Lloyd-Jones and Roman Catholicism

The media's attitude to Roman Catholicism is bizarre. One minute there is a 'feeding frenzy' as some cardinal admits to 'inappropriate advances' to young priests (they can't condemn anything homosexual now, of course - it has to be the manner in which the 'advances' were made). The next moment, it is fawning over the Vatican as if it were a favourite maiden aunt. When Alan Little, the 'special correspondent' of the British Broadcasting Corporation pronounces with a straight face that the papacy is in direct line to the apostle Peter, one wonders where the journalistic objectivity of that once august said Corporation has gone.

It was therefore refreshing recently to come across some robust common sense on Roman Catholicism. Having been stimulated by a discussion at the Westminster Fellowship last week I discovered at home a photocopy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Roman Catholicism, preached on Sunday morning, 29th January 1961, and published in the Westminster Record in May 1963. It was part of his series on Ephesians 6:10-13, on the subject 'the wiles of the devil', specifically heresies. For some reason it does not appear in the Banner of Truth Ephesians series, which is a shame.

In his typical methodical fashion, Dr Lloyd-Jones makes the following points:
1. He is alarmed by the rapprochement that some Protestants seem to be envisaging with Roman Catholicism.
2. He does not believe a 'Protestant Society' of any sort is the answer, but rather a straightforward preaching of Christian Truth and the great Reformed doctrines.
3.The increase in RCism is due to a 'weak and flabby Protestantism that does not know what it believes'.
4. He is not talking about individuals - you can be a Christian and RC - but in spite of the system, not because of it.
5. RCism is 'the devil's greatest masterpiece'.
6. Certainly RCism believes in many important Scriptural truths, but adds with a 'damnable plus' things which are utterly unscriptural.
7. She has many guises, depending on the country she is in.
8. Passages relating to the man of lawlessness (2 Thess 2) , the beast from the earth in Revelation 13 and the 'great whore' of Revelation 17, apply to RCism.
9. Three main headings describe how she has brought unrighteous deception into the church:
(i) she has introduced idolatry and superstition (relics etc).
(ii) her whole system comes between the believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. (a)No salvation outside this church. She claims our totalitarian allegiance. (b) The Pope is a manifestation of the man of lawlessness - he speaks as God (2 Thess 2). (c) Also the priests are a class apart - no salvation without them. (d) The Virgin Mary is more important than Jesus Christ in many representations of Catholic teaching and art. (e)The saints and their 'merit' imply that the merit of Jesus in insufficient.
(iii) she not only robs Christ of his glory but robs his salvation of its sufficiency. They add human works to justification. The rites are essential. No assurance of salvation. Purgatory.
10. RCism has not changed - she boasts of not changing.[This may need to be augmented after Vatican II but not retracted - Rome has changed in ways which embrace what we might call postmodernism, enabling her to be even more chameleon-like in adapting to changing times. The fundamental doctrines remain the same].

He concludes: 'May God give us enlightenment and understanding of the times in which we are living, and awaken us ere it be too late'.