Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Sunday, Jan 24, 2010

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html

Salvation/Justification (Rom 3:24); Sanctification (2 Pet 1:4; 2 Cor 7:1), Maturation (Eph 4:11-16).

ROMAN CATHOLICISM VSS BIBLICAL JUSTIFICATION

Consequences of Defection from the Doctrine of Justification:

Spiritual & Economic Stagnation, Starvation, & Strangulation

(Series: GOD’S COVENANTS – Part 34: ML: Natural Law, Gov/State & Religion)

(Messiah & A.C. #280)

A. Religionism: getting at the head which controls the beast's tentacles; digging up the root of the rotten tree with its rotten fruit.

1. All human actions are based on human thought.

2. All actions from the Roman state-church are based on the thoughts of individuals that make up that State religious-political organization.

3. All of the paganism in the Roman Catholic church as well as the paganism found in the various movements within Christianity (like neo-orthodoxy, existentialism, subjectivism, Pentecostalism, Methodism, Charismania, the Emergent Church, denominationalism et al) can be traced back to failure to understand the true Biblical concept of justification.

4. The failure to understand justification can always be traced back to failure to adhere to the three axioms of Scripture: sola fide, sola gratia, and sola Scriptura.

5. The core misunderstanding of and error in Roman Catholicism lies in the area of justification – and not in the “grace” vss works salvation controversy.

6. Contrary to the common viewpoint of Protestants, Roman Catholicism teaches that a person is saved by grace – the problem is far deeper than simply grace versus works issues.

7. The first clear exposition of justification came from Martin Luther and his Scripturalism (Schriftprinzip) and the results were enormous spiritual and economic prosperity.

8. The problem with the Roman Catholic State-church is not in her core doctrines related to Jesus Christ, the Trinity and God. The problem is her rejection of Sola Scriptura and Scripturalism which always results in the addition of some form of paganism. A look at the paganism – the rotten fruit of syncretism.

a. Worship of graven images.

b. Spiritual and state totalitarianism.

c. Papacy: the infallible Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ..

d. Specialized, special class of Priests.

e. Mariolatry.

f. Prayers to the saints.

g. Anti-Christ religionism

h. No assurance of salvation.

i. Spiritual prostitution, Rev 17.

j. Refusal to repent/change.

9. The poison of religionism and paganism found throughout the Protestant churches today is only different in form, not essence, from the paganism in the RCC – and this is all due to lack of understanding the true nature of justification.

B. Biblical Justification! Gen 15:6; Rom 3:21-28; 4:4-11.

1. The true biblical nature of justification, Gen 15:6; Rom 3:21-28; 4:4-11.

2. Quiz yourself on justification? Romanist or True Protestant regarding salvation/justification?

a. Justifications is God giving a sinner a right standing with Himself by accounting him righteous. True False

b. Justification is God giving a sinner a right standing with God by making him righteous. T F

c. Justification is God’s act of crediting a sinner with Christ’s righteousness, virtue, and goodness. T F

d. Justification is God giving a sinner a right standing by infusing Christ’s righteousness and goodness into his heart. T F

e. Justification means God accepts the believer because of the righteousness found in Jesus Christ. T F

f. Justification means that God accepts the believer because of his new birth. T F

g. The grounds of justification is faith alone. T F

h. Justification is a legal act of God. T F

i. Justification is a gift of grace by faith and takes place inside of us. T F

j. Justification transforms the believer’s nature ontologically. T F

k. In justification God sends His Spirit to make us good. T F

l. Justification is one theological concept that is not that important. T F

m. Justification is solely an extrinsic act of God. T F.

n. Justification means God accepts the person as righteous even though he is ungodly. T F

o. In justification Christ’s perfect obedience is imparted to believers. T F

p. Justification is a lifelong process. T F

q. Justification is one act that deals with our past, present, & future. T F

r. The grounds of justification is found in Christ’s +R. T F

s Justification is about a merciful act rather than a judicial act. T F

t. Justification is a declarative act, nor a manufacturing act. T F

u. Doctrine of justification was rejected by most Christians from the very beginning and throughout most of church history. T F

v. Without justification all of true Christianity is lost. T F

w. Those who reject justification by faith in Jesus Christ alone and add the Law or any system of morality or goodness are under a curse T F.

C. How a rejection of sola Scriptura has led to economic stagnation, strangulation, and starvation by the RCC for a thousand years and how it is ruining America.

1. Sola Scriptura: Government is only designed for punishing criminals and rewarding law abiding citizens, Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:14-15.

2. Rejection of Sola Scriptura by the RCC (as well as most liberal and conservative protestants) has led to rejection of the separation of church and state, and thus enlarging and eventually destroying the economy and eventually the State.

3. The Roman church-state has resulted in economic stagnation for the last thousand years with its state managed feudalism, guild socialism, mercantilism, and collectivistic policies.

4. Overview of Roman Church-state collectivist/communistic economics.

a) Essentially Aristotelian, Acquinian, collectivistic, communistic.

b) Anti-capitalistic with a passion.

c) Statism: fascistic, communistic, interventionism, redistributive.

d) Human rights and entitlements are natural rights

e) Community of goods or all things in common are part of natural law.

f) Private property is not part of natural law - not a natural right.

g) Exploitation of the people for the good of the State-Church.

h) RCC’s economic philosophy is praised by Marxists.

i) RCC holds to labor value of value.

j). RCC continues to ruin America with its socialistic entitlements.

5. RCC’s unbiblical and perverted view of “justice.”

6. A look at how far we have moved away from constitutionalism and capitalism and into collectivism and lawlessness, cf Davy Crockett.

D. The Reformation transformation of society and government through Bible doctrine (Scripturalism).

1. The transforming power of concepts of righteousness through grace as it swept through society.

2. The universal priesthood of all believers brought out new ideas of equality & democracy.

3. The focus on the Bible brought new ideas of constitutionalism.

4. It was the transfer of authority from the Roman State-church to the Bible and laws of DE that brought about enormous religious INDIVIDUAL liberty throughout various societies.

5. Renewal of the rule of law sparked the free market system and prosperity.

6. A totally new civilization came about from the one doctrine of justification by faith - which also proved to be the death knell of Roman Catholicism in all of those societies which accepted Scripturalism.

E. Government, statism, statolatry, and loss freedom.

1. True personal freedom is incompatible with government security.

2. Statolatry is one of the most pernicious evils for modern man to overcome.

3. In statolatry man looks to government as his god and is willing to give up freedom for temporal security.

4. The 8 Biblical building blocks for temporal freedom in any state:

a) #1, Primacy of the individual.

b) #2, Private property.

c) #3, The Protestant work ethic.

d) #4, Individual responsibility.

e) #5, Generosity.

f) #6, Rule of law.

g) #7, Federalism.

h) #8, Republicanism.

5. When man, believer or unbeliever, fails to orient to Truth, he will necessarily default to relativism and reversionism with his twin “gods” of personal peace and affluence.

6. In personal & national reversionism there is always a willingness to give up freedom for personal peace & affluence - as well as excuse evil for price of expediency.

7. The reversionist with his twin gods of personal peace and prosperity is always more than happy to accept any kind of authoritative government for security – just as long as it means security for his personal peace and prosperity.

8. The Biblical truths with all their virtues, values, and absolutes demand absolute commitment, 2 Tim 4:1-18.

9. Lack of absolute commitment always results in rever., 2 Tim 4:10.

a) The Lord, the POG, and BD are relativized, Mt 26:70-75.

b) Priorities are reversed, 2 Tim 4:10.

c) Life dominated by the OSN accompanied w/degen. – Eph 4:17-19.

d) Life of reaction and distraction, Mt 6:31-33; 1 Jn 2:15.

e) Life of FSH, 2 Tim 3:4; Ecc – contra 1 Tim 6:6-7; Philip 4:11.

F. Massive reversionism in the last days of the Church Age: lawlessness and rejection of Truth, 2 Thess 2:3, 7.

1. Lawlessness, 2 Thess 2:3, 7.

2. Religious ascetic reversionism, 1 Tim 4:1-3.

3. Rejection of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, 2 Pet 2:1-3

4. Religious hucksterism, 2 Pet 2:15.

5. Denial of the return of Jesus Christ, 2 Pet 3:3-4.

6. Hedonistic, narcissistic, emotional, “religious” Christianity, 2 Tim 3:1-5

7. Rejection of sound doctrine, 2 Tim 4:3-4.

8. Self-confident in self-improvements and attainments, Rev 3:15-16