Sola Gratia

Sola Gratia, or Grace Alone, is the third Sola of the Reformation. It teaches that salvation comes through grace alone and is no way merited by the sinner.

According to the Catholic process of salvation, God cleanses man’s sin through the sacrament of Baptism. Through the sacrament of Baptism the ability to live righteously has been "infused." Man has been spiritually altered so that he is enabled to live a righteous life and inherit eternal life. Thus, a Catholic must purify himself of all the stains of past sins as well as all post baptism sins. In doing so, He will make himself like Christ and able to stand in the presence of God. Once he attains this righteousness (whether it’s here or in purgatory), man has the ability to enter the kingdom of God.

While the Catholic seeks to become conformed to Christ (through God’s grace) he must be vigilant to confess all mortal sin. Failure to do so will lead to eternal condemnation.

Ultimately, the Catholic has to work out his salvation on two fronts. Even though he is guaranteed heaven if he does not commit a mortal sin, he still has to cleanse himself of the stain of sin through God assisted merit and purging in purgatory. Secondly, the saving graces are applied through baptism and confession.  If these sacraments are not administered, he should request to be buried in an asbestos swimsuit.

All this goes to show you that while they view salvation as a gift, it is a gift in the sense that God helps you help yourself. They may believe in grace, but grace is a necessary condition and not a sufficient one.

Let me explain. A logic textbook will teach you that a necessary condition is a circumstance which must be present for the assertion to be true; however, the presence of the circumstance does not automatically make the condition true. For instance, clouds are a necessary condition for rain. It is impossible to have rain without clouds, but there are many times when we have clouds without rain. Another example would be that having four sides is a necessary condition for a square.

In contrast a sufficient condition is one which, if satisfied, automatically assures the statement’s truth. So rain is a sufficient condition for clouds. If rain is present, then there must be clouds. Or conversely, being a square is sufficient for having four sides.

For the Catholic, grace is a necessary condition for salvation. You cannot have salvation without it. However, it is not a sufficient condition, as man must work to complete the job.

In contrast, the Bible teaches that grace is a sufficient condition. God gives us the faith so that we may repent and believe(Eph. 2:8-9). Thus, God applies the substitutionary death to our account and we are justified before God. During this transaction Christ also imputes His own righteousness to us (Rom. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:21). Consequently we stand before the court of God completely justified. God's grace is not a necessary condition, but a sufficient condition for our salvation. Where there is grace given to the sinner, there is certain salvation. Thus we agree with the Reformers that we are saved by grace alone!

 Dave Hintz

Do You Love Catholics?

In the last post we discussed how the term anti-catholic can be used unfairly.  In this post, I want to show you that Christian compassion demands that we address the differences between the two religious faiths.

As you have seen from my class and blog posts, Catholics and Christians have an entirely different understanding of the gospel.  In fact, when the delegates of the Council of Trent gathered together, they had as their earnest intention to defend “the gospel.”  In their mind, the eternity of millions was at stake, and they had to defend the truth.  In doing so they issued the following decrees or canons.

CANON 9:  "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema." 

CANON 12:  "If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified ... let him be accursed"

In both of these decrees the Council of Trent condemns the Biblical gospel. 

The delegates earnestly believed that the Protestant teaching promoted a false gospel that leads people to Hell.  Their goal was not to stir up pogroms against Protestants, but to preserve the “Catholic gospel”, protect the Catholic Church from false teaching, and rescue hell-bound Protestants along the way.   I do not fault them for this.  These are the compassionate implications of their belief system.

However, we should realize that Trent drew a line in the sand. In condemning the true gospel, they are protecting a false gospel.  One that is a false hope to millions, and will lead to damnation if fully embraced.  My aim in teaching the Catholic class is to help our flock see the differences so that they will not be swept up in the cultural current of blind tolerance.  Rather, in Christian love we should approach Catholics who are blinded to the truth, present the biblical gospel and thereby prepare them for eternity with Christ. 

Can these classes and posts be used as a weapon against Catholics? Absolutely!  But in the end, while such teaching wielded by unregenerate bigots may make Catholic’s stay on earth a little more uncomfortable, the true teaching in the hands of loving Christians will rescue them from an eternity in Hell.

We are not anti-Catholic, rather we love Catholics.  We love them so much that we want them to embrace the biblical gospel so that we can spend an eternity together worshipping the Savior.

Dave Hintz

Are You Anti-Catholic?

As many of you know, the last month or so I have been publishing a series of posts on the Roman Catholic Faith, as well as teaching a class.  In doing so, a number in our community have asked if we are “Anti-Catholic.”  Now this is a loaded term.  In looking it up on encyclopedia.com I came across this definition:

Bigotry against Roman Catholics, as well as the ideas that have rationalized such bigotry, have long been elements in North American politics and popular culture. Like racism and anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism is a fluid, international phenomenon buttressed by political, cultural, and intellectual justifications; like them, anti-Catholicism has served as a means of ostracizing a social group to consolidate political and cultural power in other groups.

Essentially, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, and racist all belong in the same category.  While these terms describe genuine social evils which are inexcusable, they can also be carelessly and unfairly applied. 

For example, let us consider homophobia – an irrational fear of homosexuals.  There is no doubt that homophobia exists in the United States as many homosexuals have been attacked, beaten, mocked, and maligned by those that have an irrational hatred.  It is also true that many used the Bible to justify such atrocities.  Yet, let us agree that the term “homophobic” can be used as a weapon. 

In the last wave of elections many Evangelicals and Catholics were labeled as homophobic because they opposed homosexual marriage.  This was a serious allegation, and one which caused a lot of young people to reconsider their vote.  After all, who wants to be associated with Fred Phelps or the men who murdered Matthew Shepard? 

Yet this is an unfair charge against the vast majority of Christians and Catholics who have thoughtful objections to homosexuality.  Believing that the Bible teaches that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:9-11) does not make you homophobic.  Sharing the truth of the gospel with homosexuals hoping that they will turn from their sins is not an expression of irrational hate, but Christian compassion.  From our point of view, Christian love demands that we show them the error of their ways, so that they can spend an eternity with Christ.  Therefore, the allegation of homophobia against thoughtful and loving Christians who still believe in the sinfulness of homosexual acts is just as slanderous and ignorant, as the thoughtless and hateful expressions made by Fred Phelps.

I believe that Catholics would agree on this point as both Evangelicals and Catholics have often been maligned in the liberal sectors of the media for our stance on gay marriage. Consequently before you use the term anti-catholic to describe Flint Hills Christian Church, take a moment to consider the weight of such a term, and make sure that you are applying the golden rule in doing so.

Matthew 7:12 "Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

In the next post, I will answer the question “Do You Love Catholics?”

Dave Hintz

Sola Fide

At the heart of the debate between Christians and Catholics rests the definition of justification.  In other words, when are men in a right and reconciled relationship with the Lord?

Catholics believe in a progressive approach to justification where men - empowered by the grace of god - perform various deeds and sacraments which will eventually allow them to stand before the living God.   

Baptism starts the journey, washing you of your sin. The sacraments give you a spiritual booster shot cleansing you of your minor sins.  Confession redeems you from spiritually deadly mortal sins.  And purgatory will finish the job so long as you stay on the straight and narrow.  This view asserts that while Christ's death made it possible to enter heaven, faith alone is not sufficient.  You need the church, the sacraments, and purgatory to be justified.

Yet, Scripture presents a radically different and simpler perspective.  The Bible teaches that God declares the Christian to be righteous when they have genuine faith - no further work needed.  This is the doctrine of Sola Fide - "by faith alone." 

One of the clearest articulations of this doctrine can be found in:

Ephesians 2:8-9:  "8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Being saved by grace through faith is a gift from God.  Unlike Catholic teaching, we see that God does not impart saving grace through the sacraments but through simple faith.

Why faith? Because faith is an expression of humility and a renunciation of self dependence.

Why grace?  Because grace gives maximum glory to God.  For example, imagine for Christmas I gave you a brand new leather jacket.  You fall in love with it the moment you slip it on.  Then I tell you, "That will be two dollars."  This is still a good deal but it's no longer a gift. 

If you are like me, when your friends ask you where you got that jacket you will talk about the great deal you received.  Such boasting will make them think that you are a shrewd and wise shopper.  But let's say I gave you the jacket as a gift.  When your friends inquire about how you procured the jacket, you will be forced to say it was a gift.  And your friends will have new admiration for the gift giver.  In the same way, salvation is given as a gift so that we will not be tempted to boast in ourselves, but in the giver of the gift. 

This gift of salvation is perfect and complete in every way and it is available to all through faith.  Christ is the all- sufficient sacrifice for our sins. Through Him we are completely forgiven.  Through him we can approach the throne of God with confidence as we have no fear of condemnation.  How glorious is it to realize that our salvation is not up to us, but that we can have peace and assurance that "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, not principalities, not things present, not things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-9)!

Dave Hintz

We Are Christians Too

While I was in Seminary I lived in an apartment complex dominated by seminary students with one exception.  Our next door neighbors were Mormon Missionaries.  One day I struck up a conversation with them. When they found out that I was a Christian they were elated.  You see, they were Christians too!  So in their minds we were on the same team. 

However, a quick perusal of the Mormon faith will demonstrate that such a claim is impossible.  They deny both the trinity and salvation by grace through faith alone.  In addition, they believe that our God is one of countless gods, and that a man can eventually become a god.  They may profess a high reverence for Christ, but let’s be frank, they belong to different religion.

So why do they insist that they are Christians too?   Well, one reason may be that Mormons do not want to be marginalized by a Christian society.  They resent their traditional categorization as a cult, and would like to be known as a Christian religion.  This may be true, but the fact that Mormon missionaries keep quiet about their differences until their fourth meeting with a prospective converts offers another rational for their “we are Christians too” claim.    

In Jude 4 we read:

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

In this passage we see that false teachers discretely infiltrate the church.  They fellowship at potlucks, participate in Sunday School, and actively serve in ministry.  All the while, no one knows of their true state or their true agenda.  Once they establish themselves as noble members of the Christian community, they move in for the kill.  Using their established influence they endeavor to move believers away from the truth.  Ask any fox and he will tell you that you have get past the chicken wire before you can feast on poultry.

Think about it, let’s say a Satanist shows up at your door and tells you up front that you got it all wrong, Jesus is overrated, and you should worship Satan.  Will you invite her in for some lemonade?

However, if a couple of all American clean cut boys show up at your door and mention that you both love Jesus, share the same values, vote for the same presidential candidate and so on.  You will be a little more open to what they have to say.  You see, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2Co. 11:14) so that he can get past the chicken wire to get to your heart and mind.  

This is why many false religious movements bent on luring believers away from the faith will always insist “we’re Christians too.”  They will even say that you will be saved under their system.  What they won’t tell you is that you are incomplete in your present state, or hold to a different religion.   They will downplay any difference until they perceive that they have your trust.  Brothers and sisters be warned.  In the words of Paul:

Galatians 1:8-9 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

Dave Hintz