The Pope and the Paraclete

The most current self-proclaimed Vicar of Christ has been making the news again. Pope Francis recently wrote a scathing letter to a few tenacious African priests who rejected the papal appointment of their local bishop.

Francis compared the actions of these priests to the “murderous tenants” in Jesus’ parable of the vineyard, and declared their disobedience to his directives a “mortal sin”. To regain proper standing, the priests must first write a letter of apology, seeking the forgiveness of the Pope. And second, they must clearly manifest total obedience to him.

Do these actions of Pope Francis shock you? What about the time he said that trying to convince nonchristians to convert to faith in Christ is an illicit poison? Or when he declared that one of the ten secrets to a happy life is to not proselytize? And finally, what about the article he wrote in 2013 stating that even atheists have already been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and are children of God just like Christians?

Perhaps you’re wondering how someone would have the audacity to say and do such things. If that’s the case, maybe it would help to understand Francis’ point of view.  

First, Pope Francis views himself as the Pontifex Maximus, which literally means that he believes he is the supreme bridge builder between God and mankind. Francis also believes that, because he possesses Papal infallibility, he is incapable of erring in even the slightest way when teaching on matters of faith and morality. And why would anyone come to such an extreme conclusion about themselves? The reason is that the Pope teaches that he is the Vicar of Christ, or the visible head of the Church on earth who is acting for and in the place of Christ.  

So basically, if you disagree with the Pope, the Pope says you are disagreeing with God. If you disobey the Pope, the Pope says you are disobeying God.

But what did the early Christians believe about the Vicar of Christ? Who did they believe is the primarily agent acting on Jesus’ behalf on earth?

Our Lord Christ has surnamed Himself Truth, not Custom. … Whatever savors of opposition to truth, this will be heresy, even (if it be an) ancient custom. … The reason why the Lord sent the Paraclete was that, since human mediocrity was unable to take in all things at once, discipline should, little by little, be directed and ordained and carried on to perfection by that Vicar of the Lord, the Holy Spirit. “Still,” He said, “I have many things to say to you, but you are not yet able to bear them: when that Spirit of truth shall come, He will direct you into all truth, and will report to you the things that must take place.” – Tertullian 207CE, ANF Volume 4, p. 44-45 [CD-ROM]

Most of us would agree with Tertullian. The true Vicar of Christ on earth is the Holy Spirit. After all, Jesus told His disciples in John 14:16-17, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

It’s one thing to intellectually agree that the Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative on earth, and thus speaks on His behalf with all authority. However, it’s another thing all together to have that intellectual belief become a functional reality in our lives.

So, who or what holds the functional place of God in your life? Your feelings? Cultural norms? Your finances? A certain person? A quest for more money, control or security? Your appearance? What is the actual driving-force behind your decision-making?

It can be scary and sometimes frustrating to begin to honestly answer that question. But the real Vicar of Christ, the Holy Spirit, is here to help us. He is for us, not against us. He is the Spirit of truth, and one of His main jobs is to transform us to become more and more like the One who is the Truth and the only way to God the Father, Jesus Christ. And though Pope Francis may disagree, He is someone that everyone needs to know about.

Simply Jesus Pt. 31: “Why Do You Call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ..."

When Pope Francis came onto the world’s stage in March of 2013, he was immediately heralded by millions of Christians and non-Christians alike as a great man of God. Similar to the way King Saul was originally adored by the Israelites of his day, the media portrayed Francis as a gentle leader of sheep, and the world welcomed him with open arms.

However, as time has progressed, Pope Francis has spoken many disturbing words. And the more he speaks, the more red flags are raised.

Let me give you two examples.

Recently, Francis took part in a Q&A. He was asked by a girl (who lives in an area where 80% of the population is non-Christian) if she should witness to her unbelieving friends and try to convince them to go to church. This was his answer:

Listen, the last thing you must do is to “speak.” You have to live as a Christian, like a Christian: convinced, forgiven, and on a path. It is not licit to convince them of your faith; proselytism is the strongest poison against the ecumenical path.

Along similar lines, in 2014, Pope Francis gave the world his 10 secrets to living a happy life. This was number 9 on the list:

9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No."

Is Pope Francis right? And should we obey him?

Is it not lawful to try to convince others to become Christians? Is urging people to give their lives to Jesus poisonous? Is the worst thing of all talking with people in order to persuade them to change their beliefs?

Think about what Francis just did. Did he use words to try to persuade and convince people to change their religious beliefs? Doesn’t he believe that is an evil thing to do? If Francis believes that what he said in his Q&A and 9^th step of happiness is right, he just broke his own law while in the midst of declaring it to the world.

But what does the Bible have to say about the matter?

In 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, Paul writes about how we should live in light of eternity and the judgment to come.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.

Knowing the judgment to come, that we all will be repaid for everything we’ve done, said and thought, Paul says he has devoted his life to trying to persuade people to give their lives to Jesus. So, how did he persuade others? By merely living a godly life, and if necessary, after a long period of time, finally using words?

Acts 19 describes Paul’s entrance into Ephesus. How did he initially engage the people there?

And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. – Acts 19:8-10

It’s a good thing for all the people of Asia Minor that Paul wasn’t following the philosophy of Pope Francis. Because of Paul’s aggressive, persuasive speaking, the gospel of the kingdom of God was heard all over that region and countless people became followers of Jesus.

Who are you following?

Paul was following the commands of Jesus when he fearlessly went into the synagogue of Ephesus, boldly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Acts 26:15-18, he testified to King Agrippa of the commission he received from Jesus to proclaim the gospel.

"I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. … For this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness … rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”

Paul did not prove disobedient to what Jesus commanded. What about Pope Francis? Is he being obedient to the one he calls his Lord? Is he teaching others to obey the Lord Jesus?

Doesn’t Jesus call us to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all of His commands?

If so, perhaps Francis needs to read Luke 6:46 again. “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Do you call Jesus your Lord? If so, do you do what He says, or, is there a different authority calling the shots in your life? Pope Francis will have to answer for what he’s doing and teaching, and so will we.

He loves Christ Jesus who does His will and keeps His commandments. “For not every one that says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but only he that does the will of My Father.” And, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” – Clement of Alexandria, Volume 2, p. 995 [CD-ROM]

Simply Jesus Pt. 6: “I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life...”

Unity is vital in homes, churches and nations. Jesus said it well in Luke 11:17, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.”

However, is it possible for unity to be dangerous? Of course it is, if people are unified around a lie. Unfortunately, there are many examples in the Bible where people are united around a false promise or a false hope, where people are bound together in a false unity that leads to disastrous consequences.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve united around the Serpent’s lie that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could rid themselves of the need for God. Genesis 11 paints an equally troubling scene where all of humanity rallied together to rise into heaven to defeat God at the Tower of Babel. A little over a year after the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt by God’s mighty hand, Numbers 13-14 shows they had an opportunity to enter the Promised Land. However, with virtually one voice they chose to keep wandering in the wilderness rather than to confront the giants across the Jordan.

Moving to the New Testament, Mark 15 depicts the day our Lord and Savior heard the united shouts of those He came to save imploring Pilate to, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” The Apostle Paul never forgot the day he witnessed roughly 25,000 demonically-inspired people shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” in unison for two hours straight due to his work for the kingdom of God (Acts 19). Finally, Revelation 13 reveals that one day almost the entire earth will be deceived into following the Antichrist, and therefore, worshiping Satan.

A. W. Pink wrote this about the false good news Satan offers to the world:

The gospel of Satan … does not promote strife and war—but aims at peace and unity. It seeks not to set the mother against her daughter nor the father against his son—but fosters the fraternal spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great "brotherhood." … It propagates the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be kind to all. It appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular with the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and dead in trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in being born again.

Don’t sacrifice truth for the sake of unity; doing so can come at the expense of people’s souls.

In January of this year, Pope Francis released a video prayer request, asking everyone to engage in more dialogue with people of other religions because, “We are all children of God.” The video depicts a Buddhist, Jew, Catholic priest and Muslim all declaring that they believe in their particular faith leader, and they believe in love. 1 John 4 says that God is love, so does that mean all these followers of various religions are children of God believing in the same God?

An article has also demonstrated the Pope discussing atheists in a similar light. He said, "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class!”

While it’s true that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross offers redemption to everyone, not everyone has had their sins forgiven, and thus been delivered out of the domain of darkness and into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14). And, as John 1 declares, only those who choose to receive Jesus as their Lord and God receive the right to become children of God.

No matter how other Catholic writers or priests want to spin Pope Francis’ words, he is very much insinuating that John 14:6 should not be taken at face value. What does John 14:6 say? “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

Though the early Christians genuinely sought to demonstrate God’s love to all people, they refused to soften Jesus’ words to make Christianity more acceptable to the masses. 

No one can know the Father, unless through the Word of God, that is, unless by the Son revealing [Him]. … Therefore the Son reveals the knowledge of the Father through His own manifestation. … He said to His disciples: “No man knows the Son but the Father, nor the Father but the Son, and those to whomsoever the Son shall reveal Him;” thus setting Himself forth and the Father as He [really] is, that we may not receive any other Father, except Him who is revealed by the Son. …

And for this purpose did the Father reveal the Son, that through His instrumentality He might be manifested to all, and might receive those righteous ones who believe in Him into incorruption and everlasting enjoyment; … but He shall righteously shut out into the darkness which they have chosen for themselves, those who do not believe, and who do consequently avoid His light. … Wherefore did the Lord say to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father but by Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” – Irenaeus 180CE Volume 1, p. 781, 783-784  [CD-ROM]

Like Jesus, Irenaeus had no problem causing holy division. He basically said that if you have not received God’s Son, you are not part of God’s family. If you choose to not believe in God’s Son, you choose to reject eternal life and bring judgment on yourself. There is only one way to God the Father, and it is through the Lord Jesus Christ His Son.

Even though there was no Pope ruling over the vast number of Christians throughout the world in the first three centuries, it is remarkable how unified the early Christians were in their core doctrines and values. They were unified around the person, life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and were fiercely loyal to Him, no matter the cost.

The early Christians believed that since Jesus said He is the only way to the Father, taking Him seriously mattered enormously. Therefore, evangelism and discipleship were matters of great urgency.

So may we be unified in fulfilling the great commission of our true High Priest. And may we sincerely seek to encourage all people to become baptized disciples of Jesus who lovingly obey His commands by grace through faith. May we be unified in keeping the simple words of Christ.