"Therefore Being Justified By
Faith"
Pastor Dennis Costella
©FOUNDATION Magazine
Editorial, January-February 1998
UNQUESTIONABLY, THE MAJORITY of Bible believing Christians have changed
their attitude toward Roman Catholicism over the past few decades. While
covering a wide spectrum of religious conferences for Foundation magazine during
that same period of time, we have noticed the decided trend to no longer
view Roman Catholics as subjects of evangelism, but rather as those with whom we
are supposed to join with in evangelizing the "unchurched." The
question that must be considered, however, is whether or not the Roman
Catholic Church has actually changed. Does it now preach a biblically-based
message of salvation? Are we now to consider the faithful Roman Catholic to be
our brother in Christ? Is the Roman Catholic's understanding of "salvation
through faith in Jesus Christ" the same as what we understand the the Word
of God (our final and sole authority) to teach?
No, the cardinal teachings of the Roman Catholic Church remain the same, even
since Vatican II. The difference is that in today's "Christian"
context, many Catholics and non-Catholics regularly meet and work together in a
practical ecumenism where evangelical-sounding terms are used by everyone;
however, what each group understands those terms to mean is often not the
same.
For example, to the fundamental Bible-Believer, the phrase "salvation by
faith alone" means that the moment one hears and believes tile Gospel,
thereby trusting Jesus Christ as Saviour, he is born again by the Holy Spirit of
God, declared justified once and forever and is made a child of God (Rom. 5:1;
Jn. 1:12; 5:24; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Cor. 5:21). It is important to note, however, that
this is not cheap "easy believism." Notice the Bible's account
of the first Gentile converts, referred to at the first church council at
Jerusalem. This account is the precedent example of how sinners are saved in the
Church Age ("...we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
we [Jews] shall be saved, even as they [the Gentile household of
Cornelius]" (Acts 15:11). Notice that the Gentiles would hear from the
apostle" ... words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved"
(Acts 11: 14). What were those words? They were the message that Jesus Christ
provided a remedy for the guilty sinner through His vicarious death and
bodily resurrection (Acts 10:33-42). What were they to do in order to be saved?
"To him Jesus Christ give all the prophets witness, that through his
name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts
10:43). Upon believing they received cleansing from sin and the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and they were baptized in water after they had been saved through faith
(Acts 10:47). Now notice in Acts 15:6-9 how the same account is viewed from
God's perspective: the Gentiles assembled before Peter, heard and believed the
Gospel and God purified "their hearts by faith."
The above account is salvation by faith alone, apart from any work, ceremony
or sacrament. But notice also that Acts 11:18 says that unto these God
"granted repentance unto life." This fact is vitally important, for it
separates what is truly salvation from the many supposed "conversions"
of our day that are nothing more than mental assents to a nebulous Gospel
invitation without the element of godly repentance at work. "Repentance
unto life" speaks of a dramatic and far-reaching change that affects both
the head and the heart. This conversion entails the sinner's recognition of his
lost condition, of his inability to do anything to save himself, of God's
perfect and completed salvation through His Son, and that, upon believing, he
stands in Christ's imputed righteousness and not his own.
"Repentance unto life" must necessarily include the turning from
every false confidence such as works, sacraments or baptism. A new life in
Christ thus begun will definitely change one's understanding of what it really
means to be saved. How anyone genuinely born again could thereafter continue in
a church which preaches a "works salvation"-so entirely contrary to
the Bible's way of salvation by faith alone-is beyond our understanding. The
repentance toward God that always accompanies saving faith in Christ results in
a new Spirit wrought understanding: the believer forsakes every false
confidence, pursues a new walk, and adheres to sound doctrine (Acts 20:2 1). It
is highly unlikely that those who were saved on Mars' hill returned to their
false worship in the same traditional way following their conversion. No, they
"clave unto [the apostle]" - they experienced a definite change not
only in their eternal destination, but also in their direction of worship (Acts
17:30-34 cf. 1 Thess. 1:9-10; Acts 2:41-42). Can one be saved and yet continue
to worship the wafer or renew baptismal vows at a Gospel invitation? Never!
To the Roman Catholic, on the other hand, "faith" does not secure
justification, the forgiveness of sins or the gift of eternal life.
"Faith" to the Catholic is instead integrally linked to water
baptism-which is his entrance into the "state of grace" within the
Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, "Justification is conferred in Baptism,
the sacrament of faith" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992). What,
then. is the Catholic's response of "faith"? It is the sacrament of
ritual baptism. The result of this exercised "faith" is incorporation
into the Roman Catholic Church which in itself potentially provides the vehicle
of eventual salvation, but only if the duly baptized Catholic performs the
necessary "works" prescribed by the church. This is why Roman Catholic
leaders we have interviewed stated in no uncertain terms that they do not
believe in salvation by "faith alone," that is, that one is justified
and forever saved the moment lie believes the Gospel message. From our
interviews with these leaders, we learned that "going forward" in
response to a Gospel invitation given at evangelical or even fundamental
evangelistic meetings means something totally different to the Catholic than it
does to the jubilant non-Catholic believer who welcomes him to the front. To the
Catholic, "receiving Christ" is just another opportunity to renew his
baptismal vows or to deepen his appreciation for the Catholic Church, which is
what he is taught will provide him with the grace needed to continue in Christ.
Yes, it is relatively easy to urge Catholics to respond to the invitation to
come forward and "accept Christ"-they are encouraged by their own
church to do so every chance they get! That is one reason why Catholics who
flock to hear Billy Graham respond so enthusiastically to his "altar
calls." The priests who send their parishioners to these meetings know that
nothing will be said to turn them away from the errors of the Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic who comes forward is only deepening his commitment to his
church by "receiving Christ again" at the crusade. He is obviously
understanding the terms used in these invitations as defined by a Roman Catholic
context, not the Bible.
Christian, it is vitally important to understand that the Roman Catholic to
whom we are witnessing interprets terms such as "new birth,"
"believing in Christ," being "saved" or "putting your
faith in Christ" completely different than what we mean from a biblical
context. If we are not careful, we will neglect to spell out the necessity of
trusting only in the finished work of Christ for salvation and the fact that
biblical salvation requires the rejection of any teaching that presents a Christ
whose work of salvation has not been completed, the latter epitomized in the
Mass. The exuberance of supposedly "leading a lost Catholic to Christ"
may be ill-advised unless one takes the time and the care to make absolutely
certain that he understands what the Bible means when it says that
salvation is by grace, through faith, apart from any work, sacrament, or
institution of man. The Holy Spirit must be allowed to do His illumining and
convicting ministry within the heart (Jn. 16:7-11), revealing the finality and
all sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ's substitutionary work.
Confusion regarding the message of salvation is one issue that must be
forthrightly addressed. May God give us all the discernment to see the sinister
way in which the pure Gospel of God's grace is being perverted, and may
He also grant us the grace and heartfelt burden to make that Gospel known to
those in desperate need of its hearing. Love for the Truth and love for the lost
requires a definitive response to the Evangelicals and
Catholics Together statement on the Gospel. The implications are of eternal
consequence!
D. W. Costella
