2. A Study of Denominations Roman Catholicism (2)  doctrines regarding priesthood  doctrines regarding Mary

3. Catholics and the Priesthood a segregate priesthood  unmarried men confession to priests for forgiveness call them “father”

4. Catholics and the Priesthood a segregate priesthood  unmarried men confession to priests for forgiveness call them “father” 1.there is no separate office of priest in NT 2.every Christian is a priest 3.forbidding people who can marry from marrying is a doctrine of demons (1 Tim. 4:1-3; cf. Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 9:5)

5. All Christians are Priests 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 2:4, 5, NKJV) the church is the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15) these were those who believed and obeyed (1 Pet. 2:7) “you” are a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9) “YOU” WHO?

6. Catholics and the Priesthood a segregate priesthood  unmarried men confession to priests for forgiveness call them “father” 1.no one can forgive sins accept God (Mk. 2:7- 12) 2.there is only one mediator between man and God, viz. Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5) 3.all Christians can pray for others

7. James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” ALL CHRISTIANS CAN PRAY TO GOD FOR FORGIVENESS OF THEIR OWN SINS “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22)

8. Catholics and the Priesthood a segregate priesthood  unmarried men confession to priests for forgiveness call them “father” 1.the wearing of religious titles is condemned 2.“father” in particular is condemned as a religious title

9. Catholics and the Priesthood a segregate priesthood  unmarried men confession to priests for forgiveness call them “father” Matthew 23:9, “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” THIS PASSAGE COMPLETELY CUTS AGAINST THE GRAIN OF THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD!

10. Man Versus God CATHOLIC CHURCH: CALL YOUR PRIEST ‘FATHER!’ JESUS CHRIST: CALL NO MAN ‘FATHER!’

11. Catholics and Mary Immaculate Conception  In the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December, 1854, Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin” (www.newadvent.org)www.newadvent.org “Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes” (Eccl. 7:29) to see a thorough debunking of “Original Sin” click here!

12. God Versus Man God made man depraved in sin MAN GOD “God made man upright, but they” (Eccl. 7:29) God exempted Mary “For there is no partiality with God.” (Rom. 2:11)

13. Catholics and Mary Immaculate Conception  “The formal active essence of original sin was not removed from her soul, as it is removed from others by baptism; it was excluded, it never was in her soul.... Her redemption was the very masterpiece of Christ's redeeming wisdom. He is a greater redeemer who pays the debt that it may not be incurred than he who pays after it has fallen on the debtor. (www.newadvent.org)www.newadvent.org

14. Questions If it was possible for sin to never have been in Mary’s soul at conception, then why would it not also be possible for sin to not be in anyone’s soul at conception? If Mary’s redemption from “Original Sin” is Christ’s “masterpiece” of redeeming wisdom, then why did he not redeem all people that way? If Christ is a “greater redeemer” by paying the debt that it may not incur to Mary, then why didn’t he redeem all men that way?  why is he a “lesser redeemer” to me than to Mary?

15. Romans 3:23 “All” included Mary  where does the Bible say Mary was without sin? If Mary was sinless, it would be possible for one to be justified without the blood of Christ “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

16. Catholics and Mary Immaculate Conception The Assumption of Mary  has to deal with Mary’s body being taken up into heaven  THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION... “This feast has a double object: (1) the happy departure of Mary from this life; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven. It is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin” (www.newadvent.org)www.newadvent.org  YET: “Regarding the day, year, and manner of Our Lady's death, nothing certain is known” (ibid.)ibid.  WHATEVER IS TAUGHT ABOUT MARY’S DEATH, ETC. IS PURELY ASSUMPTIVE! NO SCRIPTURE!

17. Catholics and Mary Immaculate Conception The Assumption of Mary Perpetual Virginity  Catholics affirm that Mary remained a virgin after Jesus was born  Is such true?

18. What Does the Evidence Say? “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:18)  passage speaks of a time before they came together (i.e., moved into the same house)  a definite historical time had to exist for them to “come together!”  did they ever come together as husband and wife?

19. Before they came together an angel affirmed for him not to be afraid to “take to you Mary your wife” (Matt. 1:20)  then he “took to him his wife” (1: 24)  but “...did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son...” (1:25; Gen. 4:1) only states of the time before Jesus was born! doesn’t say that he never knew her after Jesus was born! The natural implication is that he did! virginity before marriage is virtuous; but after marriage is not (cf. 1 Cor. 7:2-5)

20. After Jesus was born, Mary DID NOT remain a virgin Jesus had brothers  “For even His brothers did not believe in Him” (Jn. 7:5) these were his brothers in the same sense that Mary was his mother “Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?” (1 Cor. 9:5) “Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You’” (Matt. 12:47)

21. Jesus had brothers and sisters! “ ‘Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters [Gk. adelphe] here with us?’ And they were offended at Him” (Mk. 6:3; cf. Matt. 13:56; 19:29; Acts 23:16)  “sister” (Gk. adelphe) is never used in NT as a mere relative “relative” (Gk. suggenes) Luke 1:36; 2:44; 14:12; etc. “cousin” (Gk. anepsios) Colossians 4:10

22. Catholics and Mary Immaculate Conception The Assumption of Mary Perpetual Virginity Worship  It cannot be denied that Catholics worship Mary  “Hail Mary”

23. Hail Mary “It is commonly described as consisting of three parts. The first, ‘Hail (Mary) full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women’, embodies the words used by the Angel Gabriel in saluting the Blessed Virgin (Luke, I, 28). The second, ‘and blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Jesus)’, is borrowed from the Divinely inspired greeting of St. Elizabeth (Luke, i, 42)... Finally, the petition ‘Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.’ is stated by the official ‘Catechism of the Council of Trent’ to have been framed by the Church itself....thereby implying that we should piously and suppliantly have recourse to her in order that by her intercession she may reconcile God with us sinners and obtain for us the blessing we need both for this present life and for the life which has no end” (www.newadvent.org)www.newadvent.org

24. Mary... Was not worshipped in the first century but worship the risen savior  “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14)

25. Mary... Is not our mediator  “ 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Tim. 2:5, 6) Does “ONE” equal “TWO”?  In N.T. we never see prayer through a saint!

26. Mary... cannot reconcile us to God  reconciliation is based on God’s terms  comes through the death of Jesus and no one else “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:10)  comes at the point of baptism “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Rom. 6:3)

27. Mary... was in need of the blood of the Christ as much as any other person  “ 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.... 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8, 10)  Mary was no exception

28. In the Next Lesson Transubstantiation Purgatory