Chapter
Three : The Substructure Of The Church - Part 4
"For their rock
is not as our Rock ..." (Deuteronomy32:31). "Nevertheless the
foundation of God standeth sure..." (II Timothy 2:19)
A Further Examination
Of Protestantism
Protestantism
was conceived in the early sixteenth century, and like Romanism, it was
an ill conception, for it did not have Christ as its Head and Founder but
was built upon men who held mainly the doctrines of papal Rome, and who
never renounced the ecclesiastical motherhood of the Romish church. It
is as clear as the noonday sun, that from the very outset of Protestantism,
there was never any irreconcilable differences between mother Rome, and
her distempered daughters.
The harmony which now (1991) exists between Romanism and Protestantism,
is proof positive that the division brought on by the would-be reformers,
was at its worst only superficial, and never manifested the characteristic
of permanence. In actuality, there can never be a reunion of Protestantism
with Romanism, for there cannot be a reunion where the separation has only
been imaginary, and where the ethos is practically the same.
The Protestant effort at reformation failed, for the simple reason, the
would-be reformers were not willing to cast off from themselves the ancient
pagan customs, and anti-scripture traditions of the church which they desired
to reform. The doctrine of baptismal salvation, eucharistic salvation,
creature works salvation, volitional salvation, are but a small measure
of the soul damning doctrine which Rome has raised up between lost humanity
and the cross of Christ, and Protestantism has bought them in toto, weaving
in an insignificant change here and there, but never to such a degree that
the salvation of the soul is ever taken out of the hand of the creature.
The contemporary Protestant pulpit is clamoring for ecclesiastical ecumenicity,
for their philosophy is: cooperation with Roman Catholicism will bring
about a greater and more favorable effect, than the sum of the effects
brought about by independent efforts. Baptists know there is some merit
in the philosophy of
synergism, but they
also know, that the merging of darkness with darkness will never produce
light. Baptists know that oneness and unity in the Spirit is the divinely
given goal for the New Testament churches, and they further know that this
coveted goal can only be realized by subjection to the mandates laid down
by the Head of the church for attaining this high and lofty end.
Every New Testament church is an independent body of Christ, and has no
official connection with any other church. They are autonomous entities,
and of separate existence. However, uniformity of doctrine and practice
prevails among them to a great and harmonious degree. They all own Jesus
Christ as their perpetual benefactor and sovereign Head, but they know
that the equality and parity of all His churches in this world has never
been mandated by heaven.
Conversely, there are no local independent Roman Catholic churches, for
they all are governed by the laws handed down by the Pope through his intermediaries.
Likewise, there are no local independent Protestant churches, for their
authority is subordinated to their respective headquarters or governing
body. In ecclesiastical government, as well as in a great many other areas
of doctrine, there is a full orbed kinship between Romanism and Protestantism,
and Rome has put out the enchanted welcome mat, whereby her daughters are
enticed and are toning down the seeming discord between them. The distance
between Romanism and Protestantism has never been more than shallow, and
is at this late hour practically nil.
There has never been a universal visible body of Christ on earth, and neither
has there ever been a universal invisible body of Christ on earth. Both
concepts are erroneous, and destructive of the faith which the Head of
the church, Jesus Christ, personally delivered to His church (Jude 3).
So, it unequivocally follows, the amalgamation of these two heretical bodies
can never be the church which Jesus bought with His own blood.
Nevertheless, Romanism and Protestantism are tirelessly striving for a
one world church, and their satanically inspired ambition is near to consummation,
the bitter fruit of which will be the deception of all nations (Revelation
18:23). The Bible irrefutably and fearfully equates end age ecclesiastical
Rome with spiritual Babylon of the great tribulation (Revelation 17
&
18). Romanism and Protestantism is in the eyes of God, one harlot,
who has doubled her iniquity by a two pronged antipathy against the little
flocks of His pasture. However, the Lord says: "For her sins have reached
unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as
she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in
the cup which she hath filled fill to her double". (Revelation 16:5,6).
Romanism inclusive of Protestantism shall reach its infamous end in this
world by the personal anti-Christ putting it to the torch, and the greatest
conflagration this earth has known up to that time shall ensue (Revelation
17:16). When the massive merchandise of the harlot goes up in fire,
it will make the burning oil wells of Kuwait look like a burning matchstick,
for it will be the "Great day" of God's wrath, and Romanism will be unable
to stand (Revelation 6:17).
Protestantism At Home Away From Home
It
is seen by the doctrine and practice of Protestantism that its claim to
have separated from Romanism is glaringly fallacious. A person does not
leave the whole of something behind, when the greater part of that something
is taken along by the person, and neither does a church. When the astronauts
and cosmonauts travel into space, they take with them everything that is
necessary to maintain their native existence for the time they will be
in space. They may be in a different dimension or sphere, but they are
all the while as much earthlings as they ever were. So it is with Protestantism,
the would-be reformers never intended to leave Romanism altogether, and
took enough of it with them to continue their old ecclesiastical nature,
and be at home while away from home.
There is no vital distinction between Romanism and Protestantism. As to
ecclesiology, they both have false foundations, and as to soteriology,
both systems teach sacramental salvation. The would-be detractors within
Protestantism disdainfully object to the above changes, and with thunderous
tones cry out, saying: "We take exception to that statement, for we do
not claim that Peter was the foundation of the church, and we believe that
salvation is by grace." One of the crucial truths which Protestantism needs
to learn is: that the New Testament church is not built upon a doctrine,
but upon a Man, and both Protestantism and Romanism need to learn: that
the Man upon Whom the church is built is none other than: "THE MAN CHRIST
JESUS" (I Timothy 2:5; Matthew 16:18). Then too, they need to
learn, that salvation is not by grace in conjunction with baptism, nor
in conjunction with anything else. If they believe in salvation by grace,
wonder why they baptize (sprinkle) infants????
In that there is NO basis in Scripture for the foundations of Romanism
and Protestantism, the inescapable and incontrovertible conclusion is,
their foundations are not merely flawed, but utterly counterfeit. This
may seem like strong language, but heresy of so great a magnitude as we
are dealing with, needs to be rebuked sharply (Titus 1:13,14). The
credulous Baptist may say: "Let us not be overly critical of Protestantism,
for they are not as steeped in error as Romanism." But I would ask our
naive friend: Which of two counterfeits is the better? If one person has
a $20.00 bill, and another person has a $10.00 bill, each of which is counterfeit,
are not both bills equally worthless? Not only are they worthless, but
it is a criminal offense to have them in ones' possession. Romanism and
Protestantism came from the same ecclesiastical counterfeiting press, and
should be renounced and avoided.
I will again ask, by way of illustration: If an alcoholic quits drinking
his whiskey straight, and starts mixing it with ginger ale or some other
mix, has he by diluting his whiskey come out of alcoholism? Certainly not!
The person is still an alcoholic, even if he mixes his drinks. The answer
is so obvious that it would seem to make the question absurd. However,
the question is no more an absurdity, than the contention that the would-be
reformers mixed their Romanism with lesser heresies, and thereby ceased
to be Romanists. A lesser heresy may be half truth, but we need to remember,
it is half truth that destroys the whole truth, and is far more subtle
and dangerous than a protuberant heresy. Spiritually speaking, the success
of Romanism and Protestantism is the success of a counterfeiting alcoholic;
who is "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus". (Revelation 17:6).
Protestantism per se had its beginning in the first half of the sixteenth
century, springing up in Germany, France, Switzerland, and England. The
founding fathers of Protestantism were geographically removed from Rome,
but they were never very far from ecclesiastical Romanism. The practicing
alcoholic is at home wherever his bottle is, even though it be a cardboard
shack in a back alley. Spiritually speaking, Protestantism being addicted
to Romanism at birth, is at home while away from home with her Romish baubles,
though it be a decayed church building in the slums of any city.
Baptist Magnanimity
It
has never been the purpose of Baptists to castigate or denigrate people,
but Baptists have always held an utter repugnance for all false doctrine
and practices which bedim the glory of God, and in their efforts to obviate
these ills, Baptists have never been found malevolent toward any person
or people. While Baptists have all through their history held to the doctrines
of God's word with an undeviating tenacity, they have at the same time
adhered to the highest principles and ideals of honesty and uprightness
which are essential to the earthly well being of man. Nevertheless, when
dealing with so delicate a matter as a person's religion, it is easy to
be misunderstood, and charged with verbal indiscretion. So, in an effort
to avoid this charge, I now present the very nature of the case.
However, as a precautionary measure I reaffirm, with Baptists, every Bible
issue is either black or white. We may wish there were some Bible doctrines
of a beautiful shade of gray which allows for some measure of compromise,
but no such doctrine can be found in all of Holy Writ. Baptist people are
not indefectible, and will on occasion greatly and unnecessarily offend
in both spiritual and mundane matters. Some even turn their back on Christ,
and forsake His church. This is a hard and bitter fact which Baptist churches
suffer all too often. Yet, it is comforting to know, while Baptist churches
are not indefectible, they will never defect the cause which their infallible
Head has assigned them.
The Lord said to His church: "... Love your enemies, do good unto them
which hate you ..." (Luke 6:27). For the sake of clarity, I
emphatically state: Baptists DO NOT and have NEVER hated Catholics or Protestants,
and have never in church capacity taken up arms against any people. Baptist
churches have been accused of participating in the peasants war of 1524-1525,
but this claim cannot be historically authenticated. On the contrary, history
teaches that the Anabaptists stood innocently on the sidelines during the
peasant uprising, and yet suffered wholesale slaughter of their people
at the hands of the armies opposing the peasants (Ref: Any good history
book).
When Baptists use the terms "Catholicism" and "Protestantism" they refer
to religious systems, and not to people perse. The Psalmist said unto God:
"Through Thy precepts I get understanding: therefore, I hate every false
way" (Psalms 119:104). Solomon, the wise king of Israel, said:
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Proverbs 8:13). It
is the "false way" and "evil" of Romanism and Protestantism that Baptists
hate, and not the people within those systems. It is their heresy which
Baptist hate, and not their heretics. Conversely, it is Baptist people
which the Catholic hierarchy and Protestant overlords hate, and the millions
of Baptist martyrs made at their vicious and bloody hands, will in the
final assize witness against their unparalleled evil and their insatiable
thirst for Baptist blood.
May God be pleased to enrich the love which Baptists have for Romanists
and Protestants, but let Baptists ever be mindful that there is no ecclesiastical
kinship between them, and therefore NO room for church affiliation with
them, for there cannot be any communion between light and darkness (II
Corinthians 6:14).
When Christ rebuked Peter for the use of the literal sword (Matthew
26:51,52),
He was telling Peter and His other disciples that a transition
had been made from the militarism of Israel with its carnal weapons, to
the church and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (II
Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:17). The Word of God is sharper than
any two edged sword, and is the only weapon which the churches of the Lord
Jesus Christ shall ever need in their warfare against spiritual wickedness,
and no man with love in his heart for God and this "sword" guiding his
life can ever' hate his enemies. Baptists are not bibliolatrists, but out
of their love for God, they worship Him, and gladly own the authority of
His uninspired word over their lives. Thus it is, they love their enemies
and do good to them that hate them.
What we are dealing with in this series of articles are not hair splitting
or peripheral matters, but soul endangering deceptions, and owing to the
urgency and nature of the case, I have purposefully used the plainest terms
in setting forth the truth. Yet, though frank in speech, I have stayed
within the bounds of ethics. My denunciation of Romanism and Protestantism
is not done in a negative spirit, and my aim in calling attention to their
dangerous errors, is that they may forsake them, and being rid of them,
may embrace the truth as it is in Christ and give Him glory in the church.
