The Catholic Chronicles by Keith Green Chronicle III
CHRONICLE III
"The free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord!"
(Rom. 6:23)
How blessed it is to know Jesus! His love, His mercy, His
righteousness, His forgiveness! He has promised to "cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea" (Mic. 7:19) and to separate us from our
sins "as far as the east is from the west!" (Ps. 103:12). This is the
good news! (That's the literal meaning of the word "gospel" good
news!) That is what the true church of our God has the privilege of
proclaiming... "liberty to the captives.!" (Lk.4:18).
The reason I begin this article on the Roman Catholic view of
salvation with such rejoicing in my Savior, is because I have just
finished reading a mountain of official (Roman) church literature on
the subject, and I can honestly say, I have never had such joy in my
heart of hearts about the finished work of Christ. As I scoured each
page and read of penance, confession, venial and mortal sins,
indulgences, purgatory, etc.
I then had the infinite pleasure of searching the Scriptures to see
what they had to say on these fundamental Catholic doctrines. Oh
what relief my soul found in the Scriptures! What holy joy! What
clarity of light I saw, as the simple brilliance of God's mercy shown
into my mind. If there is anything more beautiful than God's love and
patience with man, it has never been revealed to mortals!
All this to say that I am bogged down with the information I have
accumulated, and I will probably have to cover it all in this, Chronicle
III, briefly touching on each subject, while always coming back to the
main question:
According to Rome, how can a man or woman be saved from the
consequences of his sinful nature and actions, and how can they gain
assurance that they are in a right standing before God?"
If the future permits, I will come back in another installment and cover
some of these subjects (particularly, purgatory and indulgences) in far
greater depth and detail. It is our desire to see people find the true
salvation that Jesus died for; therefore, we must deal with that great
(and most important) subject wholly, before taking the time to supply
other necessary (and most revealing) subject matter.
The Catholic Teaching on Sin
Before we can understand what Catholics are taught about salvation,
we must first see what they are taught they need to be saved from. In
Matt. 1, the angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream about his
betrothed, Mary, saying
"She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He
who will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)
Today, many evangelicals toss around the term "saved" without much
thought. "When did you get saved?" someone might ask. It's almost
like a title, or a badge that a person wears to prove that he's become
part of the club the "saved". Others are under the impression that
when a person talks of being "saved", they are talking about being
saved from many different things sickness, death, the devil, hell, etc.
But when the angel of the Lord used that precious word to prophesy
that Jesus would fulfill all the predictions of the prophets, he made
very clear what Jesus was coming to save His people from...their
sins!
In official Roman Catholic theology, this too is the main thing that
people are taught they need to be saved from- their sins. But the only
thing that Catholic and evangelical teachings have in common on the
subject of sin...is the spelling! For when a Catholic talks about his
"sins", you must find out first if he is talking about "mortal" sins, or
"venial" sins. And then you must ask him "how do you get rid of
them?" The answer given will most likely confound a non-Catholic.
For words like "faith", "repentance", even "Jesus" will usually be
missing in the answer. Instead, a whole new list of other words will
have to be learned, defined, and understood before the evangelical
can fully grasp how a Catholic is taught his sins (and the penalty due
them) can be canceled out.
Mortal and Venial Sins
The first of these unfamiliar words are the names of the two groups
Rome has separated all sins into. Now if you're a Catholic, you might
be wondering why I'm making such a big deal of the dividing of sins
into two distinct categories (each with their own set of consequences
and remedies) for it has been part of Catholic doctrine for a long, long
time.
According to Rome's definition, mortal sin is described as "any great
offense against the law of God" and is so named because "it is
deadly, killing the soul and subjecting it to eternal punishment".
Venial sins, on the other hand, are "small and pardonable offenses
against God, and our neighbor". Unlike mortal sins, venial sins are
not thought to damn a soul to hell, but with the committing of each
venial sin, a person increases his need for a longer stay in the
purifying fires of a place called "purgatory". (Look that word up in your
Bible dictionary you'll find it right next to "venial"!)
Now, there is no agreement among the priests as to which sins are
mortal and which are venial, but they all proceed on the assumption
that such a distinction does exist. The method of classification is
purely arbitrary. What is venial according to one may be mortal
according to another.
According to Rome, the pope is infallible in matters of faith and
doctrine. He should then be able to settle this important matter by
accurately cataloging those sins which are mortal as distinguished
from those which are venial. However, there are some definites in the
"mortal" category: blatantly breaking one of the ten commandments,
practically all s*xu*l offenses (whether in word, thought or deed) and
a long list of transgressions which have changed throughout the
centuries.
For instance, until Vatican II (a church council that met between
1963-1965) it was a mortal sin to attend a Protestant church, to own
or read a Protestant Bible, or to eat food on Friday! Oh, and it's still a
mortal sin to "miss Mass on Sunday morning ("Sunday obligation"
can also be fulfilled by attending a Saturday evening Mass) without a
good excuse" (which means that considerably more than half of the
claimed Roman Catholic membership throughout the world is
constantly in mortal sin!) Venial sins include things like thinking bad
thoughts, having wrong motives, losing your temper, etc. things that
do not necessarily "lead into actual sin" but still, nevertheless, are
sins that need to be eradicated in some way.
What Does the Bible Say?
The Bible makes no distinction between mortal and venial sins. There
is in fact, no such thing as a venial sin. ALL SIN IS MORTAL! It is true
that some sins are worse than others, but it is also true that all sins if
not forgiven bring death to the soul. The Bible simply says: "The
wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). And Ezekiel says: "The soul that
sins, it shall die" (18:4).
James says that "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in
one point, he has become guilty of all" (2:10). He meant, not that the
person who commits one sin is guilty of all other kinds of sin, but that
even one sin unatoned for, shuts a person completely out of heaven
and subjects him to punishment, just as surely as one mis-step by the
mountain climber plunges him to destruction in the canyon below.
In the light of these biblical statements, the distinction between mortal
and venial sins is shown to be completely absurd. In fact, the very act
of classifying sins into "greater and lesser" is immoral in itself. We
know how quick human nature is to grasp at any excuse for sin.
Rome seems to be saying "these sins are really bad! But those?
Well, you can get away with a few of them and not really suffer too
much". Speaking of "getting away" with something, let's get right
down to how Rome teaches you can "get rid of" your sins.
Confession
The Catholic system starts to get real complicated when we begin to
look at the ways one can erase both their mortal and venial sins.
Two kinds of punishment are due to mortal sin: eternal (in hell
forever), and temporal (in purgatory). Eternal punishment is canceled
by either baptism (which is only allowed once in a person's life--and if
a person were to die immediately after baptism, Rome says he will go
"straight to heaven". Otherwise, the only other conditions by which a
Catholic may be assured he will go directly to heaven immediately
upon death, is to die a "saint" -- a completely perfect and sanctified
person, or to die a martyr's death. All others must do some time in
purgatory) or confession to a priest.
The Baltimore Catechism defines confession as follows:
"Confession is the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the
purpose of attaining forgiveness."
The important words here are "authorized priest". And to be genuine,
a confession must be heard, judged, and followed by obedience to
the authorized priest as he assigns a penance, such as good works,
prayers, fastings, abstinence from certain pleasures, etc. A penance
may be defined as "a punishment undergone in token of repentance
for sin, as assigned by the priest" usually a very light penalty.
The New York Catechism says,
"I must tell my sins to the priest so that he will give me absolution26 A
person who knowingly keeps back a mortal sin in confession commits
a dreadful sacrilege, and he must repeat his confession."
The Priest's Role
Canon law 888 says: "The priest has to remember that in hearing
confession he is a judge."
And the book, Instructions for Non-Catholics says:
A priest does not have to ask God to forgive your sins. The priest
himself has the power to do so in Christ's name. Your sins are
forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ
and told them to Christ Himself. (p. 93).
The priest forgives the guilt of mortal sins which saves the penitent
from going to hell, but he cannot remit the penalty due for those sins,
and so the penitent must atone for them by performance of good
works which he prescribes. The penitent may be, and usually is,
interrogated by the priest so that he or she may make a full and
proper confession. Stress is placed on the fact that any sin not
confessed is not forgiven, any mortal sin not confessed in detail is not
forgiven, and that the omission of even one sin (mortal) may
invalidate the whole confession. Every loyal Roman Catholic is
required under pain of mortal sin to go to confession at least once a
year. But even after a penitent has received pardon, a large, but
unknown amount of punishment remains to be suffered in purgatory."
(The doctrine of purgatory rests on the assumption that while God
forgives sin, His justice nevertheless demands that the sinner must
suffer the full punishment due to him for his sin before he will be
allowed to enter heaven.)
Technically, venial sins need not be confessed since they are
comparatively light and can be canceled by good works, prayers,
extreme unction (one of the seven sacraments also know as
"anointing of the sick" or "the last rites", and administered when a
person is near death.) etc., but the terms are quite elastic and permit
considerable leeway on the part of the priest. It is generally advised
that it is safer to confess supposed venial sins also since the priest
alone is able to judge accurately which are mortal and which are
venial. The Baltimore Catechism says:
"When we have committed no mortal sins since our last confession,
we should confess our venial sins or some sin told in a previous
confession for which we are again sorry, in order that the priest may
give us absolution" (p. 329).
What chance has a poor sinner against such a system as that? As an
example, a minister friend of mine who was brought up in the Catholic
Church, tells the story of how his older brother went to confession
every single week and confessed the same sin to the same priest and
was given the same penance in order to receive absolution. This
went on week after week, year after year. One day, while on a trip
away from home, he decided that he would not break his pattern of
going to weekly confession, so he went to another Catholic Church in
the city he was visiting. He went into the confession box and
confessed the same sin to a different priest. He began with "forgive
me Father for I have sinned", and then began confessing the sin once
again, but this time he was shocked when the priest said: "But my
son, that's not a sin!" My friend's brother got up, and hurried out the
door, and from that day on he has never stepped foot in any church
again.
Historical Development
We search in vain in the Bible for any word supporting the doctrine of
"auricular confession" (the official title for confession to an authorized
priest in a confession box. It is called "auricular" because it is spoken
secretly, into the ear of the priest.) It is equally impossible to find any
authorization or general practice of it during the first 1,000 years of
the Christian era. Not a word is found in the writings of the early
church fathers about confessing sins to a priest or to anyone except
God alone. Auricular confession is not mentioned once in the writings
of Augustine, Origen, Nestorius, Tertullian, Jerome, Chrysostem, or
Athanasius all of these and many others apparently lived and died
without ever thinking of going to confession. No one other than God
was thought to be worthy to hear confessions or to grant forgiveness.
Confession was first introduced into the church on a voluntary basis
in the fifth century by the authority of Leo the Great. But it was not
until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 under Pope Innocent III that
private auricular confession was made compulsory and all Roman
Catholic people were required to confess and to seek absolution from
a priest at least once a year. If they did not obey this command, they
were pronounced guilty of mortal sin and damned for eternity to hell.27
"
Can A Priest Forgive Sins?
The Scriptures teach that "only God can forgive sins" (Mark 2:7). "The
Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). Dr.
Zachello tells of his experience as a priest in the confessional before
leaving the Roman Church in these words:
"Where my doubts were really troubling me was inside the
confessional box. People coming to me, kneeling down in front of me,
confessing their sins to me. And I, with the sign of the cross, was
promising that I had the power to forgive their sins. I, a sinner, a man,
was taking God's place. It was God's laws they were breaking, not
mine. To God, therefore, they must make confession; and to God
alone they must pray for forgiveness."(28)
In fact, the only word in the Bible about confessing sins to anyone
other than God, is found in James:
"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that
you may be healed"(James 5:16).
It is obvious that the Lord meant what He says in Revelation, chapter
1,that "He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and
Father" (vs. 6), and Peter calls the church "a chosen race, a royal
priesthood" (I Pet. 2:9). Believe it or not, the only mention of New
Testament believers being priests is used in a context where all true
believers are included, not just a select few. That is why James could
say that we should confess our sins "to one another".
Catholics love to quote the verse in John 20:23 to prove that priests
do have the power to "forgive and retain" sins. "If you forgive the sins
of any, their sins have been forgiven them: if you retain the sins of
any, they have been retained." The powers of forgiving and retaining
sins, were given to the apostles as proclaimers of the Word of God,
not as priests. As we have just pointed out, there are no Christian
"priests" in New Testament teaching and doctrine. Pastors, yes.
Deacons, yes. Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, yes. Priests,
no!
Jesus was telling His followers that by preaching the gospel, they
were being given the power to declare that a person's sins were
forgiven them by God! And if an individual, or group did not receive
them and the forgiveness they offered in the name of Jesus, then
they were instructed to "shake the dust off their feet" as a protest
against them, and warn those who it would be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for them (Matt.
10:14-15). In other words, if a person rejected the apostles' preaching
of the gospel, they had the right to tell that person that his sins were
not forgiven, because they had rejected God's only provision for
atonement of sins. "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the
one who rejects you rejects Me" (Luke 10:16). This power to forgive
and retain sins, contrary to Rome's teaching, belongs to everyone
who preaches the true gospel of salvation.
Penance
In the Roman system, penance is one of the seven sacraments. The
seven sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist,
Penance, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction. The
Baltimore Catechism defines penance as "the sacrament by which
sins committed after baptism are forgiven through the absolution of
the priest" (p. 300).
Another catechism published in New York says,
"The priest gives penance to help me to make up for the temporal
punishment I must suffer for my sins. The penance given to me by
the priest does not always make full satisfaction for my sins. I should
therefore do other acts of penance . . . and try to gain indulgences."
Indulgences are remissions of so many days or months or years of
punishment in purgatory--a subject which we will cover in depth in a
future chronicle. And in Instructions for non-Catholics, we read:
"After confession some temporal punishment due to sin generally
remains. You should therefore perform other acts of penance also so
that you may make up for these punishments, and avoid a long stay
in purgatory." (p. 95).
Penance as a System of Works
Here indeed is salvation by works. For penance, as the catechism
says, involves confession of one's sins to a priest and the doing of
good works as the only way by which sins committed after baptism
can be forgiven. The Church of Rome thus demands acts of penance
before She grants forgiveness, inferring that the sacrifice of Christ
was not sufficient to atone fully for sin and that it must be
supplemented to some extent by these good works. But what God
demands is not acts of penance but repentance, which means turning
from sin.
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon
him: for he will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55: 7).
The easy way in which the Church of Rome deals with sin is seen in
this doctrine of penance. The penitent receives pardon on
comparatively easy terms. He is assigned some task to perform,
usually not too hard, sometimes merely the recital of a given number
of "Hail Mary's". The result is that he has no qualms about resuming
his evil course. It shocked Martin Luther when he read the Greek
New Testament edited by Erasmus, that Jesus did not say "do
penance" as had been translated by the Roman Church, but "repent".
Penance versus Repentance
Penance is a wholly different thing from gospel repentance. Penance
is an outward act. Repentance is of the heart. Penance is imposed by
a Roman priest. Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit. What God
desires in the sinner is not a punishment of oneself for sins, but a
change of heart, a real forsaking of sin, shown by a new life of
obedience to God's commands.
In short, penance is a counterfeit repentance. It is the work of man on
his body; true repentance is the work of God in the soul. The divine
Word commands, "Rend your heart and not your garments" (Joel
2:13). Penance is "rending the garments" - an outward form without
inward reality.
While Romanism does teach that Christ died for our sins, it also
teaches that His sacrifice alone was not sufficient, and that our
sufferings must be added to make it effective. In accordance with this,
many have tried to earn salvation by fastings, rituals, flagellations and
good works of various kinds. But those who attempt such a course
always find that it is impossible to do enough to earn salvation.
Dr. C.D. Cole says, "Romanism is a complicated system of salvation
by works. It offers salvation on the installment plan, then sees to it
that the poor sinner is always behind in his payments, so that when
he dies there is a large unpaid balance, and he must continue
payments by sufferings in purgatory, or until the debt is paid by the
prayer, alms, and sufferings of his living relatives and friends. The
whole system and plan calls for merit and money from the cradle to
the grave and even beyond. Surely the wisdom that drew such a plan
of salvation is not from above."(29)
The Biblical Teaching on Good Works
Good works, of course, are pleasing to God and they have an
important and necessary place in the life of the Christian. They
naturally follow if one has true faith, and they are performed out of
love and gratitude to God for the great salvation that He has
bestowed. Good works, in other words, are not the cause and basis
of salvation, but rather the fruits and proof of salvation-
"Not by works done in righteousness which we did ourselves, but
according to His mercy He saved us through the washing of
regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).
The born-again Christian produces good works as naturally as the
grapevine produces grapes. They are a part of his very nature. He
performs them not to get saved, but because he is saved.
Salvation by Grace
Grace, just because it is grace, is not given on the basis of
proceeding merits. By no stretch of the imagination can a man's good
works in this life be considered a just equivalent for the blessings of
eternal life. But all men because of pride, naturally feel that they
should earn their salvation, and a system which makes some
provision in that regard readily appeals to them. But Paul lays the ax
to such reasoning when he says:
"If a law had been given which was able to impart life, then
righteousness would indeed have been based on law" (Gal. 3:21).
Time and again the Scriptures repeat that salvation is of grace, as if
anticipating the difficulty that men would have in accepting the fact
that they would not be able to earn it.
The Council of Trent, in its opposition to the reformer's doctrine of
justification by faith, and in defense of its doctrine of penance,
declared:
"Whoever shall affirm that men are justified solely by the imputation
of the righteousness of Christ... let him be accursed"(30)
And the Catholic Almanac says,
"Penance is necessary for salvation...and was instituted by Christ for
the forgiveness of sins". (pp. 269, 559.)
The modern Roman church teachings completely concur:
"Many things are necessary for salvation. All these things work
together faith, baptism, the Eucharist, the doing of good works, and
others as well. Redemption is one thing, salvation is quite another.
There is nothing lacking on Christ's part; there is much to be done on
ours." (31)
Also, in a booklet published in 1967, under the sub-heading,
"We Must Atone Too", it says that…
"even though the satisfaction of Christ was complete and universal,
nevertheless all adult Christians are obliged to imitate their suffering
Master and make personal satisfaction for their sins by good works. 32
But the apostle Paul in his masterpiece on justification by faith says,
"Having now been justified by His blood we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him" (Rom. 5:9).
(See also: Eph. 2:8-10, Rom. 1:17, 3:21, 22, 28, 5:1, 18-19, 11:6,
John 3:36, Gal. 2:21, 3:11.)
And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him as
righteousness. Now to the one who works, the reward is not reckoned
as grace, but as debt. But to the one who does not work, but believes
in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness (Rom.4:3-5).
What a significant coincidence it is that this doctrine of justification by
faith is given such prominence in the epistle to the Romans, since
Rome later became the seat of the papacy! It seems to be written
there as if intended as a strong and permanent protest against the
errors of the Roman Church.
Assurance of Salvation
The first consequence of the doctrine of penance (as well as the
doctrines of purgatory and indulgences) is that the Roman Catholic,
though baptized and confirmed, can never have that assurance of his
salvation and that sense of spiritual security which is such a blessing
to the true Christian. In proportion as he is spiritually sensitive, the
person who holds to a works religion knows that he has not suffered
as much as his sins deserve, and that he can never do as much as
he should in order to be worthy of salvation.
A dying Roman Catholic, after he has done all that he can do and
after the last rites have been given to him, is told that he still must go
to purgatory. There he will suffer unknown torture, with no assurance
as to how long it will continue, but with the assurance that if his
relatives pray for his soul, and pay with sufficient generosity to have
candles lit and have special masses said for him, that his sufferings
will be shortened somewhat.
Oh what a contrast with all of that, is the death of the true believer
who has the assurance that he goes straight to heaven into the
immediate presence of Christ! (Phil. 1:23). What a marvelous
blessing is the true faith of the Christian, both in life and especially at
the time of death!
The Council of Trent even pronounced a curse upon anyone who
presumed to say that he had assurance of salvation, or that the whole
punishment for sin is forgiven along with that sin. 33 Such assurance
is pronounced a delusion and a result of sinful pride. Rome keeps her
subjects in constant fear and insecurity. Even at death, after extreme
unction has been administered and after thousands of rosary prayers
have been said "for the repose of the soul", the priest still cannot give
assurance of salvation. The person is never "good enough" but must
serve in purgatory prison to be purified of venial sins before he can
be admitted to the celestial city. No one can be truly happy or truly at
peace. And particularly in spiritual matters, a state of doubt and
uncertainty continues for one's whole life, and right into the grave. But
God needs us to be saved, and according to the Bible the Holy Spirit
can give us the assurance that we have salvation when we have a
true, intimate relationship with the Son of God (I John 5:9-12). But in
Romanism, one must work hard for it and must pay dearly for it, and
after he has done all that the priest has prescribed, he still cannot
know whether he has it or not. And through it all, there stands the
anathema of the Council of Trent against all who affirm the certainty
of their salvation. Hence, there cannot truly be found anywhere a
Roman Catholic, consistent to what his church teaches, who enjoys
the true assurance of eternal life.
Conclusion
It is obvious by even this brief glimpse into the doctrines of mortal and
venial sins, confession, penance, and purgatory, that the Roman
Catholic Church has constructed one of the most unbiblical doctrinal
systems that has ever been considered "Christian". The fear,
anguish, and religious bondage that such a system of "reward and
punishment" creates, has tormented millions of lives for centuries,
and continues to prey on those who are ignorant of the biblical way of
salvation.
To merely call such a system "a cult", would be to throw it into the
vast category of religions and quasi-religions that are currently
making the rounds of our college campuses and city streets,
snatching up many an unsuspecting youth. No, the Roman Church is
not a cult. It's an empire! With its own ruler, its own laws, and its own
subjects! The empire has no borders, it encompasses the globe with
its eye on every person who does not vow allegiance. It calls the
members of other faiths "separated brethren" (The term used by
Vatican II to describe the members of Eastern Orthodox, Anglican,
and Protestant churches.) and has as its goal the eventual bringing
together of everyone under its flag.
I know that many will not be convinced or moved by this article (or
any of the others) to make such a conclusion. They are impressed by
what they've heard about recent stirrings among the Catholics in the
"charismatic renewal". Many evangelicals (especially Charismatics)
have been thrilled by the reports of Catholics speaking in tongues,
dancing in the Spirit, having nights of joy and praise, even attending
"charismatic masses".
Mouths that used to speak out boldly against the Church of Rome
have been quieted by the times. It no longer is in vogue to speak of
the pope as "the antichrist" (Although the following people
unhesitatingly did: Martin Luther, John Bunyan, John Huss, John
Wycliffe, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, Thomas Bacon,
John Wesley, Samuel Cooper, John Cotton, and Jonathan Edwards.)
or the Catholic Church as the "**** of Babylon". Now Protestants
unwittingly believe that "our differences are not so great". Ah, that is
just what She needs us to think!
I've never completely understood why God led me to write these
articles. But it becomes more clear with each day of study, and each
page of research. Never has something so black and wicked, gotten
away with appearing so holy and mysteriously beautiful . . . for so
long! Keith Green
CHRONICLE III
"The free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord!"
(Rom. 6:23)
How blessed it is to know Jesus! His love, His mercy, His
righteousness, His forgiveness! He has promised to "cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea" (Mic. 7:19) and to separate us from our
sins "as far as the east is from the west!" (Ps. 103:12). This is the
good news! (That's the literal meaning of the word "gospel" good
news!) That is what the true church of our God has the privilege of
proclaiming... "liberty to the captives.!" (Lk.4:18).
The reason I begin this article on the Roman Catholic view of
salvation with such rejoicing in my Savior, is because I have just
finished reading a mountain of official (Roman) church literature on
the subject, and I can honestly say, I have never had such joy in my
heart of hearts about the finished work of Christ. As I scoured each
page and read of penance, confession, venial and mortal sins,
indulgences, purgatory, etc.
I then had the infinite pleasure of searching the Scriptures to see
what they had to say on these fundamental Catholic doctrines. Oh
what relief my soul found in the Scriptures! What holy joy! What
clarity of light I saw, as the simple brilliance of God's mercy shown
into my mind. If there is anything more beautiful than God's love and
patience with man, it has never been revealed to mortals!
All this to say that I am bogged down with the information I have
accumulated, and I will probably have to cover it all in this, Chronicle
III, briefly touching on each subject, while always coming back to the
main question:
According to Rome, how can a man or woman be saved from the
consequences of his sinful nature and actions, and how can they gain
assurance that they are in a right standing before God?"
If the future permits, I will come back in another installment and cover
some of these subjects (particularly, purgatory and indulgences) in far
greater depth and detail. It is our desire to see people find the true
salvation that Jesus died for; therefore, we must deal with that great
(and most important) subject wholly, before taking the time to supply
other necessary (and most revealing) subject matter.
The Catholic Teaching on Sin
Before we can understand what Catholics are taught about salvation,
we must first see what they are taught they need to be saved from. In
Matt. 1, the angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream about his
betrothed, Mary, saying
"She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He
who will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)
Today, many evangelicals toss around the term "saved" without much
thought. "When did you get saved?" someone might ask. It's almost
like a title, or a badge that a person wears to prove that he's become
part of the club the "saved". Others are under the impression that
when a person talks of being "saved", they are talking about being
saved from many different things sickness, death, the devil, hell, etc.
But when the angel of the Lord used that precious word to prophesy
that Jesus would fulfill all the predictions of the prophets, he made
very clear what Jesus was coming to save His people from...their
sins!
In official Roman Catholic theology, this too is the main thing that
people are taught they need to be saved from- their sins. But the only
thing that Catholic and evangelical teachings have in common on the
subject of sin...is the spelling! For when a Catholic talks about his
"sins", you must find out first if he is talking about "mortal" sins, or
"venial" sins. And then you must ask him "how do you get rid of
them?" The answer given will most likely confound a non-Catholic.
For words like "faith", "repentance", even "Jesus" will usually be
missing in the answer. Instead, a whole new list of other words will
have to be learned, defined, and understood before the evangelical
can fully grasp how a Catholic is taught his sins (and the penalty due
them) can be canceled out.
Mortal and Venial Sins
The first of these unfamiliar words are the names of the two groups
Rome has separated all sins into. Now if you're a Catholic, you might
be wondering why I'm making such a big deal of the dividing of sins
into two distinct categories (each with their own set of consequences
and remedies) for it has been part of Catholic doctrine for a long, long
time.
According to Rome's definition, mortal sin is described as "any great
offense against the law of God" and is so named because "it is
deadly, killing the soul and subjecting it to eternal punishment".
Venial sins, on the other hand, are "small and pardonable offenses
against God, and our neighbor". Unlike mortal sins, venial sins are
not thought to damn a soul to hell, but with the committing of each
venial sin, a person increases his need for a longer stay in the
purifying fires of a place called "purgatory". (Look that word up in your
Bible dictionary you'll find it right next to "venial"!)
Now, there is no agreement among the priests as to which sins are
mortal and which are venial, but they all proceed on the assumption
that such a distinction does exist. The method of classification is
purely arbitrary. What is venial according to one may be mortal
according to another.
According to Rome, the pope is infallible in matters of faith and
doctrine. He should then be able to settle this important matter by
accurately cataloging those sins which are mortal as distinguished
from those which are venial. However, there are some definites in the
"mortal" category: blatantly breaking one of the ten commandments,
practically all s*xu*l offenses (whether in word, thought or deed) and
a long list of transgressions which have changed throughout the
centuries.
For instance, until Vatican II (a church council that met between
1963-1965) it was a mortal sin to attend a Protestant church, to own
or read a Protestant Bible, or to eat food on Friday! Oh, and it's still a
mortal sin to "miss Mass on Sunday morning ("Sunday obligation"
can also be fulfilled by attending a Saturday evening Mass) without a
good excuse" (which means that considerably more than half of the
claimed Roman Catholic membership throughout the world is
constantly in mortal sin!) Venial sins include things like thinking bad
thoughts, having wrong motives, losing your temper, etc. things that
do not necessarily "lead into actual sin" but still, nevertheless, are
sins that need to be eradicated in some way.
What Does the Bible Say?
The Bible makes no distinction between mortal and venial sins. There
is in fact, no such thing as a venial sin. ALL SIN IS MORTAL! It is true
that some sins are worse than others, but it is also true that all sins if
not forgiven bring death to the soul. The Bible simply says: "The
wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). And Ezekiel says: "The soul that
sins, it shall die" (18:4).
James says that "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in
one point, he has become guilty of all" (2:10). He meant, not that the
person who commits one sin is guilty of all other kinds of sin, but that
even one sin unatoned for, shuts a person completely out of heaven
and subjects him to punishment, just as surely as one mis-step by the
mountain climber plunges him to destruction in the canyon below.
In the light of these biblical statements, the distinction between mortal
and venial sins is shown to be completely absurd. In fact, the very act
of classifying sins into "greater and lesser" is immoral in itself. We
know how quick human nature is to grasp at any excuse for sin.
Rome seems to be saying "these sins are really bad! But those?
Well, you can get away with a few of them and not really suffer too
much". Speaking of "getting away" with something, let's get right
down to how Rome teaches you can "get rid of" your sins.
Confession
The Catholic system starts to get real complicated when we begin to
look at the ways one can erase both their mortal and venial sins.
Two kinds of punishment are due to mortal sin: eternal (in hell
forever), and temporal (in purgatory). Eternal punishment is canceled
by either baptism (which is only allowed once in a person's life--and if
a person were to die immediately after baptism, Rome says he will go
"straight to heaven". Otherwise, the only other conditions by which a
Catholic may be assured he will go directly to heaven immediately
upon death, is to die a "saint" -- a completely perfect and sanctified
person, or to die a martyr's death. All others must do some time in
purgatory) or confession to a priest.
The Baltimore Catechism defines confession as follows:
"Confession is the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the
purpose of attaining forgiveness."
The important words here are "authorized priest". And to be genuine,
a confession must be heard, judged, and followed by obedience to
the authorized priest as he assigns a penance, such as good works,
prayers, fastings, abstinence from certain pleasures, etc. A penance
may be defined as "a punishment undergone in token of repentance
for sin, as assigned by the priest" usually a very light penalty.
The New York Catechism says,
"I must tell my sins to the priest so that he will give me absolution26 A
person who knowingly keeps back a mortal sin in confession commits
a dreadful sacrilege, and he must repeat his confession."
The Priest's Role
Canon law 888 says: "The priest has to remember that in hearing
confession he is a judge."
And the book, Instructions for Non-Catholics says:
A priest does not have to ask God to forgive your sins. The priest
himself has the power to do so in Christ's name. Your sins are
forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ
and told them to Christ Himself. (p. 93).
The priest forgives the guilt of mortal sins which saves the penitent
from going to hell, but he cannot remit the penalty due for those sins,
and so the penitent must atone for them by performance of good
works which he prescribes. The penitent may be, and usually is,
interrogated by the priest so that he or she may make a full and
proper confession. Stress is placed on the fact that any sin not
confessed is not forgiven, any mortal sin not confessed in detail is not
forgiven, and that the omission of even one sin (mortal) may
invalidate the whole confession. Every loyal Roman Catholic is
required under pain of mortal sin to go to confession at least once a
year. But even after a penitent has received pardon, a large, but
unknown amount of punishment remains to be suffered in purgatory."
(The doctrine of purgatory rests on the assumption that while God
forgives sin, His justice nevertheless demands that the sinner must
suffer the full punishment due to him for his sin before he will be
allowed to enter heaven.)
Technically, venial sins need not be confessed since they are
comparatively light and can be canceled by good works, prayers,
extreme unction (one of the seven sacraments also know as
"anointing of the sick" or "the last rites", and administered when a
person is near death.) etc., but the terms are quite elastic and permit
considerable leeway on the part of the priest. It is generally advised
that it is safer to confess supposed venial sins also since the priest
alone is able to judge accurately which are mortal and which are
venial. The Baltimore Catechism says:
"When we have committed no mortal sins since our last confession,
we should confess our venial sins or some sin told in a previous
confession for which we are again sorry, in order that the priest may
give us absolution" (p. 329).
What chance has a poor sinner against such a system as that? As an
example, a minister friend of mine who was brought up in the Catholic
Church, tells the story of how his older brother went to confession
every single week and confessed the same sin to the same priest and
was given the same penance in order to receive absolution. This
went on week after week, year after year. One day, while on a trip
away from home, he decided that he would not break his pattern of
going to weekly confession, so he went to another Catholic Church in
the city he was visiting. He went into the confession box and
confessed the same sin to a different priest. He began with "forgive
me Father for I have sinned", and then began confessing the sin once
again, but this time he was shocked when the priest said: "But my
son, that's not a sin!" My friend's brother got up, and hurried out the
door, and from that day on he has never stepped foot in any church
again.
Historical Development
We search in vain in the Bible for any word supporting the doctrine of
"auricular confession" (the official title for confession to an authorized
priest in a confession box. It is called "auricular" because it is spoken
secretly, into the ear of the priest.) It is equally impossible to find any
authorization or general practice of it during the first 1,000 years of
the Christian era. Not a word is found in the writings of the early
church fathers about confessing sins to a priest or to anyone except
God alone. Auricular confession is not mentioned once in the writings
of Augustine, Origen, Nestorius, Tertullian, Jerome, Chrysostem, or
Athanasius all of these and many others apparently lived and died
without ever thinking of going to confession. No one other than God
was thought to be worthy to hear confessions or to grant forgiveness.
Confession was first introduced into the church on a voluntary basis
in the fifth century by the authority of Leo the Great. But it was not
until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 under Pope Innocent III that
private auricular confession was made compulsory and all Roman
Catholic people were required to confess and to seek absolution from
a priest at least once a year. If they did not obey this command, they
were pronounced guilty of mortal sin and damned for eternity to hell.27
"
Can A Priest Forgive Sins?
The Scriptures teach that "only God can forgive sins" (Mark 2:7). "The
Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). Dr.
Zachello tells of his experience as a priest in the confessional before
leaving the Roman Church in these words:
"Where my doubts were really troubling me was inside the
confessional box. People coming to me, kneeling down in front of me,
confessing their sins to me. And I, with the sign of the cross, was
promising that I had the power to forgive their sins. I, a sinner, a man,
was taking God's place. It was God's laws they were breaking, not
mine. To God, therefore, they must make confession; and to God
alone they must pray for forgiveness."(28)
In fact, the only word in the Bible about confessing sins to anyone
other than God, is found in James:
"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that
you may be healed"(James 5:16).
It is obvious that the Lord meant what He says in Revelation, chapter
1,that "He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and
Father" (vs. 6), and Peter calls the church "a chosen race, a royal
priesthood" (I Pet. 2:9). Believe it or not, the only mention of New
Testament believers being priests is used in a context where all true
believers are included, not just a select few. That is why James could
say that we should confess our sins "to one another".
Catholics love to quote the verse in John 20:23 to prove that priests
do have the power to "forgive and retain" sins. "If you forgive the sins
of any, their sins have been forgiven them: if you retain the sins of
any, they have been retained." The powers of forgiving and retaining
sins, were given to the apostles as proclaimers of the Word of God,
not as priests. As we have just pointed out, there are no Christian
"priests" in New Testament teaching and doctrine. Pastors, yes.
Deacons, yes. Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, yes. Priests,
no!
Jesus was telling His followers that by preaching the gospel, they
were being given the power to declare that a person's sins were
forgiven them by God! And if an individual, or group did not receive
them and the forgiveness they offered in the name of Jesus, then
they were instructed to "shake the dust off their feet" as a protest
against them, and warn those who it would be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for them (Matt.
10:14-15). In other words, if a person rejected the apostles' preaching
of the gospel, they had the right to tell that person that his sins were
not forgiven, because they had rejected God's only provision for
atonement of sins. "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the
one who rejects you rejects Me" (Luke 10:16). This power to forgive
and retain sins, contrary to Rome's teaching, belongs to everyone
who preaches the true gospel of salvation.
Penance
In the Roman system, penance is one of the seven sacraments. The
seven sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist,
Penance, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction. The
Baltimore Catechism defines penance as "the sacrament by which
sins committed after baptism are forgiven through the absolution of
the priest" (p. 300).
Another catechism published in New York says,
"The priest gives penance to help me to make up for the temporal
punishment I must suffer for my sins. The penance given to me by
the priest does not always make full satisfaction for my sins. I should
therefore do other acts of penance . . . and try to gain indulgences."
Indulgences are remissions of so many days or months or years of
punishment in purgatory--a subject which we will cover in depth in a
future chronicle. And in Instructions for non-Catholics, we read:
"After confession some temporal punishment due to sin generally
remains. You should therefore perform other acts of penance also so
that you may make up for these punishments, and avoid a long stay
in purgatory." (p. 95).
Penance as a System of Works
Here indeed is salvation by works. For penance, as the catechism
says, involves confession of one's sins to a priest and the doing of
good works as the only way by which sins committed after baptism
can be forgiven. The Church of Rome thus demands acts of penance
before She grants forgiveness, inferring that the sacrifice of Christ
was not sufficient to atone fully for sin and that it must be
supplemented to some extent by these good works. But what God
demands is not acts of penance but repentance, which means turning
from sin.
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon
him: for he will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55: 7).
The easy way in which the Church of Rome deals with sin is seen in
this doctrine of penance. The penitent receives pardon on
comparatively easy terms. He is assigned some task to perform,
usually not too hard, sometimes merely the recital of a given number
of "Hail Mary's". The result is that he has no qualms about resuming
his evil course. It shocked Martin Luther when he read the Greek
New Testament edited by Erasmus, that Jesus did not say "do
penance" as had been translated by the Roman Church, but "repent".
Penance versus Repentance
Penance is a wholly different thing from gospel repentance. Penance
is an outward act. Repentance is of the heart. Penance is imposed by
a Roman priest. Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit. What God
desires in the sinner is not a punishment of oneself for sins, but a
change of heart, a real forsaking of sin, shown by a new life of
obedience to God's commands.
In short, penance is a counterfeit repentance. It is the work of man on
his body; true repentance is the work of God in the soul. The divine
Word commands, "Rend your heart and not your garments" (Joel
2:13). Penance is "rending the garments" - an outward form without
inward reality.
While Romanism does teach that Christ died for our sins, it also
teaches that His sacrifice alone was not sufficient, and that our
sufferings must be added to make it effective. In accordance with this,
many have tried to earn salvation by fastings, rituals, flagellations and
good works of various kinds. But those who attempt such a course
always find that it is impossible to do enough to earn salvation.
Dr. C.D. Cole says, "Romanism is a complicated system of salvation
by works. It offers salvation on the installment plan, then sees to it
that the poor sinner is always behind in his payments, so that when
he dies there is a large unpaid balance, and he must continue
payments by sufferings in purgatory, or until the debt is paid by the
prayer, alms, and sufferings of his living relatives and friends. The
whole system and plan calls for merit and money from the cradle to
the grave and even beyond. Surely the wisdom that drew such a plan
of salvation is not from above."(29)
The Biblical Teaching on Good Works
Good works, of course, are pleasing to God and they have an
important and necessary place in the life of the Christian. They
naturally follow if one has true faith, and they are performed out of
love and gratitude to God for the great salvation that He has
bestowed. Good works, in other words, are not the cause and basis
of salvation, but rather the fruits and proof of salvation-
"Not by works done in righteousness which we did ourselves, but
according to His mercy He saved us through the washing of
regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).
The born-again Christian produces good works as naturally as the
grapevine produces grapes. They are a part of his very nature. He
performs them not to get saved, but because he is saved.
Salvation by Grace
Grace, just because it is grace, is not given on the basis of
proceeding merits. By no stretch of the imagination can a man's good
works in this life be considered a just equivalent for the blessings of
eternal life. But all men because of pride, naturally feel that they
should earn their salvation, and a system which makes some
provision in that regard readily appeals to them. But Paul lays the ax
to such reasoning when he says:
"If a law had been given which was able to impart life, then
righteousness would indeed have been based on law" (Gal. 3:21).
Time and again the Scriptures repeat that salvation is of grace, as if
anticipating the difficulty that men would have in accepting the fact
that they would not be able to earn it.
The Council of Trent, in its opposition to the reformer's doctrine of
justification by faith, and in defense of its doctrine of penance,
declared:
"Whoever shall affirm that men are justified solely by the imputation
of the righteousness of Christ... let him be accursed"(30)
And the Catholic Almanac says,
"Penance is necessary for salvation...and was instituted by Christ for
the forgiveness of sins". (pp. 269, 559.)
The modern Roman church teachings completely concur:
"Many things are necessary for salvation. All these things work
together faith, baptism, the Eucharist, the doing of good works, and
others as well. Redemption is one thing, salvation is quite another.
There is nothing lacking on Christ's part; there is much to be done on
ours." (31)
Also, in a booklet published in 1967, under the sub-heading,
"We Must Atone Too", it says that…
"even though the satisfaction of Christ was complete and universal,
nevertheless all adult Christians are obliged to imitate their suffering
Master and make personal satisfaction for their sins by good works. 32
But the apostle Paul in his masterpiece on justification by faith says,
"Having now been justified by His blood we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him" (Rom. 5:9).
(See also: Eph. 2:8-10, Rom. 1:17, 3:21, 22, 28, 5:1, 18-19, 11:6,
John 3:36, Gal. 2:21, 3:11.)
And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him as
righteousness. Now to the one who works, the reward is not reckoned
as grace, but as debt. But to the one who does not work, but believes
in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness (Rom.4:3-5).
What a significant coincidence it is that this doctrine of justification by
faith is given such prominence in the epistle to the Romans, since
Rome later became the seat of the papacy! It seems to be written
there as if intended as a strong and permanent protest against the
errors of the Roman Church.
Assurance of Salvation
The first consequence of the doctrine of penance (as well as the
doctrines of purgatory and indulgences) is that the Roman Catholic,
though baptized and confirmed, can never have that assurance of his
salvation and that sense of spiritual security which is such a blessing
to the true Christian. In proportion as he is spiritually sensitive, the
person who holds to a works religion knows that he has not suffered
as much as his sins deserve, and that he can never do as much as
he should in order to be worthy of salvation.
A dying Roman Catholic, after he has done all that he can do and
after the last rites have been given to him, is told that he still must go
to purgatory. There he will suffer unknown torture, with no assurance
as to how long it will continue, but with the assurance that if his
relatives pray for his soul, and pay with sufficient generosity to have
candles lit and have special masses said for him, that his sufferings
will be shortened somewhat.
Oh what a contrast with all of that, is the death of the true believer
who has the assurance that he goes straight to heaven into the
immediate presence of Christ! (Phil. 1:23). What a marvelous
blessing is the true faith of the Christian, both in life and especially at
the time of death!
The Council of Trent even pronounced a curse upon anyone who
presumed to say that he had assurance of salvation, or that the whole
punishment for sin is forgiven along with that sin. 33 Such assurance
is pronounced a delusion and a result of sinful pride. Rome keeps her
subjects in constant fear and insecurity. Even at death, after extreme
unction has been administered and after thousands of rosary prayers
have been said "for the repose of the soul", the priest still cannot give
assurance of salvation. The person is never "good enough" but must
serve in purgatory prison to be purified of venial sins before he can
be admitted to the celestial city. No one can be truly happy or truly at
peace. And particularly in spiritual matters, a state of doubt and
uncertainty continues for one's whole life, and right into the grave. But
God needs us to be saved, and according to the Bible the Holy Spirit
can give us the assurance that we have salvation when we have a
true, intimate relationship with the Son of God (I John 5:9-12). But in
Romanism, one must work hard for it and must pay dearly for it, and
after he has done all that the priest has prescribed, he still cannot
know whether he has it or not. And through it all, there stands the
anathema of the Council of Trent against all who affirm the certainty
of their salvation. Hence, there cannot truly be found anywhere a
Roman Catholic, consistent to what his church teaches, who enjoys
the true assurance of eternal life.
Conclusion
It is obvious by even this brief glimpse into the doctrines of mortal and
venial sins, confession, penance, and purgatory, that the Roman
Catholic Church has constructed one of the most unbiblical doctrinal
systems that has ever been considered "Christian". The fear,
anguish, and religious bondage that such a system of "reward and
punishment" creates, has tormented millions of lives for centuries,
and continues to prey on those who are ignorant of the biblical way of
salvation.
To merely call such a system "a cult", would be to throw it into the
vast category of religions and quasi-religions that are currently
making the rounds of our college campuses and city streets,
snatching up many an unsuspecting youth. No, the Roman Church is
not a cult. It's an empire! With its own ruler, its own laws, and its own
subjects! The empire has no borders, it encompasses the globe with
its eye on every person who does not vow allegiance. It calls the
members of other faiths "separated brethren" (The term used by
Vatican II to describe the members of Eastern Orthodox, Anglican,
and Protestant churches.) and has as its goal the eventual bringing
together of everyone under its flag.
I know that many will not be convinced or moved by this article (or
any of the others) to make such a conclusion. They are impressed by
what they've heard about recent stirrings among the Catholics in the
"charismatic renewal". Many evangelicals (especially Charismatics)
have been thrilled by the reports of Catholics speaking in tongues,
dancing in the Spirit, having nights of joy and praise, even attending
"charismatic masses".
Mouths that used to speak out boldly against the Church of Rome
have been quieted by the times. It no longer is in vogue to speak of
the pope as "the antichrist" (Although the following people
unhesitatingly did: Martin Luther, John Bunyan, John Huss, John
Wycliffe, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, Thomas Bacon,
John Wesley, Samuel Cooper, John Cotton, and Jonathan Edwards.)
or the Catholic Church as the "**** of Babylon". Now Protestants
unwittingly believe that "our differences are not so great". Ah, that is
just what She needs us to think!
I've never completely understood why God led me to write these
articles. But it becomes more clear with each day of study, and each
page of research. Never has something so black and wicked, gotten
away with appearing so holy and mysteriously beautiful . . . for so
long! Keith Green
