THEBI

BLEPROVESTHETEACHI
NGSOFTHECATHOLI
CCHURCH

TABLEOFCONTENTS

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATJESUSI
STRULYPRESENTI
NTHEEUCHARI
ST…

THEBI
BLI
CALBASI
SFORPRAYI
NGTOMARYANDFORCATHOLI
CTEACHI
NGSON
MARY…

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATJESUSMADEST.PETERTHEFI
RSTPOPE…

JUSTIFI
CATI
ONBYFAI
THALONEANDETERNALSECURI
TYREFUTEDBYTHE
BIBLE…

THEBI
BLETEACHESCONFESSI
ONTOAPRI
EST…

THEBI
BLEONPRAYI
NGTOANDVENERATI
NGSAI
NTS…

THEBIBLETEACHESBAPTISMALREGENERATI
ONANDTHATBAPTI
SM I
S
NECESSARYFORSALVATION…

THEPROOFFORI
NFANTBAPTI
SM…

BAPTI
SM DOESN’
THAVETOBEI
MMERSI
ON…

THEBI
BLETEACHESPURGATORY…

THEBI
BLEDOESNOTTEACHSOLASCRI
PTURA(
SCRI
PTUREALONE)
…

SOMEFACTSABOUTMARTI
NLUTHER,
THEORI
GINATOROFPROTESTANT
“CHRI
STI
ANI
TY”…

25,
000DI
FFERENTNON-CATHOLI
CDENOMI
NATI
ONS-DOCTRI
NALCHAOSI
STHE
BADFRUI
TOFMAN- MADERELIGI
ON…

HOW OLDI
SYOURCHURCH?
..
.
 THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATJESUSI
STRULYPRESENTI
NTHEEUCHARI
ST

John6:53“ThenJesussai
dunt
ot hem,
Veri
ly
,veri
l
y,Isayuntoyou,Exceptye
eatt
hef l
eshoftheSonofman,anddr
inkhi
sblood,yehavenolif
einy ou.
”

Protestantsdonotbel iev
et hattheEucharististheactual body,blood,soul
anddi v
inityofJesusChr ist
.Catholicsbel
ievet hataft
ertheconsecr at
ionat
Mass, “theLordJesusChr i
st,t
rueGodandt rueman, istruly,r
eall
y ,
and
substant i
all
ycontained”intheEuchar i
stundert heappearanceofbr eadand
wine(Counci lofTrent,Decreeont heEucharist).TheCathol i
cviewoft he
Eucharistwasunani mousl yheldforthefir
st1,500y earsofChr ist
ianit
y .The
bibl
i
cal supportfort heCatholi
cteachingont heEuchar i
sti soverwhelmi ngand
undeniable.

I
NJOHNCHAPTER6,JESUSCLEARLYSAYSTHATHI
SFLESHISFOODAND
HI
SBLOODI
SDRINK,
ANDTHATYOUMUSTEATHI SFLESHANDDRINKHI
S
BLOOD

John6: 51- 58“ Iam t heliv

ingbr eadwhi chcamedownf r
om heav en:ifany
maneatoft hisbr ead,heshal l
liveforev er:andt hebreadt hatIwillgiveis
myf lesh, whi chIwi l
lgiv
ef orthelif
eoft hewor ld.TheJewst herefore
stroveamongt hemsel ves,saying,Howcant hi
smangi veushi sfl
esht o
eat?ThenJesussai duntot hem, Veril
y ,ver
ily,Isayunt oy ou,excepty e
eatthef l
eshoft heSonofman, anddr inkhi sblood, yehav enol i
feiny ou.
Whosoev ereat et hmyf l
esh, anddr inkethmybl ood, hatheternalli
fe;and
Iwi l
lraisehi m upatt helastday .Formyf l
eshi smeati ndeed, andmy
bloodi sdr inki ndeed.Het hateatethmyf l
esh, anddr i
nkethmybl ood,
dwel l
ethi nme, andIinhim.Ast hel i
vingFat herhat hsentme, andIl i
veby
theFat her :sohet hateatet hme, evenheshal llivebyme.Thi sisthat
breadwhi chcamedownf rom heav en: notasy ourfathersdideatmanna,
andar edead: het hateatethoft hi
sbr eadshal lliveforever.”

Jesussaysoverandoveragain,
inthecl
ear
estter
ms,t
hatHi
sfleshisfood
andHisbloodisdri
nk.Hesaysthatunl
essyoueatHi
sfl
eshanddrinkHis
bl
oody oushal
lnothaveli
feinyou.

THEJEWSSCOFFEDATTHENOTI
ONOFEATINGHISFLESH;
INRESPONSE,
JESUSCONFI
RMSTHATTHI
SISEXACTLYWHATHEMEANT
Non-Catholi
cscl ai
mt hatthewordsofJesusinJohn6ar enotmeantt
obe
underst
oodl i
terall
y.Theyclai
mt hatJesuswasspeakingonl
ymetaphori
call
y
orsymbolical
ly.Suchani nter
pretat
ionisnotj
usti
fi
edbythecont
extofJohn6.
Furt
hermor e,
itisclearl
yrefut
edbywhatJesussai dtotheJewsi
mmedi atel
y
aft
erexpressedt heirdi
sbeli
efattheideaofeati
ngHisfl
esh.

John6: 52-
53“TheJewst heref
orest
rov
eamongt hemsel
ves,
say
ing,
How
canthismangi veushisfleshtoeat
?ThenJesussaiduntot
hem,Veri
ly
,
veri
ly
, Isayunt
oy ou,
Excepty eeatt
hefleshoft
heSonofman,anddri
nk
hisblood,yehavenolif
ei nyou.”

TheJewsdi dnotbel i
ev ethati
twaspossi bl
e(ort hatJesuscoul dreal
lymean)
thatHewoul dgivethem Hi sfl
esht oeat
.Theysai dexact l
ywhatt he
Protestant
saresay ingt oday.IfJesushadbeenspeaki nginpur ely
met aphori
cal(r
atherthanl it
eral)ter
ms,asthePr otestantssay ,thenherewas
theperfectopportunityforHimt oassur
ethem t
hatt hei rf
ear swer eunfounded.
I
twast heperf
ectmomentf orJesust oexpl
ainthatHedi dn’treall
ymeant hat
peoplewoul deatHisf lesh,butthatHemeantsomet hi
ngel se.

SowhatdoesJesussayt ot
hem?Inresponsetotheirdi
sbeli
ef,weseet hat
Jesusrepeatst
hesamemessage,thati
t’
snecessarytoactuall
yeatHi sfl
esh
anddrinkHisbl
ood,buti
nevenst
rongert
erms.Het ell
sthem thatift
heydon’t
eatHisfl
eshanddri
nkHisbloodt
heywillnothav
elifeinthem (John6:53).

THERE’
SMORE:I
NJOHN6:54,THEBI
BLESWITCHESFROM THEWORD
PHAGO(MEANING“ )TOTROGO(
EAT” MEANI
NG“ CHEW”OR“GNAW” )TO
LEAVENODOUBTTHATJESUSACTUALLYMEANSEATINGHI SFLESH

Thewor dphago( meaning“toeat”or“ consume” )isusedni netimesi nthe

originalGreektextofJohn6: 23-53.Phagoi ssuff
icienttoconv eytheideaof
eatingJesus’ fl
esh.Immedi atel
yaftert heJewsexpr essedtheirdi
sbeliefthat
Jesuscoul dmeansuchat hing,wer ead( i
nJohn6: 54)thatJesusswi tchedt o
anev enstrongerandmor egr aphi
cwor d.Thewor dHet henused( i
nJohn
6:54andf oll
owing)istrogo.Thiswor dl it
eral
lymeans“ tognaw, chewor
crunch, ”asevenaPr otestantstudybibl eaccessibleont heint
ernetwi l
l
conf ir
m. 1Therefore,
toeradicatealldoubtaboutt henecessitytoeatHi sflesh,
Jesusswi t
chest oawor dwhi chmeansnot hi
ngbutl it
eraleati
ng(“gnawi ng,

1
chewing”
).Thesamewordt
rogoi
susedt
omeanl
i
ter
aleat
ingi
nMat
thew
24:38andJohn13:18.

John6:54-56“Whosoevereatet
h[tr
ogo]myf l
esh,anddri
nkethmyblood,
hatheter
nal l
i
fe;
andIwillr
aisehim upatthel
astday.Formyf l
eshi
s
meatindeed,andmybloodi sdri
nkindeed.Hethateat
eth[t
rogo]myfl
esh,
anddri
nket hmyblood,
dwellethi
nme, andIinhim.”

I
nlightoft
hisev
idence,i
tisabsur
dtoarguet
hatJesusdi
dn’
tmeant
hat
peoplewoul
dactual
lyeatHisfl
eshanddri
nkHisbl
ood.

WHATABOUTJOHN6:
63?

Facedwit
htheoverwhelmi
ngevidenceinJohn6thatt
heEuchar
isti
sthe
actual
bodyandbloodofJesus,
certai
nnon-Cat
holi
cswil
ll
ookforanyt
hingt
o
combatit
.Theywil
lpointt
oJohn6:63.

John6:
63“Iti
sthespi
ri
tthatqui
ckeneth;t
hefl
eshprofi
tethnot
hing:
the
wordst
hatIspeakunt
oyou, t
heyarespir
it
,andtheyar
el i
fe.
”

Theyclai
mthi
sindicat
esthatJesusdidn’
treal
lymeanthatpeoplewil
leatHi
s
fl
esh.Thi
scl
aim doesnotholdup,however.I
tisr
efut
edbyt hefol
lowi
ng
point
s.

Fir
st,weknowt hatJesusisnott
alkingaboutHi sfleshinthepartoftheverse
whereHesay s“thefl
eshprofi
tsnothing.”Considert hi
squesti
on:ist
hef l
esh
ofJesusofnopr ofi
t?WhataboutHisI ncarnat
ion?Howcoul dHespeakofHi s
ownf l
eshasprofit
ingnothi
ng,whenHej ustsai
dov erandover(John6:51,et
c.)
thatHisf
leshistheli
feoftheworl
d?

I
fJesuswasspeaki ngofHisfl
eshwhenHesai dthatt
hefl
eshprof
it
snothing,
thenHewascont r
adict
ingHimsel
f.Jesuswouldhavebeensay
ingthatHi
s
fl
eshistheli
feoft
hewor l
d(John6:51,et
c.)j
ustbefor
etel
l
ingt
hem that“
it
profi
tsnot
hing.
”

That
’simpossibl
eandridi
cul
ous.Jesuswasnotspeaki
ngofHi
sfl
eshwhen
Hesaid“t
hefleshprof
it
snothing.
”

Second,
Jesussay
sthatpeopl
eneedt
oeatHi
sfl
eshanddr
inkHi
sbl
ood(
and
t
hatHisfl
eshi
sfood)appr
oxi
mat
elytenti
mesinthi
schapt
er.Notoncedoes
Heindi
cat
ethatHi
smeaningi
snotli
ter
al;
nordoesHedosohere.

Rather,byemphasi zingtothem t hatwhatHesai daboutHisfleshandbl oodi

s
“spi
ritandlife,”Jesuswasdi spell
ingthei
rnotionthatall
theyshouldbe
concernedwi thishav i
ngfleshtoeatf orthesustenanceofphy si
call
if
e.The
Euchar i
stist heactualf l
eshandbl oodofJesus( asHemakescl ear
),aswell
asHi ssoulanddi vinit
y,butitprimaril
ybringsaspirit
ualendowment .Itis
spir
itandl i
fe.Itisprimaril
yfort hesustenanceofspiri
tuall
if
eandhav ing
eter
nal l
ife.

Iti
snotr ecei
vedfort hepurposeoffil
li
ngahungr yst omach,butforthe
i
nest i
mablespir
ituallif
eandgr acesthatitbrings.That’swhatJesuswas
tel
li
ngt hem.Thi
si sconf i
rmedbyt henex tpoint,whichshowst hatevenaft
er
Hiswor dsinJohn6: 63,manyofJesus’ foll
ower sl ef
tHim overthe“har
d
saying”aboutHisfleshandbl ood.Theyrealizedt hatJesuswast el
li
ngthem
thattheymusteatHi sf l
eshanddr i
nkHi sblood, buttheysimplyref
usedto
acceptit.

AFTERTELLI
NGTHEM THATTHEYMUSTEATHI SFLESHANDDRI
NKHI
S
BLOOD,MANYOFHI SDI
SCIPLESLEFTHIM;THISPROVESTHATI
TWAS
CLEARTOALLPRESENTTHATJESUSSAI DANDMEANTTHATPEOPLE
MUSTEATHI SFLESH

John6: 60-68“Manythereforeofhisdiscipl
es,whentheyhadheardt
his,
said,Thisisahardsaying;whocanheari t?WhenJesusknewinhimself
thathisdiscipl
esmurmur edatit,hesaiduntothem,Dotht
hisoff
endyou?
..
.From thattimemanyofhi sdisci
pleswentback,andwalkednomor e
withhim.Thensai dJesusunt othetwelve,Wil
lyeal
sogoaway ?Then
SimonPet eransweredhim, Lord,towhom shallwego?Thouhastthe
wor dsofet er
nall
i
fe.
”

I
fJesusdi dnotr eall
ymeant hatpeoplewoul deatHisfleshanddr inkHis
blood,thenHewoul dhaveclar
if
iedHi smeani ngandstoppedt hesediscipl
es
from l
eav i
ngHi m overamisunderstanding.Hewoul dhavesai dsomet hi
nglike
this:
“Wai t
,youmi sunderst
oodme.Iwasonl yspeakingsy mbol i
call
y.Idi
dn’t
reall
ymeant hatpeoplewouldeatmyf l
eshanddr i
nkmybl ood.”ButHe
doesn’tdoany thi
ngoft hesort
.Heletsev eryonewhocannotacceptHi s
messagewal kaway .Thisi
sanov erwhelmingcont ext
ualindicati
onthat
everyoneunder
stoodthatJesuswasspeaki
ngli
terall
yofthenecessi
tyt
oeat
Hisfl
eshanddr i
nkHisblood.Theysi
mplycoul
dn’tacceptit
,andJesuswasn’
t
goingtodenythetrut
hormodi f
ywhatHehadtoldt hem.

Thef actt
hatmanyofJesus’fol
lower sleftHi
m overthenecessit
ytoeatHi s
fl
eshanddr i
nkHi sbl
oodissadl
yi l
lustr
ativeofhowt hi
sissuewould,at
dif
ferentt
imesinChurchhist
ory,beapr imecauseofpeopl eleav
ingthetrue
fai
thofJesus.Ithappenedagai
ni nthe16t hcent
ury,whenmanyl eftJesus
andHi str
uefai
thbecausetheyrefusedt obeli
evethattheEuchari
stisthe
actualbodyandbloodofJesusChr ist
.

PROTESTANTSADMI TTHATTHEBLOODOFTHEPASSOVERLAMB
MENTIONEDINEXODUS12, WHICHTHEHEBREWSHADTOMARKTHEIR
DOORSWITH,SIGNIFI
ESJESUSASTHELAMBOFGODSLAINFORTHESINS
OFTHEWORLD; THEYDON’TREALI
ZETHATGODALSOCOMMANDEDTHE
HEBREWSTOEATTHEPASSOVERLAMB

I
nEx odus12wer eadthatGodcommandedt heJewst omarkthei
rdoor
swith
thebloodofalamb.Theangelofdeat
h,passi
ngthroughEgypt
, woul
dpass
overthedoor
soft heHebrewswhichweremarkedwiththebl
ood.

Exodus12:
13“Andthebloodshallbeuntoyouforasigninthehouses
whereyoushal
lbe:andIshallseethebl
ood,andshallpassoveryou:
andthepl
agueshallnotbeupony outodest
royyou,
whenIshal l
stri
ke
thel
andofEgypt.
”

ProtestantsandCatholicsr
eadil
yacknowl edget hatthebloodofthePassover
l
amb( arealevent)wasalsoat y
pe( aforeshadowi ng)ofJesusChr i
st,
thetr
ue
Passov erLamb.Hei sthetrueLambwhowassl ai
n.Hisbloodwaspour edout
tosav ethewor l
d.Peoplemustreceivethemer i
tofHi spassiontobesaved.
TheNewTest amentr epeat
edlydeclar
est hatJesusi sthe“LambofGod”who
takesawayt hesinsoft heworl
d( John1:29;1Pet er1:19;Rev.22:1;
Rev.15:
3;
etc.
).St.Paulspecif
icall
ydescri
besJesusast hePassov erlambin1
Corinthi
ans5:7.

1Corint
hians5:7“Pur
geouttheref
oretheol
dleaven,t
hatyemaybea
newlump, asyeareunleav
ened.Forev
enChristourpassoveri
s
sacr
if
icedforus.”
 John1:
29“Thenex
tdayJohnseet
hJesuscominguntohim,andsai
th,
Behol
dtheLambofGod,whi
chtaket
hawaythesinoftheworld.
”

Therecanbenodoubtt hatthebloodoft hePassoverlambisatypeofthe

bl
oodofJesusChr i
st,
andt hatthePassov erl
ambisat ypeofJesusChri
st.
Nowher e’
sthei
nter
estingpartasi tper
tainstothi
sissue.TheHebrewswere
notonlycommandedtomar ktheirdoor
swi t
hthebloodofthel
amb; butt
hey
werealsocommandedt oeatt helamb!

Exodus12:7-
8“Andtheyshall
t akeoft
heblood[oft
helamb],
andst
ri
keit
onthetwosidepostsandont heupperdoorpostoft
hehouses,
wherei
n
theyshal
leatit
.Andtheyshal
l eatt
hefleshi
nthatni
ght…”

Exodus12:11“Andthusshally
eeatit
;wit
hyourl
oinsgirded,y
ourshoes
onyourfeet,
andy ourst
affi
nyourhand;
andyeshalleatiti
nhast
e:iti
s
theLor
d’spassover.”

Thenecessi t
yt oconsumethePassov erlambshowsust henecessit
yt oeat
thefleshoftheSonofmani ntheEucharist.Itisn’
tenoughtobemar kedwit
h
thebloodoft heLamb; onemustalsoconsumet heLambofGod, JesusChri
st,
tobesav ed.It’
snecessarytorecei
veHimi nt heEucharist
.Hebecomes
presentatav ali
dCatholi
cMass.I t
’sal
soi nteresti
ngthatnoonewhowasnot
ofthef amil
yofGodcoul deatthelamb( Exodus12: 43-45),
justl
i
kenoonewho
i
snotoft hetruefai
thcanreceivet
heEuchar i
st.

JESUSWORKEDTHEMI RACLEOFTHELOAVESANDFI
SHESTHEDAY
BEFORETELLINGTHEM OFTHEEUCHARISTI
NORDERTOSHOW EVERYONE
THATMIRACULOUSSUPERABUNDANCEI
SPOSSI
BLE

I
nthev erysamechapterthatJesusspeakssocl
ear
lyofrecei
vingHisfl
esh
andbloodintheEuchari
st,wereadthatHeperf
ormedthemi r
acleofthe
mult
ipli
cati
onoftheloavesandf i
shes.

John6: 9-
14“ …fi
vebar l
eyl
oaves,andt wosmall
fishes:butwhatar ethey
amongsomany ?AndJesussaid, Makethemensi tdown…Sot hemen
satdown, i
nnumberaboutf i
vethousand.AndJesust ooktheloaves;and
whenhehadgi venthanks,hedi
stri
butedtothedisci
ples,andthe
discipl
estothem thatweresetdown; andli
kewi
seoft hefishesasmuch
ast heywould.Whent heywerefil
l
ed,hesaiduntohisdiscipl
es,Gatherup
 thefr
agment sthatremain,thatnothi
ngbel ost.Therefor
et heygathered
them t
ogether,andfil
l
edt welvebasketswiththef r
agment soft hefi
ve
barl
eyloav
es, whichremainedov erandabov euntot hem thathadeaten.
Thenthosemen, whentheyhadseent hemi raclethatJesusdi d,sai
d,
Thisi
sofat ruththatprophetthatshouldcomei ntot hewor l
d.”

5,000peopl emi r
acul ousl
yat efrom whatbeganasf ivebar l
eyloav esandt wo
fi
shes.Jesusper formedt hismi racl
et hev er
ydaybef oreHet oldthem t hat
theymustr ecei
veHi sf l
eshandbl oodi ntheEuchar ist.Bywor kingt hismi r
acle
j
ustbef oreHet oldt hem thattheymustr eceiveHisfleshandbl oodi nthe
Euchar i
st,Jesusintendedt oshowt hem t hatsuchat hingispossi ble.Fort he
conceptofeat i
ngJesus’ fleshandbl oodwascompl etelynewandmi nd-
bogglingt othem.I nthesameway ,
t heideat hatHewoul dmi raculously
becomepr esentforpeopl einmanypl aceswasast onishing.Themi raculous
mul t
ipli
cationofthef oodwasi ntendedt odispeltheirdoubt ,
towi nt heir
compl eteconf i
dencei nHiswor dsbef oret el
li
ngthem aboutt hemi r
acleoft he
Euchar i
st.Themul t
ipli
cati
onoft hef oodindeedsi gnifi
edt hemi raculousf ood
oftheEuchar i
st,whichisnotbr eadbutt hebodyandbl oodofChr i
st .

THEEUCHARISTCANNOTBEJUSTORDINARYBREAD;OTHERWI
SEIT
WOULDBEINFERIORTOI
TSOLDTESTAMENTTYPE; THEMANNAINTHE
DESERT,
WHICHAPPEAREDSUPERNATURALLY

Therecanbenodoubtt hatt
hemannainthedeser
t(Exodus16)pref
igur
edt
he
Euchari
st.Jesusmakesaconnect
ionbet
weenthetwoi nJohnchapt
er6.

John6:48-51“Iam t
hatbreadofl
ife.Yourfathersdideatmannainthe
wil
derness,andaredead.Thi
sisthebr eadwhichcomet hdownfrom
heaven,t
hatamanmayeatt her
eof ,
andnotdi e.Iam theli
vi
ngbread
whichcamedownf r
om heaven…andt hebr
eadt hatIwil
lgi
veismyflesh,
whichIwillgi
vefort
helif
eofthewor ld.”

Jesusmakesr efer
encetothemannai nthedeser
t,andthensaysthatHis
fl
eshi sthetruemannaf r
om Heaven.Themannai nthedesertwasbread,but
breadwhi chappearedmiracul
ousl
y.Itfel
lev
eryday,exceptSat
urday,f
orthe
40y earsthattheHebrewswereinthedesert.I
tshowedupasi fi
thadf al
l
en
fr
om Heav en.

Exodus16:
15“
Andwhent
hechi
l
drenofI
srael
sawi
t,t
heysai
donet
o
 anot
her:
Manhu!whi
chsi
gni
fi
eth:
Whatisthi
s!fortheyknewnotwhati
t
was.AndMosessai
dtot
hem:Thisi
sthebread,whichtheLor
dhath
gi
venyoutoeat
.”

TheNewTest amentf ul
fi
ll
mentisgreaterthantheOl dTestamentt y
pe.I
f,as
theProtest
antssay,t
heEuchari
stisjustor di
nar
ybr ead,theni twouldbe
i
nferi
ortothemannai nthedesert
,whi chappearedmi raculously.I
twouldbe
i
nferi
ortoitsOldTestamentt
ype.Thatdoesn’ tmakesense; itcannotbethe
case.TheEuchari
stmustbesuper naturalandmi r
aculousinsomeway .

JESUSSAYS:
“THISISMYBODY”AND“
THI
SISMYBLOOD”
;HEDOESN’
TSAY:
THISISJUSTASYMBOLOFMYBODYANDBLOOD

Mat thew26:26-28“Andast heywer eeat i

ng,Jesust ookbr
ead, and
blessedit,andbrakeit
,andgav eittot hedisci
ples,andsaid,
Take, eat
;
thisismybody .Andhet ookt hecup, andgav ethanks,andgav eitt
o
them, sayi
ng,Drinkyeallofi
t;forthisismybl oodoft henewt estament,
whi chisshedformanyf orther emissionofsins.”

Mar k14:22-24“Andastheydideat,
Jesust ookbread,andblessed,and
brakei t
,andgav et
othem,andsaid,Take,eat:
thi
si smybody .Andhe
tookt hecup,andwhenhehadgi venthanks,hegav ei
ttothem: andthey
alldrankofit.Andhesaidunt
othem, Thisismybl oodofthenew
testament,whichisshedformany.”

Luke22:19-20“ Andhet ookbread,andgavethanks,andbrakeit

,and
gaveuntot hem, say
ing,Thisi
smybodywhi chisgivenforyou:t
hisdoin
remembr anceofme.Li kewisealsothecupaftersupper,say
ing,Thi
scup
i
st henewt estamenti nmyblood, whichi
sshedf oryou.
”

Thetransl
ati
onsabovearefrom theProtest
antKingJamesv ersi
onofthe
Bibl
e.EventheProt
estantt
ranslati
onsshowt hatJesusprocl
aimsthe
Euchari
sttobeHisbodyandHi sblood.Thereweremanyway sinHebrewor
AramaicforJesust
osay“ t
hisrepresent
smybody ,
”or“thi
sisasy mbolofmy
body,
”butHedoesn’t.Hesays“thisismybody ”and“thi
sismybl ood.
”

Moreover
,contrar
ytowhatsomet hi
nk,t
hewor ds“dothisinr
emembr anceof
me”(Luke22:19)donotsuggestt
hattheEuchari
stisjustasymbol.TheGreek
wor
df or“
remembr sanamnesi
ance”i s.I
thasasacr i
fi
cialmeani
ng.It’
soneof
thesacri
fi
cialofferi
ngsoftheOldTestament.Itmeanstomakepresentagai
n
asasacrifi
cialoffer
ing.Jesusi
stell
ingthem t
oofferHi
sact
ualbodyand
bloodtotheFat herasamemor ialsacri
fi
ce.

JESUS’
LANGUAGECORRESPONDSTOTHATOFMOSESI
NEXODUS24,IN
THEFOUNDI
NGOFTHEFI RSTCOVENANT,
WHI
CHHADREALBLOOD

Theinst
it
uti
onoft
heEuchari
st(whichwereadabouti
nMatt
hew26,Mar
k14,
andLuke22)cl
ear
lycor
respondstothei
nsti
tut
ionoft
hef
ir
stcov
enanti
n
Exodus24.

Exodus24:8“AndMosest ookthebl
ood,andspri
nkledi
tonthepeopl
e,
andsaid,
Beholdthebl
oodoft hecovenant,
whichtheLordhat
hmade
wit
hy ouconcerni
ngal
lthesewords.
”

Mat thew26:26-28“Andast heywer eeat i

ng,Jesust ookbread,and
blessedit,andbrakeit
,andgav eittot hedisci
ples,andsaid,Take,eat
;
thisismybody .Andhet ookt hecup, andgav ethanks,andgav eitt
o
them, sayi
ng,Drinkyeallofi
t;forthisismybl oodoft henewt estament,
whi chisshedformanyf ortheremi ssionofsins.”

Noti
cet hesimi l
ari
tyoflanguagebet weent heinstit
utionsofthet wocov enant
s.
Jesusinsti
tutestheNewCov enantinHi sbl
oodont hesamepat ternthat
Mosesi nst
itutedthefir
stcov enant.TheNewCov enantofJesust akesthe
pl
aceoft heOl d,anditwillbetheNewandEv erl
astingcov enant.Butifthe
bl
oodr efer
redt obyJesusi sn’trealblood–butj ustasy mbol ,
ast he
Prot
estantssay–t hentheNewCov enantwoul dbei nfer
iortotheOl d;f
orthe
i
nstit
uti
onoft heOl dCov enantinvolvedrealblood.

1CORI
NTHIANS10CLEARLYTEACHESTHATTHEEUCHARI
STISA
PARTI
CIPATI
ONINTHEACTUALBODYANDBLOODOFCHRI ST

1Cori
nthi
ans10:16“Thecupofbl
essingwhi
chwebless,
isi
tnota
par
ti
cipat
ionint
hebloodofChri
st? Thebreadwhi
chwebreak,i
sitnot
apart
ici
pati
oninthebodyofChri
st?
”

St
.Paul
iscl
eart
hatt
heEuchar
isti
stheact
ual
bodyandbl
oodofJesusChr
ist
.

1CORI
NTHI
ANS11SAYSTHATTORECEI
VETHEEUCHARI
STUNWORTHI
LY
 I
STOSI
NAGAI
NSTTHEACTUALBODYANDBLOODOFTHELORD

1Cor i
nthi
ans11:26-29“Forasoftenasy eeatthi
sbread,anddri
nkthis
cup, yedoshewt heLor d’
sdeathtil
lhecome.Wher eforewhosoevershal
l
eatt hi
sbread,anddr i
nkt hi
scupoft heLord,unworthi
ly,
shal
lbeguilt
y
oft hebodyandbl oodoft heLord.Butletamanexami nehimself
,andso
l
ethi m eatofthatbread,anddri
nkoft hatcup.Forhethateat
ethand
drinkethunwor t
hil
y,eatethanddrinkethdamnationtohimsel
f,not
discerningtheLord’sbody .
”

Accordingt otheclearteachi
ngoftheBible,onewhor eceiv estheEuchar ist
unwor t
hilyisguil
tyofthebodyandbl oodoft heLord.St.Paul sayst hata
personeat sanddr i
nksdamnat i
onbyr ecei
vingt heEucharistwithoutt he
properdispositi
onsanddi scer
nment .I
ftheEuchar i
stisjustapi eceofbr ead
andsomewi ne,t
akeninmemor yofChrist
,howcoul donewhor eceivesit
i
mpr operlybef oundguilt
yofthebodyandbl oodoft heLor d?Onewoul d
obviouslynotbehel dguilt
yofthebodyandbl oodofChristunlesst he
Eucharistisindeedthebodyandbl oodofChr ist.

THEEARLYCHRISTIANCHURCHUNANI
MOUSLYBELI
EVEDTHATTHE
EUCHARISTISTHEBODYANDBLOODOFCHRIST

Besidestheclearbi bli
calevi
dencewe’ veseen, thewitnessoftheanci ent
Chur chunanimousl ysupportsCat hol
icteachingont heEucharist.Anyonewho
takestimet oconsul tt
hef at
hersoft heChurchont hi
spointwilldiscoverthat
theyallbel
ievedthatt heEucharististhebodyandbl oodofJesusChr i
st.The
fathersoftheChur char etheChristi
anwr i
tersfrom theearl
iestcent ur
ies.They
arethosewhor eceivedthetradi
tionoftheApost l
es.

ThePr otestantviewoftheEuchar istwasf oreigntotheenti

reChri
stianChurch
forthef i
rst1,
500y earsofitsexistence.Icouldquotemanypassagesf r
om the
father
soft heChur chont hi
smat t
er,butIwillonlyquotethr
ee.In110A. D.
,St.
I
gnat i
usofAnt ioch(oneoft heapost oli
cfathersgenerall
yacknowledgedby
Protestants)saidthefol
lowingaboutagr oupofher eti
cswhodeni edthatthe
EucharististhefleshofChrist.Hewasr efer
ringtotheDocetist
s,whoal so
deniedt hereal
ityoftheIncarnati
onandt heCr uci
fi
xi
on.

St.I
gnati
usofAnti
och,Epi
stl
etotheSmyr
naeans,
Chapter7,
110A.D.
“Theyabstai
nfr
om theEuchari
standf
rom pr
ayer
,becauset
heyconf
ess
 nottheEuchari
sttobethefl
eshofourSaviorJesusChri
st,
which
suff
eredforoursi
ns,andwhi
chtheFather
,ofHisgoodness,r
aisedup
agai
n.”

St.I
r Agai
enaeus, nstHeresies,
Book5,Chap.2,185A. D.“When, t
her
efore,
themixedcupandt hebakedbr eadr
ecei
vestheWor dofGodand
becomest heEucharist
,thebodyofChri
st,andfrom thesethesubstance
ofourfleshi
sincreasedandsupport
ed,howcant heysayt hatthefl
eshis
notcapableofrecei
vingthegif
tofGod,whi
chi seter
nal l
if
e-fl
eshwhichis
nouri
shedbyt hebodyandbl oodoftheLord,andisinfactamemberof
him?”

St.Cyri
lofJerusal
em,CatecheticalDiscourses, My stagogi
c1,19:7,350
A.D.“ForastheBreadandWi neoftheEuchar istbef oretheinv
ocati
onof
theHolyandAdor abl
eTr i
nityweresimplebr eadandwi ne,
whileaft
erthe
i
nv ocati
ontheBreadbecomest heBodyofChr ist,
andt heWinetheBlood
ofChr i
st…”(
http:
//mb-sof
t.com/ bel
ieve/t
xuc/cy ri
l48.htm)

TodenytheCathol
ict
eachingontheEuchar
isti
ssi
mpl
ytodenyt
hecl
ear
teachi
ngofJesusChr
istandtheBibl
e.
 THEBI
BLI
CALBASI
SFORPRAYINGTOMARYANDFORCATHOLI
C
TEACHI
NGSONMARY

TheBlessedVirginMaryisthemot herofJesusChrist
.Cont r
arytotheclai
ms
ofsome, t
heCat hol
i
cChur chdoesnott eachandhasnev ertaughtthatMaryis
God.Thatwouldbeher esy.Maryisjustacreat
ure,
butt hegreatestofal
l t
he
humanbei ngsevercreat
edbyGod.Pl easelookatthisbibl
icalevi
denceforthe
Cathol
icteachi
ngsaboutMar y,andwhyi t’
ssonecessarytounder st
andher
rol
eandimpor t
ance.

Tounderst
andtheBi
bleandwhatitt
eachesaboutMar
y(t
hemot
herofJesus
Chr
ist
),onemustunder
standBi
bli
calt
ypes.

Type=at r
ueevent,
personorinst
it
uti
oni
ntheOl
dTest
amentwhi
ch
for
eshadowsorprefi
guressomethi
ngint
heNewTest
ament.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATADAM,THEFI
RSTMAN,
WASATYPEOFJESUS
CHRI
ST

JesusChri
stwastrueGodandtrueman.Adam wasonl
yaman,t
hefi
rstman.
However,
theBibl
esaysthatAdam wasatypeoft
heonewhowastocome,
JesusChri
st.

Romans5: 14“ Nev

ert
helessdeathrei
gnedfrom Adam t
oMoses,
even
overt
hem t hathadnotsinnedaft
erthesimi
lit
udeofAdam's
tr
ansgression,whoisthef i
gur
e[type]ofhi
mt hatwastocome[
Jesus]
.”

HowwasAdam at
ypeofJesus?I
t’
sper
hapsbestsummedupi
nthi
spassage.

Romans5:19“
Forasbyoneman'sdisobedi
encemanyweremade
si
nner
s,sobytheobedi
enceofoneshall
manybemaderight
eous.
”

Adam plungedthewor l
dint
osin;Christcamet oredeem theworl
df r
om
Adam’ssin.Adam sinnedbyhisdisobedienceatt hetreeoftheknowledgeof
goodandev il
;Chri
stredeemedthewor ldbyHi sobedienceandsacrif
iceont
he
treeoftheCross.That’
swhytheBi bl
esay st hatChri
stistheneworsecondor
l
astAdam.Hecamet oundowhatAdam di d.Hebecamet heheadoft henew
andredeemedr aceofthosewhosuper natur al
lyli
veinChrist
,whereasAdam,
thefi
rstman, wastheheadofhumani tywhi chf el
li
ntosin.
 THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATJESUSCHRI
STI
STHESECONDADAM

1Cori
nthi
ans15:
45“Andsoiti
swri
tt
en,t
hefi
rstmanAdam wasmadea
l
iv
ingsoul
;thel
astAdam wasmadeaqui
ckeni
ngspi
ri
t.
”

Ther
earemanybi bl
icalt
ypes.Keepinmindthatal
loft
heseev ent
s,persons
andthi
ngswererealevents,
personsandthi
ngswhichalsoprefi
gured
somethi
ngthatwouldcomel at
er.Herear
eaf ewexamples:

1Cor .10:1-2–TheBi blet eachest hattheCrossingoftheRedSea( Exodus14)

prefiguredbapt ism.
1Pet er3: 19-21–TheBi bleteachest hatNoah’sArkandt heGr eatFlood
prefiguredbei ngsavedbybapt ism andt heChurch.
1Cor .5:7–TheBi bl
et eachest hatthePassov erLamb,whi chwassacr i
fi
ced
(Exodus12) ,prefi
guredChr ist
,theLambofGodwhot akesawayt hesinsof
thewor l
d( John1:29).
Heb.8: 8-9–TheBi blet eachest hatt heOldTestamentsy stem wasa“ shadow”
orf i
gur eoftheNewTest ament .
Mat thew12: 40–TheBi bl eteachest hatJonas’thr
eeday sandni ghtsinthe
bellyoft hewhal eprefigur edJesusChr i
st’
sResur r
ect
ionf r
om thedeadaf t
er
threeday s.

Manyot herexampl esofbibli

caltypescoul dbegi v
en.It’
simpor tantto
under st
andt hatthefulf
il
lmentofat ype(cal l
edan“ antit
ype”)i
sgr eatert
han
thetype.JesusChr i
stisinfi
nit
elygreat
ert hanAdam; theNewTest amentis
greatert hantheOld;theResurrecti
onisgr eaterthanthet r
avail
sofJonas; etc.
Witht hatinmi nd,wemustnowconsi derty pesofMar y ,
themot herofJesus
Christ.Therear emanyt ypesofMar y.I
naddi tiontootherbibli
cal evi
dence,
theset ypespr ovi
deundeniablebibli
calprooff orCatholi
cteachingsabout
Mar y.Thef ol
lowingpointswillundoubtedlybenewandsur pri
singt omany
non-Cat holi
cs.

ASCHRI
STI
STHENEW ADAM,
MARYI
STHENEW EVE

Asmenti
onedalready,Adam wasatypeofJesusChri
st.Ther
ewasadi st
inct
womanwhowasi nvol
vedwithAdam,thefi
rstman,i
nthedownf al
lofthe
wor
ldi
ntosin.ThatwasEv e,
thefi
rstwoman.ItwasAdam’ st
ransgressi
on
whichconst
it
utedtheori
ginal
sin.ButEv
ewasi nst
rumental
andinext
ri
cabl
y
boundupwiththeevent
sleadinguptotheori
ginal
sin.Thewoman(Eve)
si
nnedandwast heoccasionforAdam t
osin.

Genesis3:1-6“Nowt heser pentwasmor esubt lethananybeastoft he

fi
eldwhicht heLordGodhadmade.Andhesai duntot hewoman, Yea,
hathGodsai d,yeshal lnoteatofev erytreeoft hegar den?Andt he
womansai duntotheser pent,Wemayeatoft hef r
uitoft hetreesoft he
garden:Butofthef ruitofthet r
eewhi chisi nthemi dstoft hegar den, God
hathsaid,Yeshal l
noteatofi t,
neit
hershal lyet ouchit,lestyedie.And
theserpentsaidunt ot hewoman, Yeshal lnotsur el
ydi e:ForGoddot h
knowt hatinthedayy eeatt her
eof,theny ourey esshall beopened, and
yeshallbeasgods, knowi nggoodandev i
l.Andwhent hewomansaw
thatthetr
eewasgoodf orfood,andt hatitwaspl easantt otheey es, and
atreetobedesi redt omakeonewi se, shet ookoft hef ruitt
hereof ,
and
dideat,andgav ealsount oherhusbandwi t
hher ;andhedi deat .
”

Justas“thewoman”(Eve)wasint
imatel
yinvol
vedintheeventsl
eadingupto
theori
ginalsi
n,t
her
eisadisti
nctwomanwhowasi nt
imatelyi
nvolv
edinthe
event
sleadinguptotheRedempti
on.ThatisMary,
themot herofJesusChr
ist
.
SheisthenewEv e.

Ther
earenumerouscl
earpar
all
elsi
ntheBi
blebetweenEveandMar
y.These
demonst
rat
ethatMaryi
sthenewEv e,
asChri
stisthenewAdam.

EVECOMMUNI
CATEDWITH,
BELIEVEDANDOBEYEDAFALLENANGEL(THE
SERPENT)–
MARYCOMMUNI
CATEDWITH,BELIEVEDANDOBEYEDAGOODANGEL
(
GABRIEL)

Genesi
s3:
4-6“Andt
heser
pentsai
duntot
hewoman,yeshal
lnotsur
ely
di
e…she[Eve]t
ookoft
hefr
uitt
her
eof
,anddi
deat
..
.”

Luke1:26-38“…theangelGabr i
elwassentf rom Godint
oaci tyof
Gali
lee…toav i
rgi
n…andt hev i
rgin'
snamewasMar y
.Andt heangelbeing
comei n,sai
duntoher:Hail
,ful
l ofgrace,t
heLordiswiththee:bl
essedar t
thouamongwomen…Andt heangel sai
dtoher:Fearnot,
Mar y,f
orthou
hastfoundgracewit
hGod.Behol dthoushaltconcei
veinthywomb, and
shaltbri
ngfort
hason;andt houshal tcal
lhisnameJesus…AndMar y
 sai
d:Behol
dthehandmaidoft
heLor d;bei
tdonet
omeaccor
dingt
othy
word.Andt
heangeldepar
tedf
rom her.
”

Evewasappr
oachedbytheser
pent(
theDevi
l
),afal
l
enangel.Evebel
i
evedhi
s
l
yi
ngwordsanddisobey
edGod.Evesi
nnedandcausedherhusbandtosi
n,
pl
ungi
ngtheworl
dintodeat
h.

Mar ywasappr oachedbyGabr iel

,agoodangel
.Mar ybel
iev
edhismessageof
salvat
ion:thatshewasbl essedamongwomen, ful
l ofgr
ace,andwoul
dbri
ng
fort
htheSav i
or.MaryobeyedGod.Byherobedience,sheconsent
edtothe
conceptionofJesusChr i
stinherwomb, andenabledHimtocomeand
redeem thewor ldf
rom Adam’ ssin.

Ev eninthev er
yancientChur
ch,thesebibli
cal
parall
elswer
erecogni
zedas
i
dent i
ficat
ionsofMar yasthenewEv e,j
ustasChristist
henewAdam.St .
I
r enaeuswasaf amousapostol
icfatherfr
om thesecondcent
ury.Hecont
rast
s
thef i
rstEvewiththesecondEve( Mary).

St.Ir
enaeus,AgainstHer esies,BookIII
,Chap.22,185A.D.“ I
naccor dance
withthisdesi
gn, Maryt heVi r
ginisfoundobedient,sayi
ng,Behol dthe
handmai doftheLor d;beitdoneunt omeaccor di
ngtoy ourwor d(Luke
1:38).ButEvewasdi sobedient;forshedi
dnotobeywhenasy etshewas
av i
rgin…Andt husalsoi twast hattheknotofEv e'
sdisobediencewas
l
oosedbyt heobedienceofMar y.Forwhatthev i
rgi
nEv ehadboundf ast
throughunbelief,t
hisdi dthev i
rginMarysetfreethroughfaith.”

EVEWASTHEMOTHEROFALLTHELI
VING–
MARY,
ASMOTHEROFJESUS,I
STHEMOTHEROFALLTHELI
VINGAND
EVENOFLI
FEI
TSELF

Genesi
s3:20“AndAdam cal
ledhi
swi
fe'
snameEv
e;becauseshewas
themotherofal
lthel
iv
ing.
”

Evewascalledthe“mot herofallt
heliv
ing”becauseall
whohadl i
fe
descendedfrom her.Maryisalsothemot herofall
thel
ivi
ng,buti
ndeedi
na
greaterway
.Mar yisthemot herofJesusChr i
st,
whoisLifei
tsel
fandinwhom
al
l l
if
eistobefound.

John1:
4“I
nhi
m[Jesus]wasl
i
fe;
andt
hel
i
fewast
hel
i
ghtofmen.
”
 Mat
thew1:
16“
Mar
y,ofwhom wasbor
nJesus…”

John14:
6“Jesussai
thuntohim,Iam t
heway
,thet
rut
h,andt
hel
if
e:no
mancomethuntotheFather
,butbyme.”

JesusistheLi
fe.Maryis,
ther
ef ore,l
i
teral
lythemot herofLif
eitself
.The
paral
lelt
oEve,themotherofalltheli
ving,i
sclear.Thediff
erenceisthatMary
i
st hemotherofaLifet
hatisinfini
tel
ygreaterthanhumanexi stence.Those
whol i
veanddieinherSonhav eaccesst oeter
nal l
if
einHim andbecomenew
creat
ures.

2Cor
inthi
ans5:
17“
Ther
efor
eifanymanbei
nChr
ist
,hei
sanew
cr
eat
ure.”

Theful
fi
ll
ment(Maryasmot herofal
lthel
i
ving)i
sagai
ngr
eat
ert
hant
het
ype
(Ev
easmot herofal
lthel
i
ving).

EVEWASCREATEDWITHOUTANYSIN–
THENEW EVE,MARY,ALSOHADTOBECREATEDWITHOUTANYSI
N
(I
MMACULATELYCONCEIVED)

We’ v
eseent hattheBibl
ei ndicat
esthatMar yist
henewEv e.Sothequest i
onis:
i
nwhatst atewast hesoul ofEvecreated?Ev ewascreatedinGenesi s2f r
ee
fr
om allsi
n.Theent irecreationwasper fectunt
ilt
hefallofmanki nd.Adam
andEv ewerebot hcreatedinast at
eofor igi
nalj
usti
ce.Theydidn’tlosethat
stateofori
ginalperf
ecti
on, inwhichtheywer efr
eefrom allsi
n,unti
l t
he
origi
nalsi
ninGenesi s3.

IfGodcreatedthefi
rstwoman(t
hefir
stEve)wit
houtanysi
n,thenHecould
cert
ainl
ycreatethesecond(
andgreat
er)Eve(t
heBlessedVir
ginMary)wi
thout
anysin.That’
sexactl
ywhatHedid.Hehadtodosoasamat terofpr
opor
ti
on
andjusti
cebecauseshewouldbethefir
stmemberoft her
edeemedhumani t
y.

DEFI
NITI
ONOFTHEI
MMACULATECONCEPTI
ON

PopePi usIX,Inef
fabi
li
sDeus,Dec.8,1854“ Wedeclar
e,pronounce,and
defi
nethatt hedoctri
newhichholdsthatthemostBlessedVirginMary,
in
thefi
rstinstantofherconcept
ion,byasingulargr
aceandpr i
vil
ege
 grant
edbyAl might
yGod,inviewoft hemeri
tsofJesusChri
st,theSavi
or
ofthehumanr ace,waspreservedfreef
rom al
lst
ainofori
ginalsi
n,i
sa
doctr
inereveal
edbyGodandt her
eforet
obebeli
evedfi
rmlyand
constant
lybyallt
hefai
thf
ul.
”

Somemi st
akenl ythi
nkthattheImmacul at
eConcept i
onr ef
erstot he
miraculousconcept i
onofJesusi nthewomboft heVi rgi
nMar y.That’snot
correct.Jesuswasi ndeedconceivedwithoutanysi ninthewombofMar y,but
theImmacul ateConcept i
onrefer
st otheconceptionofMar yi
nt hewombof
hermot her.From theveryfi
rsti
nstantofhercreation,shewaspr eserv
edf rom
anyst ainofor igi
nalsi
n,whicheveryothermemberoft hehumanr ace(except
Jesus)i nherit
s.

Godpreservedherwi t
houtsi
ninv i
ewofthesavingmer i
tsofJesusChri
st.I
t
wasdonef orMar ybecauseshehadtobet heuncursedandpurevessel
which
woul
dcar r
yt heall
-hol
yGod.Inordert
ocar r
yinf
ini
teholi
ness,Maryhadtobe
hol
yfr
om thef ir
stinst
antofhercreat
ion.

JESUSSAVEDMARYI
NAGREATERWAY

So,ifMarywaspreser
vedfrom t
hest
ainoftheor
igi
nalsin,
doest
hatmean
thatshedidn’
thav
eaSav i
or?No.Maryanswerst
hathersel
f.

Luke1:
46-47“AndMarysai
d,mysouldot
hmagni
fyt
heLor
d,andmy
spi
ri
that
hr ej
oicedi
nGodmySavior
.”

Godsav edMar ybypr event

ingherf rom cont racti
ngorigi
nalsin.Supposet hat
amanf al
lsintoadeephol eint heforest,butispul l
edoutbyhi sfr
iend.Iti
s
truet osaythatt hefri
endsav edtheman.Nowsupposeamanseesawoman
wal kingtowar dthedeephol e,andcat chesherj ustbefor
eshef all
sin.He
stopsherf r
om f al
l
ingi ntotheholeint hef i
rstplace,sothatshedoesn’ tget
i
nj uredordirtyatall.Didhesav ethewoman?Cer t
ainl
yhedid.Hesav edherin
agr eaterway ,byprev enti
ngherf rom f al
li
ngintot heholeandsuf f
eringanyof
thehar mf ulconsequences.

That’showGodsav edMar y.JesuswasherSav i

orinanevengreaterway,by
preventi
ngherfrom evercontract
ingori
ginalsi
n,andbypreser
vingherfrom
si
nt hroughoutherl
if
e.Hedi dthisforMary,i
nviewofheruniquerole.The
si
nlessnessofMar yisindi
catedbynumer oustypesintheBibl
e.
Someexpressdisbel
iefatthenoti
ont
hatGodwouldcr
eatesomeone
compl
etel
yfreefrom sin.Theyar
efor
get
ti
ngthatGodcr
eatedthef
ir
stman
andwomanwi thoutsin.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATMARYI
STHEARKOFTHENEW COVENANT

Wewil
lnowseet hattheBi bl
ewi t
houtanydoubtidenti
fi
esMaryast heArkof
t
heNewTest ament.I
ti denti
fiesMar yastheNewTest amentcounterpar
tto
t
heArkoftheOldTest ament .Mar yi
sthenewandgr eat
erful
fi
ll
mentofwhat
waspr
efi
guredbytheAr koft heOldTestament.Thisinf
ormati
onissomeof
t
hemostimportantandr eveal i
ngaboutMar y
’sprofoundrol
e.

Sinceitcarri
edandrepresent edt
hepr esenceofGod,theAr koft heOld
Cov enant/Test
amentwast heholiestandmostpower f
ulthingonEar t
h
outsideofGodHi mself.TheAr koft heCovenantwasasacr edchestwhi ch
containedthestonetablet
soft heTenCommandment s(Deut eronomy10:5)
.
TheAr kalsocarri
edandr epresent
edt hespiri
tual
presenceofGodonEar th.
WhenGodspoket oMoses, itwasf r
om betweenthetwocher ubim whi
chwere
ont heArk.

Number s7:89“AndwhenMoseswenti ntot

hetentofmeeti
ngt
ospeak
withtheLord,heheardthevoi
cespeakingt
ohimf r
om abovet
hemercy
seatthatwasupont hearkoft
hetest
imony,fr
om betweent
hetwo
cherubi
m; anditspoket
ohim.”

Exodus25:21-22“Andt houshaltputthemer cyseataboveupontheark;

andinthearkt houshaltputthetesti
monyt hatIshallgi
vethee.And
ther
eIwi l
lmeetwi ththee,andIwillcommunewi ththeefr
om abovethe
mercyseat,fr
om bet weenthet wocher ubim whichareuponthearkof
thetest
imony,ofallthi
ngswhi chIwillgivetheeincommandmentunt o
thechil
drenofIsrael
.”

Let
’snowl
ookathowt
heBi
blei
dent
if
iesMar
yast
heAr
koft
heNewCov
enant
.

TheArkoftheOldCovenant TheVirginMary
Containedthewri
tt
enwordofGod Contai
nedt heWor dofGodmade
(Deut.10:
5) fl
esh,Jesus(Jn.1:1)
JesusChri
stistheWor dofGodmadefl
esh(John1:
1).So,
justast
heAr
kof
theOldCovenantcontai
nedthewr
it
tenwordofGod,
Mar y(
whoi st
heAr
kof
theNewCov enant)cont
ainedt
heWordofGodmadef l
esh.

Apocal
ypse(
Revel
ati
on)19:
13“Andhe[Jesus]wascl
othedwi
tha
gar
mentspri
nkl
edwithbl
ood;andhi
snamei scall
ed,
theWordofGod.
”

TheArkoftheOldCovenant TheVi
rginMar
y
Was“over
shadowed”bythepower Was“ over
shadowed”byt
hepower
andpr
esenceofGod(Exodus40:34- andpr
esenceoftheMostHi
gh(Luke
35) 1:
35)

Thetabernaclewasconst r
uct
edt ocontaintheholyArk(Exodus40: 2-3).When
Godwoul dcomedownupont het abernacleandtheArktospeakt oMoses, we
readinExodus40: 34-35t
hatGod’sglorycloudorvisi
blepresence(calledthe
“Sheki
nah”)“ov er
shadowed”i
t.Therarewor dwhichisusedt odescr i
behow
thi
suniquepr esenceofGodwoul d“overshadow”theArkisepiskiaseiinthe
Greektr
anslationoftheOldTestament .

Exodus40:34-
35“Thent hecloudcov eredthetentofmeeti
ng,
andthe
glor
yoftheLordfil
ledt hetabernacle.AndMoseswasnotabl etoent
er
thetentofmeeti
ng, becauset hecloudov er
shadowedit,andt
heglor
yof
theLordfi
ll
edthetaber nacl
e.”

Theverysamewor d“epi
skiasei
”isusedint
heGreekoft
heNewTestamentto
descr
ibehowt hepr
esenceofGodwi ll“
over
shadow”t
heVir
ginMar
y.TheBibl
e
usesthi
slanguageonlyabouttheArkandaboutMary
.

Luke1: 35“Andtheangel answeredandsai

duntoher,TheHolyGhost
shallcomeupont hee,andthepoweroftheHighestshal
lover
shadow
thee:theref
orealsothatholythi
ngwhichshal
lbebornoftheeshal
lbe
call
edt heSonofGod. ”

Theclearimpl
i
cati
oni sthatthepresenceofGodov ershadowsMar yand
comesdownuponher–si nceshei stheNewAr k–justasitover
shadowed
theArkoftheOldCovenant .Thisr
ev eal
sthatMary,whil
ejustacr
eatureand
i
nfini
tel
ylesst
hanGod, isthenewAr k.Shethushasauniqueconnecti
onto
God,auniqueholi
ness,sanctif
icat
ionandpower .
 THEAMAZI
NGEVI
DENCEFROM 2SAMUEL6ANDLUKE1THATMARYI
S
THEARKOFTHENEW COVENANT

Considert
heamaz i
ngparall
elsthatScri
pturegivesusbetweenwhat
happenedtotheArkoftheOldCov enantin2Samuel 6(2Kings6intheDouay
-Rhei
msCat hol
icBi
ble)
,andwhathappenedt otheBlessedVi r
ginMary,t
he
ArkoftheNewCov enant,
inchapter1ofLuke’ sGospel.2Samuel 6isthe
mostcompl et
estor
yintheBibleconcerningtheAr koftheOldCovenant.Luke
1isthemostcompl et
estoryintheBibl
econcer ningtheBlessedVir
ginMary.

TheArkoftheOl
dCovenant TheVir
ginMary
2Samuel6:
9“Davidf
ear
edtheLord Luke1: 43“[El
i
zabethsai
d]:Andhow
t
hatdayandsai
d,Howcanthearkof doesthishappentome,thatthe
t
heLordcometome? ” motherofmyLor dshouldcomet o
me?”

Davidsay s:“Howshal ltheArkoft heLordcometome? ”whil

eEl i
zabethasks
howi sit“thatthemot herofmyLor dshoul
dcomet ome?”Elizabethsaysthe
samet hingt oMar ythatDav i
dsaidabouttheArkbecauseMar yistheArkof
theNewCov enant.Theonlydiffer
encebetweenthetwostatement sisli
ter
all
y
that“mot her”isusedwher eAr kwasused.TheBibl
eistell
i
ngust hatthe
mot heroft heLord=t heAr k.Thisisconfi
rmedwit
houtanydoubtaswecar r
y
thestoryf urt
her.

Dav
idLeaptBef
oret
heAr
k TheInfantLeapti nthepresenceof
Mary
2Samuel 6:16“AsthearkoftheLor d Luke1: 41-44“ Anditcamet opass,
wasenteringtheCit
yofDavid,Saul’
st hat,whenEl i
zabethheardthe
daught
erMi chall
ookeddown salutati
onofMar y,
thebabel eapedin
thr
oughthewi ndowandsawKi ng herwomb; andEl i
sabethwasf i
ll
ed
Davidl
eapinganddancingbef orethe wi t
htheHol yGhost…Foratt he
Lord…” momentt hesoundofy ourgreeting
reachedmyear s,t
heinfanti
nmy
wombl eapedf orj
oy.”

Dav
idleaptbef
oretheAr
k,j
ustast
hei
nfanti
nEl
i
zabet
h’swombl
eaptbef
ore
Mary(
thenewAr k)
.

TheAr
kst
ayedf
ort
hreemont
hs Mar
y(t
heAr
k)st
ayedf
ort
hreemont
hs
2Samuel 6:
11“ Thear
koftheLord Luke1:56-57“Mar yr
emainedwithher
remainedinthehouseofObededom aboutthreemont hsandthenret
urned
theGitt
it
ef orthreemont
hs,andthe toherhome.NowEl i
zabeth'
sful
lti
me
LordblessedObededom andhis ofbeingdeli
veredwascome, andshe
wholehouse. ” broughtfort
hason. ”

In2Samuel 6,
wer eadthattheArkstay
edwit
hObededom theGi
tt
it
eforthree
months.Li
kewise,
inLuke1, wereadthatMar
y(t
heArkoftheNewCov enant)
stay
edwi t
hEli
zabethforthr
eemont hs.

2Samuel 6:
11al soment i
onsthattheLordblessedObededom andhishouse
whil
etheArkwaspr esent
.“Bl
essing”inScri
pturef
requent
lyi
ndicat
esfrui
tf
ul
off
spri
ng.Inthi
sf actweseeanot herpar
all
eltoLuke1andMar y.ForLuke
1:
57tell
sust hatafterMaryst
ay edwithEli
zabeth,
theLordbl
essedherandher
housewiththebirthofachil
d,Johnt heBapti
st.

Davi
dsetoutt ofetchtheArkfrom ThisoccurredwhenMar y(t
heArk)
Judah wentt oJudah
2Samuel 6:
2“ThenDav i
dandal lt
he Luke1: 39-40“DuringthosedaysMary
peoplewhower ewithhim setoutfor setoutandt r
av el
edt othehi
l
lcountr
y
BaalaofJudaht obri
ngupf rom i
nhastet oat ownofJudah, where
therethearkofGod, whi
chbear sthe sheenteredthehouseofZechar i
ah
nameoft heLordofhostsent hr
oned andgr eetedElizabeth.”
abovet hecherubim.”

Aswer eadhere,t
hesei
ncredi
bleparal
lel
soccur
redwhenDav i
dsetoutf
orthe
hil
lcount
ryofJudahtofet
chtheAr k(2Samuel6:
2),
andwhenMar y,t
heArkof
theNewCov enant,
wenttothehil
lcountr
yofJudah(Luke1:
39).

TheBookofRev elat
ion(Apocalypse)alsoindicatesthatMaryistheArkofthe
NewCov enant
Revelati
on11: 19, 12:1“Andthetempl eofGodwasopenedi nheaven,and
ther
ewasseeni nhistemplethear kofhi stestament:andtherewere
li
ghtnings,andv oices,andthunderings,andanear thquake,
andgr eathai
l.
[12:
1]Andt her eappear edagreatwonderi nheav en;awomancl othedwith
thesun, andt hemoonunderherf eet,anduponherheadacr ownoft wel
ve
star
s.”

TheBi
blewasnotwr
it
tenwi
thanychapt
ersorv
ersesi
ndi
cat
ed.I
twasn’
tunt
il
the12t hcent urythattheBiblewasdi vi
dedi nt
ochapt ersandv erses.Theref
ore,
theaut horofRev el
ati
on,St.Johnt heApostle,wrotewhatbegi nschapt er12in
onecont inuousst r
eam immedi atelyafterwhatendschapt er11.Attheendof
chapter11, wer eadt hattheAr kofJesus’ testament /
cov enantwasseeni n
Heav en.Thev erynextverseisRev el
ati
on12: 1.Therefore,thewordswhi ch
endchapt er11f l
owi mmedi atelyintothewor dswhi chbegi nchapter12,
withoutanydi vi
sion.

Thatmeanst hattheappearanceoft heAr kofJesus’ cov

enantatthever y
endofchapt er11–“ thearkofhi stestamentwasseeni nhistemple”(Rev.
11:19)–isimmedi at
elyexplai
nedbyt hev isionof“thewoman”clothedwi t
h
thesunwhichbegi nschaptertwelve,thever ynextverse(
Rev.12:
1).Thi
s
i
ndicatest
hat“ thewoman”cl othedwi t
hthesun, whoboretheDivi
nePer sonin
herwomb( theVi r
ginMar y)
,istheArkoft heNewTest ament.

TheArkcont ai
nedt hemannaf rom t
he Mar ycont ai
nedthemannaf rom
desert Heaven,Jesus
Hebrews9: 4“…t hearkofthe John6: 48- 51“Iam thatbreadofl if
e.
covenantoverlaidroundaboutwith Yourf ather sdideatmannai nt he
gold,wherei
nwast hegoldenpot wilderness, andaredead.Thi sisthe
thathadmanna, andAaron'srodthat breadwhi chcomet hdownf r
om
budded,andt hetablesofthe heav en,thatamanmayeatt her eof,
covenant.
” andnotdi e.Iam thelivi
ngbr ead
whi chcamedownf rom heaven…and
thebr eadt hatIwil
lgiveismyf lesh,
whi chIwi llgi
veforthelif
eoft he
wor ld.
”

Therecanbenodoubtt hatthemannai nt hedesert(Exodus16)pr ef

igur
ed
Jesusast heBr eadofLife.Jesusmakesaconnect ionbetweent hetwoin
Johnchapt er6.Hemakesr eferencetothemannai nthedesert,andthensays
thatHi
sf leshisthetruemannaf rom Heaven.Well,t
hemannaf r
om t hedesert
wasplacedi nsidetheAr koftheOl dCovenant.Thatprefi
guresJesusChr ist
Himself(thetruemannaoft heNewTest ament)beingcontainedwi t
hinMary,
theMot herofJesus.

I
nHebrews9:4,weal hatt
soseet herodofAar onwasplacedwithi
ntheArkof
t
heOldCovenant.I
nNumbers17,wer eadthatthisr
odbuddedtoprovethe
t
ruehi
gh-pr
iest
.TherodofAaronthussigni
fi
edt het
ruehi
gh-pr
iest
.Int
heNew
Test
ament
,Jesusi
sdescr
ibedast
het
ruehi
gh-
pri
est
.

Hebrews3:
1“Wher
efore,
holybr
ethren,par
taker
softheheav
enlycal
li
ng,
consi
dert
heApost
leandHighPriestofourconfessi
on,
Chri
stJesus.
”

AlsoseeHebrews6:20,Hebrews9: 11,
andotherpassagesformoreprooft
hat
Jesusisthet
ruehigh-pr
iest
.Theinescapabl
econclusionist
hatAaron’
srod
beingpl
acedwithi
ntheAr kpref
iguredJesusChri
st,t
het r
uehigh-
pri
est
,bei
ng
contai
nedwit
hinMar y(t
heAr koftheNewCov enant)
.

Thereisabsol
utel
ynodoubtthattheNewTestamenti
ndi
cat
est
hatMar
yis
theArkoftheNewCovenant.Thisevi
dencei
sundeni
abl
e.

SI
NCEMARYISTHEARKOFTHENEW COVENANT,
THATMEANSTHATSHE
I
STHEMOSTSACREDTHI
NGONEARTHOUTSIDEOFJESUSCHRI
ST

TheAr koft
heCov enantwastheholi
estthi
ngonEarthout
sideofthepr
esence
ofGodHi mself
.TheAr kwascont
ainedinthetaber
nacl
e,wi
thint
heholyof
hol
ies.TheArk’
spresenceiswhatmadet heholyofhol
i
essosacred.

2Chroni
cles(
or2Paral
i
pomenon)35:
3“Putthehol
yarkint
hehouse
whi
chSolomonthesonofDavi
dkingofI
sraeldi
dbui
ld.
”

TheArkwassoholythatwhent
hepeopl
eofGodf
oll
owedi
ttheyhadt
okeep
arespect
ful
dist
ance.

Josue3:3-
5“ Wheny oushallseethearkofthecovenantoftheLor dy our
God,andthepriestsoftheraceofLev icar
ryi
ngit,
riseyouupal so,and
fol
lowthem astheygobef ore:Andletther
ebebetweeny ouandt hear k
thespaceoftwot housandcubits:
thatyoumayseei taf
aroff,andknow
whichwayy oumustgo: foryouhavenotgonet hi
swaybef or
e: andtake
careyoucomenotneart heark.
”

Peopl
ewhounl
awf
ull
ytouchedt
heAr
kwer
eki
l
led.

2Samuel 6:
6-7“
Ozaputf or
thhishandt othearkofGod, andtookholdof
i
t:becausetheoxenkickedandmadei tl
eanaside.Andtheindignat
ionof
theLordwasenkindl
edagai nstOza,andhestruckhimforhisrashness:
andhedi edther
ebeforethear kofGod.”
ThemenofBet
hshemeshwer
eki
l
ledbecauset
heyhaddar
edt
olooki
ntot
he
Ark.

1Samuel 6:
19“AndhesmotethemenofBethshemesh,becausethey
hadlookedint
othearkoft
heLord,
evenhesmoteofthepeoplefi
fty
thousandandthr
eescor
eandt
enmen...
”

WeseehowsacredGodconsi
deredtheobj
ectwhi
chwast
ocomei
ntocl
ose
cont
actwi
thHi
sspir
it
ualpr
esence.

SI
NCEMARYI
STHENEW ARK,SHEHADTOBEHOLYANDCREATED
WITHOUTSI
N

Godgavethemostpr
eci
sespeci
fi
cat
ionsfort
heconst
ruct
ionoft
heAr
k.He
or
deredt
hatitbemadewit
hthemostpuregol
d.

Exodus25: 10-13,24“Andt heyshal lmakeanar kofset im wood: two

cubitsandahal fshal l
bet helengtht hereof
, andacubi tandahal fthe
breadththereof,andacubi tandahal fthehei ghtthereof .Andt houshal t
overlayi
twi thpur egold,wit
hinandwi thoutshal tt
houov er
layit,and
shaltmakeuponi tacr ownofgol dr oundabout .Andt houshal tcastfour
ri
ngsofgol df ori
t ,
andputt hem int hefourcor nersther eof;andt worings
shallbeintheonesi deofit,andtwor i
ngsint heot hersideofi t
.Andt hou
shaltmakest avesofset im wood, andov er
layt hem wi thgol d…”

I
t’
sint
erest
ingt
hattheArknotonl
yhadt
obeover
lai
dwithgoldall
around,
but
t
herei
saspecifi
crefer
encetoi
thavi
nga“cr
ownofgol
dr oundabout.
”

TheAr koftheOldCovenanthada TheVirgi

nMar y(theNewAr k)also
gol
dcrown hasacr own
Exodus25:11“Andthou…shaltmake Apocaly
pse12:1“Andt her
eappeared
uponitacrownofgoldroundabout.
”agr eatwonderinheav en;awoman
cl
othedwiththesun, andthemoon
underherf
eet,anduponherheada
crownoftwelvestars.”

TheArkoftheOl
dCovenanthadtobeperfectandholybecauseitwasthe
seatofGod’
suni
quespi
ri
tualpr
esence.God’shol
inesscouldnotbetar
nished
bycont
actwit
hthatwhi
chhaddefects.Li
kewiseandtoagreat
erdegr
ee,
the
Vi
rginMar
y,asthenewArkandbearerofJesusChri
st,hadt
obecreat
ed
wit
houtsi
nandinastat
eofperf
ecti
on.

Shedidnotmer el
ycontainthespir
itualpresenceofGod, butJesusChri
st(God
Himself
).Shedidnotmer elycont
ainthewr it
tenwordofGod, buttheWor
dof
Godmadef lesh(John1:1).Consequently,Marymustbeper fect.Shemustbe
fr
eefrom al
lsin.Shemustbeanev er-v
irgi
nandunt ouchedbyman.

I
ft heAr koft
heOl dCov enant,
whichcontainedthewrit
tentabl
esoftheLaw
andwasov ershadowedbyt hespiri
tualpr
esenceofGod, hadtobeov er
lai
d
witht hemostpur egoldandhadtobeconst r
uctedaccordi
ngtothemost
precisespecifi
cati
onsofGod, howmuchgr eateri
sGod’sconstr
ucti
onofMar y,
theAr koftheNewCov enant?Thefulfi
l
lmentisgreat
erthanthetype.Mary,t
he
Arkoft heNewCov enant,mustbeandi sgreatert
hantheArkoftheOl d
Cov enant.

Justli
ketheArkoftheOldCovenant,Marymustalsohavetr
emendouspower
overtheDevil
andGod’senemies.Shemusthav eauniquepowerof
i
ntercessi
onwithGod,i
nbringi
ngdownHi sblessi
ngsandinaidi
ngt
hepeople
ofGod, j
ustastheArkoft
heOldCov enantdi
d.

JUSTLI
KETHEARKOFTHEOLDCOVENANT,MARYHASAUNI QUEPOWER
OFINTERCESSION;
SHEHASAWESOMEPOWEROVERGOD’SENEMIES,
OVER
THEDEVI
LANDINAI
DINGTHEPEOPLEOFGOD

TheArkoftheOldCovenanthadawe-st
ri
ki
ngpower.Whenitwastakenbyt
he
Phi
li
sti
nes,
extr
aordi
narythi
ngshappenedtot
hem andtot
heirf
alsegod,
Dagon.

1Samuel 5:
1-5“Andt hePhi li
sti
nestookt hear kofGod, andcarriedit
from theSt oneofhel pint oAzotus.Andt hePhi l
i
stinestookthear kof
God, andbr oughtitintot hetempleofDagon, andseti tbyDagon.And
whent heAz oti
ansar oseear l
yt henextday, beholdDagonl ayuponhi s
faceont hegroundbef orethear koftheLor d:andt heytookDagon, and
sethim agai ninhispl ace.Andt henextdayagai n,whent heyrosei nthe
mor ning,theyfoundDagonl yi
nguponhi sfaceont heeart
hbef orethe
arkoft heLor d:andt heheadofDagon, andbot ht hepalmsofhi shands
werecutof fupont het hreshold:Andonlyt hestumpofDagonr emai ned
 i
nitspl
ace.Fort
hiscauseneit
herthepr
iest
sofDagon,
noranyt
hatgo
i
ntothet
empl et
readonthethreshol
dofDagoni
nAzotusunt
othi
sday.
”

ThePhili
sti
nesbegant
obedestr
oyedforhavi
ngt
akentheAr
k.Thi
spr
ompt
ed
them t
oreturnt
heArktot
hei
renemies,t
heIsr
ael
i
tes.

1Samuel 5:
7“AndthemenofAz ot
usseei
ngthi
skindofplague,sai
d:The
arkoftheGodofIsraelshal
lnotst
aywithus:f
orhishandisheavyupon
us,anduponDagonourgod.”

TheAr
kst
ruckmor
tal
ter
rori
ntot
hef
aceofGod’
senemi
es.

1Samuel 5:
10“AndwhenthearkofGodwascomeint
oAccaron,
the
Accaroni
tescri
edout
,say
ing:Theyhavebr
oughtt
hearkoft
heGodof
I
sraeltous,t
okill
usandourpeople.
”

Thewat
ersoft
heJor
danwer
emi
racul
ousl
ydr
iedupbyt
heAr
k.

Josue3: 13-
14“[Andt heLordsaidtoJosue]:Andwhent hepr i
ests,t
hat
carrythear koftheLor dtheGodoft hewholeearth,
shallsetthesolesof
thei
rfeeti nthewat ersoftheJordan,thewater
sthatarebeneat hshall
rundownandgoof f:
andt hosethatcomefrom above,shallstand
togetheruponaheap.Sot hepeoplewentoutoftheirt
ent s,t
opassov er
theJor dan:andt hepriest
sthatcarri
edthearkofthecov enantwenton
beforet hem...
”

Mary,theNewAr k,
hasthispowerandevenmor e;f
ort
heful
fil
l
menti
sgreat
er
thanthety
pe,andtheNewTest amenti
sgr eat
erthant
heOld.Wemustnow
covermorebi
blicalev
idenceforCat
hol
icteachi
ngsonMary.

THEEARTHFROM WHICHADAM WASCREATEDI

SATYPEOFMARYAND
HERPRESERVATI
ONFROM SIN(HERI
MMACULATECONCEPTI
ON)

We’
veest
abl
ishedthatJesusChr
isti
sthenewAdam.Adam wasf
ormedf
rom
t
heEar
thorground.

Genesi
s2:7“AndtheLor
dGodf or
medmanoft hedustofthegr
ound
[adamah]
,andbreat
hedi
ntohi
snostr
il
sthebr
eathofli
fe;
andman
becamealivi
ngsoul
.”
TheHebrewwor dfor“gr
ound”isAdamah.I
t’
safemi
ninenoun.Adam isso
namedbecausehecamef r
om theAdamah;hi
snamemeanssonoft he
ground,
sonoftheAdamah.( Thi
spointwasmadebyGerr
yMat at
ics,
Bibl
ical
Foundati
onsI
nternat
ional
,Dunmore,PA.
)

Thispoi
ntcouldbedev el
oped,buti
t’
scleart
hat
, onacertainlevel
,theEarth
fr
om whichAdam wascr eatedisatypeofMary
.Thef i
rstAdam wascr eat
ed
byGodfrom theground,andthesecondAdam (JesusChr i
st)tookfleshfr
om
Mary,Hi
smot her
.Sot hequesti
onis:whatwasthestateoft heEarthwheni t
wascreated?

Genesis1:31“AndGodsawever
ythi
ngthathehadmade,and,behol
d,i
t
wasv erygood.Andt
heeveni
ngandthemorningwer
ethesixt
hday.”

TheEar
thfrom whicht
hefi
rstAdam wasfor
med–andi ndeedtheent
ir
etyof
God’
screati
onbeforet
hefal
l–wascompl et
elyuncur
sed,unf
all
enand
per
fect
.Sinandcursehadnoplacei
nit.

Mary,whogivesbi
rt
ht othesecondandgr
eaterAdam (JesusChri
st)
,must
l
ikewi
sebecompl et
elyuncursed,
unfal
l
enandperfect
.Shemustbepr eser
ved
f
rom all
stai
nofsinandfr om t
hecur
seofori
ginal
sin.That’
scal
ledthe
I
mmacul at
eConception.

ONLYMARYANDHERSINLESSNESSCOMPLETELYFULFI
LLWHATIS
PREDI
CTEDI
NGENESI
S3:15–“IWILLPUTENMI
TYBETWEENTHEE[THE
SERPENT]ANDTHEWOMAN…”

Shor
tl
yaf
tert
hef
all
ofAdam andEv
e,Godmakest
hispr
ophecy
.

Genesis3:14-15“Andt heLordGodsaiduntotheserpent,
Becausethou
hastdonet his,t
houar tcur
sedaboveall
catt
le,andaboveeverybeastof
thefi
eld;upont hybell
yshaltt
hougo,anddustshaltthoueatal
lthedays
ofthyli
fe:AndIwi llputenmit
ybetweentheeandt hewoman, and
betweent hyseedandherseed; sheshal
lcr
usht hyheadandthoushalt
l
ieinwaitf orherheel.
”2

Pr
otest
antt
ransl
ati
onsoft
hepassagear
esl
i
ght
lydi
ff
erent
:“AndIwi
l
lput
Godsay st hatt
herewi ll
beenmi ty–host il
i
ty,divi
sion,opposit
ion–bet ween
theDeviland“ t
hewoman. ”Inthesamecont extwer eadoft heseedoft he
woman, andt hevictorywhichwillbegr ant
edt hroughthewomanandherseed.
IntheBible,aman’ schildr
enanddescendant sar espokenofashi sseed.The
seedoft hewoman, theref
ore,i
ssomet hi
nguni que.Itref
erstoachi l
dwhichis
producedbyawomanal one.Thi
sobv i
ouslyreferstothev i
rgi
nalconcepti
on
andbirthfrom thewomboft heBl essedVirginMar y,Jesus’mother.The“seed”
ofthewomanr eferstoJesusChr ist.

Theref
ore,thewomanher ei
nident
if
iedashavingopposit
ionorenmi
tywi
th
theserpentiscl
earl
yMar y,
themotherofJesusChri
st.ThewomanisnotEve,
whogav eintotheserpent
.Iti
sMary.

Godsay sthatHewillputenmityoropposi
tionbetweent heser pentandthe
woman.Asar esul
t,Marymustbecompl etelypreservedfrom sin.Forwhen
onesins,onedoesnothav eopposit
iont
otheDev i
l
,butrathergivesintothe
Devi
l.Theonlywaythewomancoul dhavecompl eteanddef i
nit
iveoppositi
on
tot
heser penti
sbypr eser
vati
onfrom si
nandf r
om t hesinofAdam.

ThefactthatMaryi
sthis“woman, ”andtherefor
ecompl et
elyfreefrom the
dominati
onofsinandtheDev i
l,i
st hereasonthatJesuscallsMary“ woman”
thr
oughouttheNewTest ament.Jesusnev ercal
lsHismot heranythingbut
“woman.”Manynon-Catholi
csthinkthiswasJesus’ wayofbelitt
li
ngHi s
motheranddownplayi
ngherr ol
e; onthecontrar
y,Jesuswasi dentifyi
ngMary
asthe“woman”ofGenesi s3:15.

Genesi
s3:15“ AndIwil
lputenmit
ybetweentheeandthewoman,
and
bet
weent hyseedandherseed;sheshal
lcr
ushthyheadandt
houshal
t
l
ieinwaitforherheel
.
”

enmi t
ybet weentheeandt hewoman, andbet weenthyseedandherseed; i
tshall
bruisethyhead,andt houshal tbrui
sehi sheel ”(1611KingJamesVer sion).The
ProtestantBibl
esrendert hefinalpar tofthepassageast heseedoft hewomanwi l
l
crushtheheadoft heserpent,wher east hetr aditi
onalCatholicversi
onshav eitas
“she”(thewoman)wi l
lcrusht heser pent’shead.Anambi guityintheHebr ewt ext
s
makest hi
sissueamat terofschol arlydebat e.Manyoft heanci entfathers,however,
agreewi ththetr
aditi
onal Catholi
crender ingof“ she.
”Regar dless,evenifonewer eto
grant,f
ort hesakeofar gument ,t
het ranslationwhi chispr eferr
edbyPr ot
estants,t
he
pointaboutMar ybeingt hedef i
nit
ive“ woman”i noppositiont otheser pentremains
perfect
lyintact
;forProtestantstransl at
et hef i
rstpartj
ustasCat holi
csdo.
 John2: 3-
5“ Andthewinef ai
l
ing,
themot herofJesussait
ht ohim:
They
havenowi ne.AndJesussaithtoher:Woman, whatisthattomeandto
thee?Myhouri snotyetcome.Hismot hersai
thtothewaiters:
What soeverheshallsaytoyou,doye.”

Somesuper fi
cialreadingsofJohn2: 3-5hav elef tpeoplewitht hei mpr ession
thatJesusi srebukingHi smot herattheweddi ngofCana.Howev er,itactual
ly
revealsthepowerofMar y’
sintercessi
onwi thJesus.Jesussai dt hatHi shour
hadnoty etcome; inotherwor ds,i
twasnoty ett hetimef orHi mt or evealHis
miraculouspower s.ItwasHi sdesigntowai tlonger .Nevertheless, atthe
urgingofHi smot her,whohadcompassi onont henewl ymar riedcoupl e,
Jesuswor kedthemi racleanyway .Hewor kedt hi s(Hisfi
rst)mi racleatt he
urgingofHi smot her,ev enthoughHi shour“ hadnoty etcome. ”Thi sisan
excell
entexampl eofhowgr acesar eobtainedf r
om Jesust hroughMar y–
graceswhi chHemi ghtnotot herwisebeinclinedt ogi
v e.

Manynon- Catholi
csal soobjectthatifMar yi
ssocr ucial,
whywoul dJesus
all
owt heGospel writerstoperhapsgi v
et hei mpressi onthatHewasbel i
ttl
i
ng
theplaceofHi smot her?Theycont endt hatcertai
nv ersesgivethatimpression,
ordon’tdomucht odi spelt
hatnot i
on.Theansweri st hatGoddoesnotcast
pearlsbeforeswine( Matthew7: 6)
.Heof tensli
ghtlyconceal sHist r
uths,or
putsthem justundert hesurface,sothatsuper fi
cial effor
tsorinsincerepeople
wil
l passoverthem orbel eftwiththewr ongi mpressi on.Howev er,thosewho
aremor epatientanddi gdeeper–orwhosi mplytrustt heChurchwhi chJesus
establi
shed–wi llf
indt hegem andt het ruemeani ng.

Luke8:8-
10“Hethathathearstohear,l
ethim hear.Andhisdi
scipl
es
askedhim whatt
hisparabl
emightbe.Towhom hesai d:Toyouiti
s
giv
entoknowt hemy ster
yofthekingdom ofGod; buttotheresti
n
parabl
es,t
hatseeingtheymaynotsee, andhearingmaynotunder st
and.
”

Thisi
ssov er yt
rueinthecaseoft heBible’
steachingonMar y’
sprofoundrol
e.
Superfi
cialreadingsandi nsincereeff
ortswillkeeppeoplebl
indtoit
.Butit’
s
ther
einScr ipture.Maryist henewEv eandt hewomanofGenesi s3:15,aswe
haveseen.Shei salsotheAr koft heNewCov enantandmuchmor e, aswewil
l
see.I
t’sallthereinthebiblicalty
pologyandi nmanypassagesmor edeeply
understood; butsomanyr emainobl i
vi
oust oit.Seei
ngtheyseenot,and
heari
ngt heyhearnot .Hav i
ngf ai
ledtotrusttheoneChur chwhichChr i
st
establ
ished,t
heyhavesadlyacquir
edonl
yashal
l
owandmi
sgui
ded
understandi
ngoftheBibl
e’
st eachi
ng.

John19: 26“WhenJesusthereforehadseenhismotherandthedi
sci
ple
standi
ngwhom hel oved,
hesai thtohi
smot her
:Woman, behol
dthyson.
Afterthat,
hesait
htothediscipl
e:Behol
dthymot her
.Andfrom t
hathour,
thediscipl
e[John]t
ookhert ohisown.”

Thoughotherwomenwer eatthefootoft
hecr oss,Jesussi
ngl
esoutHis
mother
.Jesusagaincall
shernothi
ngotherthan“ woman”becausesheisthe
womanofGenesi s3:
15:theoneincompleteoppositi
ontotheserpent
.Jesus
al
socall
sforSt.JohntotakeHismotherforhisown.

MARY’
SSOULMAGNI
FIESTHELORD,ANDTHEALMI
GHTYHATHDONE
GREATTHINGSTOHER

I
nLuke1,weseeagl
i
mpseoft
heuni
quepr
ivi
l
egest
hatGodhasbest
owed
uponMar
y.

Luke1:46-50“AndMar ysaid:Mysoul dothmagni fytheLord.Andmy

spi
ri
thathr ej
oicedinGodmySav iour.Becausehehat hr
egardedthe
humil
it
yofhi shandmai d;forbeholdfrom henceforthallgener
ati
ons
shal
lcallmebl essed.Becausehet hatismi ghty
, hathdonegreatthi
ngs
tome;andhol yishisname.Andhi smer cyisfr
om gener ati
onunto
gener
ations,t
ot hem thatfearhi
m. ”

TheBi blesay sthatMar y’

ssoul magni fi
estheLord;i
tdoesn’tdiminishHi m.
Mar ydoesn’tdet r
actf r
om Jesus, butleadspeopletoJesus.TheAr koft heOld
Cov enantsignif
iedGod’ spowerandpr esence.Wheni twasintheirpr esence,i
t
sti
rredt hem todev oti
on,toconfidence, andt
oloveoft heAlmighty.Inasi mil
ar,
buty etgreaterway ,Mary,thenewAr k,dir
ect
sandcent ersuspower f
ully
aroundJesusChr i
st.Ever
ythingMar yhasandev erythi
ngMar yiscomesf r
om
beingt hemot herofJesusChr i
st.Hedi dgreatt
hingstoherbypr eser vi
ngher
fr
om si n.

Oneshoul dal
somakeaspeci alnot
eofLuke1: 48,i
nwhi chMaryprophesi
es
that“al
lgenerat
ionsshal
lcal
l”her“
blessed.
”Thisisaprophecyaboutthe
Catholi
cprayertheHailMary
.Forgenerati
onsCathol
icshaveprayed:“Hai
l
Mar y
, f
ull
ofgrace,t
heLordiswitht
hee, bl
essedartthouamongwomen, and
bl
essedist
hefr
uitofthywomb,Jesus.HolyMary
,mot
herofGod,
prayf
orus
si
nnersnowandatthehourofourdeath.Amen.
”

THEBI
BLESAYSTHATMARYI
S“FULLOFGRACE,
”WHI
CHMEANSWI
THOUT
SI
N

Luke1:27-31“…andt hevir
gin'snamewasMar y.Andtheangel being
comei n,saidunt oher:Hail
,fullofgrace,theLordiswiththee:blessed
artt
houamongwomen.Whohav i
nghear d,wastroubl
edathissay ing,
andthoughtwi thinhersel
fwhatmannerofsal utati
onthisshouldbe.And
theangel sai
dt oher:Fearnot,Mar y,
forthouhastf oundgracewi thGod.
Beholdthoushal tconceiv
eint hywomb, andshaltbri
ngf or
thason; and
thoushaltcallhisnameJesus. ”

Moder nPr otestantBibl

esdonott ransl
ateLuke1: 28as“ Hail
,full
ofgr ace.
”
Theyhav e: Rej
“ oicehighlyfavor
eddaught er”orsomet hingsimi l
ar.The
Protestanttranslati
onsarewr ong.Thereareanumberofsi mpl eway stoshow
thattheyar ewr ong.Thewor dintheorigi
nal Gr skechar
eeki i
tomene.Thi s
wordi sdir
ect l
yconcer nedwiththeideaof“ grace.
”Gr eekschol ar
spoi ntout
thatkechar i
tomenecomesf r
om therootwor dcharis,whi chhasal it
eral
meani ngof“ grace.”Outofabout150appear ances,theKi ngJames( a
ProtestantBible)transl
ateschari
sas“ grace”129t i
mes.

I
t’salsoextremelyimpor tantt onotet hatearlyProtest
antt
ranslati
onshad
Luke1:28as“ ful
lofgr ace”ort heequi valent.FamousPr ot
estantWi ll
i
am
Tyndale(1494-1536)isconsi deredtobeaher oamongsomePr otestant s.His
versi
onoft heBiblewast ranslatedintoear l
ymoder nEngli
sharound1525.
Tyndaletransl
atedLuke1: 28as: “
Hay lefullofgraceyeLordeiswi thy e:
blessedar t
ethouamongewemen. ”
(htt
p://
wesl ey
.nnu.edu/biblical_
studies/tyndale/)TheEngli
shPr otestant
ThomasCr anmer(1489- 1556)al sor enderedt hepassageas“fullofgr ace.”

St.Jerome( A.D.347- 420)wast hebibl

i
cal scholaroftheanci entChurch.Even
theProt estantt r
ansl atorsoft he1611Ki ngJamesBi blecall
edSt .Jerome“ a
mostlear nedf ather ,andt hebestl i
ngui
stwi thoutcont r
oversy,ofhisage,orof
anythatwentbef orehi m”( From theTransl ators’Prefacetothe1611KJV) .St.
Jeromet ranslated“ kechar i
tomene”as“ gr atiaeplena”meani ng“ f
ullofgrace
whicht houhastr ecei ved”intheLat i
nVul gat e.“
Gr ace”wasal soacceptedas
thepropert r
ansl ationi ntheRhei msNewTest amenti n1582.
TheWordPict
uresoftheNewTest
ament,bythefamousPr
otest
antGr
eek
schol
arA.
T.Robert
son,say
sthi
saboutLuke1:28:

“Highl
yfavoured(kecar
itwmenh) .Perfectpassiveparti
cipl
eofcarit
ow
andmeansendowedwi t
hgr ace( car
iß),enri
chedwithgraceasin
Ephesians1:6…TheVul gategr ati
aeplenai sri
ght,i
fitmeans‘ f
ullof
gracewhicht houhastreceived’;wrong,ifi
tmeans‘ f
ullofgracewhich
thouhasttobestow.’”(
Rober tson,WordPi ctur
esoftheNewTest ament,
Luke1:28.)

IfMaryis“ ful
lofgrace,”t
hatinitselfstr
ongl
ysuggeststhatsheiswithoutsi
n.
Forgracei sinoppositi
ontosi n.Theangel i
snotsay i
ngthatMarywillbecome
ful
lofgr ace,butthathehasencount er
edMar yalr
eadyinthatst
ate.Shewas
conceivedint hatstat
e.Mor eover,Maryispronounced“bl
essedamong
women”becauseherposi t
ionisuni que.

MARYWASAPERPETUALVI
RGI
N

We’veseent hatMar yi
st henewEv eandt heAr koft heNewCov enant .Now
wemustl ookatt hebibli
cal ev i
dencef orMar y
’sper petual vir
ginity.Most
Protestant sofourdayr ejectt heper petual vi
rginit
yofMar y;t
heyt hi nki t
contradictstheBi ble.Manyoft hem wi l
lbeshockedt of i
ndoutt hatt hef i
rst
Protestant s,i
ncludingMar t
inLut her
, JohnCal v i
n,Hul drychZwi ngli and
othersal lbeli
ev edintheper petualvirginit
yofMar y.Thei deat hatMar y
ceasedt obeav ir
ginandhadot herchi l
drenbesi desJesuswasi nv ent edmany
generationsaf tertheoriginal Protestant“reformat i
on.”Thus, thePr ot estant
positi
onont hismat ternotonl ycontradictsanci entCat holictradit
ionandt he
Bibl
e( aswewi llsee),butthei rownPr otestant“tradit
ion.”

MATTHEW 1:
25DOESNOTDI
SPROVEMARY’
SPERPETUALVI
RGI
NITY

Thef
ir
stthi
ngthatPr
otest
ant
susual
l
yquot
eagai
nstMar
y’sper
pet
ual
vir
gini
ty
i
sMatthew1:25.

Mat t
hew1:24-
25“ ThenJosephbeingrai
sedfrom sl
eepdi dastheangel
oftheLordhadbiddenhim,andtookuntohim hi
swi f
e: Andknewhernot
ti
llshehadbroughtfort
hherfir
stbornson:andhecalledhisname
Jesus.”
AccordingtoPr otestants,
thisprovest hatMaryceasedt obeav i
rginafterthe
bi
rthofJesus.Thi si squit
ewr ong.TheGr eekwordfor“until
”or“ til
l”(heos)
doesnoti mpl yt
hatJosephhadmar i
talrel
ati
onswi t
hMar yaf terthebi r
thof
JesusChr i
st.Itsimpl ymeanst hattheyhadnor el
ati
onsupt ot hatpoi nt,
withoutsayingany thingaboutwhathappenedaf t
erthatpoint.Thisi sproven
belowbymanypassages.Weshoul dal sobearinmindt hattheBi blewas
writt
ensev eralt
housandy ear
sago.I twaswr i
tt
enatat imeandi nlanguages
whichdon’texpr essandi mplythingst hesamewayt hattheywoul dbe
expressedandi mpl iedinmoder nEngl i
sh.

Forinst
ance,i
n2Samuel 6:
23(2Kings6:23intheDouay -
RheimsCatholi
c
Bibl
e),wereadthatGodcursedMichal
,Dav i
d’swif
e.Hecur sedherbecause
shemockedDav i
dforthemannerinwhichher ej
oicedbeforetheAr
koft he
Covenant.Asaresult
,Michalhadnochi
ldren“unti
l”thedayofherdeath.

2Samuel
6:23“Therefor
eMi
chalt
hedaught
erofSaul
hadnochi
ldunt
il
t
hedayofherdeath.”

Doest hi
smeant hatMi chalst
artedhavingchi
ldrenafterherdeath?Obviousl
y
i
tdoesnot .Thi
sv er
sedemonst r
atesthatwhenScr ipt
uredescr i
bes
somet hi
ngasbeingt rue“unti
l”or“before”acertai
npoi nt
,itdoesn’
t
necessari
lymeant hatitceasedt obetrueafterthatpoint
.Her earenumerous
otherexamplesofthis:

Hebrews1:
13“Butt
owhichoftheangelssaidheatanyt
ime,
Sitonmy
r
ighthand,
unt
ilImaket
hineenemiesthyfootst
ool
?”

ThisreferstotheSonofGod.Doesthi
smeant hatHewil
lceasetositatt
he
ri
ghthandoft heFatheraf
terGod’
senemiesaremadeHisfootst
ool?
Obviouslyitdoesnot.Hewil
lremai
nattheri
ghthandofGodtheFather.

1Timothy4:
13“
Til
lIcome,
giv
eat
tendancet
oreadi
ng,
toexhor
tat
ion,
to
doct
ri
ne.”

Doesthi
smeant hatt
heyshoul
dabandonr
eadi
nganddoct
ri
neaf
terhecomes?
Obvi
ousl
yitdoesnot.

Act
s23:
1“AndPaul
,ear
nest
lybehol
dingt
hecounci
l
,sai
d,Menand
 br
ethr
en,
Ihav
eli
vedi
nal
lgoodconsci
encebef
oreGodunt
ilt
hisday
.”

Doest hi
smeanthatPaulnecessar
il
yceasedt
ohav
eagoodconsci
enceaf
ter
thatday?Obv
iousl
yitdoesnot.

Thepr
eposi
ti
on“
bef
ore”canbeusedt
hesameway
.

John4:
49“
Comedownbef
oremychi
l
ddi
es.
”

Her eweseet hattheword“ bef

or e”canbeusedi nasimil
armannert ot
he
wor d“unti
l.
”Thischil
ddidnotdi e;Jesushealedhim(John4:50).Thus,
the
statementinMat t
hew1: 18,whichi squot
edbelow,thatMarywaswi thchi
ld
“before”sheandJosephcamet ogether
,doesn’tmeanthattheycametogether
aftershewaswi thchil
d.Itsimplymeanst hatshewaspr egnantwit
houtany
sexual cont
act.

Matthew1:18“Nowthegener
ati
onofChristwasinthi
swi
se.Whenashis
motherMarywasespousedtoJoseph,
bef or
etheycamet
ogether
,she
wasf oundwi
thchi
ld,oft
heHolyGhost
.”

It
’squi t
ecertain,t
heref
or e,t
hatMat thew1:25andMat thew1:18donot
contradictMar y’
sperpetualvir
ginit
yinanyway .Prot
estantscannot
l
egitimatelyclaimthatthesepassagesconst it
uteproofthatMaryceasedt
obe
av i
rgin.Thesepassagesdonotpr oveherperpetualv
irgi
nit
y,ei
ther
.Her
perpetualvir
ginit
yisprov enbyot herthi
ngsintheBibl
e.

WHATABOUTTHE“
FIRSTBORN”SON–DOESN’
TTHATI
MPLYOTHER
CHILDREN?

Luke2:7“
Andshebroughtfor
thherf
ir
stbor
nson;andshewrappedhi
m
i
nswaddli
ngcl
othes,andlai
dhiminamanger,
becausether
ewasno
room f
ort
hem i
ntheinn.
”

Matt
hew1:
25“Andknewhernotti
l
lshehadbr
oughtf
ort
hherf
ir
stbor
n
son:
andhecal
l
edhisnameJesus.”

“
Fir
stbor
nson”i
salegalt
it
legi
vent
oaf i
rst
-bor
nmalechi
ldinaJewi
shf
ami
l
y:
i
notherwor
ds,i
tisgi
ventoamalechi
l
dwhoi salsot
hefi
rstchi
l
d.
Godspecificallycommandedt heIsraelit
est osanct if
y(i.
e.,setapart)thei
rfirst
-bor
nsonsf oraspeci alconsecr at
ionandser vicetoGod.Thet itl
e“fi
rst-
born
son”heldaddi tional i
mpor tancebecausei tentitl
edt hatchil
dt oadoubl e
porti
onofthei nher i
tance(Deut .21:17).Thist i
tleof“ f
ir
st-bornson”wasgi ven
tothechil
dr egar dlessofwhet hert hewomanhadanyot herchi l
drenaf t
er
him.Asanexampl e:“wecanseet hisf r
om aGr eekt ombi nscri
ptionatTel el
Yaoudieh(cf .“Bibli
ca”11, 1930369- 90)foramot herwhodi edinchildbi
rth:‘
In
thepainofdel iveringmyf irstbornchi l
d,destinybr oughtmet otheendofl if
e.’”
(Quotedin“Br other sandSi ster
sofJesus, ”byWi l
l
iam Most )

InExodus13and34, wereadaboutGod’spr
escri
pti
onthatt hefi
rst
-bornbe
consecratedt oHim.Ther
ewasacer emonyfort
he“sancti
ficati
onoft he
fi
rst
born”( Exodus13and34:20).I
t’
snotasi
ftheypostponedt heceremony
fort
he“f i
rst-bor
nson”unti
laf
terthewomanhadasecondchi l
d.

Exodus13:2,12“ Sanct
ifyuntomeal lt
hef i
rst
born,
whatsoeveropeneth
thewombamongt hechil
drenofIsr
ael,bothofmanandofbeast :i
tis
mine…Thoushal tsetapartall
thatopeneththewombf ortheLord,andall
thati
sfi
rstbr oughtfort
hoft hycatt
le:whatsoev
erthoushalthav
eoft he
malesex,thoushal tconsecrat
etot heLord.”

Thus,
thestat
ementthatJesuswasthe“fir
st-bor
nson”ofMar y(Luke2:
7)
doesnoti
nanywaycont r
adictMary’
sperpetualvi
rgi
nit
y.I
tsimplymeansthat
Hewasherf i
rstandmal
echild.I
tsaysnothi
ngaboutwhet heranycamelater
.

WHATABOUTTHE“
BROTHERS”OFJESUS?

Non- Catholi
csoftenbri
ngupthepassageswhichmenti
onthe“brot
hersand
sisters”ofJesus.Fir
stofal
l
,itmustbementionedt
hatneveroncearethese
“brothers”descr
ibedasthechil
drenofMary
,Jesus’mother
.

Mark6:3“I
snotthisthecar
penter
,thesonofMary
,thebr
otherofJames,
andJoses,andofJuda,andSimon?Andarenothi
ssist
ersherewit
hus?
Andtheywereoffendedathi
m.”

Mat
thew13:
55“
Isnotthist
hecarpent
er’
sson?I
snothi
smot hercal
l
ed
Mar
y?Andhi
sbret
hren,James,
andJoses,andSi
mon,andJudas?”

I
ntheor
igi
nal
Greekt
hewor eadel
dsusedar phoi(
“br
ethr )andadel
en” phe
(“
sister
s”)
.Thewordsadelphoiandadel
phecanref
ertoactual
sibl
i
ngs.
Howev er,
theBibl
ealsousesthesewordstodescr
ibepeoplewhoarenot
brother
s,butcousi
nsorrelat
ivesorst
epbrot
hersorclosenei
ghbors.

THEBI
BLESAYSTHATABRAHAM WASLOT’
SBROTHER,
BUTHEWASN’
T
LI
TERALLY

LotwasAbr aham’snephew.Abr aham washisuncl e(seeGenesi s11:31;

14:12)
.Yet,
t heBibl
et wicedescribesLotasAbr aham’s“ brother
.”That’
s
becausethewor d“brother”doesn’tnecessar
il
ymeanasi bli
ng.Asstated
above,i
tcanmeanacousi norar elat
iveorastep-brotheroracl osefamil
y
fr
iend.

Genesi
s14:14“
Whi
chwhenAbr
am hadhear
d,t
owi
t,t
hathi
sbr
otherLot
wastaken.
..
”

LotwasAbr aham’snephew TheBi bl

ealsocal
lshim hi
s“brother
”
Gen.11:27“Nowt hesearethe Gen.14:14“AndwhenAbr am heard
generat
ionsofTerah:Terahbegat thathi
sbr ot
her[
Lot]wastaken
Abram,Nahor,andHar an;andHar
an capti
ve..
.”
begatLot.”
Gen.14:
16“Andalsobr
oughtagai
n
Gen.12:
5“AndAbr
am tookSar
aihi
s hi
sbrotherLot
..
.”
wif
e,andLothi
sbr
other’
sson.
..
”

Gen.14:12“AndtheytookLot
,
Abram’sbrother
’sson,whodwel
tin
Sodom,andhi sgoods,and
depar
ted.”

SomePr otestant
sat tempttor espondtothi
sbyarguingt hattheOld
Testamentwasnotwr it
teni
nGr eek,butHebr
ew.Ther efore,t
heysay,thecase
ofLotdoesn’tprovet hatadelphoscanrefert
oaper sonwhoi snotl
iteral
lya
brot
her.Thisisrefutedbypoi nti
ngoutthatwhil
etheOl dTestamentwas
ori
ginal
lywrit
teninHebr ew,i
twasf amouslyt
ransl
atedint oGreekbysev ent
y
scholar
saf ewcent uriesbeforethecomingofChrist
.Thi sfamoustranslati
on
i
scal l
edtheSept uagint.

Thi
sGr
eekt
ransl
ati
onoft
heOl
dTest
ament
,theSept
uagi
nt,
isquot
edabout
300timesbyt heinspir
edwr it
ersoft heNewTest ament.Thatmeanst hatthe
NewTest amentwr i
tersacceptedt heSeptuagint.IntheSeptuagi
nt,thesame
Greekwor dadelphosisusedt odescr ibeLotasAbr aham’
sbr ot
her.Adelphos
i
st hesi
ngularform ofadelphoi,t
hewor dusedint heNewTest amentforthe
“br
others”ofJesus.Therefore,t
heOl dTest amentdoesuseadel phosto
descri
besomeonewhoi snotlit
erall
yabr other
.

Butt
hepointcanal
sobepr ov
enfrom theNewTest ament
.InActs3:
17and
Romans9:3,weseethatadel
phoi(brothers)i
susedtodescr
ibepeopl
eofthe
samenati
onali
tywhoarenotsibl
ings.Considert
hesever
sestobethedeat
h-
bl
owtotheProtest
antar
gumentint hi
sr egar
d.

Moreover
,inLuke10:
29,Matthew5:22andMat thew7:
3, hatadel
weseet phos
(
“br
other”
)isusedfornei
ghbor,notnecessar
il
ysibl
i
ng.

BUTTHEREISAGREEKWORDFORCOUSI
N,ANEPSI
OS;
IFTHEBRETHRENOF
JESUSWERECOUSI
NS,
RATHERTHANBROTHERS,
WHYWASN’TANEPSIOS
USED?

TheCat holi
cChur chteachesthatMar yisever-vi
rginandhadnoot herchi
ldren.
TheCat holi
cChur chdoesnott eachthatallthe“brethren”ofJesuswer e
necessaril
yHi scousi
ns.Theymayhav ebeenext endedr el
ati
vesorclose
fri
endsorpeopl econsideredpar toft
hef amilybymar riageorlaworhomel and.
Forinstance,in2Samuel 1:26,KingDav i
dcal l
sJonat hanhis“brot
her.”
JonathanandDav idwerenotbr other
sorcousi ns.Dav i
dhadmar r
ied
Jonathan’ssister
,Michal,t
hedaught erofKingSaul .SoDav idmarriedi
ntothe
family
.

ThenumberofJesus’ “brot
hers”(adelphoi)mentionedintheBi bl
eseemst o
suggestthatsomeoft hem werenotev enextendedr el
atives,butconsi
dered
partofthefamilyi
notherways.Ifevenoneoraf ewofthem wer enotcousins,
butmor eextendedrel
ati
vesorneighbor sorclosef amil
yfriends,t
henthewor d
adelphoiwouldhavebeenused.Ther efore,t
hef actthatthewor dforcousin
wasnotuseddoesnoti nanywaypr ovethatMar yhadotherchildren.

EVI
DENCEFROM MATTHEW 27:
56SHOWSTHATTHE“
BROTHERS”OFJESUS
WERENOTHISSI
BLI
NGS

Mat
thew13:
55“
Isnott
hist
hecar
pent
er’
sson?I
snothi
smot
hercal
l
ed
 Mar
y?Andhi
sbr
ethr
en,
James,
andJoses,
andSi
mon,
andJudas?
”

JamesandJosesar etwooft henamesgivenas“brother

s”ofJesus.I
tcanbe
shown,bythef
oll
owingpoi nt
s,thatt
hesewerechi
ldrenofanotherwomanand
notsi
bli
ngsofJesus.Pleasefoll
owthiscar
eful
l
y.

Therewerethreewomenatthef ootoft
heCross:1)t
heBl
essedVir
ginMary
(t
hemot herofJesus)
;2)MarythewifeofCl
eophas(whoi
ssaidtobethe
BlessedVir
ginMary’
ssist
er)
;and3)Mar yMagdal
ene.

John19:25“Nowther
estoodbythecr
ossofJesus[1]hi
smother
,and[2]
hi
smot her
’ssi
ster
,Maryt
hewifeofCl
eophas,
and[3]MaryMagdalene.
”

Mary,
thewi
feofCleophas,i
salsodescr
ibedas“t
heotherMar
y”i
nMatthew
28:
1.TheBi
blet
ell
sust hatJamesandJosesarethechi
ldr
enoft
hisMary:

Mat
thew27:
56“AmongwhichwasMaryMagdal
ene,andMarythe
mot
herofJamesandJoses,
andthemot
herofZebedeeschi
l
dren.
”

Thus, JamesandJoses( whoar ecal l

edt he“brother
s”ofJesus)ar enotHis
si
bl i
ngs,butatleastHi scousi ns.Howev er,t
heyar eprobabl ynotevenfir
st
cousins.ThisisbecauseMar yofCl eophas( themot herofJamesandJoses) ,
whoi ssaidtobet he“ sister”ofJesus’ mot her(John19: 25),i
salsonamed
Mar y.It
’sext
remel yunlikelythatt wosi blingsinaHebr ewf amilywouldbe
giventhesamename.Mostl ikelyt heywer enotsi st
ers, butmember softhe
samecl anwhower ecalled“ sisters”int hesamewayt hatJames, Joses,
SimonandJudaswer ecal l
ed“ brothers”ofJesus.Al loft hi
sshowst hatnone
ofthest at
ement sintheBi bl
eaboutt hebr ot
hersandsi stersofJesus
disproves,i
nanyway ,theper petual vir
gini t
yoft heBlessedVi rginMary.Now
wemustl ookatthepr ooft hatMar yhadnoot herchil
dr enandt hatshewas
perpetuall
yav i
rgin.

JOHN19:
26PROVESTHATMARYHADNOCHI
LDRENBESI
DESJESUS

Whil
edyingont
heCr
oss,
Jesusent
rust
sHi
smot
hert
othecar
eofSt
.Johnt
he
Apost
le.

John19:26-
27“WhenJesustherefor
ehadseenhi
smotherandt
he
di
scipl
estandi
ngwhom heloved,hesai
tht
ohismother
:Woman,behol
d
 t
hyson.Aft
erthat,
hesait
htothedi
sci
ple:
Behol
dthymot
her
.Andf
rom
t
hathour
,thedisci
ple[
John]t
ookhert
ohisown.
”

Scholarspointoutt hatt
hiswasaf ormal actofentrust
ment .(
Gerr
yMat ati
cs,
Op.cit.
)Jesusent rustedHismot hertoSt .Johnsot hathewoul dt
akecar eof
her.I
fMar yhadot herchildr
en,asPr otestantscontend,Jesuswouldnothav e
tol
dSt .JohntotakeMar yforhi
smot her.Shewoul dhav ebeenputint
ot he
careofoneofhi smany“ brot
hers.”Thef actthatJesusent r
ustedMarytoSt.
Johnpr ovesthatshehadnoot herchildren.

Protest
antstryt
or espondtothi
sbyar gui
ngthatJesus’ “
brot
hers”wer enot
beli
eversandthat’swhyJesusent r
ustedhertoSt.John.However,that’s
ref
utedbyAct s1:14.Iti
ndi
catesthatJesus’“
brot
hers”wer ebel
i
ev ers.Jesus
cert
ainl
yknewt hattheywereorwoul dbecomebel i
eversandhenceHewoul d
nothaveentrust
edhert oSt.JohniftheywereHissibli
ngs.

It’
sal soquit
esignif
icantthatwhenJesuswasf oundinthetempleat12
year sold,t
hereisnoindicati
onwhat soeverthatMaryandJosephhadot her
children(Luke2:41-
51).TheindicationisthatHeisanonlychil
d.Heisalso
referredtoas“thesonofMar y
”( Mar k6:
3),notasasonofMar y.Neveroncei
s
Mar ysaidtohav ehadotherchildren.

MARY’
SRESPONSETOTHEANGELINLUKE1INDI
CATESTHATSHEHAD
TAKENAVOW OFPERPETUALVI
RGINI
TY

Luke1:30- 34“Andtheangel sai

dunt oher,
Fearnot,Mar
y: f
orthouhast
foundfav orwithGod.And, behold,thoushaltconcei
veinthywomb, and
bri
ngf ort
hason, andshaltcallhisnameJesus.Heshal lbegreat,
and
shall
becal l
edtheSonoft heHighest :andtheLordGodshallgiveunt
o
himthet hroneofhisfatherDav i
d: Andheshallrei
gnoverthehouseof
Jacobf orev er
;andofhiskingdom t hereshal
lbenoend.Thensai dMary
untotheangel ,Howshal lthi
sbe, seeingIknownotman? ”

Theangel appearstoMaryandt el
lsherthatshewi l
lconceiveandbri
ngfortha
son.Mar yrespondsbysayi
ng: “
Howshal lthi
sbe, seeingIknownotman? ”The
actualmeaningis:howshallthi
sbesinceIam av i
rgin.Howshallt
hisbe?
Mar yunderstoodhowchil
dr enwereconceived.Herresponseonlymakes
senseifshehadt akenali
felongvowofv ir
ginit
y.Shewasaski nghowshe
couldconceivewhileavi
rgin.
Itshouldal
sobepoi nt
edoutthatMary’
sengagementtoJosephdoesn’
t
contradi
ctthenoti
onthatshehadtakensuchav ow.Moral
behavi
oratt
he
timedictat
edthatwomencommi t
tedtovi
rgi
nit
yhaveamal epr
otect
orwho
wouldguardandr espectt
hevow.ThatwasJoseph’srol
e.

I
T’SUNI
MAGI
NABLETHATTHEARKOFTHENEW COVENANTWOULDHAVE
SEXUALCONTACT

We’vealreadyseent hatt
heBibleclearlyt
eachesthatMar yi
stheArkofthe
NewCov enant
.Ast heholi
estcreatureonEarthandt hev essel
oftheMost
High,i
t’
st ot
all
yincongruous–compl etel
youtofkeepingwi ththeArk’
sdigni
ty
androle–t othi
nkt hatshewouldhav eanysexual contact.Topreparet
he
peopl
ef orGod’scomi ngonMt .Sinai
, Mosessaid:

Exodus19:14-15“AndMosescamedownf rom t
hemounttothepeople,
andsancti
fiedthem.Andwhentheyhadwashedthei
rgar
ment s,
hesaid
tothem:ber eadyagai
nstt
hethi
rdday,andcomenotnearyourwives.”

WhenDav
idwasont
her
unandneededbr
eadf
rom t
hepr
iest
,wer
ead:

1Samuel 21:
4“ Andthepri
estansweredDavid,
say
ing:
Ihavenocommon
breadathand,butonlyhol
ybread,i
ftheyoungmenbeclean,especi
all
y
fr
om women. ”

TheArkwascr eatedforamoresubli
meandsacr
edreason,andnev
erwoul
d
havesexualcontact
.Ozawasstruckdeadf
ormerel
ytouchi
ngtheArkwhenhe
shoul
dn’thavedoneso( 2Samuel6:
6-8)
.

EZECHI
EL44ANDTHEPROPHECYABOUTTHECLOSEDGATEI
SA
PROPHECYOFMARY’
SPERPETUALVI
RGI
NITY

Ezechi
el44:2“AndtheLordsai
dtome:Thisgat
eshallbeshut,
itshall
notbeopened, andnomanshallpasst
hroughi
t:becausetheLordthe
GodofIsraelhathenter
edinbyit
,andi
tshal
lbeshut.
”

HereweseethattheLordshallpassthroughthi
sgate,andnoot hermanshal
l
passthr
oughit
.Thisisaprophecyaboutt heper
petualvi
rgi
nit
yofMar y.Shei
s
thecl
osedgat
e,throughwhom t heLordcomes.That’sonereasonwhyMar y
hasbeencal
l
ed“
theGat
eofHeav
en”i
ntr
adi
ti
onal
Cat
hol
i
cwr
it
ings.

THEPERPETUALVI
RGI
NITYOFMARYWASFIRMLYBELI
EVEDI
NTHE
ANCI
ENTCHRI
STIANCHURCH

SecondCouncilofConst
anti
nople,553A.D.
,Can.6“I
fany
onesay st
hat
thehol
y,gl
ori
ous,andever-
vir
giniscall
edGod-bear
erbymisuseof
l
anguageandnott r
uly…l
ethim beanathema.”

SomePr ot
est
ant
sandmostmember softhe“Ort
hodox”Churchclai
mt o
honort
heSecondCounci
lofConst
anti
nople.I
twasthefi
ft
hecumeni cal
counci
l
.Asweseehere,i
tcl
earl
ytaughtMary’
sperpet
ualvi
rgi
nit
y.

PopeSt .Marti
nI,LateranCounci l,
649A. D.,Can.3“ Ifanyonedoesnot
proper l
yandt r
ulyconf essinaccor dwi t
ht hehol yFathers,thattheholy
Mot herofGodandev erVirgi
nandi mmacul at
eMar yintheear l
iestofthe
agesconcei vedoft heHol ySpiri
twi thoutseed, namel y,Godt heWor d
Himsel fspecif
ical
lyandt rul
y,whowasbor nofGodt heFat herbeforeall
ages, andthatshei ncorrupti
blybore[ Him],herv ir
ginit
yr emaining
i
ndest ructi
bleevenaf terHisbi r
th,lethim becondemned. ”(Denzinger
256)

Theanci entChri
st i
anChur chbel i
evedthatMar ywasper petuallyav ir
gin.I
nthe
fourthcentury,
St .Jerome, thefatherofbibl
icalscholarshipandt heonewho
transl
atedtheBi bleintoLat i
n,defendedthistruthagainstHelv eti
cus, aheret
ic
whodeni edit.Asment ionedalready,eventhef i
rstProtestants,includi
ng
Luther,Calvi
nandZwi ngli,acceptedtheperpetualvir
ginityofMar y.

THEBI
BLI
CALEVI
DENCEFORMARY’
SBODILYASSUMPTI
ONI
NTOHEAVEN
ANDHERQUEENSHI
PINHEAVEN

TheCatholicChurchteachesthat,af
terhercour seoflif
eonEar th,theBl essed
Vir
ginMar ywasassumedbodyandsoul intoHeav en.Herbodydi dnotr emai n
i
nthegr aveandsuffercorr
uptionoftheflesh;forthi
si sapunishmentf or
ori
ginal
sin,whichshedidnothav e.Sinceshewasf reefrom al
loriginalsin
andwast heprivi
l
egedAr k,Mary'
ssoul wast akendirectl
ytoHeav en, andher
bodysomeday saf t
er.That’
scalledthedogmaofMar y’sBodil
yAssumpt i
on.

Non-
Cat
hol
i
cscl
aimt
her
eisnoev
idencei
ntheBi
blef
ort
heAssumpt
ionof
Mary.Ont hecont
rar
y,wef
indadescr
ipt
ionofi
tinRev
elat
ion/
Apocal
ypse
chapter12:

Revel
ati
on12:
1“Andthereappear
edagreatwonderi
nheaven;
awoman
cl
othedwitht
hesun,andthemoonunderherf
eet,
anduponherheada
cr
ownoft wel
vest
ars.”

Thewomani nRev elati

on12:1signifi
esanumberoft hings.Thefathersoft
he
Churchunder stoodittosignif
ytheMot herofJesus;t
heyal sounderstoodi
tto
signi
fy,onacer tai
nlevel,
theChur ch.Ther
eisnodoubtt hatitsi
gnifi
esMary,
fortheSonoft hiswomani stheonewhor ul
esallnat
ionswi t
hanironr od(
Rev.
12:5).That
’sJesus, ofcourse;andthusthemot hermustbet heVirgi
nMar y.
Therefore,
Rev elat
ionchapter12pr ovi
desuswi t
hacl earpi
ctureofMar y
assumedi ntoHeav enandpl acedasQueenofHeav en.

TheBibl
ealsogi
vesusagl
impseoft
heAssumpti
onofMar
yinPsal
m 132:
8
(Psal
m 131:
8int
heDouay-
Rhei
msCathol
i
cBibl
e).

Psalm 132:
8“Ari
se,OLord,i
ntot
hyr
est
ingpl
ace:t
houandt
hear
k,
whichthouhastsanct
if
ied.
”

Thisi
nterest
ingpsalm speaksoftheLordandtheArkarisi
ngorbeingcarri
ed
toapermanentrestingplace.Thi
sisanimageoftheAssumpt ion;
forJesusis
theLordandMar yisthenewAr k,aswe’veshown.Bothofthem ar
etakento
Heaven,bodyandsoul .JesusascendsonHisown; MaryisassumedbyJesus.

I
ft heArkoft
heOldCovenanti
sspokenofasbei
ngcarri
edofftoar
esti
ng
place,howmuchmoretheArkofthenewandeter
nalcovenant
?Wealsosee
thattheArki
sspokenofassanct
if
ied.

THEASSUMPTI
ONOFMARYINTOHEAVENFLOWSLOGI
CALLYFROM HER
PRESERVATI
ONFROM SI
N

Thebodi l
yAssumpt i
onofMar yfl
owslogicall
yfrom herpreser
vati
onfrom all
origi
nalandactualsin.Thecorrupti
onofthef l
eshinthegraveisa
consequenceofor i
ginalsin(Genesi
s3:19).MostPr ot
estantswouldagreeon
thi
spoi nt
.AstheAr koftheNewCov enant,Marydidnothav eori
ginal
sin.Asa
resul
t,shewasf r
eef rom i
tsconsequences.Itfol
lowsfrom thi
sthatGoddi d
notletherbodyseecor rupti
on.
 Psal
m 15:
10“Becausethouwil
tnotl
eav
emysoul
inhel
l
;norwi
ltt
hou
gi
vethyhol
yonet oseecorr
upti
on.”

Thi
spsalm,whichspeaksofGodnotall
owingHisholyonet
oseecorrupt
ion,
i
squotedintheNewTest amenti
nActschapter2.I
tref
erst
oJesus.

Act
s2:31“For
eseei
ngthi
s,hespokeoft
heresur
rect
ionofChr
ist
.For
nei
therwashelef
tinhel
l,
neit
herdi
dhisfl
eshseecorr
upti
on.
”

Li
kewise,becauseMarywascr
eat
edfreef
rom al
lsi
n,shedi
dnotsuf
ferany
cor
rupti
onoft hefl
eshi
nthegr
aveandwasassumedbodyandsouli
nto
Heaven.

THEARKWASMADEOFI
NCORRUPTI
BLEWOOD

TheArkoftheOldCovenantwasmadeofset
im(
orshi
tt
im)wood,
an
i
ncor
rupti
bleacaci
a.

Exodus25:
10“
Frameanar
kofset
im wood…”

Seti
m woodi ssoextremelydur ablethattheSeptuagi nt
,theGr eekversionof
theOldTest ament,actuall
ytranslatesthi
swor das“ incorrupti
ble”or
“nondecaying”wood.I ftheArkoft heOl dCovenantwasi ncorrupti
ble,how
muchmor emustt heAr koftheNewCov enantbei ncorrupti
ble.God
specif
ical
l
ypr escri
bedi ncorr
uptiblewoodf ortheconst ructi
onoft heAr k
becauseitser v
edasapr efi
gurementoft heincorruptibl
ebodyandsoul ofthe
newAr k,t
heBl essedVi r
gin.

MARY’
SBODI
LYASSUMPTI
ONDOESNOTCONTRADI
CTBI
BLI
CALREALI
TIES

Somepeopl econsideri tfanci

fult
hatMar ycouldhav ebeenmi r
acul ously
assumedi ntoHeav en, bodyandsoul .Howev er,t
heBi bl
et el
l
sust hatElij
ah
wasmi r
acul ouslycarri
edawayt oHeav en( 2Ki
ngs2: 1,11).Weal sor eadthat
Enochwasmi raculouslycar ri
edawayt owal kwit
hGod( Heb.11:5; Gen.5:24).
I
t’sal
socl earl
ytaughti nt heBibl
e–andi sanarticl
eoft heancientChr i
sti
an
fai
th–thatal lmen, whet hergoodorev il
,shall
bemi r
aculouslyreuni t
edwi t
h
thei
rbodiesatt hefinal j
udgment ,f
orther esur
recti
onoft hejustandt he
repr
obate( 1Cor .15).Thus, i
t’
snotinanywaycont rarytobibli
calr eali
ti
es–
butr
athercor
respondspr
eci
sel
ytothem –tobel
i
evet
hatMarywasassumed
i
ntoHeavenbecauseshewasGod’sper
fectAr
kandwit
houtsi
n.

THEBI
BLEI
NDI
CATESTHATMARYISTHE“QUEENMOTHER”I
NTHE
KI
NGDOM OFJESUS

Godest abl
ishedacov enantwi
thDav i
dinordertoest
abli
shaKingdom.The
Davidi
cMonar chy,t
heKingdom ofGodonEar t
h,wasmeanttobeapr ototy
pe
ofthespiri
tual Ki
ngdom ofGodwhichJesusChr i
stwouldest
abli
sh.That’
s
whyJesusi scal l
edthesonofDav i
dintheGospels.I
t’
swhyPeterhimself
saysinActs2: 30thatJesussi
tsuponDav i
d’sthr
one.Luke1:
32saysthe
fol
l
owi ngofJesus:

“Heshal
lbegr
eat
,andshal
lbecal
ledtheSonoft
hemostHigh;
andt
he
LordGodshal
lgi
veunt
ohimt het
hroneofDavi
dhisf
ather
…”

Int
heHebr ewmonar chy,themostpower ful,
honor edandi mport
antwoman
i
ntheKi ngdom wast hemot heroftheKing.Shewasknownas“ theQueen
Mother.”I
nHebr ew, shewascal led“t
heGebi rah.
”TheGebi r
ah,t
heQueen
MotheroftheKingdom, possessedauni quepowerofi nf
luencewiththeKing.
Herinf
luence,
powerandpr esti
gesurpassedt hatoftheKi ng’
swife.Weclearl
y
seetheuniqueinfluenceandpoweroft he“ QueenMot her”in1Kings1and2
(3Ki
ngs1and2i ntheDouay -RheimsCat holi
cBible).

Ki
ngSolomon’smotherwasBat
hsheba.Bat
hsheba’
spowerandinf
luenceas
QueenMotherwassogreatt
hatAdoni
as(orAdonij
ah)sai
dthi
stoher:

1Kings2:
17“Andhe(Adoni
as)sai
d:Ipr
ayt
heespeakt
okingSol
omon
(
forhecannotdenyt
heeanythi
ng)togi
vemeAbisagt
heSunami
tesst
o
wi
fe.”

Adoniasunderst
oodt hepositi
onandt hepoweroft heQueenMot her.However
,
therequestt
hatAdoni asmadewasunr easonable.Adoni
aswantedt omarry
Abisag,whowasKi ngDav i
d’slastwi
fe.Byt aki
nghertowife,Adoniascoul
d
havemadeacl aim onSolomon’ sthr
one.Thi si
swhyt heKingcouldnothave
grantedhisr
equest.

Ev
enthoughAdonias’r
equestwasunr
easonableandwoul
dneverhav
ebeen
gr
ant
edbytheKing,thi
sshowsusthatitwasrecogni
zedt
hatt
heQueen
Motherhadauni
queandprof
oundpowerofi
nfl
uencewit
ht heKi
ng.This
i
nfl
uencewassogreatt
hatAdoni
assai
d:“
hecannotdenytheeanyt
hing.
”

Thenex tf
ewv ersesshedevenmor elightonthi
strut
h.I
n1Kings2:19,we
readthatBathsheba( theQueenMot her)wentint
ospeaktoKingSolomonto
askofhimt hef avor.Whensheentered, t
heKingbowedhimselft
oherand
causedat hronet obesetupf orhernextt ohi
m.

THEBI
BLESHOWSUSTHATTHEQUEENMOTHERHADATHRONEAND
UNIQUEHONOR

1Kings2: 19-
20“ ThenBet hsabeecamet okingSol omon,t
ospeaktohi m
forAdonias:andt hekingar osetomeether ,andbowedt oher,
andsat
downuponhi sthrone:andat hr
onewassetf ortheki
ng’smother,
and
shesatonhi sri
ghthand.Andshesai dtohim: Idesi
reonesmallpeti
ti
on
ofthee,donotputmet oconfusion.Andthekingsaidtoher:
Mymot her,
ask:forImustnott urnawayt hyface.
”

Aswecansee, theBibleteachest hatt

heQueenMot herishonoredonat hrone
withtheKing.Shei snotequaltot heKing,ofcourse;
butshei shonoredalong
withhim astheQueenoft heKingdom.Her eweseeaper fectdescri
pti
onof
theQueenshipoft heBlessedVi r
ginMar yandofherinfluencewiththeKing.
SheistheQueenMot herintheKi ngdom ofJesus.Mar yisinf
ini
tel
yinfer
iorto
herDivi
neSon.Howev er,sheistheperfectArk,theQueenofHeav enandEarth.

Thi
siswhyMar yhassuchapoweri nHeav enunderherDiv
ineSon–apower
andinfl
uencethati
sgreaterthanwhattheQueenMot heroftheOldTestament
hadovertheKing.It
’swhyit’
ssoeffect
ivetoaskfavorsofher,sot
hatshecan
askthem ofJesus.Sheisplaced,
intheKingdom ofJesus,besi
deHim asthe
QueenofHeav enandEarth.

I
nPsalm 45(
Psal
m 44int
heDouay
-Rhei
msCat
hol
i
cBi
ble)
,weal
soseea
r
efer
encetoGod’
sthr
oneandt
heQueenwit
hHi
m:

Psalms45: 6,9“Thythr
one,OGod,
isf
oreverandever:
Asceptreofequi
ty
i
st hesceptreoft hyki
ngdom…Thequeenstoodonthyri
ghthand,i
n
gi
ldedclothing…”

ARETHEHAI
LMARYANDTHEROSARYVAI
NREPETI
TIONSCONDEMNEDBY
 JESUS?

Somenon-Cat
holi
cscl
aimthatCat
hol
icpray
erssuchast
heHai
lMar
yandt
he
Rosar
yfal
lundert
hedenunci
ati
onofJesus.

Matthew6: 7-8“ Butwhenyepray,usenotvai

nr epeti
ti
ons,
ast heheathen
do:fortheyt hinkthatt
heyshall
beheardfortheirmuchspeaking.Benot
yethereforelikeuntothem:foryourFat
herknowet hwhatt
hingsy ehave
needof ,beforey easkhim.
”

Li
ketheot herobjecti
onswe’v
ecov er
ed,thisobj
ectioni
salsodispr
ovenbya
deeperconsiderati
onoftheBibl
e.Probablythebestexampletoref
utethe
Prot
estantobjecti
onont hi
spointi
sRev el
ation(Apocal
ypse)4:
8.

Revel
ati
on4:8“Andthefourl
ivi
ngcreat
ureshadeachoft hem si
xwings;
androundaboutandwithi
ntheyareful
lofeyes.Andtheyrest
ednotday
andnight
,sayi
ng:Holy,
holy,
holy,
LordGodAl mighty
,whowas, andwho
i
s,andwhoistocome. ”

Theangel
sinHeavensayoverandov eragai
n,dayandnight,
“Hol
y,holy,
holy.
”
Somuchforthei
deathatal
lprayerswhichcontai
nrepet
iti
onsare“pagan.”
Theasser
ti
oncoul
dn’tbemorewr ong.

InMat thew6: 7,Jesusisnotcondemni ngpr ay

erswhi chcont ainwor dsthatare
repeated; norisHecondemni ngmul t
iplerepeti
ti
onsoft hesamepr ayer(e.
g.,
sayingt heOurFat herortheHai lMaryfivetimesinar ow) .No,Heis
denounci ngthepr act
icesofthepagans.Thepaganst houghtt hattheycould
pleaset heirf
alsegodsbyt heireloquenceandel abor atespeeches.They
thoughtt hattheyhadt osaypr eci
selythecor r
ectthingsandwor dsandnames
oncer t
ai ndays,lestt
heirfal
se“ gods”woul dnotheart hem orremembert hei
r
needs.Jesusi sdenouncingtheirpagani sm.Heist eachi ngthatthetrueGod
knowsal lthi
ngs.

Therear
eotherpoi nt
swhi chobli
teratetheProtestantobj
ecti
ononthismat ter
.
I
nPsalm 136( Psal
m 135i ntheDouay -RheimsCat hol
icBi
ble)
, wear
egi v
ena
pray
erofpraiseandt hanksgi
vingwhichr epeat
st hesamephr ase–“forhis
mercyenduresforever”–agr andtotalof26t i
mesi narow!

Psal
ms136:
1-26“
Ogi
vet
hanksunt
otheLor
d;f
orhei f
sgood:orhi
s
 mer
cyendur
ethf
orever
.OgivethanksuntotheGodofgods:f
orhis
mer
cyendur
ethf
orever
…Tohi m whoalonedoethgr
eatwonder f
s:orhi
s
mer
cyendur
ethf
orever
…[et
c.]
”

Jesusrepeat
sthesamepr ay ert
hreeti
mesinarow, whenprayi
ngtoHi s
Fatheri
ntheGar denofGet hsemane.ThatcanbereadinMat t
hew26:39,
Mat t
hew26:42,andMat thew26: 44.I
nMatthew20:29-
33,Jesusrespondst
o
therepeat
edpray eroft
hebl i
ndment ohav
emercyont hem.

Aswecansee, t
heBiblecontai
nsmanyexampl eswhereprayer
stothetrue
Godarer epeat
ed.Theydonotconsti
tute“vai
nrepet
it
ions”ofpagans.I
nfact,
theCatholi
cChurch’
spr ayer
stoMaryintheHailMaryandtheRosaryare
predi
ctedbyMar yherselfi
nLuke1:

TheHai l
Mar ypr
ayer
:“HailMary
,ful
lofgrace;
theLordi
switht
hee.
Blessedartt
houamongwomen, andblessedi
sthefrui
toft
hywomb,
Jesus.HolyMary,motherofGod,pr
ayforussinner
snowandatthehour
ofourdeath.Amen.”

Luke1:
46-48“AndMar ysaid:
Mysoul dot
hmagni fytheLord.Andmy
spi
ri
thathrej
oicedinGodmySav iour
.Becausehehat hregar
dedt he
humil
it
yofhishandmaid;forbeholdf
rom hencef
orthallgenerat
ions
shal
lcall
mebl essed.
”

Obviousl
yonlyt
heCathol
i
cChurchf
ulf
il
lst
hispr
ophecy
,whi
chi
saboutal
l
generati
onsoft
hetr
ueChurch.

MARY’
SUNI
QUEANDI
MMACULATEHEARTRECEI
VESUNI
QUEATTENTI
ON
I
NSCRIPTURE

TheCat holi
cChur chhonorsandspr eadsdevot
iontotheimmacul at eheartof
Mary.Shehadt hemostpur eheartofanyhumanbei ngthatev erl
ived.Just
l
iketheAr koftheOl dCovenant,t
hedev oti
ontoMar y’
simmacul atehear tis
powerfulwi t
hGod.Somenon- Cat
hol i
cscondemnt hi
sdev oti
onasunbi bl
ical
.
Onthecont r
ary
, onl
ytheheartofMar yisspeci
fi
call
yment ionedintheNew
Testament .Theheartofnoothergoodorhol ypersonreceivestheki ndof
att
enti
ont hatisgiventoMar y
’sheartintheGospel.Herhear twasuni que
amonghumanbei ngsbecauseitwasnev erdefi
ledbysin.
 Luke2:18-
19“Andallt
heythathear
ditwonder
edatthosethi
ngswhi
ch
weretoldt
hem bytheshepher
ds.ButMarykeptal
ltheset
hings,
and
ponderedthem i
nherheart
.”

Luke2:
51“Andhewentdownwit
hthem,andcametoNazaret
h,andwas
subj
ectunt
othem:
buthismot
herkeptal
lthesesay
ingsi
nherheart
.”

Mar
y’suni
quesoul
alsor
ecei
vesaspeci
alment
ioni
nScr
ipt
ure.

Luke2:35“
(Yea,
aswordshal
lpi
ercethrought
hyownsoulal
so,
)thatt
he
thought
sofmanyhear
tsmayberevealed.
”

MARYI
STHEMOTHEROFGOD

It
’ssur pr
isi
ngt hatsomanynon- Catholi
cshav etr
oubl ewiththetit
le“Mary,
mot herofGod. ”Theyadmi tthatMar yisthemot herofJesus, butarguethat
shei snottobeconsi dered“mot herofGod. ”Protestant
swhohol dthatMaryis
notthemot herofGoddon’ tseem tor eali
zethatit’
snotlogicall
yconsist
entto
beli
ev ethatJesusi sGod,buttodenyt hatMaryist hemot herofGod.Sucha
positi
onact uall
ydeniesthedi v
init
yofJesusChr i
st, whoisonedi v
ineperson
withtwonat ur
es.

Fact:JesusChri
stisGod.TheBibl
eteachesi
tinmanypl
aces(
John1:
1;John
20:28;John8:
58;Isai
as9:6;
etc.
)

Fact
:Mar
yi st
hemot herofJesus.TheBi
blet
eachesi
tinmanypl
aces(
Luke
1:
31;Mt
.1:25;et
c.)

Undeni
abl
econcl
usi
on:
Mar
yist
hemot
herofGod.

Luke1:
31-32“And,behold,t
hou[Mary
]shal
tconceiv
eint
hywomb, and
bri
ngfor
thason, andshaltcal
lhi
snameJesus.Heshallbegr
eat,
and
shal
lbecall
edtheSonoft heHighest
:andtheLordGodshal
lgi
veunto
hi
mt het
hroneofhisfatherDavi
d.”

I
saias7:14“Ther
eforetheLor
dhi
mselfshal
lgi
veyouasi
gn;
Behol
d,a
v
irginshal
lconceive,
andbearason,
andshallcal
lhi
snameImmanuel
[
Godwi thus].
”
TheBi
blei
ndi
cat
est
hatMar
yist
hemot
herofI
mmanuel
(whi
chmeans“
God
wit
hus”
).

Luke1:
43“[El
i
zabet
hsaid]:
Andhowdoesthi
shappent
ome,
thatt
he
motherofmyLordshouldcometome?”

El
izabet
halsoexpl
i
cit
lysay
sthatMar
yist
hemot
heroft
heLor
d.Thati
sthe
oneLordJesusChri
st,
whoisGod.

Ephesi
ans4:
5“OneLor
d,onef
ait
h,onebapt
ism…”

John20:
28“
AndThomasanswer
edandsai
dunt
ohi
m,MyLor
dandmy
God.”

Thatshouldbesimpleenough.Unf
ort
unately,
iti
sn’
tsuf
fi
cientf
orsome
people.ThePr
otestanter
roronthi
spointneedstobemorecompletel
y
addressedandref
uted.

Protestantspoi
ntoutt hatt hedivi
nenatureofGodiseternalandwithout
beginning.That’
scertainlytrue.Si
ncethenatureofGodi seter
nalandit
certainl
ydidnotcomef rom Mar y,t
heyargue,Marycannotbesaidtobe
“mot her”ofGod.Thisist hemai nargumentthatProt
estantsmakeont hi
s
point.Iti
sav er
yflawedar gument.

TheProt
estanter
roront
hispointst
emsf rom att
ri
butingtothepersonofthe
SonofGodonlythatwhi
chbelongstoHi sdi
vinenature.I
tistofailt
oatt
ri
bute
tot
hepersonoftheSonofGodal sothatwhichbelongsorpertainstoHi
s
humannature.

Sincet
heSonofGodhastrul
ybecomeman,byfai
li
ngtoatt
ribut
etoHim al
so
thatwhi
chbel
ongstoHishumannatur
e,t
heyact
ual
lydenythatJesusChri
sti
s
atthesameti
metrueGodandtr
ueman.

TheSonofGod, JesusChri
st,i
sonedivi
neperson(t
hesecondper
sonofthe
HolyTri
nit
y)wi
thtwonatures.HeisbothtrueGodandt
rueman.JesusChri
st
i
snotamanwhowasuni t
edwi t
horinspi
redbyGod.No,Heist
rueGodwho
tr
ulybecameman.

John1:
14“
Andt
heWor
dwasmadef
lesh,
anddwel
tamongus…”
Jesuswasnotj ustaspecialhumanwhohadauni queinspirat
ionand
connect
iontotheWor dofGod( t
heSonofGod) .No,Heist heWor dofGod
madef l
esh.Therefor
e,toatt
ributet
ot heSonofGodonl ythatwhich
speci
fi
call
ybelongstoHi sdi
v i
nenature,andnotal
sothatwhi chappli
est
oHis
assumedhumannat ure–ast heProtestant
sdowhent heydenyt hatMar
yis
themotherofGod–i stodiv
ideJesusi ntot
wodiffer
entpeople.

Inthe5t hcent uryther ewasacer t

ainher eti
cnamedNest ori
us.Hear guedl ike
Protestantsofourdayont hismat t
er.Hehel dthatMar ywasnott obecal led
Theot okos( mot her/bearerofGod) ,butonl yChr i
stotokos( bearerofChr i
st).
TheChur chimmedi atelyrecognizedt heher esyofNest ori
usandcondemnedi t
i
n431att heCounci lofEphesus.Nest orius’ f
alseviewwasr ecogni zedbyt he
Churcht obet heher esywhi chtheBi blecondemnedast he“dissolving”of
Jesusand“ ant i
christ.
”Thisf al
seidea“ dissolves”Chr i
stbysepar ati
ngf rom
Hisoneper sont hatwhi chper t
ainstoHi shumannat ure.Itresult
si nt he
divi
sionofJesusi ntot wopeopl e,andt heposi ti
ont hatJesuswasj ustaman
whocar r
ied( orwasi nspiredby)theper sonofGod, ratherthanadi v i
ne
personwhot rulybecameman.Thi sher esyr esult
si nthewor shipofaman
andt hewor shi poft wosons.TheChur chcl ear l
ysawt hisforwhati twasand
condemnedi t.

SecondCouncilofConstanti
nople,553“ TheholysynodofEphesus…has
pronouncedsentenceagainsttheher esyofNestori
us…andal lt
hose
whomi ghtlat
er…adoptthesameopi nionsasheheld…Theyexpr ess
thesefal
sehoodsagainstthetruedogmasoft heChurch,OFFERI
NG
WORSHI PTOTWOSONS, tr
yingtodividethatwhi
chcannotbedi vi
ded,
ANDI NTRODUCI NGTOBOTHHEAVENANDEARTHTHEOFFENCEOF
THEWORSHI POFMAN.Butt hesacredbandofheav enlyspi
ri
tsworshi
p
alongwithusonlyoneLordJesusChr ist
.”

CouncilofEphesus,
431, Can.5: “
Ifany
onedarestosaythatChr
istwasa
God-beari
ngmanandnotr atherGodi ntr
uth,
beingbynatur
eoneSon,
evenas“ t
heWor dbecamef lesh”,andi
smadepar t
akerofbl
oodandflesh
pr
ecisel
yl i
keus,l
ethim beanat hema.”

Jesusisnottwodi f
fer
entpeopl
e.Hei
sONEDIVI
NEPERSONwi t
htwonatures.
Therefor
e,thatwhichhappenstoHi
shumannat
uret
rul
yhappenstoHisone
person.Hispersonwasconceiv
edandbor
ninHi
shumanit
yfr
om Mary.Sheis
t
her
efor
etr
ulyHi
smot
her
,andt
hemot
herofGod.

Themeani ngent ail

edinthistrut
hisstaggeri
ng.AstheChur chhasal way s
taught,t
heSonofGod, et
ernalandequal t
otheFather
, hadtwobi rt
hs.Hewas
bornbeforet i
me, andfrom all
eterni
ty,f
rom GodtheFat her(
John16: 28; John
8:42.)
.Hewasbor nintime,asman, f
rom Mary,Hi
smot her.OnlyMar y
possessest hisi
nscrutableconnecti
ont oGod,t
oaper sonoft heTr i
nity
.Itis
from thi
struth,t
hatshei strul
yMot herofGod,t
hatall
ofherot herunique
prerogati
vesandpr ivi
l
egescome.

CONCLUSI
ONABOUTBI
BLI
CALTEACHI
NGONMARY

Thesearethebibl
icalr
easonswhyt heCat hol
icChurchhasalway srecogni
zed
theimport
anceandt henecessit
yofdev ot
iontotheBlessedVi r
ginMar y
.She
i
st henewEve,thenewAr k,thepurevessel,t
hesealedgate,andtheMot herof
God.Tofailt
ohav edevoti
ont oherisequi
v al
enttoamani ntheOl d
Testamentwhowoul drefusetoveneratetheArkoftheCov enantorwould
ref
usetomar chbehindittoabattl
e.Suchamanwoul dfallpreytothe
enemiesofGodandwoul dbeseparatedfrom thecampofGod’ speople.

1Samuel
4:22“..
.Thegl
oryi
sdepar
tedf
rom I
srael
,becauset
hear
kof
Godwastaken.
”
 THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATJESUSMADEST.PETERTHEFI
RSTPOPE

JESUSGI
VESTHEKEYSOFTHEKI
NGDOM TOPETERI
NMATTHEW 16

Mat thew16: 16-19“AndSi monPet eranswer edandsai d,Thouartthe

Christ,theSonoft hel i
vingGod.AndJesusanswer edandsaidunt ohi m,
Blessedar tthou,SimonBar j
ona: forfl
eshandbl oodhat hnotrevealedi t
untot hee,butmyFat herwhichi sinheav en.AndIsayal sountot hee,
Thatt houar tPeter,andupont hisrockIwi llbuil
dmychur ch;andt he
gatesofhel lshallnotpr evai
lagai nstit.AndIwi llgiveuntotheet hekey s
oftheki ngdom ofheav en:andwhat soev erthoushal tbi
ndonear thshall
beboundi nheav en: andwhat soev erthoushal tlooseonear thshal lbe
l
oosedi nheav en.
”

Jesusgiv
est hekeysoftheKingdom ofHeaventoPeter,anddecl
aresthat
whatsoeverhebindsonearthshall
beboundi nHeaven,andwhatsoeverhe
l
oosesuponear thshal
lbeloosedinHeaven.Eventhoughall12disci
plesar
e
gather
edtogetherfort
hismeeting,
Jesussaysthesethingsonl
ytoSt.Peter.

WHI
LESPEAKI
NGTOPETER,JESUSSAYSTHATHEWI
LLBUI
LDHI
SCHURCH
UPONTHISVERYROCK

Jesussay s:“thouar tPet erandupont hi

sr ockIwi l
lbuil
dmyChur ch.”The
Greekwor df or“this”–asi nthi
sr ock–i sthedemonst rati
v onount
epr aut e.It
means“ t
hisv ery”rockor“ thi
ssame”r ock.Taut eisusedwhen“ i
tisdesi redt o
call
at t
entionwi thspeci alemphasi stoadesi gnatedobject,
whetheri nthe
physicalvi
cinityoft hespeakerort heli
terarycont extofthewri
ter”(H.E.Dana
andJ. R.Mant ey,AManualGr ammaroft heGr eekNewTest ament ,127).Int he
KingJamesVer sion,tauteistranslatedas“ thesame”i n1Cor i
nthians7: 20
and“thissame”i n2Cor int
hians9: 4.

Therefore,
Jesus’st
atementtoPeterhasthi
smeani ng:thouar tPeterand
uponTHI SVERYROCKIwi l
lbuil
dmyChur ch.Fr
om t hecontextgiven,“t
his
rock”natural
l
yrefer
stoPeter.I
tjustsohappensthatJesusal sochangeshi s
namef rom Simontoanamewhi chmeansr ock.(
Butwewi l
l seemor eonthis
pointi
nabi t.
)

THECHANGEOFPETER’
SNAME
Jesuschangeshi
snamefr
om Si
mont oPet
er,
justbef
orehedecl
ares:
“and
uponthi
srockIwil
lbui
l
dmyChurch.
”

Matt
hew16:17-
18“…Blessedartt
hou,
SimonBar
jona…AndIsayal
so
unt
othee,
Thatthouar
tPet er
…”

Int
heOldTestamentachangeofnamedenotedanappoint
mentoraspeci
al
cal
l
ingorachangeinst
atus.I
nGenesi
s,wereadthefol
l
owingaboutAbr
aham:

Genesi
s17:
5“Nei
thershall
thynameanymorebecall
edAbr
am,butthy
nameshal
lbeAbr
aham; forafat
herofmanynat
ionshav
eImadethee.
”

Godchangedhi snamef rom Abr

am toAbraham becausethenewname
denot
edhi sspecialr
oleasaLEADERofGod’ speople.Abraham waschosen
tobethefatherofmanynat i
ons.(Hewasalsocall
ed“ r
ock,
”aswewi l
lshow.
)
I
nHebr ewAbr am si
gnif
iesahighfat
herbutAbr
, aham signi
f i
esthefat
herof
themulti
tude.

Li
kewi se,
inGenesis32:28,wer eadt
hatGodchangedJacob’ snamet oIsr
ael
i
nor dertosi
gnifyhisspecial
roleorposi
ti
on.Theref
or e,
inaddit
iontothe
otherimport
antthingsthatJesussaystoSt.Pet
erinMat thew16,thechange
ofhisnamef rom SimontoPet erser
vestoconfi
rm St.Peter’
sspeci
alposi
ti
on
andhisnewst atus.

THEKEYSOFTHEKI
NGDOM

Matthew16:19“AndIwi l
lgiveunt
othee[Pet
er]t
hekeysoftheki
ngdom
ofheaven:andwhatsoeverthoushaltbi
ndoneart
hshall
beboundin
heaven:andwhatsoeverthoushal
tlooseoneart
hshal
lbeloosedi
n
heaven.
”

Nootherapost l
eisgi
vent hekey softheKingdom ofHeav en.I
nMat t
hew
18:
18,wer eadthatall
t heApost lesar
egi v
ent hepowertobi ndandtoloose;
butPet
eral oneispr
omi sedt hekeysoftheKingdom ofHeav eninMat t
hew
16:
19.Thisshowsust hatt hepowerwhi chisgiventoallt
heApost l
estobind
andtoloosei nMatt
hew18: 18,mustbeexercisedunderthekeyswhi chare
gi
venalonet oPeter
.Pet erhasauni quepositi
onofaut hori
tyintheChurch.

THE“
KEYSOFTHEKI
NGDOM”REFERSTOI
SAI
AS22ANDTHEPOSI
TIONOF
 PRI
MEMI
NISTER

Here’
swhat ’
sreal
lyint
erest
ing.Mostpeopl
edon’tknowt hatt
hisref
erenceto
thekeysoftheKingdom inMatthew16:19(andtoPeter’
sbindi
ngandl oosi
ng
withthem)comesf r
om Isai
aschapter22.Jesus’wordstoPeteri
nMat thew
16arear ef
erencetothefuncti
onofthepri
memi nist
eroftheKingdom inthe
OldTestament.

Isai
as22:22“AndthekeyofthehouseofDavidwil
lIl
ayuponhis
shoulder
;soheshallopen,
andnoneshallshut;
andheshallshut
,and
noneshallopen.
”

Noticethatthelanguagecl earl
yparall
elsMat t
hew16: 19.I nt heOldTestament
Godest abl
ishedacov enantwi thDavidinordertoest ablishaKi ngdom.The
Davidi
cMonar chy,t
heKingdom ofGodonEar th,wasmeantt obeaprotot
ype
oftheKingdom ofGodwhi chJesusChr i
stwoul destablish.That ’
swhyJesus
i
scal l
edthesonofDav idint heGospels.It
’salsowhyMat thew’sGospelhas
ki
ngdom asoneofi tsprimar ythemes.It’
salsowhyPet erhi mselfsaysinActs
2:
30t hatJesussi t
suponDav i
d’st
hrone.Luke1: 32say st hef ol
l
owingof
Jesus:“Heshal lbegreat,andshallbecalledtheSonoft hemostHi gh;andthe
LordGodshal lgiveuntohi mt hethroneofDav i
dhisf ather …”

JesussitsuponthethroneofDavid.ButJesus’Ki
ngdom isaspiri
tual
one;His
Kingdom isHisChurch.Jesus’
Kingdom notonlyful
fi
ll
s,butsur
passesthe
protot
ype,David’
sKi
ngdom.Thepoi nther
eisthatJesus’Ki
ngdom issetup
al
ongsi mil
arli
nes.

JESUSWASCLEARLYMAKI
NGST.PETERHI
SPRI
MEMI
NISTER

InDavid’sKingdom t herewasnotonl yakingwhor ul

edallthepeopl e,butthe
kinghadar oyalcabinet.Theki nghadr oy
alministersorchiefoffi
cers.Yousee
refer
encest ot hi
sroy al
cabi net(thesechi
efoffi
cersorr oy
al ministersofthe
king)i
n2Samuel 8( 2Kings8i ntheDouay -
Rhei
msCat hol
icBible).Youal so
seear eferencetot hem in1Ki ngs4(3Kings4int heDouay -Rheims)andi n
otherplaces.Inthisroyal cabinet,t
herewasami nist
erofdefense, minist
ersin
commer ce,provi
sions,etc.

Howev
er,ofal
ltheki
ng’
smi ni
ster
s,ther
ewasonewhostoodoutwit
h
aut
hor
it
yabovet her
est
.Thatwast hepri
memini
ster
,whowasovertheki
ng’
s
house.That
’swher
ethef
asci
nat
ingt
rut
hofI
sai
as22becomesr
elev
antt
o
Matthew16.

I
nIsai
as22wer eadthatt
hepri
memi nisterHADTHEKEYt othehouseof
Davi
d.Letmerepeatt
hat:t
hepr
imemi nist
erhadthekeyt
othehouseofDavi
d.
Thi
skeyrepr
esentedthepri
memini
ster’sauthor
it
yovert
hehouseoftheki
ng.

Isaias22:20-22“Andi tshallcomet opassinthatday,t

hatIwi l
lcallmy
serv antEli
akimthesonofHi lki
ah:AndIwillcl
othehim wit
ht hy[Shebna’
s]
robe, andstrengthenhim withthygirdl
e,andIwi l
lcommitthy
gov ernmenti nt
ohi shand:andheshal lbeaf athertot
heinhabi tant
sof
Jerusal em,andtot hehouseofJudah.Andt hekeyoft hehouseofDav i
d
willIlayuponhi sshoulder;soheshal lopen,andnoneshal lshut;andhe
shal lshut,
andnoneshal lopen.”

Not
icethatthepr
imemi ni
sterhadt
hekeyofthehouseofDavi
d.Weal
sosee
t
hattohim wascommi t
ted“thegov
ernment
,”andthathewoul
dbe“af
athert
o
t
heinhabit
antsofJer
usalem.”

I
nI saias22t heprimemi ni
steroftheKi ngdom wasamannamedShebna.
I
saias22: 15saysShebnawas“ overthehouse”–t hatis,hewasov erthe
houseoft heking.ThenShebnal efttheoffi
ceofpr i
memi ni
sterandwas
replacedbyamannamedEl iaki
m.Thenwer eadt hatt
hekeyoft heKingdom,
whichShebnahad, wasgivent oEliaki
m byKingHez ekiah(thesuccessorof
Dav i
dwhowasr eigni
ngast hekingatt heti
me) .Ki
ngHezeki ahgavethekeyof
theKi ngdom toEliaki
m becauseEl i
akim succeededShebnai nt heof
fi
ceof
pri
memi nist
er.

El
iaki
m nowhadthekeytothehouseofDav
id.Bythef
actt
hathehadt
hekey
,
ev
er y
onewouldr
ecognizeEli
aki
m astheki
ng’spr
imemini
ster
.

Thinkaboutt hest ri
kingsimilari
tytoMat thew16.InIsaias22:22,weseethe
clearreferencet othekeyoft heKi ngdom beingpassed, j
ustasJesusgives
thekey stoSt .Peter.Inaddit
ion,thestatementthatwi t
ht hekey“heshall
open,
andnoneshal l
shut;andheshal lshut,
andnoneshal lopen”isst r
iki
ngl
ysimil
ar
towhatJesussay stoSt .PeterinMat t
hew16: 19,whenHegi v
eshi mthekeys
toHiski ngdom: “
What soeveryoubi ndonEar thshall
beboundi nHeaven,and
what soevery oulooseuponear thshallbeloosedalsoinHeav en.”The
signi
f i
canceoft hisshouldbev eryobvious.
Jesussitsupont hethroneofDav i
d.SowhenJesuscomest oestabl
ishHi s
kingdom (HisChurch),whichist heful
fil
l
mentoft heKingdom ofDav id, He
l
ikewiseappointsHisr oyalcabinet:
HisApostles.Butoft hoseroyalmi nisters
(HisApostles)
,thereisonepr imemi nist
erwhoi soveralltheothermi nisters
andallthemember softheKi ngdom.Thi spri
memi nisteristheonewhowi l
l
havethekey sofHisKi ngdom andwi l
lbegiv
ent heprimacyi nHisChur cht o
l
ookaf t
ertheaf fai
rsofHi sKingdom.

WhenJesussaidt oPeter,“Iwi
llgiveyoutheKey soft
heKingdom ofHeav en,
”
i
twouldhavebeenacl earindi
cat i
ontoalli
nformedJewst hatJesuswas
goi
ngtomakeSt .Pet erHisprimemi nist
er.HewasdeclaringthatSt.Peter
wouldbethef
irstpope–t hepr esi
dentorgovernorofHisChurch.Thisisa
powerf
ulandi
rrefutableproofthatJesuswasi ndeedsay
ingthatSt.Peter
woul
dbet hef
ir
stpopei nMat t
hew16: 18-
19.

WHOI
STHEROCKOFMATTHEW 16?I
T’SPETER

Matthew16:18“AndIsayal
sount
othee,Thatt
houartPeter
,andupon
thi
srockIwill
buil
dmychurch;
andthegatesofhel
lshal
lnotprev
ail
agai
nstit
.”

I
treall
yshouldbeobviousthatPeterist
heonewhom Jesusisdescr
ibi
ngas
t
her ock.ButPr
otest
antsraiseal
lkindsofobj
ect
ionsonthi
spoint
.

OBJECTI
ON:
PETERCOULDN’
TBETHEROCKBECAUSEJESUSI
STHEONLY
FOUNDATI
ON

1Corint
hians3:11“Forotherf
oundat
ionnomancanl
ay,
butt
hatwhi
chi
s
l
aid;
whichi sChri
stJesus.”

Thosewhoraisethi
sobject
ionf
ail
tor
eal
i
zet
hatt
heBi
blespeaksofal
lthe
Apostl
esasfoundat
ions.

Revel
ati
ons21:
14“Andt
hewal
loftheci
tyhadtwel
vefoundat
ions,
andi
n
them t
henamesofthet
wel
veapostl
esoftheLamb.
”

I
sthereacontr
adict
ionbetweenRev.21:14and1Cor.3:
11?No, ofcour
senot
.
Thefactt
hatChri
stistheonl
yfoundati
on,as1Cor.3:
11teaches,si
mply
meansthatever
ythi
ngcomesf rom Chr
ist
.All
trueauthor
it
yintheChur
chmust
comefrom Chri
stbecausetheChurchi
tsel
fcomesf r
om Chri
st.Any
thi
ng
out
sideofChri
stisafalsef
oundati
on.

Peter’
sauthor i
tycomespr ecisel
yfrom JesusChri
st,
asMat thew16shows.
I
t’squit
eobv ious,theref
ore,t
hatifJesusistheonewhoest ablishedthese
thi
ngsinPet er,thenwhatsetupi nPeterisnotafoundat
ionot herthanof
Christ
.It
’sthev eryfoundati
onofChr i
st.

So,thefactthatChristi
sthefoundationort hecornerst
one,aswer eadin
Ephesians2:20,doesnotmeant hatChr i
stHimselfcouldnotordidnot
establ
ishoneapost letohaveaper petualoffi
cewhichwoul dbetherockupon
whichtheChur chwoul dbebuil
t.Thet woconcept sarenotmut ual
lyexclusiv
e.
Forexampl e:JesusistheGoodShepher d(John10:14),butHealsogivest he
responsibi
l
ityofshepherdingal
lHi ssheept oPeter,aswewi l
lseeinJohn
21:15-
17.Jesusi stheonewi t
hthekey s(Rev.1:
18;Rev.3:7),
butHegi vesHis
keystoPet er
.

GODCALLSABRAHAM THEROCKI
NTHEOLDTESTAMENT!

Godisdecl
aredast
herockt
hroughoutt
heOl
dTest
amentandinDeut
eronomy
32:
4,butAbr
aham i
sal
sodescri
bedasther
ocki
nIsai
as51:
1-2.

Deut
eronomy32:
4“He[
God]i
stheRock,
hiswor
kisper
fect
…”

I
sai
as51:
1-2“
…lookuntotherockwhenceyearehewn,andtot
hehol
e
oft
hepi
twhenceyear
edigged.LookuntoAbr
aham yourfat
her
…”

TheOl dTest amentsay sl

ooktother ock,looktoAbr aham.Abr aham i s
descr i
bedast herockbecausehewast hef at
herofal lt
heI sr
aelit
es.
Abr aham’snamewaschangedf r
om Abr am tosignifyhisroleasr ockand
fatherofGod’ speople.Woul
dn’titbef i
tti
ng,then,forJesust ochoose
someoneast herockandfatherintheNewTest amentoft henewI srael,
the
Chur ch?Yes, andthat’
swhySi mon’snamewaschangedt oPet r
os, which
meansr ock.Inli
ghtofthi
sevidence,itshouldbet otal
lyobv i
oust oev er
yone
thatSt .Pet
eristherock.Nevert
heless,let
’smov et osomeot herpoints.

WHATABOUTPETROSVS.PETRAI
NTHEGREEK?
Protest
antsarguethatJesuscoul dn’thavebeensay i
ngt hatPet erwast he
Rockbecauseoft hediff
erencesi ntheGr eekwords.Theypoi ntoutt hatinthe
ori
ginalGreekofMat t
hew16: 18,Peter’snamei spetr
os,whi chmeanssmal l
st
one, whil
ethewor dtodenoter ockispet r
a,whichmeansl ar gerock.The
Greeksays: “
ThouartPeter(petr
os)andupont hi
sveryrock( petra)Iwil
l bui
ld
myChur ch.”Butt
hisargumenti srefutedbyt hefol
lowingpoi nts.

Fi
rst,thewordspetrosandpet rahadt hesamemeani ng(rock)intheGr eek
whichwasusedatt hetimeofChr ist
.Insomemuchear l
i
eranci entGreek
poetry,pet
rosmeant“ smallstone”andpetra“l
argerock”
;butt hatsl
ight
di
stincti
onhadalreadydisappearedbyt heti
meMat t
hew’sGospel waswr i
tt
en
i
nGr eek.(Onthi
spoi nt,
seet hequotef r
om Pr
otestantD.
A.Car sonont henex t
page.)

Themi nordi
sti
nctionbetweenpet rosandpet raonlyexist
sinAt t
icGreek,not
KoineGreek.TheGospel waswr i
tt
eni nKoineGreek, i
nwhichbot hpetrosand
petrameant“rock.”Moreov er
,therewasawor df orst
onewhi chJesuscoul d
haveused.I sl
ti it
hos.IfJesuswant edtocallPeterastone,butnotther ock
(petr
os),t
henHewoul dhaveusedl ithos.ButHedi dnot.Heusedpet r
os,
whichmeansr ock.Butifthereisanequat ionbetweenPet erandtherock, why,
then,ar
etwodi f
ferentGreekwor dsused( petr
osandpet r
a)?Theansweri s
foundintheveryimportantfactthatJesusspokei nAramaic,notinGreek.

JESUSSPOKEARAMAI
C,NOTGREEK,INWHICHPETER’
SNAMEANDROCK
AREEXACTLYTHESAME

I
nAramaic,
Mat
thew16:
18woul
dsayt
his:
“ ekepha,
Youar andont
hiskephaI
wi
ll
buil
dmyChurch.
”

Not i
cethatinAramaicthesameword(kepha)i
susedi nbothplaces.Ther
eis
absolutelynodi
ffer
encebetweenthet
wo.Jesuswasequat i
ngSimonandt he
rockuponwhi chtheChurchwouldbebuil
t.Thi
sisalsocapturedinFrench
transl
ationsoft
hispassage,whi
chsay:Tuespi
“ er
re,etsurcett
epierre…”

ThePr otest
antmisunderstandingonthispointcomesi nbecausewhenone
translatestheAramaicwhi chJesusspokei ntotheGr eek,theAramaicword
kephabecomespet ra.Petraist henormalwor dforrocki nGreekandit’
s
femi nine.Thefactthatpetraisf emi
ninei
snopr obl
em f orthesecondpartof
thepassage:upont hiskepha( uponthisr
ock) ;butpetraobviousl
ycannotbe
usedf
orPet
er’
snewnamebecausePet
eri
saman.

Thus,i
ntheGreek,Peter
’snameissimpl
ychangedt oPet
ros,
asy nonymf or
petr
a,butonewhichhasamascul i
neendi
ng.That’
stheonlyr
easonthatther
e
i
sanydiffer
enceatall
betweenthetwowords.Ther
eisnodoubtthatJesus
wasdeclari
ngthatPet
eristher
ock.

MANYPROTESTANTSADMI
TTHATI
T’SOBVI
OUSTHATPETERI
STHEROCK

EvensomeProt
estant
shavebeenforcedt
oadmit,
int
hef
aceoft
hef
act
s,t
hat
i
t’
sfuti
let
ocont
inuetodenyt
hatPeterist
heRock.

Dav i
dHi ll
,Presbyteri
anmi ni
sterandseni orlectur
erofbibli
calst
udiesat
theUni versi
tyofShef f
iel
d,writes:“Iti
sonPet erhimself,
theconfessorof
hisMessi ahship,thatJesuswi llbuil
dtheChur ch…Attemptstointerpr
et
the‘rock’assomet hi
ngothert hanPet erinperson(e.
g.hisfai
th,t
het r
uth
revealedtohi m)ar eduetoPr otestantbias,andint
roducetothe
statementadegr eeofsubt l
etywhi chishighlyunli
kel
y.”(Quot
edf om The
r
GospelofMat thew, NewCent uryBi bl
eComment ary,
p.261.)

IntheTheologicalDi
ctionar
yoft heNewTestament,aProtest
antworkedit
ed
byPr ot
estantsGerhardKitt
elandGerhardFri
edr
ich,
thereisanart
icl
ebywel l
-
knownPr otestantOscarCullman.Thi
sisfoundi
nVol .6:
108oftheTheologi
cal
Dicti
onary.Cull
manst ates:

“ButwhatdoesJesusmeanwhenhesay s:‘
Ont hisrockIwi ll
bui l
dmy
Church’
?Thei deaoft heref ormer sthathei sreferri
ngt othef ai
thofPet er
i
squi t
einconceivableinviewoft hepr obablydi f
ferentsetti
ngoft hestory.
Forthereisnor ef
erenceher etot hefaithofPet er.Rather,t
hepar al
lel
ism
of‘t
houar tRock’and‘ont hisr ockIwi llbuil
d’showst hatt
hesecondr ock
canonlybet hesameast hef i
rst.Iti
st husev i
dentt hatJesusi sreferri
ng
toPeter,t
owhom hehasgi v enthenameRock.Heappoi ntsPet er…t obe
thefoundati
onofhi secclesi a.Tot hi
sex t
entRomanCat hol
icex egesisi s
ri
ghtandal lat
temptst oev adet hisinterpret
ationar etober ej
ect ed.”

Dr.JohnBr
oadus(
1886)
,aRef
ormedBapt
istBi
bleschol
ar,
wasf
orcedt
o
admit:

“
AsPet
ermeansr
ock,
thenat
ural
int
erpr
etat
ioni
sthat‘
upont
hisr
ock’
 meansupont hee.Noot herexpl anati
onwoul dpr obablyatthepresentday
beattempted…Butt hereisapl ayuponwor ds,understandasy oumay .I
t
i
sanev enmor ef ar-
fetchedandhar shpl ayuponwor dsifweunder stand
therocktobeChr i
st:andav eryfeebleandal mostunmeani ngplayupon
wordsiftherocki sPeter’
sconf essi
on…Leti tbeobser vedthatJesus
couldnotheremeanhi msel fbyt herock, consistent
lywiththeimage,
becauseheist hebui l
der.Tosay ,‘
Iwill
bui l
d,’wouldbeav eryconfused
i
mage.Thesuggest ionofsomeexposi torst hatinsaying‘t
houar tPeter
,
andont hi
srock’ Jesuspoi ntedathi msel f,
involvesanar t
if
icial
i
tywhich
tosomemi ndsi srepulsive.”(JohnA.Br oadus, Comment aryont he
GospelofMat t
hew, Val l
eyFor ge,PA: JudsonPr ess,1886,p.356.)

TheBapti
stD.
A.Car
son,pr
ofessorofNewTest
amentatTr
ini
tyEv
angel
i
cal
Seminar
y,wasal
sofor
cedtoacknowledge:

“Alt
houghi tistr
uet hatpet r
osandpet racanmean‘ stone’and‘ r
ock’
respecti
velyinearli
erGr eek,thedist
inctioni slargelyconfinedt opoetr
y.
Mor eovertheunder l
yingAr amaicisint hiscaseunquest ionable;and
mostpr obablykephawasusedi nbot hcl auses( ‘
y ouarekepha’ andon
thi
skepha’ ),
sincethewor dwasusedbot hf oranameandf orarock…
TheGr eekmakest hedistincti
onbetweenpet rosandpet rasi mply
becausei ti
st r
yingtopr eservethepun, andi nGr eekthef emininepetra
couldnotv erywellser v
easamascul inename. ”( Quotedi nThe
Expositor’
sBibleComment ary,
Volume8, p.368.)

WEKNOW JESUSSPOKEINARAMAICBECAUSETHEBI
BLEGI
VESUSSOME
OFHISARAMAICWORDS

SincetheAr amaicisrelevantt
otheaf orementionedpointsaboutPet erbei
ng
therock,considertheev i
dencethatJesusdi d,
infact,speakinAr amai c.We
knowJesusspokei nAr amaic,f
irstofal
l,becausetheGospel sr ecordsomeof
theAramaicwor dswhichHeused.Consi derMatthew27: 46,wher eJesussay s
from t
hecr oss,“El
i,El
i
,lamasabacht hani?”Thosewor dsar eAramai c;they
’re
notGreek;theymean, “MyGod, myGod, whyhav ey ouforsakenme? ”

Anotherexamplei
sJohn19: 13,
17“WhenPi l
ate…satdowninthe
j
udgmentseati naplacethati
scall
edthePav ement,
butintheHebrew,
Gabbatha…Andhe[ Jesus]bear
inghiscrosswentfort
hint
oaplace
cal
ledtheplaceofaskull
,whichiscall
edintheHebrewGolgotha.
”
BothGabbathaandGol gothaareAramai
cwor ds,pr
ovi
dingmor eev
idencet
hat
thi
swast helanguageJesusused.ButSt.Johncall
sthem HebrewintheBi
ble
because,
asschol ar
sexplain,
that“
Hebrew,”ascommonl yusedint
heNew
Testament,r
eferstotheAramaic.

THEREISALSOSTRONGEVI
DENCETHATTHEGOSPELOFMATTHEW WAS
ORIGI
NALLYWRITTENINARAMAI
CANDTHENTRANSLATEDI
NTOGREEK

Thereisstrongevidencefr
om theear l
yChurchf at
hersthattheGospel of
Mat t
hewwasor i
ginal
lywri
tteni
nAr amaicandt hentranslat
edintoGreek.
Eusebius,whoisthehistor
ianoftheear l
yChurch,thefir
stonet owri
tea
hist
oryoftheChur chfrom t
hebeginningtohisowndayi nthe4thcentury,
repeatedl
ystatedthatMatthewwrot ehisGospel i
nHebr ew,meaningAr amai
c.

InBook3, Chapter3, sEccl

ofhi esi
asti
calhi
stor
y,Eusebi
usquot
esPapiasto
state:
“Matthewcomposedhishi
stor
yintheHebrewdial
ect
,andever
yone
transl
ateditashewasable.
”Byt
he“Hebrewdial
ect”hemeansAramaic.

I
nBook6, Chapt
er25,
Eusebiusquot
esOr
igent
ostate:“
Thefi
rst[Gospel
]is
wri
tt
enaccordi
ngtoMatthew…whohavi
ngpubl
isheditf
orJewishconver
ts,
wrot
eiti
nt heHebr
ew.”

I
nBook6, Chapter25,Eusebi
usquotesthegr
eatear
lyChurchfat
herSt.
I
renaeust
ost at
e: “
Matthew,i
ndeed,
producedhi
sgospelwrit
tenamongthe
Hebrewsi
nt hei
rowndi al
ect,
whil
ePeterandPaulpr
oclai
medt hegospeland
f
oundedtheChur chatRome.”

Ascit
edbyEusebi us,St.I
renaeusnotonlysayst hatMat thewwrotehisGospel
i
ntheHebr ewdialect(i
.
e.,Aramaic)
,butalsothatPet erfoundedtheChurchat
Rome–somet hi
ngmanynon- Cathol
icsdeny,event hought hehi
stori
cal
evi
dencethatPeterwasi nRomei sir
refut
able.“Alltheancienttr
adit
ionstel
lof
Peter
’smartyr
dom inRome, andnotasinglesour ceplacesitel
sewhere.Very
fewevent
soft heapostoli
cChur charesowel lattested.
”3

Keepi
nmi
ndt
hatEusebi
us,
whoci
tesPapi
as,
Ori
genandI
renaeust
oshow
3

MikeAquil
i TheFat
na, her
soft
heChur
ch,
Hunt
ingt
on,
IN:
OurSundayVi
sit
or
Publ
i
shi
ng,p.35.
thatMatthewwr oteinAr amai c,
livedfrom approximately260t o340A. D.and
wrotethev eryfi
rstcompl eteChurchhi st
ory.Asifthatwer enotsuf f
ici
entto
sil
enceallobjecti
onsinthi sregard, weactuall
yhav ei
nternalbibl
icalevi
dence
thatPeter’
snamei nGreek, Petr
os, i
sequivalenttoPetra,therockuponwhi ch
theChurchi sbuil
t.Thi
sint ernalevidencecomesf rom John1: 42.

JOHN1:
42EQUATESPETER’
SNAMEWI
THTHEROCK

Pl
easef
oll
owt
hisl
ogi
cal
l
y.

John1:
42“Jesuslookedathi
m andsai
d,“YouareSi
monsonofJohn.
Youwil
lbecall
edCephas( whi
ch,whentr
anslat
ed,i
sPet
er)
.”(
New
I
nter
nat
ionalVer
sion)

I
nJohn1: 42,Peter
’snewnamei sgivenini
tsAramai cf
orm:Cephas.Some
mayask,“IthoughtPeter
’snamewasKephai nAr amaic.
”Yes,butinEngl
ish
ver
sionsofJohn1: 42,
CephasissimplytheAngli
cizedver
sionoftheAramaic
Kepha.SoJohn1: 42saysthatCephasistr
ansl
atedasPet er,
theapostl
e’
s
name.

Cephas=Pet
er’
sname(
John1:
42)
.

Wealsoknowt hatCephaswoul
dbetr
ansl
atedaspet
ra,
thewor
dfort
her
ock
(
Mt.16:18)uponwhichtheChur
chi
sbuil
t.

Si
nceCephas=Peter
’snewname(asJohn1:
42say
s)andCephas=petr
a,t
he
wordf
orrock,
iti
sundeni
abl
ethatPet
er’
snewname=petr
a,t
herock.

Pet
er’
snewnamei
sequi
val
entt
other
ock.Ther
e’snodoubtabouti
t.

ThePrimacyofPeterisacoll
ecti
onofessay sbyEast
ern“Orthodox”scholars.
TheEaster
n“Orthodox”arenotCatholi
canddonotacceptthePapacy .Thi
s
work(ThePri
macyofPet er)waseditedbythefamousEastern“Orthodox”
schol
arJohnMey endorf
.Inthi
sEastern“Ort
hodox”work,
itisrepeatedly
admit
tedthatt
heBi bl
eteachesthatPeteri
stherock:

“Thereisaformalandr
ealidentitybet
weenPet erandrock.Jesuswi
l
l
buil
dt hechur
chuponCephas.”( ThePrimacyofPet er
,edi
tedbyJohn
Mey endorf
,St
.Vladi
mir
’sSemi naryPress,1992,p.48.
)
 “Byconf
essi
nghisf
ait
hinthedi
vi
nit
yoft
heSavior
,Pet
erbecamet
he
RockoftheChur
ch.
”(ThePri
macyofPet
er,
p.72.)

“TheApost
lePet
eristherockonwhicht
heChurchisbui
l
t,andwi
l
l
remaint
herockunt
ilt
hecomi ngoft
heLord.
”(ThePri
macyofPet
er,
p.
122;al
sopp.63-
65;et
c.)

CONSI
DERI
NGTHECONTEXT,
ITWOULDBEABSURDI
FJESUSWERENOT
SAYI
NGTHATPETERISTHEROCK

Thi
nkf
oramomenthowabsurditwoul
dbeifJesuswerenotsay
ingthatPet
er
i
sther
ock.Aswe’
vej
ustshown,
JesuspronouncesPet
eral
oneblessed.

“AndJesusanswer
edandsai
dunt
ohi
m,Bl
essedar
tthou,
Simon
Barj
ona…”(Matt
hew16:
17)

Jesuschangesonl
yPet
er’
sname.

“AndIsayal
sountothee,t
hatt
houartPet
er,
andupont
hisr
ockIwi
l
l
buil
dmychurch…”(
Mat t
hew16:18)

Jesusgat
her
sHisdi
sciplesandgi
vesthekeysoft
heKingdom t
oPet
eral
one.
Hethengi
vestoPet
eralonethepowertobi
ndandloose.

“AndIwil
lgi
veuntothee[
Pet
er]t
hekeysoft
hekingdom ofheav
en:and
whatsoev
erthoushal
tbi
ndoneart
hshal
lbeboundinheaven…”(Mat
thew
16:19)

Butwhenhe’stalki
ngaboutther ock,eventhoughthestatementisinthemi dst
ofalloft
heseotherstoPet
eral one,Protest
antswouldhav eusbeliev
et hat
Jesusisnottal
ki
ngaboutPet erbutaboutHi mselforsomet hi
ngelse.It
’s
ri
dicul
ous.I
t’
sobv i
ousl
yfal
set hatargument at
ionreal
lyshouldn’
tbenecessar y
.

Further,i
tshouldbepointedoutt hatthereasont hatJesus,whil
er efer
ringto
Peter,says“uponthisrockIwillbuil
dmyChur ch,”rat
herthanupony ou,is
becausewhi lePeteri
sdef i
nit
elytherock,theof f
iceHei sestabl
ishinginPeter
(t
hePapacy )wil
lendurethr
ought heageswel l af
terPeterisgone.I t
’sfounded
uponPet er,butwil
lconti
nuetoex i
staft
erPeterisgone.I t
’saninstitut
ionin
Pet
er,
butwi
l
lnotbel
i
mit
edt
oPet
er.Hewi
l
lhav
esuccessor
s.

THEFATHERSBELI
EVEDTHATPETERI
STHEROCK

Theearl
yChur chf
athers,
thepromi
nentearl
yChri
sti
anwr
it
ersofthef
ir
st
cent
uri
es,recogni
zedthatPet
erist
herock.Ther
earemanycit
ati
onsone
coul
dbringforwar
d,butherear
ejustafew.

Ter
tull
ian,OnMonogamy
,213A.D.
,ref
erstoPeterandspeaksofthe
Church,“bui
l
tuponhi
m…”(TheFai
thoftheEar
lyFather
s,Vol.1:
381)

St.Cyr
ilofAlexandri
a(370-
444)
,whopl
ayedakeyrolewitht
heCouncilof
Ephesus,statedi sComment
nhi ar
yonJohn:“
He[Jesus]suf
fer
shimto
benolongercal l
edSimon…HechangedhisnameintoPeter
,fr
om the
wordpet r
a( r
ock);f
oronhim Hewasaft
erwardst
ofoundHi sChur
ch.”

St.Basil
theGreat(
330-379A.D.
),Agai
nstEunomi
ans,4:
“Peter…whoon
accountofthepre-
eminenceofhi
sf ai
thr
eceiv
eduponhimselft
he
buil
dingoftheChurch.
”

St.GregoryNazienzen,greatEasternf
ather(
329-389A.D.
),Orat
ion26:“
…
ofallthedisci
plesofChrist,al
lofwhom weregreatanddeservi
ngofthe
choice,oneiscalledrockandent rust
edwiththefoundat
ionsofthe
Church…”

St.JohnChr ysost
om, gr
eatEasternf
atherandBi shopofConst
anti
nopl
e,
Homi l
y3, De.Poenit
.4,387A.D.“Pet
erhimselftheheadorcrownofthe
Apostles…whenInamePet erInamet hatunbr
okenr ock,
thatf
ir
m
foundation…”

Onecoul
dal
soquot
eSt
.Ambr
ose,
Jer
omeandmanyot
her
s,butt
hepoi
nt
shoul
dbecl
ear
.

OBJECTI
ON:THEROCKISPETER’
SFAITH,NOTPETER
ANSWER:THEFATHERSSAI
DTHATBOTHPETERANDHI SFAITHARETHE
ROCKBECAUSEPETER’
SFAI
THISINSEPARABLEFROM PETERHI
MSELF

I
naneffor
ttoargueagai
nstthePapacy,somenon-Catholi
cssayt
hatJesus
wasr
eferr
ingt
oPet er
’sf
ait
h(notPeterhimsel
f)astherockuponwhichthe
Churchwouldbebuil
t.Theywil
l evenci
tesomeselecti
vepassagesf
rom t
he
earl
yChurchfat
hersinanattemptt opr
ovethi
s.Forinst
ance,t
heywil
lci
tethi
s
passagef
rom St.Hi
laryofPoit
iers.

St.Hil
aryofPoi
ti
ers(
300-368),Ont
heTrini
ty,6,
37:“Thisfai
thisthe
foundati
onoftheChurch;t
hrought
hisfait
hthegatesofHellcannot
prevai
lagai
nsther
. Ni
”( ceneandPost-
NiceneFathers,Ser
ies2,Vol.9,
p.
112.)

Whattheyfai
ltotel
lyoui
sthatint
hev
erysamewor k,
St.Hi
l
arysai
dthatPet
er
wasthefoundati
onoftheChur Ont
ch( heTr
ini
ty,
6,20).

St.HilaryofPoi t
iers(300-
368),OntheTri
nit
y,6,20: “
BlessedSi
mon, who
afterhisconf essiononthemy ster
ywassett obet hefoundati
on-stone
oft heChur ch,andr ecei
vedtheykeysoft
heki ngdom ofHeaven.”(NPNF2,
Vol.9, p.105.)

St.Hi
lar
yofPoit
ier
s,Comment aryonMat
thew,
7,6:
“Pet
erbel
i
evet
hfi
rst
,
andisthepr
inceoftheapost
leship.
”

Thef
athersunderstoodPet
er’
sfait
htobei nsepar
abl
efr
om Peterhi
msel
fand
fr
om t
heof f
icewhichJesussetupinhim asprimemini
sterofHi
sChur
ch.We
al
soseethistrut
hinLukechapter22.

LUKE22TEACHESPAPALI
NFALLI
BILI
TY(
THEINFALLI
BILI
TYOFTHEOFFI
CE
OFTHEPOPE)

I
nLukechapter22,wef
indanot
herveryi
mport
ant,butoft
enoverl
ooked
passagei
ntheBibl
ewhichpr
ovesCathol
ict
eachi
ngont hePapacy.

Luke22: 24-
32“ Andt her ewasal soastrif
eamongt hem, whi choft hem
shouldbeaccount edt hegr eatest.Andhesai dunt ot hem, Theki ngsof
theGent i
lesex erciselor dshipov erthem; andtheyt hatexer ciseaut hori
ty
upont hem arecal ledbenef actors.Butyeshal lnotbeso: buthet hatis
greatestamongy ou, l
ethim beast heyounger;andhet hatischi ef,ashe
thatdothserv e…AndIappoi ntunt oyouaki ngdom, asmyFat herhath
appointedunt ome; t
haty emayeatanddr i
nkatmyt abl
einmyki ngdom,
andsi tonthronesj udgingt het welvetr
ibesofI srael.Andt heLor dsaid,
Simon, Simon, behol d, Satanhat hdesi
redt ohav ey ou,thathemaysi ft
 y
ouaswheat:ButIhavepr
ayedfort
hee,t
hatthyf
ait
hfai
lnot
:andwhen
t
houar
tconv
er t
ed,str
engt
henthybr
ethr
en.”

Thispassageisfascinat
ing.I
tcontai
nsanumberofimpor t
anttr
uths.Fir
stof
al
l,ther
eisastri
feamongt heApostl
esaboutwhowillbethegr
eatest.Jesus
explai
nsthatHisKingdom isnotl
ikethatoftheGent
il
es.SoJesusistalki
ng
abouthowHi sKingdom orChurchisstruct
ured.

JesusthensaysthatSat
anhasdesi r
edtosif
talltheapost
lesi
nthepl
ural
,but
thatHehasprayedforPeter[
singul
ar]t
hatPeter
’sfai
thfai
lnot
.

Luke22:31-32“ Andt heLordsaid,Si

mon, Simon,behol
d,Satanhath
desi
redtohav ey ou[pl
ural]
,thathemaysi fty
ouaswheat :ButIhave
pray
edf orthee[ singul
ar],
thatthyfait
hfailnot:
andwhent houart
conver
ted,strengt henthybrethr
en.”

I
t’simport
anttonotet hatwhenJesussay s“ Satanhathdesir
edt ohav ey
ou,”
the“you”i
si nt
heplural.Thi
siscl
earint heor i
ginalGr
eektext,butnotinthe
Engli
sh.Satandesir
edt ohaveall
theApost l
es, Jesussays;butHepr ayedfor
SimonPet eral
one,thathisf
ait
hfailnot.Peter,theonewhor eceivesthekeys
oftheKingdom, sohasanunf
al ai
li
ngf ait
h,accor di
ngtothewor dsofJesus.
Jesussayst hi
sonlyaboutPeter,
clearl
ysepar atinghi
mf r
om ther est
.

Thewor d“infall
ibl
e”meanscannotf ai
l.Thus, wesee,rightinLuke22, the
rootsoft heCat holicteachingont heinfall
ibil
it
yofthepope.Thi steachingon
theinfall
ibi
li
tyoft hepopedoesnotmeant hatat r
uepope, asthesuccessorof
Peter,cannev ermakeami stake.I
tdoesnotmeant hathecannotsi n.Whatit
meansi st hatwhenat r
uepopet eachesaut horit
ati
vel
yonf aithormor alsto
theent i
reChur ch( i
.e.,
from theChairofPet er)
,Jesuswillnotlett
hatt eachi
ng
fai
l.ForifHedi d, t
hent heChur chwouldi t
selfbeledintoerrorandfail.Vati
can
Counci l
1( adogmat i
cCatholiccouncil
)puti tt
hisway :

PopePiusIX,Vat
icanCounci
lI,
Sessi
on4,Chap.4,
1870A.D.“
So, t
hisgi
ft
oftr
uthandanev erf
ail
i
ngfai
thwasdivi
nel
yconfer
reduponPeterandhi
s
successor
sinthi
schair
…”

It
’sanunfai
l
ingfai
thoftheOfficeofPr i
meMinister
/Popewhichhasbeen
establ
i
shedinPeterandwil
lcar r
yont hr
oughhissuccessor
sinthatof
fi
ce.
Eveninthever
yearlyChur
ch,thef at
herssawthispassagei
nLuke22as
anot
herpr
ooff
ort
hePapacy
.

St.Ambrose( 4t
hcentur
y)I
,nPs.43,n.40:“Peter
,afterhav
ingbeen
temptedbyt heDevi
l,
issetovertheChurch.TheLord…chosehim asthe
pastoroftheLord’
sfl
ock.Fortohim Hesaid,Butthouwhenconv er
ted
confi
rmt hybret
hren[
Luke22].”

JESUSENTRUSTSALLHI
SSHEEPTOPETERI
NJOHN21

Johnchapter21provi
desmor
epr
ooft
hatJesusent
rust
edal
lthemember
sof
HisChurchtoSt.Pet
er.

John21: 15-17“Sowhent heyhaddi ned,Jesussai thtoSi

monPet er,
Simon, sonofJonas, l
ov estthoumemor ethant hese?Hesai t
hunt ohim,
Yea, Lord;
thouknowestt hatIlovethee.Hesai thuntohim,Feedmy
l
ambs.Hesai t
htohim agai nthesecondt ime, Simon,sonofJonas,
l
ov estthoume?Hesai t
hunt ohim, Yea,Lord;thouknowestt hatIlove
thee.Hesai thuntohi
m, Tendmysheep.Hesai t
hunt ohi
mt het hirdti
me,
Simon, sonofJonas, l
ov estthoume?Pet erwasgr i
evedbecausehesai d
untohi mthet hi
rdti
me, Lov estthoume?Andhesai duntohim, Lor d,t
hou
knowestal lthi
ngs;t
houknowestt hatIl
ov ethee.Jesussaithunt ohim,
Feedmysheep.

Weseeher e, i
nJohn21, thatJesusentr
ustsallofHissheeptoSt.Pet
er.The
dogmati
cFi rstVat i
canCounciloft
heCatholi
cChur chsai
dthatthi
smomenti n
John21,aftert heResurr
ecti
onofJesus,wast hemomentt hatJesusactual
l
y
gavet
oSt .Pet erthekeysandtheauthori
tyoverHischurchwhichHehad
promi
sedhi mi nMat thew16.

It
’simpor t
anttoemphasi zet hatthismomentaf tertheResur rection, i
nJohn
21,wast hepoi ntatwhichJesusmadeSt .Pet erthef i
rstpope.Thi si s
signi
fi
cantbecausesomenon- CatholicsbringupSt .Peter’
sthr ee-folddenial
ofChristinJohn18: 25andf ollowing.WhenPet erdeni edJesusChr i
st,i
twas
beforetheCr ucif
ixi
onandResur rection.Jesushadnoty etgivenSt .Peterthe
authori
tyaspope.Thewor dsinMt .16: 18-20pr omiset hekeysoft heKi ngdom
toSt.Peter.Theypr omisethatJesuswoul dbui l
dHi sChur chuponHi m and
makehi mt hepr i
memi ni
sterofHi sChur ch, butthatof fi
cewasnotconf erred
uponPet eruntilaft
ertheResur rection,byt hesewor dsi nJohn21: 15-17.
Therefore,St
.Pet er
’sdenialofChr istposesnopr obl em atallforCat holic
t
eachi
ngont
hepapacy
.

Furt
her,theCatholi
cChurchdoesnott eacht hatatruepopecannotsi n
mortall
yorev enlosehissoul
.Itt
eachest hatatruepopeholdst hepositi
onof
supremeaut hori
tyint
heChur ch,
andt hatwhenat r
uepopet eachesina
buil
dingfashiontotheuniver
salChurch,Godwi ll
protecthi
mf rom teachi
ng
err
or.Thepoweri sintheoffi
ceit
self
, whichisprotect
edbyChr ist
.

JESUSTELLSPETERTORULEHI
SSHEEP

John21:
15-
17“Hesait
huntohim,Feedmyl ambs…Hesai
thunt
ohi
m,
Tendmysheep…Jesussai
thuntohim,Feedmysheep.
”

InJohn21:15-17,Jesustell
sPetertoFeedmyl ambs,Tendmysheep, Feedmy
sheep.Jesusclearl
ygivesSt.Peterauthori
tyoverHisfl
ock,themember sof
HisChurch.SomemayaskwhyJesussay sthefi
rstt
ime,Feedmyl ambs,and
thesecondandt hir
dtimesmysheep.Theear l
yChurchfathersunderstood
thi
srefer
encet olambsandsheept odiff
erenti
atebetweeny oungerandolder
member softheChur ch,ortodi
stingui
shbet weenthefait
hfulandthecl er
gy.
Alloft
hem areent r
ustedtoSt.Peter.

Nowwhat’
sparti
cular
lyi
mportantisthatwhenJesussaysFeedmyl ambs,
Tendmysheep,Feedmysheep, t
hesecondcommandoft hethr
eeistheword
poi
mainei
nGreek.Manybibl
eswi l
l t
ransl
ateal
lthr
eethesameway ,as“f
eed”
;
butt
hesecondcommandi sactual
lydiff
erentf
rom t
hefi
rstandthi
rd.

John21:15-
17“Hesait
huntohim,
Feed[Boske]mylambs…Hesai
thunt
o
hi
m, Tend[Poi
maine]mysheep…Jesussai
thuntohim,
Feed[
Boske]my
sheep.
”

I
nt hefir
standt het hi
rdcommandst hatJesusgivestoPet eraboutHisflock,
thewor dintheGr eekisboske.Boskemeanst ofeed.Butt hewordpoimai ne,
thesecondcommandofJesust oPet eraboutt
hef l
ock,meanst orul
e.Itis
alsotr
ansl at
edast end.Hence,Jesusnotonl ycommi ssionedPet ert
ofeed
HisChur ch,buttoruleit
.It
’sf
ascinatingthataform ofthev er
ysamewor d
poimaine,whichJesususesaboutPet er
’saut
horit
yov ertheflockinJohn
21:16,
isal sousedi nRevel
ati
on2: 27.

Rev
.2:
27“
Andheshal
lrul
e[poi
manei
]them wi
thar
odofi
ron…”
Thatmeanst hatPeternotonlyhasaprimacyoverChri
st’
sfl
ock,butapr
imacy
ofjuri
sdict
iontorul
eandgov ernthef
lock,
contrar
ytowhattheEaster
n
“Orthodox”wouldsay.Thesamewor dpoimaineisusedinRev.12:
5and
elsewheretoindi
catethepowertorul
e.

Here’
swhatthegreatEast
ernf
atheroft
heChur
ch,
St.JohnChr
ysost
om,
sai
d
aboutthi
spassageinJohn21.

St.JohnChr ysostom,Homi li
esonJohn, 88, 1,4thcentury:“
Jesussai th
untohim,‘Feedmysheep. ’Andwhy ,havingpassedbyt heothers,does
Hespeakwi t
hPet eront hesematters?Hewast hechosenoneoft he
apostl
es,themout hofthediscipl
es,theleaderoft heband…t hedeni al
wasdoneaway ,Jesusputtethi
ntohishandst hechiefauthori
tyamong
thebrethr
en;andHebr ingethnotforwardthedeni al,
norreproachet hhim
withwhathadt akenplace,butsait
h,‘I
fthoul ovestMe,presideov erthy
brethr
en.’
”(NiceneandPost -
NiceneFathers, Fi
rstSeri
es,Vol.14:331)

PETERI
SMENTIONEDOVER100TIMESINTHENEW TESTAMENT;
THENEXT
CLOSESTAPOSTLEI
SST.JOHN,WHOISNAMEDJUST29TIMES

TheprominenceofPeter
’snameinScri
ptur
er ev
ealsthatheheld,bythe
i
nsti
tut
ionofChrist
,auni
queposit
ionofauthori
tyamongt heApostles.Pet
er
i
snamedwel lover100ti
mesintheNewTest ament.Thenex tcl
osestapostle
i
sJohn, whoisnamedjust29ti
mes.

THELANGUAGEOFTHEBIBLEREPEATEDLYSI
NGLESOUTPETERANDSETS
HIM APARTFROM THEOTHERAPOSTLES

Thewayt hatScri
ptur
eusesPet er’
snamei sextr
emelyt el
l
ing.Peopleshoul
d
thi
nkaboutt hesi
gnif
icanceoftheseexampl es.Noti
cehowPet erismenti
oned
byname, whilet
heotherApostlesarerepeatedlymentionedast hosewit
h
Peter.Thi
sdemonst r
atesthatScri
ptur
esi nglesoutSt.Peterandset shi
m
apartfrom t
heotherApostles.

Mark16:
7“Butgoyourway
,tel
lhi
sdi
sci
plesandPet
ert
hathegoet
h
bef
oreyoui
ntoGal
i
lee…”

Act
s2:
37“
Nowwhent
heyhear
dthi
s,t
heywer
epr
ickedi
nthei
rhear
t,and
 sai
duntoPet
erandt
other
estoft
heapost
les,
Menandbr
ethr
en,
what
shal
lwedo?”

Act
s5:
29“
ThenPet
erandt
heot
herapost
lesanswer
edandsai
d…”

Mark1:
36“
AndSi
mon[
Pet
er]andt
heyt
hatwer
ewi
thhi
mfol
l
owedaf
ter
hi
m.”

Luke8:45“AndJesussaid,
Whotouchedme?Whenalldeni
ed,Pet
erand
theythatwerewi
thhim sai
d,Mast
er,t
hemul
ti
tudet
hrongtheeandpress
thee…”

Luke9:
32“
ButPet
erandt
heyt
hatwer
ewi
thhi
m wer
eheav
ywi
thsl
eep…”

Peteri
sclearl
ysingl
edoutast heleaderoftheApostl
es.I
t’ssi
gnifi
cantthat
theNewTest amentwr i
terssingledoutPeteri
nthiswayev enthoughthey
wroteyearsaft
ertheResur r
ection.Thi
sshowst hatPeter
’sposit
ionof
l
eadershipsti
ll
heldit
ssi gni
fi
cancei ntheChurchaft
ertheResurrecti
on.

EVERYLI
STOFTHE12APOSTLESHASPETERFI
RST

Everyli
stoft
he12Apost l
esintheNewTest amenthasPeter
’snamefi
rstand
Judas’namelast.Thi
sistrueeventhoughtheor
deroftheot
herApost
lesin
betweenisnotal
way sexactl
ythesame.Youcanseet hosel
i
stsinMat
thew
10:2,Mark3:
14,Luke6:14andAct s1:13.

Mat t
hew10:2-4“Nowt henamesoft hetwelveapostlesarethese;The
fi
rst,Si
mon,whoi scall
edPeter,andAndrewhi sbrother
;Jamest heson
ofZebedee,andJohnhi sbrot
her;Phi
li
p,andBar t
holomew; Thomas, and
Mat t
hewthepublican;
Jamest hesonofAl phaeus,andLebbaeus, whose
surnamewasThaddaeus; Simont heCanaanite,
andJudasI scariot,
who
al
sobet r
ayedhim.”

Mar k3:14-
19“ Andheor dai
nedtwelve…AndSi monhesur namedPet er;
andJamest hesonofZebedee, andJohnt hebr ot
herofJames; andhe
surnamedt hem Boanerges,whichis,Thesonsoft hunder
: andAndrew,
andPhi l
ip,andBarthol
omew, andMat thew,andThomas, andJamest he
sonofAl phaeus,andThaddaeus, andSimont heCanaanit
e, andJudas
Iscari
ot…”
 Luke6:14-16“
Simon,(
whom heal sonamedPet er,
)andAndrewhis
brot
her,JamesandJohn,Phil
ipandBarthol
omew, MatthewandThomas,
Jamest hesonofAl
phaeus,andSimoncal l
edZelot
es,AndJudasthe
brot
herofJames,andJudasIscariot
,whichal
sowast hetrai
tor
.”

I
NMATTHEW’
SLI
ST,
PETERISNOTONLYMENTIONEDFI
RST,
BUTCALLED
“
FIRST”OR“
CHI
EF”

Matt
hew10:
2“Nowthenamesofthetwel
veapost
lesar
ethese;
Thef
ir
st
[
prot
os]
,Si
mon,whoiscal
ledPet
er…”

TheGr eekwordusedinMatthew10: 2(protos)meansf ir

storchieforprincipal
.
Sincenoothernumbersaregiveninthelist–andPet erwasnotthefirstone
whof oll
owedJesus(Andrewwas)–t hi
sst atementisclear
lynotmeantt o
assignanumbertoSimonPet er.I
tistoindicatethatheisthechieforleader
orprinci
paloft
hetwelve.Matt
hewi slit
eral
lysaying:TheChief,Peter
.

I
t’
salsoi
nter
est
ingt
onot
ethatpr
otosi
susedt
omean“
chi
ef”i
nMat
thew
20:
27.

Mat
thew20:
27“Andwhosoev
erwi
l
lbechi
ef[
prot
os]amongy
ou,
lethi
m
bey
ourser
vant
.”

Thev erysameGospel (Matthew)alreadytoldusthatPeteristhechi efamong

them (Matthew10:2).Thest atementinMat thew20:27,aboutwhowi l
lbethe
chiefamongt hem, i
st heref
orenotsomegener ali
nstr
uction;butitisonet hat
hasav er
yspecifi
candconcr eteappli
cati
on.Thechief,
Pet er
,mustal soact
l
ikeaser vant,di
scharginghispositi
onofl eader
shipwit
hhumi l
it
y.Thi sversei
s
oner easonwhyapope( whoi schi
efintheChur chofJesus)iscalled“ ser
vant
oftheser vant
sofGod”( ser
vusser vor
um dei).

JOHNANDPETERRANTOTHETOMBOFJESUS;
JOHNGOTTHEREFI
RST,
BUTWAI
TEDFORPETERTOGOI
N

Her
e’sanotherpoi
ntwhichisnotnecessari
lyasimportantasthosewhich
hav
ealreadybeencovered,butiti
sint
erest
ing.I
nJohn20wer eadthatboth
Pet
erandJohnr antothesepulchrefr
om whichJesusr oseagai
n.Johnoutran
Pet
erandgott her
efi
rst,buthedidn’
tgoin.Johnstoppedandwai t
edforPeter
t
ogoi
n.

John20:4-6“Sot
heyranbothtogether:andtheotherdisci
pledidoutrun
Peter,
andcamef i
rstt
othesepulchre.Andhest oopingdown, andlooki
ng
i
n,sawt heli
nencl
othesl
yi
ng;yethewentnoti n.Thencomet hSimon
Peterfol
lowi
nghim,andwentint
ot hesepulchre,andseeththelinen
cl
otheslie…”

Thefactt
hatJesusmadeSt.Pet
erthefi
rstpopeshowsit
sel
fagai
nandagain
aft
ertheResur
rect
ion,
int
heactsoftheearl
yChurch:
theAct
softheApost
les.

PETERTAKESTHEPRIMEROLEINTHEREPLACEMENTOFJUDAS;THE
REPLACEMENTOFJUDASSHOWSAPOSTOLICSUCCESSI
ON

InActs1,wereadaboutthedeci
siont
oreplacet
hedeceasedJudaswi
th
anotherapost
le.Pet
erst
andsupinthemidstoft
herest
,anddir
ectst
he
courseofacti
ont or
epl
aceJudas.

Acts1:15-20“ Andint hoseday sPet erst oodupi nthemidstofthe

disci
ples,andsai d,(t
henumberofnamest oget herwereaboutan
hundredandt wenty,
)Menandbr ethren, thisscr i
pturemustneedshav e
beenfulfi
lled,whichtheHol yGhostbyt hemout hofDav i
dspakebef or
e
concerningJudas, whi chwasgui detot hem t hattookJesus.Forhewas
number edwi thus,andhadobt ainedpar toft hismi ni
str
y.Nowt hisman
purchasedaf i
eldwitht herewardofi niqui ty…Fori tiswri
tteni
nt hebook
ofPsalms, Lethi
shabi tat
ionbedesol ate, andl etnomandwel ltherei
n:
andhisbi shopr i
ckletanot hertake.”

ThisclearlydemonstratesPet er
’spositi
onofaut horit
yast hefir
stpope, buti
t
al
soshowsusapost oli
csuccessi on.Inotherwor ds,t
heposi ti
onsoft he
Apost l
es( thebi
shops)cont i
nueonwi threplacement saftertheseApost l
es
orfirstbishopsdied.SpeakingofJudas’ off
ice,Acts1:20say s:lethis
bi
shopr ickanothertake.Thebi shopswer etober epl
aceddownt hr
ough
hi
stor yast heChurchcont i
nuedi tsmission;sothatwhenSt .Peterhimself
di
esi nRomeasi tsfi
rstbishop,hisplaceaspr imemi nist
erandl eaderofthe
Christi
anChur chwouldbef il
ledbyanot herBishopofRome, t
hesecondpope.
HisnamewasLi nus.

I
NACTS2,
WESEEST.PETER’
SPRI
MACYASTHEPOPEI
NHI
SLONG
 SPEECHTOTHEJEWS

Acts2:
14“ButPeter
,standi
ngupwi t
htheeleven,
li
ft
eduphisvoi
ce,
and
sai
duntothem,YemenofJudaea, andal
lyethatdwell
atJer
usal
em,be
thi
sknownuntoyou,andhearkent
omywor ds.”

Noticeagai
nthelanguage,“Peterstandi
ngupwi ththeelev
en.”Thi
swason
thedayofPentecost,
consideredthebi r
thdayoftheChurch,whenall
the
l
eadersoftheChurchwer egathered.AfterhepreachedtotheJews,they
askedthemen( pl
ural
)whatt heyshoulddo.Itwasagai nPeterwhoanswered
forever
yone:

Acts2:37-
47“ Nowwhent heyhear dthis,
theywereprickedintheirheart
,
andsaiduntoPeterandt other estoftheapostl
es,Menandbr ethren,
whatshallwedo?ThenPet ersaidunt othem,Repent,andbebapt ized
everyoneofy oui
nt henameofJesusChr i
stf
ortheremi ssi
onofsi ns,
andy eshal
lrecei
vet hegi
ftoftheHol yGhost…andthesamedayt here
wereaddedunt othem aboutthreethousandsouls…Andt heLordadded
tothechurchdail
ysuchasshoul dbesav ed.
”

Weal
soseeherethatt
her
eisnosal
vat
ionout
sidet
heChur
chl
edbySt
.Pet
er,
t
heCat
hol
icChurch.

I
NACTS4,
PETER’
SPRI
MACYASPOPEISSHOWNINHI
SSPEECHTOTHE
LEADERSHI
POFTHEJEWS

Atagather
ingwi
ththehighpri
est
,thequest
ionwasposedtothem:
bywhat
powerhaveyoudonethi
s?St.Pet
eragainanswer
edforther
est.

Acts4:6-10,12“AndAnnast hehighpr iest,

andCai aphas,andJohn, and
Alexander,andasmanyaswer eoftheki ndredofthehighpr i
est,were
gatheredtogetheratJerusalem…t heyasked, Bywhatpower ,
orbywhatname,
havey edonet hi
s?ThenPet er,fi
ll
edwi t
htheHol yGhost ,sai
duntot hem,
Ye
rul
ersoft hepeople,andeldersofIsrael…Nei t
heristheresalvat
ioninanyother
:
forthereisnoot hernameunderheav engivenamongmen, wherebywemust
besav ed.”

PETERI
SAGAI
NSI
NGLEDOUTASTHELEADERI
NACTS5
I
nActs5,
theApostl
esar
eagai
nquest
ionedbyt
hehi
ghpr
iestandchar
gednot
t
oteachi
nJesus’
name.

Acts5:
29“
ThenPet
erandtheot
herapost
lesanswer
edandsai
d,We
oughtt
oobeyGodr
athert
hanmen.
”

I
fal
ltheApostl
esanswered,asthev ersesays,
thenwhywouldt
hescript
ure
wor
di ti
nthi
sway,menti
oningPet erbyhimself
?It’
sobvi
ousl
ybecausehewas
t
heleaderoft
heApostl
es,beingthef i
rstpope.

PETERGI
VESOUTTHEPUNISHMENTOFTHECHURCHI
NTHECASEOF
ANANIASANDSAPPHI
RA

I
nActs5,wereadt
hattwoChrist
ians,Anani
asandSapphir
a,soldapi
eceof
l
andbutbyfr
audkeptbackpar
toft hemoney.I
twasSt.Peterwho
pr
onouncedupont
hem thest
ernjudgmentofGodandt heChurch.

Acts5:3-11“ButPet ersaid,Ananias,whyhathSat anfil

ledthineheartto
l
ietotheHol yGhost ,andtokeepbackpar tofthepri
ceoft heland?.
..And
Ananiashearingthesewor dsfell
down, andgav euptheghost …Then
Petersaiduntoher[ Sapphira]
,Howi sitthatyehaveagreedt oget
hert o
tempttheSpiritoftheLor d?..
.Thenfellshedownst r
aightwayathisf eet,
andy i
eldedupt heghost…Andgr eatfearcameuponal lthechurch,and
uponasmanyashear dtheset hi
ngs.”

THEFI
RSTGENTI
LECONVERTI
STOLDSPECI
FICALLYTOGOTOST.PETER,
THEHEADOFTHECHURCH

InActs10, wer eadaboutt hefir

stGentil
econv er
t,Cor nel
i
us.Peoplemust
keepinmi ndthesi gnifi
canceofreceivi
ngCorneliusint ot
heChurch.Receiv
ing
thefi
rstGent i
leconv ertwasamonument aleventwhi chshowedthe
univ
ersali
tyoft heonet r
ueChurch.Thefactthattheangel t
ell
sCornel
i
ust ogo
specif
ical
lytoSt .Peter,andthatPeterwil
ltel
lhim whathemustdo, pr
ovides
uswithanot herill
ustrati
onoftheprimacyofSt .Peterasheadoft heChurch.

Acts10:4-6“Andwhenhelookedonhim, he[Cor
neli
us]wasafr
aid,and
said,
Whati sit,
Lor
d?Andhesai dunt
ohim, Thypray
ersandthi
neal ms
arecomeupf oramemori
albeforeGod.Andnowsendment oJoppa,
andcallforoneSimon,
whosesur nameisPet er
…heshalltel
ltheewhat
 t
houought
estt
odo.
”

THEVI
SIONTHATTHEOLDLAW’ SRESTRI
CTI
ONSAGAI
NSTUNCLEAN
FOODSI
SFINI
SHED,WHICHSIGNIFI
EDTHEENDOFTHEOLDLAW,I
SGIVEN
TOST.PETER,THEHEADOFTHECHURCH

I
naccordancewiththeangel’
sinstructiont ot
hef i
rstgenti
l
econver
ttogoto
St.Pet
er,
it’
sequal
lysigni
fi
cantthatSt .Peteraloneisgiventhev
isi
onabout
theendoftheOldLawandi tsprescriptions.

Acts10:9-13“Ont hemor row,ast heywentont heirjourney,anddr ewni gh

untothecity,Peterwentupupont hehouset opt oprayaboutt hesixth
hour:Andhebecamev er
yhungry, andwoul dhav eeat en:butwhi l
ethey
mader eady ,
hefel l
intoat r
ance,Andsawheav enopened, andacer tain
vesseldescendinguponhi m,asithadbeenagr eatsheetkni tatthef our
corner
s,andl etdownt ot heeart
h: Whereinwer eall manneroff ourf
ooted
beastsoft heearth,andwi l
dbeast s,andcreepingt hings,andfowl soft he
air
.Andt herecameav oi
cetohim, Ri
se,Peter;kil
l,andeat .”

I
t’
sinter
esti
ngt hatthevi
sionisgiventoPeterthreeti
mes.Thi scor responds
wit
hJohn21: 15-17,wherethreeti
mesJesusi ndicat
est oPetert hatallt
he
member sofHisChur chareentrust
edtohim: Feedmyl ambs, tendmysheep,
f
eedmysheep.Thi scorr
espondst othethr
ee-fol
dof f
iceofSt.Pet erandal l
t
ruepopes:toteachandguar dt hetr
uedoctri
ne,t owatchovert heChur ch’
s
l
it
urgyorworship,andtogov erntheChurchbydi sci
pli
ne.

ST.PETERCLEARLYHASTHEPRI
MACYATTHECOUNCI
LOFJERUSALEM

InActs15, wer eadaboutthedi ssensionconcerni

ngcircumcisi
on.Somewere
teachi
ngt hatallGenti
leconvertstotheGospel hadtounder goci
rcumcisi
ont
o
besav ed.Aftermuchdi sput
ing, PaulandBarnabaswentt otheApostl
esat
Jerusalem toconsultaboutthisquest i
on.TheleadersoftheChurchhelda
counciltodiscusstheissue.Thi scouncili
ssomet i
mescal l
edthefi
rst
ecumeni calcouncil
oftheChr i
st i
anChur ch.

Acts15:
7“Andwhent herehadbeenmuchdi sputi
ng,Pet
erroseup,and
saidunt
othem, Menandbrethr
en,yeknowhowt hatagoodwhileago
Godmadechoi ceamongus,thattheGent
il
esbymymout hshoul
dhear
thewordofthegospel
,andbeli
eve.”
Aftermuchdisputi
ng,St.Peterri
sesupanddeliv
ersthefir
staddresst
o
si
lencetheargumentandgi vethedecisi
on.That
’sbecausehewast heleader
oftheChurch,thefi
rstpope.TheBiblemakesspecialmenti
onoft hef
actthat
whenPet erspokeandgav ehisdecisi
on,t
hemultit
udekeptsil
ence:

Act
s15:12“Thenal
lthemul
ti
tudekeptsi
l
ence,
andgav
eaudi
encet
o
Bar
nabasandPaul…”

St.Jamesspokeaft
erPaul
andBar
nabas;
for
,asear
lyChur
chhist
orian
Eusebiustel
l
sus,St
.Jameswasl
eftt
obetheBi
shopovert
helocalchurchat
Jerusalem.

THEPROMULGATIONOFTHEDECI
SIONREACHEDATTHECOUNCI
LOF
JERUSALEM SHOWSTHEPOWEROFTHECHURCHANDOFECUMENICAL
COUNCILS

Acts15:28-29“Foritseemedgoodt otheHolyGhost,andtous, t
olay
upony ounogr eaterburdenthant
hesenecessarythi
ngs;Thatyeabstai
n
fr
om meat sofferedtoidols,
andfr
om blood,
andf r
om thi
ngsstrangl
ed,
andfrom forni
cation:f
rom whichi
fyekeepyoursel
ves,yeshal
ldowell.
Fareyewel l
.”

Noticethati nActs15t heApostl

es( ledbySt.Pet er)reachedadeci si
on,after
Jesushadl efttheearth,bythei
rownaut hor
itywhi cht heyhadr eceivedfrom
Christ
.Thispr ocesscont i
nuedthroughoutthehi storyoft het rueChur chof
JesusChr ist,theCathol i
cChurch.SincetheChur chist hepillarandf oundation
ofthetruth, aswer eadi n1Tim.3: 15,i
tscommands, pr eceptsanddeci sions
arebinding, i
fconfi
rmedbyt heaut hori
tyofthesupr emebi shop, t
hepope; for
hehast hepowert obi ndandloosef rom Christ
.That ’swhy ,aftertheCounci l
ofJerusalem, Paulpreachedthatpeopl emustf ollowt hesepr ecepts:

Acts15:41“ Andhe[
Paul
]wentthr
oughSyri
aandCi l
i
cia,conf
ir
mingthe
churches,commandingt
hem tokeeptheprecept
soft heapostl
esand
theancients.”

Thisversei
snotcompletei
nt hePr
otest
antBi
ble.TheKingJamesremoved
thepartaboutkeepi
ngtheprecept
softheapostlesandanci
ent
sbecauseit
showst heauthor
it
yoftheChurchandanauthori
tywhichmustbeheeded
out
sidet
heBi
ble.

St.I
gnati
usofAnt i
och,Epist
letotheSmy rnaeans,Chapter8,110A. D.
“Apartf
rom thebi
shop,letnoonedoany thi
ngthatper t
ainstotheChurch.
TheonlytrueEuchari
stistheoneper f
ormedbyt hebi shoporbyhi m
whom thebishophasappoi nt
ed.Wher everthebishopis,ther
emustbe
thecongregati
on,j
ustaswher everJesusChr i
sti
st hereistheCatholi
c
Church.
”

CONCLUSI
ONTOBI
BLI
CALPROOFFORTHEPAPACY

We’veseent heundeniableevidencefrom t
heBi blet hatSt .Pet
erwast hef ir
st
pope.We’ veseenevidenceandpr ooffrom thewor dsofJesus, fr
om al lfour
Gospels,fr
om theAct softheApost l
es,fr
om t hef athers,andmor e.It
’saf act
ofhist
orythatSt.PeterdiedinRomeasi t
sf ir
stbi shop, andthathewas
succeededbyot herpopesdownt hroughhistory.Theyassumedt heofficeof
St.Peterastheleaderandgov ernorofChrist’
sKi ngdom ( HisChur ch)
,justli
ke
Eli
akim succeededtoShebna’spl aceofpri
memi nisterintheKingdom of
David.
 JUSTI
FICATI
ONBYFAI
THALONEANDETERNALSECURI
TYREFUTEDBY
THEBI
BLE

James2:
24“
Yeseet
henhowt
hatbyworksamani
sjust
if
ied,
andnotbyf
ait
h
onl
y.
”

Theov er
whelmi ngmaj ori
tyofProtestantsbelievethatt heBibleteachest hat
peoplearejusti
fied(putint
oast ateinwhi chtheywi l
lbesav ed)byf aithalone
i
nJesus–i .
e.,apartfrom aconsiderati
onoft heiracti
ons, deedsorsi ns.Most
ofthem al
sobel ievein“oncesavedal way ssav ed”oreternal securi
ty:thata
manwhobel i
ev esinJesuscannotl osehi seternalsal
v ati
on.Thesei deasar e
fal
seandcompl etel
ycont r
aryt
ot het eachingoft heBible.Let ’
slookatt he
proof.Af
terthat,Iwil
lrespondtoobj ecti
ons.

Al
mostallofthequotat
ionsi
nthi
ssectioncomefrom t
he1611Ki
ngJames
Ver
sionoftheBibl
e,afamousProt
estanttr
ansl
ati
on.

JESUSSAYSTHATMENMUSTRADICALLYCUTOFFOCCASI
ONSOFSI
NTO
AVOI
DHELL,NOTJUSTBELI
EVE

I
nMatt
hewchapt
er5,
wef
indt
hepar
abl
eaboutcut
ti
ngof
fone’
shandorey
e
t
oav
oidHel
l.

Mat t
hew5: 29-30“Andifthyri
ghteyeoff
endt hee,
pluckitout,
andcastit
from t
hee…Andi fthyri
ghthandof f
endthee,cutitoff
,andcastitfr
om
thee:fori
tispr of
it
ablefortheethatoneofthymember sshouldperi
sh,
andnott hatthywhol ebodyshouldbecastintohell.
”

Thispar abl
e, whichobv i
ousl
yreferstocutti
ngof foccasi
onsofsins–t hi
ngsi
n
l
ifet hatwil
ldragpeopl eint
ooffensesagainstGod–onl yhasameani ngif
si
nsandwor ksar eapartofdetermini
ngwhet heroneat t
ainssalv
ation.By
cuttingoffsinful t
hingsandbadwor ks,onewillsavehissoul.Man’ssinsand
wor ksarether eforeapartofhi
sjustif
icat
ion.I
fmanwer ejusti
fi
edbyf ai
th
alone, t
hispar ablewouldnotmakeanysensewhat soev
er.

NOTALLWHOSAY“
LORD,
LORD”ENTERHEAVEN,
BUTHETHATDOESTHE
WILLOFGOD

Mat
thew7:
21-
23“
Notev
eryonet
hatsai
thunt
ome,
Lor
d,Lor
d,shal
l
 enteri
ntotheki
ngdom ofheaven;buthethatdoetht hewillofmyFat her
whichisinheaven.Manywil
lsaytomei nthatday,Lord,Lord,havewe
notprophesi
edinthyname?andinthynamehav ecastoutdev il
s?andin
thynamedonemanywonder f
ulworks?Andt henwil
lIprofessunt ot
hem,
Ineverknewyou:departf
rom me,yethatworkini
quit
y .
”

Hereweseet hathewho“doeth”t
hewillofGodwi
ll
enterHeav
en,notal
lwho
consi
derJesustobetheLord.ThenJesusemphasi
zesthepoi
ntbystat
ing
thaty
oumustdowhatHesay stobeHis.

Matthew7:24-27“Theref
orewhosoev erheareththesesayingsofmi ne,
anddoet hthem,Iwil
lli
kenhim untoawi seman, whichbuilthi
shouse
uponar ock…Andev eryonethatheareththesesay i
ngsofmi ne,and
doeththem not,shal
lbeli
kenedunt oafoolishman, whichbuil
this
houseupont hesand:Andtheraindescended, andthefl
oodscame, and
thewindsblew,andbeatupont hathouse;andi tf
ell
:andgreatwasthe
fal
lofit
.”

Howcl
eardoesithavetobe?It
’samat
terofwhet
hery
ouhearHi
swor
dsand
dot
hem.It
’snotbyfai
thalone.

YOUMUSTPERSEVERETOTHEENDTOBESAVED

Mat
thew10:22“Andyeshal
lbehat
edofal
lmenf
ormyname’
ssake:
but
het
hatenduret
htotheendshal
lbesav
ed.
”

Thi
stot
all
ycont
radi
ctst
hePr
otest
antv
iewof“
oncesav
edal
way
ssav
ed.
”Al
so
seeMark13:
13fort
hesamemessage.

ST.PAULSAYSTHATHECOULDBECOMEACASTAWAY

1Cor i
nthians9: 24-
27“ Knowy enott hattheywhi chruninar acerunall
,
butoner ecei
v eththepr ize?Sor un,thatyemayobt ain.Andev er
yman
thatst
rivethfort hemast eryi
st emperateinallthings.Nowt heydoitto
obtai
nacor r
upt ibl
ecrown; butweani ncorrupti
ble.Itherefor
esor un,
not
asuncer t
ainl
y; sofightI, notasonet hatbeatetht heair:ButIkeepunder
mybody ,andbr ingitintosubj ect
ion:lestthatbyanymeans, whenI
havepreachedt oot hers, Imyselfshouldbeacast away .”
St.Paulsay st
hathef earshecouldbecomea“ castaway.
”Thewor d“castaway
”
(i
n1Cor .9:
27)istransl
atedfrom t
heGr eekwor dadokimos.Adokimosis
tr
anslatedas“ r
eprobate”in2Timothy3:8andi nRomans1: 28.Itdescri
bes
l
ostsoul s,mortalsi
nners,apost
ates,andthosewhoar eoutsidethestateof
j
ustif
icationand/oroutsidethefai
thofJesus.

In2Timothy3:
8,iti
susedtodescri
beevi
lpeopl
ewho“ resi
stt
hetr
uth:menof
corr
uptminds,
reprobat
econcer
ningthef
ait
h”(Ki
ngJamesVer si
on).These
areobvi
ousl
ynotpeoplewhoareinastat
eofjust
if
icat
ionorontheroadto
Heaven.

I
nRomans1: 28,adokimosisusedtodescr i
bepeoplewhohav ebeengiven
overtoabominabl
esins–onceagai n,peoplewhoar enotontheroadto
Heaven.Adoki
mosi salsofoundinotherpassages,i
ncludi
ngTit
us1:16,
Hebrews6:8andelsewhere.Ineachcase,i
tsignif
iespeopl
ewhoar enoton
theroadtoHeaven,butoutsi
dethestateofjust
if
icati
onand/orthetr
uefai
th.

Bydeclari
ngthathecoul dbecomeacast awayorarepr obate(adokimos),
ther
eisnodoubtt hatSt.Paulissayingthathecouldlosehi ssalvati
onandbe
damnedal ongwit
ht heotherreprobates.WasSt.Paul atruebel i
everwhohad
beenjusti
fi
ed?Ofcour sehewas.TheBi blet
husteachest hattruebeli
ever
sare
notassuredofsalvati
on.Thispassagecompl et
elyrefutestheideaofet er
nal
securi
tyor“oncesavedal wayssaved.”

MORTALSI
NNERS,
INCLUDINGFORNI
CATORS,
DRUNKARDS,
ADULTERERS,
ETC.
,WILLNOTI
NHERI
THEAVEN

Galati
ans5: 19-21“Nowt hewor ksoft hefleshar emani f
est,whichare
these;Adultery,f
ornication,uncleanness, lascivi
ousness, i
dolatr
y,
witchcraf
t,hatred,variance,emul ati
ons, wr ath,
stri
fe,sedit
ions,her
esies,
envyings,mur ders,
dr unkenness, revell
ings, andsuchl i
ke:ofthewhichI
tel
lyoubef ore,asIhav ealsot ol
dy oui nti
mepast ,t
hatt heywhichdo
sucht hi
ngsshal lnotinher i
tthekingdom ofGod. ”

1Cor i
nthians6:9-
11“Knowy enotthattheunrighteousshallnoti
nher it
thekingdom ofGod?Benotdecei ved: nei
therforni
cators,
noridolaters,
noradulterers,
noreff
eminate,norabusersoft hemselveswithmanki nd,
northieves,norcovet
ous,nordrunkards,norrevil
ers,
norextorti
oner s,
shal
linher i
ttheki
ngdom ofGod.Andsuchwer esomeofy ou:buty ear e
 washed,buty
ear esancti
fi
ed,buty
ear
ejust
if
iedi
nthenameoft
heLor
d
Jesus,
andbyt heSpir
itofourGod.
”

Befor
emov i
ngon, itshoul
dbenot edthat
,accor
dingtoSt.ThomasAqui
nas,
thesi
nof“ uncleanness”or“ef
feminacy”(
whichex cl
udesonefr
om Heav
en,
accor
dingtot heabov ever
ses)isthemortalsi
nofmast ur
bati
on(Summa
Theol
ogiae,Pt.II
-I
I,Q.154,A.11.)
.

Thesepassagesposebi gpr oblemsf orthosewhobel ieveinjust

ifi
cationby
fait
hal oneand/oreternal security.TheBi bleteachest hatmor t
alsins( grave
sins)destroythestateofj ustif
ication.Itteachest hatgravesinsputpeopl ein
ast ateinwhichtheywi l
l beexcl udedf rom theKi ngdom ofGod.Thi scoi ncides
witht heCatholi
cteachingt hatabel i
evercanl oset hestateofjusti
ficationand
bedamnedi fheorshecommi tsamor tal si
n(e.g.,for
nicat
ion,drunkenness,
l
ooki ngatpornography ,etc.)anddi esint hatstate.

Now, i
nl i
ghtofthesepassages, Protestantshaveapr obl
em.Ifallwhocommi t
mor t
al si
nsloset heirjust
if
ication,fai
th-al
onePr otest
antswouldhavetosay
thatnot r
uebel i
ev ercommi tsmor t
alsins.Thisresponsedoesn’twork,
howev er,aswewi ll
see.Ther ear emill
ionsofsupposed“ Chri
sti
ans”whosay
theyhav ebeen“ sav ed”byfaithinJesus.Acount l
essnumberoft hem get
drunk,forni
cate,cheat ,st
eal,etc.Inotherwor ds,t
heycommi tclearmortal
sins
whicht heBibl
esay sdestroythest ateofj ust
ifi
cat
ion.

SincetheBi bleclearlysay sthatmor talsinsdestroyjustificati

on,fait
h-al
one
Protestantsar eforcedi ntoarguingthatal lt
hose“ believers”whocommi t
mor t
alsinswer enott ruebelievers.Theymustadmi tthatt he“assurance”of
j
ustifi
cation/salvat
ionwhi chthosepeopl et houghttheyhadby“ fait
halone”
wasani l
lusion,adecept i
on.Theydi dn’treall
yhavet rue“ saving”fai
th,
accordingt othem, ev enthought heyt houghttheydi d.

Howev er,
thi
sr esponse–t hata“REAL”beli
evercannotcommi tthemortal
si
nswhi chtheBi bl
esaysexcludef r
om sal
vation–i sref
utedbyt henextverse
wewillsee.Itprovesthatpeopl
ewhodef i
nit
elyhadt r
ue“saving”fai
thand
werejusti
fedcoul
i dalsocommi tthosemortal si
ns.I
ftheydid,theywouldlose
j
usti
fi
cation.

EPHESI
ANS5:5-
8PROVESTHATIT’
SPOSSIBLEFORTRUEBELI
EVERSTO
COMMI TMORTALSINSANDLOSETHEIRSALVATI
ONFORSUCHSI NS–THIS
DEMOLI
SHESTHEI
DEAOFJUSTI
FICATI
ONBYFAI
THALONEANDETERNAL
SECURI
TY

Ephesians5:5-
8“ Fort
hisyeknow,thatnowhor emonger ,norunclean
person,norcovetousman, whoisanidolater,
hathanyi nheri
tancei nthe
kingdom ofChr i
standofGod.Letnomandecei vey ouwithvainwor ds:
forbecauseoft heset
hingscomeththewr athofGodupont hechildrenof
disobedi
ence.Benoty etheref
orepartaker
swi t
ht hem.Fory ewer e
somet i
mesdar kness,
butnowar eyeli
ghtintheLor d:walkaschildrenof
l
ight.”

Thi
sisaf
asci
nat
ingpassage.

St.Paulfi
rstment i
onsanumberofmor talsi
ns,andstatesthatthosewhodo
suchthingsshallnotinheri
ttheKingdom ofGod.Wesawt hisabov ewit
hthe
passagesinGal ati
ans5and1Cor int
hians6:9.Asstatedalready,thecommon
(andonlypossible)Pr
ot est
antresponset othi
sisthatnot r
uebel i
evercoul
d
commi tsuchsinswhi chdestroythestateofjusti
fi
cati
on.

Wel l
,theabov epassageclearlyteachest hatj
usti
fi
edbelieverscoul
dcommi t
thosegr avesins.St.Paulwarnst hem i
nEphesi ans5:7to“Benoty etherefore
partakerswitht hem”!Theref
or e,thebeli
everscouldbepartakerswit
ht he
mor talsi
nners!Andi ft
hereisanydoubtt hatheisincl
udingauthent
icbeliever
s
i
nt hatwar ni
ng,hespeaksoft hem ast hosewhoar enow“lighti
nthelord”
(tr
uebel i
evers).

Theref
ore,t
hosewhoar e“l
ightint
heLord”coul
dbe“ partaker
s”wi t
hthe
mortalsi
nnersandinthemor t
alsi
nswhichdestr
oyjustif
icati
on.Thiswi
thout
anydoubtrefut
esjusti
fi
cat
ionbyfait
haloneand“oncesav edalwayssaved.
”
Letnomandecei v
ey ouwit
hv ainwordssuchas“j
ustif
icati
onbyf ai
thal
one”!

MENCANFOLLOW THEWAYOFJESUSANDTHENTURNBACKANDBE
OVERCOME

2Peter2:20-22“Fori
faf tert
heyhav eescapedthepol l
uti
onsoft he
worl
dt hroughtheknowl edgeoft heLordandSav i
ourJesusChr ist
,they
areagainentangledtherein,
andov ercome,thelatt
erendi sworsewi t
h
them t
hant hebeginning.Forithadbeenbetterforthem nott
ohav e
knownt hewayofr i
ghteousness,than,af
tertheyhaveknowni t
,toturn
 from t
heholycommandmentdeli
ver
eduntothem.Buti
tishappenedunt
o
them accor
dingt
othetruepr
over
b,Thedogistur
nedtohisownv omi
t
again;andt
hesowt hatwaswashedtoherwall
owingi
nthemi r
e.”

Thisv erseindicat
esthatpeopl ewhoar ejusti
fiedcanl oset heirjustif
icati
on
throughsi ns.I
t’saclearproofoft heCat holi
ct eachingonj ustifi
cation.Some
mightt rytoarguethathe’ ssi mpl yspeakingher eofpeopl ewho’ vehear dofthe
Gospel ,notthosewhor eall
ybel ievedit.Thatdoesn’ thol dup.Thev ersesay s
thatt hesepeopl ehav e“knownt hewayofr i
ghteousness”and“ escapedt he
pollutionsoft hewor l
d.”Onedoesn’ tescapet hepol l
utionsoft hewor l
dby
simpl yhear ingoftheGospel .Hisl anguagedescr ibessomeonewhoi swal ki
ng
thej ustifi
edpat handt hentur nsaway .That’
swhy2Pet er2:23compar est hi
s
mant oasow( apig)whohasbeenwashed( i.
e.justif
ied)andt henr eturnst o
themud!That ’sal
sowhy ,earlierinthesamechapt er,ar eferencewasmadet o
theangel swhosi nnedandl ostt heirj
ustif
icati
on.St .Pet erwasr eall
ydr i
ving
thepoi nthome.

THEANGELS,
ONCEJUSTI
FIED,
LOSTTHEI
RJUSTI
FICATI
ONTHROUGHSI
N

2Pet
er2:4“…Godsparednottheangel
sthatsinned,butcastt
hem down
t
ohell
,anddel
i
veredt
hem int
ochainsofdarkness,tobereserv
edunto
j
udgment.
”

Theangelswerecreatedinjusti
fi
cat
ion;butt
heysinnedmor
tall
y,l
ostt
hei
r
j
usti
fi
cati
on,andwer ecastintoHell
.Thesepassagescompl
etel
ycontr
adi
ct
thePr
otestantv
iewofj ust
if
icati
on.

GODI
STHEAUTHOROFETERNALSALVATI
ONTOALLWHO“
OBEY”HI
M

Hebrews5:9“
Andbeingmadeperf
ect
,he[Jesus]becamet
heaut
horof
et
ernalsal
vat
ionunt
oallt
hem t
hatobeyhim.”

I
t’
snotbyf
ait
hal
one.

BELI
EVERSCANFALLAWAY–PERI
OD!

Hebrews6:4-6“Fori
tisi
mpossibl
eforthosewhowereonceenl
ightened,
andhavetastedoftheheavenl
ygif
t,andweremadepart
akersofthe
HolyGhost,andhavetast
edthegoodwor dofGod,
andthepowersof
 theworldt
ocome, i
ftheyshallf
allaway,t
orenewthem agai
nunto
repent
ance;seei
ngt
heycrucif
ytot hemsel
vestheSonofGodafr
esh,and
puthimtoanopenshame.”

Thispassagecl earl
yshowst hatpeopl ewhoar ebeli
evers,who“wer e
partakersoftheHol yGhost,
”canf al
lawayf rom thestat
eofj ust
if
icati
on.The
referencetoitbeing“impossible”forsuchpeopl etober enewedagai ntothat
statereferstotheorigi
nalgraceofbapt i
sm, bywhichtheywer efi
rstcleansed
from sin.Theycannotbebapt izedagai n,butevengravesinscanbef orgi
venin
confession(John20: 23)
.Thispassageobl it
erates–totall
ydemol i
shes–t he
oncesav edal
way ssavedProt estanttheology.

BELI
EVERSCANBEDAMNEDFORTHEIRSI
NSAFTERKNOWI
NGTHETRUTH
–THUSDISPROVI
NGFAITHALONE!

Hebrews10:26-27“Forifwesi nwil
lf
ull
yaft
erthatwehav er
ecei
vedthe
knowledgeofthet r
uth,ther
er emai
nethnomor esacri
fi
ceforsi
ns,
buta
cert
ainfear
fullooki
ngforofj udgmentandfier
yindi
gnati
on,whi
chshal
l
devourtheadversar
ies.
”

Inthesamebookandi nthesameveinastheabov
ewar ni
ng( Hebr
ews6:
4-6)
,
thi
spassagesaysthatthosewhohavethefai
th–St.Paulspeaksof“
we”–
canlosesal
vat
ionasar esul
tofwi
ll
fulsi
ns.

WI
THOUTHOLI
NESS,
NOMANSHALLSEETHELORD

Hebr
ews12:
14“Foll
owpeacewi
thal
lmen,
andhol
iness,
wit
houtwhi
ch
nomanshal
lseetheLor
d.”

Thisverseteachesthatthejustif
icati
onnecessaryforsalvat
ioni
sa
sanctif
icat
ion:atr
ueholinesspossessedbyt heper son.Iti
snot,
as
Protestant
scontend,therighteousnessofChristbeingimputed(
i.e.appl
i
ed)
toaper son,ev
enthoughher emai nsi
nter
ior
lyunholy.

Expl
ainingthePr ot
est
antviewofthejusti
fi
edman, Mar ti
nLuthersaidt
hata
j
usti
fiedmani slikeamoundofdungcov er
edov erwithsnow.Theman
remainssinfulandini
qui
tousontheinside;but
,assoonashebel iev
es,t
he
ri
ghteousnessofChr i
sti
sappli
edt ohim asacov er
ingandacl oak.Thi
s
enablesadirtyandini
qui
tousmant obesav ed,accordingtoProtest
ant
doct
ri
ne.Hecanbesaved,ev
enthoughhedoesn’
tpossesshol
i
nessi
nhi
msel
f,
butr
emainsadungofsinonthei
nside.

Wecanseehowt hi
sviewcontr
adict
stheteachingoftheBibl
e,whi
chisthata
j
usti
fiedmanisactual
l
yandtrul
yholybyGod’sgr ace.Hei
ssanctif
iedand
changedint
eri
orl
y;hemustpossessthi
sinter
iorholi
nesstoseetheLord.

Itshoul
dalsobepoint
edoutthatwhatGodsayshappens.I
fHepr onounces
someonejust,
that
’sbecausethatper
soni
strul
yjust
,notfi
cti
ti
ouslyj
ustor
cloakedov
er.

THEPARABLEOFTHESOWER–MENCANBELI
EVEFORATI
MEANDTHEN
FALLAWAY

Matt hew13: 18-22“Heary ethereforethepar ableoft hesower .Whenany

onehear et hthewor doft hekingdom, andunder standet hitnot,t
hen
comet ht hewi ckedone, andcat chethawayt hatwhi chwassowni nhi s
heart.Thi si shewhi chreceivedseedbyt hewaysi de.Buthet hatreceived
theseedi ntostonyplaces, t
hesamei shet hathear et hthewor d,and
anon[ pr esent l
y]wit
hj oyreceivethit;Yethat hhenotr ootinhimsel f,
but
duret hforawhi l
e:f
orwhent ribulat
ionorper secutionar isethbecauseof
thewor d, byandbyhei sof f
ended.Heal sot hatr eceiv edseedamongt he
thornsi shet hatheareththewor d;andt hecar eoft hiswor l
d,andt he
decei t
fulnessofr i
ches,choket hewor d,andhebecomet hunfrui
tful.
”

Hereweseethatamancanbel
iev
e“f
orawhil
e,
”andthenfal
laway.The
ver
sionsoft
hispar
abl
einMar
kandLukebr
ingoutt
hepointevenmoreclear
ly:

Mark4:
17“ …Andhavenor ooti
nthemselves,andsoendurebutf
ora
t
ime:af
terwar
d,whenaffl
icti
onorpersecut
ionari
sethf
ortheword’
ssake,
i
mmediatel
ytheyar
eoffended.”

Luke8:
13“Theyont herockar
ethey,
which,whent
heyhear
,receivet
he
wordwit
hjoy;andthesehavenoroot
,whichforawhi
lebel
i
ev e,andi
n
ti
meoftemptationfal
laway.”

Jesussaysclearl
yinLuke8:13thatthesepeoplebel
iev
e“ forawhil
e.”The
Prot
estant
smi ghtsaythi
srefer
st opeoplewhodonott rul
ybeli
eve.One
cannotsaythat,
forJesusHimselfsaysthattheybel
i
evef orati
me.
Thi
sent i
reparableref ut
es–andhasnomeani ngin–t hefalseProtestant
vi
ewofj usti
fi
cation.Itnotonlyteachesust hatonecanbel ieveandt henfal
l
away,butthatsins,tempt ati
ons,worldlyconcerns, ef
fortst oovercomet he
worldanditssnar esandi tscares(Mt .13:
22),allarepar tofone’s
j
ustif
icati
onandsal vat i
on.It
’sastri
kingconf i
rmationoft heCat holi
cteachi
ng
onjusti
fi
cati
on,andast ri
kingrefut
ati
onoft hePr otestantpositi
on.

Luke8:15“Butthatont
hegoodgroundarethey
,whichi
nanhonestand
goodheart
, hav
inghear
dtheword,keepi
t,andbri
ngfor
thf
rui
twit
h
pati
ence.
”

Thosewhobringfor
thfr
uitunt
oet
ernal
li
fear
ethosewhoheart
hewor
dand
“keepi
t”orpr
acti
ceit
.

THEPARABLEOFTHETALENTS:
IFYOUDONOTPRODUCETHINGSFORGOD,
YOUWILLBEDAMNED–SOMUCHFORJUSTIFI
CATI
ONBY“ FAI
THALONE”

TheParabl
eoft
heTal
entscompl
etel
yref
utest
hePr
otest
antv
iewof
j
usti
fi
cati
onbyf
ait
hal
one.

Mat thew25: 15-

30“ Andunt oonehegav ef ivet alents, t
oanot hert wo, and
toanot herone; toev erymanaccor dingt ohi ssev eralabilit
y; and
straight wayt ookhi sj ourney .Thenhet hathadr ecei vedt hef ivet alents
wentandt radedwi t
ht hesame, andmadet hem ot herfivet alent s.And
l
ikewi sehet hathadr eceivedt wo, heal sogai nedot hert wo.Buthet hat
hadr ecei vedonewentanddi ggedi nt heear th,andhi dhi slor d’smoney .
Afteral ongt imet hel ordoft hoseser vantscomet h,andr eckonet hwi th
them.Andsohet hathadr ecei vedf i
vet alent scameandbr oughtot her
fi
vet al ent s,saying, Lord,thoudel iveredstunt omef ivetalent s: behold,I
hav egai nedbesi det hem f i
v et alentsmor e.Hi sl ordsaidunt ohi m,Wel l
done, thougoodandf ait
hf ul serv ant: t
houhastbeenf aithful ov eraf ew
thi
ngs, Iwi llmaket heer ulerov ermanyt hi ngs: ent erthoui ntot hejoyof
thylor d.Heal sot hathadr ecei vedt wot alent scameandsai d, Lord, t
hou
deliver edstunt omet wot alent s:behol d, Ihav egai nedt woot hert alents
besidet hem.Hi slordsai dunt ohi m, Wel l done, goodandf aithf ulservant;
thouhastbeenf aithfulov eraf ewt hings, Iwi l
l maket heer ulerov ermany
thi
ngs: ent erthoui ntothej oyoft hylor d.Thenhewhi chhadr ecei v
edt he
onet alentcameandsai d, Lor d, Iknewt heet hatt houar tanhar dman,
 reapingwher ethouhastnotsown, andgat her i
ngwher ethouhastnot
strawed:AndIwasaf raid,andwentandhi dt hytalentint heear t
h:lo,
theret houhastt hatisthine.Hislordanswer edandsai dunt ohi m,Thou
wickedandsl ot
hfulservant,t
houknewestt hatIr eapwher eIsowednot ,
andgat herwher eIhavenotst rawed: Thouought estt hereforetohav e
putmymoneyt otheexchanger s,andt henatmycomi ngIshoul dhav e
receivedmi neownwi thusury.Taket her ef
oret hetalentfrom him, and
giveitunt ohim whichhat htentalents.Forunt oeveryonet hathathshall
begi ven, andheshallhav eabundance: butfrom himt hathathnotshal l
bet akenawayev enthatwhi chhehat h.Andcasty et heunpr ofi
table
servanti ntoouterdarkness:thereshal l beweepi ngandgnashi ngof
teeth.”

Inthi
spar ableweseet hattheper soni scondemnedf orsloth,f
orlaz i
nessand
fai
li
ngt odot hingswi tht hetalentshehasr eceived.Hewascondemned
becausehedi dn’tworkwi t
hhi stalentstogai nmor etal
ents!Thispar able
completelycont radict
sj usti
ficati
onbyf ai
thalone.What ’
sex tr
emely
i
nteresti
ngaboutt hisist hatitsayst heLor d“reapswher eHehasnotsown. ”I
n
otherwords, theLor dex pectsust odoandt opr oduceourownwor ks, done
withHisgr ace.Ifwedonotcooper atewi thHisgr acetoproducesuchwor ks–
andar enotabl et opresentsuchsuper naturalwor ksbeforeHim att he
Judgment–wewi l
lbecasti ntoHel l.Thisparabl econfir
msCat hol
ict eaching
onwor ks,whilecompl etelyrefuti
ngPr otestantv iews.

JESUSWI
LLRENDERTOEVERYMANACCORDI
NGTOHI
SWORKS

Matt
hew16:27“Fort
heSonofmanshallcomeint
hegl
oryofhi
sFat
her
wi
thhisangel
s;andt
henheshal
lrewar
dev er
ymanaccor
dingt
ohis
wor
ks.”

Wewill
seethesameteachi
ngi
ntheBookofRomansandi
ntheBookof
Rev
elat
ion(
theApocal
ypse)
.

JESUSSHALLCASTI
NTOHELLTHOSEWHODOI
NIQUI
TY

Matthew13:41-42“TheSonofmanshal l
sendfort
hhisangels,andthey
shal
lgatheroutofhiski
ngdom al
lthingsthatof
fend,andthem whichdo
i
niquit
y;andshallcastt
hem i
ntoaf urnaceoffi
re:t
hereshallbewail
ing
andgnashingofteeth.
”
Godwi
l
lcondemnpeopl
etoHel
lbasedonwhet
hert
heydoi
niqui
ty.

EACHPERSONWI
LLRECEI
VEREWARDORPUNI
SHMENTBASEDONWHAT
HEORSHEHASDONEINTHEBODY

2Corint
hians5:
9-10“…Wher eforewelabour,
that,whet herpresentor
absent,
wemaybeaccept edofhi m.Forwemustal lappearbef or
ethe
j
udgmentseatofChr i
st;thateveryonemayr ecei
vet het hi
ngsdonei n
hi
sbody ,accor
dingt
ot hathehat hdone,whetheritbegoodorbad. ”

Wereadthatonemustl abortobeacceptedbyChri
st.Furt
her,weseet
hat
menwil
lrecei
vei nthenextworl
dar ewardofapuni
shmentbasedonwhat
t
heyhavedonei nthebody,“whetheri
tbegoodorbad.”Thet hi
ngswhi
cha
manhasdone( hisdeeds)areseenasintegr
alt
ohissalvati
onordamnati
on.

ONECOULDHAVEALLFAI
THANDI
TCOULDPROFI
THI
M NOTHI
NG

1Corinthians13:1-2“ThoughIspeakwi t
hthetonguesofmenandof
angels,andhav enotcharit
y,Iam becomeassoundingbrass,orati
nkl
ing
cymbal.Andt houghIhav ethegiftofpr
ophecy
, andunderst
andall
my st
eries,andallknowledge;andthoughIhaveallf
ait
h,sothatIcoul
d
remov emount ains,andhavenotchar i
ty,
Iam nothi
ng.”

Accor
dingtoProtest
antdoctri
ne,fai
thalonegrantssalvati
on.Thus,onewho
hasal
l f
ait
hwouldbesav ed.ButtheBibleteachesotherwise:onecouldhave
al
lfai
thanditcouldst
il
lprofi
thim not
hing.Justi
fi
cationisnotbyfait
halone.

WHATMUSTONEDOTOBESAVED?JESUSSAYS:
KEEPTHE
COMMANDMENTS,NOTJUSTBELI
EVE

Mat t
hew19:16-21“And,behold,onecameandsai duntohi
m, Good
Mast er
,whatgoodt hi
ngshallIdo,t
hatImayhav eeter
nall
if
e?Andhe
saiduntohim,Whycal l
estthoumegood?Ther eisnonegoodbutone,
thatis,
God:butifthouwiltenteri
ntoli
fe,
keepthecommandment s.
..
andcomeandf ol
lowme. ”

Tothequest
ionofwhathemustdot
obesav
ed,
Jesussay
sonemustkeep
thecommandmentsandfol
l
owHi m.
 ARI
CHMANSHALLHARDLYENTERTHEKI
NGDOM OFHEAVEN

Matthew19:23-24“ThensaidJesusuntohisdiscipl
es,Ver
il
yIsayunto
you,Thatari
chmanshal lhar
dlyenteri
ntothekingdom ofheaven.And
agai
nIsayunt oyou,Iti
seasierforacameltogot hrought
heeyeofa
needle,
thanforari
chmant oenteri
ntothekingdom ofGod.”

Her
eweseet
hatwhatonedoeswi
thhi
smoneywi
l
lal
soaf
fecthi
ssal
vat
ion.

JESUSSAYSWATCH,LESTHECOMESWHENYOUARENOTDOI
NGWHAT
YOUSHOULDANDARECOMMITTI
NGSI
N

Mark13:35-
37“Watchyetheref
ore:f
oryeknownotwhenthemasterof
thehousecometh…Lestcomingsuddenl
yhefindy
ousleepi
ng.Andwhat
IsayuntoyouIsayunt
oall,
Wat ch.
”

Thever
sionofthi
sparablei
nLuke’
sGospelbr
ingsoutt
henecessi
tyofwor
ks
anddoi
ngthingsforsal
vati
onev
enmoreclear
ly:

Luke12:38,
43“Andifheshall
comei nthesecondwat ch,orcomeinthe
thi
rdwatch,andfi
ndthem so,bl
essedarethoseserv
ant s…Blessedi
s
thatser
vant,whom hi
slor
dwhenhecomet hshal
lfi
ndsodoi ng.”

Her
e’sanot
heri
nter
est
ingpassageont
hispoi
ntf
rom Luke21:

Luke21:34-36“Andt akeheedtoy our

selves,
lestatanytimeyourhear t
s
beoverchargedwi thsurf
eit
ing,anddrunkenness,andcaresofthi
slife,
andsot hatdaycomeupony ouunawares.Forasasnar eshal
li
tcome
onall
them t hatdwellonthefaceofthewholeearth.Watchyetherefore,
andprayalway s,thatyemaybeaccount edwor t
hyt oescapeal
lthese
thi
ngsthatshal lcometopass, andtostandbeforetheSonofman. ”

I
nt hi
sinterest
ingpassageweseet hatafail
uretodothings–af ail
ureto
avoidsinssuchassur f
eit
ing(whi
chmeansi ndulgenceorglut
tony)and
dr
unkenness–cancostoneone’ ssalvati
on.Thi
sshouldshowusagai nwhy
j
ustif
icati
onbyf ai
thal
onei scompl
etelycontr
aryandforeignt
ot hetrue
Gospel.
 HETHATSAVESHI
SLI
FESHALLLOSEI
T

Luke9:24“
Forwhosoev
erwi
llsav
ehi
sli
feshal
lloseit
:butwhosoev
er
wil
llosehi
sli
fef
ormysake,
thesameshal
lsav
ei t
.”

Weseet hatwhatoneDOES,ingi
vi
ngupsinf
ulthi
ngsthatthewor
ldoff
ersin
thisl
if
e,wil
ldet
erminewhet
heronehassal
vati
on.I
t’
sobviousl
ynotbyfai
th
alone.

YOUMUSTBEARYOURCROSSTOBEHI
SDI
SCI
PLE

Luke14:
27,33“
Andwhosoev erdothnotbearhi
scr oss,andcomeaf
ter
me,cannotbemydisci
ple…Solikewi
se,whosoeverhebeofy out
hat
for
saket
hnotallt
hathehath,hecannotbemydisciple.
”

Salvati
onisnotatt
ainedbyfai
thaloneinJesus,butbyfait
handcarry
ingthe
crossandprior
it
izi
ngallonepossesses,makingsalvat
ioninJesusChri
st’
s
rel
igionthet
oppr i
ori
ty.

MANMUSTKEEPTHESAYI
NGOFJESUSTONOTSEEDEATH

John8:51“Ver
il
y,ver
il
y,Isayunt
oyou,
ifamankeepmysay
ing,
heshal
l
neverseedeat
h.”

ThosewhokeepHi
swor
ds,
notj
ustbel
i
eve,
wil
lnotseedeat
h.

ONLYTHOSEWHODOFORGI
VEAREFORGI
VEN

Matt
hew6:14“Forifyef
orgi
vement
hei
rtr
espasses,
yourheav
enl
y
Fat
herwi
l
lalsoforgiv
eyou.”

Onei
sonl
yfor
giv
eni
fhef
orgi
ves.I
t’
snotbyf
ait
hal
one.

MENAREJUSTI
FIEDANDCONDEMNEDBYTHEI
RWORDS,NOTJUSTONTHE
BASI
SOFWHETHERTHEYBELI
EVE

Matthew12:36-
37“ButIsayuntoyou,Thatev
eryidl
ewordthatmenshall
speak,t
heyshal
lgi
veaccountthereofi
nthedayofjudgment.Forbyt
hy
wordsthoushal
tbejusti
fi
ed,andbythywordsthoushal
tbecondemned.”
ButIthoughttheProtestantssaidthatj
ustif
icat
ionwasbyf ai
thal
one?No,
yourwords,youracti
ons, yourworksshallj
ustif
yy ouorcondemny ou,i
n
addit
iontowhetheryoubel ieve.Manwillhavetoaccountf oral
lofhi
sacti
ons
andallofhiswordsont heDayofJudgment .Asi mil
arparableisgi
veni
nLuke
19.

SI
MONMAGUSBELI
EVEDANDTHENFELLAWAY

I
nAct
s8,
wer
eadaboutSi
monMagus.

Act
s8:
13“
ThenSi
monhi
msel
fbel
i
evedal
so:
and…wasbapt
ized…”

Butj
ustaf
ewv
ersesl
ater
,wef
indoutt
hathef
ell
int
ogr
avesi
n:

Acts8:18-
21“ …whenSi monsawt hatt
hroughlayingonoft heapostl
es’
handstheHolyGhostwasgi ven,heoff
eredthem money ,saying,Gi
veme
alsot
hispower ,t
hatonwhomsoev erIl
ayhands, hemayr eceivetheHoly
Ghost.ButPetersaiduntohi
m, Thymoneyper i
shwi ththee,because
thouhastthoughtthatthegi
ftofGodmaybepur chasedwi t
hmoney .
Thouhastneitherpartnorl
otinthi
smatter:f
orthyheartisnotr i
ghtin
thesi
ghtofGod. ”

FELI
XWASTERRIFI
EDWHENPAULPREACHEDTOHIM THEGOSPELAND
CHASTITY,
OBVI
OUSLYBECAUSEONEMUSTAVOI
DIMPURITYTOBESAVED

I
nAct
s24,
wef
indanot
heri
nter
est
ingpassaget
hati
srel
evantt
othi
stopi
c.

Act
s24:25“Andashe[Paul]r
easonedofrighteousness,t
emperance,and
j
udgmenttocome,Fel
ixtr
embl ed,andanswer ed,Gothywayforthi
stime;
whenIhaveaconveni
entseason,Iwil
lcal
lfort hee.
”

TheCat
hol
i
cver
sionoft
hisv
erser
eads:

“Andashetreatedofjusti
ce,andchasti
ty,
andofthej
udgmenttocome,
Feli
xbei
ngterri
fied,
answered:Forthi
stime,got
hyway:butwhenIhavea
conveni
entt
ime, Iwil
lsendforthee.
”

Fel
i
xwast
err
if
iedwhenPaul
spokeaboutt
heGospel
’
steachi
ngonchast
it
y,
obvi
ouslybecausePaulinfor
medhi mt hatsi
nsi
nthi
sregar
dexcl
udeonef
rom
Heaven.Fel
ixwasterr
if
iedonl ybecausePauldi
dnotpr
eachtohi
mthefal
se
gospelofj
usti
fi
cati
onbyf ait
halone.

WORKOUTYOURSALVATI
ONWI
THFEARANDTREMBLI
NG

Phi
l
ippi
ans2:12“Wheref
ore,mybel
ov ed,asy
ehav
ealwaysobey
ed,not
asi
nmypr esenceonl
y,butnowmuchmor ei
nmyabsence,
workoutyour
ownsal
vati
onwi t
hfearandtrembl
ing.”

Wor
koutsalv
ationwith“
fearandt
rembl
ing,
”obv
iousl
ybecausemencanl
ose
t
hei
rsal
vat
ionthroughgr
avesinatanyt
ime.

THEBOOKOFROMANSCLEARLYINDI
CATESTHATWORKSAREAPARTOF
JUSTI
FICATI
ONANDSALVATION

*FORAREFUTATI
ONOFTHEOBJECTI
ONCONCERNI
NGROMANS3:28AND
THE“WORKSOFTHELAW”PHRASE–ACOMMONPROTESTANT
MISCONCEPTI
ON–SEETHERESPONSETOTHATOBJECTI
ONATTHEEND
OFTHISSECTI
ON

ThePr otestanttheol
ogy,whichsay sthatmani sjust
ifi
edbyfaithalone,i
s
contr
adi ct
edneart hebeginningoftheBookofRomansbyPaul ’
sdiscussi
onin
Chapter2ofhowpeopl ewi l
lbecondemnedf orwhatt heydo.Iti
sal so
contr
adi ct
edwhenPaul saysi nRomanst hatGodwi ll
rendertoeachman
accordingtohi sWORKS, andt hateter
nalli
feisforthosewhowor kuntogood.

I
t’
sv eryi
nteresti
ngthatt hesepassagescomeatt hebegi
nningofRomans.
ThiswasGod’ swayofr emov i
nganymi sunder
standi
ngaboutthenecessit
yto
dothingsandav oidsinsf orsal
vati
onwhi chmightar
isef
rom her
eti
cal
misint
erpr
etationsoflaterpassages,whichwerewr i
tt
entoemphasizethat
mani snotjustif
iedbywor ksoft
heOldLaw.

Romans2:2-3“…t hejudgmentofGodi saccor

dingtot
rut
hagainstthem
whichcommi tsuchthings.Andt
hinkestthout
his,Oman,thatj
udgest
them whi
chdosucht hings,anddoestthesame, t
hatt
houshaltescape
thejudgmentofGod? ”

Whatt
hingsi
shet
alki
ngabout
?Att
heendofchapt
er1,
hegav
eal
i
stof
mor
tal
sins,
incl
udi
ngf
orni
cat
ion,
cov
etousness,
wickedness,
etc.

Romans2:
5-6“…theri
ghteousjudgmentofGod;
Whowi
l
lrendert
oev
ery
manaccor
dingtohisdeeds.”

Hewil
lrendert
oeverymanaccor
dingt
ohi
swor
ksordeeds,
notont
hebasi
s
off
ait
halone.Heconti
nues:

ETERNALLI
FEI
SFORBELI
EVERSWHOCONTI
NUEI
NPATI
ENTWELLDOI
NG

Romans2:7“Tothem whobypati
entcont
inuancei
nwel
ldoi
ngseekf
or
gl
oryandhonourandimmort
ali
ty,
eter
nall
ife.
”

ETERNALDEATHI
SFORTHOSEWHODONOTOBEYTHETRUTHANDDO
EVI
L

Romans2: 8-10“Butuntot hem t

hatarecontenti
ous, anddonotobeyt he
tr
uth,butobeyunright
eousness, indi
gnati
onandwr at h,
tri
bulati
onand
anguish,uponeverysoul ofmant hatdoethevi
l,oftheJewf irst
,andal
so
oftheGent i
le;
Butglory,honour,andpeace,toev er
ymant hatworket
h
good, t
otheJewf ir
st,andal sot
ot heGenti
le.
”

Eter
nall
if
ei sgiv
ent othosewhotrul
ybelieveanddowhati
sgood.Eternal
deathi
sforev er
yman, incl
udi
ngbeli
evers,whodoevi
lorcommitgravesins
anddiei
nt hatstat
e.It
’snotbyfai
thalone.

THEHOLYGHOSTI
SPOUREDINTOTHEHEARTSOFTHEJUSTI
FIED:
INTERI
ORSANCTI
FICATI
ON

Romans5:5“
Andhopemakethnotashamed;
becauset
heloveofGodis
shedabr
oadinourhear
tsbyt
heHolyGhostwhichi
sgivenunt
ous.”

Hereweseet hatforthosewhoar
ejust
if
ied,
thel
ov eofGodispouredi
nto
t
heirheart
s.ThisistheCathol
i
cvi
ewofjusti
fi
cat
ion:t
hatthej
usti
fi
edaretr
uly
i
nteri
orl
ysancti
fied.

I
FBELI
EVERSLI
VEAFTERTHEFLESH,
THEYSHALLETERNALLYDI
E

Romans8:
12-
13“
Ther
efor
e,br
ethr
en,
wear
edebt
ors,
nott
othef
lesh,
to
 l
i
veaf t
erthef
lesh.Fori
fyeli
veaf
tert
hefl
esh,
yeshal
ldi
e:buti
fye
t
hroughtheSpir
itdomorti
fyt
hedeedsoft
hebody
,yeshal
ll
ive.
”

Speakingto“br
ethren,
”thatis,bel
iever
s,hesayst
hatiftheycommitgrav
esi
ns
oftheflesht
heywi l
ldi
eet ernal
ly:
bedamned.Thattotall
ycontr
adi
cts
j
ustif
icati
onbyfait
halone, oncesavedalwayssav
ed,etc.

I
FBELI
EVERSDON’
TCONTI
NUEI
NGOODNESS,
THEYWI
LLBECUTOFF

I
nRomanschapt
er11,
wecomet
oav
ersewhi
chdev
ast
atesPr
otest
ant
t
heol
ogy
.

Romans11: 20-22“Well
;becauseofunbel i
eftheywer ebrokenoff,and
thoustandestbyf ai
th.Benothighmi nded,butfear:Fori
fGodspar ednot
thenaturalbranches,t
akeheedl esthealsospar enotthee.Behold
ther
eforethegoodnessandsev eri
tyofGod: ont hem whichfel
l,
sev er
it
y;
buttowar dthee,goodness,ift
houcont inueinhi sgoodness:otherwi
se
thoualsoshal tbecutoff.
”

Romanschapt er11clearl
yspeaksoftheJewsbei ngcutof
fbecauseof
unbel
ief.Andtheninverse22,St.Paulsay
sthatyoubeli
evi
ngChrist
ianswi
l
l
al
sobecutof funlessyoucontinueingoodness.Thi
sdestr
oystheideasof
j
ustif
icati
onbyf ai
thaloneandoncesav edalwayssaved.

ABELI
EVERWHOTAKESTHEEUCHARI
STUNWORTHI
LYEATSANDDRI
NKS
DAMNATI
ONTOHIMSELF

1Cor i
nthi
ans11:28-
29“Butletamanexami nehimself
,andsol ethim eat
ofthatbread,anddr
inkofthatcup.Forhethateat
ethanddrinketh
unworthil
y,eatet
handdrinket
hdamnat iontohimsel
f,notdi
scerningthe
Lor
d’sbody .”

St.Paulsayst hatt
hosewhoeatoft heEucharistunworthil
yareguilt
yofgr ave
sinagainstthebodyandbl oodoft heLor d.Theydr i
nkdamnat iont
o
themselves.He’stalki
ngt obel i
evers,ofcourse,ashemadecl eari
n1Cor .
5:12.Thisisalsoclearfrom thef actthatonlybeliev
erswoul dbepartaki
ngi n
theEucharist.Obvi
ously,therefore,beli
everscanbedamnedf orgr
av esi
ns,
suchasasacr il
egi
ousr eceptionoft heEucharist.Thispassagerefutest
he
Protest
antideaofj usti
fi
cationbyf aithaloneandconf ir
msCat holi
cteaching.
 1COR.7DESTROYSJUSTI
FICATI
ONBYFAITHALONE,
BYTEACHI
NGTHAT
I
T’SBETTERFORCERTAINBELI
EVERSTOMARRYTHANTOBURN

St.Paulmakesitcl
eari
n1Cor i
nthi
ansthathei
sspeaki
ngaboutt
hepr
obl
ems
thatcanbef
allt
hosewithi
ntheChurch.

1Corint
hians5:12-13“ForwhathaveItodotojudgethem al
sot hatar
e
wit
hout?Donoty ej udgethem t
hatar
ewithi
n?Butthem t
hatarewi t
hout
Godjudgeth.Thereforeputawayfr
om amongyoursel
vesthatwicked
per
son.”

Thi
sbecomesv
erysi
gni
fi
canti
nchapt
er7.

1Cor inthians7:1-9“ Nowconcer ningt het hingswher eofy ewr oteuntome:

Iti
sgoodf oramannott otouchawoman.Nev er
theless, toav oid
forni
cat i
on, l
etever ymanhav ehi sownwi fe,andl etev erywomanhav e
herownhusband.Lett hehusbandr enderunt ot hewi f
eduebenev ol
ence:
andl i
kewi sealsot hewi feuntot hehusband.Thewi fehat hnotpowerof
herownbody ,butthehusband: andl i
kewi seal sot hehusbandhat hnot
powerofhi sownbody ,butthewi fe.Def raudy enotonet heot her,except
i
tbewi thconsentf oratime, thatyemaygi v ey ourselvest ofast i
ngand
prayer;andcomet ogetheragai n,thatSat ant empty ounotf ory our
i
ncont inency.ButIspeakt hi
sbyper mi ssi
on, andnotofcommandment .
ForIwoul dthatallmenwer eev enasImy sel f
.Butev er ymanhat hhi s
propergi ftofGod, oneaf t
erthismanner ,
andanot heraf terthat.Isay
thereforet otheunmar riedandwi dows, I
ti sgoodf ort hem i ftheyabide
evenasI .Butiftheycannotcont ain,letthem mar ry:fori ti
sbet terto
mar rythant obur n.”

Therear eanumberofext remel ysi

gnifi
cantthi
ngsinthispassage.First,
we
seethecl earandr epeatedteachingthattheceli
batestateissuperi
ort othe
mar i
talstate.Thisconfir
msCat hol
i
ct eachi
ng.TheCat holi
cChurchteaches
thatthemar ri
edstateisnotabadst ate,butastatethatisinf
eri
ortothe
celi
batest ate.Jesusteachest hesamei nMat t
hew19: 12.Thi
sbibli
cal
teachingoncel ibacyiswhyt heCatholicChurch’
sreli
giousandpr i
estsoft he
RomanRi tetakeav owofcel ibacy.

Nowt
othemai
npoi
nti
nregar
dtot
hePr
otest
anti
deaofj
ust
if
icat
ionbyf
ait
h
al
one.Wej ustestabl i
shedt hatin1Cor inthians5:12, St
.Paul makesi tquit
e
cl
earthathei st al
kingt obelievers.Speakingt obelievers,St.Paul saysthat“ i
t
i
sbet t
ert omar ryt hant oburn”(1Cor .7:9).Thisclear l
yindicatest hateven
tr
uebeliev erswhof al
lintogravesi nscanl osetheirjusti
ficati
onandbur nin
Hell
.Hei st elli
ngt hem t hati
t’sbettertomar r
ythant obur n,obviouslybecause
someoft hem woul df alli
ntomor talsi
nsoft hefl
eshi ftheydi dnotgetmar ri
ed.
Thiscompl etel
yr efutest heProtestantrel
igionandconf ir
msCat hol i
cteaching
onjusti
ficat i
on.

SANCTI
FICATI
ONANDJUSTI
FICATI
ONHAPPENATTHESAMETI
ME

1Corint
hians6:11“Andsuchweresomeofyou:
butyear
ewashed,but
yearesanctif
ied,
butyearejust
if
iedi
nthenameoft
heLordJesus,
and
bytheSpiri
tofourGod.”

Thisversespeaksoft hosewhohav ebeenjustif

iedas“ sanct i
fi
ed”bef or
eit
mentionst hattheyhav ebeenjusti
fi
ed.Thispr ovesthatsanct if
icati
onand
j
ustif
icati
onhappenatt hesamet i
me.Itcontradict
st hePr otestantvi
ewof
j
ustif
icati
on, whichisthatjust
ifi
cati
onandsanct i
fi
cationar enotoneandt he
samet hing.Protestantsholdthatmani sdeclaredjustif
ied,butr emains
i
nteri
orlyunsanct i
fi
ed.

HEAVENI
SONLYFORBELI
EVERSWHO“
OVERCOME”

Revelati
on(Apocal
ypse)2:7“Hethathathanear,l
ethi
m hearwhatt
he
Spir
itsait
huntothechurches;Tohimthatovercomethwil
lIgi
vetoeatof
thetreeofli
fe,
whichisinthemidstoftheparadi
seofGod.”

TheBiblesaysthatonl
ythosewhoov er
comewi l
lgettoHeaven.Thepassage
i
saboutbel i
ever
s, asi
smadecl earinchapt
er2verse10.Theref
ore,i
t’
sfal
se
tosaythateveryonewhobelievesnecessar
il
yovercomes.Thi
srefut
es
j
usti
fi
cationbyfaithal
one.Thisthemeisrepeat
ednumer ousti
mesinthis
chapt
er.

ONEMUSTKEEPJESUS’
WORKS“
TOTHEEND”

Revelati
on2:23-26“…allt
hechurchesshal
lknowthatIam hewhich
searchetht
her einsandhear
ts:
andIwi l
lgi
veuntoev er
yoneofyou
accordingt
oy ourwor ks…Butt
hatwhichyehavealreadyhol
dfastt
il
lI
 come.Andhethatov
ercomet
h,andkeepet
hmywor
ksunt
otheend,
to
hi
m wil
lIgi
vepowerovert
henat
ions.
”

Thi
sver
sespeaksf
ori
tsel
f.I
tcompl
etel
yref
utest
hePr
otest
antv
iew.

ONEWHOBELI
EVESMUST“
HOLDFAST”SOTHATHEDOESN’
TLOSEHI
S
CROWN

Revel
ati
ons3:11-
12“ Behol
d,Icomequickl
y :hol
dthatfastwhichthou
hast,
thatnomant akethycrown.Hi
mt hatov er
comethwillImakea
pi
ll
arinthet
empleofmyGod, andheshallgonomor eout.”

I
nRev elat
ionchapt
ers13and14, wer eadaboutt
hemarkofthebeastandt
hat
thosewhor ecei
vei
twillnotbesaved.Thisal
sodemonst
rat
esthatwhatyou
dowi l
ldeter
minewhetheryouaresavedordamned.

THEDEADAREJUDGEDACCORDI
NGTOTHEI
RWORKS

I
nRev
elat
ionchapt
er20,
wer
eadaboutt
hef
inal
judgment
.

Revel
ati
on20:12-13“AndIsawt hedead,smallandgr eat
,standbefore
God;andthebookswer eopened:andanotherbookwasopened, whichis
thebookofli
fe:andthedeadwer ejudgedoutoft hosethingswhich
werewritt
eninthebooks,accordi
ngt othei
rworks.Andt heseagav eup
thedeadwhichwereinit;
anddeat handhelldel
iveredupthedeadwhi ch
wereinthem:andtheywer ej
udgedev erymanaccor dingtothei
rwor ks.
”

Thi
sverseconst
it
utesabsol
utepr
ooft
hatt
hePr
otest
antv
iewofj
ust
if
icat
ion
i
sunbibl
ical
.

Revel
ati
on22:12“
And,behol
d,Icomequickl
y;andmyr
ewar
diswi
thme,
togiv
eev er
ymanaccordi
ngashi swor
kshallbe.”

Revelat
ion21:
8“ Butthef
earful
,andunbeli
eving,andtheabominable,
and
murderers,
andwhor emongers,andsor
cerers,andidolat
ers,
andallli
ars,
shall
hav et
heirparti
nthelakewhichburnet
hwi thfi
reandbrimstone:
whichistheseconddeath.
”

Rev
elat
ion22:
19“
Andi
fanymanshal
ltakeawayf
rom t
hewor
dsoft
he
 bookofthi
sprophecy
,Godshal
ltakeawayhispar
toutoft
hebookofli
fe,
andoutofthehol
ycit
y,andf
rom thet
hingswhi
charewri
tt
eni
nthisbook.
”

Thi
sisjustanot
herv
ersewhi
chshowst
hatwhaty
oudocanexcl
udey
ouf
rom
sal
vat
ion.

THERI
GHTEOUSORJUSTMANWI
LLSCARCELYBESAVED

1Peter4:
17-18“Forthetimeiscomet hatjudgmentmustbegi
natthe
houseofGod:andifitfi
rstbegi
natus, whatshal
ltheendbeofthem t
hat
obeynotthegospelofGod?Andi ftheright
eousscarcel
ybesaved,
where
shal
ltheungodl
yandt hesinnerappear?”

I
tsayst
hatthe“ri
ghteous”wi
llscarcel
ybesav ed.Ot
hertranslat
ionshaveitas
“
thej
ustman.”Thereisnodoubtt hatSt.Peterisspeaki
ngaboutaj usti
fi
ed
manint
heChur chbecausehespeaksher eofjudgmentbegi nni
ngwiththe
“
houseofGod,”whichistheChurch.

Therear et
woway sofunderstandi
ngt hi
sv erse,andt heybothcont r
adictt
he
i
deasofj usti
fi
cati
onbyf ai
thaloneandet ernalsecur i
ty.Thefir
stisthatthe
j
ustort heri
ghteousintheChur chshallscarcely
, asinrarely
,besav ed;
becausemostoft hosewhoar eatonet i
mej ustifi
edf al
lawayanddon’ t
perseveretotheend.Theybecome( grave)sinners.Thatcoincideswi t
hthe
tradi
ti
onalCatholi
cunderstandingthatevenmostCat holi
csarelostbecause
theydon’tcareenoughordon’tdowhatt heyneedt odot obesav ed.Hence,
theylosethei
rjusti
fi
cati
onatsomepoi ntanddi ei nthestateofmor talsi
n.

Theonlyotheri
nter
pretat
ionthatcouldbeadvancedisthat“
scarcely”means
wit
hdiff
icul
ty:t
hati
t’shardforajustmant obesaved.Thati
stosay ,the
j
usti
fi
edmanmustmakeagr eateff
ortt
obesav ed;
heisnotensur edofhis
sal
vati
onbyf ai
thal
oneoraone- t
imedecreeassoonashebel i
eves.

AWOMANI
SSAVEDBYCHI
LD-
BEARI
NG,
IFSHECONTI
NUESI
NTHEFAI
TH

1Timothy2:15“Notwi
thstandi
ngshe[woman]shal
lbesavedin
chi
ldbeari
ng,i
ftheyconti
nueinfai
thandchar
it
yandholinesswit
h
sobri
ety.
”

Thi
sobl
i
ter
atest
hePr
otest
antv
iewofj
ust
if
icat
ionandsal
vat
ion.I
tindi
cat
es
t
hatpeoplewhohav ethefait
hcanloseit,andtheymustcont i nhol
nuei i
ness
t
obesav ed.I
t’
snotsurpri
singatall
thatonePr otestantwhoat t
emptedt
o
r
espondtothisver
seinadebat eaboutjusti
fi
cati
onhadnor esponse
what
soever.Hesimplysai
dt hati
t’
s“qui
temy st
erious.”

BYGOD’
SGRACE,
YOUWI
LLSAVEYOURSELFBYDOI
NGTHI
NGS

1Ti
mothy4:
16“
Takeheedunt
othysel
f,anduntothedoctr
ine;
continue
i
nthem:f
ori
ndoingt
hist
houshal
tbothsavethysel
f,andt
hem thathear
t
hee.
”

Her
eweseet hatonemustcont
inueinthefai
thtobesaved.Onecoul
dlose
t
hefai
th,
ther
efore.Weal
soreadthatiti
sindoingthi
ngsthatonei
ssaved!

Thisverseisquit
eimpor tantbecausesomePr otestants–whopr eacht he
fal
sedoct r
ineofjustif
icationbyfait
hal one–l iketocont rasttheCat holicand
Protest
antv i
ewsint heset erms:ThePr otestantv i
ew[ theysay ]i
sal labout
Jesussav i
ngmananddoi ngallt
hewor k;buttheCat holi
cv iewisaboutman
doingthewor kandsav i
nghi mself
.Obv iousl
yt heCat holi
cv iewisnotabout
mansav inghimself,butthatJesussav esmanbymaki ngsal vat
ionpossi bl
e.
WithoutJesus,mancannotdoany t
hing.Howev er,amanmustcooper atewith
God’sgrace.Ifhecooper at esandtakesadv antageoft hesal v
ati
onwhi ch
Jesushasmadeav ail
able, anddoesthet hi
ngswhi chGodr equir
es, thenhewi ll
savehimsel f
.

I
nt heverseabove,weseethattheBiblet
eachestheCathol
icv i
ew;i
t’snotal
l
Jesuswithoutman’scooperat
ion.Rather
,man’sworksanddeeds( i
.e.,
what
mandoes)cl ear
lydetermi
newhet herhe–andothers–wi l
lhavesalvati
on.
Fai
th-al
onePr ot
estantswoul
dhav etocondemntheabov everseashereti
cal
.

ST.PAULREJOI
CESTHATHEHASKEPTTHEFAITH,
OBVI
OUSLYBECAUSE
BELI
EVERSCANLOSEI
T

2Timothy4:
6-7“ForIam nowreadytobeoff
ered,andtheti
meofmy
depart
urei
sathand.Ihavefoughtagoodfi
ght,Ihavef
ini
shedmycour
se,
Ihavekeptt
hefait
h.”

ALEXANDERTHECOPPERSMI
THWI
LLBEREWARDEDACCORDI
NGTOHI
S
WORKS
 2Ti
mothy4:
14“ Al
exandert
hecoppersmi
thdi
dmemuchev
il
:theLor
d
r
ewardhi
m accordi
ngtohisworks.
”

ONEMUSTENDUREANDRESI
STTEMPTATI
ONTOHAVETHECROWNOF
LI
FE

James1: 12“Bl
essedi
sthemanthatendur
ethtempt
ati
on:f
orwhenheis
tri
ed,heshallr
ecei
vet
hecrownofli
fe,whi
chtheLor
dhathpromi
sedt
o
them thatl
ovehim.
”

TheBibl
esayst
hatonemustr
esi
stt
empt
ati
onandendur
etot
heendt
ohav
e
et
ernall
i
fe.

SI
NSOFLUSTBRI
NGFORTHETERNALDEATH–THUSI
T’SNOTBYFAI
TH
ALONE

James1:13-15“Letnomansaywhenhei stempted,Iam t
empt edofGod:
forGodcannotbet emptedwithevil
,neit
hertemptet
hheanyman: But
everymanist empted,whenhei sdrawnawayofhi sownl ust,
and
enti
ced.Thenwhenl usthathconcei
v ed,
itbr
inget
hforthsin:andsin,
whenitisfi
nished,bri
ngethfort
hdeat h.
”

Noti
ceherethati
foneconsent
stoasi
noflust,
itbr
ingsf
ort
hdeath.He’
s
cl
earl
yspeakingofet
ernal
death(
damnat
ion)
.Thatmeansthatmanisnot
j
usti
fi
edbyfaithal
one.

Thesecondchapt erofJamest r
ulyobl
i
terat
esthePr otestantideaof
j
ust i
ficati
onbyf aithaloneandoncesav edalwayssav ed.Mar t
inLuthercall
ed
thebookofJames“ anepi st
leofst r
aw”andwant edtor emov eitfr
om his
versionoft heBibleunt il
hisfriendsper
suadedhimt hatt hatwouldbet oo
radical amov e(seet heendoft hi
sbookformor eonLut her’sviews).The
foll
owi ngverses,whi chrejectjusti
fi
cat
ionbyfai
thalone, arewhyLut her
cri
ticizedthisbookoft heBible:

James2:14“
Whatdothitprof
it
,mybret
hren,t
houghamansayhehat
h
fai
th,
andhavenotworks?canfai
thsavehim?”

James2:
17“
Evensof
ait
h,i
fithat
hnotwor
ks,
isdead,
bei
ngal
one.
”
 James2:18“Yea,amanmaysay,
Thouhastfai
th,
andIhavewor
ks:
shew
methyfait
hwithoutt
hywor
ks,
andIwil
lshewtheemyfait
hbymyworks.
”

James2:19“Thoubel
i
evestt
hatther
eisoneGod;
thoudoestwel
l
:the
devi
l
salsobeli
eve,
andtr
emble.
”

James2:
20“
Butwi
l
tthouknow,
Ovai
nman,
thatf
ait
hwi
thoutwor
ksi
s
dead?
”

James2:21“WasnotAbr
aham ourf
atherj
ust
if
iedbywor
ks,
whenhehad
off
eredI
saachi
ssonuponthealt
ar?
”

James2:22-23“ Seestt
houhowf ai
thwroughtwit
hhi
swor ks,andby
workswasf ai
thmadeper fect?Andthescr
ipt
urewasful
fi
ll
edwhi chsai
th,
Abraham beli
evedGod, andi twasimput
eduntohimforr
ighteousness:
andhewascal ledtheFriendofGod. ”

James2:24“Yeseet
henhowt
hatbywor
ksamani
sjust
if
ied,
andnotby
fai
thonl
y.”

Thisistheonl
yplaceint
heenti
reBi
blet
hatt
hewor
dsfai
thandal
one(
oronl
y)
arejoi
nedtoget
her.TheBibl
esayst
hatMANISNOTJUSTIFI
EDBYFAI
TH
ALONE, BUTBYWORKS!

OBJECTI
ONS:

WHATABOUTTHEPASSAGESWHI
CHSAYTHATWHOEVERBELI
EVESI
N
JESUSWI
LLBESAVED?

ANSWER:TOJESUS,
TOBELI
EVEINHIM UNTOSALVATI
ONNECESSARI LY
MEANSTOFOLLOW ANDKEEPHISWORDSANDCOMMANDMENTSUNTO
THEEND.THISI
SPROVENBYTHEIMMEDIATEOREXTENDEDCONTEXTOF
EVERYCASEWHEREJESUSSAYSTHATTHOSEWHOBELI EVEINHIM WILL
BESAVED,I
NADDITI
ONTOALLTHEOTHERPASSAGESWHI CHHAVEBEEN
COVERED.

FI
RSTEXAMPLE:
JOHN3:
16
 John3:16“ForGodsolovedtheworl
d,thathegav
ehisonl
ybegot
ten
Son,thatwhosoev
erbeli
evet
hinhim shoul
dnotperi
sh,
buthav
e
ever
lasti
ngli
fe.
”

Onemi ghtseethisverseonpost ersatspor t

sstadi
ums, atoverpasseson
highways,andinmanyot herpl aces.Protestant
sbelievei t
’sthebest,oroneof
thebest,examplesoftheBi ble’
st eachi
ngt hatwhoev erbelievesi
ssav edby
fait
halone.Whattheydon’ ttelly
ouorf ailt
oper cei
vei swhati sstat
edi nt
he
verseswhichimmedi atel
yf ol
lowJohn3: 16.

John3:17-20“ForGodsentnothi sSonintothewor l
dtocondemnt he
worl
d;butthatthewor l
dthroughhim mightbesav ed.Hethatbelieveth
onhimisnotcondemned: buthethatbeli
evethnotiscondemned
al
ready…Andt hisi
st hecondemnat i
on,thatli
ghtiscomei ntothewor l
d,
andmenl oveddarknessrathert
hanlight,becausetheirdeedswer eev i
l.
Foreveryonethatdoethev i
lhateththeli
ght,neit
hercomet htothel i
ght,
l
esthisdeedsshoul dbereproved.”

It
’sfasci
nati
ngt hatinthev er
ycontextwhichimmedi atelyfoll
owsJohn3: 16,
weseepr ominentr efer
encest ocondemnat i
onf orevi
ldeeds, aswell asto
peoplewhodoev ilandt odeedsbei ngjudged.Thismakesi tcl
earthataf ai
th
i
nt heonlybegottenSonofGodwhi chwill
grantsalvat
ioni saf ai
thwhi chmust
beaccompani edbyper sev eri
ngingooddeedsandgoodwor ks.ToJesus, to
beli
eveinHim untosal vationistofoll
owandkeepHi swor dsandHi s
commandment s,asal l
t heotherpassageswehav ecov ereddemonst rate.The
contextdemonst r
atest hatJohn3: 16doesnott eachjustifi
cati
onbyf aith
aloneoreter
nal securit
y .

SECONDEXAMPLE:
ROMANS10:I
FTHOUCONFESSWI
THTHYMOUTH…
THOUSHALTBESAVED

Romans10:
9isanotherver
sewhichPr
otest
ant
sbr
ingf
orwar
dinanat
tempt
topr
ovesal
vat
ionbyfait
halonei
nJesus.

Romans10: 8-
10“…Thewor disnighthee,evenint hymout h,andinthy
heart:t
hati
s,t
hewor doffai
th,whichwepr each.Thatifthoushalt
confesswit
hthymout htheLordJesus,andshal tbeli
eveinthineheart
thatGodhathrai
sedhimf r
om thedead,thoushal tbesav ed.Forwit
ht he
heartmanbeli
evethuntori
ghteousness;andwi t
ht hemout hconfession
 i
smadeunt
osal
vat
ion.
”

Onceagai n,however,t
hecont extshowsust hattheProt
estantunderst
andi
ng
ofthispassagei sf
alse.Whatmanydon’ treali
zeisthatthepassageabove
(Romans10: 8-10)i
squotingfrom Deuteronomy30: 14andf ol
l
owing.The
footnotesinyourBibl
ewillshowt heref
erencet oDeuter
onomy30: 14.Well
,
Deuteronomy30: 14andfollowingspeakofTHENECESSI TYOFDOI NGTHE
WORKSOFGODANDOFKEEPI NGTHECOMMANDMENTS.

Deuter
onomy30: 14-
16“Butthewor disv er
yni ghunt
ot hee,i
nthymout h,
andinthyhear t
, thatt
houmay estdoi t[QuotedinRomans10: 8].See,I
havesetbef oret heethi
sdayl i
feandgood, anddeathandev il
;inthatI
commandt heet hisdaytol
ov etheLor dthyGod, t
owal kinhisway s,and
tokeephiscommandment sandhisst atutesandhisjudgments, t
hat
thoumay estliveandmul ti
ply
: andtheLor dthyGodshal lbl
esstheeint he
l
andwhi t
hert hougoestt opossessi t
.”

Thisref
erencetoDeut eronomy30: 14inRomans10: 8-10showst hattoPaul
andhisli
steners,i
twasunder st
oodt hattobeli
eveunt osalvati
onist ofol
low
andkeepanddot hewor kst hatarenecessaryforsalvati
on.Onlyinthatway
wil
labeliever“
liv
e”andhav esalvati
on.TheProtestantv i
ewofjusti
ficat
ionis
si
mpl yatotalmisunderstandingofScr i
ptur
e,asthef ull
contextofthis
passageshowsagai n.

THI
RDEXAMPLE:
JOHN5:
24

Readi
ngthisi
nisol
ati
on,
somePr
otest
ant
sthi
nkt
hatal
lbel
i
ever
sar
eassur
ed
ofsal
vat
ion.

John5:24“Hethathear
ethmywor d,
andbel
iev
ethonhi
mt hatsentme,
hathever
last
ingl
ife,
andshal
lnotcomeint
ocondemnat
ion;buti
spassed
fr
om deathuntoli
fe.
”

Butj
ustaf
ewv
ersesl
ater
,st
art
ingi
nJohn5:
28,
Jesussay
sthi
s:

John5:28-29“Marv el
notatt hi
s:fort
hehouri
scoming,inwhichall
that
areinthegravesshallhearhisvoice,
andshal
lcomeforth;
theythathave
donegood, untotheresurrecti
onoflife;
andt
heythathavedoneev i
l,
untotheresurrect
ionofdamnat i
on.”
Again,weseethatpeopl
ewill
becondemnedont hebasi
sofwhatt heyhave
done,notj
ustonthebasisofwhethert
heyhav
ebeliev
ed.Inv
ari
ably,toJesus,
tobeli
eveuntosalv
ati
onistofol
lowandkeepHiswordsanddot hewor ks
whicharenecessaryf
orsal
vati
on.

FOURTHEXAMPLE:
JOHN6:
47

John6:47“Veri
ly
,ver
il
y,Isayunt
oyou,
Het
hatbel
i
evet
honmehat
h
ever
last
ingli
fe.
”

SomePr otestantsliketoquot ethispassagetoar guef orjust

if
icati
onbyf ai
th
al
one.Butt hi
si seasilyref
utedbyt heentir
econt extofJohn6.Al mostthe
enti
rechapterdeal swi t
hhowonemustnotonl ybel ieveforsalvat
ion,butal
so
eatthefl
eshoft heSonofMant obesav ed.Therefor e,
it’
snotbyf ai
thalone.
Thisiscoveredint hesectionont heEucharist,butthisisanotherexampl e
wheretheex tendedcont extrefutesaProtestantmi sconcepti
on.

John6:53-54“ThenJesussaiduntot
hem, Ver
il
y,ver
il
y,Isayuntoyou,
Exceptyeeatthefl
eshoft heSonofman,anddrinkhi
sbl ood,
y ehav
eno
l
if
einy ou.Whosoevereatethmyfl
esh,anddri
nkethmybl ood,hat
h
eter
nalli
fe;andIwil
lrai
sehim upatt
helastday.
”

WHATABOUTEPHESI
ANS2:8-
9,BYGRACEYOUARESAVEDTHROUGH
FAI
TH,NOTOFWORKS?

Non-
Cathol
icsf
requent
lyquot
ethef
oll
owi
ngv
erset
oat
temptt
opr
ovet
hat
manissavedbyfai
thal
one.

Ephesi
ans2:
8-9“Forbygracear
eyesavedthr
oughfai
th;
andthatnotof
your
sel
ves:i
tist
hegiftofGod:Notofwor
ks,l
estanymanshouldboast
.”

Thisar gumental sof ai

l
s.AsIwi llnowshow, t
hisar
gumentf ai
lsbecauset his
verseisspeci fi
callytal
kingaboutt heinit
ial
graceofrecei
vingwat erbapt i
sm.
Wat erbapt i
sm isnotawor k“ofy our
selves,
”butasacramenti nsti
tutedbyGod.
Nowor ky oucandocansubst i
tuteforthepowerofwat erbaptism.Thi sissaid
to“sav e”becausei tremov esman’ sorigi
nalsinandputshimint othei ni
ti
al
stateofj usti
fi
cation.Thepr oofthatEphesians2:8-
9isactuall
yr ef
erringto
wat erbapt i
sm i
sf oundwhenonecompar esthepassagetoTitus3: 5,andt hen
t
o1Pet
er3:
20-
21.

Lookatt
his:

Ephesians2: 8-
9“ Forbygraceareye Ti t
us3:5“Notbywor ksof
savedt hroughf ait
h;andthatnotof r i
ghteousnesswhichwehavedone,
yourselves:iti
st hegif
tofGod:Not butaccor di
ngtohismercyhesav ed
ofwor ks,lestanymanshoul dboast.
”us, bythewashingofregener
ati
on,
andrenewingoftheHolyGhost.
”

Noticethatthetwopassagesareex tremelysimil
ar.Theyaretalki
ngaboutthe
samet hing.Theybothmentionbeingsav ed,andnotofwor kswhi chwehave
done.Ephesi ans2:8-
9descr
ibesthisasbei ngsavedthrough“fait
h”;Ti
tus3:
5
descri
besi tasbeingsavedt
hrought hewashi ngofregenerat
ionandr enewi
ng
oftheHol yGhost.Theyarer
eferr
ingt othesamet hing.

Tit
us3:5iswi t
houtanydoubtr eferr
ingtowaterbapt i
sm, asevenJohnCal v
in
andMar t
inLutheradmi tt
ed.Ephesians2:8-
9isalsot al
kingaboutwat er
bapti
sm; i
t’
sjustthatEphesians2:8-9call
sit“fai
th”becauseaccepting
bapti
sm issubmi t
ti
ngt ofai
th;i
t’showonej oinsthefait
h,asJesusmakes
cl
earinMar k16:15andMat t
hew28: 19:Pr
“ eacht heGospeltoev er
ycr eatur
e…
Bapti
zingthem inthenameoft heFatherandoft heSonandoft heHol y
Ghost.
”Baptism isalsodescri
bedas“ fai
th”inGalati
ans3:

Galati
ans3:26-
27“
Fory
eareallt
hechil
drenofGodbyfai
thinChri
st
Jesus.Forasmanyofyouashavebeenbapti
zedint
oChristhav
eputon
Christ
.”

Weseet hatreceivi
ngbapt
ism i
ssynonymouswithr
ecei
ving“fai
th”i
nChr
ist
Jesus.Tofurtherconf
ir
mthatEphesians2:
8-9i
saboutbeingsavedby
bapti
sm,let
’sexpandthecompar i
son:

Ephesi ans2: 8-
9“ Forby Tit
us3: 5“Notbywor ks 1Pet er3:20-
21“ …when
gracear ey esav ed ofrighteousnesswhi ch theywai t
edfort he
throughf aith;andt hat wehav edone, but patienceofGodi nt
he
notofy ourselves: i
tis accordingt ohismer cy daysofNoe, whent he
thegi f
tofGod: Notof hesav edus, byt he arkwasabui l
ding:
wor ks,lestanyman washi ngof wher ei
naf ew,thatis,
shouldboast .” regeneration,and eightsoulsweresav ed
 r
enewingoft
heHol
y bywat er.Wher
eunto
Ghost
.” baptism bei
ngoftheli
ke
form, nowsavesyou
also…”

Thisdemonst ratesthatEphesi ans2: 8-9isreferr

ingt othei nit
ialgraceof
baptism.Ephesi ans2:8-9isnott alki
ngaboutt heongoi ngjust ifi
cationofthose
whohav ealr
eadybeenbapt i
zed,butsi mplyabouthowpeopl ewer ei ni
tial
ly
broughtoutofor i
ginalsinandgi venthegr aceofj ustif
ication.Nowor kwhi ch
anyonecandocoul dr eplaceorsubst i
tuteforwat erbapt i
sm andt hegr aceit
grants:thefi
rstj usti
fi
cat i
onandr emov aloforigi
nal sin.Butonceaper son
enterstheChur chthroughbapt ism (whi chisGod’ swor k),hisdeedsandwor ks
i
ndeedbecomepar toft hejusti
ficati
onpr ocess,andaf actorwhi chwi l
l
determinewhet herhemai ntai
nsj usti
fi
cat i
on.Thisismadecl earf rom the
abundanceofpassages( e.g.,
James2: 24)thatweal readycov ered.Hence, t
he
Protestantargumentf rom Ephesi ans2: 8-
9isanot heronewhi chdoesn’ thold
upt othecont extofScr ipture.

Bapti
sm i
snotawor kofri
ghteousnesswehav
edone;it
’st
hesacrament
whichJesusinst
it
uted,
whichpoursoutHi
ssavingBl
oodandthecleansi
ngof
theHolyGhost.

WHATABOUTTHESTATEMENTTHATMANI
SJUSTI
FIEDBYFAI
TH“
APART
FROM WORKSOFTHELAW”(
ROMANS3:28)
?

Pr
otest
ant
sli
ket
oquot
eRomans3:
28andsi
mil
arpassages.

Romans3:28“Forwemai
ntai
nthatamanisj
usti
fi
edbyf
ait
hapar
tfr
om
worksoft
helaw.”(
NewAmericanSt
andar
dVersi
on)

“
Forwemaintai
nthataper
soni
sjusti
fi
edbyf
ait
hapar
tfr
om obser
ving
t
helaw.
”(Romans3:28–NIVVer
sion)

Mar t
inLutherthoughtthi
spassagetaughtj
ustifi
cati
onbyfait
halone,apart
fr
om anyconsi derat
ionofhumanact i
onsorwor ks.Thi
siscompletelywrong.
I
nf act,
fail
ingtounderstandwhatismeantbyt hephrase“worksofthelaw”is
oneoft hebiggestmisconcept
ionsinProt
estanti
sm.

Aswesawal
ready
,Jamessay
sinJames2:
24t
hatmani
sjust
if
iedbywor
ks
andnotbyf ait
halone.Whati smeanti nRomans3: 28andt hr
oughouttheNew
Test amentbyt hephrase“wor ksofthelaw”istheOl dTestamentlawsand
prescript
ions.“Worksofthelaw”meanswor ksoft heOldLaw.Itdoesnot
meanal l
wor ksandhumanact i
ons.Paulwaswr i
tingt opeoplewhower est
uck
ont henot i
onthatthesystem oft heOldLaw, wit
hci rcumcisi
on,t
helawsabout
cl
eananduncl eanfoods,rit
ualsacr i
fi
ces,
etc.isindispensabl
e.

Thatthisi
swhatt he“ worksofthelaw”meansinRomans3:28andsi mil
ar
passagesisprovenf r
om t hecont
extofRomans,butespeci
all
yfrom
Galat
ians2:14.Noticethatthephr
ase“worksofthel
aw”isused,andthati
t
speci
fical
l
yrefer
st otheOl dLaw(theLawoftheOldTestament)
,notal
lworks
ordeeds.

Galat
ians2:12-
16“…f eari
ngt hem whichwereoftheci rcumci
sion…If
thou,bei
ngaJew, l
ivestaf terthemannerofGent i
les,andnotasdot he
Jews, whycompell
estt hout heGent i
lestoli
veasdot heJews?Wewho
areJewsbynat ur
e,andnotsi nnersoftheGenti
les, Knowingthataman
i
snotj ust
if
iedbythewor ksoft helaw,butbythef ait
hofJesusChr i
st,
evenwehav ebeli
evedi nJesusChr i
st,t
hatwemi ghtbej ust
if
iedbythe
fai
thofChrist
,andnotbyt hewor ksofthelaw:forbyt heworksofthelaw
shall
nof l
eshbejusti
fied.
”

Noti
cet hatthephrase“worksofthelaw”i
sclear
lyusedbyPaultoreferto
l
ivi
ng“ asdot heJews”–obser vi
ngtheOldLaw,cir
cumcisi
on,et
c.Itisnot
ref
err
ingt oallworksandhumandeeds.Thisisobvioust
hroughoutthebook
ofGalati
ans.Here’sanotherex
ampl e:

Galati
ans5:
3-6“ForItesti
fyagai ntoeverymant hatisci
rcumcised, t
hat
heisadebtortodot hewhol elaw.Chri
stisbecomeofnoef fectunt oy ou,
whosoeverofyouarej ust
ifiedbyt hel
aw; yearefall
enfrom grace.For
wet hr
oughtheSpir
itwaitfort hehopeofr i
ghteousnessbyfait
h.Fori n
JesusChri
stnei
thercircumci sionavai
l
ethanyt hi
ng,noruncir
cumci sion;
butfai
thwhichworkethbyl ov e.”

Asweseeagai nher
e, i
t’
sclearthatwhenSt.Paulspeaksof“ thelaw,
”andhow
nomancanbej usti
fi
edbyi t,heistal
ki
ngaboutthewor ksoft heOldLaw:
cir
cumcisi
on,et
c.Hei snottalki
ngaboutall
works!Nohonestper soncandeny
thi
sfact
.Heissimplypointi
ngoutt othem t
hatthefaith/reli
gion/
Churchof
JesusChri
sthassavingpoweri nit
self
.Heistel
li
ngt hem t hatonedoesn’t
havet
oobservetheOl
dLawanditssyst
em toobtai
nthesal
vat
ionwhi
ch
comesfr
om JesusChr
ist
.Her
e’sanot
herexample:

Gal
ati
ans6:13“Fornei
thertheyt
hemsel
veswhoareci
rcumci
sedkeepthe
l
aw;butdesir
etohavey oucir
cumci
sed,
thatt
heymayglor
yinyourf
lesh.
”

Againweseet hat“
thelaw”refer
stotheOl
dLaw: observi
ngci
rcumcision,
etc.
Nomani sjust
ifi
edbyt heOldLaw.WealsoseethatPaulwastalki
ngabout
theOldLawinRomans3: 28(whenheuses“wor
ksoft helaw”
),i
fwel ook
caref
ull
yatthecontextinRomans3and4.

Romans3:1“Whatadv
ant
aget
henhat
htheJew?Orwhatpr
ofi
tist
her
e
ofci
rcumci
sion?
”

Weseet hattheveryfi
rstver
seofRomans3deal swiththeOldTestament
workofci rcumcisi
on.St.Pauli
semphasi zi
ngtotheJewsandot her
sthatt
hey
don’tneedt oobservetheseprescr
ipt
ionsforsal
vati
on,ortoenterthetr
ue
fai
thofGodt hathasbeendeliver
edbyt heSavi
or,JesusChri
st.

Phil
ippians3i sanot herexamplewhi chprovesthepoi
ntaboutwhatt heBi bl
e
meansby“ thelaw”and“ worksofthelaw”andwor ki
ngundert helaw.In
Phil
ippians3, St.Paul i
sexplai
ningthathewasaJewwhoobser vedt he
Jewishl aw.It’
sinthatpr eci
secontextthathespeaksofhav i
nga
j
ustifi
cation/ri
ghteousnesswhi chisnothisownoft helaw,butbyt hefait
hof
Jesus.Inot herwor ds,hisst
atementt hatj
usti
fi
cati
onisnothisownoft helaw
meanst hatit
’snotoft heOldLaworbyhav ingobserv
edtheOl dLaw:

Phil
ippi ans3:5-
9“ [
I]Circumcisedt heei ghtday ,ofthest ockofI srael,of
thetribeofBenj ami n,aHebrewoft heHebr ews; astouchi ngt helaw, a
Phar isee;Concerningzeal,persecut i
ngt hechur ch;touchi ngt he
ri
ghteousnesswhi chi sinthelaw,bl amel ess.Butwhatt hingswer egai n
tome, thoseIcount edlossforChr ist.Yeadoubt l
ess, andIcountal l
thi
ngsbutl ossfortheexcel l
encyoft heknowl edgeofChr istJesusmy
Lord: forwhom Ihav esuff
eredt helossofal lthi
ngs, anddocountt hem
butdung, t
hatImaywi nChr i
st,andbef oundi nhi m,nothav ingmi neown
ri
ght eousness,whi chi softhelaw, butt hatwhi chist hrought hefaithof
Christ ,
theright
eousnesswhi chisofGodbyf ait
h.”

I
t’
sobv
ioust
hatwhenhespeaksoft
her
ight
eousnessorj
ust
if
icat
ionwhi
chi
s
byfait
h–whi chisnothisownofthelaw–heisnott
eachingjust
if
icat
ionby
fai
thalone.Rat
her,heissi
mplyemphasizi
ngt
hatt
heJewishlawdoesnot
j
ustif
yandi snotnecessar
yforsal
vat
ion.

Wehav ealreadyseenanabundanceofpassageswhi chprov

ethathuman
deedsandwor ksar
epartofwhetheronehasjust
if
icati
onandsalvat
ion.I
t’
s
cert
ainthatby“ wor
ksofthel
aw”Paul meansthatoneisnotsavedbyt he
worksoftheOl dLaw,butbyther
eligi
onofJesusChr i
st.

Withthesef act
sinmi nd,wecanseewhatat ragi
canddev ast
atingmi stakeof
misinterpr
etati
onmi l
l
ionsofProtest
antshavemade.Thishadl edthem i nto
t
hedi sastrouserr
orsofjust
if
icati
onbyfait
haloneandet er
nalsecuri
ty–i deas
whichr uncountertothewholetenorofScri
ptur
e,thenecessi
tytoav oidsi n,
t
hepar abl
esofJesus, et
c.

2Peter3: 16“Asal
soinallhis[Paul’
s]epi
stl
es,speakinginthem ofthese
thi
ngs;inwhicharesomet hingshardt obeunderstood,whichtheythat
areunlearnedandunstablewrest,astheydoalsotheot herscr
iptur
es,
untotheirowndestr
uction.”
 THEBI
BLETEACHESCONFESSI
ONTOAPRI
EST

John20:22-
23“ [
Jesussai
dtothem]:Receiv
eyet
heHolyGhost
:Whosesins
y
oushallfor
giv
e,theyar
eforgi
venthem;andwhosesi
nsyoushal
lret
ain,
they
areret
ained.
”

Manynon- Cathol
icsthinkt hatconfessiontoapr i
esti
snottaughti
ntheBible.
Accor
dingt othem,tobef orgivenofevenser i
oussinsonemustsimplybeli
eve
i
nJesus; oratthemost , confessthosesinsdi r
ectl
ytoGod.However,t
his
posi
ti
on–t hatconfessiont oapr i
estisnotnecessaryforseri
ous(
i.
e.,
mor t
al)
si
nsafterbaptism –cont r
adictswhatist aughti
ntheBible.

I
NTHEOLDTESTAMENT,
ONEHADTOGOTOTHEPRI
ESTTOBEFORGI
VEN

I
fonecommi tt
edasinint
heOl dTestament
,hecouldn’tjustconfessthesi
nto
Godandbedonewi t
hthemat ter
.No,hehadtogotot hepr i
est.Thisi
staught
t
hroughoutt
hebookofLevit
icus,oneoft
hefir
stbooksi ntheOl dTestament.
Here’
sagoodex ampl
eofthi
s:

Lev i
ti
cus5:1-10“Andifasoulsin…whenheshal lbeguilt
yinoneoft hese
things…heshal l
confessthathehat hsi
nnedinthatt
hing…Andheshal l
bringhistr
espassofferi
nguntot heLord,f
orhissinwhichhehat h
sinned…Andheshal lbringthem untothepri
est,whoshallofferthat
whi chisf
orthesinoffer
ingfir
st…andt hepri
estshallmakean
atonementf orhimforhissinwhi chhehathsinned,anditshallbe
forgivenhi
m. ”

I
nt hi
spassageweseet hatt
hepri
est’
srolewasi ndi
spensabl
eforthe
forgi
venessofsin.Thisi
staughtt
hroughouttheBookofLev i
ti
cusandt he
otherfoundat
ionalbooksoftheOl
dTest ament.Here’
sanotherexample:

Lev i
ticus19:21-22“Andheshall
bringhistr
espassof f
eri
nguntotheLord,
untot hedooroft hetaber
nacl
eofthecongr egat
ion,evenaram fora
trespassoffering.Andthepri
estshallmakeanat onementforhim wit
h
ther am ofthet r
espassoff
eri
ngbef or
etheLordforhissinwhichhehath
done: andt
hesi nwhichhehathdoneshal lbeforgi
venhim.”

ONEHADTOGOTOTHEPRI
ESTTOBECOMECLEAN
Notonlydidonehav etogot othepriesttobefor
givenofsins(astheseand
otherpassagesmakecl ear
),butalsotobecomecl ean.I
ntheOl dTestament,
peoplewouldbecomeuncl eanafterhav i
ngdonecertai
nthingswhichGodsai d
madeaper sonunclean.Tobecomecl ean,t
hepri
estwoul dhavetobei nv
olv
ed.
Jesusmakesr ef
erencet ot
hisinLuke5: 13-
14.

Luke5:13-14“
Andhe[ Jesus]putfor
thhishand,
andtouchedhim, say
ing,
Iwil
l:
bet houcl
ean.Andi mmediatel
ythelepr
osydepar
tedfrom him.And
hechargedhimtotell
noman: butgo,andshewthysel
ftothepriest,
and
off
erforthycl
eansi
ng, accor
dingasMosescommanded, foratestimony
untothem.”

Lev
iti
cus12:
6-8“
Andwhent hedaysofherpuri
fyi
ngareful
fi
ll
ed…ifshe
benotablet
obri
ngalamb, t
hensheshal
l br
ingtwotur
tl
es,ortwoyoung
pi
geons…andthepr
iestshallmakeanatonementforher,
andsheshall
beclean.
”

Levi
ti
cus13:27“Andthepri
estshal
llookuponhi
mt heseventhday:andif
i
tbespreadmuchabr oadintheski
n,thenthepr
iestshal
lpronouncehim
uncl
ean:i
tistheplagueofl
eprosy.
”

Lev i
ti
cus14: 11,19-20“Andt hepri
estthatmaket hhim cleanshallpr
esent
themant hatist obemadecl ean…Andt hepriestshal
l offert
hesin
offeri
ng,andmakeanat onementforhimt hatistobecl eansedfr
om his
uncleanness…Andt hepr i
estshal
loffert
hebur ntoff
eringandt hemeat
offeri
ngupont heal t
ar:andt hepr
iestshallmakeanat onementf orhim,
andheshal lbecl ean.”

GODHADPRI
ESTS;
GODHADAPRIESTHOOD;GODRECONCI
LEDPEOPLE
THROUGHPRIESTS

Now, somemi ghtsay :t

hatwast heOldTestament .Whatabouti nt heNew
Test ament,aft
erJesushascome?Wewi l
lseethatt heNewTest ament
teachesconf essiontoapr i
est.Butthesepoint
sf r
om t heOldTest amentar
e
i
mpor tantt
oconsi derfi
rstbecausetheydemonst rat
ehowGodwor ksandhow
Hehaswor kedt hroughoutsalvat
ionhist
ory.Godhadpr i
ests;
Godsetupa
priesthood;Godf orgi
vesandr econcil
espeoplethroughpr i
ests.Peoplehadto
got ot hepr
ieststobef orgi
ven.
I
nNumber s3,
weseear eferencet
oadi
sti
nctl
i
neofpr
iest
s,whoal
onear
eto
handl
ethi
sspeci
almi
nistr
y .

Number
s3:10“Andthoushaltappoi
ntAar
onandhi
ssons,
andt
heyshal
l
wai
tonthei
rpr
iest
’soff
ice…”

Numbers3:
3al
sosayst
hatpri
ests’handswer
econsecr
ated;
butt
hathas
beenr
emovedf
rom t
heProt
estantsBibl
e.

Numbers25:11-
13“Phinehas,t
hesonofEleazar
…Behold…heshall
have
i
t,andhisseedaf
terhi
m, eventhecov
enantofanever
last
ingpr
iest
hood;
becausehewaszealousforhisGod…”

I
nDeut eronomy17:9and24:
8,wereadaboutt
henecessi
tyt
ofoll
owthe
i
nstr
uctionsofthepri
est
s.I
nDeuteronomy26:
1-5,
wereadaboutoff
eri
ngt
he
f
ir
st-
fruit
st ot
hepri
est.

NUMBERS5ONTHENECESSI
TYTOCONFESSSI
NS

I
nNumber
s5:
6-7,
weseet
hatpeopl
ear
etoconf
esssi
ns.

Number s5:6-7“Whenamanorwomanshal l
commitanysi
nthatmen
commi t
,todoat r
espassagai
nstt
heLord,
andthatper
sonbeguil
ty;
then
theyshallconfessthei
rsi
nwhichtheyhavedone…”

Therestofthechapt
ercont
ainsi
nst
ruct
ionswhi
chi
nvol
vet
hepr
iest
satev
ery
tur
n.Forexample:

Numbers5:14-
16“…ift
hespiri
tofj
ealousycomeuponhim,andhebe
j
ealousofhi
swife,
andshebenotdef i
led…Thenshall
themanbri
nghi
s
wif
euntothepri
est,
andheshallbr
ingherofferi
ngf
orher…Andt
hepri
est
shall
bri
nghernear
,andsetherbef
oret heLord.
”

Thus,i
nNumber schapter5,weseeaclearexampleofconfessi
on,aswellas
thei
nter
cessi
onofpr i
ests.I
nNumbers6:11,theverynextchapt
er,weseethat
i
famanbecomesdef i
ledbyacertai
naction“thepri
estshal
loff
ertheonefor
asinoff
eri
ng,andtheotherforabur
ntofferi
ng,andmakeanat onementfor
him…”
 SI
NSAREFORGI
VENTHROUGHTHEPRI
EST

I
nNumber
s15,
weagai
nseet
hatsi
nsar
efor
giv
ent
hrought
hepr
iest
.

Number s15:22-25“Andifyehaveerred,andnotobservedallt
hese
commandment s,whichtheLordhathspokenuntoMoses…al l
the
congregati
onshallofferoneyoungbull
ockforaburntof f
eri
ng…Andt he
pri
estshallmakeanat onementforallt
hecongregati
onoft hechi
ldr
en
ofIsr
ael,anditshallbeforgi
venthem…”

Thi
sisr
epeat
edi
nNumber
s15:
28.

EXODUSANDLEVI
TICUSTEACHTHATPRIESTSARETOWEARSPECI
AL
GARMENTS:
VESTMENTS

InExodus28:
1-3,wer
eadaboutt
heof
fi
ceofpr
iest
s,andt
hatt
hepr
iest
swear
speci
algar
ment s.

Exodus28:1-
3“ Andtakethouunt otheeAar
ont hybr
other
,andhi ssons
wit
hhi m…thathemaymi nist
eruntomei nthepri
est’
soff
ice…Andt hou
shaltmakeholygarmentsforAar on…thatt
heymaymakeAar on’s
garmentstoconsecratehim,thathemaymi nist
eruntomei nthepri
est
’s
off
ice.
”

Wer
eadt
hesamei
nLev
iti
cus16:
32.

Levit
icus16:
32“Andthepri
est,
whom heshall
anoint
…shal
lmaket
he
atonement,andshal
lputontheli
nencl
othes,ev
enthehol
ygar
ments…”

LEVI
TICUSTEACHESTHATTHEREARECERTAI
NSPECI
ALFEASTS:
HOLY
DAYSOFOBLI
GATION

I
nLevi
ti
cus23:
4,wereadaboutspeci
alf
eastday
s,orhol
yday
sofobl
i
gat
ion,
whi
chweretobeobser
ved.

Lev
iti
cus23:4“Thesearet
hefeastsoftheLor
d,ev
enhol
yconv
ocat
ions,
whi
chy eshal
lproclai
minthei
rseasons.”

Ther
eisnodoubtt
hatGodsetupapr
iest
hood.Godest
abl
i
shedi
tsot
hatmen
wer
ereconci
l
ed,
forgi
ven,andmadecl
eanthroughthemini
str
yofpr
iest
s.That
washowGodworkedintheOldLaw.WhataboutintheNew?

JESUSCAMENOTTODESTROYTHELAW, BUTTOFULFI
LL–
HEI
NSTI
TUTEDAPRIESTHOOD

Matthew5:17-18“ [
Jesussaid]Thinknott
hatIam comet odestroythe
l
aw, ortheprophets:Iam notcomet odestr
oy,butt
ofulf
il
l.Forveri
l
yIsay
untoyou,ti
llheavenandear t
hpass, onej
otoroneti
ttl
eshallinnowi se
passfrom thelaw,ti
llal
lbefulf
il
led.
”

Jesuscamenott odestr
oythelawandt hepr ophets,buttof
ulfi
l
l.Ther
eisno
doubtt
hattheNewLawsur passestheOld.Itsurpassesitsomucht hati
t
makesitobsolet
e.Jesusaccomplishedallt
hef i
guresandpropheci
esinthe
OldLaw.HemadeaNewandmor eperfectcov enant,r
ender
ingtheOld
ther
ebyvoi
d( Hebrews8:13)
.

ButtheNewLawhassi milari
ti
estotheOldLaw,beingitsful
fi
ll
ment.For
example,intheOldTest amenttherewere12tr
ibeswith12t r
iball
eaders,
and
Moseshad70el ders;l
i
kewi se,i
ntheNewTestament ,Jesushas12apost l
es
and70ot herdisci
ples,asweeseei nLuke10.Anotherex amplewouldbehow
Jesusinheri
tsthethroneofDav id,
aswer eadi
nLuke1: 32andAct s2:30.

Luke1:32“
Heshal
lbegreat
,andshal
lbecall
edtheSonoft
heHighest
:
andtheLor
dGodshall
giveuntohi
mthethroneofhi
sfat
herDav
id.”

JesusandHisspir
it
ualKi
ngdom (
HisChurch)f
ulf
il
lwhatwaspr
efi
gur
edi
nthe
eart
hlyKi
ngdom oftheDavi
dicMonar
chy.

Anotherexampleofhowt heNewLawcor respondstotheOldLawwoul dbe

how, i
ntheOldTestament,afat
herpassedhi sblessi
ngont ohissonthrough
thelayi
ngonofhands.InDeuteronomy34: 9,weseet hatspi
ri
tualaut
horit
yis
passeddownf r
om Mosest oJoshuat hroughthelayi
ngonofhands.Li kewise,
i
nt heNewTest amentpri
estsar
eor dainedthroughthelayi
ngonofhands, as
wer eadin2Timothy1:6.

Sot hepoi
nti
sthatwhi
l
eJesus’ Kingdom andNewLawsur passandmake
voidtheOl
d,t
heNewLawnev ert
helessful
fi
ll
s,perf
ectsandcor r
espondst
o
theOldinmanyways.(
Itshouldbepointedoutthatthefor
givenessofsi
nsor
j
usti
ficat
ionintheOldTestamentwasaninfer
iorcoveri
ngofsi
nwhichturned
awayGod’ sanger,
butdidnotful
lyputawaysi
ns.Thef ul
lremi
ssi
onofsins
coul
dn’thappenuntil
thecomingofJesusChristandtheNewLaw.See
Hebrews10:4.)

Ther
efore,j
ustast
her
ewasdefi
nit
elyapriest
hoodint
heOldTest
ament,
ther
e
i
sapr i
esthoodint
heNewTest
ament .TheApostl
esweremadepr
iest
sand
bi
shopsbyJesusChri
st.

JESUSGI
VESTHEAPOSTLESTHEPOWERTOFORGI
VESI
NS

Jesusgi
vespr
iest
sthepowert
ofor
giv
esi
ns.Wer
eadt
hiscl
ear
lyi
nJohn
chapt
er20.

John20: 21-23“ThensaidJesustothem agai

n,Peacebeuntoyou:asmy
Fatherhat hsentme,evensoIsendy ou.Andwhenhehadsai dt
his,he
breathedont hem,andsaithuntothem,Receiv
ey etheHol
yGhost:
Whosesi nsyoushallf
orgive,
theyareforgi
venthem;andwhosesins
youshall ret
ain,t
heyareretai
ned.
”

Jesussay sthatwhoever’
ssinsyouforgive,
theyareforgiven;andwhoev er
’s
sinsy ouret
ain(donotfor
give),
theyar
enotf orgi
ven.Not hingcouldbemor e
clear.TheApost l
escoul
donlydetermi
newhi chsinstof orgiv
eandwhi chsins
toretainift
heyheardaconfessionofsins.Thispassagepr ovesthatJesus
i
nst i
tutedconfessi
ontopri
ests.

ASSONOFMAN,JESUSHADPOWERONEARTHTOFORGIVESINSANDHE
CANANDDI DTRANSFERTHATPOWERTOOTHERS

Ev
enthoughthemeani
ngofJohn20:23i
sobvious,
ther
e’sanot
herpoi
ntt
hat
mustbenot
edinthi
sregar
d.I
nMatthew9:6-
8,weread:

“But[
Jesussaith]thatyemayknowt hattheSonofmanhat hpoweron
eart
htof orgi
vesins,(t
hensaithhet
ot hesickoft
hepalsy
,)Ar
ise,takeup
thybed,andgount othinehouse…Butwhent hemult
it
udessawi t
,they
marveled,andglor
ifi
edGod, whohadgivensuchpoweruntomen. ”

JesuswasbothGodandman,butnoti
cethatthispassageemphasi
zesthat
Hehadauthor
ityast
heSonofmant ofor
givesins.Si
nceJesushadauthori
ty
t
of or
givesinsastheSonofman–asi salsomadecl
eari
nMt .28:
18,when
Hesay sthatHehasbeengivenallpoweri
nHeavenandEart
h–t henHecan
t
ransferthataut
hori
tyt
oothers.LookatJohn20:
21agai
n:

John20:21“Thensai
dJesust
othem again,
Peacebeunt
oyou:
asmy
Fatherhat
hsentme,evensoIsendyou.”

JustasJesuswassentast
heSonofmanwithpoweronEart
htof
orgi
vesi
ns,
HesendsHisApostl
estodi
spenseHi
sfor
giv
enesst
oothers.

ST.PAULSAYSTHATPRI
ESTSRECONCI
LEMENTOGODI
NCHRI
ST’
SPLACE

That
’swhySt
.Paul
,whowasmadeapr
iestandbi
shopi
ntheChur
ch,
say
sthi
s:

2Cori
nthi
ans5:
18-20“God,whohathreconcil
edustohimselfbyJesus
Chr
ist
,andhat
hgiventoust hemini
str
yofr econci
li
ati
on…Nowt henwe
ar
eambassadorsforChri
st,ast
houghGoddi dbeseechyoubyus:we
pr
ayyouinChri
st’
sstead,beyereconci
ledtoGod.”

Thi
spassagemakesi tclearthatJesussendsHi sApostl
est obethemi nist
ers
ofHisreconci
li
ationandf orgi
veness.That’
swhyt heChurchhast aughtthat
pri
ests,i
nheari
ngconf essions,standint
heplaceofChrist.Theyarenota
barr
iertoChri
st,butanav enue,aconduitofHisreconci
l
iation;j
ustasSt.Paul
says:“weprayyouinChr i
st’sstead,beyereconcil
edtoGod. ”

Thisist
her
easont
hatJesusgiv
estheApost
lest
hepowert
ofor
giveand
ret
ainsi
nsi
nJohn20:
23,ri
ghtaft
ersendi
ngt
hem i
nJohn20:
21(asHisFat
her
hassentHi
m).

Moreover
,intheActsoftheApost
les,
wer
eadt
hatpeopl
ecameand
conf
essedtheirdeeds.

Acts19:17-18“AndthiswasknowntoalltheJewsandGreeksalso
dwell
ingatEphesus; andf
earfel
lonthem al
l,
andthenameoft heLor
d
Jesuswasmagni fi
ed.Andmanythatbeli
evedcame,andconfessed,
and
shewedt heirdeeds.
”

Al
lofthi
sdemonst
rat
eswi
thoutanydoubtt
hatJesusi
nst
it
utedconf
essi
ont
o
pr
iest
s.
 JESUSGI
VESTHEAPOSTLESTHEPOWERTOBI
NDANDTOLOOSESI
NS

Furt
herconfi
rmi
ngthatt
heBibl
eteachesconfessi
ontoapr
iest,
weseethat
theApostl
esweregi
venthepowertobindandtoloosei
nMatthew18:
18.

Matthew18:
18“Veri
l
yIsayuntoyou,what
soeveryeshall
bindonear
th
shal
lbeboundi
nheav en:andwhat
soeveryeshal
llooseoneart
hshal
l
beloosedi
nheaven.

Thi
shasapplicati
ont otheforgi
venessofsi
ns,
andt othefactthatJesus
di
spensedHisaut hori
tytoval
idbishopsandpr
iestsi
nHisonet rueChurch.
Theauthor
it
yt hatisexerci
sedbypr i
est
sandbishopsmustbeusedundert he
uni
queauthori
tyoft heKeys,whichweregiv
enalonetoSt.PeterinMatthew
16:
18-19.

I
FWECONFESSOURSI
NS,
HEI
SFAITHFULANDJUSTTOFORGI
VEUSOUR
SINS

1John1:9“I
fweconfessoursi
ns,
heisfai
thfulandj
ustt
ofor
giv
eusour
si
ns,andtocl
eanseusfr
om all
unr
ight
eousness.”

Noti
cet
hatt
hepassagesay s“i
f”weconfessoursi
ns,
Heisfai
thf
ulandjustt
o
f
orgi
veusoursi
ns.I
tdoesn’tsaythatHewil
lfor
giv
eoursi
nswhetherornot
weconf
essoursi
ns,oraslongaswebel i
eve.

JAMES5TEACHESTHECATHOLI
CSACRAMENTOFEXTREMEUNCTI
ON

I
nJames5,
weseear
efer
encet
oconf
essi
ngsi
ns,
pri
est
s,andt
hef
orgi
veness
ofsi
ns.

James5:14-16“ I
sanysi ckamongy ou?lethim callf
ort heelder
s[pr i
ests]
ofthechurch;andletthem prayoverhi
m, anointi
nghi m withoili
nt he
nameoft heLord:Andt heprayeroffai
thshallsavethesi ck,andtheLor d
shall
rai
sehim up; andifwehav ecommi ttedsi
ns,theyshal lbeforgiven
hi
m.Conf essyourf aul
tsonet oanot
her,andpr ayonef oranother,thatye
maybeheal ed.Theef f
ectualfer
ventpr
ay erofar i
ghteousmanav aileth
much.”
Thispassagei saclassicpr ooffortheCat holicsacramentofEx tr
emeUnct i
on.
ExtremeUnct i
oni stheCat holi
csacramentr eceivedatthetimeofdeath;i
t’sa
pri
est lyanoint
ingandr i
tewhi ch,ifproperlyreceived,str
engthensamani nhis
fi
nal i
llnessoflifeandf orgi v
eshi ssins.InthispassageofJames5, weread
thaty oushould“ confessy ourfault
st ooneanot her .
”Thatinstr
ucti
oncomes
dir
ect lyaft
ermaki ngr ef
er encet ocalli
ngf ortheelders/pri
estsoftheChurch.
Thisshowsus, onceagai n, t
henecessi tyofconf essionandpr i
est
s,aswellas
thelinkbet weent hetwo.

Thesefactsdemonstrat
et hatt
heNewTestamentteachesthatconfessi
onto
apri
estisnecessaryf
orthef or
giv
enessofser
ious(i
.e.
,mortal
)sins
committedaft
erbapti
sm.That ’
swhytheCatholi
cChurch,
theonet r
ueChurch
ofChri
st,hastaughtt
hisforalmost2,
000year
s.

THEFATHERSOFTHEANCI
ENTCHURCHTAUGHTCONFESSI
ON

ThefathersoftheChurchal
sobeli
evedinconfessi
onandtaughtthati
twas
necessary
.Theirtest
imonyconf
ir
mst hatconf
essioni
sthetrueteachi
ngof
JesusChristandtheBibl
e.

Int
heear
li
estdaysoftheChurch,conf
essi
onsweresometi
mesmadepubl
i
cly
tot
hepri
estortothebi
shopinfrontofot
hersi
nthecongr
egat
ion,
and
somet
imestheyweremadeprivatel
y.

Oneofthebestpr
oofsf
orconfessi
onfrom thef
athersoft
heChurchcomes
fr
om f
amousear l
yChur
chwrit
erOrigen,dat
edapproximat
ely245A.
D.

Ori Comment
gen, ar
yonLuke2, 245A.D.“…ifwehavesinned,weought
toprocl
aim: Ihaveacknowl edgedmysi ntothee,
andmyi njusti
ceIhav e
notconcealed.Isai
dIwi llconfessagainstmysel
fmyinjusti
cetot heLord.
Forifwehav edonet his,
ANDI FWEHAVEMADEKNOWNOURSI NS,
NOTALONETOTHELORD, BUTTOTHOSEALSOWHOCANHEALOUR
SINSANDOURWOUNDS, OURSI NSSHALLBEBLOTTEDOUTBYHI M.”
(SundaySermonsoft heGr eatFather
s,Regner
yCo:Chicago,IL,1963,Vol.
1,p.172.)

Or
igencl
earl
yteachest
hatconfessi
ont
otheLor
dal
onei
snotenough;
ther
e
mustbeconfessi
ontot
hepriests.
TheDi dache4:14,14:1,70A. D.“Confessyoursinsinchurch,anddonot
goupt oy ourpray
erwi thanev ilconsci
ence.Thisisthewayofl i
fe…On
theLord’sDaygathert ogether,breakbread,andgivethanks,
af t
er
confessingyourtransgressionssot hatyoursacri
fi
cemaybepur e.
”

TheLet
terofBar
nabas19,
74A.D.“Youshal
lconfessy
oursins.Youshal
l
notgot
opr ay
erwit
hanevi
lconsci
ence.Thi
sisthewayofl
ight.”

St.I
gnatiusofAnti Let
och, tertoPhil
adel
phians8,110A.D.“Toal
lthem
thatrepent
,theLor
dgrant
sforgi
veness,i
ftheytur
ninpenit
encetothe
unit
yofGod, andtocommunionwiththebishop.
”

St.I
renaeus,AgainstHeresies1:22,185A.D.“Someoft
hesewomen
makeapubl icconfession,butothersareashamedtodothi
s,andin
sil
ence,asifwit
hdrawingf rom t
hemsel vest
hehopeofthel
if
eofGod,
theyeit
herapostatizeenti
relyorhesit
atebetweent
hetwocourses.
”

Tert
ull
i Repent
an, ance10:
1, 203A.D.“[
Regardi
ngconf ession,some]f l
ee
fr
om thisworkasbeinganex posur
eoft hemselv
es, ort
heyputi tofffrom
daytoday.Ipresumetheyaremor emi ndf
ulofmodest ythanofsal vat
ion,
l
ikethosewhocont r
actadiseaseinthemor eshamef ulpartsofthebody
andshunmaki ngthemsel
vesknownt othephysi
cians;andt husthey
peri
shalongwiththei
rownbashf ul
ness.”

St.Cy prianofCar thage,TheLapsed28, 251A. D.“Ofhowmuchgr eater

faithandsal utaryfeararet heywho…conf essthei rsi
nstothepri
est sof
Godi nast r
aightforwardmannerandi nsor r
ow, maki nganopen
decl arat
ionofconsci ence…Ibeseechy ou,brethren, l
etever
yonewhohas
sinnedconf esshi ssinwhileheissti
llinthiswor ld,whil
ehisconfession
i
sst i
lladmissible,whil
et hesati
sfact
ionandr emissionmadet hr
ought he
priestsar esti
llpleasi
ngbef oretheLord.”(Jurgens, TheFait
hoftheEar l
y
Fat hers,Vol.1:
553)

St.Basil
theGreatRul
, esBri
eflyTr
eat
ed288, 374A.D.“I
tisnecessaryto
confessoursinstothosetowhom thedispensati
onofGod’ smy st
eri
es
i
sent r
usted.Thosedoingpenanceofol
dar efoundtohav edoneitbef
ore
thesaint
s.Iti
swrit
tenintheGospelt
hattheyconfessedtheirsi
nsto
JohntheBapt i
st[
Matt.3:
6],buti
nActs[
19:18]theyconfessedtothe
apostl
es.”
 St.JohnChry sostom,ThePr iest
hood3:5,387A. D.“Pri
estshav erecei
ved
apowerwhi chGodhasgi vennei t
hertoangelsnort oarchangels.Itwas
saidtothem: ‘Whatsoevery oushallbindonear t
hshal l
beboundi n
heaven;andwhat soevery oushal ll
oose,shal
lbel oosed’…Priests…can
bindwithabondwhi chper tainstothesoulit
selfandt r
anscendst hevery
heavens.Did[ God]notgivet hem allt
hepower sofheav en?‘Whosesi ns
youshallforgive,
’hesay s,‘theyareforgi
venthem; whosesinsy oushall
retai
n,t
heyar eretai
ned.’
”

St.AmbroseofMilan,Penance1:
1,388A.
D.“
Forthosetowhom [
theri
ght
ofbindi
ngandloosing]hasbeengi
ven…Fort
hisr
ighthasbeengr
antedto
pri
estsonl
y.”

St.Jerome, Comment aryonEcclesi

astes10:11,388A.D.“I
ftheserpent,
thedev i
l
, bi
tessomeonesecretly,heinf
ectsthatpersonwiththevenom
ofsin.Andi ftheonewhohasbeenbi tt
enkeepssi l
enceanddoesnotdo
penance, anddoesnotwantt oconf esshiswound…t henhisbrotherand
hismast er,whohavet heword[ofabsolut
ion]thatwil
lcur
ehim, cannot
verywellassisthim.
”

Alloft
hisprov
est hatt
heBi
bleteachesthenecessityofconf
essi
ontoapri
est.
TheCatholi
cChurchhasalwaysremainedf ai
thf
ultothi
steachi
ngoftheBi
ble
becausetheCatholi
cChur
chistheonet rueChurchofChrist
.
 THEBI
BLEONPRAYI
NGTOANDVENERATI
NGSAI
NTS

Revelati
on8:3-
4“ Andanotherangelcameandst oodatthealtar
,havi
nga
goldencenser;andt her
ewasgi venuntohim muchi ncense,t
hatheshould
offeritwitht
hepr ayersofal
lsaintsupont hegoldenaltarwhichwasbefore
t
het hrone.Andthesmokeoft hei ncense,
whi chcamewi ththeprayer
softhe
sai
nts,ascendedupbef oreGodoutoft heangel ’
shand.”

TheCathol
icChurchteachest hatt
herei
soneGod,theHolyTri
nit
y:Fat
her,Son
andHolyGhost,
threedivinepersonsi
noneGod.JesusChristi
sthesecond
per
sonoftheHolyTrinit
y, t
rueGodandt r
ueman.Godaloneisadoredand
worshi
pped.Thi
sador at
ionorwor shi
p,whichi
sgi
ventoGodalone,iscal
l
ed
l
atr
ia.

Saintsi nHeav enarenotador ed,butarev eneratedashol ymenandwomenof

Godi nHeav en.Thev enerationwhi chisgivent osaints,whi chisnotadoration,
i
scal l
eddul i
a.Thev enerationwhi chisgivent othegr eatestofal l
thesaints,
themot herofGod, i
scal ledhy perdul
ia.Hy perduli
aisalsov enerat
ion,not
wor shiporador at
ion.Nowt hatthi
shasbeenmadecl ear,let’
slookatwhatt he
Biblet eachesaboutpr ayingt oandv eneratingsaints,howsai nt
lymen
i
nter cedewi thGod,ther eli
csofsai nts,andmor e.Therear emanyt hi
ngsint he
Bibleont hi
sissuewhi chy oumi ghtnotbeawar eof.

Wemustfi
rstconsi
derwhatt
heBi
blet
eachesabouthowhol
ymeni
nter
cede
wi
thGod.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATMENINTERCEDEWITHGOD–
MOSESHADANEXTRAORDINARYPOWEROFINTERCESSI
ONWI
THGOD

Exodus32: 9-14“ AndtheLor dsaidunt oMoses, Ihaveseent hispeople,

and, behol d,itisastif
f-neckedpeopl e:Nowt herefor
eletmeal one,that
mywr at hmaywaxhotagai nstthem, andt hatImayconsumet hem:and
Iwi l
lmakeoft heeagr eatnation.AndMosesbesoughtt heLor dhi sGod,
andsai d, Lord, whydot hthywr athwaxhotagai nstthypeople,whi chthou
hastbr oughtf orthoutofthel andofEgy ptwithgreatpower…Tur nfrom
thyf i
ercewr ath,andrepentoft hisevilagai
nstthypeople.Remember
Abr aham, I
saac, andIsrael,t
hyser vant
s…Andt heLordrepent edoft he
evilwhi chhet houghtt odount ohispeopl e.”
Moses’int
ercessionwi t
hGodwassogr eatthatGodev enaskedMosest o
all
owHimt odest roytheIsr
ael
ites.Thi
smustnotbeunder stoodi nt hesense
thatt
heAlmight yGodcanbeorwasconst rainedbyanyman, butr atherthat
Hewaspower ful
lysway edandinfl
uencedbyt hisman’ scl
oser elationshipwith
Him.Mosespl eadedwi thHim nottodest
royt hem, andGodr elentedbecause
ofMoses.Aswecansee, notallmenareequal beforeGod.Notal l menhav e
thesameintercessorypowerwi thHim.Theint ercessionofex tr
aor dinaryand
saint
lymenispower f
ulandeffecti
ve.

ABRAHAM HADANEXTRAORDI
NARYPOWEROFI
NTERCESSI
ONWI
THGOD

Weseeanot
herexampl
eoft
hisi
nthecaseofAbr
aham:

Genesi s18: 26-33“ Andt heLor dsai dtohim: I

fIfindi nSodom f ift
yjust
withintheci ty,Iwillspar ethewhol eplacef ortheirsake.AndAbr aham
answer ed, andsai d: SeeingIhav eoncebegun, Iwi l
lspeakt omyLor d,
wher easIam dustandashes.Whati ftherebef i
v elessthanf ift
yjust
persons?wi ltthouf orf i
veandf ortydestroythewhol eci
ty?Andhesai d:I
wil
l notdest royi t
,ifIfindf i
veandf orty.Andagai nhesai dt ohim: Butif
for
tybef oundt her
e, whatwi l
tthoudo?Hesai d:Iwi ll
notdest royitforthe
sakeoff orty.[
AndAbr aham, becausehehadpower f
uli
nt ercessionwi t
h
God, bargai nedHi m al lthewayt ot en]Whati ftenshoul dbef oundt her
e?
Andhesai d:Iwi l
lnotdest royitforthesakeoft en.Andt heLor d
depar t
ed, afterhehadl ef tspeaki
ngt oAbr aham: andAbr aham r eturned
tohispl ace.”

THEBI
BLESAYSTHATTHEPRAYERSOFAMANWOULDCAUSEGODTO
ACCEPTPEOPLEHEOTHERWI
SEWOULDNOT

Thenextexampl
ewewi l
lconsi
derisonewher
etheBibl
esayst
hatthepr
ayer
s
ofamanwoul dcauseGodtoacceptpeopl
eHeother
wisewoul
dn’
t.

Job42:7-10“…theLordsaidt oEli
phaz…Mywr at
hiskindl
edagai nstthee,
andagainstthytwofri
ends:foryehavenotspokenofmet hethingt hati
s
ri
ght,asmyser v
antJobhat h.Theref
oretakeuntoyounowsev en
bull
ocksandsev enrams,andgot omyser vantJob,andofferupf or
yoursel
vesaburntoffer
ing:andmyser vantJobshallprayforyou:for
him wil
lIaccept:l
estIdealwithyouafteryourfol
ly
…So[ they]went ,and
didaccordi
ngast heLordcommandedt hem…Andt heLor dalsowas
 t
urnedatt
hepenanceofJob,
whenhepr
ayedf
orhi
sfr
iends…”

TheLor dwasturnedatthepray
ersandpenanceofJob.Theint
ercessi
onand
prayersofsai
ntl
ymenobt aingr
acesandfavor
sthattheLor
dwi l
lnotalway
s
otherwisegi
ve.GodsaidthatHewouldonl
ygivethi
sgracetoEli
phazifJob
wouldpr ayf
orhim.

GODWOULDONLYGI
VEI
SRAELTHEVI
CTORYI
FMOSES(
AMAN)HELDUP
HI
SHANDS

Anotherexampleoftheint
ercessi
onofholymeni sf
oundinExodus17.We
readthatI
sraelwentouttofi
ghtagai
nstAmalec.GodenabledI
sraelt
ohave
thevict
oryaslongasMoseshel duphishands.However
,ifMoseslethi
s
handsdown, Amalecwouldov er
cometheIsr
aeli
tes.

Exodus17:11-13“AndwhenMosesl if
teduphishands,Israelovercame:
butifheletthem downali
tt
le,Amalecovercame.AndMoses’ hands
wereheav y
:sotheytookastone,
andputunderhi m,andhesatoni t
:and
AaronandHurst ayeduphi
shandsonbot hsides.Anditcamet opass
thathi
shandswer enotwearyunti
lsunset
.AndJosueputAmal ecandhis
peopletofl
ight,
bytheedgeofthesword.”

Thisi
sanotherpr
imeexampleofhowsometi
mesGodonl
ygr
ant
scer
tai
n
thi
ngsthr
oughtheint
ercessi
onofhol
ymen.

THELORD’
SSTATEMENTABOUTTHEI
NTERCESSI
ONOFMOSESAND
SAMUEL

Jer
emias15:
1“AndtheLor
dsaidt
ome:IfMosesandSamuel shal
lst
and
bef
oreme,mysouli
snottowar
dsthi
speopl
e:castt
hem outf
rom my
si
ght…”

Godsayst hateveni
fMosesandSamuel stoodbeforeHi m, Hewoul dsti
ll
rej
ectt
hispeople.Thi
sisquiterevealing.Thepeopl edescr i
bedi nt
hispassage
weresobadt hatnoteventhepower f
ul i
ntercessi
onoft hegr eatservantsof
God,MosesandSamuel ,
couldrelaxGod’ sangeragai nstthem.Howev er
,
thesewordsshowust hattheintercessionofext r
aordinaryserv ant
sofGod,
suchasMosesandSamuel –whohav ebuil
tupaspeci al
cr editorinfl
uence
withHi
m –i mpactshowGoddeal swi thandl ooksatpeopl e,ev eni
fitdidn’
t
maket hedif
ferenceint
hisparti
cul
arcasebecauseofhowbadthepeopl
e
were.Theinter
cessionofsai
ntlymenhelpsdeter
minewhatGoddoesfor
peopleandwhatHedoest othem,aswesawwi t
htheexampl
esabove.

WHATABOUT1TI
MOTHY2:
5JESUSI
STHEONLYMEDI
ATOR?

Bef
orewecovermorebibli
calevi
dencefort
hevener
ati
onandintercessi
onof
sai
nts,
wemustconsideranobjecti
on.Oneoft
hemainobject
ionsthatnon-
Cat
holi
csr
aiseagai
nstprayi
ngtosaintscomesfr
om 1Timothy2:5.

1Ti
mot hy2:
5“Fort
hereisoneGod,
andonemedi
atorbet
weenGodand
men,t
hemanChr i
stJesus.
”

Jesusistheonl ymediatorbetweenGodandmen, t
heysay ,
soy oucan’t
i
ncludesaint
sorpr ayerstot hem.Thisobj ectionisfal
seformanyr easons.
JustbecauseJesusi stheonl ymediat ordoesnotmeant hatot hersdonot
mediateaspar toft
heonemedi at
ionofChr ist.Forexample,inJohn10: 16
JesussaysthatHei stheoneandonl yshepher d;butHeappoi ntsPeterto
shepherdHissheepinJohn21: 15-17.Ephesi ans4:11alsoteachest hatthere
aremanypast orsorshepher ds.Thepoi ntisthattheseothersub- shepherdsall
workunderandbyt hei nsti
tuti
onoft heoneshepher d,Jesus.

Anot herexampl eisthatJesussay sHei sthesupremej udge.Wer eadthisin

John9: 39andi nmanyot herpassages.Cer t
ainmenofGod, howev er
,wil
lalso
actonHi sbehalfasjudgesi nHeav en,ev
enofangel s.Wer eadt hi
si n1
Corinthians6:2,Matthew19: 28,andelsewhere.Yes, Jesusi stheuni que
medi ator,becausethemedi atoristheonewhouni t
esmant oGod.Jesus
alonedi dthisbyHispassi onanddeat h.Wer eadthi
si n2Cor i
nthi
ans5:18.But
thatdoesnotmeant hatwi t
hintheonemedi ationofChr isttherearenotot her
s
whopar ti
cipat
einHi smedi ati
on.Infact,
theBibleclearl
yt eachesi t.

I
FYOUCANNOTPRAYTOSAI
NTS,THENYOUCANNOTASKOTHERSTO
PRAYFORYOU–PERIOD

IfJesus’uni
quemedi ati
onexcludedprayerstosaints,
thenitwoul
dalso
excludeaski
ngafellowmant oprayforyou.Thereisnowayar oundthelogi
c
ofthisar
gument.Forwheny ouaskaf ell
owmant opr ayf
oryou,inst
eadof
goingtoJesusdirectly
,youareaskinganot herpersontoactasamedi ator
withJesusforyou.That ’
swhatCat hol
icsdowhent heypraytosaint
s.
Theref
ore,i
fpr
ayerstosaint
sareexcl
udedbytheuniquemedi
ati
onofJesus,
thenaski
ngother
sf orpr
ayersi
sdefi
nit
elyex
cludedaswell
.

NotonlydomostPr otest
antsaccepttheconceptofaski
ngother
stoprayf
or
them –thuscontr
adicti
ngthei
rrej
ecti
onofpr ayer
stosai
nts–but,i
ntheNew
Testament,
St.Paulhimselfr
epeatedl
yasksot her
sforpr
ayer
s.

Romans15: 30“NowIbeseechy ou,br

ethr
en,f
ortheLordJesusChri
st’
s
sake,andfortheloveoftheSpi
ri
t,t
hatyestr
ivet
ogetherwit
hmei nyour
prayerst
oGodf orme.”

Paul
alsot
ell
sot
her
sthathei
spr
ayi
ngf
ort
hem.

Col
ossi
ans1:
3“…pr
ayi
ngal
way
sfory
ou…”

Paul
evensay
sthatt
hepr
ayer
sofot
her
sbest
owgi
ft
suponhi
m.

2Corint
hians1:
11“Yeal
sohelpi
ngtoget
herbypr
ayerf
orus,t
hatf
ort
he
gi
ftbestoweduponusbythemeansofmanypersonst
hanksmaybe
gi
venbymanyonourbehal f
.”

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATPAUL’
SSUFFERI
NGI
NTERCEDESTOWI
NGRACES
FORPEOPLE

TheBi
bleal
sosay
sthi
saboutPaul
’
ssuf
fer
ing:

Colossi
ans1:
24“[I
]nowr ej
oicei
nmysuffer
ingsforyou,
andfi
llupt
hose
thi
ngsthatar
ewantingofthesuff
eri
ngsofChri
st,i
nmyf l
esh,
forhi
s
body,whichi
sthechurch.
”

Thi
sv ersemi ghtbeashockt osomenon- Cathol i
cswhoar enotfami l
i
arwit
hit.
Paulsay sthathef i
ll
sup,fortheChur ch,
thoset hi
ngst hatarewant i
ngor
l
ackingi nthesufferi
ngsofChr ist.NowChrist’
ssuf f
eri
ngwasper fectandof
i
nfi
nitev al
ue; sowhatdoest hismean?WhatSt .Paul meansi sthatmany
suff
eringsarest i
llwanti
ngandneededf orthemember soft heChur chtowork
outtheirsalvati
on,whichwasal l
madepossi bl
ebyChr ist
’ssacri
fi
ce.

Heist
eachingt
hathi
ssacr
if
icesandhissuff
eri
ngs,i
naddi
ti
ontohispr
ayer
s,
cani
nter
cedewit
hGodsothatGodgivesothersgr
acestoconv
ertort
oremain
fai
thful
.Thosepeoplemuststil
lcooperatewi
ththegr
aces,buttheeffor
ts,
prayersandsacr
ifi
cesofmember softheChurchcanhelpgrantthem.Allof
thi
sconf ir
msCatholi
cteachi
ngont hecommunionofsaint
s,andi tr
efut
esthe
Protestantmi
sunderst
andingof1Timot hy2:
5.

THI
STRUTHI
SROOTEDI
NTHEUNITYOFTHEBODYOFCHRI
ST,
WHI
CH
EXI
STSAFTERDEATH

Thefactt
hatmencangot oothermenforprayer
s,andthatt
hesaintsi
n
Heavencananswerprayersandint
ercede,
isrootedint
hebibl
icalt
eachi
ngon
theuni
tyoftheBodyofChrist
.Thereisaunionamongthemember soft
he
ChurchofJesus.Thi
suniondoesnotceasewhent ruemember sdi
e.

St.Paulsay
sinRomans8:
38andfoll
owingt
hatneitherdeat
hnorlif
e
separat
esonefr
om t
heloveofChr
ist
.Nordoesitseparatet
hetruefai
thf
ul
whoabidetoget
heri
ntheBodyofChri
st,
whetheronEarthorinHeaven.

1Cor.12:
12,
21“…allt
hemember soft
hatonebody,
bei
ngmany,areone
body…Andtheeyecannotsayunt
othehand,
Ihavenoneedoft
hee:nor
agai
ntheheadtothefeet
,Ihav
enoneedofyou.
”

THEBI
BLESAYSTHATTHEPRAYEROFAJUSTMANAVAI
LSMUCH

Whil
ethetr
uemember soft
heChurchcanassisteachotherbyprayers,
the
pr
ayersandint
ercessi
onofsai
ntl
ymeni spar
ti
cularl
ypower f
ul.That’
sexact
ly
whatwesawi nthecasesofMosesandAbraham.That’swhywer ead:

James5:16“Conf
essy ourf
ault
sonetoanother,
andprayoneforanot
her
,
thatyemaybehealed.Theeff
ectualf
erv
entprayerofar
ight
eousman
avail
ethmuch.
”

Thisi
swhypr
ayer
stosaint
s–whichhavethepur
poseofcal
l
ingf
ort
hem t
o
prayt
oGodonourbehal
f–aresoeff
ect
ive.

THEBI
BLEALSOTEACHESTHATDECEASEDSAI
NTLYMENI
NTERCEDE

I
nMatthew17,weseet
hatJesus,
whenHewast
ransf
igur
edbef
oret
hreeof
Hi
sapostl
es,
appear
edwit
hMosesandEli
as.
 Mat t
hew17:2-
3“And[He]wastr
ansfi
gur
edbef
orethem:andhisf
acedi
d
shineasthesun…And,behol
d,t
her
eappear
eduntothem Mosesand
Eli
astal
ki
ngwi t
hhim.”

Thisshowsusthatsaint
s,evenafterdeat
h,arei
nterest
edinEar t
hlyaff
air
s
andarereadyt
ointer
cedef orus.Forthespi
ri
tsofthejustmenmadeper fect
,
asHebrews12callsthesaints,
areamongt hecl
oudofwi tnesseswiththe
angelsi
nHeavenwhohel pus.

Hebrews1:
14“Aretheynotal
lmini
steri
ngspi
ri
ts,
sentf
ort
htomi
nist
er
f
orthem whoshal
lbeheirsofsal
vat
ion?”

Psal
ms91:11“
Forheshal
lgi
vehi
sangel
schar
geov
ert
hee,
tokeept
hee
i
nallt
hyways.
”

AFTERDEATH,
THEPROPHETSAMUELAPPEAREDTOKI
NGSAUL

In1Samuel 28(1Kings28i ntheDouay

-Rhei
msCatholi
cBibl
e),weseeaclear
exampleofadeadsai ntappeari
ngtoaman.ThiswastheprophetSamuel,
whohadbeendeadf orsomet i
me.HeappearedtoKi
ngSaul,andrebukedhi
m
forhi
sdisobedi
encet oGod.

1Samuel28:12-
20“ Andwhent hewomansawSamuel ,shecriedwit
ha
l
oudvoi
ce…AndSamuel sai
dtoSaul …Becauset houobey ednotthevoice
oft
heLord,norexecutedhisfi
ercewr athuponAmal ek,theref
orehaththe
Lor
ddonethisthi
ngunt otheethisday …ThenSaul f
ellstrai
ghtwayall
al
ongontheearth,andwassor eafraid,becauseofthewor dsofSamuel .
”

Remember
,Samuel
hadbeendeadf
orsomet
ime.

THEBOOKOFREVELATION(ORAPOCALYPSE)SHOWSUSHOW THE
PRAYERSOFSAI
NTSINTERCEDEINHEAVENBEFORETHEALTAROFGOD

TheBookofRev
elat
ionortheApocaly
psealsogi
vesusagl
i
mpseofhowt
he
sai
ntsandt
hei
rpray
ersint
ercedeformen.

Revel
ati
on8:3-4“Andanotherangel
cameandst oodatt heal
tar
,havi
nga
gol
dencenser;andther
ewasgi venuntohim muchincense,t
hathe
shoul
dofferitwit
htheprayersofallsai
ntsuponthegoldenalt
arwhich
 wasbefor
ethethr
one.Andthesmokeoftheincense,
whi
chcamewit
h
thepr
ayer
softhesaint
s,ascendedupbef
oreGodoutoft
heangel
’
s
hand.
”

Weseeanot
herexampl
einRev
elat
ionchapt
er5.

Rev el
ati
on5:8“
…eldersf
elldownbefor
etheLamb,hav
ingever
yoneof
them harps,
andgoldenvi
alsful
lofodour
s,whi
charethepr
ayersoft
he
saints.
”

I
NREVELATI
ONCHAPTER6,
WESEEDEADSAI
NTSASKI
NGGODTOACTON
EARTH

I
nchapter6,
weseedeadsaints,whower
emar
tyr
edf
ort
het
ruef
ait
hofJesus,
aski
ngGodtorev
engethei
rblood.

Revelati
on6:9-10“Andwhenhehadopenedt hefi
ft
hseal,
Isawundert he
alt
arthesoulsofthem thatwereslai
nforthewordofGod,andforthe
test
imonywhi chtheyheld:Andtheycri
edwithaloudvoi
ce,say
ing,how
l
ong,OLor d,holyandtrue,
dostthounotjudgeandavengeourbloodon
them thatdwellontheeart
h?”

Not i
cethatthesoul softhesedeadmar tyrscryoutf r
om under neaththealtar
.
Sinceancientti
mes, t
heCat hol
icChur chhaspl acedt hereli
csofmar t
yrs
underneaththealtar.Thefactt hatthevoicesoft hemar t
yrscomef rom under
thealtar–exactlywher etheirrel
icsarelocatedinCat hol
icchurches–i san
i
nt er
estingbibl
i
cal confi
rmat i
onoft heCat hol
icpr act
ice.

AFTERHI
SDEATH,
AHI
GH-
PRI
ESTWASSEENI
NTERCEDI
NGFORTHEJEWS

Thenex texampl ewewi l

ll
ookatcomesf r
om 1Machabeeschapter5.This
wasabookwhi cht heProtestantsremovedfrom t
heBibl
ewhent heyspli
t
from t
heCat hol
icChurch.Thecomment sgiv
eninthesect
iononPur gat
ory
demonst ratethattheBooksoft heMachabeesar epar
tofthetr
ueOl d
Testament .Thisisprovenbyt hefactt
hattheNewTestamentquot esfr
om the
Septuagint,whichcontainst heBooksoft heMachabeesandtheotherswhich
theProtestantsreject.

Thi
spassageconcer
nsav
isi
onofOni
as,
ahi
gh-
pri
estwhohaddi
ed.
 2Machabees15: 12“ Nowt hev i
sionwasint hismanner :Oniaswhohad
beenhighpr i
est,agoodandv i
rt
uousman, modestinhi slooks,gentl
ein
hismanner s,andgracef ulinhisspeech,andwhof rom achi ldwas
exerci
sedinv ir
tues,holdinguphi shands, prayedforallthepeopleofthe
Jews:Af t
erthisther
eappear edalsoanotherman…ThenOni as
answering…t hi
sishet hatpr ayethmuchf ort hepeople,andf oral
l t
he
holyci
ty,Jeremiasthepr ophetofGod.Wher euponJer emiasst r
etched
fort
hhisrighthand,andgav etoJudasaswor dofgol
d…”

Thi sfascinat
ingpassage(whi chwasr emov edfrom thePr otest
antbi bl
e)
relatesthev i
sionofthedeceasedhi gh-priestOnias.Afterhisdeat h,hewas
seenhol dingouthi shandsandi ntercedingf ortheJewsbyhi sprayers.Onias
alsopr esentsthedeceasedpr ophetJer emi as,whogi vesaswor dofgol dto
JudasMachabeus.JudasMachabeusi snott obeconf usedwi t
ht hetrai
torof
theNewTest ament,JudasIscariot.Thispassagei s,
ther ef
ore,anotherclear
proofoft heintercessi
onofdeceasedsai nts,andtheef fecti
venessoft heir
pray ers.

BOTHMOSESANDSAMUELWEREDEADATTHETIMEGODI
NDI
CATEDTHEY
COULDINTERCEDE

Ear
li
erIquot
edt
hef
oll
owi
ngpassaget
odemonst
rat
ethatmeni
nter
cedewi
th
God.

Jer
emiah15:
1“AndtheLordsai
dtome: I
fMosesandSamuel shal
lst
and
bef
oreme,mysouli
snottowardst
hispeopl
e:castt
hem outf
rom my
si
ght…”

Godsay st hatevenifMosesandSamuel st
oodbefor
eHi m, Hewoul dsti
ll
rejectt
hispeople.ThisshowshowGodconsi der
stheintercessor
ypowerof
saints,
eveni fi
twoul dn’thaveswayedHiminthi
spart
icularcase.This
passagei sbeingquot edagai nher
ebecauseitmustbepoi ntedoutthatboth
MosesandSamuelwer edeadattheti
meofJeremias.Thus, Jeremias15:1
alsoprovidesbibli
calt eachi
ngont hei
nter
cessi
onofdeceasedsai ntlymen.

THESI
GNI
FICANCEANDFREQUENCYOFANGELSI
NGOD’
SPLAN

Asf
urt
hersuppor
tfort
heBi
ble’
steachi
ngont
hei
nter
cessi
onofsai
nts,
we
mustconsi
dert
heBi
ble’
steachi
ngont
hei
nter
cessi
onofangel
s.

1Chroni
cles21:
18(1Par
ali
pomenon21:
18i
ntheDouay-
Rhei
msCathol
i
c
Bi
ble)“
Thentheangel
oftheLor
dcommandedGadtosaytoDav
id…”

2Kings1:3(4Ki
ngs1:3i
ntheDouay
-Rhei
ms)“Andanangeloft
heLor
d
spoketoEli
as…say
ingar
ise,
gouptomeetthemessenger
s…andsay
untothem…”

Act
s8:26“Andt
heangel
oft
heLor
dspokeunt
oPhi
l
ip,
say
ing,
Ari
se,
and
gotowar
dthesout
h…”

Throughoutt
heBibl
eweseet hatGodusesHisangel
s.Therear
eli
teral
l
y
dozensofpassagesonecouldquot
e.Heusesthem t
odeliv
erHismessages,
togiveoutHi
sinstr
uct
ions,
todeli
verHi
sjust
ice,
andasananswert opray
ers.

GODANSWERSPRAYERSBYHI
SANGELS

Numbers20:16“
Andwhenwecr
iedunt
otheLor
d,hehear
dourv
oice,
and
sentanangel
…”

Isai
as37:15-
20,
36“AndEzechi
asprayedt
otheLor
d,sayi
ng…Andnow, O
LordourGod,saveusoutofhi
shand…AndtheangeloftheLordwentout,
andslewinthecampoftheAssyr
iansahundr
edandeighty-
fi
ve
thousand.
”

Godanswer
spr
ayer
sbysendi
ngHi
sangel
s.That
’scl
ear
.

ANGELSAREALSOI
MPLORED,
BESEECHED,
ANDPRAYEDTO

Thecommuni cationandintercessionofangelsonbehalfofGodi ssofrequent

,
sonatural
,sointert
winedwi t
hGod’ splan,asdozensofpassagesshow, t
hat
angel
sar enotonlysentbyGod, buttheyarebeseechedandentreatedbymen.
Angel
sar easked; t
heyareimplor edbythepeopleofGod,foranswer sandfor
assi
stance,i
ntheirtemporalandspi ri
tualneeds.

Judges6:
12-
13“TheangeloftheLor
dappear
edtohim,andsai
d: The
Lordiswi
tht
hee,Omostvali
antofmen.AndGedeonsaidtohi
m: I
beseecht
hee,mylor
d,i
ftheLordbewit
hus,whyhavetheseevi
lsfal
len
 uponus?
”

Hereweseet hatGedeonbeseechestheangel.Thatmeansthatherequest
s
somethi
ngoft heangel;heaskssomethingofhi
m.InthebookofOseeor
Hosea,weseet hatJacobmadesupplicati
ontoanangel.Asuppli
cat
ionisa
humbleorearnestrequest;
it’
sapray
er.Somet r
anslat
ionssayt
hatJacob
beggedtheangel.Tobegmeanst opray.

OseeorHosea12:
3-4“Yea,
he[
Jacob]hadpowerov
ert
heangel
,and
pr
evai
led:
hewept,andmadesuppl
icat
ionunt
ohim.
”

SotheBi bl
eteachesthatangel
snotonlydel
iv erGod’ smessages,
meteout
Hisjust
ice,ar
esentasananswert oprayer
s, butt heyareprayedt
oaswell.
ThisisnotbecausetheangelsareGod,ofcour se;butbecauseangel
sare
powerfulandsupernatur
alserv
antsoftheMostHi ghwhohav eaclose
rel
ati
onshipwithHimi nHeaven.Her
e’sanotherr elev
antpassage:

Luke1:10-13“
Andt hewholemul t
it
udeofthepeoplewereprayi
ngwi t
hout
attheti
meofi ncense.Andthereappear
eduntohim anangelofthe
Lord…AndwhenZachar i
assawhi m,hewastroubl
ed,andfearfel
lupon
hi
m.Butt heangelsaiduntohim,Fearnot,
Zachari
as:f
orthyprayeri
s
heard…”

Weseet hattheangel hear

dt heprayerandresponded.Afterconsi
deringsome
ofthesef act
sandpassages, somenon- Cat
holi
csmi ghtsay:okay,y
ouhav e
shownt hattheBi bl
eteachest hatangel
sanswerpr ayer
s,andcanper haps
evenbepr ay
edt o.Butthatrefer
stoangels,notsai
nts.Inresponse,Iwould
askthem t ocareful
lyconsiderthesewordsofJesus:

JESUSSAYSTHATSAI
NTSSHALLBEASTHEANGELSOFGOD

Matthew22:29-30“Jesusansweredandsaidunt
othem, Yedoerr,not
knowingthescript
ures,nort
hepowerofGod.Forintheresurr
ect
ionthey
nei
thermarry,
norar egiveni
nmar r
iage,
butar
east heangelsofGodin
heaven.
”

Jesusteachest
hatt
hesai
ntsofGodinHeavenareastheangel
s.WhatJesus
saysherenotonl
yappl
i
esaftert
hefi
nalr
esurr
ecti
on,
buttothesaint
sin
Heavennow.Forint
hesamechapter
,Jesusgoesontospeakofthedeceased
j
ustmenAbr aham,IsaacandJacobasliv
ing(Matt
hew22:
32).Thever
sionof
t
hispassageinLuke’sGospel
bringsoutthi
str
uthevenmor
eclearl
y.

Luke20:34-36“ AndJesusanswer i
ngsaiduntothem,Thechildr
enoft his
worldmar r
y, andaregiveninmar ri
age:Buttheywhichshall
beaccount ed
worthytoobt ainthatworld,andtheresur
recti
onfrom t
hedead, neit
her
marry,noraregi veninmar r
iage:
Neithercantheydieanymor e:
f orthey
areequalunt ot heangels:andarethechil
drenofGod,beingthechildren
oftheresurrection.
”

Sothesai
ntsinHeav enareastheangel
s.Doangel
smet eoutGod’sj
usti
ce?
Yes.Doangelsanswerprayer
s,onbehal
fofGod,whicharesenttoHeav
en?
Yes.Doangelsrecei
vesuppli
cati
onandpray
er?Yes.Ther
efore,
thesai
ntsof
Jesusdoalloft
hoset hi
ngs.

Nowt hatwe’v eseent helinkbetweenangelsandsai nts,weneedt oconsidera

fewmor ethi
ngsint hisregard.Theinter
cessionofangelsonbehal fofGodi s
extr
aordinari
lypower fulandeffect
ive.Angelssoaccur at
elyt r
ansmi tthe
messageoft heAl mi ght
yt hat,i
nmanypassages, i
t’
snott otal
lyclearift
he
angelisspeakingori fGodi sspeaking.I
nsomebi bli
caldescript
ions,thetwo
morphi ntoone,ifyouwi ll
,becausetheangel isatthefullservi
ceoft he
Almighty.Herearejustthr eeexamples:

Zechar
iah12:
8“…thehouseofDav
idshal
lbeasGod,
ast
heangeloft
he
Lordbefor
ethem.
”

Luke2:
9“…anangeloft
heLor
dst
oodbyt
hem,
andt
hebr
ight
nessofGod
shoner
oundaboutt
hem…”

Exodus3:2-
4“Andtheangeloft
heLor
dappear
eduntohi
mi nafl
ameof
fi
reoutofthemidstofabush…Andwhent
heLordsawthathe[
Moses]
tur
nedasidetosee,Godcall
edunt
ohim…”

ANGELSI
NHEAVEN(
ANDTHEREFORESAI
NTS)AREI
NTIMATELYI
NVOLVED
I
NMEN’SSALVATI
ONUNDERJESUSCHRIST

Weseethei
mport
ancethatJesusgi
vestothewi
tnessofangel
s(and
t
her
efor
esosai
nts)i
nthefoll
owingpassage.
 Luke12:
8-9“
…Whosoevershal
lconf
essmebefor
emen, hi
m shallt
he
Sonofmanalsoconf
essbefor
etheangel
sofGod:Buthethatdeni
eth
mebeforemenshal
lbedeni
edbefor
etheangel
sofGod.”

I
naddi
ti
ontoHi
sconfessi
onbefor
eHisfat
her(
Mt .10:
32),Jesusconsi
der
s
Hi
sconf
essi
onbef
oretheangel
stobeextr
emelysigni
fi
cant.

Jesusalsoi
ndicat
esthatt
heangel
sareint
imat
elyi
nvol
vedin,
andconcer
ned
for
,theconv
ersionandsal
vat
ionofmen.LookatwhatHesaysher
e:

Luke15:
10“Li
kewi
se,Isayuntoyou,ther
eisjoyi
nthepr
esenceoft
he
angel
sofGodoveronesinnert
hatrepentet
h.”

ThisstatementofJesussuggest sthatangel shav eaconnectionwith, an

i
nfluenceov er, t
hesal vat
ionofmen.Theyr ejoicewhenamanconv erts
becauset heydesi rehissalvati
onandt heirintercessionassi
stsHisconv er
sion.
Theycheerf orHi m;theyhelpHim; t
heypr ayf orhim.That’swhyCat holics
understandt hei nter
cessionofsaintstobesoi mpor tant
,aswellaspr ay er
sto
them.Sai ntsinHeav enareastheangel sofGod.Whenonepr ay
stot hem, t
hey
i
nt urnprayt oGod, whocommonl ygr antsHi sgr acesonthei
rbehalfbecause
oftheircloser el
at i
onshipwithHim.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATANGELSAREPRESENTATASSEMBLI
ESOFTHE
FAI
THFUL,ANDTHATTHEI
RPRESENCEDESERVESHONOR

1Cor.11:
10“Fort
hiscauseoughtt
hewomant
ohav
eapoweronher
headbecauseoft
heangels.
”

Thispassageconcer nsheadcov eri

ngswomenshoul dhaveatt hewor ship
servi
ce.Itsaystheyshouldhavet hi
spowerorcov er
ingbecauseoft heangels.
Thinkaboutthat.Thepassagecoul dhav esai
dthatawomanshoul dhav ea
coveri
ngonherheadbecauseofGod.Buti tsaysbecauseoftheangel s,which
i
ndicatesthatvenerati
onisalsoduet othem.Bytheway ,
inthet r
aditi
onal
Catholi
cChurch, womencov ertheirheadsatMass.Thistr
adit
ionder i
vesf r
om
thi
sbibli
calprecept.

THEBI
BLEDESCRI
BESST.JOHNTHEBAPTI
STASGOD’
SANGEL

Tocompl
etet
hepoi
ntandt
hecompar
isonbet
weenangel
sandsai
ntl
ymen,
oneshoul
dnotet
hatJesusdescr
ibesSt
.Johnt
heBapt
istast
heangel
who
wasprophesi
edt
oprepareHi
sway .

Matthew11:10“Forthi
sisheofwhom i
tiswr
it
ten:
Behol
dIsendmy
angelbef
orethyface,whoshal
lpr
epar
ethywaybefor
ethee.
”

Johnt heBapti
stwasdescr
ibedasGod’sangel
[aggeloninGreek]because
bothangelsandsaint
sactasGod’smessengers.Theyareanav enueforHi
s
i
nstructi
ons,Hi
sgraces,
andf orHeav
en’
sanswer stoprayer
s.

HEBREWS12:
THECHRISTI
ANCOMESBEFORETHE“
SPIRI
TSOFJUSTMEN
MADEPERFECT”(
THESAI
NTSI
NHEAVEN)

Nowwemustt urntoHebr ewschapt er12.Thisi

sav er
yi mportantchapter
wit
hr egardtothistopic.InHebrews12, wef i
ndadescripti
onoft heChurchof
JesusChr i
standi t
sheav enlymaj esty.Noti
cethatt
heChr isti
an,i
ncomi ng
befor
et heheav enl
ydescr ipt
ionoft heChurch,comesbef orethespir
itsofthe
j
ustmenmadeper fect(thesaints).Letmer epeatt
hat:hecomesbef orethe
spi
rit
soft hejustmenmadeper fect:thesaint
sinHeaven.TheChr i
sti
anis
warnedaboutcomi ngbef oreall
oft hefoll
owing:

Hebrews12:22-25“ Butyear ecomeunt omountSi on,

anduntot hecityof
theli
vi
ngGod, theheav enl
yJer usal
em, andtoani nnumerabl
ycompany
ofangel
s,tothegener alassembl yandchurchoft hefi
rst
born,whichar e
writ
teni
nheav en,andt oGodt heJudgeofal l,andtothespir
itsofjust
menmadeper fect,andtoJesust hemedi at
oroft henewcov enant,and
tothebl
oodofspr inkli
ng,thatspeakethbetterthi
ngsthanthatofAbel .
Seethatyerefusenothi mt hatspeaket
h.”

Thespi r
it
softhej ustmenmadeper fect
,thesai nts, ar
einHeav en.Weseet hat
theyareprominent l
yincl
udedinthedescri
ptionoft hosewhom t heChr i
sti
an
comesbef oreinthei mageofthecel
esti
al Chur ch.Thislendsfurthercredence
tothefactthatprayerstothem,andthei
rintercessi on,ar
ebibl
ical l
y-
basedand
oftremendousv alue.Thi
sisbecauseGodi sgl orif
ied,notdetr
act ed,byHis
saints.

GODI
SGLORI
FIEDBYTHESAI
NTS

2Thessal
oni
ans1:
10“
Whenhe[
Jesus]shal
lcomet
obegl
ori
fi
edi
nhi
s
 sai
nts,
andt
obeadmi
redi
nal
lthem t
hatbel
i
eve…”

Saintsdonotdi mi ni
shGod’
sgl ory;onthecontrary
, t
heyaugmentit.They
highli
ghtthegreatandextraordinarythi
ngswhi chGoddoeswi ththosewho
serveHi m.Thosewhoar eclosestt otheKingcangai nfavor
sthatarenot
al
way sgiventothosewhoar efurtherawayf r
om Hi m,j
ustli
keinanyother
hierarchy,
f ami
ly
, company,t
eam, et
c.ThisisthetrueandCatholi
cv i
ewof
Heav en.

THECATHOLICVI
EW OFHEAVEN,WHICHRECOGNIZESTHEI
NTERCESSI
ON
ANDPROPERPLACEOFTHESAI NTS,
GIVESFULLGLORYTOJESUS–
THEPROTESTANTVI
EW TAKESGLORYFROM HI
M

Touseananal ogy,t
heCatholi
cviewofHeav enisl i
kethemagnifi
centpalace
ofaKi ng,wheretherearedozensoflevelsofser v
ant sandat
tendants.They
waitont heKing,andtheyhavededicatedeverythingtoHim.TheyareHi strue
fr
iends, i
nadditi
ontoHisservant
s.Thei rj
oy,thei
rl i
vesofser
vice,
andt hei
r
extr
aor di
nar
yexampl estri
keeachvisit
orwi t
hawe.

AlloftheKing’
sservant
spossesst hei
rownsplendor .I
thasbeengi vento
them asaresultofthei
rpl
aceofhonori nthepalace.TheKinghasbest owed
someofHi sowngl oryoneveryonewithHim,event houghtheir
sisinfi
nit
ely
l
esst hanHisown.Theirpersonalglor
ycontri
butest othegloryoftheentir
e
palace.Theprofoundglor
yoft heKing’
sservantsandf ri
endsst r
ikesonewi t
h
wonder .Whatmustbet heuniquegloryoftheKingHi mself,whom allof
theseindi
vi
dualsserve?

Asy ouseemor eoft hepal ace, andmov ecl osertot heKi ng, t
hegl oryofHi s
fr
iendsandser vantsi ncr eases.Justl ikei ncreat i
oni t
self,thev i
vi
d
arrangementofGod’ sdesi gni sadel ightt obehol d–wi thv iewsasdi verseas
snow- cappedmount ainst of lowingr iverst ogr eenj unglest obeaut i
ful woods
–inHeav ent herei sacount lessv ari
etyofpeopl e; eachhasadi fferentst or
y,a
dif
f erentt r
ial,adi ff
erentsacr i
fice, adifferentgi f
t,whi chwer ealldedi catedand
usedf orGodt ot hef ullest,andwhi chcul mi natedi nper fecthappi nessi n
Heav en.Thi sstunni ngv ari
ety–t hisbril
liantor deringoft heheav enlyhost–
i
nspi resonet oev enmor elov eandaweoft heAl mi ghty.Thi sistheCat holi
c
vi
ewofHeav enandt heheav enlyhi erarchy .Clearl
yt hegloryoft hesai ntsdoes
notdet ractfrom t hegl or yofGod, butmagni f
iesit.AsMar ysaid:
 Luke1:
46“
Mysoul
dot
hmagni
fyt
heLor
d.”

TheProtestantvi
ewi smuchdi ff
erent.I
t’
scompar abl
etoapalacewhichis
fi
l
ledonlywi t
htheKi ng.Inthi
spalace,t
hereseemst obenooneelsepresent.
WhichKingi smoregl ori
ous?Whichimageoft heheavenl
ykingdom i
sthetrue
one?Whichi sthebibli
calone?Theansweri sthattheBi
blet
eachesthe
Cathol
i
cv iew,thecommuni onofthesaint
s.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHECATHOLI
CVIEW OFHEAVEN,
OFJESUSANDOF
THESAI
NTS–
ITDOESNOTTEACHTHEPROTESTANTVIEW

Daniel7:
10“Aswiftstr
eam offi
reissuedf
ort
hfrom befor
ehim:
thousandsofthousandsminist
eredtohim,andtenthousandti
mesa
hundredthousandstoodbeforehim:thej
udgmentsat,andthebooks
wereopened.”

Thi
spassageisst
r i
king,notonlybecauseitreveal
stheawesomepowerof
God’
sjudgmentandf oreknowledge;butbecausethemind-
boggl
ingnumberof
ser
vant
swhomi nistertoHim makest heimageev enmorecapti
vat
ing.

Matt
hew25:31“WhentheSonofmanshallcomeinhi
sglory,
andal lt
he
hol
yangel
swithhi
m, t
henshal
lhesi
tuponthethr
oneofhisglor
y.”

Godcomeswi
thandi
sgl
ori
fi
edbyHi
smi
nist
ers,
Hisangel
sandHi
ssai
nts.

Jude1:
14“
…Behol
d,t
heLor
dcomet
hwi
tht
ent
housandsofhi
ssai
nts.
”

Aswesee,
theCat
hol
icvi
ewiscl
earl
ythecor
rectandbi
bli
cal
viewoft
he
heav
enl
yKi
ngandtheor
deri
ngoftheheav
enl
yhierar
chy
.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATSAI
NTSAREMODELSOFI
MITATI
ON

We’veestabl
ishedt
hatpray
ingtosai
ntsisbibl
ical
.Inconsi
derat
ionofthei
r
greatfi
del
it
ytoChri
st,t
heBibl
ealsoteachesthatsaint
saretobeimitat
edand
venerat
ed.

1Cor
int
hians4:
16“
Wher
efor
eI[
Paul
]beseechy
ou,
bey
efol
l
ower
sofme.
”
Why
?

1Cor
int
hians11:
1“Bey
efol
l
ower
sofme,
evenasIal
soam ofChr
ist
.”

I
nt r
uth,
areal
Chri
stiandoesn’
tfol
l
owanyman.Rather,
thi
sver
semeansthat
hevenerat
est
hesaints,
andtri
estoimi
tat
ethem i
nthei
rtr
emendousspi
ri
tual
l
ivesandfi
del
it
ytotheGospel.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATGODSAVED276FORST.PAUL

Saint
sar emodelsofimitati
onbecausegr eatsaintsgainsomanygr acesand
somuchf avorwi
thChri
stt hattheirinter
cession,bythegraceofJesusChrist
,
canlit
erall
yhelpsavel
ivesandsoul s.Forexampl e,i
nActschapter27wer ead
thatPaulwasonashi pboundf orItaly
.Agr eatstorm ar
osewhichthreat
ened
todestroytheshipandkill
ev er
y oneonboar d.

Acts27:21-23“Butaf t
erlongabsti
nencePaul stoodfort
hinthemi dstof
them,andsai d,Sir
s,yeshouldhavehearkeneduntome, andnothav e
l
oosedf rom Crete,andtohavegainedthisharm andloss.AndnowI
exhortyoutobeofgoodcheer :f
orthereshallbenolossofanyman’ sl i
fe
amongy ou,butoftheship.Fort
herestoodbymet hi
snighttheangel of
God,whoseIam, andwhom Iserve,sayi
ng,Fearnot,Paul;t
houmustbe
broughtbeforeCaesar :and,l
o,Godhathgi v
ent heeallt
hem thatsail
withthee.”

Anangel t
oldhi
mt hatal
lthemenwoul dbesavedbecauseGodhasgiven
them al
ltohim.Thi
nkaboutthat
.Itshowstheprof
oundinter
cessor
ypowerof
holymen.Inall
,Godsaved276menf orPaul.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATSAI
NTSARETOBEMARKEDOUTFORAN
EXAMPLE
THAT’
SWHYTHECATHOLICCHURCHCANONI
ZESSAI
NTS

Phi
l
ippi
ans3:
17“Br
ethr
en,befol
lower
stogetherofme,
andmar
kthem
whi
chwalksoasyehaveusforanexample.
”

That’
swhytheCatholi
cChurchcanoni
zessaint
s,andrai
sesthem upforour
i
mitati
onandvenerat
ion.I
nfact,t
heBi
bledoesthatver
ythi
ng–mar ksthem
outasanexample–wi ththechampi
onsofthefait
hintheOl
dTest ament.
 James5:
10“
Take,
mybrethr
en,
thepr
ophets,
whohav espokeni
nthe
nameoft
heLor
d,f
oranexampl
eofsuff
eri
ngaff
li
cti
on,andofpat
ience.
”

Hebrewschapter11goest hr
oughawhol eli
stoft
heOldTestamentex
empl
ars
offai
thandtheirdeedstopointt
hem outforadmi
rat
ionandimit
ati
on.
Hebrews12:1describest
hesesaint
sasacl oudofwit
nesses.

Hebrews12:1“Wheref
oreseeingweal soarecompassedaboutwi t
hso
greatacloudofwi
tnesses,l
etuslayasideeverywei
ght,andthesin
whichdothsoeasi
lybesetus,andletusrunwithpat
iencetheracethati
s
setbefor
eus…”

THEBI
BLEONTHERELI
CSOFSAI
NTS

TheBi bl
eal
sot eachesthateventherel
i
csoft hesesaint
lymenar ev ener
ated
andcanbemi raculous.Fi
rst,
inMatthew9:20-22,weseet hatawomanwho
touchedJesus’garmentwascur edofahemor rhage.Cert
ainlyJesuswasGod,
andnotamer esai nt
.Manynon- Cat
holi
cswill
sayi t
’ssupersti
ti
ousor
i
dolatroust
ov enerat
ethereli
csofsaint
s.Butt heBibl
eteachesot herwi
se.

THEHANDKERCHI
EFSANDAPRONSOFPAULWEREMI
RACULOUS

Acts19:11-
12“AndGodwr oughtspeci
almiracl
esbythehandsofPaul
:
Sothatfrom hi
sbodywerebroughtuntothesickhandker
chief
sor
aprons,andthedi
seasesdepartedfr
om them,andtheevi
lspir
it
swent
outofthem.”

Paulwasnotonlygi
venmiracul
ouspower s,
butthehandker
chi
efsandaprons
whichhetouchedwereeff
ecti
vetoworkmi r
acles.Weseeasimil
arthi
ngwith
St.Pet
er.I
nActs9,St
.Peterrai
sedthedead.InActs5:
15,wereadthathi
svery
shadowwasconsideredeff
ecti
vetomiracul
ouslyheal
andcure.

THECLOAKOFELI
JAHMI
RACULOUSLYPARTEDTHEJORDANRI
VER

IntheOldTestamentweseet hesamebi bl
i
calt
eachi
ngont her
eli
csofsaint
s.
In2Kings2( 4Kings2intheDouay-Rhei
msCatholi
cBibl
e),
weseet hatt
he
cloakoftheprophetEl
i
jahmiracul
ouslypart
edt
heJordanRiver
.
 2Kings2:13-14“Hepickedupt hecloakthathadfall
enfr
om El
ij
ahand
wentbackandst oodont hebankoft heJordan.Thenhetookthecloak
t
hathadf al
lenfrom hi
m andst ruckthewat erwit
hit…Whenhestruck
t
hewat er
,itdivi
dedtother i
ghtandt otheleft,
andhecrossedover.
”

THEBONESOFTHEPROPHETELI
SHARAI
SEDAMANTOLI
FE

Anotherexampleofami racul
ousrel
i
ccomesf r
om 2Kings13:21(
4Kings
13:
21i ntheDouay-Rhei
msBi bl
e).Wereadt
hatthebonesofthepr
ophetEl
isha
weresopower f
ulthattheyrai
sedamant ol
if
e.

2Kings13:21“Anditcametopass,astheywereburyi
ngaman…they
castthemanintothesepul
chr
eofEl i
sha:andwhenthemanwaslet
down, andt
ouchedthebonesofEli
sha,herevi
ved,
andstooduponhi
s
feet
.”

Thebonesofsai
ntsar
eoneoft hemostcommonrel
icsusedbyCat
holi
cs.Far
fr
om bei
ngidol
atr
ousorsuperst
it
ious,
weseet
hatCathol
icr
eli
csar
erootedin
bi
bli
calt
eachi
ngandpract
ice.

THEBI
BLEONTHEVENERATI
ONOFI
MAGESANDSTATUES

ManyPr otestantsrej
ecttheuseofstatuesandimagesoft hesai nts.They
t
hinktheyar eidolat
rousandcondemnedi nt heBibl
e.Howev er,j
ustaswesaw
wi
ththeirposi t
ionont herel
icsofsai
nts,t
heirposit
ionisnotcorrectont hi
s
i
ssueeither.Oneoft hemai nversest
heyliketoquot ei
sDeut er
onomy5: 8.

Deuteronomy5:8“Thoushaltnotmaketothy
sel
fagr av
enthi
ng,nort
he
l
ikenessofanythi
ngs,thatarei
nheavenabove,
orthatarei
ntheeart
h
beneath,ort
hatabidei
nt hewater
sundert
heearth.
”

Theysaythispassagecondemnsmaki ngorusinggravenimages.Butthi
s
argumentfail
sformanyreasons.Fi
rst
,ifoneweretotakethispassageby
i
tselfandastheyunderst
andit,
itwoul
df orbi
dmakingt hel
ikenessofanyt
hing
ontheearth.“Nort
heli
kenessofanythingsthatar
einheav enaboveorthat
areintheeart
hbeneath.”

Thatwouldmeanthatonecouldn’
tmakeorhav
eapictur
eofananimal
;for
suchapictur
eist
helikenessofsomet
hingont
heear
th.Almostal
l
Protest
ant s,however,woul drej
ectt
hatunderst
andingoft hepassage,even
thoughthat ’
swhati tsays.NotonlydomostPr otestantsacceptimagessuch
asthelikenessofani mal s,butt
heyacceptimagesandl ikenessesofother
humans.Theycar r
ypi cturesofthei
rfamil
ymember swiththem.Thatis
contrar
yt otheiri
nterpretati
onofthewordsofDeut eronomy5: 8.

Mor eover,manyoft hesesamePr ot

estantshav enoproblem evenwi thst
atues
bei
ngmadeofpr omi nentmi li
taryl
eadersorot herf
igures.Wit
ht hefewwhodo
objecttosuchst atutes, basicall
yallofthem acceptandusegr av enimages
suchascoi ns.Thecoi nsint heirpocketshav egrav
eni magesofmen.
Accor di
ngt otheirunder standingofDeut eronomy5: 8,
theywouldbe
commi t
ti
ngi dolatryandv iol
atingthecommandmentofGodbykeepi ngsuch
coi
nsand/ orbyusi ngt hem.Thepoi nthereisthatthei
runderst
andi ngofthe
passagei scompl etelywr ong.That ’
swhyt heymustbequi t
eselectiveint
heir
applicat
ionofDeut eronomy5: 8andsi mil
arpassages.

So,doesthatpassager
eall
yfor
bidt
hemakingofal
lgrav
enimages?Notatal
l,
aswewi l
lsee.That’
sshownbythecont
extoft
hepassage–inpart
icul
ar,
the
nextver
se.

Deuteronomy5:8-
9“Thoushal tnotmaketothyselfagrav
enthi
ng,nor
thel
ikenessofanythi
ngs,thatarei
nheavenabov e,ort
hatar
einthe
eart
hbeneath,ort
hatabideinthewatersundertheeart
h.Thoushaltnot
adorethem,andthoushaltnotservethem…”

Thoushaltnotadorethem norser
vethem.That’
sthekey
.That
’swhatGodis
for
biddi
ng.He’sfor
biddingthemakingofst
atuesori
magestoworshipt
hem
ortoworshipcreat
ures,suchasanimal
s,et
c.,whi
chmanyJewswer epr
oneto
fal
l
ingint
o.

Cat
hol
icsdonotworshi
pstat
uesorimages.Tosayot her
wiseisal
ie.
Cat
hol
icsonl
yworshipGod.I
magesandst atuesserv
easreminder
softhe
hol
ypeopl
eanddeedswhichtheyr
epresent.Butther
e’smore.

GODSPECI
FICALLYCOMMANDSTHEMAKI
NGOFRELI
GIOUSSTATUES

I
nt heBibl
eGodspeci f
ical
l
ycommandst hemakinganduseofstatuesf or
r
eli
giouspurposes.Thefoll
owi
ngverseshoul
dcrush,onceandforall
,the
f
alseideathattheBibl
econdemnstheuseoftruerel
i
giousstat
uesand
i
mages.

Exodus25:18-19“Andthoushal
tmaketwocher ubi
m ofgold,ofbeaten
workshaltthoumaket hem,i
nthetwoendsoft hemercyseat.Andmake
onecherubont heoneend,andtheot
hercherubontheotherend:evenof
themercyseatshallyemakethecher
ubim onthetwoendst her
eof.
”

Godspeci fi
callycommandst hemaki ngoft wost atuesofcher ubim.
Cher ubim areangel s.Somuchf orthe(fal
se)ideat hatt hemaki ngofst at
ues
orgr avenimagesi sforbi
dden.Suchani deaisat otal misrepresentati
onofthe
teachingofSacr edScr i
ptur
e,whi chforbi
dst hem withr eferencet othe
i
dol atr
ouswor shippingofcreatures.Otherpassagesi nt heBiblewherewesee
referencest oGod’ scommandt omakest atuesfort ruer el
igi
ouspur posesare:
Exodus26: 1,1Ki ngs6or3Ki ngs6i ntheDouay -
Rhei msCat holicBibl
e;and1
Kings7: 25-36or3Ki ngs7:25-36i ntheDouay -
RheimsCat holi
cBi bl
e.

GODCOMMANDEDTHEI
SRAELI
TESTOUSETHEI
MAGEOFAFI
ERY
SERPENT

Weal sofi
ndGodcommandingtheuseofimagestocurepeople–images
which,atf
ir
stt
hought
,somewouldfindsurpr
isi
ngorworse.Godcommanded
Mosest omakeanimageofaserpentfort
hepeopl
etolookuponandbe
healed.

Numbers21:
8“Andt heLordsaidunt
oMoses,maketheeafi
eryserpent
,
andseti
tuponapole:anditshall
cometopass,
thatever
yonethatis
bi
tt
en,whenhelookethuponit,
shall
li
ve.
”

PROTESTANTSWHOCONDEMNUSINGSTATUESANDI
MAGESSHARETHEI
R
(I
CONOCLASTI
C)BELI
EFWI
THMUSLI
MS

Non- Cathol
i
cswhoconsi dertheuseofr el
igi
ousstat
uesori magest obe
i
dol atr
ousnotonlycondemnt heBiblepassageswe’vejustcover ed,butthey
alsoshar et
heirbel
iefwithMusl ims.Musl imsabominatesuchst atuesand
i
mages.I nf
act,i
nthe8t hcent ury
,theBy zanti
neEmperorLeoI IIbecame
dismay edatsomeChr i
sti
anmi l
it
arylossesatthehandsofMusl i
ms.He
falsel
yconcludedthatitwasar esultofGod’sdispl
easurewitht heuseof
statuesandimagesi nChr ist
ianchur ches.Suchimageswer einuseal l
throughouttheChri
stian( Catholi
c)Chur chfr
om theearl
iestday s.These
i
magesandst atuesareusedt orai
set hemindt oGod, tor
emi ndusofHim,
Hishol
yMot herandHisheav enl
yservants.That’swhyGodcommandedt hem
tobemadef orthetemple.ButEmper orLeoIIIundertookacampai gnt
o
dest
roytheseimagesandr emovet hem fr
om Chr ist
ianchurches.

Thepopesopposedt hi
sher esy,whichwasknownasi conoclasm.Iconoclasm,
whichmeansi magebr eaking,i
saher esywhichmanyPr otestant
stodayhol d.
Itwasreject
edandcondemnedasf al
sebyt heCatholi
cChur chattheSecond
CouncilofNicaeai
n787.Thi searlyCathol
iccouncil
–whi chisknownast he
sevent
hecumeni calcouncil–ist helastCatholi
ccouncilwhichisacceptedby
theEastern“Ort
hodox,”theAnglicansandsomePr otestants.

THEPROTESTANTOBJECTI
ONTHATCATHOLICSWORSHIPSTATUESAND
I
MAGES,BECAUSECATHOLI
CSSOMETIMESKNEELORBOW BEFORETHEM
I
NPRAYER,I
SREFUTEDBYTHEBIBLE

Anotherfal
seideathatmustbeaddressedistheideat
hatCat
holi
csworship
st
atuesbecausetheysomet imeskneelorbowbeforet
hem i
nprayer
.This
obj
ectionisfal
seandr ef
utedbySacredScri
ptur
e.

Thepost ureofkneeli
ng–andev enofly i
ngprostr
ateont heground–doesnot
necessaril
ymeanwor shi
poradorati
on.Itdoessigni
fythatincert
ainr
eli
gious
contextsandinsomef al
ser
eli
gions;butbowing,kneeli
ng,andevengoing
compl et
elyprost
ratecanbemer el
yasi gnofrespect,ahumblepostur
e.

Anyonewhohast akenthet
imetoreadtheOldTestamentknowst hatbowing
downprostrat
ebeforesomeonedoesn’
tnecessarymeanworship.Throughout
theOldTestamentwereadthathol
yfi
guresboweddownpr ost
ratebefore
othermen,notasasignofworshi
poradorati
on,butofr
espectandhumi li
ty.
Forexample:

Genesi
s33:
3“Andhe[Jacob]wentfor
war
dandboweddownwi thhi
s
facet
othegr
oundsev
ent i
mesunt i
lhi
sbr
other[
Esau]camenear
.”

Jacobboweddowncompl etelywit
hhi sfacetothegr
oundseventi
mesbef ore
hi
sbr ot
herEsau.Hedidthisasasi gnofhumi l
it
y.Thi
sisthesameJacobof
whom JesussaysinLuke13: 28:“wheny eshall
seeAbraham,andI
saac,and
Jacob,andall
theprophets,i
nt hekingdom ofGod…”Hewasnotani dol
ater,
of
course.
Wer
eadasi
mil
art
hingofAbr
aham i
nGenesi
s23:
12.

Genesi
s23:
12“
AndAbr
aham boweddownhi
msel
fbef
oret
hepeopl
eof
t
heland.
”

Lotbowedhi
msel
fwi
thhi
sfacet
othegr
oundi
nor
dert
ovener
ateangel
swho
came.

Genesi
s19:
1“Andt herecametwoangelstoSodom atev
en;andLotsat
i
nthegateofSodom: andLotseei
ngthem r
oseuptomeetthem;andhe
bowedhimsel
fwithhisfacetowardt
heground.
”

Ther
earemanyot
herpassagesl
i
ket
hist
hroughoutt
hebooksofKi
ngsand
Samuel
.

2Samuel 9:8(
2Ki ngs9i
nDouay-
Rhei
msCatholicBi
bl Andhe[
e)“ Dav
id]
bowedhimself[befor
eSaul
],
andsai
d,whati
sthyservant
,thatt
hou
shoul
destlookuponsuchadeaddogasIam? ”

1Samuel24:
8(1Ki
ngs24inDouay-Rhei
msCat hol
icBibl
e)“
Davi
dalso
ar
ose…andcri
edaft
erSaul
,say
ing,
Myl ordtheki
ng.AndwhenSaul
l
ookedbehi
ndhi Dav
m, idst
oopedwithhisfacetotheear
th,
andbowed
hi
mself
.”

Otherpassageswhichshowt hatmenbowed, etc.beforeothermen, not

i
dolatr
ously,
butmer el
youtofhumi l
i
tyandrespect ,
areGenesis43:26, Ruth
2:8-
10andot her
s.Thisissuf
ficienttoref
utethefalseasserti
onthatCat holi
cs
worshipstat
ueswhent heykneel orbowtoassumeahumbl eandr espectful
postur
ewhi l
einvoki
ngtheheav enlyfi
gurewhom t hestatueorimage
repr
esents.

THEEVI
DENCEI
SIRREFUTABLETHATPRAYI
NGTOSAI
NTSI
SBI
BLI
CAL

We’veseeninmuchdet ai
lthattheBibleteachesthecommuni onofsaints.
We’veseenthatpray i
ngt osaintsisbibli
cal.We’
veseenthatJesust eaches
thatt
hesaintsi
nHeav enar east heangels.We’veseenthatdeceasedsaints
andthei
rprayersintercedef ormen.We’ veseenthatrel
i
csandst atuesarenot
i
dolat
rous,butbibl
icallybased.Noneoft hi
sistosuggestthatonecannotpray
di
rect
lyt
oJesus.

TrueCat holi
cspr aydirectlytoJesusev er yday ,butprayi
ngt osaintsand
i
nv okingt hei
rintercessioni sextremelyef fectiv
e, powerf
ul,andof t
engr ant
s
gracesf rom Jesust hatHei snotot herwisei ncli
nedt ogiv
e.It’
spar t
icul
arly
i
mpor tantandnecessar yinthecaseoft hegr eatestofallt
hesai nt
s,the
mot herofJesus, theBl essedVi rgi
nMar y,thevessel bywhichHechoset o
comet oEar th.Thev ener ati
onandi ntercessionofsai ntswasr ecognizedfrom
thev erybeginningoft heChr ist
ianChurch, byt hef at
hersoftheChur ch.

CATHOLI
CSAI
NTSSPREADTHEGOSPELALLOVERTHEEARTH

Themiracles, t
hemi ssionar
yef f
orts,
andthelivesofCatholi
csaintshavebeen
amongt hemosti mpor t
antinst
rument si
nthespr eadoftheGospel t
hroughout
theear
th.All ofwhatt heCatholi
csaintsareandhav edoneisbyt hegraceof
JesusChrist.Bycooper ati
ngwi t
hit,t
heyspiri
tual
lyconqueredthewor l
dfor
Chri
st,
awor l
dt hati
ssadl yfall
i
ngintoapostasyandabandoni ngtheChr i
sti
an
Cathol
i
cher itagewhi chdefi
nedi t
.

Itwast heCat holi

csai nt ,St.Pat r
ick,whobr oughtt hef ai
thofJesust oIreland.
Itwast heCat holi
csai nt ,St.Boni face,whobr oughtt heGospel toGer many .It
wast heCat holi
csai nt ,St.August ineofCant erbury ,whobr oughtt heGospel t
o
theAngl es, t
oEngl and.I twast heCat holicsaint,St.FrancisXav i
er, who
broughtt heGospel tomuchofAsi aandt othef arEast .Inthe16t hand17t h
centuri
es, itwasCat hol icsai ntsandmi ssionaries,especiallyJesui ts,who
defi
niti
v el
ybr oughtt heGospel toNor thandSout hAmer i
ca.Manyoft hese
l
andswer ei nhabi t
edbybar bari
candpaganpeopl es.Thesewoul df requent l
y
tort
ureandmur derf or eigner sandper cei vedenemi es.Inbringi ngt heGospel
tothem, t
hesesai ntsof tenunder wentmi nd-boggl i
nghar dshi psandendur ed
i
ncrediblest ruggles.Theymet iculouslylearnedar canel anguages, customs
andcul turesinor dert ot eacht hesepeopl eaboutJesusChr istandl eadt hem
toHi sfaith.Somet imest heywer etorturedbar baricall
y.Somet i
mest heyhad
totravel t
hroughal mostunbel ievablecondi ti
ons, sufferi
ngi nsub- zer o
temper atureswi t
houtsuf f
icientclothi
ngorsl eepingi nmanyf eetofsnow
surroundedbyt hewi lder ness.

JESUSPREDI
CTEDTHECONTI
NUOUSTRADI
TIONOFMIRACLESTHATHAS
BEENSEENINTHELI
VESOFCATHOLI
CSAINTS
Thisconver
sionofheat henpeopleswasalsof aci
li
tatedbythemiracl
eswhich
JesusgrantedtoHissai nt
s.Thereisacont i
nuoustradit
ionofmir
aclesint
he
l
ivesofCatholi
csaintswhi chext
endsrightbacktot hebeginni
ngofthe
Cathol
icChurch.Thisreali
ty,whi
chisfascinati
ngtor eadabouti
ntheliv
esof
thesai
nts,waspredictedbyJesus.

John14:12“Ver
il
y,v
eri
ly
,Isayuntoy
ou,hethatbel
i
ev et
honme, the
worksthatIdoshal
lhedoalso;
andgreat
erworksthantheseshall
hedo;
becauseIgountomyFather.
”

Thecommuni onofsaintsisbibli
cal.Prayi
ngtoandv enerat
ingsaintsdoesnot
detr
actfrom God’sglory.Onthecont rary
,iti
nspir
esust ocenterourwhol e
l
ivesmor ezealousl
yaroundChr i
standdoi ngHiswill
,astheydid.Throughout
herhist
ory,t
heCat holi
cChurchhasr emainedfait
hfultotheteachi
ngofJesus
andtheBi bl
eonangel sandsai nts.Thisi
sbecauset heCatholi
cChur chisthe
onetrueChur chofJesusChr i
st.
 THEBI
BLETEACHESBAPTISMALREGENERATI
ONANDTHATBAPTI
SM I
S
NECESSARYFORSALVATI
ON

MostPr otestantstodaydonotbel i
evethatbaptism r
egenerat
es.Thisincl
udes
Bapti
sts,Pr esbyter
ians,Pentecostal
s,mostEv angel
ical
s,andmanyot hers.
Theydonotbel i
ev ethatbaptism r
emov essinfrom thesoulandplacesmani n
astateofj usti
fi
cation.Theirposit
ionisthatwaterbapti
sm shouldbe
perf
ormed, butthatit
’sjustasignofinit
iati
on,asignofaconv er
sion,ora
spi
ri
tual r
ebi r
ththathasal r
eadyhappened.

TheCatholi
cposit
ioni
sthatbaptism i
snecessaryforsal
vat
ion.TheCathol
i
c
Churchteachest
hatbapt
ism isnecessaryforever
ymanbecausebaptism i
s
thecauseofspir
it
ualr
ebi
rth.Baptism r
egenerat
es.

Sowhatdoest
heBi
blet
eachont
hemat
ter
?

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATBAPTI
SM I
SFORTHEREMI
SSI
ONOFSI
NS

Acts2:
38“ ButPet
ersai
dtot
hem:Dopenance,
andbebapti
zedeveryone
ofyouinthenameofJesusChri
st,
fort
heremissi
onofy
oursins:and
youshall
receivet
hegif
toft
heHolyGhost
.”

That’
squit
ecl
ear.TheBi
blesay
sthatbapt
ism i
sfort
her
emi
ssi
onofsi
ns.I
t
takesawaysi
ns.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATBAPTI
SM WASHESAWAYSI
NS

Act
s22:12-
16“AndoneAnani as…Cameunt ome,andst
ood,andsai d
unt
ome, Br
otherSaul,recei
vethysi
ght.AndthesamehourIlookedupon
hi
m.Andhesai d…arise,andbebaptized,
andwashawayt hysins,cal
li
ng
onthenameoft heLord.”

Thi
scl
ear
lyi
ndi
cat
est
hatSt
.Paul
’
ssi
nswoul
dbewashedawayi
nbapt
ism.

JESUSTEACHESTHATALLMENMUSTBEBAPTI
ZEDTOHAVETHEFAI
TH
ANDBESAVED

Matt
hew28:
18-20“AndJesuscameandspokeunt
othem,sayi
ng,
All
poweri
sgi
venuntomeinheavenandinear
th.Goy
etheref
ore,
andteach
 al
lnat
ions,bapti
zingthem i
nthenameoftheFather,
andoftheSon,and
oft
heHol yGhost:Teachi
ngthem t
oobser
veallt
hingswhat
soeverIhave
commandedy ou…”

I
nt heveryl
astINSTRUCTIONTHATJESUSCHRI STGI VESTHEAPOSTLES
BEFORELEAVI NGTHI SWORLD–Hegi vesHisApostlest
wocommands: t
o
teachall
nati
onsandt obaptize.Thisshouldtel
levery
onesomethingaboutthe
i
mpor t
anceandt henecessit
yofbapt ism.Bapti
sm isboundup,byJesus
Himself
,wit
hthev er
ycommandt oteachallnat
ionstheChri
sti
anfait
h.That’
s
becausenoonecanbesav edwi thoutit
,asweseei nSt.Mar
k’sGospel.

Mark16:15-
16“ Andhe(Jesus)saidtothem:Goyeintothewhol
eworl
d,
andpreachtheGospeltoev er
ycreat
ure.Hethatbel
ievethandi
s
bapt
izedshallbesaved:buthethatbel
ievet
hnotshallbedamned.
”

Jesussayst hatthosewhobeli eandar

ev ebapti
zedwill
besav ed,which
i
ndicatest
hatt heunbapt i
zedwil
lnotbesav ed.Butsomeask: whydidn’
t
Jesussay,“het hatbel
iev
ethnotandi snotbapti
zedshallbedamned,”after
sayinghethatbel i
evet
handisbaptizedshallbesaved?Theansweri sthat
thosewhodon’ tbeliev
earenotgoingt ogetbapti
zed,soit
’snotnecessaryto
ment i
onbapt i
sm again.

ROMANSANDEPHESI
ANSTEACHTHATONECOMESOUTOFSI
NTHROUGH
BAPTI
SM

I
nRomans5and6, St
.Paulexpl
ainst
hatChristr
econci
l
essomement oGod,
r
emov esthei
rOri
ginalSi
n,andmakest hem membersoftheChur
chofGod.
Heexplai
nsthatt
hishappensbybaptism.

Romans6:3-4“Knowyenot,
thatsomanyofusaswerebapt
izedi
nto
JesusChr
istwerebapti
zedi
ntohisdeat
h?Ther
efor
eweareburi
edwith
hi
m bybaptism i
ntodeat
h…”

Therefer
encetobeing“buri
edint
odeath”bybapt
ism r
efer
stothespi
ri
tual
rebi
rthwhichbapti
sm gi
ves.I
tputstodeatht
heoldmanwhol i
vedinor
iginal
sin,
andgivesbirt
htoanewl i
feinChri
st.

IntheBookofEphesi
ans,t
heBi
blet
eachest
hatt
hesoul
soft
heChur
char
e
cleansedi
nwaterbapt
ism.
 Ephesi
ans5: 25-
26“Husbands,l
oveyourwiv
es,evenasChri
stal
soloved
thechurch,andgavehi
mselffori
t;Thathemightsanct
if
yit
,cl
eansingi
t
bythelaverofwateri
nthewor dofli
fe.
”

TheChurchissancti
fi
edandcl eansedbyt helaver(orwashing)ofwat erinthe
wordofli
fe.What’
sthiswashi ngofwat er
?Itobv i
ouslyrefer
stowat erbapti
sm.
The“wordofli
fe”ref
erstothewor dswhi chwer egivenbyJesusf orthe
bapt
ismalfor
m( Matthew28: 19).EvenJohnCal vi
n,thefamousPr otestant
whodeniedbapti
smal regeneration,admitt
edt hatthispassage(Ephesians
5:
26)ref
erstowaterbapt i
sm.( Calvi
n, I
nsti
tut
es, “
ofBapt i
sm,”Book, 4.
15.1)

1CORI
NTHI
ANS12TEACHESTHATBAPTI
SM MAKESONEAMEMBEROF
THEBODYOFCHRIST

1Cori
nthi
ans12:
13“
ForbyoneSpi
ri
tareweal
lbapt
izedi
ntoonebody
,
whet
herwebeJewsorGenti
l
es,whet
herwebebondorfr
ee…”

TheBibl
esayst
hatonecomesi
ntot
heBodyofChr
istandr
ecei
vest
heHol
y
Spi
ri
tthr
oughbapt
ism.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATALLTRUEBELI
EVERSHAVERECEI
VEDTHEONE
BAPTI
SM

Ephesians4:
3-6“Caref
ultokeeptheunit
yoftheSpir
iti
nthebondof
peace.OnebodyandoneSpi ri
t;asyouarecal
ledi
nthehopeofy our
cal
li
ng.OneLor d,onefai
th,
onebapt i
sm.OneGodandFat herofall
…”

I
nEphesi ans4,St.Paul i
sdescr i
bingtheunityintheChurchofJesusChr ist
.
Considertheli
stthathegi v
es: OneLor d,OneFaith,OneGod, OneFat her.
Prominentlypl
acedwi t
h“ Lord”and“ Fait
h”and“ God”and“ Father
”isbaptism.
Thisisbecauseitisthrought hi
sbapt i
sm thatamanbecomesuni tedtoGod
andincorporat
edintotheuni tyoftheChur ch.Tobeliev
et hatpeopleinthe
Churchdonothav ethi
sonebapt i
sm isequivalentt
obelievingthattheydon’t
havetheoneLor dandt heoneFai th.That’shownecessar ybapt i
sm is.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATFAI
THI
SRECEI
VEDTHROUGHBAPTI
SM

I
nGal
ati
ans3,
weseet
hel
i
nkbet
weenr
ecei
vi
ngt
hef
ait
handr
ecei
vi
ng
bapt
ism.Weseet
hatonef
ir
str
ecei
vesf
ait
hthr
oughbapt
ism.

I
nGal ati
ans3:23,
St.Paulsays:“Butbeforefait
hcame…”
I
nv erse24,hesays:“
thatwemaybej usti
fiedbyfai
th…”
I
nv erse25,hesays:“
Butafterthatfai
thiscome…”
I
nv erse26,hesays:“
Foryear eallt
hechildrenofGodbyfai
th,
inChr
ist
Jesus.”

St.Paul
expl
ainsexact
lywhathemeansby“
fai
thi
nChr
istJesus”i
nthev
ery
nextver
se(v
erse27).

Galat
ians3:27“Forasmanyofy ouashav ebeenbapti
zedinChrist
,have
putonChr i
st.Therei
snei
therJewnorGr eek:
ther
eisneit
herbondnor
fr
ee:ther
eisneithermal
enorfemale.Foryouareall
oneinChristJesus.
”

Thisv er
yinterest
ingchapterofScri
ptureshouldgiveamessaget oev eryone.
I
t’
scl earl
yteachingwhatt heCathol
icChur chhasheldfor2,
000y ears:thati
tis
bymeansoft heSacr amentofBaptism thatonerecei
vesfai
th.That’swhy
bapti
sm hasbeencal led,
sinceapostol
i
ct i
mes,“
theSacramentoff ait
h.”
Withoutbapt i
sm, onedoesnothav ethef ai
thandcannotbesaved.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATWATERBAPTI
SM SAVES

Titus3:5“Notbyworksofr
ight
eousnesswhichwehav
edone, but
accordingtohismercyhesavedus,bythewashi
ngofregenerat
ion,
and
renewingoftheHolyGhost
.”

TheBi blesay
sthatmenar esavedbyt he“ washi
ngofr egener ationand
renewingoftheHolyGhost .
”Thisref
erst othespi
r i
tualregener ati
ongivenin
thebapt i
smalwaters.Theoutwardpouringofwat ereffectsthei nter
ior
cleansingandrenewaloftheHolySpiri
t.Thissacrament alactionjustif
iest
he
soul,andappli
esthemer i
toftheBloodofJesusChr istwhilethebapt ism i
s
occurring.

Protest antshavetr
iedtoexplai
nt hispassageaway .Theyarguethatthe
“washi ng”doesn’tr
efertothewat erofbaptism,buttothecleansi
ngoft he
Spiri
twi t
houtbapti
sm.Thisisrefutedbycompar ingt hi
spassageto1Pet er
3:20-21.Theybot hteachthatbaptism “saves.
”1Pet er3:20-
21isclearl
y
refer
ringt owaterbapti
sm, notj
ustaspi rit
ualwashing.Thisdemonst r
atest
hat
Ti
tus3:
5isal
sor
efer
ri
ngt
oregener
ati
ont
hrought
hewat
erofbapt
ism.

1Peter3:20-21“…whentheywaitedforthepati
enceofGodinthedaysof
Noe,whent hearkwasabuil
ding:whereinafew,thati
s,ei
ghtsoul
swer e
savedbywat er.Wher
eunt
obapt i
sm beingofthelikef
orm,nowsav et
h
youalso…”

1Pet er3:20-
21i soneoft hestr
ongestpassagesi ntheBi bleonthenecessi ty
ofbapt i
sm.Not i
cetheforceofSt.Peter’sasser t
ionher e.Baptism nowsaves
you.Hei stalkingaboutwaterbapt i
sm (theSacr ament ),ofcourse,becausehe
drawsananal ogybetweent hebaptismal wat er
sandt heFloodwat ers.Pet er
compar esrecei v
ingtheSacramentof( Wat er)Bapt i
sm tobei ngont hear kof
Noe.Justasnooneescapedphy sicaldeathout sidethear kofNoedur ingt he
ti
meoft heFlood( onl
yeightsoulssurvivedt heFloodbybei ngfir
mlypl anted
ont heark),l
i
kewi senooneav oidsspirit
ual deathori ssav edfrom ori
ginal sin
withoutbaptism!Bapt i
sm savesy ou.Howcl eardoesi thav etobethatt he
Bibleteachest hatwaterbapti
sm isnecessar yf
orsal vati
on?

THECROSSI
NGOFTHEREDSEAWASATYPEOFWATERBAPTI
SM

Thisbr i
ngsmet oanotherpoi nt.Thati
stypology.Asment ionedinthesecti
on
ont heVirginMary,abibl
ical
t ypeisarealeventorar ealpersonorareal t
hing
i
nt heOl dTestamentwhi chforeshadowsandpoi ntsforwar dtosomethingin
theNewTest ament.Therearet ypesofwaterbaptism.Onet y
peofwat er
bapt i
sm anditsnecessit
yisfoundi nthecrossingoftheRedSeabyMoses
andt heIsrael
it
es.

Justasnooneescapedphy si
caldeat
hatthehandsoft
heEgy pt
ianswit
hout
crossi
ngt hroughthewater
softheRedSea,nooneescapeseter
naldeath
withoutreceivi
ngthebapti
smalwater
s.St
.Paulmakestheconnecti
onin1
Corint
hians10: 1-
2:

1Corint
hians10:1-2“
Moreover
,bret
hren,
Iwouldnotthatyeshoul
dbe
i
gnorant,
howt hatall
ourfat
herswereundert
hecloud,andall
passed
thr
oughthesea; andwer
eallbapt
izeduntoMosesinthecloudandinthe
sea…”

OTHEROLDTESTAMENTTYPESOFWATERBAPTI
SM
I
ntheverybeginni
ngGodcreat
edheav enandear
th;andt hef
ir
stthi
ng
ment
ionedintheBiblei
sthewater
s.Lookatthever
yf i
rsttwover
sesint
he
f
ir
stbookoftheBible.

Genesi
s1:1-
2“I
nthebegi
nni
ngGodcreat
edt
heheavenandeart
h.And
t
heearthwaswit
houtfor
m,andv
oid;
anddar
knesswasuponthefaceof
t
hedeep.AndtheSpi
ri
tofGodmovedupont
hefaceofthewater
s.”

Thistel
lsusthatwaterhasbeenofmaj or–andev enunique–si gnifi
canceto
God’screat
ionfrom t
hev erybeginni
ng.I thasbeenintegral
toHispl an.Hehas
usedittocl
eanse,togener at
enewl if
e.I tmakesperfectsense,
therefore,t
hat
theelementHewoul dchoose, i
nbr i
ngingt henewlif
eofJesusChr i
sttosouls
bydispensi
ngthemer i
tofHi spassionandt hecl
eansingoftheHol ySpiri
t,i
s
thatpri
mordialel
ementov erwhichHi sSpiritmovedatthebeginningof
creat
ion.

Anot
hercleart
ypeof,orr
efer
encet
o,t
hesanct
if
yingef
fect
sofwat
erbapt
ism
i
sfoundinEzechi
el36.

Ezechiel36:
24-26“ForIwill
takeyouf r
om amongt heheat
hen,andgat
her
yououtofal l
countri
es,andwillbr
ingyouintoyourownland.Thenwil
lI
spri
nklecleanwaterupony ou,andy eshall
beclean:fr
om ally
our
fi
lt
hiness,andfrom al
lyouridols,
willIcl
eanseyou.Anewhear tal
sowil
l
Igiv
ey ou,andanewspi r
itwil
lIputwithi
ny ou.
”

Thiscl ear l
yreferstot hecl eansingpowerofwat erbapt ism, whichwill
transmi
t
thenewl i
feofJesusChr ist,andwi l
lbedi
spensedt oGod’ speoplegathered
from all overtheEar th.Ther efer
encet o“
cleanwat er”i
nEzechi el36proves
thatit’
sr eferri
ngt ojustifi
cat ionintheNewTest ament ;forthev erysame
l
anguagei sfoundi nHebr ews10: 22,todescri
bethei nteri
orchange
effectuat edbyj usti
fi
cationi nChr ist
.InHebrews10: 22,thatchangei s
descr i
bedasahear tbei ngspr i
nkledfr
om anev i
lconsci ence.Ezechiel36
specificallyindicat
est hatt hiscleannessofheartisef f
ect uatedbythe
sprinklingwi thcleanwat er(inbapt i
sm).

Somepeopleobjectatthi
spoint
.Theybri
nguptheGoodThiefontheCrossas
anexampleagai
nstthenecessit
yofbapti
sm.Butthi
sexamplefai
l
s.Fi
rst,t
he
l
awofbapt i
sm,whichJesusmadebi ndi
ngonever
yman, becamean
obl
igat
ionaft
erJesus’Resur
rect
ion,
whenJesusgavethecommandt opreach
theGospelandtobaptiz
eal l
nationsi
nMat thew28:19.TheGoodThi efdied
undertheOldLaw,beforetheLawofBapt i
sm becamebi ndingonev eryone.
Second,theGoodThiefdidnotgot oHeavenont hedaythatJesuswas
cruci
fi
ed.Weknowt hisbecausenoonewentt oHeavenunt i
lafterJesusdid.
Jesushadt hepr
imacyinallthi
ngs,asSt.PaulsaysinColossians1:18.

Jesusdi dn’tascendintoHeav enunt i

lafterHisResur r
ection,asJohn20:17
proves.Sot heGoodThi efi snotanex ampl eagainstthenecessityofbapt i
sm
forsalvati
on.That ’
swhyt heApost les’Creed,whichCat holi
csreci
te,corr
ectly
stat
est hatJesuswascr uci fi
ed,diedandwasbur i
ed;Hedescendedi ntoHel l
;
onthet hirddayHer oseagai nfrom thedeadandt henascendedi ntoHeav en.
Hedi dn’tascendt oHeav enunt i
l aft
erHisResur recti
on,andHedescendedi nto
Hellont hedayofHi sdeat h.Whatwast hisHell?ItwasAbr aham’sbosom, t
he
waiti
ngpl aceoft hejustoft heOl dTestament .That’swher etheGoodThi ef
wentwi thJesusont hedayofHi sCr ucif
ixion;
Jesuscal leditpar
adisebecause
Hewoul dbet here.

JESUSSUBMI
TTEDTOBAPTI
SM TOSHOW ALLMENTHATI
T’SNECESSARY
TOBEBAPTIZED

Bapt
ism i
ssonecessar ythatev enJesussubmi tt
edHi mselftoit
.Hewas
bapt
izedbySt.JohntheBapt i
sttoshowt hateverysingleman–andJesus
wasbothtrueGodandt rueman–mustbebapt izedf orsalvat
ion.I
tshouldbe
poi
ntedoutthatinCathol
ict heology
,thebaptism gi
v enbyJohnt heBapti
st
wasnotthesameast hebapt i
sm whichJesusi nsti
tuted:thetrueSacrament
ofBapti
sm.Itdidnothavet hesamef or
ceorpower .

Thebapt i
sm institut
edbyJesust akesawayor i
ginalandact ualsi
ns,aswel l
as
allpunishmentduet osin; thebapti
sm ofJohnwasabapt ism whi chsti
rr
ed
peoplet orepentanceandwasapr efi
gur
ementoft hebapt ism whichJesus
i
nst i
tuted.That’swhyt hosewhohadonl yreceivedthebapt ism ofJohnwer e
baptizedagain( Act s19: 4-5).ButJesus’
recepti
onofbapt ism atthehandsof
Johni sconsider edt obet het ransi
ti
onbetweenJohn’ spref i
guredbapti
sm and
thereal bapti
sm ofChr ist.Thebapt i
sm ofJesussanct i
fi
edt hewat er
ssot hat
theycoul dbeef ficaciousi ntakingawaysin,eventhought hebapt i
sm which
Jesuswoul dinstitut
ewoul dnotbecomebi ndi
ngonal luntilaft
erthe
Resur r
ection.

Luke3:
21-
22“
…itcamet
opass,
thatJesusal
sobei
ngbapt
ized,
and
 prayi
ng,
theheavenwasopened,andtheHol
yGhostdescendedina
bodil
yshapeli
keadoveuponhim, andavoi
cecamefrom heaven,
whi
ch
said,
Thouartmybelov
edSon; i
ntheeIam wel
lpl
eased.”

ThedescentoftheHolyGhostsignif
iestheregener
ati
vepowersofbapti
sm.
TheopeningofHeavensignif
iesthatHeavenisopentoamanoncehehas
properl
yrecei
vedbapt
ism.Itmakeshi m anadoptedsonofGod,i
nsteadofan
excludedchil
dofAdam.

BLOODANDWATERCAMEFROM JESUS’
SIDEBECAUSEHI
SBLOODI
S
POUREDOUTI
NTHEWATEROFBAPTI SM

TheBiblemakesaclearconnecti
onbetweentheBloodofJesusandthewater
ofbapti
sm.InJohn19,weseet hatbl
oodandwat ercamefort
hfrom Jesus’
si
deafterHi
sdeathont heCross.Thi
srealev
enthadasy mboli
csigni
fi
cance
aswell.

John19:
34“Butoneoft
hesol
dier
swi
thaspearpi
ercedhi
ssi
de,
and
for
thwi
thcamether
eoutbl
oodandwat
er.
”

Thissi
gnifi
edthatHi
sBlood(andthemeri
tofHispassi
on)woul
dbepoured
outwithwateri
nbaptism.That
’swhywealsoreadin1John5thatt
her
eisa
connecti
onbetweenthespir
it
,thewat
erandtheblood.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATTHEBLOODOFJESUS,
THESPI
RITUALRENEWAL,
ANDTHEWATEROFBAPTI
SM COMEASONE

1John5:8“
Andther
earethr
eethatgiv
et est
imonyonear
th:
thespi
ri
t,
andthewat
er,
andthebl
ood:andthesethreear
eone.”

Thisref
erstothet hreewitnessesinjusti
ficati
on:thenewl i
feorspi
ritbr ought
byjusti
fi
cati
on,thewat erofbaptism,andt hebloodofJesus.Theset hree
mustbepr esentforaper sontobej usti
fi
ed.Thef irstandthethi
rdcome
toget
her–ar epour edout–i nthewat erofbapt i
sm.That ’
swhyJesusspeaks
ofbeingbornagainofwat erandthespi r
it(John3:5).Hecouldhaveal sot r
uly
spokenofbeingbor nagai nofwat er
,bloodandt hespi r
it
.

JESUSSAYSNOONEENTERSHEAVENWI
THOUTREBI
RTHOFWATERAND
OFTHESPI
RIT
 John3: 3-5“Jesusanswer edandsaiduntohim,Veri
ly
,ver
il
y,Isayunt
o
thee,Exceptamanbebor nagain,
hecannotseethekingdom ofGod.
Nicodemussai t
huntohim, Howcanamanbebor nwhenhei sol
d?Can
heent erthesecondt i
mei ntohi
smot her’
swomb, andbeborn?Jesus
answer ed,Veri
ly,ver
il
y,Isayuntothee,Exceptamanbebor nofwater
andoft heSpi r
it,hecannotenteri
ntothekingdom ofGod.”

Deeplyconsidert
hatwhenJesusteachesthi
sprof
oundtrut
h,Hepref
acesHis
stat
ementbysay ing:
“ver
il
y,v
eri
ly
”or“trul
ytr
uly
”or“amen,amen,
”dependi
ng
uponthetranslat
ionyouarer
eadi
ng.

Thisdouble-
affi
rmationisanactofoat h-t
aking.InaJewi shcourtoflaw,no
onecouldbeputt odeat hwi t
houtthetest
imonyoft wowitnesses
(Deut
eronomy19: 15).Bothoft hem hadtoraisetheirri
ghthandandsay :Amen.
(SeeNehemi ah8:6or2Esdr as8:6asanexampl eofthesolemnityofthi
s
formul
a.)Therefore,
thissolemnl anguageindicatesthatwhatJesushast o
sayhereisextremelyserious.Jesusisaffi
rmingi nasolemnoat hthatnoone
enter
sHeav enwi t
houtbei ngbornagainofwat erandt heHolySpiri
t.

Jesust el
l
sNi codemusthatunlessamanisbornagain,hecannotent
erthe
ki
ngdom ofGod.Ni codemust henspeci
fi
cal
lyasksHim howthathappens;
howisonebor nagain?Jesusanswers,
inJohn3:5,bydecl
ari
ngthatunlessa
mani sbornOFWATERANDTHESPI RI
THECANNOTENTERTHEKI NGDOM
OFGOD.So, beingbornagainmeansbeingbornofwaterandtheHolyGhost.
Thisclearl
yreferst
owat erbapti
sm.

I
t’struethatnon- Cathol
icshav etr
iedtoexpl ainawayt heclearmeani ngof
thesewor ds,butt onoav ail
.Manyoft hem sayt hatthewat erreferstonat ural
bir
th,andt heSpi r
itref
erstot hebornagai npr ocessbyaccept ingt hefait
h.
That’simpossi bl
ebecauset hepassageisaboutt herebirt
h.Jesussay sthat
therebir
thi sofwat erandt heSpir
it.Moreover , t
hephr ase“ofwat erandt he
Spiri
t”i
nGr eek( ekhudat oskaipneumat os)isasi ngl
el i
nguist
ical uni
t,as
Greekschol arspointout.Itdescri
besbei ng“ bor nofwat erandtheSpi rit
,”not
“bornofwat er”ont heonehand, and“ bornoft heSpiri
t”ont heother .

I
nadditi
on, theext
endedcontextofthepassageconfir
mst hati
t’
srefer
ringt
o
waterbaptism.Int
hev er
ynextchapter,wereadthatJesus’Apost
leswentout
andbaptized.LookatJohn4:1.So,aft
ertheBibl
epresentstheabsolut
e
necessi
tyofwaterbapt
ism,
itment
ionst
hatt
heApost
lespr
act
icedwhat
Jesuspreached.

I
t’scrucialforpeopl etounder standthatJohn3: 5referstowat erbaptism; f
or
mill
ionshav eaf alseandunbi blicalconceptofwhati tmeanst obebor nagai n.
Theyt hi
nki tmeanscomi ngt oat ruecommi tmentthatJesusist heSav ior.
Thatisincor r
ect,andwasnotbel iev
edi ntheancientChur ch.I
tiscertainly
necessar yforaper sonabov et heageofr easontoacceptJesusChr i
st ,
to
beli
eveint heTr i
nityandt heIncarnation,andt oacceptallofHisteachings.
ButtheBi bleclearl
yt eachesthatbei ngbor nagainrefer
st othespiri
tual
regenerationwhichwat erbaptism gives.Theov erwhelmingevidencewhi ch
we’veconsi deredfrom ot herpassagesi nt heNewTest amental soprov esit.

TheSacr amentofBapt i
sm remov esallori
ginal
andact ualsi
nsforthosewho
properl
yr ecei
veit.I
tshouldbenot ed,however,
thatreceiv
ingthatsacrament
al
i
snotaguar anteeofsalvat
ion.Onecanl osethegraceofbapt i
sm through
mor t
alsinsandbydeny ingthetruef ai
thofJesusChr i
st.

THEFATHERSOFTHECHURCHALLTAUGHTBAPTISMALREGENERATI
ON
ANDTHATBAPTISM I
SNECESSARYFORSALVATI
ON

From theverybeginningoftheChr i
sti
anChurch,t
hefathersoftheChur
ch
unanimouslybeli
ev edinthenecessit
yofwaterbapti
sm andbapt i
smal
regenerat
ion.Theybasedt hatbeli
efontheteachi
ngoft heNewTestament,
John3: 5andApost ol
icTradit
ion.Herear
ejustfourpassages.Onecoul
d
quotedozensofot hers.

I
ntheLet
terofBar
nabas,
dat
edasear
lyas70A.
D.,
wer
ead:

“…wedescendint
othewaterful
lofsinsandfoul
ness,andwecomeup
bear
ingf
rui
tinourhear
t…”(Jur
gens,TheFai
thoftheEarl
yFat
hers,
Vol
.
1:
34.)

I
ntheShepher
dofHer
mas,
dat
ed140A.
D.,
Her
masquot
esJesusi
nJohn3:
5
andwr
it
es:

“
Theyhadneedt ocomeupthr
ought hewater,sothatt
heymi ghtbe
madealiv
e;fort
heycoul
dnototherwiseenterint
othekingdom ofGod.
”
(
Jurgens,TheFai
thoft
heEarl
yFathers,Vol
.1:92.
)
I
n155A.
D.,
inFi
rstApol
ogy
,61,
St.Just
int
heMar
tyrwr
it
es:

“…theyarel
edbyust oapl acewher et hereiswat
er;
andtheretheyare
rebor
ninthesamekindofr ebirthinwhi chweoursel
veswerereborn…in
thenameofGod…t heyreceivet hewashi ngofwater
.ForChri
stsaid,
‘
Unlessyoubereborn,youshal lnotent erint
otheki
ngdom ofheaven.’
Thereasonfordoi
ngt hi
swehav elearnedf r
om t
heapostl
es.”(Jur
gens,
TheFait
hoftheEarl
yFat hers,Vol.1:126.)

St
.Aphr
aat
es,
theol
destoft
heSy
rianf
ather
s,wr
it
esi sTr
nhi eat
ises,
336A.
D.:

“
Forfrom baptism werecei
vetheSpi
ri
tofChrist…FortheSpiri
tisabsent
f
rom allthosewhoar ebornofthefl
esh,unt
iltheycomet othewaterof
r
e-bi
rt
h. ”(Jur
gens,TheFait
hoftheEarl
yFathers,Vol
.1:681.
)
 THEPROOFFORI
NFANTBAPTI
SM

ManyProtestant
sdonotbel ievethati
nfantsshouldbebapt ized.Theythink
bapt
ism shouldonlybegiventothosewhohav ereachedt heageofr eason
andhavechosent oreceiv
eit.Theyconsiderthebaptismsofi nfant
st obe
i
nval
idandunscr i
ptural
.Thispositi
oni
sf al
sef ormanyr easons.

I
tshoul dbepoi nt
edout ,fi
rstofall,t
hatmostPr otest
ant sagr eewi t
hCat hol
i
cs
onthispoint.Mostoft hem pract i
ceinfantbapti
sm.Lut herans, Angl icans,
Methodists,Congregationali
sts,Presbyter
ians,
andot herspr acticei nfant
bapti
sm.Thi sisobviouslynott osuggestt hati
nfantbapt i
sm i spr ovent rueby
thefactthatthesegroupspr acticeit;
butmer el
ytonot et hatPr otestant swho
rej
ectinfantbapti
sm arei nthemi norit
y,evenamongPr otestant s.

Second,
theBi
blet
eachest
hatwhol
ehousehol
dswer
ebapt
ized:

1Cor
.1:
16“
AndI[
Paul
]bapt
izedal
sot
hehousehol
dofSt
ephanas…”

Act
s16:
15“
Andwhenshe[
Lydi
a]wasbapt
ized,
andherhousehol
d…”

Acts16:
33“Andhetookthem t
hesamehouroftheni
ght
,andwashed
thei
rst
ri
pes;andwasbapti
zed,heandal
lhi
s,st
rai
ght
way.
”

Ent
ir
ehouseholdswerebaptized.Thinkaboutthesever
ses.TheBibl
er ef
erst
o
awomanand“ herhousehold.”I
treferst
oamanandhi s“househol
d.”Why
di
dn’
tthepassagejustgenerall
yincl
udechil
dren.Scr
ipt
ureconnectsthetwo:

Gen.18:
19“
…hewi
l
lcommandhi
schi
l
drenandhi
shousehol
daf
terhi
m…”

Gen.36:
6“AndEsautookhi
swi
ves,
andhi
ssons,
andhi
sdaught
ers,
and
al
ltheper
sonsofhi
shouse.
”

Sincehousehol dsgenerallyincludechil
dren–andt heBiblerepeatedly
ment ionsthatwholehousehol dswerebapt i
zed–t hesepassagesby
themsel vesmaket hecaseagai nsti
nfantbaptism extr
emel yunli
kely.I
nfact,i
f
aPr otestantwhorejectsinfantbaptism beli
evesinScripturealone,hewould
havet ofindanexplici
tteachi ngintheBiblethati
nfantsshoul dnotbebapt i
zed.
Butt hereisnothi
ngl i
kethat.
Third,Jesusclearl
yt aughtthateverymanmustbebapt i
zedtobesav ed.We
sawt hisinJohn3: 5.Hedoesnotmakeanydi st
inct
ionsorexcept
ions.Thisi
s
verysignifi
cantbecausei nJohn6: 53–apassageont henecessi
tytoeat
Jesus’ f
lesh,whichusesl anguaget hati
ssi
mil
artoJohn3:5–wedoseea
dist
incti
on.InJohn6: 53,Jesussays:

“Ver
il
y,v
eri
l
y ,
Isayuntoyou,
Exceptyeeatthef
leshoft
heSonofman,
anddri
nkhisblood,
yehavenoli
feinyou.
”

Buti
nJohn3:
5,hesay
s:

“Ver
il
y,ver
il
y,Isayuntothee,
Exceptamanbebornofwat
erandoft
he
Spir
it
,hecannotenterint
otheki
ngdom ofGod.
”

I
nJohn6:53(
John6:54i
nCatholi
cversi
ons),
Jesussay
sunlessYOUeatthe
fl
eshoft
heSonofman.ButinJohn3:5,t
hestat
ementisuni
ver
sal
lyappl
i
cable:
unl
essAMANi sbor
nagainofwaterandtheSpi
ri
t.

Thewor dingissl
ightlydiff
erentbecauser ecei
vingtheEuchari
stisnecessar y
foral lwhohearthecommandandcanf ul
fil
lit
,suchast hoseabovetheageof
reason.Jesussai dunl essyou,tothoset owhom Hewasspeaki ngandt o
other swhoheart hecommand.Butt henecessitytoreceivewaterbapti
sm is
universal.Hence,Jesussay sunlessamani sbornagainofwaterandt he
Spirithecannotent erintotheKingdom ofGod.Ev er
ymannecessar il
yincludes
i
nf ants.Itlogi
cal
lyfoll
owsf rom theteachingofJesusi nJohn3:5thatinfants
shoul dbebapt i
zed.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATBAPTISM I
STHENEW CI
RCUMCI
SION–
I
NFANTSWERECIRCUMCI
SEDINTHEOLDTESTAMENT

Mov i
ngtothenextpoi
nt,whi
chisextr
emelyimport
ant,wemustconsider
cir
cumcisi
on.Cir
cumcisi
onwast heOldTest
amentcounterpar
ttoBapti
sm.
Cir
cumcisi
onwast hewaythatmalesintheOldTestamententer
edacovenant
rel
ati
onshi
pwi t
hGod.Ifyouwerenotcir
cumcised,
youwer enotinGod’
s
covenant
.Itwasatypeofbapti
sm.

Li
keotherty
pes,notever
yaspectofcir
cumcisioncor
respondedtowhat
bapt
ism wouldbe.Fori
nstance,
onl
ymal escouldbeci
rcumcisedint
heOld
Test
ament,butmalesandf emal
esarebapti
zedintheNew.Buttherei
sno
doubtthatci
rcumcisionwast heOl
dTestamentcount
erpar
ttobapti
sm.
Colossi
ans2t eachesthatbapti
sm i
stheNewTestamentcir
cumcisi
on.

Colossians2:
11-
12“In[Jesus]alsoyear ecir
cumcisedwit
hthe
cir
cumci si
onmadewi thouthands,inputti
ngoffthebodyofthesi
nsof
thefleshbytheci
rcumci si
onofChr i
st:Buri
edwithhiminbapti
sm,
whereinalsoyear
erisenwi t
hhimt hroughthefai
th…”

Thispassagei dent i
fi
esbapti
sm ast henewandgr eatercir
cumci sion.I
talso
sayst hatoner i
sest onewsupernaturall
if
einChristbybaptism.I nfant
swer e
cir
cumci sedi ntheOl dTest
ament .Ifbapt
ism i
sthenewci rcumci sion,i
t
fol
lowst hatinfantsaretobebaptizedintheNew.I fnot,t
henGodwoul dhave
beenmor egener ous,moreuni
versal,moreincl
usiveintheinfer
iorOl d
Cov enantthanHei sint
heNew.Butt hi
sisnotthecase.

Thesalvati
onwhichismadeav ai
labl
einJesusisopentoallpeopl
es:
toJews
andGent i
l
es.It
’sunt
hinkabl
ethatJesuswouldnotest
abli
shameanst o
i
ncorpor
at echi
ldr
enintoHisspi
ri
tualKi
ngdom andtogivethem Hi
sblessi
ngs
andsalv
at i
on.

I
nfact
,not
icewhatPet
ersay
sinhi
sfamousser
mononPent
ecosti
nAct
s2:

Acts2:38-
39“ThenPetersai
duntothem,Repent
,andbebapt
izedevery
oneofy oui
nthenameofJesusChr i
stfort
heremissi
onofsi
ns.Forthe
promiseisunt
oy ou,
andt oyourchi
ldr
en…”

Thispassagei sspeaki
ngofbapti
sm,andt
hebl
essi
ngsandforgi
venessgi
ven
thr
oughi t
.Itsaysthatt
hepromiseisal
sof
ort
hechi
ldr
en.Theyrecei
vethe
for
givenessthroughwaterbapt
ism.

Matthew19:13-
15“Thenwer etherebroughtuntohimlitt
lechildr
en,t
hat
heshouldputhi
shandsont hem,andpr ay
: andthedi
sciplesrebuked
them.ButJesussai
d,Sufferli
tt
lechi
ldren,andforbi
dthem not ,t
ocome
untome:forofsuchisthekingdom ofheav en.Andhelaidhishandson
them,anddepart
edthence.”

THEFATHERSOFTHECHURCHBELI
EVEDI
NINFANTBAPTI
SM

Thef
ather
soft
heChr
ist
ianChur
chal
sobel
i
evedi
ninf
antbapt
ism,
hav
ing
recei
vedthistradi
ti
onfrom Jesusandt
heApost
les.Her
ear
ejustt
hree
passages;otherscoul
dbequot ed.

Origen, Homil
iesonLev it
icus8:3,244-248A.D.“I
nt heChurch,bapti
sm i
s
givenf orther
emi ssionofsins,and,accordi
ngtot heusageoft heChur
ch,
baptism isgivenev entoinfant
s.Iftherewerenothingininf
antswhich
requiredtheremissi onofsinsandnot hingi
nthem perti
nentto
forgi
v eness,t
hegr aceofbapt i
sm woul dseem superf
luous.
”

PopeSt .Innocent
,414A.D.“ButthatwhichYourFr at
erni
tyassert
sthe
Pelagianspreach,t
hatevenwithoutthegraceofBapt ism i
nfantsare
abletobeendowedwi ththerewardsofet ernall
if
e,i
squiteidiot
ic.
”
(Jurgens,TheFait
hoftheEar l
yFathers,
Vol .3:
2016.)

St.Augustine, Let
tertoJerome, 415A.D.“Any onewhoshoul dsaythat
eveninfantswhopassf r
om t hi
slif
ewi t
houtpar tici
pati
oni nthe
Sacrament[ ofBaptism]shallbemadeal iveinChr i
stt
rulygoescount er
tothepreachi ngoft heApost l
eandcondemnst hewhol eChur ch,where
ther
eisgr eathast einbaptizi
nginfantsbecausei tisbel
ievedwi t
hout
doubtthatt hereisnootherwayatal l
inwhi chtheycanbemadeal i
vein
Christ
.”(Jurgens,TheFaithoft heEarlyFathers,Vol.3:
1439.)
 BAPTI
SM DOESN’
THAVETOBEBYI
MMERSI
ON

Somenon- Cat
holi
csbel
ievebaptism mustber ecei
vedbyimmer si
on.Thisis
nott
aughtintheBibl
e.Considerthefactt
hatonPent ecost,
inActschapter2,
whenthousandswerebaptized,t
herewasn’tasuf f
ici
entwatersuppl
yto
bapt
izethem al
lbyimmersion.Bapti
sm byeffusion(pour
ing)orspri
nkl
ing
musthavebeenused.

Inadditi
on,bapti
sm byimmer si
onwoul dbev erydiff
icul
torimpossiblein
extr
emel ycoldenvi
ronmentssuchast heAr ct
ic,andi nextr
emelyhot
envir
onment ssuchasdeserts.Inothersi
tuati
ons–suchasanapost ol
ateto
pri
soners(e.g.,
Acts16)–wher ef r
eedom ofmov ementi sl
imit
ed,bapti
zingby
i
mmer si
onwoul dn’
tbepract
icable.Jesusneverwoul dhav emadei tso
dif
fi
cultorimpossiblet
oadmi nist
erbapti
sm int hesesituat
ionswhenHewas
theonewhodecl ar
edthateverymanmusthav ei t
.

Somepeopl ealsosayt hatthewor dbapti

sm inGr eekex cl
usivelymeans
i
mmer si
on.Thi
si snottrue.Thewor disusedtosi gnif
yimmer sion,buti
tis
alsousedtosignifywashingswhi charenoti
mmer si
ons.Exampl eswhere
bapti
sm meanswashi ng,butnotimmer si
on,arefoundi nLuke11: 38and
Hebrews9:10.Bapt i
sm isvali
difper f
ormedeitherbyimmer sion,effusi
on(i
.e.
,
pouri
ng)orsprinkli
ng,butthewat ermustbemov ingasi tst
rikest heski
nand
theproperwords( “
Ibaptizeyouint henameoft heFat herandoft heSonand
oftheHolySpiri
t”ortheirequiv
alent)mustbesai d.

Anotherpoi ntisthatinbaptism,theHol ySpir

itispouredout.Thatmeanst hat
event houghbapt ism byimmer sioniscertai
nlyvali
difdonepr operl
y,onecoul
d
saythatbapt ism byef f
usion(i.
e.,pouri
ng)mor eprecisel
ysignifi
estheact
ion
oftheHol ySpi r
iti
nBapt ism.Ther eisalsothefactthatpaint
ingsinthe
catacombs, whichwer emadebyt heear l
i
estChrist
ians,depictbapti
smsby
pouring.Thisshowst hatthesebapt i
smsbypour i
ngwer econsidered
accept abl
ef rom t
hebegi nning.

TheDidachewaswr i
ttenar
oundA. D.70.I
t’
saf amousdocumentfrom the
earl
yChurch.I
t’
sast r
ongwitnesstothebeli
efsandpract
icesoft
heanci ent
Chri
sti
ans.Inchapt
er7,TheDidacheapprovesofbapti
sm byimmer si
onina
ri
ver,
butalsobapti
sm byeff
usionorpouri
ng.

TheDi
dache,
70A.
D.“
Andconcer
ningbapt
ism,
thusbapt
izey
e:Hav
ing
 fi
rstsai
dallthesethi
ngs,bapt
izeint
othenameoft heFather,
andofthe
Son,andoftheHol ySpi
ri
t,i
nlivi
ngwater.Buti
fy ouhavenotlivi
ngwater
,
bapti
zeintootherwater
;andifyoucannotincold,i
nwar m.Butifyou
havenotneit
her ,
pouroutwaterthri
ceupontheheadi nt
ot henameof
FatherandSonandHol ySpiri
t.
”

Thiswaswr i
tt
enwhil
esomeoft heApostl
esmi ghthavebeenli
vi
ngori nt
he
fi
rstgener
ati
onaft
erthem.Alloft
hisshowsthattheCathol
icChurch’
s
teachi
ngonbapti
sm i
st het
rueteachi
ngoftheBible.Thi
sisbecausethe
Catholi
cChurchi
stheonetrueChurch.
 THEBI
BLETEACHESPURGATORY

ThereisproofforPurgat
oryintheBibl
e.I
t’
sfoundi n1Corinthianschapt
er3,
verse15.Let’
sexaminet hi
sBibli
cal
proofforPurgator
y.Iwil
l usethe1611
KingJamesVer sionoftheBibl
e,afamousPr ot
estanttr
anslation.

1CORI
NTHI
ANS3:
15I
SIRREFUTABLEPROOFFORPURGATORY

1Cor inthians3:11-15“Forotherfoundat i
oncannomanl aythanthatis
l
aid,whi chi sJesusChr i
st.Nowi fanymanbui lduponthisfoundation
gold,sil
v er,pr
eciousstones,wood, hay,stubble;Everyman'swor kshall
bemademani f
est:forthedayshal ldecl
arei t
,becauseitshallbereveal
ed
byfire;andt hefireshal
l t
ryeveryman' swor kofwhatsor titi
s.Ifany
man' swor kabi
dewhi chhehat hbuiltthereupon,heshallrecei
v eareward.
Ifanyman' swor kshallbeburned, heshal lsuff
erloss:buthehi mself
shallbesav ed;yetsoasbyf ir
e.”

Nowl et
’sl
ookatthelastpar toft
hispassageagain.In1Corint
hians3:15,we
see:
“Ifanyman’sworkshal lbeburned,heshal
lsufferl
oss:buthehimself
shal
lbesaved,yetsoasbyf i
re.
”Sowehav eamanwhosewor kshav ebeen
j
udged.Hisworksare,i
nf act,bur
ned;andhesuffersloss;
yethei ssaved,but
byfi
re.Hesuff
ersloss,butissavedbyf i
re.

WHATDOES“
SUFFERLOSS”MEANI
NTHI
SPASSAGE?

TheGr eekwor dwhi chist r

anslatedas“ sufferl szemi
oss”i othesetai.Itcomes
fr
om t heGreekwor dzemi oo.Formsoft hi
ssameGr eekword,zemi oo–whi ch
i
st r
anslatedas“ sufferloss”in1Cor .3:15–ar efoundi
notherpassagesi nthe
Bibl
e.Thewor disusedt omeanpuni shment .InExodus21:22,Prov erbs17:26,
Proverbs19:19andel sewhere,thisveryGr eekwor dzemiooisusedt omean
punishment.Thatmeanst hatzemi ot
heset ai,
thewor dtr
ansl
atedassuf fer
l
ossi n1Cor .3:15,canmeanpuni shment .

So,themanwhosuf fer
slossandi ssavedbyfirecanmeanamanwhoi s
punishedandi ssavedbyf i
re.Doesn’
tthatsoundjustli
kePurgatory?Yes,i
t
soundsexactlyli
kePurgatorybecausethat’
swhatit’
srefer
ri
ngt o.Butther
eis
moref r
om thecontexttodemonst rat
ethepoint.Whoisthi
sman, andwhyis
hesufferi
nglossorpunishmentandbei ngsavedbyf i
re?
THECONTEXTOF1COR.3CONCERNSCHRI
STI
ANSANDCERTAI
NSI
NSOR
BADWORKS

Thecont extof1Cor i
nthians3dealswithmember softheChur chofChri
st;
it
dealswithCorinthi
anChr ist
ianbel
iever
s.1Cor i
nthians3:3tell
susthatsome
oftheseCor i
nthi
anChr isti
answerefall
ingi
ntosinful i
mperfecti
onsand
off
ensesagai nstGod.Someoft hesebadwor ksorsi nsareident
if
iedi
n1
Corint
hians3:3asst r
if
e, div
isi
onsandenv y
ing.

1Cori
nthi
ans3:3“
…forwhereasther
eisamongy
ouenv
ying,
andst
ri
fe,
anddi
visi
ons,
areyenotcar
nal,
andwalkasmen?”

Sothecontextof1Cori
nthi
ans3deal swi
ththedi
ff
erentki
ndsofwor
ksof
bel
iev
ers;someofthem arenotsogood.Thesedi
ffer
entki
ndsofwor
ks(good
andbad)aredescri
bedi
n1Cor int
hians3:
12.

1Cor i
nthians3:12-13“Nowifanymanbui l
dupont hi
sfoundati
ongol d,
si
lver,preciousstones,wood,hay,st
ubbl
e; Ever
yman'sworkshallbe
mademani fest:f
orthedayshalldecl
arei
t,becausei
tshal
lberevealedby
fi
re;andt hefir
eshalltr
yeveryman'sworkofwhatsortiti
s.”

Therear egoodworks, whicharecalled:gol

d,sil
verandpr eciousstones.
Thesesi gni
fyabet
t erormor eperfectadherencetotheGospel ofChrist
.Then
thereareotherworks,whicharenotsogood.Thesebadwor ksorsins
i
ncludedunnecessar yquarrel
li
ng,strif
e,j
ealousyanddivisions(asment i
oned
abov e)
.Thesearedescr i
bedas: wood, hayandstubble.Thesear ethewor ks
thatareburnedin1Cor .3:15,f
orwhi chthemansuf ferslossorpuni shment;
buthei ssaved,
yetsoasbyf ir
e.

Thi
scont
extfi
tsper
fectl
ywiththeCathol
icteachi
ngonPur
gat
ory
.The
Cat
hol
icCounci
lofLyonsIIdef
inedPurgator
ythisway
:

PopeGr egor
yX, Counci
lofLyonsII
,1274:“
Becausei ftheydi
etruly
repentanti
ncharit
ybeforetheyhavemadesat isfact
ionbywor t
hyfrui
ts
ofpenancef orsi
nscommi tt
edandomi tt
ed,theirsoulsar
ecleansed
afterdeat
hforpurgator
ial
orpuri
fyi
ngpunishment s…”(Denzi
nger464)

Purgat
oryisnotforthosewhohavedi
edinthestat
eofser
ious(i
.e.,
mortal
)
si
n.AllsuchpersonsgotoHell
,asismadecleari
nGal
ati
ans5:19-21,1Cor
.
6:9,andEphesians5:5-8.Pur
gat
oryisfort
hoseofthetr
uefai
thwhohav
ebeen
forgiv
enfortheirsi
ns,buthaveyett
omakef ul
lsat
isf
acti
onfort
hesi
nsthey
hav ecommitted(moreont hi
sbelow).

Therefore,
in1Cor i
nthi
ans3:12,t
hewood, hayandstubbl
e(whichareburned)
si
gnifytheworksofamanwhohasdi edint hestat
eofjusti
fi
cati
onandhas
beenf or
givenofanymor t
alsinshemighthavecommi tt
ed.Heistheref
ore
eventual
lysaved,buthehasn’tmadesati
sfacti
onforsi
nscommi ttedaf
ter
bapti
sm.

THECASEOFDAVI
DISANEXCELLENTEXAMPLEOFAMANWHOHASBEEN
FORGI
VENOFHISSI
N,BUTHASN’TMADEFULLSATI
SFACTI
ONFORI
T

Agr eatexampl eofamanwhohasbeenf or giv

enofhisser i
oussin,buthasn’
t
madesat i
sfacti
onf ori
t,isfoundint hecaseofDav i
d.In2ndSamuel 11(2
Kings11i ntheDouay -
Rhei msCat holi
cBi ble),wereadthatKingDav id
commi ttedadul t
erywithBat hsheba.Dav i
dal sohadherhusbandki l
led.These
aremor talsins.I
fDav i
dwoul dhavediedi nt hatstat
e,hewoul dhavegonet o
Hell.1Cor.6: 9showsust hatnoadul t
erer sormur dererswill
enterHeaven.
ButDav i
dr epentedofhi ssinwhenconv ictedofi tbyNat hanin2Samuel 12.

2Samuel 12:13“AndDavi
dsai
duntoNathan,
Ihavesi
nnedagai
nstt
he
Lord.AndNat hansai
dunt
oDavid,
theLordal
sohathputawayt
hysin;
thoushaltnotdie.
”

TheLordt ookawayDav i
d’ssin, andNathansaidthathewouldnotdi e.Thi
s
meanst hathewouldnotet ernallydi
e.Theguil
tofthesinwasf orgi
ven
becauseDav idt
rul
yr epentedandt ur
nedf r
om i
t,butwasthattheendofi t?No,
ful
lsati
sfacti
onforthismor talsinhadnotbeenmade.Wer eadi n2Samuel
12:14-
15t hatDavi
dhadt osuf ferthelossofhischil
dtomakesat i
sfacti
onfor
hissin–asi nwhichhadal readybeenf orgi
ven.

2Samuel 12:
14-15“…becausebythisdeedt houhastgi
vengreat
occasiontotheenemiesoftheLordtoblaspheme,thechil
dalsothati
s
bornuntotheeshall
surel
ydie.AndNathandeparteduntohishouse.And
theLordstr
uckthechil
dthatUri
ah’
swifebareuntoDav i
d,anditwasvery
sick.
”

Thi
spr
ovi
desundeni
abl
epr
ooft
hatt
hegui
l
tofasi
nofabel
i
evercanbe
for
givenwit
houtt
heent
ir
epuni
shmentbei
ngt
akenaway
.TheCounci
lofTr
ent
putitthi
sway:

PopeJuliusIIICounci
, lofTr ent ,
ont heSacramentofPenance, Sess.14,
Chap.8,Nov .25, 1551“ …itisabsol utelyfal
seandcont rarytothewor d
ofGodt hatthegui lt[ofasi n]isnev erfor
givenbyt heLordwi t
houtthe
enti
repunishmental sobei ngr emitted.Forclearandil
lustr
iousexampl es
arefoundint heSacr edWr itings[cf.Gen.3:16f;Num.12: 14;Num 20:11;
IIKi
ngs12:13f .;etc.]
.”(Denzi nger904)

I
nthisci
tat
ionfrom t
heCounci
lofTrent,
weseer efer
encestonumerous
pl
acesinScri
pturewher
easinisfor
givenwithoutt
heentir
epunishmental
so
bei
ngremit
ted.Theexamplefr
om Number s20shouldbequoted.

Numbers20:11-12“AndMosesl if
teduphishand,andwithhisrodhe
smotetherocktwice:andthewatercameoutabundant l
y,andthe
congr
egati
ondr ank,andthei
rbeastsal
so.AndtheLordspokeunt o
MosesandAar on,Becausey ebel
ievedmenot, t
osanctif
ymei nthe
eyesofthechil
drenofI sr
ael
,ther
eforeyeshal
lnotbringthis
congr
egationi
nt othelandwhichIhavegiventhem.”

WhenMoses, i
nobediencetoGod’ scommand, struckther ockinor derto
miracul
ousl
ybr i
ngf or
thwater,t
herewasacer t
ai nlevelofhesitationintheact
orinthemanneri nwhichheandAar onpr esent
edi tt
ot hepeopl e.ACat hol
ic
comment ar
yexplainsit:“
ThefaultofMosesandAar on, onthi
soccasi on,was
acertai
ndif
fidenceandweaknessoff ai
th;notdoubt ingofGod’ spoweror
ver
acity
;butapprehendingtheunwor t
hinessoft hatrebel l
i
ousandi ncr
edulous
people,
andthereforespeakingwithsomeambi guity”(Douay -
Rhei ms
Comment ar
y).

Asar esul
t,Godt ol
dMosesandAar onthatt
heywouldnotbet heonestobri
ng
thepeopleint
ot hepromisedland.Thi
swast hei
rpunishment,ev
enthough
theyremainedinGod’sfavor.Thi
spunishmentwasf ulf
il
led.I
twasJoshuaand
Calebwhol edthepeopleint
ot hepromisedl
and.

NOTHI
NGI
MPURESHALLENTERHEAVEN

Thi
skindofsat
isf
acti
onfort
her
emaini
ngpunishmentduetof
orgiv
ensi
nsi
s
oft
endoneonEarthbygoodwor
ksandpray
ers,bysuff
eri
ngtr
ial
sand
tr
ibul
ations,andbyamor eperf
ectadherencetothetruefai
th.Ifsuch
sati
sfacti
oni snotdoneonEar t
h,iti
sandmustbedonei nPur gator
y–
assumingt hatthepersondiesi
nt hestateofgr
ace( j
usti
fi
cati
on).The
sati
sfacti
onmustbedonebecauset heBookofRev el
ati
on,theApocalypse,
makesi tclearthatnot
hingimpureshallent
erHeaven.

Rev
el at
ion21:
27“Thereshal
lnotent
erint
oitanythi
ngdefi
led,
orthat
workethabominat
ionormakethali
e,butt
heythatarewr
it
teninthebook
ofl
ifeoftheLamb.”

Weseet
hesamet
hingi
ntheBookofHebr
ews.

Hebr
ews12:
14“Foll
owpeacewi
thal
lmen,
andhol
iness,
wit
houtwhi
ch
nomanshal
lseetheLor
d.”

Nowi tmustbeemphasi zedt hatPurgatoryisnotforthosewhodi ei

nmor t
al
si
norout sidet
het r
uefaith.I
t’sonl
yf orthosewhodi einthestat
eofgrace,
whichisal soknownast hest ateofjusti
ficat
ion.I
t’
sforthosewhodi ei
ngrace,
buthav en’tsat
isf
iedforthetempor alpunishmentduet othei
rforgi
venmortal
orvenialsins,whichwerecommi tt
edaf t
erbapt i
sm.

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATTHEREAREMORTALSI
NSANDLESSER(
VENI
AL)
SI
NS

Mortalsi nsdestroyt hest ateofj ust i

fi
cati
on.That ’
swhyGal ati
ans5: 19-21,1
Cor.6:9, andEphesi ans5: 5- 8teacht hatpeoplewhocommi tsuchmor talsins
l
ose“ t
hei rinheri
tance”i nHeav en( justi
fi
cati
on).Ex ampl esofmor talsinsar e
for
nicat i
on, murder,dr unkenness, ly i
ng,cheati
ng, steal
ing,fr
aud,theft,
mastur bation,l
ookingatpor nography ,giv
ingfullconsentt oimpuret hought s,
homosexual it
y,heresy ,idolatr
y,violati
ngt hecommandment s,etc.Ifpeopl edie
i
nthest ateofmor tal sin,theywi llbedamned.1John5: 16disti
nguishes
betweensi nswhichl eadt odeat handsi nswhichdon’ t
.

1John5:16“Ifanymanseehi sbrot
hersinasinwhi chisnotuntodeath,
heshal
lask,andheshallgivehi
ml i
fef
orthem thatsinnotuntodeath.
Therei
sasinunt odeath:Idonotsaythatheshallprayfori
t.Al
l
unr
ight
eousnessissin:
andt her
eisasinnotunt odeath.”

I
nthei
rconsci
encespeopl
eknowt
hatt
her
eisagr
eatdi
ff
erencebet
ween
murderandsomet hingsuchasunjust
if
iableoutburst
sofangerorimpati
ence.
Theformerisclearl
yamor t
alsin,
whil
et helat
terisaveni
alsi
n.(Angercan
al
sobej ust
if
iable,
bytheway .
)

Veni
alsi
ns(i.
e.,l
esseroffensesagainstGod)weakenthesoul
,andmakei t
morevul
nerabletomortal si
n.Mor t
alsinsdest
royt
hestat
eofjust
ifi
cati
onand
putonei
nast ateofdamnat ion.That’
swhyi mmedi
atel
yaft
ertheversewhich
prov
esPurgatory(1Cor.3:15),wereadt hi
s:

1Corint
hians3:
17“I
fanymandef
il
ethet
empleofGod,him shal
lGod
dest
roy;f
orthetempl
eofGodi
sholy,
whi
chtempleyeare.
”

Thisspeaksofthosewhodieinmort al
sin:unjusti
fi
ed.Theywill
bel ost
.Mortal
si
ncanbef orgiv
enonlybyconfessi
ont oav al
idpriest,
asprovenfrom John
20:
23.Itcanalsobeforgi
venbyperfectcontri
tionwiththei
ntenti
ont ogoto
confessi
on.

1Corint
hians3:17i
squitesi
gnifi
canttothi
sdiscussion.Itdemonstr
atesthat
thecontextof1Cor.3dealswithsins.Thi
sisimportant.If1Cor.3:
15indeed
ref
erstoamanwhoi ssuff
eri
ngloss( puni
shment)forhissinsandbeing
savedbyf i
re(
asiti
s),t
henthereisnodoubtthatiti
sr eferr
ingt
oPur gat
ory.

I
nanat t
emptt oescapet hatconcl usi on,somenon- Catholi
cswhodeny
Purgatoryar
guet hatt hecontextof1Cor .3doesn’tdeal wit
hsins,j
ustbad
works.Theyconst r
ucta( false)dichot omybet weensi nsandbadwor ks,asif
theyaretwosepar atecategor i
es.Theysayt hattherear ebadwor kswhi char
e
notsins.Butthatattemptf ail
smi ser ablyinl
ightof1Cor .3:17(above).1Cor.
3:17demonstr at
esthatt hecont extdeal swithsinsforwhi chsomeoft hem
arebeingdestroyed( damned) .Further ,t
heNewTest amentdoesnott each
thatt
hereisadi f
ferencebet weensi nsandbadwor ks.

All
oft hi
sestabl
ishesthatt
helessersinsorthesat
isf
acti
onsorimper
fect
ions
whicharelef
tov erforsomeandbur nedupin1Cor.3:15arei
ndeed
punishmentsforsinsinPur
gatory.

OTHERI
NDIRECTPROOFSFORPURGATORY:
MATTHEW 5:
25ANDMATTHEW 12:
32

Ot
heri
ndi
rectpr
oof
sforPur
gat
oryar
efoundi
not
herpar
tsoft
heNew
Test
ament
.Thef
oll
owi
ngpar
abl
eofJesusi
sanexampl
e.

Matthew5:25-26“Agreewitht
hyadversaryquickly
,whilethouar ti
nthe
waywi t
hhim;lestatanytimetheadversarydeli
vertheetothej udge,
and
thejudgedeli
vertheetotheoffi
cer
,andt houbecasti ntoprison.Veri
lyI
sayuntothee,thoushaltbynomeanscomeoutt hence,til
lthouhast
paidtheutt
ermostf ar
thi
ng.”

WeseethatJesustel
l
stheparabl
eoft hemanwho,forhisf
ault
s,i
scastint
o
pr
isonunt
ilhepaysuporsat
isf
iesforhisdebt
.That
’sexact
lyl
i
kePurgatory
.

Mat
thew12:
32i
sal
sov
eryr
elev
antt
othi
sissue.

Matt
hew12:32“Andwhosoev
erspeaket
hawor dagainsttheSonofman,
i
tshal
lbefor
givenhi
m:butwhosoev
erspeaket
hagainsttheHolyGhost
,
i
tshal
lnotbeforgi
venhi
m,neit
heri
nthisworl
d,nei
therintheworl
dto
come.”

Whywoul dJesussaythatthesi
nagainsttheHolyGhostwi llnotbeforgi
venin
thiswordori
l ntheworldtocome?Af atheroftheChurch,suchasPopeSt .
GregorytheGreat
,underst
oodthesewor dsofJesustoindicatethatcert
ain
sinswil
lbeforgi
venorsati
sfi
edforinthenextworld:
inPur gatory.

PopeSt .Gr egorytheGr eat ,Dialogues( 4,40), 593A. D.“Everyoneis

presentedi njudgmentj ustashei swhenhedepar t
st hisli
fe.But
nevertheless,itmustbebel ievedt hattherei s,forthesakeofcer tai
n
l
esserf aul t
s,apur gator i
al f
irebef orethej udgment , i
nv i
ewoft hef act
thatTrut h[Jesus]doessayt hatifany onespeakbl asphemyagai nstthe
HolySpi riti
twi l
lbef orgivenhi m nei t
heri nthi swor ldnori nthattocome
[Matthew12: 32].I
nt hisst atementwear egiv entounder standthatsome
faul
tscanbef orgi
veni nt hiswor ldandsomei nthewor l
dt ocome.Fori f
somet hingi sdeniedt oonei npar t
icular,t
hei ntell
ectl ogicall
yinf
erst hati
t
i
sgr antedf orsomeot her s.But ,asIsai dbefor e,thi
smustbebel i
ev edto
beapossi bledispositi
onf orsmal landl essersi ns.”(Wi l
li
am Jurgens, The
Fait
hoft heEar l
yFather s, Vol.3:2321)

JOHN15:2AND1PETER1:
7:
GODUSESFI
REANDDISCIPLI
NETOPURGEHISCHI
LDREN–THI
S
CORRESPONDSTOPURGATORY
TheBiblealsot
eachest
hatGodusesf
ir
eanddi
sci
pli
net
oref
orm andpur
ge
Hischi
ldren.

John15:2“Ev
erybranchinmethatbearet
hnotf r
uithet
akethaway:
and
ever
ybranchthatbearet
hfr
uit
,hepurgethit
,thati
tmaybringfor
thmore
fr
uit
.”

1Peter1:6-7“Wherei
nyegreatlyr
ejoi
ce,thoughnowforaseason, i
fneed
be,yeareinheavi
nessthroughmani f
oldtemptat
ions:
Thatthetr
ialof
yourfai
th,bei
ngmuchmor epreci
ousthanofgoldthatper
ishet
h,though
i
tbet ri
edwi t
hfi
re,mightbefoundunt oprai
seandhonourandgl oryat
theappearingofJesusChrist
.”

Jesusdisci
pli
nesHischi
ldr
en,t
omaket hem mor
eper
fectandt
obearmore
fr
uit
.Ift
hisisnotdoneuntosat
isf
act
iononEart
h,i
tmustbedonei
nPurgat
ory
.

BUTDI
DN’
TJESUS’
SUFFERI
NGSONTHECROSSMAKEUPFOREVERYTHI
NG?

Somenon-Cat holi
csl
iketothi
nkthatJesusChri
st’
spassionanddeathmade
upforever
y t
hing,i
ncludi
ngthepenalt
yduetoallf
utur
esi ns.Ther
eareno
worri
esaboutsomet hingsuchasPurgator
y,t
heysay,becauseJesusChri
st
pai
dthepricef ori
tal
l.Thi
sargumentisfal
seformanyr easons.

Fi
rst
,it
’spr
ovenf
alsebyCol
ossi
ans1:
24.

Colossi
ans1:
24“[I
]nowr ej
oicei
nmysuf f
eri
ngsforyou,
andfil
lupthose
thi
ngsthatar
ewant i
ngofthesuffer
ingsofChri
st,i
nmyf l
esh,f
orhis
body,whichi
sthechurch.
”

Thisversemightbeashockt osomewhoarenotfamil
iarwi
thit.Paulsays
thathefil
lsup,f
ortheChurch,t
hosethi
ngst
hatarewanti
ngorlackinginthe
suffer
ingsofChri
st.Chr
ist
’ssuff
eri
ngwasperf
ectandofinf
ini
tev al
ue;so
whatdoest hi
smean?

WhatSt.Paulmeansisthatmanysuf
fer
ingsar esti
llwanti
ngandneededf or
themembersoftheChurchtoworkouttheirsalv
ation,
whichwasal lmade
possi
blebyChri
st’
ssacri
fi
ce.Thi
sver
sepr ovesthatChrist
’ssacr
if
icedoesn’
t
doawaywi t
hallworr
iesaboutt
hepossi
bil
ityoffuturepuni
shmentduet o
one’ssi
ns.Ifso,t
henPaul wouldnev ersayt hathissufferi
ngsfil
lupf or
member softheChur chthatwhichiswant inginthesacr i
fi
ceofChr ist;nor
wouldJesusspeakoft hepuni
shment sforsi ns,whichHer epeatedlydoes.
Thisver
se,Colossians1:24,al
sopr ovestheCat holi
cdoct r
ineoft he
communi onofsaints,andtheeffectofintercessoryprayerandsacr i
fice.

Second,theaf or
ement i
onedPr ot
est antargumenti srefut
edbyt hef oll
owi ng:I
f
i
twer etr
uet hatJesus’sacr i
ficemadeupf oreveryt
hing,i
ncl
udingt hef uture
punishmentsduet oev eryman’ ssins, t
hennoonewoul dhavetobel ieveordo
anythi
ngtobesav ed.Jesus’ sacr i
ficewoul dhav epaidthepri
cef oritall.But
eventhenon- Catholi
cswhoar guet hatJesusmadeupf orever
ythingadmi t
thatnotall
menar esav ed.Theyadmi tthatpeoplemustdosomet hingt obe
saved.Withsuchanadmi ssi
on, t
heycont radictthemselvesanddi sprov etheir
argumentthatChr ist
’ssufferi
ngst ookcar eofev ery
thing.

Thi
rd,t
hisargumentisbasedonagr av
emisunderst
andingoftheRedempti
on
ofChri
st.WhatisthemeaningofJesusChr
ist
’spassionanddeath?Jesus
Chri
stredeemedtheworldanddestr
oyedmen’ssins,astheCathol
i
cCouncil
ofFl
orencedefi
ned.

PopeEugeneI V,Counci
lofFlorence,“
Cant ateDomi no”1441, excat hedra:
“TheHol yRomanChur chfir
ml ybeli
eves,professes,andt eachest hatno
oneconcei vedofmanandwomanwasev erfreedoft hedomi nati
onof
theDev il
,exceptthr
oughthemer itofthemedi atorbetweenGodandmen,
ourLor dJesusChr i
st;
Hewhowasconcei v edwithoutsin,wasbor nand
died,THROUGHHI SDEATHALONELAI DLOW THEENEMYOFTHE
HUMANRACEBYDESTROYI NGOURSI NS, andopenedt heentrancet o
thekingdom ofheav en,whi
cht hefir
stmanbyhi sownsi nhadl ostwi t
h
allsuccession…”

Itmeanseverysinthatisfor
giv
eni sforgi
venbyJesusChr i
st,andspecifi
cal
ly
bythemeritofHispassionanddeat h.Thi
sforgi
venessisgrantedonlyto
thosewhofollowHim anddowhatHesay smustbedone, whichenablesthem
tobenef
itf
rom HisRedempt i
on.Itdoesnotmeant hatGodwi l
lnotpunish
peoplef
orfuturesi
ns.Itdoesnotmeant hatthepenal
tyforal
lthesinsofthe
wholeworl
dhasbeent akenaway.

THE(
TRUE)OLDTESTAMENTPROVESPURGATORY–2MACHABEES12:
46
There’sanotherprooff orPurgat
ory.Itcomesf rom theSecondBookof
Machabees.Somenon- Cat
holi
csmi ghtimmedi atel
ythink:t
hatbooki snoti n
myBi ble.I
t’
struet hattheBooksoft heMachabeesar enotint hePr ot
est ant
Bibl
e.Theyar enoti nthePr ot
estantBiblebecauseMar tinLuther,thefi
rst
Prot
est ant
,remov edt hem whenhespl itfr
om theCat holi
cChur ch.Heal so
addedt heword“ alone”t oRomans3: 28,andcriti
ciz
edot herbookswhi chwer e
l
eftinthePr ot
estantBi ble,
suchast hebookofJames.

Inall,
thePr ot
estantBibl
eismi ssi
ngsev enbooksf rom t heOldTest ament.
Thesebookswer er emovedbecauset heycontainthingswhi chCat holi
cism
teachesandPr otestanti
sm r
ejects.Ev
ent hought heywer epartofthecanonor
coll
ectionofScripturesi
ncethet i
meoft heancientChur ch,t
hePr otestant
Biblerejectst
hem.Thef actthatthebookswhi cht hePr otest
antsr ej
ect(such
astheBooksoft heMachabees)ar etrulypartofScripturecanbepr ovenfrom
theBibleitsel
f.

THESEPTUAGI
NT

Thereissomet hi ngcal ledt heSept uagint.TheSept uagintwast hef amous

Greektransl ati
onoft heOl dTest amentwhi chwasmadebysev ent yscholarsa
fewcent uriesbef or et hebi rt
hofJesusChr i
st.Youcanr eadmuchaboutt he
Septuagintont hei nter net .Thisfamoust ranslat
ionoft heOldTest amentf r
om
Hebrewi ntoGr eekcont ainst hesev enbookswhi cht hePr ot
est antBi bl
e
rej
ects.Nowher e’st hei nteresti
ngpar t
.Therear eabout350quot at i
onsfrom
theOldTest amenti nt heNewTest amentwhi chhascomedownt ous.Wel l
,
about300oft hosequot ationsaref rom theSept uagi ntversi
onoft heOld
Testament .Inot herwor ds, t
heNewTest ament ,whi chev enPr otest ant
shav e,
quotest hev ersi onoft heOl dTestamentwhi chaccept st heCat holicbooksof
theBible.Thi smeanst hatt heNewTest amentwr iter sacceptedt he
Septuagi ntver sion, andt hust hesev enbookswhi cht hePr otest ant sr
eject.
Butthere’smor e.InHebr ews11: 35oft heProtestantandCat hol i
cBi bl
es,we
seear eferencet oanev entwhi chisonl yrecordedi nt heSecondBookof
Machabeeschapt er7.

Hebr ews11:35“Womenr eceivedthei

rdeadraisedtoli
feagai
n:and
otherswer etor
tur
ed,notaccepti
ngdeliv
erance;thatt
heymightobt
aina
betterresurr
ect
ion…”

Thi
sref
erencei
sfoundi
nonl
yonepl
acei
ntheBi
ble.I
t’
sfoundi
n2
Machabees7, whichtel
lsthest oryofthemot herandhersev ensons.This
mot herandhersev ensonsr efuseddeliv
erancef rom t
orturesot hattheymight
receiveresur
recti
onwi t
ht hejust.So,i
nHebr ews11: 35,St.Paul i
smaki ng
referencetotheSecondBookofMachabees.Thi sdemonst r
atesthat2
Machabees, whichthePr otestantBibl
edoesn’ thave,i
spar tofthetrueOld
Testament .2Machabeeschapt er12clearl
yteachespr ayerforthedeadand
thereforePurgat
ory.

2Machabees12:46“I
tist
her
eforeahol
yandwholesomet
houghtt
opr
ay
f
ort
hedead,thattheymaybeloosedf
rom si
ns.
”

Thisv er
seteachesPur gator
y.Itsay sit’sahol ythoughtt opr ayfort hedead
thattheymaybel oosedf rom theirsins.TheBi bl
et hust eachest hatt hereisa
placeafterdeat
hwher esomeoft hef aithfulwhowi llbesav edar edet ai
ned,
wher etheycanbeai dedbypr ayer.Thi scor r
espondst ot het eachingof1
Corinthi
ans3:15,whichweal readysaw, thatsomepeopl ear esav edwhi l
e
sufferi
ngloss(orpunishment )butbyf i
re.Thatpl acei sPur gat or
y, andthis
verseclearl
yprovesit.That’
swhyt hisbookwasr emov edf rom theBi bleby
thosewhowant edtoinventanewv ersionofChr istianit
y–onet hati snot
conformabletoTr adi
tionorthet eachingoft heBible.

THEFATHERSOFTHECHURCHBELI
EVEDI
NPURGATORYANDPRAYERS
FORTHEDEAD

I
nadditi
ont oal
lofthisbi
blicalproof
,Pur
gatoryisprovenbythefactthatthe
fat
hersoftheChrist
ianChur chbeli
evedi
nitandinpr ayer
sforthedead.St.
Augusti
neisafamousf atheroft heChur
ch.St.Augusti
neisregardedwi t
h
honorbyCatholi
cs,andgener al
lybynon-
Catholi
cswhocl aimtobeChr ist
ian.
Heclearl
ybeli
evedinPurgat ory
.

St.Augusti
neofHippo,Sermons, 411A. D.“…thereisnodoubtthatthe
deadar eai
ded,t
hattheLor dmi ghtdealmoremer cif
ull
ywit
ht hem than
thei
rsinswoulddeserve.Thewhol eChur chobservesthi
spracti
cewhi ch
washandeddownbyt heFat hers:t
hatitpraysforthosewhohav edi edi
n
thecommuni onoftheBodyandBl oodofChr i
st…”(Will
i
am Jurgens,The
Fait
hoft heEar
lyFathers,
Vol .3:
1516)

Not
icethatSt
.Augusti
nesay
st hatt
hewhol eChr
ist
ianChurchpr
aysfort
he
f
ait
hful
departed:
thosewhodiedinpropercommunionwiththet
rueChurch.
 St.Augusti
ne,Fai
th,HopeandLov e,421A. D.“ Thatthereshouldbesome
suchfireevenaft
erthisl i
feisnotincredibl
e, anditcanbei nquiredand
ei
therbediscoveredorl efthi
ddenwhet hersomeoft hefait
hful maybe
saved,somemor eslowl yandsomemor equi ckl
yint hegreaterandl esser
degreeinwhichtheylov edthegoodt hi
ngst hatper i
sh–t hrougha
certai
npurgatori
alfi
re.”(Wi l
l
iam Jurgens,TheFai t
hoft heEar lyFathers,
Vol.3:
1920)

St.August i
ne,Fai
th,
HopeandLov e,421A.D.“Norcanitbedeni edthat
thesoulsoft hedeadf i
ndr el
i
efthroughthepietyofthei
rfri
endsand
rel
ativeswhoar esti
llal
ive,whent heSacri
fi
ceoft heMediatorisoffer
ed
forthem, orwhenalmsar egi veni
nt heChurch.”(
Wi l
l
iam Jurgens,The
Fait
hoft heEar l
yFathers,Vol.3:
1930)

Manyot
herf
ather
scoul
dbequot
ed,
buther
ear
ejustaf
ewot
her
s:

St.GregoryofNyssa,Ser
monont heDead,383A.
D.“
[aman]
…fi
ndsthat
heisnotabl et
opartakeofdi
vi
nit
yunti
lhehasbeenpur
gedoft
hefi
l
thy
contagioninhi
ssoul byt
hepuri
fyi
ngfi
re.
”

Tert
ull
ian,Monogamy ,Post213A.D.“Awoman, afterthedeat
hofher
husband,shepraysforhissoulandasksthathemay ,
whilewait
ing,f
ind
rest
;andthathemayshar eint
hefir
stresur
recti
on.Andeachy ear,onthe
anni
versaryofhisdeath,sheof
fersthesacr
ifi
ce.”

Thisprovesthateveninthe3r
dcent
uryt
hepract
iceoftheChur
chwastopray
forthefai
thf
ul depar
ted:
thosewhodi
edwit
hthetruefai
thandappar
ent
lyf
ree
from mortal
sin.

St
.Cyri
lofJer
usalem,Catecheti
calLectures,
350A.D.“Thenwemake
ment
ionalsoofthosewhohav ealreadyfall
enasl
eep…f orwebel
iev
et hat
i
twil
lbeofverygreatbenef
ittothesoulsofthoseforwhom thepet
it
ion
i
scarr
iedup…”

St.JohnChr ysost
om, Homili
eson1Cor i
nthi
ans,392A.D.“Letushelp
andcommemor at
et hem.I
fJob'ssonswerepurif
iedbytheirf
ather
's
sacri
fi
ce(Job1: 5),
whywoul dwedoubtthatourof f
eri
ngsforthedead
bri
ngt hem someconsol at
ion?Letusnothesit
atetohelpthosewho
 hav
edi
edandt
oof
ferourpr
ayer
sfort
hem.
”

Wecanseet hatPur gat

or ywast aughtinScri
ptur
eandwasbel i
evedbythe
earl
iestChri
st ians.Whydi dtheanci entChr
ist
iansbeli
eveinPur
gator
yand
prayersforthedead?I t
’sobviouslynotbecauset hi
swasaman- madedoctr
ine,
butbecauset heyclearl
ysawt hatitwastaughtintheBibl
eandwaspartofthe
Tradit
ionrecei vedfrom theApost l
es.
 THEBI
BLEDOESNOTTEACHSOLASCRI
PTURA(
SCRI
PTUREALONE)

2Thessal
onians2:
15“Ther
efor
e,br
ethr
en,standf
ast,
andholdthetr
adi
ti
ons
whichyehavebeentaught
,whetherbyword,
orourepi
stl
e.”

Accordingt oPr otestants,t

heBibleteachesthatScr
ipture(t
hewr i
ttenwor dof
God)ist heonl yruleoff ai
thforaChr i
sti
an.Alongwithjust
if
icati
onbyf ai
th
al
one( solaf i
de),Scripturealone(sol
ascript
ura)wasoneoft hecentralt
enets
ofthePr otestant“ r
eformation.”

Howev er,
thetruthi
st hattheBi bl
edoesnott eacht hatScript
urei stheonly
rul
eoff ai
thforaChr i
sti
an.Wewi l
lseethattheBi bleteachest hatboth
Scri
ptureandapostolictraditi
onar esourcesofChr i
st’srevel
ation,andthat
onemustacceptbot hoft hem alongwiththeChur ch.That’swhyt heCat hol
i
c
Churchhasal waystaughtt hattherearetwosour cesofdi vi
ner evelat
ion
(Sacr
edScr i
ptureandSacr edTraditi
on)
;andt hatt heChur chinstit
utedby
JesusChr i
stwasgivenaut hori
tytodeterminet heaut henti
cmeani ngof
Scri
ptureandTr adi
ti
on.

JESUSSAYSTHATONEMUSTHEARTHECHURCH,
WHICHHENEVER
WOULDHAVESAIDI
FTHEBI
BLETAUGHTSCRI
PTUREALONE

I
ftheBi
blei
stheonlyrul
eoffai
thf
oraChr i
sti
an,
thenlogi
cal
lyt
heChurch
woul
dnotbearuleoffai
thf
oraChrist
ian.However
,theBi
blecl
ear
lyt
eaches
t
hatonemustheartheChur
ch.

Matt
hew18:17“Andi
fheshallnegl
ecttohearthem,tel
litunt
othe
chur
ch:buti
fhenegl
ecttohearthechurch,
lethim beuntotheeasan
heat
henmanandapublican.
”

Luke10:
16“
Hethathearet
hy ouhearet
hme;andhethatdespiset
hyou
despi
set
hme;andhethatdespiset
hmedespiset
hhi
mt hatsentme.”

Thist
eachingofJesus,t
hatonemustheart
heChurchunderpai
nofbei
ng
consi
deredaheathen,r
efut
estheent
ir
eideaofScr
ipt
ureal
one.

John15:
20“
…ift
heyhav
ekeptmysay
ing,
theywi
l
lkeepy
our
sal
so.
”

Hebr
ews13:
17“
Obeyt
hem t
hathav
ether
uleov
ery
ou,
andsubmi
t
 y
our
sel
ves:
fort
heywat
chf
ory
oursoul
s…”

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATTHECHURCH,
NOTTHEBIBLE,
ISTHEPI
LLAR
ANDFOUNDATI
ONOFTHETRUTH

1Timothy3:
15“Buti
fItar
rylong,
thatt
houmay estknowhowthou
ought
esttobehavet
hysel
finthehouseofGod,whichist
hechurchoft
he
l
ivi
ngGod,thepil
l
arandgroundofthetrut
h.”

Asonef or
merPr otestantmi nister(whoev entual
lysawt hefal
sit
yof
Protest
anti
sm)puti t
:“IfIwer ewr it
ingthatverse[1Tim.3:15]asaPr ot
est
ant,
Iwouldhavesaidthatt heBible, nottheChur ch,i
sthepil
larandgroundofthe
tr
uth.ButSt.Paulsaysi t
’stheChur ch.Thismeanst hattheChurchmustbe
everybi
tasinfal
li
bleast heBi ble,andthatitmustpr esentsomethinguni
que
bywayofpr esent
ingthet ruthofJesusChr ist.
”

Theuni quer oleoft heChur chist

hatitsetsforththetruemeani ngofScr i
ptur
e
andTr adit
ioni npreci seter
msanddogmas, somethingtheBi blewasnot
i
ntendedt odoi nal lofit
spassages.Mor eover,i
ftheChur chisinfal
li
bleand
thepil
laroft ruth,theremustobv i
ouslybeawayofr ecogni zi
ngi t
sinf
alli
ble
teachi
ngbymeansofacont i
nuedsuccessionofaut hori
tywhi chwould
safeguardt het rut
handexer ci
seit
sauthorit
y .

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATTHESPOKENWORDIS“THEWORDOFGOD,
”IN
ADDI
TIONTOTHEWRITTENWORD

Acommonmi sconcept i
onamongPr otestantsist hatt he“ wordofGod”r efer
s
ex cl
usi
v el
ytot heBi bl
e.Thet ruthi
st hattheBi blerepeat edlycallstheoral
(spoken)traditi
on“ thewor dofGod. ”(JesusChr i
stHi msel fisalsocalledthe
“Wor dofGod”i nJohn1andHebr ews11: 3.)Bydescr ibingt heor altr
adit
ionas
“thewor dofGod, ”theBi bleisindi
cat i
ngt hattheapost oli
cor altradi
tionis
i
nf al
li
ble;andt hatitrepresents,al
ongwi thScr ipture,oneoft hesour cesof
JesusChr ist
’sr ev
elationwhi chmustbeaccept ed.

1Thessaloni
ans2:
13“ Fort
hiscauseal sothankweGodwi t
houtceasi
ng,
because,
wheny ereceiv
edthewor dofGodwhi chyehear
dofus, y
e
recei
vedi
tnotasthewor dofmen, butasitisintr
uth,
thewordofGod,
whicheff
ectual
l
ywor ket
halsoinyout hatbeli
eve.
”
St
.Paul
iscl
ear
lyr
efer
ri
ngt
otheor
al(
spoken)t
radi
ti
on.

Colossi
ans1:5-
6“ Fort
hehopewhi chislai
dupforyouinheav en,whereof
yeheardbeforeinthewordofthet r
uthofthegospel.Whichiscome
untoyou,asi
tisinallt
heworl
d;andbr inget
hfor
thfruit
,asitdothalsoin
you,si
ncethedayy ehear
dofit
, andknewt hegraceofGodi ntrut
h.”

Thespokenwor disdescri
bedas“t
hewordoftrut
h”andtheGospel
.The
ref
erencetothe“word”havi
ngcomeintothewholeworl
dconf
ir
mst hatthi
s
passageisrefer
ri
ngtothespokenwordandnottheBibl
e;f
ort
hiscouldnot
havebeensaidoftheBibleatt
heti
me.

John17:
20“
Nei
therPrayIf
ortheseal
one,
butf
ort
hem al
sowhi
chshal
l
bel
iev
eonmethroughthei
rword.”

Jesuspr aysforthosewhowill
beli
evethrought he“ word”ofHisApost l
es.But
onlyafewofHi sApostl
eswrotewordsintheBi ble.Mostoft hem didnot.
“Theirword,”t
hroughwhichpeoplewil
lbeli
ev e,
mustt heref
orebet hei
r
preachingandt hecommunicati
onoforaltradit
ion,nott hei
rwrit
ing.

Luke8:11-13“Nowtheparableisthi
s:Theseedi sthewor dofGod.
Thosebyt hewaysidearetheythathear;thencomeththedev i
l,and
taket
hawayt hewordoutoft hei
rheart
s,lesttheyshouldbeli
eveandbe
saved.Theyont her
ockarethey,which,whent heyhear,r
eceivetheword
withjoy
;andthesehav enoroot,whi
chforawhi l
ebeli
eve,andintimeof
temptati
onfallaway.
”

Thi
scl
ear
lydescr
ibest
hespokenwor
das“
thewor
dofGod.
”

Luke4:44,
5:1“Andhe[Jesus]pr
eachedi
nt hesynagoguesofGal
il
ee.
Anditcametopass,t
hat,asthepeopl
epresseduponhimt oheart
he
wordofGod, hest
oodbyt hel
akeofGennesaret
.”

Luke3:
2“AnnasandCaiaphasbei
ngthehi
ghpr
iests,t
hewor
dofGod
cameuntoJohnthesonofZachari
asint
hewil
derness.
”

Thi
sref
erst
oar
evel
ati
ongi
vent
oSt
.Johnt
heBapt
ist
.

Act
s4:
31“
Andwhent
heyhadpr
ayed,
thepl
acewasshakenwher
ethey
 wereassembledtoget
her
;andt
heywer
eal lf
il
ledwi
tht
heHol
yGhost
,
andtheyspokethewordofGodwit
hboldness.”

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATORALTRADITI
ONMUSTBEACCEPTEDALONG
WITHSCRIPTURE

Thef ol
lowi
ngpassagescompl et
elyref
utetheideaofScri
ptur
ealone.They
showt hattheBi
bleteachest
hatapostoli
ctradi
tionmustal
sobeaccepted.
Thisapostoli
ctr
adit
ionwasgivenbyJesust otheApostl
es,butnotever
ypart
ofitwasnecessari
lywritt
enexpl
ici
tl
yintheBible.Asanexample,i
nJude1:9
wer ead:

“ButwhentheArchangelMi
chael
,cont
endingwiththedevi
l,
disput
ed
aboutthebodyofMoses,hedidnotpresumetopronouncearevil
i
ng
j
udgmentuponhi m,butsai
d,‘
TheLordrebukeyou.
’”

Thisdisputebet
weent heDev
ilandMi chael
theArchangeli
snotdescri
bedin
anydet ai
li
ntheBible.Thewr
it
erisdrawingonat r
adit
ion.Thefol
l
owing
passagesf r
om t
heNewTest amentconf i
rm Cat
holi
cteachingonthenecessi
ty
toacceptbothScriptur
eandTradi
ti
on.

2Thessal
onians3:6“ Nowwecommandy ou,br
ethren,
inthenameofour
Lor
dJesusChr ist
,thatyewi
thdrawyoursel
vesfrom ever
ybrothert
hat
wal
kethdisorderl
y,andnotaft
erthetr
aditi
onwhi chherecei
vedofus.
”

2Thessal
oni
ans2:
15“Theref
ore,br
ethren,
standfast
,andholdthe
t
radi
ti
onswhichyehavebeentaught,whetherbyword,orourepi
stl
e.”

Thi
scl
earl
yshowsthatt
heBibl
eitsel
fteachest
hatnotev
eryt
hingthatmust
bebel
i
evediswri
tt
endown,butsomeofi ti
sdel
iver
edbytheoralt
radit
ion.

2Ti mothy2:1-
2“ Thoutheref
ore,myson,bestrongint
hegracet
hati
sin
ChristJesus.Andt het
hingsthatthouhastheardofmeamongmany
witnesses,t
hesamecommi tthoutofai
thf
ulmen, whoshal
lbeabl
eto
teachothersalso.”

1Cori
nthi
ans11:
16“Buti
fanymanseem tobecont
ent
ious,
wehav
eno
suchcust
om,nei
thert
hechurchesofGod.
”
 1Cori
nthi
ans11:23“
ForIhav
erecei
vedoft
heLor
dthatwhi
chal
soI
del
i
veredunt
oy ou…”

1Cori
nthians15:
2-3“Bywhi chal
soyearesaved,i
fyekeepinmemor y
whatIpreacheduntoyou,unlessyehavebel
ievedi
nvain.ForIdel
i
ver
ed
unt
oyouf ir
stofal
lthatwhichIalsor
eceiv
ed…”

Asthesepassagespr
ove, Jesus’
condemnati
onoft he“tr
aditi
onofmen”
(Matt
hew15:9,Mark7:
8, etc.
)hadnothi
ngtodowi t
ht hetrueapost
oli
c
tr
adi
tion,
whichtheBi
blesay swemustaccept.Jesuswascondemni ngthe
man-madepracti
cesofthePhar i
sees.

THECHURCHEXI
STEDFORDECADESBEFORETHEBI
BLEWASEVEN
FI
NISHED

Accor dingt oschol ars, thel astbookoft heBi ble(theBookofRev el

ati
on)was
writ
teni nappr oximat ely68A. D.att heear li
est,andappr oxi
mat el
y95A. D.at
thelat est.JesusChr i
stascendedi nt oHeav eninappr oximat el
y33A. D.
Theref ore,nomat terwhatv iewonet akesont hedat eoft heBookof
Revel ati
on, thereisnodoubtt hattheChur chofChr i
stexi st
edandoper atedf or
decades( 30t o60y ear s)bef or etheBi blewasev enfini
shed.So, whogui ded
theChr i
stiansdur i
ngt hatper iod?Howdi dtheyknowexact lywhattheyhadt o
beli
ev eanddot obesav ed?I twast heChur chwhi chtaughtt hem.Itwast he
Chur chwhi ch,fr
om t heear liestday s, ser vedast her uleoff ait
hforthe
Christian.Doct ri
nal quest i
onsanddeci sionswer ebei ngdeci dedforanent i
re
gener ationbef oretheBi bl
ewasev enf inished.Itisthusaf actthattheBible
wasnotandcoul dnothav ebeent hesol er uleoff ai
th.Indeedi twouldnotbe
foranot her300y ear st hatt heChur chwoul dof f
icial
lydet er
mi neexactl
ywhi ch
booksmakeupt heBi bl e.

I
TWASN’
TUNTI
LTHE4THCENTURYTHATTHECANONOFTHEBI
BLEWAS
FI
NALLYDETERMI
NED

Thi si
sacrucialpoi
nt.I
nthef i
rstt
hreecenturi
esafterChri
st,
therewere
disputesaboutthepreci
semakeupoft heBibl
e.Theoffici
all
istofbi
bli
cal
books( cal
l
edt heCanon)wasnott hesameev erywhere.Somebookswhi ch
wer econsi
deredtobepar toftheBibl
einsomel ocali
ti
esweresuspectedor
reject
edinothers.
Forexample,theDidache,TheEpi stl
eofBar nabas,Fi
rstCl ement ,andThe
ShepherdofHer maswer e,i
nsomecases, consideredinspi r
edScr iptureand
usedinpubli
cwor ship.
4Al t
hought hesewer everyimpor t
antanci entwor ks
whichinmanyway sexpressedt r
ueChr i
sti
ant r
adit
ion,theChur chwoul d
declar
ethatthesewr i
ti
ngswer enotact ual
lypartoftheBi ble.Themat ter
wasn’tset
tl
edandcl ari
fi
eduniv ersal
lyunti
ltheauthori
t yoft heCat holi
c
Churchpronouncedupont helistofbooks.Thi soccurredatt heCounci l
sof
Rome( 382),
Hi ppo(393)andCar thage(397).

BeforetheChur chhadmadei tsdecision,ther

ewer ealsomanydoubt sabout2
Peter,t
heepi stl
eofJude, Hebrews, 2and3John, andtheBookofRev elat
ion–
all
ofwhi chwer eev entual
lyincludedint heBibl
e.Infact,
“theoldestsurvivi
ng
l
istofChr i
sti
anbooksi stheMur at
orianCanon, fr
om about150.Thi sfragment
i
ncludesallthebooksoft heNewTest amentex ceptHebrews,James, 1Pet er
,
and2Pet er,andcount sascanoni cal[partofScri
ptur
e]theApocal ypseof
PeterandTheShepher dofHer mas, bothofwhi chwereev ent
uallyexcluded
fr
om theChur ch’sdefi
niti
vecanon. ”5

Therewerealsospuri
ousgospel
sfloat
ingar
ound,suchastheGospel
ofPeter
,
theGospelofThomasandot her
s.Thesewerer
ejectedbyt
heChurchandnot
i
ncludedi
nScr i
ptur
e.

SincePr otest
ant srej
ecttheaut horit
yoft heCat holi
cChur ch, theyhav e
absol utelynowayofdet erminingwi thcertainty(i.
e.infalli
bly)whi chbooks
makeupt heBi ble.TheBibledoesn’ tcomewi thaTabl eofCont ents.Thathas
beenaddedbyt heonewhopubl i
shedy ourv ersi
onoft heBi ble.TheBi bl
e
doesn’ ttelluswhi chbooksar einspi r
edorhowmanybooksar eini t.Moreover
,
eveni fonebookdi dmentionot herbooksasbei ngi nspi r
ed, bywhatcr it
eri
a
couldonedet er minethatthatpar t
icularbooki sinspired?I nor dert oarri
veat
aninf all
ibleli
stofbooks, ther
emustbeani nfall
ibl
eaut hori
tyout sideoft he
Bible.Thati stheChur ch.Therefore, i
foner ejectsthei nfall
i
bl eaut hori
tyofthe
Chur chandhol dst oScri
pturealone, heremai nsunabl et odet ermi neifhehas
tr
uebooks.

Facedwi
tht
hispr
obl
em,
wel
l
-knownPr
otest
antschol
arR.
C.Spr
oul
wasf
orced

HenryG.Graham,WhereWeGott heBibl
e:OurDebttotheCat
hol
icChurch,
TanBooks,1977,Chap.4;
alsoseeI
r Agai
enaeus, nstHer
esies,
Book4,chap.20.
5
Mi
keAqui
l
i TheFat
na, her
soft
heChur
ch,
pp.28-
29.
toassertthattheBibl
eisa“ f
all
ibl
ecol l
ecti
onofi nfal
li
blebooks.
”Ifyou
careful
lythi
nkaboutit,afal
li
blecoll
ecti
onofi nf
alli
blebooksisacontradi
cti
on.
Itl
ogicall
yleavesyouwithafalli
bleBibl
e.Thisdemonst rat
esthatProtest
ant
s
cannotlogicall
ymaint
ainthattheirBi
bleisinf
all
ible;f
ortheycannotknowwi t
h
certai
ntyiftheyev
enhav ethecorrectbooks.

Asacasei npoi nt,afterseparat

ingf rom theCatholi
cChur ch,Mar ti
nLuther
andhisf el
lowPr otestantsremov edsev encompl etebooksf rom theBible.
Theyremov edt hebooksofTobi as( Tobit),
Judit
h,Wi sdom, Ecclesiasti
cus
(Si
rach),Baruch, FirstandSecondMachabees, aswel l aspartsofEst herand
Daniel
.Asar esult
,Pr otest
antbibles( t
othisday)hav e66books, whi l
e
Catholi
cbibl eshav e73.Mar t
inLut herandt heProt
est antsmadet heradical
decisi
ont or emov et hesesevenbooksf r
om theBible,ev enthought heyhad
beenalmostuni versal l
yacknowledgedaspar toftheBi bl
eforov era
mill
ennium.

Additi
onal
ly,thesev enbookswhi chthePr ot
estant
sremovedar efoundi nthe
Septuagi
nt.TheSept uagi
nti
saGr eektransl
ati
onoftheOldTest amentwhi ch
wascompl etedaf ewcenturi
esbef orethebi
rthofJesusChri
st.Somemi ght
ask:what’
ssoi mpor t
antabouttheSept uagi
nt?Well,
asmentionedi nthe
secti
ononPur gatory,t
heNewTest amentquotesfrom t
heOldTest ament
about350t i
mes–andabout300oft hosequotesarefr
om t
heSept uagi
nt
versi
onoftheOl dTestament,andt husthesevenbookswhicht hePr ot
estants
rej
ected.

I
tshoul dalsobenot edthatitwasnott heBible,butTradit
ionandt heChurch,
whichdeter minedtheauthorshi
poft hebibli
calbooks.TheGospel ofMatthew,
forexample, doesnotindicat
ewhowr oteit
.Itisfrom Tradit
ionandt heChurch
thatweknowi twaswr it
tenbyMat t
hew.Si nceScr i
ptureissilentonwhowr ote
Mat t
hew,Pr otest
antlogicwouldrequireonetoconcl udethati t’
sanopen
question.

Furt
hermor e,
pureScripturescholar
ship,withoutt heguidanceoft heChur ch,
wouldnothav eledanyonet othecorrectbibli
cal canon.TheBookofPhi lemon,
forexample,doesnothav ethefeaturesoft heot herbooksoft heNew
Testament.Phil
emondoesnotcont ainasal vationmessage.I tissimplya
communi cati
onandar equestaboutar unawaysl ave.Thefactthatitcl
aimst o
havePaul f
oritsauthorwouldnotbesuf fi
cienttopr ovethatit
’spartof
Scri
ptur
e, f
oranydocumentcoul dmaket hatcl aim andnotallofPaul ’
sletter
s
wer
eincl
udedi
ntheBi
ble.

FROM THEBEGI
NNINGOFTHECHURCH, HERETI
CSHAVEQUOTEDAND
MI
SUSEDSCRIPTURETOCREATESECTSANDSPREADHERESI
ES

I
nt he4thcenturytheChurchbattl
edAr i
ani
sm.Theent i
reChurchwasal most
overr
unbyt hisheresy
.Ari
anism deniedt hediv
ini
tyofJesusChri
st.Ithel
dthat
theSonofGoddi dnotexi
stfrom et
er nit
y,butwascreatedatacertai
npointi
n
ti
mebyt heFat her
.Theexpressi
onoft hi
sheresywasof tensubt
leandclever
,
andtheAriansappealedtonumer ouspassagesi ntheBibletoat
temptt o
provethei
rclaimthatJesusisnottrulyGod.

“…itsoonbecamecl earthatthereal diffi

cult
ywoul dbet osetf ort
ha
statementofChr i
stianbel i
efthatwoul dabsolutel
yandunequi vocall
y
excludeAr i
anism.TheAr i
anschol arshadt heirowni nterpretationfor
ever yScripturalpassagebear ingont hedi vi
nit
yofChr ist.Eachone
broughtupbef orethecounci leli
cit
edf rom them av eri
tablewav eof
whi spers,winks, nods, andgest i
culationsconv eyi
ngi ndumb- showt hat
theycoul dsaf elyaccepti taspar tofaconci l
iarcreed,sincet heyhadan
Arianexpl anat i
onofi t.Aterm hadt obef oundwhi chtheycoul dnot
evade. ”(War r
enH.Car rol
lAHi
, storyofChr i
stendom, Vol.2, FrontRoyal,
VA: Chr i
stendom Col legePress,1987, p.11.)

Underst andingt heScr ipturesinthelightoft heApostol

icTraditi
on,i
n325A. D.
theCat holicChur chatt heCounci l
ofNi caeawasabl etodenouncet heArian
heresyandcor rectl
yexpl aintheScripturalpassagestheAr i
ansmi sused.It
declaredt hatJesuswast r
ueGodequal withtheFather
,andi tusedat erm not
foundi nScr i
pt uretodosoi namannert hatwouldex cl
udeanyAr ian
equivocat i
on.I tdeclaredt hatJesusChr ist,t
heSonofGod, shomoousi
i os
(consubst antial or“onei nbeing”)withtheFat her
.Thisconvey edthetrue
meani ngofScr ipture’steachingont heper sonsoftheTr i
nit
yanddest royed
theArianher esy ,whichat t
empt edtoconf orm everypassageofScr ipt
uretoits
hereti
cal idea.

THEBI
BLECOULDNOTBEMASS-
DISTRI
BUTEDUNTI
LTHE15THCENTURY

Pri
ortotheinvent
ionoftheprint
ingpressi
nthe15thcentur
y,i
twasa
l
aboriousandpainstaki
ngtasktorepr
oducetheBible.I
thadtobedoneby
hand.Thisdi
ff
icult
y,combinedwithcommoni l
l
iter
acy ,
meantthatf
ewhada
Bibleforthefi
rst15cent ur
iesoft heChur ch.WouldGodhav eleftHisChur ch
withoutthemeanst omass- producethesol erul
eoff ai
thfort hef ir
st1,500
yearsoftheChur ch’
sexistence?Obv iouslynot.Thenot i
oni sridiculousand
self-
refut
ing.I
nthefir
stmi ll
enni um,t
her uleoffai
thfort heChr isti
answast he
Chur ch.I
tremainssot oday.TheChur chi stheproximater uleoff ait
h,which
providesthetrueunderstandingofScr i
ptureandTr adit
ion, whichar ethedual
sourcesofJesusChr ist’
srev elati
on.

THEORI
GINALBI
BLI
CALMANUSCRI
PTSARENOLONGERACCESSI
BLE

Theor iginalmanuscr iptsoft heBi blenol ongerexi st.Wepossesscopi esof

theoriginals, butnott heor i
gi nal Scriptures.So, wher edoest heBi bleteach
thatcopi esoft heor iginalswi llbepr ot ectedf r
om er r
orandser veast hesol e
ruleoff ait
hf ortheChr ist
ian?TheBi bledoesn’ tevent eacht hattheBi blei sthe
soleruleoff ait
hf ortheChr ist i
an; andcer tainl
yPr otestantscannotpr ov ethat
i
tsay st hatcopi eswi llbepr otect edf rom er ror;f
ori tdoesn’tsayt hatany where.
(Moreov er
,itwasCat hol i
cs,especi all
ymonks, whopr eservedt heBi bl
eby
copyingi t.
)IfaPr otestantar guest hatGodmadesur et hewor dwaspr otect ed
i
nt hepr ocessofcopy ing,thent hePr ot estantismov i
ngout sidetheBi ble-
alonef ramewor k.Hei sadmi tti
ngt hatGodt r
ansmi ttedt heprotectionofHi s
teachingandHi swor dt oaut hor it
iesandt opeopleout sidetheBi ble(e.g.,the
Church) .Ifthiscanappl ytot hewr itt
enwor d,i
tcanal soappl ytoHi sor al
teaching( Tradition).

THEBI
BLETEACHESTHATTHEREWERECOUNTLESSTHI
NGSJESUSSAI
D
ANDDIDWHICHWERENOTWRI TTENI
NTHEBIBLE

John20:30“Andmanyothersi
gnstr
ulydi
dJesusi
nthepr
esenceofhi
s
di
scipl
es,whichar
enotwrit
teni
nthi
sbook.

John21:
25“Andtherearealsomanyot herthi
ngswhichJesusdi
d,which,
i
ftheyshoul
dbewr i
tteneveryone,Isupposethatevent
heworldi
tsel
f
coul
dnotcontai
nthebookst hatshouldbewritt
en.Amen.”

Notall
ofwhatJesussai
dandt
aughtt
heApost
leswaswr
it
teni
ntheBi
ble.
That
’sclear
.

JESUSCOMMANDEDHI
SAPOSTLESTOPREACHTHEGOSPEL,
NOTTO
WRITE
Wit
htheexcept
ionofthecommandgiventoSt.Johntowritet
heBookof
Revel
ati
on,
Jesusdidn’
tcommandanyonetowr i
teanyt
hing.Rat
her
,He
commandedthem t
opr eachHi
sGospelandbapti
ze.

Mar k16:
15-16“
Andhesaiduntothem,Goyeint
oalltheworl
d,and
preachthegospelt
oever
ycreature.Het
hatbel
i
evethandisbapti
zed
shallbesav
ed;buthet
hatbel
ievet
hnotshal
lbedamned.”

Matthew28: 19-
20“Goy etherefore,andteachallnat
ions,bapt
izi
ngthem
i
nthenameoft heFather,
andoft heSon,andoft heHolyGhost:
Teachingthem toobserveallthingswhatsoeverIhavecommandedy ou:
and,l
o, Iam wit
hyoualway s,
ev enuntotheendoft heworld.Amen.”

Ifthewrit
tenwordoft heBibleistheonlyruleoff ai
th,asProtest
antsclaim,
thenJesuswoul dhavecommandedt hem towr iteandestabli
shBible-r
eadi
ng
clubs.ButHedoesn’tdoany thingofthesor t
.Jesuscommandedt hem to
teachallnati
onsallofHistruththroughthespokenwor d,t
hroughpr eachi
ng.
Thesesimpl econsi
derati
onsshowt hatthePr otest
antpositonofsol
i a
script
ura(i
.e.,
Scri
ptureal
one)i scompletelyfalse.

THEBI
BLEDOESNOTTEACHTHATPRIVATESCRI
PTUREI
NTERPRETATI
ON
WASINTENDEDBYJESUS

Acts8:30-31“AndPhili
pranthi
thertohim,andhear
dhi
mr eadthe
prophetIsai
as,andsaid,Under
standestthouwhatt
houreadest
?Andhe
said,HowcanI ,exceptsomemanshoul dgui
deme?Andhedesi r
ed
Phili
pthathewoul dcomeupandsi twithhim.
”

Somuchf ort
hePr
otestanti
deathatwhoev
err
eadst heScr
ipt
ureswil
lbe
enli
ghtenedbyGodautomati
call
y.Wecanseethatsuchisnotthet
eachi
ngof
theBible.

Nehemiah8:
8“Sotheyreadi
nthebookint
helawofGoddist
inct
ly,
and
gavet
hesense,andcausedthem t
ounder
standt
hereadi
ng.
”

2Peter1:
20“Knowingthisfi
rst
,thatnopr
ophecyoft
hescr
ipt
urei
sof
anypri
vat
einter
pretat
ion.”
 PAULCONSULTEDTHECHURCH,NOTTHEBIBLE,
WHENFACEDWI
THHI
S
DOCTRI
NALDILEMMAI
NACTS15

Acts15:1-2“Andcertainmenwhi chcamedownf rom Judaeataughtthe

bret
hren,andsaid,Exceptyebeci r
cumcisedafterthemannerofMoses,
yecannotbesav ed.Whent heref
orePaul andBarnabashadnosmal l
di
ssensionanddi sputati
onwiththem,t
heydet erminedthatPauland
Barnabas,andcer t
ainotherofthem,shouldgoupt oJerusal
em untothe
apostl
esandel dersaboutthisquesti
on.”

Whenfacedwit
hadoctr
inaldi
l
emmainAct
s15,Paul
doesnotconsul
tthe
Bi
blebutgoest
othel
eadershi
poft
heChur
ch.

Her
eareafewotherexampl
esintheBibl
ewheret
het eachi
ngsori
nstr
ucti
ons
wer
elear
nedbyoralcommunicat
ionandtr
adi
ti
on,notbyreadi
ngtheBibl
e.

1Cor
int
hians11:
34“
…Andt
her
estwi
l
lIseti
nor
derwhenIcome.
”

2John1:12“Havi
ngmanythi
ngst
owrit
euntoyou,
Iwouldnotwri
tewit
h
paperandi
nk:butItr
ustt
ocomeunt
oy ou,
andspeakf
acetoface,t
hat
ourj
oymaybef ul
l.
”

OBJECTI
ON:
PROTESTANTSSAY2TI
MOTHY3:
15-
17TEACHESSCRI
PTURE
ALONE

2Timot hy3:15-17“Andthatfrom achil

dthouhastknownt heholy
scri
ptures,
whi chareabletomaket heewiseuntosalvationt hr
oughfai
th
whichisinChr i
stJesus.Allscri
ptur
eisgivenbyinspirati
onofGod, and
i
spr ofi
tabl
ef ordoctr
ine,f
orreproof,
forcorr
ect
ion,forinstructi
oni
n
ri
ghteousness: Thatt
hemanofGodmaybeper fect
,thor oughly
fur
nishedunt oallgoodwor ks.”

Thispassagedoesnott eachScr i
pturealone.Itteachest hatal
lScr i
ptureis
i
nspired.I
tteachesthatall
Scr i
ptureisprofi
table.ItteachesthatScripture
furni
shesamanf orgoodwor ks.ButProtestantspoi nttothepar twhichsays
thati
tenablesamanofGodt obef ur shedunt
ni oal lgoodwor ks.Theycl ai
m
thosewordst eachaself
-suff
iciencyofScripture:thatnothingelseisneeded.
Thisisref
utedbyanumberofpoi nt
s.
I
tisref
uted,fi
rstofall
,byconsult
ingver
seswithsimil
arwor
ding.I
nfact
,we
onl
yneedt ogobackaf ewversesint
heprecedingchapt
ert
of i
ndanexampl
e
whichprovesthepoint.

2Timot
hy2:21“ I
famant heref
orepurgehi mselff
rom t
hese[
badworks]
,
heshal
lbeav esselunt
ohonour ,
sanctif
ied,andmeetfort
hemast
er’
s
use,
andprepareduntoeverygoodwor k.
”

TheBi blesaysthatifamanpur geshi mselffrom certainbadwor ks,hewi l

lbe
preparedfor“ev er
ygoodwor k.”Thi sisthesamephr aseas2Ti mothy3: 17.
Certai
nlythisdoesn’ tmeant hatpur gi
ngonesel ffrom t hosebadwor ksis
suffi
cient,
initself
,forev erygoodwor k.EvenProtestant swouldsayt hatthe
manwoul dstil
lhav et oacceptJesus, heedt heauthor i
tyofScr i
ptur
e,and
refr
ainfrom otherthings.Thus, thisisapr imeexampl eofhowPr ot
estantsare
misusingandmi sunder standingt hephr asein2Ti mot hy3:17.Whatbot hof
them aresay i
ngpr esupposes( takesf orgranted)afidel i
tytotheother
Christ
ianidealsandt heChr i
stianf oundation.

I
not herwords, i
famani saChr i
sti
anandaccept stheauthori
tyest abl
i
shedby
Christ
,andifhepur geshimselff
rom thesethings,hewillbeprepar edforal
l
goodwor ks.Likewise,
ifamani saChr i
stianandaccept stheChur ch,t
he
Tradit
ion,et
c.,thenknowingtheScript
ureswi l
lfurni
shhimf orallgoodwor ks.
2Timot hy3:17doesn’tteachScri
pturealone.Here’sanotherproofofthis:

James1:3-
4“Knowi
ngthi
s,t
hatthet
ryi
ngofyourf
ait
hwor
kethpati
ence.
Butl
etpati
encehav
eherperf
ectwork,
thaty
emaybeperfectandenti
re,
want
ingnothi
ng.
”

Doest hi
smeant hatifwearepati
entwedon’tneedany thi
ngelse,i
ncludi
ng
Scri
ptureortheChurchoranythi
ng?Obviousl
ynot.ItpresupposesaChr i
sti
an
l
ife,
andanaccept anceoftheenti
reChr
isti
aninsti
tuti
on( t
heBible,
Tradit
ion,
theChurch,etc.
).

THEBI
BLESPECI
FICALLYWARNSAGAI
NSTMISUSI
NGTHESCRIPTURESTO
CREATEFALSEDOCTRI
NESWHICHLEADTODESTRUCTI
ON

2Pet er3:
15-16“Andaccountt
hatthelongsuf
fer
ingofourLordis
salv
at i
on;ev
enasourbelovedbrotherPaulal
soaccordi
ngtot hewisdom
giv
enunt ohim hat
hwrit
tenuntoyou;Asalsoinallhi
sepist
les,speaki
ng
 i
nthem ofthesethi
ngs;inwhicharesomet hi
ngshardtobeunder
stood,
whi
chtheythatareunlearnedandunstablewrest
,astheydoal
sothe
ot
herscri
ptures,
untotheirowndestr
uction.
”

I
t’
si nterest
ingthatthisadmoniti
onaboutt wistingtheScri
pturesunto
damnat ioncomesi nt heepist
leofSt.Peter,t
heonewhowaschosent obethe
fi
rstpope.ItisSt.Pet erwhowarnsagai nstmisusingthewriti
ngsofSt .Paul
.It
i
sPaul ’
swriti
ngswhi char emostfrequentl
ymi susedandmi sunderstoodby
Protestantstoinventf al
sedoctr
ines,suchasjust i
fi
cat
ionbyfaithaloneand
Scri
ptur eal
one.

SCRI
PTUREALONE(
SOLASCRI
PTURA)WASANI
DEATHATONLYBECAME
POPULARI
NTHE16THCENTURY

TheideaofScr i
pturealonewasunknowni nt
heear l
yChurch.Al
ltheancient
l
ocal churchesrecognizedthehi
erar
chicalst
ruct
ureoftheChurchandt herol
e
ofTraditi
onandt heChur ch’
saut
horityi
nunderstandi
ngtheScri
ptures.Here
arejustfourquotesfrom famousfathersoft
heChur chtodemonstratethe
point.

St.JohnChr ysostom,Homi l
iesonSecondThessal oni
ans,4,2,398A. D.
“’
Ther ef
ore,bret
hren,standfastandhol dthet r
aditi
onswhi chyouhav e
beent aught,whetherbywor dorbyourl etter[2Thess.2:15].
’From thisit
i
scl earthattheydidnothanddownev er
y t
hingbyl et
ter
,butther ewas
muchal sot hatwasnotwr it
ten.Likethatwhi chwaswr it
ten,theunwr i
tten
tooiswor thyofbelief
.Soletusr egardthet r
aditi
onoftheChur chalsoas
worthyofbel i
ef.
”(Jurgens,TheFai t
hoft heEar l
yFathers,Vol.2:1213)

St.Basilt
heGr eat ,TheHol ySpiri
t,27,
66,375A. D.“Ofthedogmasand
kerygmaspr eser v edint heChur ch,somewepossessf rom writ
ten
teachingandot her swer eceivefr
om t hetr
adit
ionoft heApostles,handed
ont ousinmy ster y.I
nr espectt opietybothareoft hesamef orce.Noone
willcontr
adictanyoft hese, noone, atanyrat
e, whoisev enmoder ately
versedinmat ter seccl esiastical
.Indeed,werewet otrytorejectunwr i
tt
en
customsashav ingnogr eatauthorit
y,wewould, unwitt
ingl
yinjurethe
Gospel i
nitsv i
tal s.”(Jurgens, TheFaithoftheEar l
yFathers,Vol.2:954)

St.Augusti
ne,Lett
ert
oJanuar
ius,
54,1,
400A.D.“Buti
nregar
dtothose
observanceswhichwecar
eful
lyat
tendandwhichthewholewor
ldkeeps,
andwhichderivenotfr
om Scri
pturebutfr
om Tradit
ion,
wear egivento
underst
andthattheyarer
ecommendedandor dainedtobekept,eit
herby
theApostl
esthemselvesorbyplenarycounci
l
s,theauthori
tyofwhichis
quitevi
tal
intheChurch.
”(Jur
gens, TheFai
thoftheEarlyFat
hers,Vol.
3:1419)

St.Athanasius, Let
terII,Easter330A. D.“ …he[ Paul]immedi ately
proceededt osay ,‘
AndasIhav edel i
veredt oy out r
adi t
ions,hol dt hem
fast.
’…But …wi thhim[ theDev i
l]areallinventorsofunl awful heresies,
whoi ndeedr efertotheScr iptures,butdonothol dsuchopi nionsast he
saint
shav ehandeddown[ i
.e.,Tradit
ion],andr eceivingt hem ast he
tradi
ti
onsofmen, err
,becauset heydonotr ightlyknowt hem nort heir
power .ThereforePaul justl
ypr aisestheCor inthians, becauset heir
opini
onswer einaccor dancewi thhistraditi
ons. ”(NiceneandPostNi cene
Fathers,SecondSer ies, Vol
.5, p.511)
SOMEFACTSABOUTMARTI
NLUTHER,THEORIGI
NATOROFPROTESTANT
“CHRI
STI
ANITY”

Protest
anti
sm or i
ginatedwi t
hMar ti
nLut her(1483-1546) ,
anex -Catholi
c.Even
thoughProtestantswoul dcontendt hattheyfoll
ow“ truebibli
calChr i
sti
anit
y,”
andnotaman, theyar eincl
inedtodef endMar ti
nLut her.Thisisbecause
Mar t
inLut
herwast hefi
rsti
denti
fiablespokesmanf ortheirversi
onof
“Chri
sti
ani
ty.”Priort ohi
sseparati
onf rom theCat holi
cChur chin1520, ther
e
wasnopubl icdef enderofwhatwenowknowt obePr otestanti
sm, thecore
doctri
nesofwhi char ejusti
fi
cati
onbyf ai
thal
oneandScr i
pturealone.

EventhoughLutheri
sthecentr
alfi
gureinthehist
oryofPr
otest
ant
ism,f
ew
Pr
otestantsknowmuchabouthim, orabouthowhecameuponhi sbel
i
efs.I
i
nvit
ethereadertoconsi
derthefol
lowingfact
s.

PLEASECONSI
DERMARTI
NLUTHER’STRULYMAN-
MADEJOURNEYTO
PROTESTANTI
SM

Mar t
inLut
herwasbor nin1483andbaptizedasaCat holi
cthenextday .He
enteredanAugusti
nianCathol
i
cfri
aryin1505,andwasor dainedaCat holi
c
pri
estin1507.Ther
ef or
e,asayoungprofessi
ngCatholicpri
est,
Protestanti
sm
wasunknownt oMar tinLut
herandindeedtotherestoftheChrist
ianwor l
d.

OnOct .31, 1517, MartinLuthert ackedhisfamous95Thesesont hechurch

doorinWi ttenberg, Germany .MostPr ot
estantstodayci tethisdat east he
beginni
ngoft hePr otestant“reformation.
”Theyt hinkt hi
sr epresent edLuther’
s
publi
cstandf orthePr otestantfaith,f
or“tr
ueandbi bli
cal Chri
st i
anity.
”What
theydon’tknowi sthatMar tinLut her’
sfamous95Thesesacknowl edgedt he
offi
ceoft hepopemor ethan20t imes.Atthet i
meoft hepost ingoft he
Theses–andi ndeedbef or
ei tandf orsomet i
meaf terwards–Lut herclai
med
tobeaCat holicpriestandmonk.I nhis95Theses, Lut herclearly
acknowledgest heof fi
ceoft hePopeasi nsti
tutedbyChr i
st,althoughhe
detr
actsfrom i tsdignityandpower si
nthemat terofI ndulgences.

Theformal t
it
leforhis95Thesesi stheDisputati
onofDoctorMar t
inLut
heron
thePowerandEf fi
cacyofI ndul
gences,Oct.31,1517.I
nadditi
ont o
acknowledgi
ngt hepope, number s25-29oftheThesesacknowl edge
Purgat
ory.Lutheracknowl edgestheexist
enceofPur gator
y,al
thoughhe
depart
sf r
om Cat holi
cteachinginwhathesay saboutit.Lut
heralsodecl
ares
hi
sbeli
efi
nIndulgences,al
thoughhecontr
adi
ctstr
aditi
onal
Catholi
cdoct
rine
onthei
ssue.Thefoll
owingistypi
caloft
hecontr
adict
ionsexhi
bit
edbyLuther.

#71ofMarti
nLut
her
’s95Theses,Oct
.31,
1517:“Lethi
m beanat
hema
andaccur
sedwhodeni
estheapostol
i
ccharact
erofthei
ndul
gences.
”

Thepoi ntherei sthatev enonOct .31, 1517, theProtest ant“ f aith”wasst il

l
unknownt oMar tinLutherandi ndeedt ot her estoftheChr i
st ianwor ld.There
wasnost atementaboutj ustif
icati
onbyf ai t
hal oneorScr i
pt ureal one;ther
e
wasasy etnor epudiati
onoft hepapal officeormanyot herCat hol i
cdogmas
whichPr otestantstodaywoul dr ej
ect .Whaty ouhav e,att hispoi nt,isa
confusedandconv ol
utedpr iestwho, whileclai mingtobeCat hol i
c,wascl ear
ly
fall
i
ngf rom thetradit
ional Cathol i
cf ait
hi ntohi sownwi ldv ersionofi t
(especi
al l
ywi t
hr egardtoI ndulgences) .HewasnoPr otest ant .Ev enatt his
point,
theso- call
edbi bl
ical “
faith”wasunknownt oi
tsev ent ual founder.

In1518, Lut herpubl ishedaSer mononI ndul gencesandGr ace, i

nwhi chhe
attackedt het raditi
onal wayofdi vi
dingPenancei ntocont riti
on, confession
andsat isfact i
on( Dr.Ludwi gPastor, Hist oryoft hePopes, Vol.7, pp.355- 356).
Lut hercl aimedi twasnotf oundi nHol yScr i
ptur e.This,alongwi thLuther’s
cont radi ct i
onoft radi t
ional Catholi
ct eachi ngonI ndulgences, prompt edthe
Chur cht osummonhi mt oRomef orani nvest i
gat i
on.(Itshoul dbenot edt hat
ther ewer eindeedsomeabusesbyChur chmenonI ndulgences.Suchabuses
repr esent edadepar turef rom Cathol i
ct eachi ngont hemat ter.Indul
gences
cannotbebought .Occasi onal abusesi nt hisar ea–whi chwer ecommi tt
edby
af ewChur chmenofawor l
d-wideChur ch–i nnowayj ustifyrepudiatingt he
traditional teaching.Thi st eachingonI ndul gencesi sroot edi nthet r
easur yof
themer itsofJesusChr istandt hesai nts, andt hepoweroft hekey sgi vent oSt.
Pet er .Accor di
ngt oCat holicteaching, Indul gencesar egiv enf orcertain
speci fi
edgoodwor ksorpi ousact i
ons( suchaspr ayers,etc.).Theyr emov e
onl yt het empor alpuni shmentofal readyf or giv
ensi ns.Theyar enot,as
Pr otest ant swoul dsuggest ,ameanst obuyone’ swayi ntoHeav en.)

AtthebeginningofJuly1518, Lut
herispresent
edwithanof fi
cialsummonst o
appearinRomeandgi veanaccount i
ngofhisdoctri
nes.Whi l
emai ntai
ninghi
s
new(andher eti
cal)v
iewsonI ndulgencesandPenance, Lut
herclaims“ t
hat
theRomanChur chhasal waysmai ntai
nedthetruefait
h,andthatitis
necessaryforallChri
sti
anst obeinuni t
yoffai
thwithher .
”(Dr.LudwigPastor
,
Hist
oryofthePopes, Vol.7,p.366)Thatmeanst hat
, ev
enaf t
erhav i
ngbeen
summonedt oRomet oanswerf orhisnewideas,Lutherprof
essesthatthe
RomanChur ch( t
heRomanCat holi
cChurch)hasthet r
uefait
h.Atthispoint,
Lutheri
sundoubt edl
ydrift
ingint
ohisownper sonal
izedv i
ewof“Christi
anit
y”;
butheissti
llnoPr ot
estant,ashi
sstatementabouttheRomanChur ch
demonstrat
es.Theso- call
edpure,si
mpleand“ bi
bli
cal f
ait
h”wasstil
l unknown
toi
t sev
entualfounderinJulyof1518.

AsLut her’
si nfluencespr ead,andhi scommi t
mentt onewideashar dened, the
acti
onsagai nsthimi ncreased.PopeLeoXdi spatchedthelearnedCar dinal
Cajetantohandl et hecase.Caj etanwast oexami nethesit
uationand, i
f
possible,gett hrought oLut her.Thisoccur r
edi nthefal
lof1518, butLut her
remainedobst inate.Despi tehiscommi tmentt ohi snewideas, Lutherdecl ared
thefoll
owi ngatoneoft hesei nterviews:“Thenot aryreadoutadecl arationon
behalfofLut her ,t
hatasf arashecoul dr ememberhe[ Luther]hadnev er
taughtany thingagai nstHol yScr i
pture,thedoct ri
nesoftheChur ch,thePapal
decretals[decr eesoft hepopes] ,orsoundr eason.Butashewasaman
subjecttoer ror,hesubmi t
tedhimsel ftot hedecisionsoftheHol yChur chand
toallwhoknewbet terthanhedi d.”(Dr.Ludwi gPastor,Hi
storyoft hePopes,
Vol.7,p.373. )

Onceagai n,weseet hatLutherclai

msf i
del
it
ytopapalteachingandt oallof
Catholicdoctr
ine.Heal soappealsspeci
fi
call
ytothepope,andexpr esseshis
will
ingnesstoretractifthepopedecidedagai
nsthim(Ibi
d.,pp.375,377).The
so-call
ed“bibl
icalfai
th”(Prot
estant
ism)wasst i
l
lunknownt oit
sev entual
founder.

Notlongaf t
erhismeet i
ngswi t
hCajetaninNov emberof1518, Luther
’sv i
ews
underwentanot hersi
gnif
icantdevel
opment .Hecamet otheconcl usi
ont hat
thepope,towhosedecr eeshehadj ustclai
medsubmi ssion,istheantichri
st.
Hewr it
es:“Isendy oumyt r
ifl
i
ngwor kthatyoumayseewhet herIam notr ight
i
nsupposi ngthat,accor
dingtoPaul,therealAnti
christholdsswayov ert he
Romancour t
.”(DeWet t
e,I.
,192;EndersI.
,317;Pastor,Vol.7,pp.378-379.)
Numer ousut t
erancesfr
om thisti
meshowt hatLutherhad“ ful
lyformulated
hisproposit
ionthatthepopewasant ichri
st.
”

Yet,
atthi
sv eryti
met hathewascal lingthepope“ theAntichr
ist
,”Luther
appeal
edtoagener alcouncilfrom t
hepope( Lut
her’sworks,Weimared.,II
.,
36seq.
).I
not herwords,Lutherconsideredthedecisionsofgeneralcouncil
s
tobedefi
nit
iveandaut hor
it
ative.Thi
sofcour secont r
adict
soneoft hepil
lars
ofPr
otest
ant
ism:
Scr
ipt
ureal
one.

Therefore,ev enatt hepointthatLutherhadf i

rmlysethisfaceagai nstthe
Papacyas“ theAnt ichr
ist
,”hestillhadn’
tdiscoveredProtestanti
sm.Theso-
cal
led“ bi
bli
cal f
ait
h”wasst il
lunknownt oitseventual
founder .Oneshoul d
considerthisf actdeeply;
foritdemonst r
atesthatwhenev erLutherdidcome
upwi thProtest ant
ism,itwasnot hi
ngmor et hanthecreat
ionofaconf used
mind.

THESEFACTSDEMONSTRATETHATALLPROTESTANTSHAVEEMBRACEDA
PURELYMAN-CREATEDRELIGI
ON,
WHICHLUTHERWASINVENTI
NGANDRE-
I
NVENTI
NGBYTHEDAY

Thetr
uefai
thofJesusChristi
sadeposit
.Itdoesnotfal
loutoftheskytoa
manwhol i
ves15centur
iesaft
erChri
st.I
twasr ev
ealedbyJesusChristt
oHis
Apost
les2,
000yearsago,anditwaspassedonbyt heApostl
estotheChurch.

Jude1:3“
…i twasneedf
ulformetowri
teunt
oyou,andexhor
tyouthatye
shoul
dearnestl
ycont
endforthef
ait
hwhichwasoncedeli
veredunt
ot he
sai
nts.
”

Thet r
uefaiththushasahi stor
ical l
inktotheapostolicChur ch;anditcanbe
shownt ohav ebeenbel i
ev edbyt hosewhocamebef oreint heChurch.Iti
s
passedonf r
om generationtogener ati
on.Marti
nLut hergrewupwi ththe
Catholi
cfaith.Protest
antism wasunknownt ohim asachi ld;itwasunknown
tohim asapr iest;i
twasunknownt ohim whenhepost edhi s95Theses, and
evenwhenhef i
rstcal
ledthepopet heAnt i
chri
standwasappeal i
ngt oa
generalcouncil.Atsomepoi nt,indeed, Mart
inLuthercameupwi th
Protest
ant i
sm, andhisconclusionshadnol inkwithhispredecessor soreven
withwhathesai dorbeli
ev edbef ore.Theyweretrulytheinv enti
onsand
“di
scoveries”ofaman, Mar t
inLut her.

Protestantshavet hussubmi tt
edt hemselvest oasy stem whichMar ti
nLuther
cameupwi t
hamongt herestofhiscont r
adictoryandev er-
changingviews.
These“ discover
ies”includetheideat hatmani sj ustif
iedbyf ai
thalone,whi
ch
wordf orwor dcont r
adictstheteachingoft heBi ble(James2: 24)–a
contradicti
onsobl atantthatLutherfeltcompel ledt ocri
tici
zethebookof
Jamesbecausei tcont radi
ctedhim.I nfact,Lutherwant edt othrowJamesout
oftheBi bleandintot hestove(i.
e.,t
hef i
re),untilhisfri
endsper suadedhim
t
hatsuchamov
ewoul
dbet
oor
adi
cal
.

OUTRAGEOUSACTIONSANDQUOTESOFMARTI
NLUTHER–
HECRITICI
ZESTHEBOOKOFJAMES

Mart
inLuther
,PrefacetotheNewTestament,1522:“
Theref
oreSt.James’
epi
stl
eisreal
lyanepist
leofstr
aw,comparedtotheseother
s,fori
thas
not
hingofthenatureofthegospel
abouti
t.”

Hereweseetheapostat
epr
iest
,Mart
inLuther,
denigr
ati
ngtheBookofJames
becausei
tcont
radi
ctshi
snewideaofjust
if
icat
ionbyfai
thalone.

MartinLut her,TheLi centiateExaminati

onofHei nri
chSchmedenst ede,
Jul
y7, 1542: “Thatepi stl
eofJamesgi v
esusmucht rouble,fort
he
papistsembr aceital oneandl eaveoutallther est.Upt othispointIhav e
beenaccust omedj usttodeal wit
handi nterpretitaccor di
ngt othesense
ofther estoft heScr iptures.Foryouwillj
udget hatnoneofi tmustbeset
for
thcont raryt omani f
estHol yScri
ptur
e.Accor dingl
y,iftheywillnot
admi tmyi nterpretations,thenIshallmaker ubbl ealsoofi t
.Ialmostf eel
l
ikethrowi ngJi mmyi ntot hestov
e,asthepr iesti nKalenbergdid.”

Marti
nLutherevenaddedthewor
d“al
one”toRomans3:28inhi
sGerman
t
ransl
ati
onoft heBi
ble.Hemadei
tsay“f
ait
halone,
”whenthati
snoti
nthe
t
extorwhatitmeans.

MARTI
NLUTHERSAIDAMANCOULDCOMMITFORNICATIONANDMURDER
1,
000TIMESADAYANDNOTLOSEHISJUSTIFI
CATI
ON

Mart
inLutheralsosaidthatamancoul dcommi tf
orni
cationandmur der1,
000
ti
mesadayandwoul dnotlosehi sjust
ifi
cat
ion.Hesaidthistoexpr
esshis
doct
rineofj
usti
f i
cati
onbyf ait
halone:thati
s,nomatterhowmuchaper son
si
ns,heissti
ll
sav edaslongashebel i
eves(byfai
thalone).I
nthesame
cont
ext,hedeclared:“
beasi nnerandsinboldly
.”

Theaut
henti
cityoft
hesequotesisnotdi
sput
ed,
butopenl
yadmi
tt
edby
Prot
est
antdefender
sofLuther.

Mart
inLuther
,Lett
ertoMelancht
hon,August1,
1521:“I
fyouarea
pr
eacherofgrace,
thenpr
eachat rueandnotafi
cti
ti
ousgrace;
ifgr
acei
s
 true,youmustbearat rueandnotaf icti
tioussi n.Goddoesnotsav e
peoplewhoar eonl yf icti
tioussinners.Beasi nnerandsi nbol dly,but
believeandr ejoiceinChr i
stevenmor ebol dly,f
orhei svictori
ousov er
sin,death,andt hewor ld.Asl ongaswear eher e[i
nthiswor ld]wehav eto
sin.Thislif
eisnott hedwel li
ngpl aceofr ighteousness, but,asPet ersay s,
wel ookf ornewheav ensandanewear t
hi nwhi chrighteousnessdwel ls.
Itisenought hatbyt her ichesofGod’ sglor ywehav ecomet oknowt he
Lambt hattakesawayt hesi noft hewor ld.Nosi nwillseparateusf r
om
theLamb, event houghwecommi tfornicationandmur derat housand
timesaday .Doy out hinkt hatthepur chasepr i
cethatwaspai df orthe
redempt ionofoursi nsbysogr eataLambi st oosmal l
?Pr aybol dly
—y ou
tooar eami ghtysi nner .”

Asment i
onedprevi
ously,t
het
ruef
ait
hisadeposi
t.I
tdoesn’
tfalloutofthe
skyfort
hefirstt
imetoamanwhol i
ves1,
500yearsaft
erChr
ist,anditdoesn’
t
comef r
om theabyssbelow–asMarti
nLuther
’st
eachi
ngsonj usti
fi
cati
on,
for
nicat
ionandmur derdo.

LUTHER’
SPREOCCUPATI
ONWI
THTHEDEVI
LANDCRUDESUBJECTS

Mar ti
nLut heralsohadapr eoccupat i
onwi t
ht heDev i
l,wit
ht hebat hroom, and
withmat tersonecanonl ycal ldisgust i
ng.Ev enPr otestantschol arshav enot ed
thatLut her ’
sfascinati
onwi thcr udesubj ectsisdi squieti
ng.Headmi ttedlyhad
muchi nt eractionwiththeDev il
.“ These[ demons]woul dhauntt hei magi nation
ofMar tinLut herwhohadv isi
ons, whichhebel i
ev edtobeact ual phy sical
occur rences, ofthedevilhur l
ing[ excrement ]athi m andhi shur lingi tback.
Indeed, i
noneofhi smanyanal combat switht hedev il–inwhi chLut herwoul d
challenget hedev i
lto‘
li
ck’ hispost erior–Lut hert houghtt hebestt acticmi ght
bet o‘t hrowhi mintomyanus, wher ehebel ongs.’”(H.W.Cr ocker ,Triumph,
Rosev ille,CA: PrimaPubl ishing,2001, p.237.)Af terhehadcomet ohi s
positionagai nstthePapacy ,Luthercal ledthe“ Papal decr
etalst heDev i
l’
s
excret als.”Heal sosaidt hatt hepopeandcar dinalsshouldbeki l
led, andt hat
heandhi ssuppor t
ersshoul dwasht heir“handsi nt heirbl
ood. ”( Past or,History
ofthePopes, Vol.7,p.393. )

Luthercl
aimst hathecameupwithjust
if
icati
onbyfai
thal
onewhileonthe
toi
l
et .Hecl
aimst hati
tcameas“knowledgetheHolySpi
ri
tgavemeont he
pri
vyi nt
hetower .
”(Quot
edi
nWi l
li
am ManchesterAWor
, l
dLitonl
yByFi re:
TheMedi evalMindandtheRenai
ssance,Lit
tl
eBrown&Co.,1993,p.140.)I
n
fact,
Lut
her’sideathatpeopl
eneedtocommitrealand“honest
”sinsseemsto
haveori
ginatedfrom aconver
sat
ionwit
htheDevil
.Thisisfr
om Luther
’sTabl
e
Talk.

“[
Lut hersai d:
]WhenIawokel astnight ,t
heDev i
lcameandwant edto
debat ewi thme; herebukedandr epr oachedme, arguingthatIwasa
sinner .Tot hi
sIrepl
ied:Tellmesomet hi
ngnew, Dev i
l!Ialr
eadyknowt hat
perfect l
ywel l
;Ihavecommi ttedmanyasol i
dandr ealsin.Indeedthere
mustbegoodhonestsi ns–notf abricatedandinventedones–f orGod
tofor giveforGod’sbelovedSon’ ssake, whot ookallofmysi nsuponHi m
sot hatnowt hesinsIhavecommi ttedar enolongermi nebutbel ongto
Christ.Thi swonderfulgif
tofGodIam notpr eparedtodeny ,butwantto
acknowl edgeandconf ess.”

Wi t
hthesef actsinmind,itshouldbequit
eclearhowt hosewhofoll
owed
Luther’
sev entualconcl
usions(thecoreofwhicharefait
haloneandScript
ure
alone)aresimpl yfol
lowingthemachi nat
ions,i
nvent
ionsanddiscover
iesofa
man.Theyar efoll
owingtheinventi
onsofamanwhowasgui dedandusedby
theDev i
ltocreateaf al
sev ersi
onof“Chri
sti
anit
y”whichwouldleadcountl
ess
peopleastray.
25,
000DI
FFERENTNON-CATHOLI
CDENOMINATI
ONS–DOCTRI
NALCHAOS
ISTHEBADFRUITOFMAN-
MADERELI
GION

2Peter2:1“Buttherewereal
sofal
seprophetsamongthepeopl
e,even
asthereshallbeamongy oulyi
ngteacher
s,whoshallbr
ingi
nsectsof
per
diti
on,anddenyt heLordwhoboughtthem:bri
ngi
nguponthemselv
es
swi
ftdestruct
ion.”

Fol
lowingMartinLuther’
sexcommuni cat
ionfrom theCatholi
cChurchin1520,
whichmarkedt hebeginni
ngoft heProt
estantmov ement,over20,
000diff
erent
denominat
ionshav ebeencreatedinabout500y ears.In1980,Davi
dA.
Barret
tsWor
’ l
dChr ist
ianEncyclopedi
a(OxfordUni ver
sit
yPress)gavethe
numberofdifferentdenominati
onsas20, 780.Hepr oj
ectedthatt
herewould
be22,190denomi nati
onsby1985.

Thiswoul dmeant hatthereareapproximately25,

000(
orpossibl
y30,000)
diff
erentdenominationstoday.Evenif,fort
hesakeofargument,onewer eto
takeaconser vat
iveestimate,
andgi vethenumberasonly15,000diff
erent
denomi nati
ons,t
hisequatestomor et hanonenewsecthavingbeencr eated
everytwoweeks.

Whenweconsi derthef actthattheoriginal f

oundersofPr otestanti
sm didn’
t
evenagr eewitheachot heronmaj orpointsofdoct ri
ne,suchdenomi nati
onal
chaosshoul dn’
tbeasur pr
ise.Protestantism isman- mader el
igion,i
nwhi ch
eachper sonulti
mat el
ydeterminesf orhimsel fwhathet hinkstheBi ble
teaches.Mar t
inLuther(theinit
iatorofPr otestanti
sm)condemnedt he
doctri
nal v
iewsofJohnCal vinandHul drychZwi ngl
i,
twoot herleading
Protest
antf i
gures.Theyallclai
medt ofollowt heBible.

Basical
lyallofthesethousandsofnon- Catholicssect spurpor ttobeChr ist
ian
andclaimt of ol
l
owt heBi bl
e,eventhought heydisagreewi theachot heron
cruci
aldoctrinalmatter
s, suchas: t
hepr ecisenatureofj usti
ficati
on; whether
humanwor ksandsinsar eapar tofsal vat
ion;whet hermenhav efreewi l
l;
predesti
nation;whetherinfantsneedbapt ism forsalvat i
on;whatCommuni on
i
s; whetherit’
snecessaryt oconfesst otheLor d;whichbooksoft heNew
Testamentappl ytoust oday ;
thestructureoft heChur ch’shierarchy;therole
ofbishopsandmi ni
sters;theSabbat h;t
her oleofwomeni nchur ch;etc.ad
nauseam.Mostoft hesegr oupsev enclaimt hattheindi vi
dual “Chri
stian”will
beledbyt heHol ySpiri
twhenpr ivatelyr
eadi ngtheBi ble.Thedi sunit
yoft hese
sect
sconstit
utesanirr
efutablepr
oofthatt
heirdoctri
neisnotoftheSpi
ri
tof
Trut
h;andthatthei
rpri
ncipleofoper
ati
on(i.
e.,Scri
ptur
ealoneapartf
rom t
he
ChurchandTraditi
on)i
snott hedoct
ri
neoftheBi bl
eandt heApostl
es.

Ephesians4:4-
5“OnebodyandoneSpir
it
;asy
ouar
ecal
l
edi
nonehopeof
yourcall
ing.OneLor
d,onefai
th,
onebapti
sm.
”

HOW OLDI
SYOURCHURCH?

I
fyouar
eaLut her
an,yourr
eli
gionwasfoundedbyMar
ti
nLut
her
,anex-
monk
oft
heCathol
i
cChur ch,i
napproxi
matel
y1520.

I
fy oubelongtotheChur
chofEngl and,
yourrel
igi
onwasf oundedbyKing
HenryVIII(anex-
Cat
holi
c)intheyear1534.HenryVII
Ideci
dedtocreat
ehis
ownchur chwhenPopeCl ementVIIwouldnotgranthi
m adivorcewi
ththe
ri
ghttoremar r
y.

I
fyouareaMennoni
te,
MennoSi
mons(
anex-
Cat
hol
i
c)cr
eat
edy
ourr
eli
gioni
n
1536.

I
fyouareaPresbyt
eri
an,JohnKnox(
anex-
Cat
hol
i
c)f
oundedy
oursecti
n
Scot
landi
ntheyear1560.

I
fyouareaCongr
egat
ional
i
st,
yourr
eli
gionbeganwi
thRober
tBr
owni
n
Hol
landi
n1582.

I
fyouar
eaBapt
ist
,JohnSmy
thcr
eat
edy
oursecti
nAmst
erdam i
n1605.

I
fyouareoft
heDut
chRefor
medchur
ch,
yourchur
chbeganwi
thMi
chael
i
s
Jonesi
nNewYorki
n1628.

I
fyouar
eaQuaker
,yourr
eli
gionbeganwi
thGeor
geFoxi
n1652.

I
fyouareaProt
est
antEpi
scopal
i
an,SamuelSeabur
ycreatedyoursecti
nthe
Ameri
cancol
oni
esinthe17t
hcentur
y,asanoff
shootoftheChurchofEngland.

I
fyouar
eAmish,JacobAmmancr
eat
edy
ourr
eli
gioni
n1693,
asanof
fshoot
oft
heMennoni
tes.
I
fyouar
eaMethodi
st,
yourr
eli
gionwasl
aunchedbyJohnandChar
lesWesl
ey
i
nEngl
andi
n1744.

I
fyouar
eaUni
tar
ian,
Theophi
l
usLi
ndl
eyf
oundedy
oursecti
nLondoni
n1774.

I
fyouareaMormon(
“Lat
terDaySai
nts”
),y
ourrel
i
gioncomesf
rom Joseph
Smit
h,whor
eveal
edi
tinPal
my r
a,N.
Y.in1829.

I
fyouareaSev
ent
hDayAdv
ent
ist
,yourr
eli
gionwascr
eat
edbyEl
l
enWhi
tei
n
1860.

I
fyouworshi
pwit
htheSal
vat
ionAr
my,
Wil
l
iam Boot
hst
art
edy
oursecti
n
Londoni
n1865.

I
fyouareoft
he“Jehov
ah’
sWi
tnesses,
”yourbel
i
efscamef
rom Char
lesTaze
Russel
li
n1872.

I
fyouarea“
Chr
ist
ianSci
ent
ist
,”Mr
s.Mar
yBakerEddydev
isedy
ourr
eli
gioni
n
1879.

I
fyoubelongtooneoft herel
igi
ousorgani
zati
onsknownas“ Churchoft
he
Nazar
ene,”“
Pentecost
al Gospel
,
”“Hol
inessChurch,”“Pi
l
grim Holi
nessChur
ch,
”
“
AssembliesofGod,”“
Uni t
edChurchofChri
st,
”etc.,y
ourreli
gionisoneoft
he
t
housandsofnewsect sfoundedbymeni nthelastcentur
y.

I
fyouareCatholi
c,y
ouknowthatyourrel
i
gionwasf oundedintheyear33by
JesusChri
st,t
heSonofGod,t
rueGodandt rueman; andthatt
hisoneChurch,
towhichpeopl
emustbelongt
obesav ed,wil
lexi
stuntil
theendoftime.