Almost Right Is Not Right!

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water     under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God,” Exodus 20:3-6

As a boy I attended  mass in America, Germany and Italy. I have been in local parish churches as well as the great cathedrals of Europe. One thing they all had in common in the 1960s (and still today) was the statutes of saints all around the buildings both inside and out. Inside of the churches would be places where you go and knell in front of a saint and pray to them. You would put money into a little box light a candle and then pray to the saint.  So, as a good Catholic boy (I served as an altar boy),  I would pay my money, light a candle and pray to the saints. Since I was named after “Saint” Mark and “Saint” Thomas  I prayed to them. When I became a police officer in 1978,    I was still a  Roman Catholic. So, my mother bought be a                  St. Christopher’s medal to wear around my neck to       protect me, “Saint” Michael is the patron saint of police officers. I believed it would protect me so I started to pray to him for protection. Saint Michael is the Archangel     Michael. Yes, that’s right, I prayed to dead men and an angel. I was taught that was perfectly ok and encouraged to do so by my mother, nuns from school, and the priests.

You might be thinking at this point about the second commandment that you just read above, “You shall not bow down to them or serve them”. Well, for Catholics they conveniently leave out the second commandment.

The Roman Catholic Church combines the first two     commandments into one, “I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.” To get 10 they divide the tenth commandment into two. Number 9, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. Number 10 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. They also change the original 4^th commandment, about keeping the Sabbath day holy Saturday), to Sunday. Since they deleted the second their     commandment about the Sabbath day is their third  commandment that reads, Remember to keep the Lord’s Day Holy.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” As believers in Christ we know that God’s Word is never to be changed or      altered to serve man’s purpose. This is just one example from Roman Catholicism that points to it being a false religion. We are not talking about  doctrinal issues that may divide Christians, i.e. Election, Baptism, Eschatology etc. What the Catholic Church has done is to alter the Word of God to fit their false doctrine.

As a former Roman Catholic, who God saved out of the  damnable heresy, I understand exactly why the reformers     died to preach and teach the Five Solas.

Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our      highest authority.

Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.

Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.

Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.

As you live your life for Christ, remember that false teachers and false religions are everywhere. Study the Word of God. Be like the Bereans, “Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.” Acts 17:11

Pastor Mark