Primer On Mariology

"God in heaven appoints each man's work" (cf. John 3:27, NLT).
"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus..." (Acts 20:24, NLT).  
"Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined"(Isaiah 1:1, NLT)

Mariolatry is the excessive veneration, worship, or idolizing of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.  This is prevalent in the Roman Catholic persuasion.  Let's explore Mariology and not split hairs nor nitpick with our Catholic friends, who declared us Protestants to be heretics at the Counter-Reformation known as the Council of Trent (1545-1563). But we disagree, we dissent, we protest!  It is also referred to as the hyper-elevation of Mary into sainthood or canonization.  They actually believe she can hear their prayers!

It should be pointed out that idolatry is placing anyone in God's place or position, for He alone is worthy of our adoration and worship.  Mariolatry has gotten to near cult status, and she is even considered a Mediatrix or Co-Mediator with Christ.  But Protestants know that there is only one mediator between God and man, the God-man Jesus Christ. 

Mary, for real, knew she was a sinner but the servant of the Lord in need of salvation, for she addressed God Most High as her Savior.  She knew that true greatness, despite the fact that she had found favor in God's eyes, was because of grace and God must be given the glory--she had faith; and saw herself as the humble servant of the Lord willing to do the "impossible," which she knew could be done in the Lord.  "With God nothing shall be impossible" (cf. Matt. 19:26).

One is reminded of Paul saying in Romans 15:18 that he would "not venture to speak of anything but what Christ had done through" him.  We can do nothing of ourselves as Jesus said in John 15:5 ("apart from Me you can do nothing").  All our fruits are from Him!  (cf. Hosea 14:8).  We may think we have accomplished a lot or achieved greatness but it is nothing and we owe it to God who is working through us as vessels of honor (cf. Amos 6:13).  In fact, all that we've done in the Lord has been in His power and enabling ("... all we have accomplished is really from you" according to Isaiah 26:12, NLT).

Mary has been elevated to the stature of Mother of God, even Mother of the Church, and also given some divine status as the source of grace rather than the receiver of it, being full of grace.  Catholics actually believe that salvation is through the church and that veneration of Mary is essential to their dogma (they see faith as acquiescence with church dogma).  I find it blasphemous to name the name of Mary in the Rosary and relegate as some kind of luck or magic charm to invoke God's favor.  We have the privilege of going directly to the Father in prayer and need not go through her or any saint.  This is called the invocation of saints (prayers to saints who are canonized by the Pope). It is taught dogmatically that no one comes to Jesus except through Mary.  

Obeisance to Mary is encouraged in this spirit of veneration.  It is amazing how Mariolatry has progressed so that they actually believe she was even born without sin (re the "Immaculate Conception of Mary") and that she didn't die but was ascended into heaven (re the "Assumption of Mary").  But the error seems to originate from the understanding that Mary stayed a virgin (correct nomenclature is perpetual virginity) even after Christ was born and that she is the source or conduit of grace rather than recipient and vessel.  But there are several references to Jesus having four brothers proving the normalcy of her womanhood (two brothers wrote epistles: Jude and James).

All in all, Mary was "startled" (we should be too at this biological anomaly!) at the news that the Lord was with her and that she was blessed among women; in the Magnificat (song of Mary), she sang that her soul does glorify the Lord.  It is amazing at her humility since this type of greeting would go to most people's heads and she kept things in perspective.  She was the maidservant of the Lord par excellence in God's eyes and we must see this in the light of God's economy in which the way up is down!  Humility comes before honor!  She knew full well too much pride destroys you.  And she didn't have low self-esteem, just high God-esteem!   She first humbled herself and became a maidservant; she didn't decide to exalt herself, though she is to be highly honored or favored among women.  NB: Jesus referred to her as "woman" on the cross.  He didn't exalt her but commended her to the aegis of  John.  

Note also that she never forgot who she was: the Lord's servant!  As it says in Isaiah 51:1 that we should never forget our roots, "the rock from which we were hewn, the quarry from which we were dug."  That's all we are no matter how noble or ignoble a task He gives us. She found out that with God we can accomplish the impossible and by consequence, we should attempt to walk on water, move mountains, and attempt great things in faith, expecting greater results.

In application, we should never idolize someone in God's place, not even hero-worship (no one is perfect or great but God who is manifest and personified in Christ for us to see in the flesh), and we all can come to the realization that God is pleased with us and will work the impossible in our humble lives if we are obedient and willing.  Never forget that you are specifically, uniquely designed for a special anointing and calling of God and we should not be disobedient to the heavenly vision, eager to complete our mission as a man or woman on a mission par excellence.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Coming Full Circle

Some Protestants have come full circle, in that they are no different from Roman Catholics in their study of Scripture and acceptance of its authority.  What they do is rely too heavily on the leadership or teachers of the church and fail to take the Word of God at face value for what God is telling them--in other words, they should become Bereans (cf. Acts 17:11), and search things out whether they are so.  The whole concept of being a Protestant is to question authority just as Martin Luther uttered:  "I dissent, I disagree, I protest!"  We must question authority, for no one is infallible, not even the Pope who claims to speak ex-cathedra.  Our authority from the Reformation was sola Scriptura, or the Scripture alone and this was one of its slogans during the drive to find its identity.

If you just rely on one person for inspiration or instruction or drink of just one fountain, you will lose the power of discernment and could become vulnerable to the Jim Jones phenomenon, where the whole church decides it doesn't even need the Bible anymore, since they have God's voice on earth to pontificate it. One consequence of not searching things out is that the church tends to become set in its ways and loses balance and perspective of the influence of new ideas and reform:  Semper reformanda was another slogan of the Reformation and we should never become complacent and think we've "arrived" at the perfect church or orthodoxy--we are always in the process of reform--Martin Luther, et al. didn't finish the work and they would be the first to tell you this.

But note that Reformation is not just in doctrine or what is called the dogma of the church, but also in practice, worship, outreach, and missions because we should always be open to new ideas and applications. We are not to change the gospel message though since that would bring Paul's curse (cf. Gal. 1:6-9). But customs and norms of society change and, though we are not exhorted to keep up with the times, we will see that not only fashion but customs and what is acceptable changes through time; for example, in my day as a youth it was unheard of to go to church dressed in blue jeans!

There is no one-size-fits-all for worship nor for church order and government, and there are Roman Catholics who are better Protestants than Protestants, in that they regularly read the Bible, question the Pope and priest or clergy's authority and have more zeal and love for the Lord and His work.   One thing about Catholics that should be commended is their mission work (for they are responsible for bringing the message of Christ to all of Latin America) and all the outreach work they do in hospitals, schools, orphanages, and charities.

A Christian is not saved en masse, in that it's according to what church he attends--God will not ask us what denomination we were affiliated with at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  The problem seems to be the reverse, in that many believers are content just to be theologically correct and rule out the experience with Christ and the joy of serving Him, not to mention worship.  Catholics may seem to be disinterested in theology but what matters most to God is having your heart in the right place, more than doctrine being impeccably correct.

However, we are all theologians and have a slant on the doctrines, whether we realize it or not, and we cannot escape theology!  But knowledge about God must be translated into an acquaintance of God or a true relationship.  Knowledge is not just an end in itself but must lead us to a closer walk--to know Him more clearly, to follow Him more nearly, and to love Him more dearly (as Richard of Chichester said).   We are never to look down on our brother as a poor specimen simply because he's not in the know or doesn't know his way around theologically.  We may be quite conversant on Bible themes and hardly know our Lord at all, because it's all second-hand knowledge.

What God teaches us and what we learn for ourselves has much more impact on our souls.  The danger is intellectual pride in thinking we are a cut above other believers by virtue of knowledge alone.  You can know the Lord with little theological training, and you can be a stranger with much training.  But in the final analysis, we will desire to go on and know the Lord and to search things out and know the scoop when we come into a living relationship with our Lord.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Protestant In Name Only

Dare to disagree and express your views or interpretations!  Dare to be different and be a Daniel who stood up against the whole government and defied it or like Dietrich Bonhoeffer who attempted an assassination of Adolf Hitler as a double-agent, and was martyred by the Nazis for his faith and dissent.  They were Protestants in spirit who learned to think for themselves and didn't blindly follow the leaders but knew their God personally.

Will the real Protestant stand up, and be counted, please! Protestants are called that because they protest!   Protestants are born to question authority and to check things out for themselves, not taking some one's word for it, no matter who he is; having a personal and not a second-hand knowledge of the Lord.  It's time to show your Christian colors! What then is the essence of being Protestant and why is this an issue in today's evangelical church?

The issue is how can we end up being Catholics in practice while calling ourselves Protestant.  The branch of Christianity known as Protestant includes a lot of denominations, but they tend to all agree that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone (this is known as sola gratia, sola fide, and solus Christus in Latin as 3 of the five so-called "Five Onlys" of the Reformation), without any merit or work on our part to contribute to it--this is essential acquiescence on soteriology or the doctrine of salvation.  But there is more to it that than:  Martin Luther started the movement in 1517 at the Wittenberg Castle Church door where he nailed his 95 Theses on Halloween, and basically announced to the Church and declared, "I dissent, I disagree, I protest!"  He had been awakened from his dogmatic slumber and was ready to reform the Church.

There has to be room for disagreement in an agreeable and civil manner amount church members or it becomes cult-like as the People's Temple (the "cult of death") of Jim Jones that was based on his personality--the people saw no more need for their Bibles since they had him in person!  We need to be ever vigilant and be Bereans who daily search the Scriptures to see whether these things our pastors and teachers tell us are so.  This is the noble thing to do and God expects it of responsible congregants. Having room for disagreement and agreeing to disagree is healthy and show life in a church body, and is not the beginning of the end.  There is a time to go your separate ways, of course, like Paul and Barnabas disagreeing about Mark's worthiness, but we should be able to work out most disagreements.

The typical Protestant attending church today doesn't study or sufficiently read his Bible, but believes everything his church tells him and follows with a blind faith, not knowing why.  One Protestant said he doesn't even believe in the infallibility of Scripture anymore, but insisted Christ was still his Lord. This begged the question: "How does He exercise His Lordship?"  The person in question said, "By following the teachings of the church." This so-called nominal Protestant has come full circle and is really a Catholic who believes only the clergy has the authority to interpret Scripture and one mustn't question authority.

One distinction of Catholics is that they adhere to time-honored traditions as to have equal authority with Scripture (since the decree in the Council of Trent from 1545-63), while a Protestant is open to new ideas and experimental--not religious or slave to traditions such as the Rosary--and has a personal relationship with Christ as a priest and doesn't need one to make confession to on a regular basis.  There is nothing inherently wrong with tradition as long as it complies with tradition but it can get in the way and become a distraction to the real thing.  Catholics defer to tradition, without question!

We don't want a church that is run by control freaks or old fuddy-duddies who are set in their ways and are satisfied in the comfort zones with the status quo.  Old habits die hard and we constantly need the input of new and young blood to keep a church alive and from dying off and becoming irrelevant. We need new ideas and must never stop reforming the church we attend because one of the slogans of the Reformation was semper reformanda in Latin, or always be reforming. We see ourselves as works in progress and like to say that God isn't finished with us yet, but have a hard time saying the same about our church, that it is also a work in progress and in need of sanctification and reform--Martin Luther knew that he had not finished reforming the Church of its Catholic influence of the Popes. And we should never be "at ease in Zion" (cf. Amos 6:1) or settle in complacency and think we have arrived as a church body and need no improvement.  A church without vision will perish spiritually and this means a view into the future and a plan of attack against the devil and his domain.  Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, "Without a vision, the people perish...."   If you aim at nothing, you will get nothing!  Aim high, because you cannot aim too high--it is better to aim high and almost make it than to aim too low.

The questions should always be asked as to what is the attitude toward disagreement and our member's ideas and concerns treated properly, fairly, and biblically. Why?  Because the sole authority for a Protestant church is the Bible and one of the slogans of the Reformation (one of the five onlys), was sola Scriptura or the Bible alone is the authority and final arbiter, not some church dogma or constitution; the whole point of being Protestant is not to be at the mercy of church dogma and have the freedom to interpret Scripture on your own--but with this responsibility comes the responsibility to do it correctly--because with every privilege comes the complementary responsibility that goes hand in hand with it as its flip side.  This goes with any right you have, you also have an obligation as the flip side!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You An Arminian? Take This Test!

Most people know that Calvinists (or Reformed, if you will) believe in the five points of Reformed theology, unless they are a so-called four-pointer, of course, but here's a test that may surprise you. In case you aren't familiar with TULIP, the acrostic that stands for "total depravity," "unconditional election," "limited atonement," "irresistible grace," and "perseverance of the saints," I will review. T means we are inherently bad, not good--we are not as bad as we could be, but as bad off as we could be in God's estimation; U means God doesn't base His election of us on anything meritorious in us, not prescient election, which says God merely sees who will believe and elects them (that would be meritorious); L means God has a particular redemption or definite atonement in mind--it is the Arminians that actually limit the atonement, the Calvinists make it efficacious for the elect. P means God preserves us despite ourselves, otherwise known as eternal security.

Denying any of these doctrines makes you part Arminian. The Synod of Dort in 1618 condemned the Remonstrants who were Arminian and affirmed these five points. Calvinism is the biblical and orthodox position, not Arminianism, developed by Jacobus Arminius (his Latin name, who was Jacob Hermann in his own tongue) of The Netherlands, who was condemned as a heretic by an ecumenical council and lost his professorship (he was actually a Reformed theologian).

A: Salvation is synergistic, or man cooperates with God
C: Salvation is monergistic and grace is efficacious and irresistible & God's work
A: All have the ability to believe if they want to
C: No one can believe, or will to believe apart from grace
A: Faith is the reason we are saved, it is our righteousness, it is a work of man
C: Faith is a gift of God, it is the work of God, but our act
A: Faith is reckoned as righteousness
C: Faith is reckoned unto (the instrumentality or means of) righteousness
A: Salvation is a cooperation between man and God-man takes the first step of faith and meets God half-way
C: God initiates salvation and grants faith through grace--we cannot believe apart from grace's intervention
A: Man has a free will and can operate independently of God, even thwarting Him
C: The will is enslaved to sin, in bondage and not freed, though he is a free
moral agent
A: Faith is a meritorious work accomplished by man that leads to salvation
C: Faith is a gift of God that is unto salvation, the instrumentality
A: The atonement saves none for sure, but makes possible the salvation of all if
they believe
C: The atonement was accomplished when Christ said, "It is finished" and secures the elect's salvation.

Arminians above represented by A; Calvinists or Reformed by C

The Arminian believes he met God "half-way" and pats himself on the back for his salvation--not giving all the glory to God (a battle cry of the Reformation was sola Deo Gloria--to God alone be the glory.)

The Romanist believes grace is necessary, but not sufficient--one must do something meritorious. However, grace is the sin qua non of salvation--it is necessary and sufficient. Have you heard of the Geritol testimony where the person said Geritol really helped him but he also took his grandmother's secret recipe? Of course, that testimony could not be used because it could not be proved the Geritol was the answer.

R. C. Sproul quotes J. I. Packer as follows: "The difference between them [Arminians and Calvinists] is not primarily one of emphasis, but of content. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God who enables man to save himself. One view presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind--election by the Father, redemption by the Son, calling by the Spirit--as directed towards the same persons, and as securing their salvation infallibly. The other view gives each act a different reference (the objects of redemption being all mankind, of calling, those who hear the gospel, and of election, those hearers who respond), and denies that any man's salvation is secured by any of them. The two theologies thus conceive the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man...."  The big question is whether Jesus saves us outright, or just enables us to save ourselves--does He make salvation possible, or assured?

Now, I do not believe Calvinists should show contempt for Arminians, because if they are evangelical they are probably Christians, too, and also there are very few Calvinists around who can say they were never Arminians at one time or at least convinced of one of their doctrines. I do not believe it is good to label our fellow believers, but this distinction is very clear and is like Protestant/Catholic. One can be an evangelical Arminian, of course. Arminian churches are Church of Christ, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, Methodist, Wesleyan, Roman Catholic.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Saved By Grace Alone

The Reformers believed in "Five Only's" (anything else is not Christianity) which are as follows: sola gratia (grace alone); soli Christo (through Christ alone); sola fide (by faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone as authority); and Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory). There are three possibilities of salvation scenarios: by man's effort alone, by a combination of man and God's effort, and by God's work alone. The only way we can have the assurance of salvation is if it is by God's work alone; otherwise, you never know how much work is enough for salvation.

Arminians believe that God gives equal grace to all and that believers just improved and took advantage of that grace by virtue of their works of faith, repentance, etc. In other words, they meet God half-way and cooperate with Him. They are really patting themselves on the back for their salvation. God wouldn't be God if He didn't get all the glory for our salvation. We don't get any of the glory for it. We share in HIS glory, it is not ours. Titus 3:7 says we are "saved by grace." "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9).

When you realize that faith is a gift of God you will realize that salvation is grace from beginning to end. It is the work of God, though it is our act--God doesn't exercise faith ("What do you have that you didn't receive?"). Christ is the "author and finisher of our faith". You have "believed through grace" (cf. Acts 18:27), and "it has been granted unto you...to believe..." (Phil. 1:29; cf. 1 Pet. 1:1). Actually, God opens our hearts to believe and overcomes our reluctance and makes the unwilling willing. "God opened the heart of Lydia to pay attention ..." (Acts 16:14). We did not psych ourselves up for faith, nor did we conjure it up or catch it like a fever; rather, it came to us by the preaching of the Word. ("Faith comes by the hearing, and by hearing of the Word of God.")

Repentance is the flip-side of faith and also is "granted." (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31; 11:18) Faith and repentance go hand in hand, and  are complimentary. You cannot have saving faith without genuine repentance. But remember that the whole deal is the gift of God. Martin Luther says we contribute nothing to our salvation.  "Salvation is of the Lord"  (Jonah 2:9). 

Luther could not harmonize Paul and James on justification. James said we were justified by faith and works and Paul that we were justified by faith alone. What James is saying is that a mere profession of faith, a dead faith without any resultant work, does not justify. The Reformers formulation was that we are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Paul was referring to the works of the law, and they do not justify. James is talking about any work proceeding from faith, and it is the natural consequence of true living faith, which is a living relationship with Jesus Christ. "If a man SAYS he has faith..." refers to a mere profession (just saying we have faith or lip service).

The demons believe the facts about God, but don't do acts of faith that result. A mere head knowledge or assent (known as "story faith" or "historical faith") will not do (this is called acquiescence). We are not justified by the works of the law, but if no good deeds result, our faith is useless and dead. We will all get the opportunity to demonstrate our faith and prove it by our actions, just like Abraham had his opportunity with Isaac. So Paul stresses the initial act of faith and James the evidential acts that follow. Mere profession of faith doesn't cut it.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Justified By Works?

Martin Luther almost didn't accept the book of James as part of the canon, because it seemed to teach justification by works instead of by faith as Rom. 1:17 says. "The just shall live by faith." (Cf.  Hab. 2:4; Heb. 10:38; Gal. 3:11) In fact, the cry of the reformation and rallying cry was sola fide or faith alone. R. C. Sproul points out 4 possibilities of mixing faith and works: (1) Works = Salvation (which is religion); (2) Works + Faith = Salvation (which is legalism); (3) Faith = Salvation - Works (which is antinomianism); and (4) Faith = Salvation + Works (which is correct evangelicalism).

Notice that works and faith all play a part in whether one realizes it or not. Everyone has some sort of faith and does some sort of work. We are not against works per se; just works done in the energy of the flesh instead of the Spirit. In Religion and Legalism works is a "have to" or an "in order to;" according to the gospel works is a "want to" or a "therefore." We see works as an honor and privilege, not a duty.

NB:  we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Good works always follow genuine faith. Spurious faith doesn't produce genuine works. The gospel is different because of grace and the fact that you can know you are saved. In a works religion, you never know how much works is enough! But religion will always be with us because man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation. Jesus was asked what work to do to inherit the Kingdom, and He said, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him ..." Faith is our "act", but it is the "work" of God--God doesn't exercise faith, He merely bestows it.

James is talking about a "profession of faith" and Paul is talking about "living faith." For sure, we are saved by faith alone, but not the kind of faith that is alone (without works). Paul is saying we are not saved by the works of the law, and James is saying we need to demonstrate and exhibit our faith. The book of James talks of the human viewpoint. The faith you have is the faith you show! You just can't say you have faith, or you just can't make the claim without proof. You must demonstrate your faith by works. Paul urges us to be rich in good deeds, James to be rich in faith. We are a people "zealous of good works" (cf.Titus 2:14)  Soli Deo Gloria!