All Roads May Lead to Rome, But the Best One Lead Out of It - A Reformation Day Sermon

All Roads May Lead to Rome, But the Best One Lead Out of It [Text: Ephesians 2:8,9] , by Rev. Ian Brown
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Here are some things to think about as you Celebrate Reformation Day!
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"[To Roman Catholic priest and scholar, Erasmus]...you alone have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue. You have not worried me with extraneous issues about the papacy, purgatory, indulgences and such like, trifles, rather than issues, in respect of which almost all men to date have sought my blood...you, and you alone, have seen the hinge on which the vital turns, and aimed for the vital spot. For that I heartily thank you, for it is more gratifying to me to deal with this issue [does man have a free will?]" -Martin Luther (1483-1546)
 
The following quotes are from Dr. R. C. Sproul's great book, Faith Alone: An Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by Faith:

"Has Rome changed? If fact, it has not. The Vatican documents, as well as The New Catechism of the Catholic Church, re-invoke the theological position of the Council of Trent, condemning the gospel of justification by an imputed righteousness. If it is not Rome that has altered its position in favor of the gospel, then it must be the other partner that has moved from its earlier position." - Dr. Michael Horton in the preface to Faith Alone

"Does saving faith require a trust in the righteousness of Christ alone as the grounds of our justification? Or may a person have a different view of the gospel and still be a Christian?" - Dr. R. C. Sproul

"The Reformation was waged, not over the issue of justification by faith, but over the issue of justification by faith alone. It was the Sola of Sola Fide that was the central point of dispute." - Dr. R. C. Sproul

" Agreement between Rome and Evangelicals can be reached in several ways. One is for Evangelicals to abandon their historic position of Sola Fide. A second is for Rome to adopt Sola Fide as its official doctrine. The third is for agreement to be reached that Sola Fide is not essential to the gospel." - Dr. R. C. Sproul

Here is how Pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) felt about the importance of the Reformation (in the 1500s, the 1800s, and in 2017!

"It is today as it was in the Reformers’ days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it, but inwardly abhor every line of it….Look you, sirs, there are ages yet to come. If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all these generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to His truth today. We have come to a turning-point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children’s children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and His Word." (From The Forgotten Spurgeon, by Iain Murray

The above quotations are all from Protestants. In fairness to Roman Catholics, I wan to quote a short excerpt from an article that appeared The Remnant - Obama Wins: A Chance For Us to Become Free Again (posted on November 7, 2012):

"Barack Obama is not the problem. We are! Abortion is. Public schools are. A rotting pop culture is. Modernism in the Catholic Church is. Divorce and homosexual 'marriage' are. Obama has been reelected simply because America, like any nation, will always only get the leaders she deserves. We told God to go to hell a long time ago, and God is now allowing us to see what life is like without him. So lead on, Mr. Obama!" (Emphasis mine)"

Recommended sermons:

Total Depravity, by Rev. Paul Den Butter
The Black Pope and His Murdermen - An Exposition of the Jesuits (2007), by Dr. Ian R. K. Paisley (1926-2014)

Recommended reading:

Are Roman Catholics Christian?

Christianity Today has a book review titled: "Serious Catholics Are Evangelical."  The book they are reviewing is by Geoge Weigel titled:

Evangelical Catholicism - Deep Reform in the 21st Century Church

Not everyone agrees. One of those people who does not agree that Roman Catholics are Christians (I'm taking for granted that Evangelical = Christian here!) is R. C. Sproul:

Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification

For others who would disagree that Roman Catholics are Christian/Evangelical, see my post:

Saving Those Damned Catholics

Finally, one of the ministers of the 19th century who would strongly disagree that Roman Catholics are Christian/Evangelicals was Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Here is what he had to say about those who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s:

"We admire a man who was firm in the faith, say four hundred years ago...but such a man today is a nuisance, and must be put down. Call him a narrow minded bigot or give him a worse name, if you can think of one.

"Yet imagine that in those ages past Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and their compeers had said, 'The world is out of order, but if we try to get it right we shall only make a great row, and get ourselves into disgrace. Let us go to our chambers, put on our night caps, and sleep over the bad times, and perhaps when we wake up things will have grown better.'

"Such conduct on their part would have entailed upon us a heritage of error. Age after age would have

gone down into the infernal deeps, and the pestiferous bogs of error would have swallowed all. These men loved the faith and the love of Jesus too well to see them trampled on.

"It is today as it was in the Reformer's days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it but inwardly abhor every line of it...look you, sirs, there are ages yet to come.

"If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all those generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to his truth today. We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children's children will go that way. But if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to his Word."

Catholic, Protestant Churches Sign Historic Baptism Agreement

In 1994 Evangelical and Roman Catholic scholars signed a document titled, Evangelicals and Catholics together, which sought to get Catholics and Protestants to recognize each other as 'Christian,' and to stop prostlytizing from each others ranks. You can read more about document from the Alpha and Omega Ministries:

A Review and Response to "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Mellenium"

One good thing that came out of this was an excellent book by Reformed Scholar, R.C. Sproul, titled "Faith Alone - The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification." This book clearly sets forth what is means to be a Protestant and why we can't go back to Rome.

That was then. This is now.  As I was browsing through the newest sermons on Sermonaudio.com today, I came across the following podcast  by Pastor William Sturm:

Catholic, Protestant Churches Sign Historic Baptism Agreement

This agreement says that Catholics and Protestant churches should recognize each other's baptism. Sounds like a sequel to Evangelicals and Catholics Together.

One of the features I have on My Gospel Project is The Daily Spurgeon, a collection of quotes from Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 - 1892). There is no doubt in my mind what Pastor Spurgeon would have thought of either the 1994 document, Evangelicals and Catholics Together, or this new push by Protestants and Catholics to recognize each other's baptism. Here is what Pastor Spurgeon had to say about the Reformation and the Reformers who risked their lives and livelihoods to break away from the Roman Catholic Church:

"We admire a man who was firm in the faith, say four hundred years ago...but such a man today is a nuisance, and must be put down. Call him a narrow minded bigot or give him a worse name, if you can think of one.

"Yet imagine that in those ages past Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and their compeers had said, 'The world is out of order,  but if we try to get it right we shall only make a great row, and get ourselves into disgrace. Let us go to our chambers, put on our night caps, and sleep over the bad times, and perhaps when we wake up things will have grown better.'

"Such conduct on their part would have entailed upon us a heritage of error. Age after age would have

gone down into the infernal deeps, and the pestiferous bogs of error would have swallowed all. These men loved the faith and the love of Jesus too well to see them trampled on.

"It is today as it was in the Reformer's days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it but inwardly abhor every line of it...look you, sirs, there are ages yet to come.

"If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all those generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to his truth today. We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children's children will go that way. But if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to his Word."

Recommended reading (my Post):

Saving Those Damned Catholics