READING: GALATIANS 5:1-10 TEXT: v1 [INDULGENCES]
Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,
and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Paul expressed a concern/text that the
Galatians, having
tasted the freedom of the gospel of grace might return into bondage
The Galatians were originally Gentile pagans
But they were seriously flirting with Judaism ("so soon removed")
Judaism was not merely a somewhat deficient manifestation of the
gospel, but another gospel altogether - note the severe words of 1:6-8
There were those who came in among them, and through insistence
on circumcision, put chains round the feet of these Galatian Christians
The yoke/text is not that/Christ which was easy/light (Matthew 11:29)
This was a yoke that would bring them into slavery of the worse kind
When you lose your spiritual liberty - then you are like Samson when he
was taken by the Philistines - your usefulness/God is practically gone
Only get it back as you smash/chains - easier to avoid than to smash
A converted RC is perhaps in greater danger as we consider the
doctrine/indulgences - he has been there and while, we might argue that
he should know better - yet his formative years were spent in Rome
His fond memories of family may bring his days in Rome into mind
Danger is that his guard will go down
RL Dabney wrote a whole chapter on the "Attractions of Popery" - not because he was ecumenical, but because he recognised the lure/Rome
He recognised that she had a draw that could ensnare even the stoutest
Protestant - we need/remember: our distant forefathers were Romanist.
Gone are the days when British Protestants (even Ulster men) rose up in anger at any suggestion that Rome should be entertained
Rome is busy wooing and we have cause to say to some,
"The Philistines be upon you…"
My subject tonight is the Papal doctrine indulgences
They had never gone away, but they have been revived in recent times
Pope Benedict XVI has given them a shot in the arm and subsequently, if
we are going to maintain our Protestant witness, then we need to know
what they are about: 4 main thoughts
1) WHAT INDULGENCES ARE:
A/ Going for a simple definition from a RC catechism (2 reasons)
[i] Too long and boring to read from the CE
[ii] This is what the RC was taught in his religion and actually believes -
Hearts are judged by what they actually believe - and not the legal
language and nitpicking disputations of the theologians/apologists
Q300 (Catechism/Christian Doctrine) - Imprimatur by the RC Church
What is an indulgence?
(Ans:) An indlugence is a remission,
granted by the Church, of the temporal punishment, which often remians
due to sin, after its guilt has been forgiven
B/ We need to be fair to Rome here - and so ultimately fair to ourselves
Little use us only thinking we know what Rome teaches
[i] Rome teaches that the guilt of the sin has been forgiven
The Romanist will go in to the confessional box (or wherever) and
confess his sins to the priest who will (according to Rome) forgive him
his sin i.e. that particular sin will not take the Romanist to hell
[Of course, they err here greatly: No Roman priest has the authority to
forgive sins in the way that Rome claims - any sin confessed in a
confession box not only remains, but is further aggravated: Mar k 2:7]
However: Rome makes her claim and the Romanist believes it
[ii] Rome further claims that this judicially pardoned sin (no hell)
often (implies: not always) carries a temporal punishment with it
We understand that often forgiven sinners still reap the physical harvest of their unconverted life styles:
A converted drunkard does not lose his damaged liver etc.,
The converted adulterer has a reproach that shall not be wiped away
(Proverbs 6:33) even if his guilt is removed away/grace (Romans
3:24)
So idea of some kind of temporal comeback even though forgiven: right
[iii] But Rome errs again, because she teaches here that temporal
punishment here means a prolonged spell in a place called purgatory
Rome is not thinking (at least exclusively) about bedridden ex drunkards
Rome is thinking about her invention of purgatory where all (except the
saints (Rome's interpretation) and the reprobates go i.e. those who die
in (what Rome calls) mortal sin i.e. unpardoned sins
Q. 106 What is purgatory?
Purgatory is a place where souls suffer for a time after death on account of their sins
Q107: What souls go to purgatory?
Those souls to purgatory that depart this life in venial sin ; or that
have not fully paid the debt of temporal punishment due to those sins
which the guilt has been forgiven
Here it starts to get a little deep and (in my view) contradictory
[i] Rome emphasise that the guilt of the sins/deceased are forgiven
[ii] The forgiven dead may still be liable to punishment for those sins
[iii] This punishment still due is not eternal, but temporal: Hope/release
[iv] Rome calls this punishment a debt - and that's where it gets serious
[Of course, it is all seriously wrong anyway - but this really seals it)
It is one thing to admit that pardoned sinners can suffer for their
sins in this life (heavy smoker /debt ridden man who loses his house
etc., )
But to pursue that man after death and to say that he still has a debt
to pay is a denial of the Bible and (if words mean anything) a denial
of what Rome herself has been saying - It just doesn't add up as stated
No matter what Rome says - that man's sin has not been forgiven
if she is using the language of debt and especially after death
We do not use the word debt even about the pardoned man even in life
If he is suffering the consequences of his past life: Galatians 6:7-8
But every chest wrecking cough he gives does not reduce a debt
It has no value whatsoever as regards spiritual matters
It may cause him as a Christian to have sorrow and drive him to the
throne/God in despair - but again: it is not the payment of a debt
Much less is it the payment of a debt in a fanciful place: purgatory
2) OK: AN INDULGENCE IS THE
SUPPOSED REMISSION IN THE TEMPORARY PUNISHMENT DUE FOR SIN, AS GRANTED
BY THE RC - HOW DOES ROME SAY THAT SUCH A REMISSION IS GAINED?
A/ Two ways: help/poor debt laden temporally punished folk/purgatory
[i] Q105 says: "We are in communion
with the souls in purgatory by helping them with our prayers and good
works, (And quotes from the Apocrypha) 'It is a holy and wholesome
thought to pray for the dead that they might be loosed from their
sins.' "
According to Rome, we can offer up all our Hail Mary's etc., and
dedicate our good works to the departed dead and that helps pay their
debt and when the debt is paid - they leave purgatory, suitably purged,
and brought into Heaven.
[ii] Or, we can use our brains, and plan ahead! We can lay up a little
purgatorial nest egg for ourselves and give ourselves a head start
That's what Pope Benedict was getting at when he granted indulgences for any one who went to Lourdes for the 150th Anniversary
Time off from purgatory wither for yourself or a loved one, if you
dedicated your special effort to be there for their
sakes
Listen to the decree:
"In order to draw increased fruits of
renewed sanctity from this holy anniversary, the Supreme Pontiff
Benedict XVI has decided to concede the gift of Plenary Indulgence" to
the faithful under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession,
Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the
Holy Father), in the following ways:
The first way to obtain the
indulgence is to visit the following places in Lourdes between December
8, 2007 and December 8, 2008, preferably in the order suggested…
on each occasion they pause for an appropriate length of time in prayer
and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our
Father, the Profession of Faith, ... and the jubilee prayer or other
Marian invocation."
I have been unable to find any specific mention of what relief is
actually given (A relief from the depth/sufferings or the length of
time?)
A bit like a pig in a poke idea - Pope says "Trust me!" and they do
There are also encouragement given to those who cannot visit Lourdes
and we assume their indulgences are of less value than those who go
That's what an indulgence is - they have been around for a long time
3) IS ROME RIGHT TO TEACH/OFFER THESE INDULGENCES? - WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE?
A/ Please notice that we are scrutinising Rome by the Bible
This is a very Protestant thing to do, because it is a Biblical thing to do:
Acts 17:11/1 Corinthians 10:15/1 John 4:1/Isaiah 8:20/Psalm 119:128
Pope is "just another punter" and is subject to the same rigorous examination as we are happy to be subjected to: Come and check us out!
B/ We repudiate Rome's claims on a number/Scriptural considerations:
[i] The Bible says nothing re: a place/cleansing after death (Purgatory)
Place of cleansing is here/earth: 1 John 1:7/Hebrews 1:3
Yes: Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2
Corinthians 7:1)
It relates to our activity in a Bible based process of sanctification
Immediate issue/sermon: Addressed to the living - not to the dead
After death, it is either Heaven or hell and no intermediate place
[ii] To say that our own suffering/efforts or those/others can relieve
help a debt is a fundamental attack upon the absolute
holiness/God suggesting that something less than perfection is
acceptable to Him
While we may serve God with less than perfect service, yet we do not
use this as a payment of a debt for sin: We serve out of gratitude for
His amazing grace which solely/entirely purges our sins in their
entirety
[iii] If it denigrates the holiness/God, it elevates the idea that
sinful man can contribute something to his salvation i.e. reduces
indebtedness to Christ and makes me partly my own Saviour and debt
payer
If others help me, then I am also in debt to them as well as to Christ
Bible makes it clear that there is no merit (this is the word/Rome uses) even in the deeds/godly (even as biblically defined):
So likewise ye, when ye shall have
done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable
servants: we have done that which was our duty/do. (Luke 17:10)
Yes, God rewards our good deeds, if done in faith, but it is based on
grace alone - there is no merit in these good works which He blesses
[iv] Most of Rome's so called saints whose supposed good works help
fill the coffers/Heaven were vile rascals e.g. Alphonsus de Ligouri
[v] Rome's proposed method for our obtaining of their indulgences is
that we should pray to them and ask - which is praying/dead and praying
to another other than God the Father through God the Son
Q104: How are we in communion with
the Saints in Heaven? Ans:- We are in communion with the saints/heaven
by honouring them as the glorified members of the Church, and also by
our PRAYING TO them, and by their praying for us." (Note
the emphasis)
Whole thing is a sham/start with - but it continues: plummet more/more
[vi] It completely denigrates the work/Jesus Christ as our Mediator and
Saviour - it detracts from the sufficiency of His work (John 19:30)
Seen in the misinterpretation/misapplication of Colossians 1:24
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for
you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in
my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
Christ suffered for our sins - the Apostles suffered for our
edification i.e. that we might be drawn into and enjoy a Bible based
church
In this sense, we too are called upon to suffer - take up our cross -
because the Saviour is in Heaven and we are His people on earth and he
wants us to go to endure all things for the elect's sake - not to help
pay their debts as sinners - but to bring them news/Him who paid it all
Anything that denigrates Christ cannot be supported by the people/God
[v] It leaves itself open to the most horrible abuses i.e. Tetzel
"Every time a coin rings, a soul from purgatory springs."
People could pay for their sins in advance - 'Sin dockets'
It was this abuse that ignited the Protestant Reformation
High Money/High Mass…Low Money/Low Mass/No Money/No Mass
Conclusion: Reject it out of hand as damnable heresy
Learn not the way/heathen (Jeremiah 10:2)
Rresist the encroachments of the ecumenical movement that would take us back to Popery again
Propagate the truth - which alone makes men free (John 8:32/36)
THE END
