One of my favorite Southern Baptist preachers is Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, Louisville, KY. Al is brilliant!! John MacArthur says that he is one of the great minds in the evangelical cause in the last fifty years….he also adds that “he is glad he is on our side!” HE is also someone who says like it is….I like that.
Recently, the Roman Catholic Church re-asserted its position on the primacy of the Church and especially the authority of the Pope, or the “Papacy” as being the only true church. What that means is that if you don’t bow before the Pope as Christ on Earth, the vicar or substitute for Jesus as our mediator between God and man, then you are not a true Christian church. For some of you reading this, you just gulped and can’t believe that is what they really mean? OH YES THEY DO! The Catholic Church has always believed that the key to there denomination is that the POPE is the “way to Christ.” The catholic flow chart is a funnel which goes from “the confessional booth, thru the local priests, to the Cardinals, to the Vatican.” You get to Christ thru the Pope!
What is interesting is that Al Mohler is helping us as evangelicals how to answer such claims….on his blog almohler.com he wrote that this is a great thing the Roman Church has done for us as evangelicals. They have given us clarity on why we are completely different from their church and we have NO fellowship with them. We do not believe what they believe about the papacy and therefore we are preaching two different gospels! WOW that is brilliant – I told you he was amazing! Why didn’t God give me a sliver of his gray matter!
Mohler goes on to say, “we should together realize that such a matter is worthy of division. If the Roman Catholic Church goes so far to say that any church that denies the papacy is no true church, evangelicals should be equally as candid to assert that church (or Christian) that is defined by the claims or needs of a papacy is NO true church.”
You do realize that this is a profound statement in that you can no longer sit on the fence when it comes to trust CHRIST ALONE for salvation and still embracing the Catholic Church. Over the years I have heard people say, “you know that there are born again Christians in the Catholic church” and I have always questioned that statement. The reason is if being born again is trust in Christ alone for salvation and totally abandoning all other ways to God but through Christ – you can’t continue to give your loyalty to the Catholic Church! The Pope is demanding trust in him to get you to God – he considers himself and the rest of the Catholic Church believes, teaches and promotes that the papacy is essential for salvation.
I think Paul would greatly differ with the Pope – “there is ONE God and ONE mediator between God and man – the man Christ Jesus.” It is Christ who is our High Priest and Intercessor and Advocate. When we come to Christ and we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit – we have direct access to God through the finished work of Jesus Christ! Praise to the One who gives us access!!!
It is time that we speak the truth in love and tell some of those “possible believers” who still attend the Catholic Church to leave and show their allegiance to the One Savior of their soul, the Lord Jesus and no longer play with fire – still bowing to the Pope’s power and authority!