Roman Catholicism is a "patchwork" gospel.
“…They have treated the Divine Scriptures recklessly and without fear. They have set aside the rule of ancient faith; and Christ they have not known. They do not endeavor to learn what the Divine Scriptures declare, but strive laboriously after any form of syllogism which may be devised to sustain their impiety.”
Had the Roman Catholic religion existed in the 4th century when Eusebius wrote his history of the young Christian Church, the above-cited quotation may well have been aimed straight at the Vatican. There in the Lateran's hallowed halls, the Scriptures have been treated with reckless abandon, downgraded to mere equality with the words of sinful men, twisted, added to, ignored, and all without fear of the mighty, eternal, King of Kings from whom those Scriptures emanated. Not only has Catholicism failed to observe what God's Word declares, it has tried every way to keep the trusting laity from obedience to that Word as well. Faced with ever increasing availability of printed Bibles in more and more native languages, the Council of Trent chalked up one more mark against itself and Catholicism by authorizing a Jesuit, Robert Bellarmine, to produce an extra-biblical publication which became known shortly thereafter as the Trent Catechism. In it were found no contradictions to Rome's numerous heresies. None of the Reformers' Scriptural doctrines were found there, either.
Many Catholic Catechisms have been published since that first one in the 16th century. All have been, and continue to be, tightly controlled purveyors of the Vatican-approved Catholic “party line.” They are extra-biblical, meaning they are not authorized - in fact, are condemned - by the Word of God. They offer, nonetheless, a fascinating study in how nimbly Rome skips through momentous doctrinal upheavals and changes, and how subtly they discourage the study of divine Scripture. My personal favorite has to do with papal infallibility which has been a declared article of faith only since the year AD 1870. In that 19th century, and prior to the First Vatican Council out of which came the infallibility declaration, a popular Catechism was one published in Scotland by Stephen Keenan, a Catholic priest. When first it appeared in 1851, it featured the following question and answer regarding papal infallibility;
Q. Must not Catholics believe the pope in himself to be infallible?
A. This is a Protestant invention; it is no article of Catholic faith.
In 1851, it seems, papal infallibility was nothing more than a Protestant “invention.” Catholics were not bound under pain of sin to believe it. It was not a doctrine; not an article of faith. The pope was as prone to err in that era as any other mortal soul. But when the Keenan Catechism was reprinted just 20 years later - one year after Pius IX “patched” papal infallibility into the Catholic Church repertoire of added doctrines not supported by Scripture - its treatment of the same subject had undergone a major face-lift.
Q. Is the pope infallible?
A. Yes, the pope is infallible.
Q. But some Catholics, before the Vatican Council, denied the infallibility of the pope, which was impugned by this very Catechism.
A. Yes, they did so under the usual reservation, insofar as they then could grasp the mind of the church, and subject to her (the church's) future definitions, thus implicitly accepting the dogma.
A most amazing organism is the Roman Catholic Church. One day a doctrine is not a doctrine. The next day it becomes a doctrine. All who denied it yesterday must believe it today, because their denial yesterday was with the reservation that Rome might change its mind today. Such unmitigated insolence on the part of those who claim custodial authority over God's divine Word. Who dares trust his or her immortal soul to a church whose “mind” can be changed any time expediency dictates? How can one ever be certain that today's already heretical doctrine of Mary as co-mediatrix with Christ, will not tomorrow become the doctrine of Mary co-redeemer, co-savior with our Lord, of all who “believe on her name?” How long before today's “infallible” pope declares himself not just “vicar of Christ” but Christ Himself? These are very real possibilities, not in the least far-fetched. For a church that is not restricted in its beliefs and declarations by the Word of God, is a church unpredictable; a church unreliable; an apostate church, no less deadly than the “Mystery Babylon” of Revelation.
Another Catechism - the “Full Catechism of The Catholic Religion” - presents an excellent study in the art of discouraging Bible reading. Authored by Joseph Deharbe, and re-published in 1979, the hardbound version sells in Catholic book stores for 17.95. In it, the Catholic Church is projected as the lone “pillar and ground of truth,” (Cf. 1 Tim 3:15) For this reason, the church allegedly cannot erroneously interpret the Word of God. Therefore, the individual Catholic is forbidden to interpret Scriptures, for two given reasons. First, no individual can understand the Scriptures like the Holy Spirit who gives the Vatican their true meanings. Second, “The Holy Scripture is a Divine and mysterious book,” containing certain things not easily understood. (Cf. 1 Pet 3:16) Only those possessing the “learning and piety” necessary should read the Bible, and then only approved translations with annotations endorsed by Rome.
R.A. Torrey, the great 19th century evangelist, commenting on the concept that the Bible is a difficult book and hard to be understood, expressed his belief like this:
“I am always suspicious of profound explanations of Scripture, explanations that require a scholar or philosopher to understand them. The Bible is a plain man's book. (Cf. Mat 11:25) In at least ninety-nine cases in a hundred the meaning of Scripture lies on the surface - the meaning that any simple-minded man, woman or child who really wants to know and obey the truth would see in it.”
When Vatican VIPS say in effect, “We only are the ones who compiled, preserved, and disseminated the Holy Scriptures, (none of which is true,) therefore we have the exclusive right to their interpretation,” they can be compared to the telegraph operator who, upon starting his shift, finds a message for a group of people already typed out and packaged for delivery. As he delivers it, he declares, “I'm the only one who can tell you folks what this message means.” In the case of God's divine Word, every born again believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit - the very author of the Scriptures - and by Him is empowered to interpret them quite correctly. (Cf. 1 John 2:27.)
It is apparent that Jesus did not consider His Word to be “mysterious” or difficult to understand, for he urged the unbelieving religious Jews to, “Search the Scriptures; for... they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) Why would our Lord urge people - especially unbelievers - to search into what He knew they would be unable to comprehend? Such would only engender confusion, and the Bible tells us God is not the author of confusion. (Cf. 1 Cor 14:33) In a similar vein, Luke expressed admiration for the Bereans to whom Paul and Silas preached the Gospel. Of them he said, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Act 17:11) Does Rome think its laity is of lesser intelligence than the common folk of Berea in Paul's lifetime?
This second great heresy of Catholicism - that Rome is the sole custodian and interpreter of God's Word - is, as has already been noted, propagated very effectively through Catechisms and the teachings they contain. Add to this the personal influence of the clergy, the trust placed in the priest by his parishioners, the Rome-fostered illusion that only in the pastor resides the “oracles” of God, and what you end up with is a brainwashed flock, unable and unwilling to contest even the most outlandish claims and dogmas - the Marian heresies, for example. On page 27 of the 1994 Catechism, even the manner in which the laity is to accept Rome's teachings is dictated.
“Mindful of Christ's words to His apostles: 'He who hears you hears me,' the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.”
How clever of the Vatican to suggest in the above that “hearing” the teachings and directives of their pastors is equivalent to hearing the very words of our Lord. For this reason, of course, the laity is instructed to accept whatever they are taught submissively and without doubting, questioning, or disputation of any kind. Unfortunately, this is exactly how the Vatican's teachings are received by multi-millions of the Catholic faithful, (me, too, when I was one). It accounts for the stonewalling experienced by evangelical Christians who try to witness to these sadly misled folks. A Catechism statement - “…the Church…does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone,” should have Catholics jumping out of their seats shouting, “Why not!? Why would God leave important truths out of His Bible!?” But, instead of demanding answers to that and numerous similar questions, Catholics (me, too, when I was one) find it easier to “receive with docility” only what Rome chooses to feed them. What Rome chooses not to feed them, though, is critical to the eternal destination of their souls.
In the epistle of Paul to the Galatians, God's Word reveals two vitally important facts that are hidden from the Catholic faithful. “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of (by) me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:11, 12) Fact the first: what Paul preached he received directly from the lips of our Lord, and there is not the slightest suggestion it was anything less than a complete Gospel. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8, 9) Fact the second: to preach anything other than what Paul preached is twice cursed in God's Word. The oft “patched” gospel of Catholicism is not even close to the complete Gospel Paul and the other Apostles preached. Those who preach and teach it do so at their own peril.
In His wonderful “Olivet Discourse” our blessed Savior said, “And THIS Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Mat 24:14) Christ said, “THIS” Gospel, not an incomplete Gospel needing “patches” to perfect it. Later, toward the end of that famous sermon, Jesus said. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Mat 24:35) “Sacred Tradition,” so-called by the Council of Trent bunch, has been granted equal status with the Word of God by the Vatican VIPS; but it was not so honored by our Lord. He said it was His Words that would not pass away; not His Words and the “Sacred Tradition” unveiled at Trent, Italy in the 16th century.
When a religion departs even partially from the written Logos - the Word as it is preserved in our Bibles - there is only one way it can go - astray. In each of the heresies discussed in this and following chapters, the Catholic church either has added to God's Word, twisted God's Word, taken away from it, or ignored it entirely, always to the detriment of its trusting members. Justification by faith alone in Christ's atoning sacrifice - the very foundation of the Gospel given to Paul directly by Jesus - has been replaced in Catholicism by a works-based, Tradition-driven theology not found anywhere in divine Scripture.
The Bible contains many warnings about false teachers and teachings, some of which have been referred to already. The one that follows seems especially apropos. “Now the SPIRIT speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy: having their consciences seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats.” (1 Tim 4:1-3) In AD 1079, the Catholic Church forbade priests to marry; commanded them to remain celibate throughout their lives. That order has never been rescinded; continues in force to this day, and has resulted in the kind of shocking immorality previously associated only with pagan religions of bygone days and the cults of this generation. Catholicism completed fulfillment of the prophecy in First Timothy - about the same time as the celibacy decree - when Rome commanded the faithful, under penalty of serious sin, to abstain from meat on all Fridays and certain “fast” days throughout the year.
According to Eusebius, historian of the early Christian church, certain of the Apostles were married, among them both Peter and Philip. The latter had four daughters “which did prophesy.” (Act 21:9) Obviously there was no such thing as celibacy in the early church. Nor were the early Christians bound to observe certain days of the week or abstain from certain foods. Says Eusebius in his Book 1, Chapter 4, the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:
“…did not care about observing Sabbaths, nor do we. They did not avoid certain kinds of food, neither did they regard the other distinctions which Moses first delivered to their posterity to be observed as symbols; nor do Christians of the present day do such things.”
The early Christian church, predecessor to the Roman Catholic Church, was not under bondage to commandments not found in the Word of God. No one was placed under penalty of sin for missing a Lord's Day gathering. Bishops, deacons, elders, presbyters, could be married or not married as they themselves were led. No foods were forbidden them. No works were prescribed as necessary for salvation. “Sacred Tradition” was unheard of. The Scriptures alone contained their articles of faith, their doctrine. As a former Catholic who had no knowledge of the Word of God other than what Rome fed me, it now seems so appropriate to me that the longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 which has 176 verses. Appropriate, because the entire psalm is focused on the wonder, the beauty, the comfort, the truth, the guidance, and the protection to be found in God's precious Word. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psa 119:11) “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” (Psa 119:50) “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psa 119:89) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psa 119:105 “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” (Psa 119:114)
The Apostle, Peter, declared a bishop of Rome and the first pope by the Catholic church, believed what the Vatican seems not to believe. When a saddened Jesus asked the twelve, “Will you also go away?” it was Peter who expressed the group's sentiments. “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67, 68) They are found in every Bible, those wonderful words of eternal life. They are not found in so-called “Sacred Tradition,” Catechisms, papal “bulls” and encyclicals, pastoral observations or “Patchwork” doctrines. Because they are God's Word, they are found only in God's Word.
In these pages we have seen overwhelming evidence that Rome lies when it claims to be the original, the true, and the only church founded by Christ Jesus. Its “Patchwork gospel” is a very visible contradiction to that claim, for it is notthe Gospel given us by Jesus. It is not the Gospel preached by Paul, Peter, Philip, John, all the other Apostles, as well, and the early Christian Church. The Vatican's gospel is not the Gospel Jesus referred to in Matthew 24 as“THIS Gospel.”
Furthermore, in its organization, its doctrines, its liturgies, and its extensive statuary, the Roman Catholic Church is radically different from the church left on earth by Christ. Is it descended from apostolic Christianity? Of course, just as numerous other sects, faiths and denominations are rooted in the early church. But is it the one and only true church? Not according to history and the Word of God. That's simply one of Rome's many lies. Another is Rome's claim to have been appointed sole custodian and interpreter of the divine Scriptures. This is Catholicism's second great heresy and is as unsubstantiated as the first, 1) by God's Word, 2) by history, and, 3) by the early church saints. Hundreds of years before there was a Catholic church, the Old and New Testaments were compiled and ratified. Rome had nothing to do with their compilation or approval, and any authority Rome claims with respect to the Bible is self-assumed and has not come from Jesus.
In all truth, the Vatican's well-documented antipathy to the Bible, reflected in its record of banning, and/or discouraging the study of it, more than disqualifies Rome from any kind of say-so with respect to the divine Scriptures. Its expedient manufacture of an umbrella called “Sacred Tradition,” under which doctrines not found in the Bible can be introduced and justified, is just further proof of Rome's very active disdain for the Word of God, and its unswerving opposition to the Bible as the one and only rule of faith.
Would our Lord have entrusted His divine Word and its interpretation to a Vatican crowd that denies the historicity of Genesis by endorsing microbe-to-man evolution? Would He entrust His most precious Word to a Vatican crowd whose leaders say it's downright dangerous to seek for truth in the Word of God…who say the Bible is “…eminently dangerous to souls.?” Rome's audacity impugns the intelligence of a holy God, Creator of all things, for it implies the kind of stupidity that entrusts the wolf with the protection of the sheep.
“…I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:16, 17)
The Apostle, Paul, was not ashamed of the Gospel Christ bequeathed to His followers, the complete Gospel clearly set forth in the Bible. Why should popes be so afraid of it if their motives are pure?
The twin heresies looked at in this chapter are deeply implanted in the minds of most Roman Catholics, even those not-so-devout souls for whom a forty-minute Mass on Saturday night or Sunday morning is a sufficient amount of spirituality for the week. And so long as they accept Rome's false claims of exclusivity, antiquity, and absolute God-given authority, it's nearly impossible to help them achieve a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. They literally are caught in Catholicism's “Tradition Trap,” and only an open-minded comparison of what they've been taught with what the Bible says can free them from it.
That in itself - gaining the Catholic's respect for God's Word - can prove difficult in the extreme and engender much disappointment. One missionary to a “Catholic Country” told me of instances where Catholics to whom he had given a King James Bible tore out a page right in front of him, rolled their tobacco in it, and smoked the resulting “cigarette,” smiling smugly at him the whole time. Fortunately, most evangelical Christians attempting to witness to a Catholic will not be subjected to a similar experience. But they are likely to get a lot of, “Ah, the Bible is just a bunch of words on paper!” and/or, “I don't care what the Bible says, that's not what the Catholic Church teaches.”
Catholics firmly believe that their church is the one and only true church founded by Jesus, but even if this were true, the Catholicism of today has very little in common with the Christian Church our Lord left to the Apostles. Today's Catholic Church is like the company that got started producing fine bread, but after a short time switched over to baking rum cakes. Likewise, the product Rome is marketing in this generation is a far cry from what early Christendom brought to the table. Some of the ingredients are the same, but the end product has an entirely different flavor. And, what bread-maker, converted to the production of rum cakes, would have the audacity to forbid others to produce fine bread? Rome is expert at claiming, forbidding, and condemning, but, as if ignoring an unsavory fact will make it go away, the Vatican maintains an uncharacteristic silence about the period of 800 plus years when pope after pope curtailed or banned entirely the reading of the Bible by the Catholic faithful. Nothing is said in Catholic educational institutions or the local parish church about the persecution - rather, the execution - of holy men of God who brought or sought to bring the Word of God to the general populace. Moreover, the rank immorality of popes, (those guardians of the Sacred Scriptures) that extended from the ninth to at least the 17th century is never mentioned in polite Catholic conversation.
In succeeding chapters, Catholic doctrines - all “patches” to God's Gospel - will be measured against Bible teachings, same as in this chapter. It's the way I was liberated from Rome's “Tradition Trap,” the way former priests and nuns also have come to a knowledge of the truth. I pray it will be useful to evangelical Christians in helping Catholic relatives, friends, co-workers, etc., come to a realization that it doesn't take a cardinal with a red hat, or a pope with a staff and crown to grasp the salvation message found in the Word of a loving and merciful God.
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