November 4
I didn’t think I would get a devotional written today because I just attended the funeral of one of my recently graduated students. We’ve lost four now from drunk driving in the past five years. It’s a problem of epidemic proportion in North Dakota and I’m not sure why. Our law enforcement deals aggressively with young people drinking. At least two of the deaths were from accidents with under-age boys drinking and driving. What made me so sad was that most of these young folks (one was a girl) are Catholic. Forgive me if you are reading this and are either Catholic yourself or have close friends or relatives who are, but unless I know nothing about what God’s word has to say on the topic, one cannot be saved following Catholic doctrine. Since some Catholic shrines have become charismatic in nature, many Protestants have decided some of them might be saved. Please allow me to demonstrate from scripture Catholic doctrine is from the pits of hell. And please believe me when I tell you I wish I were wrong.
John McArthur has a series on the topic; and he does a much more masterful job of demonstrating from scripture several proofs of the doctrine of demons as espoused by the Catholic Church. First of all, the Pope claims to have apostolic authority that was handed down in an unbroken chain from Peter to himself. He claims that is why he speaks the very words of God when acting in his official capacity as Pope. The first Pope was appointed as the head of the church by a pagan king Theodosius near the end of the third century A.D. The rituals currently practiced in the catholic church (and many protestant ones for that matter) were pagan rituals adopted from the Greek shrines that were themselves copied and were called the first church buildings. Up until that time churches throughout the Roman Empire had been meeting in private homes.
Second, for several hundred years after the reformation, the Catholic Church engaged in the practice of killing or making slaves of anyone who did not convert to Catholicism in the new world and all of those who joined the protestant movement in Europe. Historical records indicate they killed millions in the name of Jesus. The Jesuits were an especially bloody group of killers whose task it was to do most of the killing.
Third, the Popes have an incredible documented history of committing heinous acts like adultery, rape, and pedophilia. Their reign of terror all over the world for over 400 years is part of the historical record.
Fourth, Catholicism places Mary in a position within the church that would cause her to roll over in her grave from anger. In some places she is worshiped as much and in some cases more than Jesus Himself. That is idolatry at its worst. Catholic churches are full of icons of Mary, the saints, and Jesus hanging from a cross. Of course, so are some Protestant churches, but for now let’s stick with the topic at hand. John McArthur suggests the current Pope seems to be outwardly in a love affair with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Of course, that isn’t Mary’s fault, and we need not diminish her part in bringing our Lord into the world, but I’m quite positive she would not want such things to be happening.
Fifth, catholic priests must be called “father.” Matthew 23:9 reads, "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” That’s a rather clear statement. I’m not sure how anyone could get confused about that one.
Sixth, salvation, as described in scripture, is clearly obtained by faith and nothing else (Eph. 2: 8, 9). The Catholic Church insists one must be part of the Catholic Church to be saved. I’m not sure how any Protestant deals with that one.
Seventh, Catholics teach one must be baptized as an infant. The Bible teaches one cannot be baptized until he makes a personal confession of faith in Jesus as Lord (Acts 2:38).
Eighth, the Catholic Church has a thing called “Absolution.” It began in the dark ages and proclaimed that anyone can buy the forgiveness of sins. It made the Catholic Church one of the wealthiest organizations in the world. But it hasn’t an ounce of support in God’s word. As a matter of biblical fact, the opposite is taught in God’s word (I Jn. 1:9).
Ninth, the Catholic Church insists one can only receive forgiveness of sins by confessing them to a priest. That is an Old Testament concept that comes from the idea that Israelites had to bring their sacrifices to the altar at the place designated by God and give them to the High Priest. Jesus is our High Priest and He has authorized us to come directly into the presence of God the Father in His name and make our request (Jn. 15:16; Heb. 4:16; 8:1).
Tenth, the Catholic Church is BABYLONE THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH, as described in Revelation 18:5. All you have to do is compare that verse with 18:18 which reads, “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” When John spoke that revelation, Rome was the great city. The Vatican is in Rome.
In closing, allow me to point out that there are Protestant Churches that are just as unbiblical in their doctrine as the Catholic Church. The ECLU is a prime and obvious example. And, for that matter, I’m quite sure there are millions in good, solid, bible preaching protestant churches who are bound for eternity in hell just as fast as any Catholic. That confessed, it is important for us to understand one cannot appropriately worship and be saved by a god that is not defined in God’s word as “The God.” If your vision of God is that he is the man upstairs, or you can bribe Him into forgiving you, or you have to be part of a particular denomination to be saved, or you have to go to one of His priests to get your sins forgiven, or you can in any way buy your way into heaven, or you can pray to a dead saint instead of God, or you think you will one day be a god, or you think Mary can intercede for you, or, or, or, or.
I’m quite sure there are more denominations and doctrines of demons that I ever knew or ever will know. That’s why it is so critical you get all your doctrine from God’s word. You cannot, you must not, you shall not, get your understanding from the preacher of your local church. You must, you shall, you can verify everything he tells you by checking it against God’s word yourself. That’s why it is absolutely, unequivocally, and essential you study God’s word diligently yourself. If you are a husband, that responsibility falls to you. If you are a single parent, that responsibility falls to you. If you are a man considering getting married, it is your responsibility to make sure your future spouse understands that responsibility is yours.
So, in closing allow me to warn you. If your church discourages you from reading the Bible, if your pastor discourages you from verifying everything he teaches against God’s word, if your preacher preaches a message and throws in a couple of verses to lend credence to his secular philosophy, if you have an uneasy feeling deep down in your soul about what is going on in your church, if there is any reason to think you are not being nourished from the pure, unwavering, unadulterated word of God, think seriously about finding a place that honors God above all else. Trust Jesus when I say, “It isn’t a sin to leave a church in search of one whose preachers preach God’s word accurately.” You really don’t have any reason to believe an unlearned preacher will ever be more than an unlearned preacher. And that’s God’s word for us today
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