As a former Roman Catholic whom in His mercy and grace the Lord delivered from its spiritual bondage into the glorious liberty of the sons of God—and this through absolutely zero effort or seeking Him on my part—I know very well what soli Deo gloria means. And the Roman Catholic Church ain’t even in the barn.

The following is a short excerpt from the Apprising Ministries piece Has The Roman Catholic Church Really Changed. Regardless of what we may think of some of his other activities, before a worldwide audience on the The John Ankerberg Show, the late Dr. D. James Kennedy at least had the intestinal fortitude to be willing to puts into its proper perspective what’s at stake with foolish evangelicals embracing apostate Roman Catholicism as a valid expression of the Christian faith.

Kennedy was absolutely correct when he told us:

The Council Of Trent [was a full] 18 years…spent examining the doctrines of the Protestant Reformation…[and] this has never been altered or denied by the [Roman] Catholic Church – “if anyone says that the faith which justifies is nothing else but trust in the divine mercy–which pardons sins because of Christ or that it is trust alone by which we are justified” – which is what every Evangelical Christian would say… “Let him be anathema.” Which means let him be accursed. Every Evangelical Christian in the world stands under the official–[and] never changed curse of the Roman [Catholic] Church. (Online source).

On that same program, which was discussing the original Evangelicals and Catholics Together document that involved J.I. Packer, John MacArthur was dead on target when he said:

When you talk about a work-righteousness system, of any kind, it is so far from saving that it is rubbish, it’s garbage. That’s why Paul said, “All my life” he said, “I tried to achieve this stuff, and I had all this stuff in my gain column,” remember that in Philippians 3? “And then I saw Christ, and a righteousness which came not by the law, but a righteousness was given to me by faith—the righteousness of God and immediately all what was gained was “skubalon.”

What you have got is a whole system built on “skubalon” and you can’t throw your arms around that system. You can’t embrace it, and simply say, “Well, they talk about Jesus, and they talk about God, and they talk about faith, and they talk about grace, and we have got to embrace them. And if we don’t embrace them then we are violating the unity of the Body, and we are being ungracious to other disciples.” That is a frightening misrepresentation of the distinctiveness of “Justification by faith, and faith alone.”

[Roman Catholicism] is a false religion, it is another religion. When you throw your arms around that you literally have to undo any doctrinal distinction. In fact, ECT doesn’t just do that implicitly, they do that explicitly. In the document, in effect, they say, “we have to accept all baptized Roman Catholics as brothers and sisters in Christ. In an article that followed that up in Christianity Today, J. I. Packer said, “We should acknowledge as brothers and sisters in Christ, anyone who lives to the highest ideals of their communion.” My response to that is the opposite. I maybe could fellowship with a bad Roman Catholic, that is, one who has rejected the system, but was still in the church and came to know Christ. But one who holds the highest ideals of Roman Catholicism—on what grounds do I have spiritual unity? (Online source)

To which R.C. Sproul would add:

The Roman Catholic Church condemns “sola fide! (L.)” Now if, please understand this, if “sola fide (L.)” is the gospel, then the Roman Catholic Church has condemned the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, nobody who went to the Council of Trent, as a delegate, went there with the intention of condemning the gospel. The theologians of Rome really believed that they were defending the gospel and that the Protestants had in fact committed apostasy. And I admire the Church, the Roman communion of the 16th century for at least understanding what apparently people don’t understand today, and that is what is at stake here. That they understood that somebody is under the anathema of God!

And we can be as nice, and as pleasant, and as gentle, and as loving, and as charitable, and tolerant as we can possibly be, but it’s not going to change that folks. Somebody is preaching a different gospel! And when Rome condemned the Protestant declaration of “Justification by faith alone” I believe, Rome, when placing the anathema on “sola fide (L.),” placed the anathema of God upon themselves. I agree with his [John MacArthur] assessment, that the institution [Roman Catholic Church] is apostate! (Online source)

Switching gears slightly, as a Southern Baptist pastor for now, I think a salient question would be: How possibly does the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest allegedly “Protestant” denomination in America, actually believe God will bless it when e.g. Rick Warren, one of it’s most recognized—and arguably its most influential—pastors, is saying such stupid things and openly contradicting the Protestant Reformation with no public rebuke: 

“I see absolutely zero reason in separating my fellowship from anybody” (Online source).

“Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said. “I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God’s family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church,….” 
(Online source, emphasis mine)

“The Church, in all its expressions—Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Protestant and many others—has 2.3 billion followers.” (Online source, emphasis mine)

And how sad when the unregenerate see the issue but leaders within evanjellyfish remain so spiritually spineless—Pope Benedict XVI Tells Rick Warren That Warren Does Not Pastor An Actual Church. 

See also:

INDULGENCES REGAIN RELEVANCE UNDER POPE BENEDICT

THINK YOU’RE A ROMAN CATHOLIC IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THE POPE; BETTER THINK AGAIN

THE DECEIVERS OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM

ROMAN CATHOLICISM: ANOTHER GOSPEL OF BAPTISM AND SACRAMENTS

MARTIN LUTHER SAID THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IS APOSTATE…AND…WORSE…

ROMAN CATHOLICISM: A FALSE HOPE IS NO HOPE AT ALL

CHARLES SPURGEON ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM: “A VAST MOUNTAIN OF RUBBISH COVERING THE TRUTH.”

DR. WALTER MARTIN SPEAKS ON THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH