Reformation Matters 6

This is the sixth post in celebration of the 505th Reformation.

The Only Sovereign Savior

“What a glorious Savior he is! Once again consider Christ in his entire identity, life, and work. In his birth, he is the divine Son and Lord who chooses to become our Mediator in obedience to his Father’s will. In his life, as the incarnate Son, he is still the sovereign King who willingly and gladly chooses to die for us. In his death, he does not die as a victim or martyr but as one who is fully in control, choosing to die for us. By his death, he pays for our sin, destroys death, and defeats Satan by putting him under his feet in triumph. In his resurrection, which is inseparable from his life and death, the Father by the Spirit exalts the Son and inaugurates the glorious new covenant age of the new creation. From that posture of authority, the glorified and exalted Son pours out the Spirit, once again proof that he is Lord and Messiah/King. From that same posture of authority, the exalted and ascended Lord rules over his people, governs history, and will return in power to consummate all that he has begun in his first coming.”
― Stephen J. Wellum, Christ Alone—The Uniqueness of Jesus as Savior: What the Reformers Taught…and Why It Still Matters

The Saviorhood and Lordship of Christ, His role as the only mediator between man and God, and His continual intercession for the church have also been ascribed to Mary under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediator. The Scripture undeniably affirms all of these titles to Christ alone (Acts 4:12, John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, I John 2:1, Hebrews 7:25).

Act 4:12  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

1Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

1 John 2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 

Heb 7:25  Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 

Our confession attests, “This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God; and may not be either in whole or any part thereof, transferred from him to any other.”[21]

Rome’s doctrine of Mary robs the Lord Jesus Christ of His glory when they say, “In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, she shines forth on earth until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim people of God.”[22]

Pope Leo XIII states, “When Mary offered herself completely to God together with her Son in the temple, she was already sharing with him the painful atonement on behalf of the human race… (at the foot of the cross) she was a co-worker with Christ in His expiation for mankind and she offered up her Son to the divine justice dying with him in her heart. [William Webster, Holy Scripture, 286-7]

Adding Mary as co-mediatrix undermines the exclusive work and role of Christ. ‘We do not need a mediator to go to the mediator! [Ibid, 289].

Nevertheless, this doctrine unites all of Roman Catholicism’s doctrine; in fact, you may hear more of Mary than Christ on the lips of its followers. Dr. Reymond, in the section of his book with reference to Mary, concludes, “Rome’s idolatrous view of Mary is anything but a unifying feature in its theology. To the contrary, its unbiblical exaltation of Mary continues to be one of the major blocks to the reunification of the church as it diminishes the uniqueness of Christ’s saving work, weakens the sense of immediate access to Christ that is every Christian’s birthright, and undermines the Pauline Solus Christus and sola fide of justification. By its exaltation of Mary, the Roman Catholic Church makes itself the largest cult in Christendom—the Marian cult.”[23]

All of these doctrines cry for the need for Rome’s reformation through the faithful proclamation of God’s word. I strongly believe based on what has been presented above (and the previous blogs), and any serious study of their doctrines, that unless they abandon these inventions, and abide in the rich truth of God’s word, they can never find salvation in Christ.

They are in grievous error; they have given up the gospel. We may in some way participate with them “on social issues, but we have no common cause in the gospel. Rome has compromised the gospel with her unbiblical doctrines. I firmly believe that she is teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”[24] It is a false church for “its interpretation of the Scriptures is so erroneous and its practices are so persistently unchristian that over the long period of time its influence for good is outweighed by its influence for evil.”[25]

To God be the glory!

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This blog is included in the series of posts for the 505th reformation month.

• [21] 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith 8.9 (emphasis added)
• [22] The Catechism of Catholic Church, para. 972
• [23] Reymond, 127
• [24]  R.C. Sproul, Are We Together? A Protestant Analysis of Roman Catholicism. (Michigan: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2012) Epub. 149
• [25] Boettner, 726