The Wages of Trusting in a "Gospel" of Works Righteousness
The most frightening words anyone could ever hear would be those of our Lord found in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” Can you imagine, you called Him Lord; you did works in His name—even works of ministry; and He declares that you were only workers of lawlessness and that He never knew you? Thinking you were on your way to heaven, you wake up instantly upon your death in Hades in the full conscience of your sin, His Lordship and the eternal punishment that awaits you?—can there be anything more loathsome to fall on an unregenerate yet religious man? Faith Works Man’s best works, even those mentioned above, are nothing but “filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). Paul makes it abundantly clear that our salvation is because “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4). Even when/if we had done all things in perfect obedience to the Lord, Jesus still calls us “unprofitable [or unworthy, useless] servants” (Luke 17:10). If all our righteousness is considered lawlessness; filthy rags; unfit to save us; and renders us unprofitable, useless servants damning us to an eternal hell—then how much more our sin, even the most insignificant or trivial of our failings from the standard of God’s law, His holy character and perfect Word, is sufficient to incarcerate us all in hell forever! Rome's Religious Works: The Wide Road to Hell Today, this very moment, such is the horrifying plight of Pope John Paul II if he continued in the false gospel of Romanist works righteousness to be saved (which he never recanted during his life in any manner whatsoever). The gospel of this Pope and of Rome has always been a false gospel. (This is what Luther and Melanchthon contended for and the reason for the Reformation: reclaiming the gospel of Sola Fide.) Romansim has always propagated a gospel of Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism: works+faith, rather than faith alone; merit+grace, rather than grace alone; Romanism+Christ, rather than Christ alone - rather than the great Augustian biblical gospel. It's not that we (Romanists and Evangelicals) "have differences" about the same gospel. What Rome has always believed is a different gospel fulfilling Matthew 7:21-23 and Galatians 1:6-8. The Scriptures clearly state, without equivocation, that a rejection of the gospel of grace--justification by faith alone--is only sufficient to damn and cannot save--ever. If you trust in that gospel of works, you do not wake up in the glory of heaven in the presence of the Lord, but you wake up in perdition in the horror of your own righteous rags. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul when he powerfully rejects a gospel of works righteousness:
"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" -Romans 4:2-5.Could it be anymore clear than this? The Pope's Best Righteous Deeds; Still Filthy Rags The Pope by human/political/philanthropic evaluation was a good humanitarian; a political figure of peace; a champion for the poor and unborn children; a voice for human rights in oppressive countries; a caretaker for those inflicted with HIV/AIDS around the world; a faithful practitioner of religion; the recognized leader of a church with membership totaling 1.5 billion people; even one who is currently heralded by evangelical leaders giving profound praise for John Paul II being "the most beloved religious leader of our time"; "May his death remind each of us that some day we too must die and enter into God's presence -- and may we each commit ourselves afresh to Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for our salvation"; and "that the Pope didn't fear death, because all who are in Christ need not fear death"; he offered daily prayers to Mary; believed in the Fifth Marian Dogma (that she is co-redemptrix, co-mediatrix with Christ); adhered to the teachings of Trent, Vatican II and the 1994 Catechism of the Church; believed in the continual perpetual sacrifice of Christ through transubstantiation in communion; held to Purgatorial cleansing of sin; The Treasury of Merit; and believed that salvation was a matter of our works plus His grace. And yet, in spite of what are considered to be good acts of loving kindness, social justice, human dignity and religious piety, trusting in those things as evidence of one's salvation can only awaken one in perdition. That is without question this Pope's fate for no one can be saved by the utter futility of salvation by works righteousness. That is why we should feel great sadness of heart for John Paul II for now he has full knowledge of his eternal torment and wrath of a holy God when trying to come to Him in any other way other then how the Lord has prescribed through the pages of Scripture alone. Ringing in John Paul's ears this very moment are the words “I never knew you; depart from Me you practice lawlessness.” He now knows that salvation is only by faith alone, through grace alone, because of the resurrected Christ alone, on the Word alone, to the glory of God alone. Tetzel's Den of Thieves Dear beloved, as we are watching the foolish parade of his corpse through “Tetzel’s Den of Thieves” in Saint Peter’s Basilica may we remember that Pope John Paul II has spent already what must seem like an eternity under the holy wrath of a living God. And even this is but a foretaste of the torment that awaits him; for one day he will be given a resurrected body for torment; and as he stands before the Great White Throne Judgment to hear the Lord’s final words of perditious sentencing; he will then be cast into the lake of fire with Satan and his demons, with Death and Hades, and with all who have rejected the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is now Pope John Paul’s reality. But this is cause for great sadness, for even God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11). The Fear of the Lord and the Call to Repentance Are you quickened today with the fear of the Lord? Is it by the terror of the Lord that you are persuading men to repent of their sins and follow Christ? Have each of us even on this forum trusted in Christ alone for our salvation or have we been spiritually charmed to believe that our works plus His grace somehow saves us? This should cause us all to be moved beyond measure to share the gospel of grace with all that the Lord has sovereignly put in our path; to reach out especially to those who are trapped in the false religion of Romanism—Satan’s greatest hellish masterpiece on earth; and call to repentance even now evangelical leaders who are playing politics with God on CNN and FOXNEWS; who lack the courage, compassion, love and grace to call people to the real gospel of grace and warn them of the wrath to come if they believing in another gospel think they can be saved--a gospel of works (the gospel of Pope John Paul II and Rome) which is not another gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-8)—and ultimately denies justification by faith through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 3:21-26). Justification by Faith in Christ Alone: The Gospel According to Jesus Listen to the words of Paul when he said, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:19-28). As the Day Approaches, Steve Camp Col. 1:9-14 CLICK HERE to visit AudienceONE Ministries
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