All Articles For Contending for the Faith

Introductory Remarks 

We concluded our previous article with an unfinished quotation from Dr. Bavinck as he wrote on the Romish doctrine of the sacrament of baptism. We now continue with this quotation. 

Continuing with our article in the previous issue of theStandard Bearer, to the effect that the doctrine of transubstantiation was not the accepted doctrine of the Church during this particular period of the history of the Church, we concluded with the remark that we would quote from Reinhold Seeberg as he has written on Augustine’s view of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. We quote him as follows: “The peculiarities of the separate sacraments may be briefly stated.

Finally, continuing to quote Irenaeus, we submit to our readers the following rather lengthy quotation which is remarkable because it enables us to understand why the seeds of the later Roman Catholic doctrine of the Mass and of the real, be it bloodless, sacrifice of Christ were sown in this early period of the Church.

We noted in our preceding article that the real question between Rome and Protestantism is whether apart from the revelation contained in the Bible, there is another supplementary and explanatory revelation, which has been handed down outside of the Scripture, by tradition. Are there doctrines, institutions, and ordinances, having no warrant in the Scriptures, which we as Christians are bound to receive and obey on the authority of what is called common consent? This Protestantism denies. And we remarked that we deny this, in the first place, because the Romish doctrine of tradition and belief in doctrines not taught in...

The body which is born of the virgin is in truth body united with divinity, not that the body which was received up into the heavens descends, but that the bread itself and the wine are changed into God’s body and blood. But if you enquire how this happens, it is enough for you to learn that it was through the Holy Spirit, just as the Lord took on Himself flesh that subsisted in Him and was born of the holy mother of God through, the Spirit. And we know nothing further save that the Word of God is true...

THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS.  “Thus, neither is our own justice established as our own as from ourselves; nor is the justice of God ignored or repudiated: for that justice which is called ours, because that we are justified from its being inherent in us, that same is (the justice) of God, because that it is infused into us of God, through the merit of Christ. Neither is this to be omitted,—that although, in the sacred writings, so much is attributed to good works, that Christ promises, that even he that shall give a.

VIEWS DURING THE THIRD PERIOD (750-1517 A.D.)  THE SUPREMACY OF THE POPE  GREGORY VII AND THE PAPACY (continued). 

The Eucharist is both a sacrament wherein God conveys to us a certain blessing, and a sacrifice which man offers to God. As a sacrament, or the communion, it stands at the head of all sacred rites; as a sacrifice it stands alone.

The significance of the Church is an extremely important and significant question. The Roman Catholic view of the Church is most clearly and ably set forth by Robert Bellarmin, the famous Roman Catholic controversialist. According to him the church is a company of men externally bound together by the profession of the same Christian faith, united in the communion of the same sacraments, under and subject to the government of legitimate pastors, especially the pope. What does this imply? This implies that Rome excludes from the Church all heretics and infidels, all the unbaptized, all who are not subject to...