Catholic Church Tries To Draw Christians Back To Rome And To Pre-Reformation Faith.

The following article applies to all denominations in the world today and it does not apply to the members of any church denomination.  It applies only to the OFFICIALS WHO RUN THE CHURCH. 

So, before all of you critics head out to the shed for your pitch forks and torches, please read the article first.  Then you can head for the pitchforks.  

We are all truly one church and as long as a person believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God we are all one family under God.  The caveat here is that you must stand on the Word of God alone, the Bible.

"Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses—and the world has never been the same since. But what has not changed is the Word of God and the truths in the Word that gave Luther the theological foundation to challenge Rome...Luther found the great truth of “justification by faith” alone.

"It was in regard to this truth, too, that Luther—defying the powers and principalities of the world and of the Roman hierarchy—appeared before the Diet of Worms, in 1521, and declared: “I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. . . . Here I stand, I can do no other.”

"And today faithful... (Christians)... also can do nothing either than stand on the Word of God over and against all unbiblical traditions and dogma.

"No question that Christianity has greatly advanced since Luther, freeing itself from centuries of superstition and false doctrine that not only distorted the gospel but, in fact, also usurped it.

"Today, however, in an age of ecumenism and pluralism, many of the distinctive truths that spurred the Reformation have become blurred, covered up under a fusillade of semantic chicanery that seeks to hide fundamental differences that have been resolved no more now than they were in Luther’s day. The prophecies of Daniel 7:23-25, 8:9-12, and Revelation 13, 14, as well as the great news of salvation by faith as found in the book of Romans show why those faithful to the Bible must firmly adhere to the truths that our Protestant forefathers defended, even at the cost of their lives.

"...(W)e must rest upon the principle of sola scriptura, Scripture alone; ... we (must) adamantly reject all attempts to draw Christians back to Rome and to pre-Reformation faith. On the contrary, Scripture points us in the opposite direction"  (Rev. 18:4), and in that direction we proceed as we proclaim “the everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6) to the world, the same everlasting gospel that inspired Luther 500 years ago."  

(https://www.absg.adventist.org/ "Salvation by faith alone- The Book Of Romans, copyright 2017 General Conferance of Seventh Day Adventists).

We must not be drawn back to the Roman era where Rome ruled and dominated the Christian Church.  We must continue on the path of the post Roman era where the Christian Church drew away from the edicts of the Roman Empire, filled with pagan religious practices and continue on the path established by the early churches post Roman Empire.

Practical Application of God's Word Is A Must If We Want To Have Saving Faith.

Romans 10:1417 How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those whopreach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, who has believed our report?"  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. New King James Version "The word of Christ is what brought us out of the world and that to which we were converted. When we drift away from it, we become confused, and we begin dividing, bickering and fighting among ourselves. The solution is given elsewhere in the Bible: Get back to what brought us together in the first place—the combination of the word of Christ and devotion to Him, to the love that we had at the beginning (Revelation 2:4-5). "Genuine ignorance may be a defense before God, but neglect never is. We need to remember Hebrews 2:3, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" God can forgive ignorance because we cannot believe what we did not know, and even though we may be punished in our ignorance, it is far different from being punished when we know better. Yet, "to whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke 12:48). We are not in ignorance. If we are slipping away, it is because of neglect. "One way we can be unworthy at Passover time (I Corinthians 11:27) is by neglecting or forgetting what we are now. We need to evaluate faith in light of the Passover and the state of our minds and our hearts as we approach it. Moffatt translates Romans 10:17 as, "Faith must come from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ." We are saved by grace through faith, and faith comes from knowledge of God and His Word, so the importance of studying His Word, meditating on it, seeking practical applications for our life, cannot be overstated. "Along with obedience, practical application of God's Word is a must if we want to have saving faith. We must check ourselves before Passover to see whether we have passed up or neglected opportunities to make practical use of our faith. This means so much to our attitude, the way we approach life on a daily basis."  (http://www.theberean.org/, 03/06/2017, John W. Ritenbaugh)