bring Them to jail and even to see them put to death why because they denied the efficacy of works

Can you imagine him saying I'd like to put myself back under a system of works? No, because he'd learned the gospel from Jesus himself look back

In Galatians 2 at verses 18 and 19 for if I rebuild what I tore down I proved myself to be a transgressor

For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God Paul would be a bigger fraud

He would be a hypocrite of epic Proportions if he put himself under the same system of works righteousness that Jesus personally had delivered him from How could he deny what he'd spent three years learning from the

Lord himself the gospel and Yet, that's what was going on at this church

Verse 20 he says I have been crucified With Christ the old

Saul was dead Self -righteous Pharisee who based his hope for eternity on strict obedience to the law

It was as if he said I as a direct result of Christ's crucifixion

Have been crucified and am no longer alive. I am dead to my old self The new

Paul had new desires and new passions out of a love for Jesus Again verse 20 it is no longer.

I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the

Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me That sounds like the gospel doesn't it?

He loved me Jesus loved me. How much did he love me? He loved me so much that he died for my sins.

He gave himself up for me. He took The blows do me the punishment do me

Verse 21 I do not nullify the grace of God for if Righteousness were through the law then

Christ died for no purpose All the strictures of Judaism all the regulations and rules all the segregation

Right Jews were not supposed to worship with Gentiles and that's what was going on here. They were there were segregating

They were separating because of the law These had all been removed in fact we could see in Ephesians 2 it says that the enmity

Between Jew and Gentiles put to an end because of the work of Christ Legalism that is to say any set of rules designed to curry favor with God ultimately fails

There was one set of rules the law of God and Jesus fulfilled it completely

We appropriated his righteousness by faith, which is a gift from God the heart of the gospel there

Jesus loved me says At the end of verse 21 who loved me if we just substitute

Jesus because that's who the who is Jesus loved him or loved me and gave himself up for me.

That's the gospel So all those wrong views now.

I just want to say this we don't worship Luther Calvin Zwingli Knox any of the other

Reformers But we have to thank the Lord for them Why because if we think again about the

Roman Catholic system And what was going on and the way even today with our neighbors and our friends how?

Roman Catholicism obscures the gospel it inoculates people of the gospel. They think they're okay

Because they go to mass they go to church. They were baptized as babies They know they're on the way to heaven because Rome tells them so But Mike gender and it proclaiming the gospel ministry said this the

Catholic Jesus does not save completely He does not give assurance of salvation.

He does not pay complete punishment He does not purify all sins. He does return physically to the earth every day

Why because there's still work to be done He's not finished his work of redemption. He does not redeem man from the curse of the law

He is not the only sinless mediator. They've also got Mary and he's not the only way

And again as I said the opening we don't Catholic batch What we do is we teach the

Bible and when we teach the Bible What does it sound like it sounds like Catholic bashing because here's what

Rome says and here's what the Bible says That's not Catholic bashing that's just truth -telling now practically let me just give you this one practical point

We don't want to affirm somebody who's in the Roman Catholic system. We don't want to just say they're

Christians We don't want to lock arms with them We don't want to put our arms around them as it were and say you're okay.

You're a Christian. We need to evangelize them. Why? Because if they're tied to this system if they're counting on this system to save them

They need to know about a Savior who will utterly save them the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray father Thank you for this evening. Thank you for 500 years of the

Reformation of setting the gospel free from the

Roman Catholic system of letting us have scriptures that we might say scripture alone sola scriptura

That we might look at all these other doctrines that we might have the scriptures for Ourselves and our own languages study in spite of the efforts of Rome father.

We thank you for putting The Lord Jesus Christ on display for us that we might

Love him that we might cling to him that we might know That in Christ Jesus we have forgiveness of all sins full and free

By virtue of his perfect life his death and his resurrection and it's in his name.