Pr Joshua Yong

Satan will always seek to oppose the work of God. Satan hates the Word of God and the Gospel and he will never cease to hinder the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. This opposition to God’s work was also seen in the Counter-Reformation.

On the 31^st of October 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses, sparking off the 16^th Century Protestant Reformation. This was God’s great work of revival where there was a return to the study of the Bible and the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. The Roman Catholic’s teaching of salvation by works was exposed and the biblical doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone was defended and declared.

Immediately after the events of 31^st October, the Roman Catholic Church (“RCC”) tried to put an end to the Reformation. Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Church; he was pronounced an outlaw and a heretic and his writings and books were banned. But these actions could not stop the work of the reformation. The Gospel soon spread beyond Germany and the RCC soon realised that decisive steps had to be taken to counter the Protestant Reformation.

This came about with the election of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese as Pope Paul III in 1534. Though Paul III was the fourth Pope during the period of the reformation, he was the first who responded decisively against Protestantism, sparking off what is today known as the Counter-Reformation.

1)  The Jesuits

The first step which Pope Paul III approved was the formation of the “Society of Jesus,” commonly known as the “Jesuits”. It became a new order of the RCC in 1540. The Jesuits were founded by Ignatius of Loyola, a former professional soldier whose career ended with an injury. In 1534, he gathered a group of students who dedicated themselves to be “soldiers of God.” They offered themselves in 1540 to the service of Pope Paul III and the RCC. Because of Loyola’s former military training, he shaped the Jesuits after a military tradition. They were extremely loyal to the cause of the RCC.

In the opening words of the official charter for the new order, Loyola wrote that each member was “a soldier of God under the banner of the cross,” whose mission was “to serve the Lord alone and the Church his Spouse, under the Roman pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth.” Their loyalty was not only to Christ but to the Pope as well. Ignatius also wrote that “if we wish to proceed securely in all things, we must hold fast to the following principle: What seems to me white, I will believe black, if the hierarchal church so defines.” This was blind loyalty to the RCC. They were an embodiment of the philosophy, “the ends justify the means.”

The Jesuits focused on three primary activities. First, they were engaged in missionary work and were sent to the most extreme of places. They had gone to regions as far as China, India and Japan during the 16^th Century. Second, they established schools and universities for the purpose of education that was in line with RC tradition. Third, they were to stop the advance of Protestantism at all costs and this included torture, persecution and execution.

2)  The Roman Inquisition

The next step which Paul III took was to inaugurate the Roman Inquisition in July 1542. The inquisition has a long history, the most famous of which was the Spanish Inquisition (1478). An inquisition was basically a form of court set up by the RCC to root out and punish what they regarded as heresy. Pope Paul III understood the effectiveness of the Spanish Inquisition and decided to implement the use of the inquisition against Protestant Christians. Christians were tortured, and if found guilty of heresy by the Church were executed, often by being burned at the stake. This led to a wide spread persecution of Protestant Christians. Even though there were official General Inquisitors who were given official power to judge and mete out sentences, the inquisition resulted in various waves of Catholic mob violence against Protestant Christians. Though the exact number of Protestant Christians who were killed during the inquisition is not known, some historians have estimated the number to be in the millions.

3)  The Council of Trent

Third, Pope Paul III convened the Council of Trent, which was held between 1545 and 1563. The council made clear statements on Catholic doctrines. For example, the council reaffirmed the doctrines of transubstantiation, purgatory, intercession of saints and indulgences. It also affirmed that Church tradition is equal to Scripture as a source of authority and is to be regarded as a form of special revelation. It also pronounced various “anathemas” (curses) on those who believed in any doctrine that was regarded as a departure from Catholic doctrine. Various anathemas were pronounced on those who believed in justification by faith alone. For example, canon XII on justification says, “If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema.” Canon XXIV states, “If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema.” This council clearly defined the salvation by works Gospel of the RCC.

4)  Index of Prohibited Books

In 1559 an index of prohibited books known as the Index Librorum Prohibitorum was published by Pope Paul IV. They believed that by controlling what the people could read, they would be able to prevent the spread of Protestantism. Apart from the works of the reformers, many editions and translations of the Bible were included in this list of prohibited books. The council of Trent later authorised and published a revised form of this list. It was known as the Tridentine Index.

5)  Ecumenism – The Counter-Reformation of the 21^st Century

In 2016, in view of the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis officially apologised for persecuting Protestants. He said, “As the bishop of Rome and pastor of the Catholic Church, I would like to invoke mercy and forgiveness for the non-evangelical behavior of Catholics toward Christians of other churches.” Some Protestant Christians saw this as a genuine expression of friendship and were even willing to put aside their differences in order to work towards unity. On 31st October 2016, the Lutheran Church held a joint prayer service with the Catholic Church. While leading the service, Pope Francis and the head of the Lutheran World Federation signed a joint statement “with the commitment to continue the ecumenical journey together towards the unity that Christ prayed for.” This is ecumenism in action. What can we make of their apology and actions?

The RCC’s apology means nothing if they do not admit that the doctrines which they have taught are wrong, and the RCC has never admitted that their doctrines of salvation by works, of the worship of Mary, of transubstantiation, of purgatory are wrong. As recent as 2013, Pope Francis reaffirmed the doctrines and the canons of the council of Trent. He said that the Catholic Church “of this age revives and reflects upon the most glorious Tridentine doctrine.” “Tridentine” describes the doctrine that relates to the council of Trent – the very same council that pronounced curses on those who believe in the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone.

Satan may be employing a new strategy, but his objectives remain the same. He still hates the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeks to oppose God’s Work. The strategy that he uses today is compromise and infiltration. These 21^st Century ecumenical endeavours are really steps taken to counter the Reformation, albeit with a different approach. Christians today must not be deceived. In this 21^st Century, we need to keep the torch of Reformation alight. The RCC has not changed. They are still the same RCC who seeks to counter the Reformation. We must continue to preach the pure Gospel of salvation in Christ alone. This is the same Gospel which Apostle Paul preached and the same Gospel which the Reformers preached. Jude 3 says, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Let us continue to earnestly contend for the faith.