Apologetics for the Masses #352 - Problems With Protestantism #1

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Another Flaw in Protestantism - Decapitating Jesus.

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General Comments

Hey folks,

Some exciting news (well, I think it's exciting) - I have a few new videos to tell you about:

1) Check out my new YouTube video - Questions Protestants Can't Answer - #26 - it addresses the Protestant dogma of once saved always saved. You can see it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3AL70Zuc7M

2) Beginning July 1, I will be airing some 30-second television commercials locally in Birmingham, and then later on in Huntsville. You can see all three of these commercials on the homepage of my website. Check them out and let me know what you think:

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/

If you like them, and would like to air them in your area, I would be happy to have anyone use them at no cost. I would even be happy to call and set the whole thing up with your local television stations. Just let me know.

Introduction

Okay, last week, in my summary of "lessons learned" in the discussion with Pastor Greg Smith, I mentioned how the Achilles heel of Protestantism is infallibility - or, actually, the lack of it, in Protestant theology. No one - absolutely no one! - in Protestantism can make an infallible interpretation of any passage of Scripture. Which means, no one can make an authoritative interpretation of Scripture that is binding on anyone else, because each and any interpretation, being fallible, could be wrong. And you can't bind someone to believe in error. Which further means that Protestantism, in its most basic essence, is a free-for-all. It boils down to each individual, interpreting their Bible on their own - answering to no authority other than themselves - in order to determine what is and is not authentic doctrine and practice for Christians. You've probably heard of the one man - one vote principle in a civics class you took in high school; well, the core principle of Protestantism, is basically the one man - one church principle. I have my Bible. I will decide for myself what is true and what is false when it comes to faith and morals. I do not need you to tell me what to believe, thank you.

Now, even though they don't need anyone to tell them what they should or shouldn't believe, they will, of course, tell you, as a Catholic, that you are wrong to be Catholic and they will tell you what you should and shouldn't believe. I guess they can do that because as fallible as they are, apparently Catholics are even more fallible. And, as part of their argument against what you believe they will usually say something along the lines of what Pastor Greg said to me: " Please stick to the Scriptures, not Catholic dogma," and " Are you seeking God in your life or just following your religion?" and " Are you in a religion or a relationship with Jesus Christ?"

In other words, Pastor Greg is telling me not to go by what my church says, rather I should go by his fallible interpretation of Scripture. Although, he would say it differently. He would say that I should go by what the Bible says and not by what the Church says. He mentioned several times in our conversation about how we shouldn't follow the traditions of the Catholic Church - or the Protestant church either, for that matter. In other words, we can't trust what a church tells us, we have to trust what we fallibly interpret the Bible to be telling us (unless, of course, our fallible interpretation contradicts Pastor Greg's fallible interpretation - his fallible interpretation trumps our fallible interpretation).

This attitude, of pitting the Bible against the Church, is another fatal flaw of Protestantism. Not all Protestants do this, but the vast majority of the ones I have come across do. I call it decapitating Jesus. I'll explain below.

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Let's start the discussion with a passage from Scripture: John 1:16-17, "And from His fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Okay, so...what does that passage tell us? That we have received, from the fullness of Jesus Christ, grace upon grace. Grace comes to us from the fullness of Jesus Christ. I think everyone - Catholic and Protestant - would agree with that. I mean, that's what the Bible very clearly states. I think Pastor Greg would agree with that.

Okay, then, let's look at another Bible passage: Colossians 1:19, "For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell..." And, in Colossians 2:9-10, it says this: "For in Him [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in Him, Who is the head of all rule and authority." Fullness is the theme here. The fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus Christ. And we have received, as it says in John 1:16-17, grace after grace from this fullness. I believe both Catholic and Protestant would agree with that 100%. I believe Pastor Greg would agree with that 100%.

But, that presents a problem for Protestants like Pastor Greg who pit Bible against Church. How so, you might ask? Well, because of what it says in Ephesians 1:22-23 - "...and He [the Father] has put all things under His [Jesus] feet and has made Him the head over all things for the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all."

Did you catch that? The Church, according to the Word of God, is the "fullness" of Jesus Christ. Where does the Bible...the Word of God...say that we get grace upon grace from? From the "fullness" of Jesus Christ (John 1:16-17). And what is the "fullness" of Jesus Christ...according to the Word of God? The Church! And where does the Bible...the Word of God...say we get fullness of life from? From the "fullness" of deity in Him (Jesus). And what is the "fullness" of Jesus Christ...according to the Word of God? The Church! So, where do we get grace upon grace and the fullness of life from? The Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ, the "fullness" of Him Who fills all in all.

And, as the Church is the Body of Christ, who is the Head of the Body? Jesus Christ (Eph 1:22-23). And how does the Word of God describe what Jesus is the Head over? The Word of God says He is the head of "all rule and authority," (Col 2:9-10). So, Jesus is the Head over the Body, which is the Church, which is "all rule and authority." So, where do we find rule and authority? In the Church! The Church which is the Body of Christ.

The argument of finding the authority of Jesus Christ Himself in the Church is further strengthened by Scripture when you look at Matt 18:15-18, where Jesus tells the Apostles to take disputes to the binding authority of the Church for a decision. The Church that has the authority, from Jesus Christ Himself, to bind and loose on earth that which then shall be bound and loosed in Heaven. In other words, the Church has to be infallible in its judgment because whatever it is binding and loosing on earth is being bound and loosed in Heaven by God. God does not bind and loose error. Therefore, the Church's judgments in these matters have to be free from error - i.e., infallible.

So, where does all of this get us? For Protestants, the answer is that it gets you in a lot of trouble. Pastor Greg, for example, said that all authority that he has - to preach, to teach, to pastor, et al - comes directly to him from Jesus Christ through the Scriptures, not through the Church. First of all, nowhere does the Bible ever say such a thing. Secondly, the Scriptures tell us that all authority of Jesus Christ, grace upon grace through Jesus Christ, fullness of life in Jesus Christ, all come through the fullness of Jesus Christ. The fullness of Jesus Christ which is identified as...the Church.

And, I don't believe Pastor Greg, or any Protestant minister - or lay person - would ever claim that his church is the fullness of Jesus Christ and that in his church resides all rule and authority of Jesus Christ. I mean, Pastor Greg has already said all authority resides in the Bible. The Bible says all authority resides in the Body of Christ - the Church. So, who do you believe...the Word of God, or the Word of Greg?

Which is why, when so many Protestants pit Bible against Church, what they are actually doing is removing the Head (Jesus) from the Body (the Church). They are, in essence, decapitating Jesus. When Protestants adopt a "me and Jesus" theology...when they say that you don't need the church as long as you've got the Bible...when they say that the Church isn't necessary for one's salvation...what they are essentially doing is cutting Jesus' Head off of His Body. They are saying that you don't need the Body of Christ for salvation.

The Church is the mystical Body of Christ. Jesus identifies with His Church as one and the same. We see this in Eph 5:31-32 where Paul uses the language of marriage to say that Jesus and the Church are one. We see it in Acts 9:4 where Jesus asks Saul, "Why do you persecute Me." Who was Paul persecuting? Acts 8:3 says, "Saul laid waste the Church." Saul was persecuting the Church. Jesus asks him why do you persecute Me? Jesus and the Church are one.

All those Protestants who downplay the role of the Church, and look at the Church with disdain, are in grave danger of losing their salvation. You cannot have Jesus if you don't have the Church. The Bible makes that very plain. Jesus and the Church are one. Separating the Church from Jesus is cutting the Head off the Body. It is a catastrophic mistake.

Now, one argument that someone such as Pastor Greg, or any other Protestant, might come back with is this: "Well, yes, we agree that Jesus and the Church are one, but the Church here is not the Catholic Church!" Fine, for the sake of argument, let's say it's not the Catholic Church. But, that still hasn't solved the Protestants' problem. Because, if it's not the Catholic Church, then that means there is some church out there that is the "fullness" of Jesus Christ, and has been the fullness of Christ since it was founded...2000 years ago. There is some church out there from which one has been able to receive grace upon grace, for 2000 years. There is some church out there from which one could receive fullness of life, for 2000 years. There is some church out there that has wielded the authority of Jesus Christ Himself, for 2000 years. There is some church out there that has been binding and loosing on earth that which is bound and loosed in Heaven, for 2000 years. There is some church out there that has had the gift of infallibility as it operates with the authority of Jesus Christ, for 2000 years.

So, if it's not the Catholic Church, which church is it? Well, it's definitely not Pastor Greg's church. After all, Pastor Greg denies that any earthly authority could be infallible. Plus, he says authority and grace and life are bestowed upon him by the Bible, not by the Church. And, he has said his church is only 150 years old. The Church that is the Body of Christ has to be...HAS TO BE!...2000 years old. So, what church is it? Well, we have to eliminate as a possibility all the Protestant churches that deny they wield the infallible authority of Jesus Christ. We have to eliminate as a possibility all of the Protestant churches that have never claimed to bind and loose things on earth that are bound and loosed in heaven. We have to eliminate as a possibility all Protestant churches that are not 2000 years old. In other words, we have to eliminate as a possibility all Protestant churches, period, since not a single Protestant church matches any of those criteria!

To sum up, the Protestant "me and Jesus" theology that relegates the church to this amorphous concept of all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their "personal Lord and Savior," regardless of what "church" they belong to, a theology that makes the church essentially irrelevant to salvation - in opposition to the theology that embraces the church described in Scripture as the fullness of Jesus Christ which has all authority and through which grace upon grace and fullness of life is received - is a lifeless theology that could very well lead one to destruction. It is a theology that decapitates Jesus. It is a fatal flaw in Protestantism.

Closing Comments

I hope all of you enjoyed this newsletter and were able to get at least something out of it. Please feel free to share it on social media using the links below or above, and please feel free to share it with any and all "me and Jesus" Protestants.

Have a great week!

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