Posted: 06/15/06

Emerging With Rome's Different Gospel

By Ken Silva

Apprising Ministries

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  [1]

Let me make this as clear as I possibly can for the Roman Catholics who may read this work in Christ. I personally am a former member of the apostate Church of Rome and care very deeply about those, such as the majority of my own family line, who are trapped in this apostate man-made system of religion.

Now there has been some confusion over issues concerning Roman Catholicism, particularly due to the growth of contemplative spirituality in new evangelicalism now rapidly being spread by the Emergent Church . Since the central issue of the Protestant Reformation deals with the very Gospel itself it becomes vitally important to address this topic. In the above Scripture the Apostle Paul has very clearly said that if anyone preaches a Gospel other than that of Christ's original Apostles, it is God Himself Who says this person–or group is accursed.

Roman Catholicism Teaches Baptismal Regeneration

The Gospel of the Apostles does not include the doctrine that baptism brings about forgiveness of our sins and unites us to Christ. The different "gospel" of the Church of Rome unquestionably does. Consider the following from the Catechism of the Catholic Church [2] section 977: "Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ…" No, baptism has nothing whatsoever to do with forgiveness of sins (e.g. Matthew 9:2; Luke 23:42-43; Acts 10:43-45), and no it doesn't unite us with Christ.

A person becomes baptized because he has already been united to Christ by God's grace alone; through faith alone; in Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8 is in the past tense, – you have been saved, and yet the different gospel the Church of Rome teaches justification is an ongoing process. And anyone, even an angel from Heaven–most certainly applies to the Pope in Rome pretending to be Vicar of Christ–who preaches a gospel other than the one Paul preached. It is God the Holy Spirit Who tells us he is under the divine curse of God. If one is under the divine curse then he can't very well be a Christian.

The Catechism also says in section 405: "human nature has not been totally corrupted;…" This is also part of the different gospel of the Roman Catholic Church because Genesis 8:21 distinctly says – every inclination of [man's] heart is evil from childhood. The Lord Himself confirms this in Matthew 7:11 when He says to His Own disciples – you are evil. The greatest of the Apostles says – nothing good lives in me. [3] And finally Romans 3:10-18 makes it quite clear that no one seeks God. [4] 

Mankind Plays No Part In Salvation

In fact we have this confirmed again by the LORD God Himself in Matthew 11:27 when He says – "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Now we may not like the fact no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him but this is exactly what the text says. So you can see this is right in line with what God the Holy Spirit of Truth reveals through Paul – no one seeks God.

There is just no way around the absolute truth of Romans 5 – You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! [5]

The Catechism also says in section 405: "Baptism,…erases original sin…" In Section 1215: "[Baptism] actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one 'can enter the kingdom of God.' " Section 1265 says: "Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also…the whole organism of the Christian's supernatural life has its roots in baptism." We read in section 1250: "Born with a fallen human nature…children also have need of the new birth in baptism." And finally, here is section 1992: "Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith."

The issue is simple: If no one can enter the Kingdom of God without "the new birth in baptism," then we are now in contradiction with the Gospel contained in Holy Scripture. It needs to be recovered that the Reformers were simply returning our Lord's Church back to what God has told us about His Gospel in His Word. The absolute Truth is that mankind's nature is totally depraved, he does nothing to initiate so great [a] salvation, he does nothing to accomplish it, nor does he need to do anything to keep it.

No, the Bible is very clear on this subject, and the truly perplexing question that remains is: How possibly can the allegedly Protestant Reformed evangelical community now consider as Christian an organization which claims infallibility for its corrupt and unregenerate teaching magisterium, proclaiming a gospel of works-oriented baptism for the remission of sins, who is undoubtedly preaches another gospel unto you than that ye have received?

By Ken Silva Click here for bio and archived articles