THE WAY WHICH THEY CALL HERESY
Notes of an address by Stephen J Scott-Pearson

"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets" (Acts 24:14)

The whole essence of the fundamental difference between Biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism is set forth in this text.  The difference in attitude to "all things which are written in the law and in the prophets" is the essence of the division between Popery and Christianity.

During the dawn of Reformation times Lollard followers of the great Reformer and Bible Translator John Wycliffe and then later the Protestant Reformation Martyrs were burnt at the stake in England, Wales and The Channel Islands.  Two hundred and eighty nine persons were burnt at the stake during four years in the reign of Mary Tudor.  This was all because of the way in which the blessed Spirit of God had by Sovereign power and grace wrought upon them, bringing them to an unreserved acceptance of and commitment to the sole and sufficient authority of "all things that are written" in the Holy Bible.

Men such as those Paul faced in New Testament days who accepted the traditions of men as being equal to or even above the authority of the inscripturated Word of God will never be at peace with men who "worship the Lord God of their fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets."

Putting up Papal, Church and Traditional authority while rejecting much of that which is written always has been and is the position of the Roman Catholic church.

Rome rejects that which is written in the Blessed Book of God concerning: the Nature of the Christian Church, the Authority in the Christian Church, the Nature of Ministry of the Christian Church, the Salvation of the Christian Church, the only suitable Object of Worship of the Christian Church, the One Mediator of the Christian Church, the One Confessor of the Christian Church, the Only Sacraments of the Christian Church, the Destiny of the Christian Church.

The Bible speaks of "The Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood".  This Church is set forth in Scripture as being composed of the elect, called, justified, blood-bought and blood-washed regenerated people of God.  Not a great physical establishment with political ambitions and temporal powers such as the Imperial Church of The Roman Empire.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "My Kingdom is not of this world".  He told the apostles, "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  But it shall not be so among you ..." (Matt 20:25,26a).

The Church of Rome is headed by its Pope, who claims to be "the Father of Princes and Kings" - "King of heaven, earth and hell" who, it is further claimed, "has a supremacy vested in him that extends to the disposing of the temporal possessions of all in Christendom from the crowned sceptre of the sovereign to the last penny of the beggar".

The Pagan origins, political pretensions and pernicious doctrines of the Pope and Church of Rome shows them to be foreign to Biblical Christianity and the true Church of God.

The Bible teaches that Christ is both the founder and the foundation of the Christian Church: "For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 3:11).

The Bible teaches that Almighty God put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church which is His body.  Christ never delegated His position or power to any apostle and certainly not to a pope.

Christ is the Head of the true Church.  The Pope is Antichrist and is the head of the apostate church of Rome - that "woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Rev 17:6).

ROME REJECTS THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE CONCERNING AUTHORITY IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The true people of God recognise and assert the sole and sufficient authority of Scripture.

The Lord Jesus Christ on many occasions said, "It is written" - He rested the full weight of His claims and creed upon "all things which are written in the law and in the prophets".  The Church of Rome nullifies the Word of God.  Rome teaches that the Bible is the Word of God but maintains that alongside of the written Word there is the unwritten word - the oral word which comes to expression in the pronouncements of the church councils and papal decrees, taking precedence over the written Word and interpreting it.  The Council of Trent, the most authoritative and one of the most important of Roman councils, held in 1546, declared that the Word of God is contained both in the Bible and in tradition, that the two are of equal authority, and that it is the duty of every Christian to accord them equal veneration and respect.  When the leaders of the Reformation appealed to Scripture and thundered against the errors of the Church of Rome, not being able to defend herself from the Bible, she resorted to other writings.

When a Roman Catholic searches his Bible for confirmation of the doctrinal distinctions of his religion he finds the Scriptures either in silence or opposition.  The pope and papacy as an institution, the use of images or idols in worship, baptismal regeneration etc, etc, the whole system falls to the ground when examined in the light of "all things which are written in the law and in the prophets".

ROME REJECTS THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE CONCERNING THE NATURE OF MINISTRY IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Roman Catholicism claims a human priesthood.  As the greatness, completeness and finality of Christ's sacrificial work is not recognised by Romanism the Romish priest is engaged in a never-ending cycle of sacrifices.  At his ordination the words spoken to him are: "Receive power to offer sacrifices unto God".  He is presented with a chalice and paten - a communion cup and plate.  The performing of the eucharist, the conducting of the mass, is the essence of his work.  This is a vain occupation seeing that the Scripture declares: "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Heb 10:10-14)

Complete salvation was obtained through the one efficacious sacrifice offered by Christ.  The daily sacrifices of a human priesthood are done away with.  Rome believes in an incomplete salvation while the Bible sets forth a complete salvation by and through Christ.  The most prominent feature of the Roman priesthood is its sacrificial character.  When the Lord Jesus Christ sent out His apostles He commanded them to preach and teach - He spoke not one word about sacrifice.  In His Great Commission He said "make disciples", "baptise", "teach".  He did not say "sacrifice".

It is difficult for a Protestant Bible-believing saint to realise the position and power of the priests within the Church of Rome.  We read in a Roman Catholic book which carries the imprimatur of the Archbishop of Ottawa, "Without the priest the death and passion of our Lord would be of no avail to us.  See the power of the priest!  By one word from his lips he changes a piece of bread into a god..  A greater fact than the creation of the world.  If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I would salute the priest before saluting the angel.  The priest holds the place of God."

Romanism puts the priest between the people and the knowledge of God as revealed in the Scriptures making him the sole interpreter of truth.

Romanism puts the priest between the confession of sins and the forgiveness of sins - between the soul and eternity.  Release from a supposed purgatory and entry into heaven are said to be dependent on the priest's prayers, which must be paid for by relatives or friends.  The priests of Rome seek to hound a man on his death bed and haunt him in eternity!

We could continue tracing out the pernicious doctrines of Romanism, all contrary to Biblical teaching, but I would rather now to return to some brief reflections upon the wording of our text.

FIRSTLY THERE IS SET BEFORE US A GOOD CONFESSION
"But this I confess unto thee".  -  The apostle Paul knew what the truth was.  He was not ashamed of that truth but was rather ready to own and bear testimony to it.  He had not always known the truth.  He at one time had fought against the truth and had savagely persecuted those who had known and confessed it.  A gracious God had shown him mercy and now he knew and loved and lived for the truth.  He was ready to die for it also.

THERE WAS A FRANKNESS IN HIS CONFESSION
"But his I confess!"  -  There is no secret about this.  This was the case with Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer, that having been brought by the grace of God to a knowledge of the truth they frankly confessed it in their sermons, writings and disputations - and they went on to seal their confession with their blood!

ALONG WITH THIS FRANKNESS IN CONFESSING THE TRUTH THERE WAS A FEARLESSNESS IN DENYING AND DENOUNCING FALSEHOOD
In verse 12 Paul denies that he was a trouble maker or an enemy to the public peace.  In verse 13 Paul denies that there is any truth or validity in the accusations and charges brought against him.  In verse 18 Paul denies that he was a "pestilent fellow" and "a mover of seditions".

In Paul's statements there is a complete absence of abuse of his accusers.  In courteous straight forward statements Paul contradicted the falsehood that he heard.  All of the true people of God in all generations need great grace and help to do the same thing.

It is because we "esteem all God's precepts concerning all things to be right;" that we "hate every false way", we do not hate men.  A good confession of the faith will always consist in a frank assertion of the truth and fearless denunciation of falsehood.

SECONDLY THERE IS SET BEFORE US A GATHERING OF ENEMIES
"after the way which they call heresy"  -  Paul's "heresy" in the eyes of his accusers was that he "believed all things which are written ..."  They did not!

Those burnt in England at the time of the Protestant Reformation were charged with heresy under the Act for the Burning of Heretics of 1400 or 1401, were examined concerning their faith, and if found believing and confessing what the Scriptures declare concerning the finished work of redemption and atonement by Christ at Calvary, were ajudged heretics and were handed over to the secular powers to be burnt to death.  There was no shortage of those earnest and keen to silence the tongues of the tellers forth of God's truth!

The term "heresy" suggests the imperilling of truth.  The great test of whether or not a doctrine or view is heretical is simply and solely this.  Is it in harmony with all things which are written in the law and in the prophets and does it work out into that which is good?  If it enlightens men on how to get to Heaven and at the same time helps to make men good it is God's truth whatever some may call it.

The term "heresy" is often thought by men to call for judicial intervention and interference.  It never does!  For truth will ever win over error and carry its own conviction.  It takes care of its own purity, casts off all additions, and makes good all omissions, smiles at unbelief and remains inpregnable granite.

Wherever men confess truth - truth in its purity and truth in its power, they will not be short of detractors, critics and accusers!  Slanders and libels, charges and condemnations will be heaped on our heads but the truth will stand ever to the confusion and consternation of its enemies and to the comfort and consolation of God's elect.

THIRDLY IN OUR TEXT THERE IS SET BEFORE US A GREAT GOD
"so worship I the God of my fathers"  -  Rome worships relics and images.  The God of our fathers is the one true eternal, ever-living, great, glorious and gracious God of Heaven - Jehovah Lord of Hosts.

The God worshipped by Paul was not a new but the old God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who spoke through Moses saying: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them".  This was the God worshipped and served by the Protestant Reformers.  The God worshipped by Paul was not a false but the true God.  Some people need a new God!  If the god that they have is false he should be abandoned.  If men and women have a "Christ" who, at the whim of a priest can be transubstantiated into a pancake or biscuit they should abandon him for the true Christ of Scripture.  If a man's god is an idol made with hands he needs to smash his idol and cry out for mercy from the true God of Heaven.  Many worship knowing not what they worship.  We know who we worship - we worship "the God of our fathers".

He is worthy of all of the worship and adoration of men: "For the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever."

FOURTHLY THERE IS SET BEFORE US A GRAND FOUNDATION
"Believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets"  -  Paul did not subscribe to the liberalism of the Sadducees.  Paul did not subscribe to the traditions of the Scribes.  But he believed "all" that was in the Sacred writings.  The foundation of his confidence and confession was the Word of God.  Paul professed an intelligent and informed faith.  His was a faith that embraced "all things" in the Scriptures.  The Jews' ruining sin was that though they read the Law and the Prophets they would not believe "all" therein, particularly the prophecies of the Messiah - that which set forth Christ.  They professed to believe Moses but Christ said to them, "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me" (John 5:46).

Is this not the same stumbling block that Romanism stumbles at - the finished work of Christ as set forth in the Scriptures?
 




(Taken from the July/August 1992 edition of "The Reformer", the official organ of the Protestant Alliance. Reproduced with permission.)

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