Thursday, October 12, 2017

The Reformation: Christ Alone

Christ Alone
   Salvation is only by Christ and Christ alone. This was the cry of the Reformation as it opposed the Catholic church. Rome confessed that Christ was the Savior, but then added to this teaching just as they did (and do) to so many others. Salvation is not by Christ alone. Salvation in Catholicism is through Christ, the church, and the mass.
   Rome asserts that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic church. This means that only Catholics are true believers. All others are lost and doomed. Why is this? It is the Catholic church that possesses and gives grace through the sacraments and the mass. Only Rome teaches the word of God and the traditions, which reveal true religion and holiness, properly.
    Why is this? Because they have the mass. The mass is a celebration wherein the elements of the Eucharist (bread and wine) actually become the body and blood of Christ and are viewed as another sacrifice on the behalf of the living and the dead. The mass is a continuation of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross- there is no salvation without it in the Catholic scheme. It is through the mass that Christ communicates his grace to the Catholic church. Salvation belongs to the Catholic church because they alone possess the grace of God and the truth of Christ's continual sacrifice.
   The gateway to the mass (and the sacraments that will be covered in another article) is baptism. Infants are baptized in an effort to wash away original sin. Baptism then is necessary for salvation. It makes a new creature out of the baptized and joins them to the church. The Catholic church associates baptism with regeneration, confusing and combining the two.
   Is this really what they taught? Not only did they teach it, they still do. Let their sources speak for themselves (Quotations are taken from the Council of Trent, Vatican II, and The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
And because that Christ, our Redeemer, declared that which He offered under the species of bread to be truly His own body, therefore has it ever been a firm belief in the Church of God, and this holy Synod doth now declare it anew, that, by the consecration of the bread and of the wine, a conversion is made of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of His blood; which conversion is, by the holy Catholic Church, suitably and properly called Transubstantiation. (Trent, Session XIII, 75)
And forasmuch as, in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass, that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner, who once offered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross; the holy Synod teaches, that this sacrifice is truly propritiatory and that by means thereof this is effected, that we obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid, if we draw nigh unto God, contrite and penitent, with a sincere heart and upright faith, with fear and reverence. For the Lord, appeased by the oblation thereof, and granting the grace and gift of penitence, forgives even heinous crimes and sins. For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different. The fruits indeed of which oblation, of that bloody one to wit, are received most plentifully through this unbloody one; so far is this (latter) from derogating in any way from that (former oblation). Wherefore, not only for the sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities of the faithful who are living, but also for those who are departed in Christ, and who are not as yet fully purified, is it rightly offered, agreebly to a tradition of the apostles. (Trent, Session XXII, 145-146)
CANON I.--If any one saith, that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or, that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat; let him be anathema. CANON II.--If any one saith, that by those words, Do this for the commemoration of me (Luke xxii. 19), Christ did not institute the apostles priests; or, did not ordain that they, and other priests should offer His own body and blood; let him be anathema. CANON III.--If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema. CANON IV.--If any one saith, that, by the sacrifice of the mass, a blasphemy is cast upon the most holy sacrifice of Christ consummated on the cross; or, that it is thereby derogated from; let him be anathema. CANON V.--If any one saith, that it is an imposture to celebrate masses in honour of the saints, and for obtaining their intercession with God, as the Church intends; let him be anathema. (Trent, Session XXII, 149)
The Most Blessed Eucharist contains the entire spiritual boon of the Church... that is, Christ Himself, our Pasch and Living Bread, by the action of the Holy Spirit through His very flesh vital and vitalizing, giving life to men who are thus invited and encouraged to offer themselves, their labors and all created things, together with Him... So priests must instruct their people to offer to God the Father the Divine Victim in the Sacrifice of the Mass, and to join to it the offering of their own lives. In the spirit of Christ the Shepherd, they must prompt their people to confess their sins with a contrite heart in the Sacrament of Penance, so that, mindful of His words: "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matt. 4:17), they are drawn closer to the Lord more and more each day. (Vatican II, 325)
Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. the sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood." In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit: [Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper "on the night when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit. The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner." (CCC, 1365-1367)

The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who "have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified”... (CCC, 1371)
The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation." The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ. Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession." (CCC, 1376-1378)

It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. and it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice. (CCC 1410)

By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity. As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God. (CCC, 1413-1414)
If any one denies, that, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is conferred in baptism, the guilt of original sin is remitted; or even asserts that the whole of that which has the true and proper nature of sin is not taken away; but says that it is only erased, or not imputed; let him be anathema. (Trent, Session V, 23)

For, by baptism putting on Christ, we are made therein entirely a new creature, obtaining a full and entire remission of all sins... (Trent, Session XIV, 90)

This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved. (Vatican II, 20)

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (CCC, 1213)

The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments. (CCC, 1257)

By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God. (CCC, 1263)

Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte "a new creature," an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature," member of Christ and coheir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Most Holy Trinity gives the baptized sanctifying grace, the grace of justification:
- enabling them to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him through the theological virtues;
- giving them the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
- allowing them to grow in goodness through the moral virtues.
Thus the whole organism of the Christian's supernatural life has its roots in Baptism. (CCC, 1265-1266)

Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord's will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism. (CCC, 1277)

   This is the teaching of the Catholic church. When the reformers went back to Scripture, they discovered that the gospel is Christ. Salvation is through Christ alone. Not through Christ, the church, the mass, and baptism. The result was an attempt to reform the church by ridding it of the mass and all the false teaching associated with it. Christ was proclaimed, many of Rome's captives were set free by the truth of Christ, and reform was instituted. Protestants split from the Catholic church and thundered the Bible's message of solus Christus, or Christ alone.
    Christ alone is the mediator between God and man. He is the Prophet, Priest, King, Head of the church, and only Savior. Christ offered himself as the one and only perfect sacrifice in the place of sinners. His sacrifice was sufficient- it propitiated the wrath of the Father for the sins of his children. There is no need for another atonement. Salvation, then is found only in Christ. Away with another supposed atoning sacrifice in the mass.
   What do the scriptures say?
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned- every one- to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Is. 53:4-12)

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21)

Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. (Acts 3:22)
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1Cor. 15:3-5)

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus... (1Tim. 2:5)

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Heb. 7:23-28)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1Pet. 2:24)

   Clearly, Christ is the only Savior. Nothing needs to be added to his perfect work. The Son took on flesh, was born of a woman, lived a perfect life, obeyed the Father, bore the sin of the elect, endured the shame and suffering, died a cursed death under the wrath of the Almighty, was buried, and raised on the third day. What Christ did was sufficient for our salvation. In fact, he cried, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). He did not cry, “What I began, the church in Rome will perfect and finish.” Or, “I started your salvation. Now you must add to it the continued sacrifice of the Eucharist, then you may be saved.”
   Christ is precious. He is our everything; he is our all in all. Christ is our Head, Shepherd, Prophet, Priest, King, Righteousness, Light, Mediator, Advocate, and Propitiation. He is the Rock, Bridegroom, Door, Gate, Lamb, Redeemer, Son of God, Son of Man, Suffering Servant, Way, Truth, Life, and Prince of Peace. Christ is the Holy One of God, adored by the heavenly host, the Father’s Beloved, infinite in beauty and splendor, worshiped by angels, and obeyed by all creation. He is all-wise, full of grace and mercy, patient and loving, powerful and just. Christ is sufficient, worthy, excellent, to be desired above all, magnificent, regal, amiable, eminent, glorious, and resplendent. Who could ever begin to comprehend his manifold illustriousness? He should be treasured, obeyed, feared, sought, trusted, followed, hallowed, worshiped, and magnified. Not the church. And definitely not the mass.
   It is all about Christ, and Christ alone. After all, Christ is: Advocate (1 Jn. 1:21), Almighty (Rev. 1:8), Alpha and Omega (Rev. 22:13), Amen (Rev. 3:14), Apostle (Heb. 3:1), Author of salvation (Heb. 2:10), Branch (Jer. 23:5), Bread of life (Jn. 6:35), Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4), Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20), Deliverer (Rom. 11:26), Door (Jn. 10:7), Eternal life (1 Jn. 1:2), Glory of the Lord (Is. 40:5), Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:14), Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14), Head of the church (Eph. 5:23), Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2), Holy One (Ps. 16:10), I Am (Jn. 8:58), Immanuel (Matt. 1:23), King (Matt. 21:5), King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15), King of the nations (Rev. 15:3), Lamb (Rev. 5:6), Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), Life (Jn. 14:6), Light of the world (Jn. 18:12), Lion from the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5), Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8), Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), Messiah (Jn. 1:41), Mighty God (Is. 9:6), Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), Prince of peace (Is. 9:6), Prophet (Lk. 24:19), Ransom (1 Tim. 2:6), Resurrection (Jn. 11:25), Rock (1 Cor. 10:4), Son of David (Matt. 9:27), Son of God (Lk. 1:35), Son of Man (Jn. 5:27), True God (1 Jn. 5:20), True Vine (Jn. 15:1), Truth (Jn. 14:6), Way (Jn. 14:6), Word (Jn. 1:1), and Word of Life (1 Jn. 1:1).
   Let the true church say, “Amen!”

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