WEBVTT 00:02.770 --> 00:09.890 In understanding the Roman Catholic doctrine of Mary, you must understand that 00:09.890 --> 00:15.070 the Mary of Biblical theology is not the Mary of Catholic theology. 00:15.930 --> 00:20.130 The Mary of Biblical theology is the handmaiden of the Lord. 00:20.910 --> 00:22.130 Luke chapter 1. 00:23.330 --> 00:28.830 The Mary of Biblical theology says, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 00:29.030 --> 00:31.910 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 00:32.870 --> 00:39.270 Mary of Biblical theology submits to the word of the angel Gabriel, as from God 00:39.270 --> 00:39.610 himself. 00:40.570 --> 00:46.130 And when she's told that she will bear the Christ child, Mary says, Let it be to me 00:46.130 --> 00:48.610 in accordance with your word. 00:48.710 --> 00:50.410 In other words, I'm willing. 00:50.630 --> 00:53.230 I am the handmaiden, the servant of the Lord. 00:53.870 --> 00:58.510 She was a simple peasant girl engaged to a carpenter. 00:59.010 --> 01:03.910 Yet she was the greatest woman that ever lived, because she was chosen to be the 01:03.910 --> 01:05.270 mother of the Son of God. 01:05.710 --> 01:08.270 She was an extraordinary person. 01:09.170 --> 01:11.970 She was not common, she was extraordinary. 01:13.170 --> 01:16.930 You'll find a full description of Mary, or a pretty good description of Mary, 01:17.070 --> 01:18.530 in Proverbs chapter 31. 01:19.550 --> 01:21.210 She was a virtuous woman. 01:21.950 --> 01:26.790 You want to know the character of Mary, read the pastoral epistles in the New 01:26.790 --> 01:34.110 Testament, where Paul and Peter tell a man what kind of a woman he ought to have, 01:34.850 --> 01:38.950 and a woman what kind of a woman and wife she ought to be. 01:39.790 --> 01:45.130 If you put those together, you will have a character outline of the person of Mary. 01:46.450 --> 01:56.710 She was a sober, dedicated, hard-working, eager, zealous, spiritual, godly person. 01:57.510 --> 02:01.770 And she set an example, because Christ would have nothing less for his mother 02:01.770 --> 02:04.950 than the personality that could set that kind of an example. 02:05.970 --> 02:10.290 So when we get further into this, I will quote some of these verses to 02:10.290 --> 02:12.750 indicate to you what I'm talking about. 02:12.970 --> 02:18.250 But for a little homework on your own, why don't you read the pastoral epistles 02:18.250 --> 02:25.150 of Timothy, 1st and 2nd Timothy, and also 1st Peter particularly, 02:25.690 --> 02:29.950 where you will find how husbands and wives are supposed to treat each other. 02:30.650 --> 02:37.090 And every portion that deals with how a wife ought to be, you can mark next to it 02:37.090 --> 02:40.330 an M, because that would be Mary. 02:40.970 --> 02:43.370 She would be that kind of woman. 02:43.610 --> 02:48.470 So a great deal can be learned about her by what is told us in Scripture, 02:49.050 --> 02:52.810 though she only appears a few times in the Word of God. 02:53.550 --> 02:58.790 She appears in Luke chapter 1, of course, and then in the Gospel of John, 02:59.090 --> 03:04.830 at the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee, where she comes to the Lord Jesus and 03:04.830 --> 03:08.650 says, they don't have any more wine. 03:09.570 --> 03:15.130 Jesus' response to her is, woman, which was a common form of address at that 03:15.130 --> 03:18.750 time, what has this got to do with me? 03:19.910 --> 03:23.470 In other words, this isn't my time, I'm not here for this purpose. 03:24.830 --> 03:30.190 But still in deference to her, because she must have told him what she 03:30.190 --> 03:30.610 wanted. 03:31.550 --> 03:37.270 He ordered the pots to be put out and he created wine from water. 03:37.550 --> 03:43.830 That was the first miracle that was done by the Lord Jesus in Cana of Galilee. 03:43.950 --> 03:46.670 It was done at the request of his mother. 03:47.350 --> 03:55.290 So he fulfilled the commandment of Exodus 20, honor thy father and thy mother. 03:55.950 --> 04:02.190 And though that was not his function at that time to do what he did, he honored 04:02.190 --> 04:05.110 her request and did it. 04:05.930 --> 04:13.430 You find Mary appearing again in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 12, 04:13.790 --> 04:24.310 where Christ's brothers and sisters appear with Mary and they are trying to get in to 04:24.310 --> 04:25.230 reach Christ. 04:25.630 --> 04:28.390 This is the Mary of the Bible, Matthew 12. 04:29.630 --> 04:33.110 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing 04:33.110 --> 04:34.810 outside seeking to speak to him. 04:35.470 --> 04:38.670 And someone said to him, behold, thy mother and thy brothers are standing 04:38.670 --> 04:40.270 outside seeking thee. 04:41.070 --> 04:47.710 But Jesus answered and said to him, who is my mother and who are my brothers? 04:48.350 --> 04:56.090 Stretching forth his hand towards his disciples, us, he said, behold, 04:56.490 --> 05:03.310 my mother, my brothers, for whoever does the will of my father which is in heaven, 05:03.950 --> 05:08.030 he is my brother, my sister, and my mother. 05:08.950 --> 05:11.590 That's a fantastic statement because you know what it's saying? 05:12.530 --> 05:20.570 It's saying that my mother, as much as I love her after the flesh, cannot get 05:20.570 --> 05:26.950 anything from me from the perspective of closeness that you can't. 05:28.470 --> 05:34.770 That's marvelous because by turning to us he says, these are my mother, my brother, 05:34.970 --> 05:35.730 and my sisters. 05:35.870 --> 05:36.790 You want to get close to me? 05:37.470 --> 05:42.090 Do the will of my father which is in heaven and you will be as my mother, 05:42.410 --> 05:43.670 my brother, and my sisters. 05:44.730 --> 05:45.290 Hallelujah. 05:45.290 --> 05:48.630 But that is not the Mary of Catholic theology. 05:49.390 --> 05:57.210 Mary of Catholic theology is underscored in the prayer of Pope Pius XII who 05:57.210 --> 06:03.550 proclaimed in the feast of the Assumption at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in 06:03.550 --> 06:09.890 Rome that Mary ascended bodily into heaven and that she was preserved from the 06:09.890 --> 06:11.290 disintegration of the grave. 06:12.270 --> 06:14.130 This is the Mary of Catholic theology. 06:14.590 --> 06:14.790 Listen. 06:16.730 --> 06:19.990 Enraptured by the splendor of your heavenly beauty and impelled by the 06:19.990 --> 06:24.830 anxieties of the world, we cast ourselves into your arms, O Immaculate Mother of 06:24.830 --> 06:27.150 Jesus and our Mother Mary. 06:28.230 --> 06:33.630 Scripture says, casting all thy cares upon Him, He cares for you. 06:34.190 --> 06:38.550 O Immaculate Mother of Jesus and our Mother Mary, confident of finding in you, 06:38.790 --> 06:43.670 our most loving heart, in your most loving heart, the appeasement of our ardent 06:43.670 --> 06:47.510 desire and a safe harbor from the tempest which beset us in every side. 06:48.090 --> 06:51.010 Though degraded by our fault and overwhelmed by infinite misery, 06:51.390 --> 06:58.170 we adore and praise the peerless richness of the sublime gifts with which God has 06:58.170 --> 07:01.210 filled you above every other mere creature. 07:02.310 --> 07:03.430 Notice the elevation? 07:04.570 --> 07:07.330 Above every other mere creature. 07:07.990 --> 07:11.930 From the moment of your conception until the day in which after your assumption 07:11.930 --> 07:15.170 into heaven, He crowned you Queen of the Universe. 07:16.410 --> 07:18.090 This is the Mary of Catholic theology now. 07:18.970 --> 07:19.950 Queen of the Universe. 07:20.630 --> 07:26.850 Quote, crystal fountain of faith, bathe our minds with eternal truths. 07:27.370 --> 07:30.670 Fragrant lily of all holiness, captivate our hearts with your heavenly 07:30.670 --> 07:31.250 perfume. 07:31.830 --> 07:37.830 O conqueress of evil and death, inspire in us a deep horror of sin which 07:37.830 --> 07:41.230 makes the soul detestable to God and a slave of hell. 07:42.050 --> 07:46.850 O well-beloved of God, hear the ardent cries which rise up from every heart in 07:46.850 --> 07:48.590 this year dedicated to you. 07:49.050 --> 07:51.710 Bend tenderly, O Mary, over our aching wounds. 07:52.490 --> 07:55.750 Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and the oppressed. 07:56.230 --> 07:57.870 Comfort the poor and the humble. 07:58.330 --> 08:03.770 Quench hatred, sweeten harshness, safeguard the flower of purity and protect 08:03.770 --> 08:05.070 the Holy Church. 08:05.470 --> 08:11.290 In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognize they are all 08:11.290 --> 08:11.930 brothers. 08:12.470 --> 08:17.870 Receive, O most sweet Mother, our humble supplications above all obtained for us 08:17.870 --> 08:24.410 that on that day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn 08:24.410 --> 08:27.490 which is sung today around your altars. 08:27.490 --> 08:30.190 You are all beautiful, O Mary. 08:30.470 --> 08:31.790 You are the glory. 08:32.110 --> 08:33.130 You are the joy. 08:33.390 --> 08:35.370 You are the honor of our people. 08:36.290 --> 08:36.750 Close quote. 08:37.910 --> 08:42.690 Cardinal Spellman described her in the following terms. 08:43.450 --> 08:49.590 O Mary, gate of heaven, none shall enter in but through thee. 08:50.210 --> 08:50.770 Close quote. 08:52.210 --> 08:53.710 Now that bothers you. 08:55.070 --> 08:57.890 Just remember it's because you're Protestants. 08:58.030 --> 09:00.250 We were protesting against this. 09:00.490 --> 09:02.710 That's why we are here today. 09:02.990 --> 09:07.790 And this is one of the differences which separates us very forcefully from Rome. 09:08.270 --> 09:12.610 First of all, Mary is not the fountain of faith. 09:13.630 --> 09:20.410 The scripture says Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of faith, not Mary. 09:21.250 --> 09:23.570 Mary is not the conqueress of evil and death. 09:24.070 --> 09:26.170 She was conquered by it. 09:27.270 --> 09:31.510 She died because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 09:32.030 --> 09:38.010 Jesus Christ is the conqueror of sin and death because he rose in an immortal body. 09:39.490 --> 09:44.330 Mary does not dry the tears, heal the wounds, comfort the poor and humble, 09:44.730 --> 09:48.370 quench hatred, sweeten harshness, and guard the purity of the church. 09:48.730 --> 09:49.550 Christ does. 09:51.850 --> 09:56.370 And notice the shift in emphasis in the prayer. 09:58.030 --> 10:06.830 Our humble supplications and your throne, the hymn that is sung around your altars. 10:07.610 --> 10:09.610 You are all beautiful, Mary. 10:09.750 --> 10:12.370 You are the glory, the joy, and the honor of our people. 10:13.650 --> 10:14.470 Pius is right. 10:15.730 --> 10:18.510 She is the glory, the joy, and the honor of Roman Catholic. 10:19.570 --> 10:23.490 Because more prayers, more novenas, more attention is focused upon the person 10:23.490 --> 10:29.210 of, quote, our lady, close quote, or the Virgin Mary than anyone in the 10:29.210 --> 10:30.650 entire concept of Christian theology. 10:32.490 --> 10:37.750 That is why we protest because only Jesus Christ receives this kind of language. 10:38.190 --> 10:41.970 Only Jesus Christ is entitled to this kind of adoration and praise. 10:42.290 --> 10:43.730 The altars are Christ's. 10:43.870 --> 10:45.270 The throne is Christ's. 10:45.550 --> 10:50.810 Nowhere does the Bible say Mary sits on any throne or is the conqueress of evil 10:50.810 --> 10:51.370 and death. 10:54.000 --> 11:00.100 The adoration of the Virgin Mary in Roman Catholicism approaches the true standard 11:00.100 --> 11:01.280 of biblical idolatry. 11:02.320 --> 11:05.560 And Christ himself dealt with it forcefully. 11:06.620 --> 11:10.840 I draw your attention to Luke chapter 11 verses 27 and 28. 11:12.040 --> 11:17.560 It came to pass as Jesus spoke these things, a certain woman of the company 11:17.560 --> 11:18.560 lifted up her voice. 11:20.180 --> 11:25.920 She was the first devotee of Mary, the first worshiper of Mary on record. 11:26.760 --> 11:31.840 Quote, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast upon which you nursed. 11:32.560 --> 11:36.660 Jesus, however, turned around and directed her attention to where it properly 11:36.660 --> 11:37.380 belonged. 11:38.660 --> 11:45.660 Yes, but rather blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it. 11:46.400 --> 11:53.200 More important than the breasts that bore him, the womb that bore him and the breast 11:53.200 --> 11:57.060 upon which he nursed were those who heard God's word and obeyed him. 11:58.040 --> 12:04.400 So at the very beginning of our study of Mary, please notice the difference between 12:04.400 --> 12:08.540 the Mary of biblical theology and the Mary of Catholic theology. 12:09.100 --> 12:14.720 One is the handmaiden and servant of the Lord who recognizes she is a sinner in 12:14.720 --> 12:22.480 need of a redeemer, a savior, who submits to God and directs our attention to his 12:22.480 --> 12:22.840 son. 12:23.700 --> 12:28.380 The wedding feast at Cana of Galilee, she said, whatsoever he says to you, 12:28.900 --> 12:29.620 do it. 12:30.740 --> 12:35.060 We put those two contrasts, we see immediately that there is the difference 12:35.060 --> 12:38.720 between Romanism and between Protestantism. 12:39.260 --> 12:44.240 The difference is the exaltation, the adoration, and the worship of the 12:44.240 --> 12:44.820 Virgin Mary. 12:45.680 --> 12:51.700 Vatican II, summoned by the Catholic pontiff John XXIII, describes the cult of 12:51.700 --> 12:57.660 Mary as creating problems in Catholicism because in Latin America, Spain, 12:58.320 --> 13:05.260 Italy, Central America, and Ireland, a cult has developed, the cult of the 13:05.260 --> 13:11.840 Virgin, which adores, praises, and magnifies Mary at the expense of 13:11.840 --> 13:14.280 historic Catholic theology. 13:15.260 --> 13:16.840 They're concerned about it. 13:17.720 --> 13:27.340 And yet this Pope is leading us right back with Pius XII in 1950, and he gives Mary 13:27.340 --> 13:31.700 the credit for sparing his life when he was shot in Rome. 13:32.700 --> 13:33.140 Nothing. 13:33.720 --> 13:36.260 His life was spared by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 13:36.340 --> 13:39.520 The honor and the praise and the glory belongs to Christ, not to Mary. 13:40.340 --> 13:45.100 And Mary, to her credit, would never have received it. 13:45.760 --> 13:54.260 So let's begin our series by pointing out the contrast between Mary of the Bible and 13:54.260 --> 13:55.880 the Mary of Catholicism. 13:56.140 --> 13:58.220 John 1926, Mary appears again. 13:59.600 --> 14:05.560 This time, the Lord Jesus Christ looks at her and says, Woman, behold thy son. 14:06.300 --> 14:11.060 Then he looks at John, the apostle, and says, Son, behold thy mother. 14:11.980 --> 14:16.740 From that day, John took Mary into his house and cared for her. 14:17.400 --> 14:17.760 Why? 14:18.120 --> 14:19.520 Why not send her to her own children? 14:20.380 --> 14:22.700 Because many of his own family did not believe. 14:24.580 --> 14:25.980 But Jesus sent her to believers. 14:27.920 --> 14:29.380 Spirit is thicker than blood. 14:30.740 --> 14:32.660 Know the expression that says blood is thicker than water? 14:32.840 --> 14:34.640 It is, but spirit is thicker than blood. 14:36.360 --> 14:39.540 The Spirit of God draws us closer than human blood does. 14:40.620 --> 14:42.360 So Jesus sent Mary to John. 14:43.040 --> 14:43.420 Why? 14:43.700 --> 14:46.080 Because Jesus knew John was going to outlive everybody else. 14:46.320 --> 14:47.600 And John outlived everybody. 14:48.100 --> 14:50.920 He died between 94 and 100 AD. 14:51.360 --> 14:55.520 Everybody else was cold by that time, including Mary. 14:57.060 --> 15:02.160 Surely, since John wrote his gospel very late in his life, he would have mentioned 15:02.160 --> 15:06.600 the fact that Mary was assumed into heaven, if that were the case. 15:07.500 --> 15:08.500 But he didn't. 15:08.860 --> 15:10.360 He didn't mention her in his gospel. 15:10.580 --> 15:12.220 He didn't mention her in his epistles. 15:13.100 --> 15:14.680 Certainly not in the book of Revelation. 15:15.840 --> 15:18.040 So, Mary of the Bible died. 15:19.640 --> 15:25.440 Mary of the Bible will be raised to physical immortality at the resurrection. 15:26.100 --> 15:29.700 This corruption will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality, 15:30.220 --> 15:35.200 and death that claimed Mary and mankind will be swallowed up by life. 15:35.880 --> 15:37.100 She appears only one other time. 15:39.060 --> 15:44.960 In the book of the Acts, chapter 1, they met in the upper room, the disciples 15:44.960 --> 15:49.200 and the apostles, with Mary, the mother of Jesus. 15:49.580 --> 15:50.800 So we know something else about Mary. 15:51.740 --> 15:57.500 She was faithful in devotion to her Son, and she was also filled with the Holy 15:57.500 --> 16:01.200 Spirit, because everybody in the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit. 16:01.520 --> 16:05.320 So Mary was a spirit-filled, charismatic Christian. 16:06.920 --> 16:13.520 On that note, the Mary of the Bible, in contrast to the Mary of Roman Catholic 16:13.520 --> 16:14.080 theology. 16:15.060 --> 16:20.860 And I pointed out that in Catholicism, there are what I call the seven steps to 16:20.860 --> 16:21.240 deity. 16:21.820 --> 16:28.160 I'd like to discuss those seven steps, because they show how a woman can evolve 16:28.160 --> 16:35.080 into the role of a goddess when people forget the authority of the Scripture, 16:35.760 --> 16:42.940 rely upon their emotions, and upon what other men tell them God has said. 16:43.720 --> 16:50.780 No matter what men tell you God has said, test it by the Word of God. 16:51.080 --> 16:53.420 Then you know what God has said. 16:53.840 --> 16:57.120 And if what they say is in accordance with Scripture, you accept it. 16:57.740 --> 16:59.700 If it is not, you reject it. 17:00.260 --> 17:04.480 Now, we saw the person of Mary in Scripture in a number of places, 17:05.060 --> 17:11.000 and we concluded last week by pointing out that she did not ascend into heaven, 17:11.080 --> 17:14.800 or was not assumed into heaven, because she was given to John. 17:15.480 --> 17:21.720 And John outlived all of the apostles, and John obviously took care of Mary. 17:22.340 --> 17:27.520 He would have recorded somewhere in his epistles, somewhere in his gospel, 17:28.140 --> 17:34.080 surely someplace in Revelation, the last book, this stupendous event that 17:34.080 --> 17:40.260 the mother of Jesus was spared death, or was assumed bodily into heaven. 17:41.220 --> 17:43.020 John makes no mention of this whatsoever. 17:43.180 --> 17:45.600 The early church makes no mention of this whatsoever. 17:46.000 --> 17:52.040 It is an unknown doctrine until it evolves through Roman Catholic theology. 17:52.860 --> 17:58.940 So, the first thing that we discussed concerning the person of Mary is the 17:58.940 --> 18:04.380 concept of Mary as the mother of God. 18:04.840 --> 18:11.280 We pointed out that Mary is called mother of God, Theotokos. 18:12.000 --> 18:18.260 This doctrine did not come forth into the Christian church until the fourth century 18:18.260 --> 18:20.440 of the Christian era, per se. 18:21.380 --> 18:26.740 Scripture nowhere calls her mother of God, and the argument for her being called 18:26.740 --> 18:30.640 mother of God does not rest upon biblical principles. 18:31.400 --> 18:35.180 In Catholic theology, they have a little syllogism which they teach you in school. 18:36.280 --> 18:37.440 Jesus is God. 18:38.840 --> 18:40.600 Mary is the mother of Jesus. 18:41.580 --> 18:44.560 Therefore, Mary is the mother of God. 18:44.960 --> 18:50.280 That is a fallacious form of reasoning, because Jesus is not God only. 18:50.680 --> 18:52.820 Jesus is the God man. 18:53.560 --> 18:56.020 Mary is the mother of the God man. 18:57.180 --> 19:00.800 So, you cannot say Jesus is God, Mary is the mother of God. 19:00.880 --> 19:04.740 Therefore, Mary is the mother of Jesus, because you can create another syllogism 19:04.740 --> 19:09.680 right out of their own conclusion, which is illogical and contradictory to 19:09.680 --> 19:10.080 the scriptures. 19:10.940 --> 19:14.220 For instance, God is a Trinity. 19:15.320 --> 19:17.820 Mary is the mother of God. 19:18.780 --> 19:22.080 Therefore, Mary is the mother of the Trinity. 19:22.780 --> 19:23.840 Of course not. 19:24.380 --> 19:29.220 She is the mother of the physical body of Jesus of Nazareth. 19:29.940 --> 19:32.600 Mary is not the mother of God. 19:33.320 --> 19:40.080 But, the virgin birth of Christ gave impetus to the Roman Catholic church's 19:40.080 --> 19:44.140 emphasis upon the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. 19:45.300 --> 19:53.860 The Immaculate Conception was held in 1854 to be a dogma of the Roman Catholic 19:53.860 --> 19:54.300 church. 19:54.780 --> 20:00.000 Up until that time, it had been challenged throughout the history of Catholic 20:00.000 --> 20:00.540 theology. 20:01.420 --> 20:05.740 Let me point out just how seriously it was challenged. 20:06.800 --> 20:12.280 Clement of Alexandria, one of the most prominent of the church fathers, 20:12.460 --> 20:18.140 wrote, the word Jesus Christ alone was born without sin. 20:19.140 --> 20:23.800 Saint Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, author of the City of God, said, 20:24.560 --> 20:30.160 whatever flesh of sin Jesus took, he took of the flesh of the sin of his 20:30.160 --> 20:30.400 mother. 20:31.900 --> 20:40.720 Jesus Christ did not partake in any sense of sin, but he partook of the flesh of his 20:40.720 --> 20:44.100 mother, which came under the judgment of sin. 20:44.660 --> 20:52.200 Augustine never taught that Christ in any way could possibly be equated with Mary, 20:52.720 --> 20:55.540 virgin birth, and Immaculate Conception. 20:55.540 --> 21:02.940 Instead, Augustine said, ye Christ alone, being made a man, but remaining God, 21:03.460 --> 21:10.600 never had any sin, nor did he take on him flesh of sin, though he took flesh of the 21:10.600 --> 21:11.780 sin of his mother. 21:12.480 --> 21:14.620 It's very clear Saint Augustine's viewpoint. 21:15.340 --> 21:19.620 Saint Ambrose, who was canonized by the Catholic church, said, of all that are 21:19.620 --> 21:26.800 born of women, the holy Lord Jesus was the only one who experienced not the contagion 21:26.800 --> 21:33.700 of earthly corruption, by reason of the novelty of his Immaculate birth. 21:35.080 --> 21:43.540 So, the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived without the stain of sin, and Mary entered 21:43.540 --> 21:45.840 the world under the curse of sin. 21:46.400 --> 21:50.480 Christ was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. 21:51.460 --> 21:56.180 Mary was under the law, and therefore judged by the law. 21:56.800 --> 22:03.560 Very clear from Romans 3, 23, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 22:03.980 --> 22:08.140 There is none righteous, no, not one. 22:09.060 --> 22:15.480 So, the church fathers followed the apostles in exalting and holding up the 22:15.480 --> 22:16.460 Lord Jesus Christ. 22:17.200 --> 22:24.480 Mary is not only not the mother of God, the first step on the staircase to deity, 22:25.220 --> 22:32.240 but she is not conceived without the stain of original sin, nor was she sinless. 22:32.920 --> 22:37.640 The third step, which was taught by the Roman Catholic Church, is the doctrine of 22:37.640 --> 22:44.920 Mary's perpetual virginity, which is designed to parallel Mary to the 22:44.920 --> 22:47.160 sinlessness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 22:48.000 --> 22:54.940 Mother of God, immaculately conceived, and now perpetually virgin. 22:56.320 --> 23:03.140 You know, one of the things that must be brought out forcefully is that the fact 23:03.140 --> 23:10.900 that Mary had sexual relations with Joseph doesn't demean her in the eyes of God or 23:10.900 --> 23:11.360 man. 23:12.020 --> 23:17.300 She was fulfilling the role of a mother, and of a wife, and of a lover. 23:17.860 --> 23:21.560 She was fulfilling the role that she was designed to fulfill. 23:22.260 --> 23:24.040 You want to know what kind of a woman she was? 23:24.280 --> 23:31.080 I urged you to read Proverbs chapter 31, which gives you an in-depth analysis of 23:31.080 --> 23:36.820 the Virgin Mary in terms of what kind of a woman God looks favorably upon. 23:38.060 --> 23:43.920 You read the pastoral epistles, you'll also find out that Paul and Peter 23:43.920 --> 23:48.960 described how a Christian woman should live before God. 23:49.800 --> 23:51.680 That is what Mary was like. 23:52.240 --> 24:00.500 She was faithful, sober, righteous, industrious, holy, prayerful, not given to 24:00.500 --> 24:00.840 gossip. 24:01.360 --> 24:03.260 You can say, well how do you know that? 24:03.560 --> 24:08.240 Because that's God's ideal of how a woman should be. 24:09.100 --> 24:16.060 And he chose Mary as the ideal for womankind because, as the angel said to 24:16.060 --> 24:21.640 her, you have found grace in the sight of God. 24:21.980 --> 24:29.180 She was a godly woman living under the law, and she found acceptance with God by 24:29.180 --> 24:29.920 her faithfulness. 24:30.480 --> 24:36.660 But the idea that she was immaculately conceived and perpetually virgin has 24:36.660 --> 24:39.540 nothing to do with biblical theology at all. 24:40.160 --> 24:46.460 It is simply inference and deduction, and whether conscious or unconscious, 24:47.240 --> 24:52.860 a step toward elevating her, paralleling her with the Lord Jesus Christ. 24:53.520 --> 25:00.260 I think some of the statements made by great saints and church fathers tell us a 25:00.260 --> 25:05.040 great deal about how the early Christians and progressively Christian theologians 25:05.040 --> 25:06.980 thought about the Virgin Mary. 25:07.720 --> 25:14.220 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote the great hymn, Jesus the Very Thought of 25:14.220 --> 25:20.200 Thee, a great servant of the Lord, they called him the light of the 13th 25:20.200 --> 25:20.560 century. 25:21.040 --> 25:25.520 There was so much darkness, he was considered to be a light in the midst of 25:25.520 --> 25:26.180 this darkness. 25:26.420 --> 25:32.280 Listen to Bernard, quote, for this reason our astonishment is not small in seeing 25:32.280 --> 25:36.600 that some of you have believed to be able to introduce a new feast that is unknown 25:36.600 --> 25:41.420 to the right of the church, that cannot be approved by reason, that it is condemned 25:41.420 --> 25:46.100 by the ancient traditions, the feast of the immaculate conception. 25:47.680 --> 25:52.440 What honor should we believe of attributing to Mary that honor may be had, 25:52.540 --> 25:56.000 you say, for her conception which was anterior to her birth? 25:56.440 --> 25:59.760 Because without this conception, neither her birth should be honored. 26:00.220 --> 26:03.780 Then what would you say if others, according to your own reasoning, 26:04.180 --> 26:08.440 were to maintain that it is necessary to hold feasts in honor of her parents? 26:09.400 --> 26:10.460 That's logical. 26:10.900 --> 26:14.580 Then it would be necessary to honor her grandparents and her great-grandparents. 26:15.060 --> 26:20.880 Bernard, following a beautiful form of Aristotelian logic, reductio ad absurdum, 26:21.180 --> 26:26.600 reduces the immaculate conception of Mary to an absurdity by pointing out, 26:26.900 --> 26:31.140 if Mary has to be sinless to have Jesus, then her mother has to be sinless to have 26:31.140 --> 26:35.620 Mary, and her mother has to be sinless to have Mary's mother, ad infinitum ad 26:35.620 --> 26:36.460 nauseam. 26:38.720 --> 26:43.740 That's Bernard of Clairvaux, great saint of the age, Peter Lombard. 26:44.520 --> 26:48.480 But this is asked, on what account and whence is it that Mary was conceived 26:48.480 --> 26:49.460 without original sin? 26:50.100 --> 26:51.620 We say that this was impossible. 26:52.620 --> 26:54.480 On what basis? 26:55.240 --> 26:56.520 Holy Scripture. 26:57.960 --> 27:04.060 I could go on quoting Melchior Canas, Saint Antonius, but this one ought to 27:04.060 --> 27:04.840 really ring a bell. 27:05.720 --> 27:15.600 Leo I, Pope of Rome, quote, The Lord Jesus Christ alone among the sons of men was 27:15.600 --> 27:17.740 born without sin. 27:18.420 --> 27:19.060 Close quote. 27:19.800 --> 27:20.280 Amen. 27:21.340 --> 27:28.900 Pope Galatius, it belongs alone to the Immaculate Lamb to have no sin at all. 27:29.740 --> 27:36.500 And Gregory I, for Christ alone was truly born holy, who in order that he might 27:36.500 --> 27:41.760 overcome this condition, of corruptible nature, was not conceived after the manner 27:41.760 --> 27:42.720 of men. 27:43.560 --> 27:46.200 Innocent III, put the icing on the cake. 27:46.820 --> 27:52.440 Quote, Eve was produced without sin, but she brought forth in sin. 27:53.560 --> 28:00.620 Mary was brought forth in sin, but she brought forth without sin. 28:01.460 --> 28:01.940 Close quote. 28:02.740 --> 28:05.080 I like concise statements like that. 28:05.840 --> 28:11.480 I like them because it happened to a state with a Roman pontiff and backed up by 28:11.480 --> 28:13.480 three other Roman Catholic popes. 28:13.700 --> 28:19.580 Then what was it in 1854 that possessed these people to turn around and controvert 28:19.580 --> 28:24.740 all church history and all their basic theological teachings and proclaim that 28:24.740 --> 28:27.140 the Virgin Mary is immaculately conceived? 28:28.240 --> 28:36.940 Because there is a steady movement through the ages towards Mariolatry, the elevation 28:36.940 --> 28:44.520 of the Virgin, the worship of the Virgin, which Vatican Council II tells us has 28:44.520 --> 28:48.600 evolved into what they called the cult of the Virgin. 28:49.580 --> 28:54.460 Stroessmeier, whom I read to you originally on the papacy in 1870, 28:55.540 --> 29:03.240 pleaded with them not to make a god out of Pius IX by elevating him to the rank of 29:03.240 --> 29:06.500 universal sovereign bishop, supreme pontiff. 29:07.200 --> 29:13.200 And these are his own words, quote, as we have made a goddess of the Virgin 29:13.200 --> 29:16.840 Mary, close quote, 1870. 29:17.880 --> 29:27.100 So you are seeing progressive development of a doctrine which is not in any way 29:27.100 --> 29:29.280 supported by Holy Scripture. 29:30.340 --> 29:36.900 Pope Pius XII summed this up, the position of Mary in the Catholic Church in his 29:36.900 --> 29:41.520 great prayer at the feast of the Immaculate, excuse me, at the feast of the 29:41.520 --> 29:50.360 Assumption of Mary in 1950 in Rome, quote, the glory, the honor, the joy of 29:50.360 --> 29:52.140 our people, close quote. 29:53.180 --> 29:54.660 That is not Christianity. 29:55.420 --> 30:02.180 Jesus Christ is the glory, Jesus Christ is the honor, Jesus Christ is the joy of the 30:02.180 --> 30:02.440 Church. 30:03.420 --> 30:06.800 Christ is the crystal fountain of faith, not Mary. 30:07.680 --> 30:14.200 Christ is son of God with power by resurrection from the dead, eternal word 30:14.200 --> 30:15.120 made flesh. 30:15.900 --> 30:20.900 Mary is not the mother of his eternity, but of his earthly form. 30:22.000 --> 30:28.020 Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Matthew chapter 1, born of the 30:28.020 --> 30:28.780 Virgin Mary. 30:29.560 --> 30:33.900 Mary was conceived by normal means, coming under the Adamic judgment. 30:34.900 --> 30:38.640 She was a sinner who recognized it herself, Luke chapter 1. 30:39.060 --> 30:45.920 My soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. 30:47.940 --> 30:51.340 Mary is proclaimed mother of God, first step. 30:52.720 --> 30:56.580 Mary is proclaimed immaculately conceived, second step. 30:57.780 --> 31:03.460 Mary is proclaimed perpetually virgin, but she isn't perpetually virgin, 31:04.250 --> 31:10.080 because the scripture says in Matthew chapter 1 that Joseph did not have sexual 31:10.080 --> 31:15.960 relations with her until she brought forth her firstborn son and laid him in a 31:15.960 --> 31:16.220 manger. 31:17.480 --> 31:23.480 Joseph, honoring the law of Moses, honoring the divine command, took Mary to 31:23.480 --> 31:24.040 be his wife. 31:25.100 --> 31:31.020 He did not have normal sexual relations with his wife until a purification period 31:31.020 --> 31:35.100 of Mosaic law and the sacrifice of the turtle doves. 31:35.820 --> 31:42.000 Then, according to the Greek text, Joseph had a normal sex life with his 31:42.000 --> 31:42.300 wife. 31:43.400 --> 31:45.440 He produced other children. 31:46.240 --> 31:48.700 They are listed for us in scripture. 31:49.020 --> 31:54.080 Matthew chapter 12 refers to his other brothers and sisters. 31:55.560 --> 32:03.960 And Mary does not occupy any position of uniqueness over the body of Christ. 32:04.900 --> 32:10.640 Because when they said to the Lord Jesus, your mother and your brothers and sisters 32:10.640 --> 32:18.800 are waiting for you outside, Jesus said, who is my mother, my brother, or my 32:18.800 --> 32:19.100 sister? 32:19.880 --> 32:24.180 I tell you, whoever does the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is 32:24.180 --> 32:28.460 mother, brother, sister to me. 32:29.160 --> 32:31.620 There's an old Catholic argument I learned when I was in parochial school. 32:32.260 --> 32:38.700 If you wanted to get something from someone and you knew they wouldn't give it 32:38.700 --> 32:44.160 to you, but yet you knew their mother or father well, you'd go talk to the mother 32:44.160 --> 32:45.080 and father, wouldn't you? 32:46.000 --> 32:48.440 To try and get them to talk to that person for you. 32:49.440 --> 32:52.300 Sure, that's normal human protocol. 32:53.420 --> 32:59.320 Well then, the argument goes, Mary is Jesus's mother. 33:00.220 --> 33:02.260 Nobody can be closer than that. 33:02.920 --> 33:03.740 God the Father. 33:04.320 --> 33:06.220 So go to Mary. 33:06.920 --> 33:13.320 And I learned in parochial school, to Jesus, through Mary. 33:14.360 --> 33:20.260 Cardinal Spellman's prayer, O Mary gate of heaven, none shall enter except through 33:20.260 --> 33:23.740 thee, is the backbone of Mariolatry. 33:25.020 --> 33:30.400 And the present pope is leading us back into the tradition of Pius XII, 33:31.140 --> 33:40.140 who was a confirmed Mariist and who took the sixth or fifth step to deity. 33:40.560 --> 33:47.480 The elevation of Mary as bodily assumed into heaven. 33:48.680 --> 33:54.320 Now, the fourth step, the assumption of Mary into heaven, is controverted by the 33:54.320 --> 33:55.300 gospel of John. 33:55.480 --> 33:59.760 I'd like you to look at that if you will, John chapter 3, because Roman Catholics 33:59.760 --> 34:06.380 always will tell you that the Blessed Virgin, our Lady, was assumed bodily into 34:06.380 --> 34:12.220 heaven and that she is now queen of heaven as Christ is its king. 34:13.420 --> 34:17.140 John wrote the gospel of John, the latest of the gospels. 34:18.620 --> 34:24.040 John was fully aware of Mary's condition because she was living with him. 34:24.860 --> 34:30.500 And these are John's words, so I think that they have a great bearing on the 34:30.500 --> 34:30.820 case. 34:32.520 --> 34:41.920 John says, no one has ascended into heaven but he that came down from heaven, 34:42.760 --> 34:45.980 even the Son of Man, which is in heaven. 34:46.260 --> 34:47.720 John 3, 13. 34:48.660 --> 34:51.140 No one has ascended into heaven. 34:51.140 --> 34:53.840 That's a direct reference to bodily form. 34:55.980 --> 34:57.400 You ascend bodily. 34:59.200 --> 34:59.620 Clear. 35:00.360 --> 35:06.960 No one has gone up to heaven but he that came down from heaven. 35:07.380 --> 35:09.820 The Son of Man was in heaven. 35:10.840 --> 35:15.240 Jesus Christ alone entered heaven in an immortal glorified body. 35:15.960 --> 35:22.900 Nowhere does it say in biblical theology or in early church history that anybody 35:22.900 --> 35:25.120 accorded Mary this position. 35:25.960 --> 35:27.880 So Mother of God is the first step. 35:29.460 --> 35:32.700 Fallacious logically, contradicted by scripture. 35:34.840 --> 35:36.020 Immaculately conceived? 35:36.780 --> 35:41.000 No, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 35:43.180 --> 35:44.180 Perfectually virgin? 35:44.520 --> 35:48.220 Since when does that bestow upon you any special rank? 35:49.780 --> 35:52.400 Is there something wrong with being married? 35:53.280 --> 35:54.900 Something wrong with having children? 35:55.260 --> 35:57.320 Something wrong with having sex with your husband? 35:58.040 --> 35:58.680 Making love? 35:58.760 --> 35:59.720 Something wrong with that? 35:59.940 --> 36:00.440 Of course not. 36:00.820 --> 36:05.820 God gave it as a blessing to mankind and for the purpose of reproduction. 36:06.540 --> 36:12.500 He would hardly discriminate against a woman calling her impure or sinful because 36:12.500 --> 36:17.120 she exercised the normal bodily function of sexual relations with her own husband. 36:18.100 --> 36:22.140 Yet the Catholic Church has raised Mary to such a pinnacle that the talk of her 36:22.140 --> 36:26.760 having sex even with her husband is an affront to them. 36:28.660 --> 36:30.240 Well, it's not an affront to God. 36:31.120 --> 36:35.660 Joseph did not have sex with her, Matthew 1, until she brought forth her 36:35.660 --> 36:37.720 firstborn son and laid him in the manger. 36:38.300 --> 36:42.940 So, Joseph obviously had other children by Mary. 36:44.860 --> 36:45.600 Notice the parallel. 36:46.480 --> 36:49.000 Mother of God, Son of God. 36:50.360 --> 36:51.260 Virgin birth? 36:52.600 --> 36:53.460 Immaculate conception. 36:54.700 --> 36:55.440 Sinless life? 36:56.720 --> 36:57.700 Perpetual virginity. 36:59.940 --> 37:02.400 And resurrection of Christ? 37:03.600 --> 37:04.960 Assumption of Mary. 37:06.060 --> 37:12.960 These are four of the seven steps, anti-biblical steps, paralleling Christ 37:12.960 --> 37:17.080 with Mary, raising her to the rank of divinity. 37:18.000 --> 37:21.760 Why is this so important for us as Christians to understand? 37:22.700 --> 37:28.600 Because there's a great movement on today in apostate Protestantism to reunite with 37:28.600 --> 37:28.860 Rome. 37:29.920 --> 37:35.640 The threat of communism is pushing Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Greeks, 37:36.200 --> 37:40.520 the Coptics, the Egyptians, and the Roman Catholics together. 37:42.160 --> 37:45.300 The Anglican Church has been in dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church for a 37:45.300 --> 37:48.220 decade on possible reunion. 37:49.580 --> 37:53.980 Recently, the Pope gave the olive branch to the Lutheran Church. 37:54.480 --> 38:02.860 In Germany, by visiting there, and called Protestants separated brothers. 38:03.780 --> 38:07.180 And that Rome urges our return to the fold. 38:08.460 --> 38:10.340 Return to the fold? 38:11.820 --> 38:16.360 Return to the divinity of Mary? 38:17.240 --> 38:22.580 Return to an assumption of the heaven? 38:23.560 --> 38:26.040 Return for her as crystal fountain of faith? 38:27.540 --> 38:29.820 Return to her as the source of salvation? 38:31.860 --> 38:33.700 This is in biblical theology. 38:34.720 --> 38:44.260 And before disoriented charismatics, apostate Protestants, and unwary 38:44.260 --> 38:49.160 evangelicals, listen to the siren song of Rome. 38:49.920 --> 38:53.980 Let them well remember what they're being asked to return to. 38:54.980 --> 38:59.700 They're not being asked to return to the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purity. 39:00.760 --> 39:06.440 They're being asked to return to a system of theology corrupted through the 39:06.440 --> 39:10.440 centuries, and opposed to the foundations of biblical theology. 39:11.100 --> 39:16.020 A system which cannot govern itself now, and wishes to govern us. 39:17.340 --> 39:27.560 I would return to one universal church, and to one supreme bishop, if the theology 39:27.560 --> 39:32.780 of that church were consistent with the theology of the word of God. 39:33.700 --> 39:40.840 Tomorrow morning, I would be there saying, glory to God, he has effected a miraculous 39:40.840 --> 39:42.900 conversion of the church. 39:43.360 --> 39:44.660 And I think we all would be. 39:45.240 --> 39:46.560 But return to this? 39:47.540 --> 39:47.880 Never. 39:48.540 --> 39:53.080 To our Catholic charismatic brothers and sisters we say, we love you. 39:54.120 --> 39:55.620 We pray for you. 39:56.080 --> 39:57.600 We welcome your fellowship. 39:58.560 --> 40:05.040 But we test everything, including the churches, by the authority of scripture. 40:05.640 --> 40:10.840 And whatever does not measure to scripture, is not worthy of our 40:10.840 --> 40:11.260 allegiance. 40:12.160 --> 40:13.740 Our allegiance is to Christ. 40:14.660 --> 40:19.780 And in the words of Martin Luther, that I proudly echo, though I am a Baptist 40:19.780 --> 40:28.080 by persuasion, he was asked, what shall we give our people? 40:29.200 --> 40:37.600 Father Luther, they are so used to relics, prayers to the saints, and all the things 40:37.600 --> 40:40.020 that the church has sanctified through the ages. 40:41.000 --> 40:44.340 What shall we give them if we accept what you say? 40:45.900 --> 40:55.260 Luther responded, Jesus Christ, reverend father, Jesus Christ alone, 40:56.180 --> 41:01.900 he is sufficient for the church throughout all ages. 41:02.680 --> 41:04.320 Christ only. 41:05.180 --> 41:09.580 Here I stand, God help me, I can do no other. 41:10.500 --> 41:10.720 Amen. 41:11.560 --> 41:13.600 Our father, we thank thee for thy word. 41:15.140 --> 41:19.300 Sanctify us through that truth, for thy word is truth. 41:20.360 --> 41:25.060 Touch us with thy spirit, help us to see the issues of the day clearly in the light 41:25.060 --> 41:30.040 of the word of God, and then go forth to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us 41:30.040 --> 41:32.680 and gave himself on the cross for our sins. 41:33.180 --> 41:35.880 In Jesus' name, with praise and thanksgiving, we ask it. 41:36.960 --> 41:37.160 Amen. 41:40.080 --> 41:41.720 This is the end of side one. 41:42.200 --> 41:44.920 Please fast forward the tape and turn the cassette over. 41:46.820 --> 41:47.880 We have your Bible. 41:48.740 --> 41:51.560 We are dealing with the Roman Catholic Church in history. 41:52.660 --> 41:58.820 We were discussing the seven steps to deity, discussing the person of the Virgin 41:58.820 --> 42:08.200 Mary, and to sum that up, Mary is called mother of God, paralleling her with Jesus 42:08.200 --> 42:09.800 Christ as son of God. 42:10.760 --> 42:17.640 Mary is called immaculately conceived, 1854, paralleling the virgin birth of 42:17.640 --> 42:18.000 Christ. 42:18.940 --> 42:26.560 Mary is designated perpetual virgin, paralleling the perfection of Christ. 42:27.480 --> 42:34.280 Mary was assumed bodily into heaven, paralleling the resurrection of Christ. 42:34.960 --> 42:39.660 Mary was crowned queen of heaven in Catholic theology, number five, 42:40.700 --> 42:45.700 paralleling Jesus Christ as king of kings and Lord of lords. 42:46.820 --> 42:54.620 Mary was proclaimed mediatrix of all graces, which means that she participates 42:54.620 --> 43:00.980 in the redemption that her son gave by virtue of the fact that she bore him and 43:00.980 --> 43:02.360 brought him into the world. 43:02.680 --> 43:08.080 And she is the mediator because she mediates between us and Christ. 43:08.540 --> 43:14.300 Partly necessary to draw to our attention 1 Timothy chapter 2, which says there is 43:14.300 --> 43:21.100 one God and one intercessor between God and man. 43:21.760 --> 43:24.360 The man, Christ Jesus. 43:24.980 --> 43:25.960 End of argument. 43:26.380 --> 43:29.160 Mary is not mediatrix of all graces. 43:29.880 --> 43:35.720 And of course, the seventh one, co-redemptrix of the universe. 43:36.400 --> 43:42.120 Mary participates in the redemption of mankind as the mother of God. 43:43.500 --> 43:50.480 You need only look at Hebrews 1 verse 3 to know that this cannot be because the 43:50.480 --> 43:56.940 scripture says Jesus Christ himself atoned for all our sins. 43:57.920 --> 44:06.240 Hebrews chapters 8, 9, and 10 reiterate over and over and over again that he 44:06.240 --> 44:12.380 offered one sacrifice for sin forever and sat down at the right hand of God. 44:12.880 --> 44:18.160 That he entered into the holiest of all with his own blood, having obtained 44:18.160 --> 44:20.200 eternal redemption for us. 44:21.060 --> 44:27.980 So it's fairly clear that these seven steps have been designed to elevate the 44:27.980 --> 44:33.420 Virgin Mary into what is known today in Catholic theology as the cult of Mary. 44:33.960 --> 44:35.900 I didn't designate that name. 44:36.360 --> 44:42.360 That name was chosen by Catholic theologians at Vatican II, called by the 44:42.360 --> 44:42.580 Pope. 44:43.140 --> 44:50.240 And they openly described and some of them deplored the adoration and worship of the 44:50.240 --> 44:54.640 Virgin Mary over the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, particularly as it had taken 44:54.640 --> 44:57.600 place in Latin America, Spain, and Italy. 44:58.260 --> 45:06.200 So this is the seven step deity structure of Roman Catholic theology. 45:06.880 --> 45:11.700 Mary, the mother of Jesus, becomes Mary, the mother of God. 45:12.120 --> 45:16.320 But as we saw in our opening lecture on this subject, the Mary of the Bible is 45:16.320 --> 45:20.900 quite different from the deity created by Roman Catholic theology. 45:21.480 --> 45:25.500 Mary of the Bible is the handmaiden or servant of the Lord. 45:26.040 --> 45:31.020 The Mary of the Bible says, whatever my son says to you, do it. 45:31.500 --> 45:35.600 The Mary of the Bible is given into the hands of John to care for. 45:35.980 --> 45:42.220 The Mary of the Bible, we are told, has no greater position in relationship to 45:42.220 --> 45:45.260 Christ than any member of the body of Christ. 45:45.900 --> 45:51.240 Who is my mother, my brother, or my sister, said Jesus, whoever does the will 45:51.240 --> 45:55.920 of my father, which is in heaven, the same as mother, brother, or sister to 45:55.920 --> 45:56.160 me. 45:57.060 --> 45:59.420 Mary of the Bible died. 46:00.320 --> 46:02.280 The Mary of the Bible was buried. 46:03.040 --> 46:08.560 The Mary of the Bible, spiritually now, is in heaven as a saint of God. 46:09.120 --> 46:15.460 But she knew that she was a sinner because in her great adoration of God at the 46:15.460 --> 46:22.480 angelic message, she said, my soul does magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in 46:22.480 --> 46:24.660 God, my savior. 46:25.340 --> 46:30.380 So this is the Mary of the Bible, who is found finally in the book of Acts, 46:30.880 --> 46:37.720 in the upper room, participating in the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. 46:37.860 --> 46:40.840 And she too was filled with the Holy Spirit. 46:41.200 --> 46:47.300 Mary of the Bible was a charismatic Christian who loved Jesus Christ, 46:47.800 --> 46:50.140 her son and her savior. 46:50.660 --> 46:56.020 She is not the goddess that has evolved in Roman Catholic theology. 46:56.900 --> 46:59.900 Now, I pointed out last week, and I want to reiterate this. 47:00.680 --> 47:06.040 It would take too long to go into it in detail, but I would suggest that you read 47:06.040 --> 47:12.300 carefully the references to Christian women in the New Testament, cited by the 47:12.300 --> 47:17.820 Apostle Paul and Peter, and that you read carefully the 31st chapter of the book of 47:17.820 --> 47:18.280 Proverbs. 47:19.100 --> 47:23.460 You will find there an outline of the character of the Virgin Mary. 47:24.220 --> 47:30.200 She was that kind of a person, because God would choose nothing less than 47:30.200 --> 47:33.300 his ideal to be the Savior's mother. 47:34.020 --> 47:38.900 And Mary was chosen because she was a unique woman, the greatest woman who ever 47:38.900 --> 47:45.140 lived, the mother of our Savior, our sister in Christ. 47:46.220 --> 47:51.660 But we may not say she is our life, our sweetness, and our hope. 47:51.780 --> 47:53.100 That is Christ. 47:53.540 --> 47:59.880 We may not say that she should pray for us at the hour of our death, because Christ 47:59.880 --> 48:04.760 is our intercessor, and it is he that will lead us through the valley of the shadow 48:04.760 --> 48:05.500 of death. 48:05.880 --> 48:13.900 It was not Mary that Stephen looked to as he was dying under the rocks of the 48:13.900 --> 48:16.800 Pharisees, and the scribes, and the Sadducees. 48:16.800 --> 48:22.800 It was the Lord Jesus, and it was to him that Stephen repaired the first martyr. 48:23.380 --> 48:26.200 Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 48:26.680 --> 48:31.820 He didn't call on Mary to pray for him, he called on Christ to receive him. 48:32.160 --> 48:37.500 So though we honor Mary, and though we recognize her as the greatest woman that 48:37.500 --> 48:42.860 ever lived, on the basis of who she was, and what she did, she is not to be 48:42.860 --> 48:43.780 worshipped. 48:44.380 --> 48:47.980 She is not to usurp the position of the Creator. 48:48.820 --> 48:53.720 She is instead to be considered our sister, and highly loved. 48:54.880 --> 48:55.320 Period. 48:56.420 --> 49:00.520 And we look forward to that day when we shall see her, and have fellowship with 49:00.520 --> 49:02.060 her in the kingdom of God. 49:02.780 --> 49:08.200 But that is a long way from calling her queen of heaven, co-redemptrix of the 49:08.200 --> 49:13.720 universe, mediatrix of all graces, and implying in some way that she is a 49:13.720 --> 49:15.600 parallel to Jesus of Nazareth. 49:16.120 --> 49:22.580 No way is there a parallel, and the Christian is well advised to remember that 49:22.580 --> 49:27.420 this is what separates us very drastically from Roman Catholic theology. 49:28.580 --> 49:36.820 Today's lecture begins a study of the subject of penance, and confession. 49:37.440 --> 49:42.660 Because this is one of the cornerstones of Roman Catholic theology, and you must 49:42.660 --> 49:44.420 understand what it is. 49:44.740 --> 49:47.220 First of all, what is confession? 49:49.360 --> 49:54.160 When a Catholic commits a grave sin, called in theology a mortal sin, 49:54.760 --> 49:59.060 to distinguish it from lesser offenses which are termed venial sins, he is under 49:59.060 --> 50:01.740 obligation to confess that sin to a priest. 50:02.040 --> 50:03.960 I'm quoting now a Catholic theology book. 50:04.680 --> 50:10.920 Before his confession is held by the church to be of any value, however, 50:11.340 --> 50:14.640 he must be truly sorry that he committed the sin. 50:15.160 --> 50:17.200 He must resolve not to repeat it. 50:17.560 --> 50:21.720 He must agree to make restitution to any person whom his sin may have injured, 50:22.180 --> 50:27.500 and he must be willing to accept the penance imposed by the priest. 50:29.400 --> 50:34.740 They go on to say, when these conditions prevail, and he shall make his confession, 50:34.900 --> 50:36.660 the priest gives him absolution. 50:37.480 --> 50:41.940 It means the priest acting as God's representative forgives him, in God's 50:41.940 --> 50:45.140 name, for the offenses against God. 50:47.000 --> 50:50.540 That is confession and penance, in a nutshell. 50:51.400 --> 50:53.560 Let's look at it for a moment in the light of scripture. 50:54.400 --> 50:56.160 First, you must be truly sorry. 50:57.240 --> 51:00.180 Secondly, you must resolve not to repeat it. 51:00.980 --> 51:04.560 Third, you must agree to make restitution to the person whom you have injured, 51:05.400 --> 51:08.060 or you must be willing to accept penance imposed by the priest. 51:09.580 --> 51:14.460 Protestants can agree you must be truly sorry when you confess your sins. 51:15.060 --> 51:19.800 Protestants will agree you must resolve not to repeat it, and of course ask God 51:19.800 --> 51:21.960 for grace not to sin anymore. 51:22.680 --> 51:26.160 Third, you must agree to make restitution to the person whom you've injured. 51:26.460 --> 51:29.680 That's common sense and good biblical procedure. 51:31.580 --> 51:34.320 The last one is quite unique. 51:35.060 --> 51:41.700 It says, you must be willing to accept penance imposed by the priest. 51:42.620 --> 51:44.700 What is penance? 51:45.600 --> 51:51.300 It involves a repetition of prayers, rosary, the making of contributions, 51:51.680 --> 51:56.620 or doing works of one kind or another assigned by the priest acting in the name 51:56.620 --> 51:58.400 of Christ and the church. 51:59.720 --> 52:08.740 Then that penance makes up for or helps atone for the evil which you have done 52:08.740 --> 52:09.720 through your sins. 52:10.760 --> 52:17.480 Roman Catholic Douay version of the Bible, instead of translating the gospel command 52:17.480 --> 52:27.680 repent and believe the gospel, translates it to penance, which is the 52:27.680 --> 52:30.340 total perversion of the word repent. 52:30.940 --> 52:37.540 The word repent is metanoia, which means change course, change your mind. 52:38.000 --> 52:39.280 It's a military command. 52:39.520 --> 52:45.220 You're marching down a dress field, all in your military regalia, and the 52:45.220 --> 52:48.400 sergeant says to the rear march. 52:48.980 --> 52:54.060 You spin on your heel being careful not to get hit in the mouth by the gun marching 52:54.060 --> 52:58.080 in front of you, and you go in the opposite direction. 52:58.400 --> 53:02.160 That's a graphic definition of what metanoia is. 53:02.300 --> 53:05.560 It means reverse course. 53:06.740 --> 53:10.600 It is a change of mind and direction. 53:11.320 --> 53:18.900 No way can it mean pile up good works to make up for what you did. 53:20.040 --> 53:26.760 And there is the fundamental error which in a large degree made possible the 53:26.760 --> 53:27.820 Protestant Reformation. 53:28.620 --> 53:34.360 Because at the time of the Reformation, the Pope of that era was attempting to 53:34.360 --> 53:37.100 build the Basilica of Saint Peter's in Rome. 53:37.980 --> 53:42.940 And in order to do that, he had to raise millions and millions of dollars, 53:43.400 --> 53:45.580 because it's the largest cathedral in the world. 53:46.420 --> 53:50.160 So he designated the granting of indulgences. 53:50.860 --> 53:52.820 What was an indulgence? 53:53.420 --> 53:59.880 An indulgence was a decree by the authority of the vicar of Christ acting in 53:59.880 --> 54:07.700 the name of the Lord Jesus to remove your time in purgatory proportionate to the 54:07.700 --> 54:09.780 amount of money you gave. 54:12.420 --> 54:14.060 Indulgences were sold. 54:15.300 --> 54:21.200 Today you will find in the front of the Catholic Bible a preface which tells you 54:21.200 --> 54:28.840 that there is an indulgence of a certain number of days from your time in purgatory 54:28.840 --> 54:32.860 if you read the Bible 15 minutes a day. 54:33.820 --> 54:41.920 On that basis I've got 700,000 years of credit in purgatory now. 54:42.660 --> 54:46.600 And I know there are people that have got an awful lot more than I have. 54:47.940 --> 54:50.860 And that's exactly what Luther ran into. 54:51.430 --> 54:53.340 He was a professor of theology. 54:53.340 --> 54:57.880 He was no dumb or ignorant uninformed little monk. 54:58.060 --> 55:03.020 He taught theology at Erfurt and he was a brilliant theologian. 55:04.340 --> 55:12.160 And Luther said, this can't be right, because the Bible says we are saved by 55:12.160 --> 55:17.680 grace through faith and we're justified by faith, not by works. 55:18.160 --> 55:22.480 Therefore, how can you take time off purgatory for money? 55:24.000 --> 55:27.920 Well, the Pope sent out a man to collect these funds. 55:28.220 --> 55:31.720 He was the local representative of the IRS today. 55:32.460 --> 55:34.460 His name was Bishop Tetzel. 55:35.540 --> 55:43.840 And he carried with him all over Germany, where Luther lived, a casket, a chest, 55:44.220 --> 55:45.220 we would call it today. 55:45.920 --> 55:51.060 And he would come into a town, go to the church, put it before the altar, 55:51.740 --> 55:57.980 raise the lid, and then preach that the Holy Father had decreed that anybody who 55:57.980 --> 56:05.160 would make a contribution of would receive a written indulgence for so much time in 56:05.160 --> 56:06.220 purgatory. 56:06.560 --> 56:08.940 It was a fantastic business idea. 56:09.700 --> 56:10.620 There was no overhead. 56:12.240 --> 56:14.040 There was no upkeep on anything. 56:14.580 --> 56:15.940 There was no purgatory. 56:17.800 --> 56:22.020 And people were paying for time off a place that wasn't there. 56:22.880 --> 56:25.140 That's a fantastic sales approach. 56:26.100 --> 56:26.700 And it worked. 56:27.860 --> 56:29.120 And they collected millions. 56:30.040 --> 56:36.320 When they got to Luther, he became upset with Bishop Tetzel, and said, you have no 56:36.320 --> 56:37.000 right to do this. 56:37.040 --> 56:39.860 It's contrary to Holy Scripture, no matter who says it. 56:40.860 --> 56:43.220 Tetzel said, the Holy Father says it. 56:43.720 --> 56:46.920 Luther said, there's only one Holy Father, that's God. 56:47.200 --> 56:48.660 And God didn't say this. 56:49.640 --> 56:54.300 Naturally, they reported this to Rome as fast as carrier pigeon could get it there. 56:55.700 --> 57:03.800 There was a little couplet, which was sung in Germany during the time of the 57:03.800 --> 57:06.880 collection of indulgences, a form of penance. 57:08.960 --> 57:15.120 As the Goshen, which is the little coin, in the casket rings. 57:16.000 --> 57:18.580 The soul from purgatory rings. 57:21.860 --> 57:25.440 I didn't invent that incidentally, that was what they were singing at the 57:25.440 --> 57:25.700 time. 57:25.760 --> 57:29.180 And they were Catholics singing at the time, not Protestants. 57:30.340 --> 57:34.880 This is a thumbnail sketch of the background of indulgences and how they 57:34.880 --> 57:35.580 were developed. 57:36.500 --> 57:41.320 And penance was something that came late in the history of the church, not until 57:41.320 --> 57:46.200 the 12th century was it actually affirmed as an absolute decree as one of the seven 57:46.200 --> 57:47.680 sacraments of the church. 57:48.300 --> 57:51.240 So that was the concept of penance. 57:51.600 --> 57:55.140 Make up for what you have done, which is wrong. 57:55.860 --> 58:02.060 Now, in the confessional, after you have witnessed your confession, the priest 58:02.060 --> 58:07.520 dialogues with you, and you repent and say that you're sorry, and you submit to 58:07.520 --> 58:07.900 penance. 58:08.540 --> 58:13.040 The priest says, I absolve you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 58:13.140 --> 58:13.980 and of the Holy Spirit. 58:14.360 --> 58:14.580 Amen. 58:15.460 --> 58:22.420 Now, if you leave there, and you go out, and you repeat the same sin in Catholic 58:22.420 --> 58:26.800 theology, that is indicative of a bad confession. 58:28.480 --> 58:34.200 And the absolution granted by the priest in the name of Christ is not abiding. 58:34.620 --> 58:36.300 So you are not forgiven. 58:36.980 --> 58:42.120 When I was attending Roman Catholic school for years, I can remember my Catholic 58:42.120 --> 58:45.640 friends going to confession on Saturday morning. 58:46.580 --> 58:51.380 And they would widely come out Saturday morning after confession, and then get 58:51.380 --> 58:58.660 stoned out of their minds with booze, fornicate, do everything that they would 58:58.660 --> 59:00.060 in the confession to get rid of. 59:00.740 --> 59:04.080 And they were thoroughly convinced that by getting in there to confession, 59:04.740 --> 59:09.720 that was going to make it possible to take the Eucharist on Sunday. 59:11.800 --> 59:17.840 They didn't even know their own theology, which says that everything they were doing 59:17.840 --> 59:23.160 was unforgiven, because they were not truly repentant, and they were not 59:23.160 --> 59:24.300 forsaking their sins. 59:25.340 --> 59:32.760 So the confessional was ordained for the purpose of carrying through a specific 59:32.760 --> 59:36.340 interpretation of one biblical passage. 59:37.160 --> 59:41.600 All confession is based upon one biblical passage. 59:42.040 --> 59:43.880 I'd like you to look at that passage right now. 59:44.300 --> 59:46.340 Very famous in Catholic theology. 59:46.860 --> 59:48.220 They've written a great deal on it. 59:48.860 --> 59:52.080 We're going to look at it and try and understand it. 59:52.780 --> 59:56.100 John chapter 20. 59:56.980 --> 01:00:04.860 The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples, and he breathed on them, 01:00:06.000 --> 01:00:10.620 and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. 01:00:12.340 --> 01:00:21.220 Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you remit, they are remitted, whose sins you 01:00:21.220 --> 01:00:24.600 retain, they are retained. 01:00:28.980 --> 01:00:31.280 John chapter 20, 23. 01:00:32.660 --> 01:00:35.680 Actually, I should have begun in verse 21, you would have picked up immediately. 01:00:36.360 --> 01:00:41.000 Verse 21, Peace I leave with you, as my Father has sent me, I send you. 01:00:41.720 --> 01:00:46.700 He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit, whosoever's sins you remit, 01:00:46.780 --> 01:00:50.580 they are remitted unto them, whosoever's sins you retain, they are retained. 01:00:51.440 --> 01:00:57.340 Now, Roman Catholic theology teaches at this point that Jesus Christ gave the 01:00:57.340 --> 01:01:04.480 power to forgive sins to his disciples, just as he had that power himself. 01:01:05.520 --> 01:01:10.180 Let's make the assumption that that's true, just for the sake of argument. 01:01:10.980 --> 01:01:14.840 Jesus transmitted to his apostles that capacity. 01:01:15.800 --> 01:01:22.680 There isn't a single verse of scripture, nor biblical theology from the church 01:01:22.680 --> 01:01:28.280 fathers, in the first two centuries of the church, that indicates that the apostles 01:01:28.280 --> 01:01:31.200 ever gave that power to anybody. 01:01:32.200 --> 01:01:36.940 Never transmitted it to anybody, never taught that anybody got it. 01:01:38.180 --> 01:01:38.700 That's one. 01:01:40.140 --> 01:01:44.600 So even if you made the assumption that the apostles had the authority, 01:01:45.600 --> 01:01:49.440 there's no evidence that the apostles transmitted that authority, because they 01:01:49.440 --> 01:01:52.240 didn't transmit authority in other areas. 01:01:52.700 --> 01:01:56.520 For instance, when they laid hands on people, the Holy Spirit came upon them. 01:01:57.900 --> 01:02:02.960 Yet, the apostles never gave indication that this authority went to the local 01:02:02.960 --> 01:02:04.120 church or pastor. 01:02:05.240 --> 01:02:10.740 So, even if you made the assumption they were correct, it never went any further 01:02:10.740 --> 01:02:11.540 than the apostles. 01:02:12.400 --> 01:02:14.780 But is that indeed what the Lord Jesus said? 01:02:15.820 --> 01:02:19.220 He said, as my father sent me, I send you. 01:02:19.940 --> 01:02:27.740 The father sent him into the world to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, cast out the 01:02:27.740 --> 01:02:37.100 demons, bind up the wounds of men, but first and foremost always to save 01:02:37.100 --> 01:02:37.300 them. 01:02:38.060 --> 01:02:40.360 The redemption of the soul. 01:02:41.460 --> 01:02:45.860 He said to his disciples, go out into all the world, preach the gospel to all 01:02:45.860 --> 01:02:46.280 creatures. 01:02:47.560 --> 01:02:50.240 Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. 01:02:50.380 --> 01:02:53.120 Baptize them in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy Spirit. 01:02:53.160 --> 01:02:53.920 I'm with you always. 01:02:54.040 --> 01:02:55.280 Even to the end of the world. 01:02:55.860 --> 01:03:01.580 In the great commission, it's significant he does not say, heal the sick, 01:03:02.580 --> 01:03:06.540 cleanse the lepers, cast out the demons, and raise the dead. 01:03:07.760 --> 01:03:13.900 Yet, the apostles were capable of exercising that power as the Lord Jesus 01:03:13.900 --> 01:03:16.140 chose to give it to them. 01:03:16.700 --> 01:03:18.800 The early church could do this. 01:03:19.900 --> 01:03:26.520 But that power was not something given to the church to go on forever as it had been 01:03:26.520 --> 01:03:27.480 in the apostles. 01:03:27.800 --> 01:03:33.720 That's obvious, because as church history moved on, the apostles and the power they 01:03:33.720 --> 01:03:38.380 had disappeared from the church, and the continuing gifts of the spirit 01:03:38.380 --> 01:03:44.240 were the perpetuity, if we can call it that, of or the residual of that power. 01:03:45.600 --> 01:03:47.040 To me, it's very significant. 01:03:47.860 --> 01:03:50.780 That Jesus said, as my father sent me, I sent you. 01:03:50.860 --> 01:03:52.140 What did the father send him to do? 01:03:53.400 --> 01:03:56.640 To save mankind by the preaching of the gospel. 01:03:57.520 --> 01:03:58.840 And that's what he did. 01:03:59.460 --> 01:04:07.240 He preached to them, and when the people believed Jesus, he told them their sins 01:04:07.240 --> 01:04:07.840 were forgiven. 01:04:09.380 --> 01:04:14.940 And when they rejected him, he told them, you will die in your sins. 01:04:14.960 --> 01:04:16.920 Where I'm coming, going, you cannot come. 01:04:17.940 --> 01:04:19.500 We have the same power today. 01:04:20.880 --> 01:04:27.920 We can preach the gospel, and if people believe it, we can say to them in the name 01:04:27.920 --> 01:04:33.320 of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven you. 01:04:33.700 --> 01:04:36.800 They are remitted by the blood of the cross. 01:04:37.700 --> 01:04:42.420 If the person says, I don't buy it, I'm not going to accept it, I don't 01:04:42.420 --> 01:04:48.080 believe that Jesus Christ is my savior, then you may say to them, then your sins 01:04:48.080 --> 01:04:49.680 remain with you. 01:04:50.120 --> 01:04:53.740 You are lost in your transgressions and your sins. 01:04:55.020 --> 01:04:58.900 As my father sent me, I send you. 01:05:00.080 --> 01:05:05.020 There's an indication that we, in Christ's name, do the works of Christ. 01:05:05.880 --> 01:05:07.120 We are not Christ. 01:05:08.040 --> 01:05:09.540 We are not apostles. 01:05:10.780 --> 01:05:17.180 We are members of the body, and God has set in the church, the order of the 01:05:17.180 --> 01:05:20.880 church, for the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. 01:05:21.940 --> 01:05:30.560 Let us understand very clearly that penance has nothing to do with biblical 01:05:30.560 --> 01:05:31.120 confession. 01:05:32.020 --> 01:05:43.860 1 John 1, 7 and 9 says, if we confess our sins, he, Christ, is faithful and just to 01:05:43.860 --> 01:05:49.840 forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 01:05:50.520 --> 01:05:55.540 And then, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with 01:05:55.540 --> 01:06:00.840 another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, keeps on cleansing us of all 01:06:00.840 --> 01:06:01.140 sins. 01:06:02.260 --> 01:06:11.300 Biblical penance and Roman Catholic theological penance are totally different. 01:06:11.960 --> 01:06:19.000 In the Bible, if you are going to find penance at all, it would be to try and 01:06:19.000 --> 01:06:23.300 redress the wrongs that your sins have created. 01:06:23.700 --> 01:06:29.720 If you've hurt somebody, stolen from somebody, abused somebody, been dishonest, 01:06:30.120 --> 01:06:35.300 stealing time from the boss or money, if you've been an unfaithful person to 01:06:35.300 --> 01:06:41.580 your family and your marriage, then you are to redress that by correcting 01:06:41.580 --> 01:06:45.120 it after you have repented by the grace of God. 01:06:45.780 --> 01:06:48.940 And then people will see that you are sincere. 01:06:49.200 --> 01:06:55.760 One of my dearest old friends was the worst boozer and womanizer that Time 01:06:55.760 --> 01:06:57.780 Magazine ever had on its staff. 01:06:58.880 --> 01:07:02.420 He was an absolute rake, a degenerate. 01:07:03.200 --> 01:07:09.340 And that guy made every girl in Time Magazine's office building in New York 01:07:09.340 --> 01:07:13.080 City that he could get near for 22 years. 01:07:13.780 --> 01:07:18.260 And he went through two marriages and just made a mockery of everything. 01:07:18.540 --> 01:07:21.680 Wealthy, powerful, influential, you name it. 01:07:22.320 --> 01:07:22.920 He had it. 01:07:24.120 --> 01:07:29.420 He staggered drunk into one of my Bible classes one night and made a pass at my 01:07:29.420 --> 01:07:29.760 wife. 01:07:31.780 --> 01:07:38.620 My wife told him to please contain himself that she would be happy to chat with him 01:07:38.620 --> 01:07:39.120 afterwards. 01:07:39.480 --> 01:07:41.940 Why didn't he listen to what I was saying? 01:07:42.280 --> 01:07:43.200 And so he listened. 01:07:43.600 --> 01:07:48.480 That night I was preaching on Errol Flynn's book, My Wicked, Wicked Ways. 01:07:49.220 --> 01:07:51.240 And he thought I was preaching about him. 01:07:52.220 --> 01:07:52.920 I was. 01:07:53.860 --> 01:07:59.160 When I got finished, he told me afterward, I sweated through my shirt and my tie and 01:07:59.160 --> 01:08:02.140 my jacket and I was cold sober. 01:08:02.460 --> 01:08:06.000 And when I came through that door, I was smashed, Walter. 01:08:06.460 --> 01:08:08.220 Believe me, I was smashed. 01:08:08.500 --> 01:08:15.580 And he said, I got sober because God started talking to me and I suddenly 01:08:15.580 --> 01:08:17.120 realized what was going on. 01:08:17.900 --> 01:08:19.160 I said, what happened then? 01:08:19.600 --> 01:08:24.500 He said, I went home and my wife and I had a talk. 01:08:25.340 --> 01:08:28.000 And my wife said to me, you ought to read the Bible. 01:08:28.880 --> 01:08:31.080 I said, I haven't got one. 01:08:31.740 --> 01:08:34.920 She said, here, try this one. 01:08:35.500 --> 01:08:38.020 She had come to Christ a few days before. 01:08:38.400 --> 01:08:39.200 He didn't know it. 01:08:40.260 --> 01:08:44.640 And he's reading the Bible and she leads him to Christ. 01:08:45.640 --> 01:08:51.560 And he gets born again, sitting on their bed, reading the Bible after this Bible 01:08:51.560 --> 01:08:52.000 class. 01:08:53.240 --> 01:08:56.240 He turned to her, and I'm talking biblical theology now. 01:08:56.820 --> 01:09:03.680 And he said, dear, I know you're getting ready to divorce me. 01:09:04.440 --> 01:09:09.480 And I know that I deserve it more richly than any man around. 01:09:10.520 --> 01:09:12.820 I have lied to you. 01:09:13.000 --> 01:09:14.700 I have cheated on you. 01:09:14.980 --> 01:09:18.160 I have stolen your time and your life. 01:09:18.680 --> 01:09:22.700 I have been, and he started to confess his sin to her. 01:09:23.240 --> 01:09:26.400 He said, if you just give me a chance. 01:09:26.960 --> 01:09:32.100 He said, I know with God's help, I can make this up to you. 01:09:32.880 --> 01:09:34.760 That's biblical penance. 01:09:35.560 --> 01:09:37.760 He wasn't going to do it to get saved. 01:09:38.640 --> 01:09:45.200 He was going to do it because he wanted her to see that he had come to know Jesus 01:09:45.200 --> 01:09:45.800 Christ. 01:09:46.720 --> 01:09:49.300 She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug and a kiss. 01:09:49.400 --> 01:09:51.940 And she said, I came to Jesus just a few days ago. 01:09:52.280 --> 01:09:55.000 And she said, let's go together. 01:09:55.680 --> 01:09:58.280 And they became faithful members of my Bible class. 01:09:59.040 --> 01:10:04.760 The guy then carried true biblical penance to its final justification. 01:10:05.380 --> 01:10:13.920 He went back to Time Magazine and went through the building floor by floor and 01:10:13.920 --> 01:10:19.780 told the girls that he was an adulterous wretch who had done terrible things, 01:10:19.780 --> 01:10:21.540 exploited them and everything else. 01:10:21.980 --> 01:10:26.840 Please could they forgive him because he had come to know Jesus Christ as his 01:10:26.840 --> 01:10:27.220 Savior. 01:10:27.860 --> 01:10:32.880 I gave him a tie clasp I had on that night when I heard his testimony, a little Ixos 01:10:32.880 --> 01:10:33.340 fish. 01:10:33.400 --> 01:10:34.240 He still has it. 01:10:34.480 --> 01:10:35.500 I saw him last year. 01:10:36.380 --> 01:10:37.100 He's still witnessing. 01:10:37.760 --> 01:10:39.100 In fact, I was a guest in his home. 01:10:39.840 --> 01:10:47.120 There was that Ixos that he wears all over the place to remind him Jesus Christ 01:10:47.120 --> 01:10:48.200 saved. 01:10:48.940 --> 01:10:50.100 And you know what happened? 01:10:50.640 --> 01:10:53.460 He led some of the girls in the building to cry. 01:10:54.080 --> 01:10:59.460 He shook up the management of Time Magazine and he finally ended up in Henry 01:10:59.460 --> 01:11:00.380 Luce's office. 01:11:02.120 --> 01:11:07.500 Henry said, because he's a relative, Henry said, I understand that something's 01:11:07.500 --> 01:11:08.500 happened to you. 01:11:09.120 --> 01:11:11.640 Pete said, you better have. 01:11:12.720 --> 01:11:18.740 He said, I found Jesus Christ, Henry, and you need Jesus too. 01:11:19.160 --> 01:11:21.780 And he went after Henry Luce for 15 minutes. 01:11:22.700 --> 01:11:24.400 Luce just sat there and listened to him. 01:11:24.720 --> 01:11:25.460 He got all finished. 01:11:26.220 --> 01:11:30.220 He said, a long time ago, Pete, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior in 01:11:30.220 --> 01:11:30.540 China. 01:11:30.960 --> 01:11:32.240 My parents were missionaries. 01:11:32.400 --> 01:11:37.580 I've been a miserable example of Christianity, but I believe and he said, 01:11:37.720 --> 01:11:41.840 he's the son of God and the Savior, and he rose from the dead, and I trust him 01:11:41.840 --> 01:11:43.840 for my salvation just the way you do. 01:11:44.880 --> 01:11:48.660 He said, you find the strangest people that God has in the strangest places. 01:11:49.600 --> 01:11:53.220 Here was the editor saying, I blew it, but I know Jesus. 01:11:54.640 --> 01:11:58.660 That's biblical penance, not Roman Catholic penance. 01:12:03.130 --> 01:12:07.210 For further information on this subject, remember that the Christian Research 01:12:07.210 --> 01:12:11.270 Institute offers a wide selection of books, fact sheets, statements, 01:12:11.790 --> 01:12:16.230 CRI perspective transcripts, and other user-friendly resources that will help you 01:12:16.230 --> 01:12:17.290 to become better equipped. 01:12:18.030 --> 01:12:24.830 Just write CRI, Box 500, San Juan Capistrano, California, 92693. 01:12:25.630 --> 01:12:30.470 Or you may call 714-855-9926.