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Rejecting the Rock of Offense

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 9:33.

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” Exodus 23:2.

We Must Know Christ Apart From All Others

The distinctness, the discreteness of the relationship between the soul and the Almighty, lies at the foundation of salvation.

The Great Danger of the Subtle Replacement of Standing Alone Before the Almighty With Acceptance by “The Group”

One of the greatest dangers of all is the subtle replacement of the fear of Lord-the awe before God and His Word coupled with obedience to the Word, with a feeling of “all is well” based on a euphoria coming from positive human responses in the group setting of being a ‘member of the club” in a church setting. Thus, the Presence, the Secret of His face [Psalms 31:20], is replaced by the paltry fellowship of man.

In Romanism the Church Replaces Christ

The Roman Catholic Church is built upon this foundation. The church replaces Christ at the center. Sure enough, “Christ” is retained, but rather as an adjunct to the central principle, that salvation comes through the church. Yet, the issue is stated more subtly than this by Rome. Rome declares in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“846 …All salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is the Body:

“Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He Himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church that men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they would not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.” –Section 846, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994. (Emphasis mine)

Notice that the Roman Catholic Church declares that “the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation,” that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the church which is the body.”

The Catch Phrase: “Through the Church”

The catch phrase is through the Church. The church is made the conduit of salvation. A person comes to Christ through the Roman Church, and the Church takes over the mediation of Christ through the priesthood and the papacy. The pope becomes the vicar of Christ-one who stands in Christ’s place. He holds the keys given to Peter-the Keys of this blood. So lip service is paid to Christ, but in reality the Church takes over salvation, manages it, dispenses it, and controls it, through the pope and priestly hierarchy and dogma.

Dogma of Inherent Authority of the Church

Rome has developed the concept of the inherent authority granted to the Church into the dogma that there is no salvation outside of the Church-her fellowship. “Outside the Church” there is no salvation.” Rome declares that the church is the ark of salvation.

Lifting Up” and Managing the Mediation of Christ

In Rome, this principle is developed to the highest degree with the church hierarchy replacing Christ as the center of mediation. Daniel 8:11 foretold that the TAMID, the divine mediation of Christ, would be taken away from Christ by the papal power-the Little Horn of Bible prophecy.

Literally in Hebrew: “And unto the Prince of the host he made himself great, and from Him [from the Prince of the host, Christ] he lifted up (raised up, picked up, took up, took away, stopped, picked out and presented or offered) the TAMID and threw down (overturned, tumbled down) the place of His sanctuary.” Daniel 8:11 (Hebrew Literal translation).

The Bible Deals With Reality

The Bible deals with what actually happened. The papacy “lifted up,” “took away” the TAMID, the continual mediatorial ministration of Christ, from Christ, and threw down to earth the place of His sanctuary. Thus, Rome took over the mediatorial work of Christ.

The issue is, will we let Christ have full and undisputed authority, mediating His own mediation, or will we let the church lift up that mediation from Christ, take it away from Christ, and manage it itself?

Rome’s Concept of the Great Authority of the Church

Indeed Rome has taken this concept so far that she declares that so great is the authority given to the church that the church has authority to even change the law of God. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.” –Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, Peter Geiermann, C.SS.R.

The Three Angels’ Messages Strike at the Deepest Level At the Replacement of the Authority and Mediation of Christ By the Church

Thus, the Three Angels’ Messages, at the deepest level, strike at the concept that one is saved through membership of the church instead of through Christ only.

Third Angel’s Message is Justification by Faith in Verity

Just as Rome has developed the concept of salvation through membership in the church to the highest level, even so the Spirit of Prophecy has developed the concept of salvation through Christ alone to the highest level, for the third Angel’s Message is justification by faith in verity.

“Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel’s message, and I have answered, “It is the third angel’s message in verity.” RH 4-1-90.

The supplement of the authority of Christ and His Word, by the Church, which eventually leads to the replacement of Christ by the Church, is the path of apostasy. As the Protestant churches go deeper into apostasy, the principle of salvation through the church and church membership instead of through Christ alone is taking ever-deeper hold.

But One Way of Salvation-Truly Knowing Christ Through Self-surrender

Jesus warned that there is but one way of salvation, and through the strait gate of absolute self-surrender. (Luke 13:24). There will be those who tell Christ that they should be saved because He taught in their streets and they ate and drank in His presence. (Luke 13:26). To these Christ will say, “I tell you, I know you not whence ye are: depart from Me, all ye that work iniquity.” Luke 13:27.

Church Fellowship Does Not Save a Person

Church fellowship does not save a person. A person believing that he will be saved because of church fellowship, Jesus said, is resting upon a false hope.

This problem of thinking that one is saved because he is an accepted member of a church organization or group is one of the greatest delusions of our time: People think that because they are a church member in good and regular standing, they will be saved.

“We Be Abraham’s Seed”

Jesus addressed this issue over and over again. In the midst of conflict with the Jews who claimed, “We be Abraham’s seed,” (John 8:33) Jesus declared that not only were they not Abraham’s children (John 8:39) but rather, “Ye are children of your father the devil.” (John 8:44). Those Jews had the Scriptures of the Old Testament. They believed themselves to be scrupulous students of the Scriptures, and scrupulously obedient to the Scriptures. However, because Jesus, this Man, this God in human flesh, told them the truth they believed Him not. (John 8:45).

“Yet Ye Have Not Known Him”

Then Jesus explained that though they claimed that His Father was their God, “Yet ye have not known Him; but I Myself know Him, and if I should say that I do not know Him, I would be like you, a liar. But I know Him, and the Word of Him I keep.” John 8:55.

The Scriptures Are His Word

Their problem was their entire approach to religion. Instead of starting with the fundamental issue of knowing God, loving Him, and following Him alone, and seeing the Scriptures as His Word, hearing them as His Word, they had a blockage and never really heard the Word of the Father:

“The one being out of God the Word of God hears: on account of this you do not hear, because out of God you are not.” John 8:47. Greek literal translation.

We Must Be Born From Above, Planted By God

In other words, a person must be out of God, born again, planted by God, born of the Holy Spirit, have this individual surrender to God, in order to hear God’s Word. Even though a person can have the bible and study it every hour of the day, if that person is not out of God by being born from above, that person cannot hear.

We Must Know Him Individually, Personally

We must individually know the Father personally and Jesus Christ personally, as a Being, As a Divine Person, as God. Christ must know us. In addition, we must relate to Him individual to individual to individual to individual, based on His Word. 

The Infinite is Not, and Never Will Be, Bound About By Human Organizations

The infinite is not, and never will be, bound about by human organizations or human plans. Every soul must have a personal experience in obtaining knowledge of the will and ways of God. In all who are under the training of God is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, its practice, or its experiences. Through study of the Scriptures, through earnest prayer, they may hear His message to them, “Be still and know that I am God.” When every other voice is hushed, when every earthly interest is turned aside, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God.” FE 440.

Many in our time, because of their convictions about self-surrender to the Biblical Christ, have been hated and driven out of a church fellowship that rests upon another premise-a worldly ecumenical, politically correct premise-another premise than knowing Christ as a Person, and following Him alone