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Volume. XXIV, No. 19 Why We Are Still Protestants - Part 2Salvation: By Grace through Faith Plus Works? Today the RCC still teaches that Sacraments are required for salvation, not by grace through faith alone. RCC Catechism (Larger) 1129 says, “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation….” By the way, RCC has seven sacraments: Baptism; Eucharist; Penance/Reconciliation; Confirmation; Marriage; Holy Orders; and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Dead or Sick), although our Lord only instituted two, namely Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Though not every Roman Catholic receives every sacrament, RCC teaches that sacraments as a whole are seen as necessary means of salvation for the faithful, conferring each sacrament\'s particular grace, such as incorporation into Christ and the Church, forgiveness of sins, or consecration for a particular service.
Virgin Mary: The sinless Mother of God, Co-Redemtrist and Co-Intercessor?
The RCC today still teaches that Mary was born sinless and accomplished the work of salvation with Christ. RCC Catechism 491 (Larger) states, “Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate (sinless) Conception confesses…” RCC Catechism 964 (Larger) says, “Mary\'s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ\'s virginal conception up to his death…."
Despite virgin Mary’s own confession that she being also just a handmaid who needed the Saviour in Luke 1:38, the RCC rather called her by another name, the ‘Mother of God’ and believes that she is also able to intercede for believers as Co-Mediatrix. Catechism 95 says, “... the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos).” RCC Catechism 969 states,"... (Mary)taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us gifts of eternal salvation. ... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."
Protestant Reformation and the Five Solas: They Anathematized them!
The Council of Trent was a Roman Catholic Council held from 1545 to 1563 in an attempt to destroy the progress of the Protestant Reformation. This council denied every Reformation doctrine, including the Five Solas of the Reformation (ie. Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone; Sola Fide: Faith Alone; Sola Gratia: Grace Alone; Solus Christus: Christ Alone; Soli Deo Gloria: To God be the Glory. The outcome of Council of Trent hurled 125 anathemas (ie. eternal damnations and curses) against Bible believing evangelical Christians, namely the Protestants alongthe five Solas of the Reformation. A few of the Anathemas include the following:
· "But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the said books entire with all their parts [including the 14 books of Apocrypha], as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgate edition; and knowingly and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid; let him be anathema. "
· "If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ\'s sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema." (Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 12).
· "If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessary unto salvation; let him be anathema." (Canons on Baptism, Canon 5).
"lf any one saith, that Christ, given in the Eucharist, is eaten spiritually only, and not also sacramentally and really; let him be anathema." (Canons on the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, Canon 8).
(The Full Text of ‘The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent’ can be found at: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/Trent/trentall.html where you will find the rest of the anathemas placed on Protestant Christians.)
Many naïve and well-meaning Roman Catholics today who have been misled would argue that all these ‘Anathemas’ or curses had long been nullified, but this is not true. The Ecumenical Council Vatican II in 1962 reaffirmed them all! Vatican II was an official Catholic doctrinal convocation lasting three years from October 1962 to December 1965 which attended by more than 2400 Roman Catholic bishops. This document is not just the pronouncements of one or of a few Catholic priests, or even of the Pope himself. These are the most authoritative doctrinal pronouncements of modern Roman Catholicism. This is still Rome’s official doctrinal document up till today! At the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII stated: ‘I do accept entirely all that has been decided and declared at the Council of Trent.’ (Wilson Ewin, You Can Lead Roman Catholics to Christ, Quebec Baptist Mission, 1990 edition, p. 41). In fact, the shorter Catechism of the RCC, the ‘Council of Trent’ is quoted no less than 99 times. Based on the ‘Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the Doctrine of the Church,’ it states, “The Second Vatican Council neither changed nor intended to change this doctrine, rather it developed, deepened and more fully explained it.” Therefore, there is not the slightest hint that the proclamations of the Council of Trent have been abrogated by Rome.
(The Full text of the Documents of the Second Vatican Council can be found at: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm;
(The ‘Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the Doctrine of the Church’ can be found at:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html)
CONCLUSION:
Rome’s position has not changed since Martin Luther and others who protested in the 16th century. Thus, evangelicals today have no reason to be ashamed of being or ceased to be Protestants. We must continue to uphold and defend the Five Solas of the Reformation to the glory of God (Rom 11:36). Since evangelicals cannot and should cease to be Protestants, we must evangelize to both Roman Catholics and others who have not known Christ as their Saviour and those who have been deceived by Satan to believe that man can work his way to heaven. The Reformation started by Martin Luther, and continued by men like John Calvin, Zurich Zwingli, John Knox and many others, should not stop there. There is a need to rekindle that same Spirit of Reformation today in the twenty-first century as many great men of God in our century have inspired us, for after all the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century was also one of the greatest spiritual revivals of all times. May the Lord revive us all and give us grace to bring glory unto His name to defend the faith once delivered unto the saints in these evil and perilous days!
Pastor Weng |
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