Re-Post: The Unscripturalness of Observing Lent

Titus 3 v 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. 

Today is the beginning of Lent. Much reference is made to this observance. Sadly many Protestants are more and more being taken up with this religion of works.

I. The Definition of Lent. 

Lent is the 40 day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. This year, 2019, Lent begins on 6th March and will end on 20th April.

Sundays are excluded because this is the day on which Christ arose from the dead, making it an inappropriate day to supposedly fast and mourn over sin. On Sunday we must celebrate Christ's resurrection for our salvation. It is Friday on which we commemorate His death for our sins. The Sundays of the year are days of celebration and the Fridays of the year are days of penance.

Pope definitely not coming to Northern Ireland

After a considerable effort by Politicians, Romanists & Ecumenists, and much to their annoyance and disappointment, it has been confirmed that the Pope will not be coming to Northern Ireland in August.

The Catholic Communications Office has today released the itinerary for the upcoming papal visit to the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland, thankfully, is not on that itinerary.

See reports in:
Belfast Newsletter -  Pope Francis will not be coming to Northern Ireland.
Belfast Telegraph - Archbishop Martin disappointed Pope will not visit N Ireland on visit to Republic

The Pope will fly into Dublin on 25th August and will return back to Rome on 26th August.

During his visit he will meet homeless families before arriving at Croke Park Stadium for the 'Feast of Families'. On Sunday he will travel to the Marian shrine at Knock. 

This is an answer to prayer.

See below for reasons why a papal visit is to be opposed by all right thinking Protestants:

#1 The Pope's Blasphemous Claims
#2 The Act of Settlement
#3 The Memory of the Martyrs
#4 The Cost to Taxpayers

Rome's Counter-Reformation Tactics

Rome’s response to the Protestant Reformation was swift, brutal and lasting. Instead of acknowledging the truth of what Luther and others were saying about the corruptions and false teaching prevalent in the Roman Church, the Church hierarchy responded with what has become known in history as ‘The Counter-Reformation’. ‘The Counter-Reformation’ was a long and bloody war waged against the truths rediscovered by the Reformers and against those who received and taught these truths.

This Counter-Reformation is usually understood to have begun during the papal reign of Pope Paul III, who held the office of the Papal See from 1534-1549. This Counter-Reformation continued on for years, and in truth is still continuing at the present time in various guises. Romanism, to this day, is still working to counter the effects of the Protestant Reformation.

Over the centuries, since 1517, Rome has employed many different tactics and strategies. Sometimes she has been like a ravenous wild beast devouring all before her. At other times she has been as subtle as the devil himself in administering the wine of her fornication to deceive gullible Protestants. All with the aim of destroying and reversing the Protestant Reformation.

The tactics and strategies which Rome has employed over the centuries are:

No Pope Here! Why? #4 The cost to Taxpayers

A papal visit always incur a considerable cost to the public purse and ultimately to taxpayers. The Pope may claim empathy with the poor, and engage in pretended acts of sympathy and compassion, but the reality is somewhat different.

By claiming to be a 'Head of State' a papal visit to another country is regularly deemed an official state visit. It is only visiting 'Heads of State' who can be given such a honour. Not all visits by Heads of State are given the honour of a State visit. Some are deemed unworthy of such an honour, either because of political sensitivities or insignificance. Some visits by Heads of State are deemed an 'Official Visit', or a 'Working Visit', or a 'Private Visit'.

It is one of the old papal claims that the Pope is a monarch of great honour, who rules over all other monarchs and presidents. He is also Head of State of the Vatican. He deems himself to be worthy of a state visit. 

By recognising the claims of the Pope and affording him a state visit, the government of the day would normally cover the cost of that visit.

Will that happen in Northern Ireland? Will taxpayers have to pay for the Pope to visit Northern Ireland? If so, then how much will it cost and who is going to pay? Will Rome, or the Roman Catholic Church, cover the costs of such a visit?

No Pope Here! Why? #3 The Memory of the Martyrs.

History furnishes abundant proof of the crimes committed against those who would not bow the knee to the Pope and his Church. The memory of the martyrs would compel us to resist a papal visit.

The Papacy is the institution that has put an untold number of martyrs to death. Rome hasn’t changed one iota. She would do the same today if she could get away with it. Therefore we continue to resist the Pope’s claims and say No Pope here.

The Protestant Echo, away back in July 1903 reckoned that since the rise of the Papacy 50,000,000 people had been put to death in various ways for their religion by the end of the 19th century.

Many of the most horrendous crimes against humanity have been committed by the Church of Rome throughout the history of her existence. Her persecution of Protestants and other 'heretics' is the inevitable result of her belief in the absolute power and infallibility of the Pope. Persecution is the natural outgrowth of these Papal dogmas.

Rome has a long history of terror in our own nation. There were hundreds of Protestant martyrs who lost their lives at the hand of popish rulers in this United Kingdom. There are scores of martyrs sites all over England.

No Pope Here! Why? #2 The Act of Settlement

Any proposed visit by the Pope is to be opposed on constitutional grounds. The Act of Settlement underpins the British Constitution and safeguards the British throne from ever being influenced by Roman Catholicism again.

The Act of Settlement was passed in 1701. It came into being at the end of the reign of King William III, when his successor to the throne, Anne, had lost her only surviving child. It was felt expedient by Parliament, at that time, to bring into law a requirement that only Protestants, in communion with the Church of England, should be allowed on the throne.

No Pope Here! Why? #1 His Blasphemous Claims

The reasons for opposing a visit by the Roman antichrist are numerous. One reason is the many blasphemous statements made by the Pope of Rome. History is replete with the statements made by different Popes or else made by other Romanists about the Papacy. They have never been shy in stating their claims. Rome might be a little embarrassed in modern times about the antics of her priests, bishops and Popes but these claims have never been denied or disowned.

For example:
Cardinal Manning in a sermon in the Pro Cathedral, Kensington, and reported in the Tablet [weekly Catholic newspaper] 9th October 1864 said: [speaking in the name of the Pope]
I acknowledge no civil superior, I am the subject of no prince, and I claim more than this, I claim to be the supreme judge on earth and director of the consciences of men, I am the last supreme judge of what is right and wrong.

Failure to oppose a papal visit is a cowardly betrayal of Protestantism

It is reported on the BBC website that unionist members of Belfast City Council have abstained on whether to invite the pope to Belfast. See here. Part of the report reads:
DUP councillor Lee Reynolds said the motion presented by the SDLP "was essentially an election stunt and it wasn't a game we were willing to play". "They were wanting an insult and we weren't going to give them that, so we chose the path of abstention."

Ulster Unionist councillor Jim Rodgers, who had previously spoken out against issuing an invitation to the Pope, said he had decided to abstain after "giving the issue a lot of thought".

"I am concerned at the likelihood of trouble on our streets ... and I don't want any religious or civic leader coming here to find themselves offended and see violence on a large scale," he said.

Belfast Newsletter - Robinson: if safe, Pope can visit

Failure to oppose such an invitation is a cowardly betrayal of Protestantism. This is politics without principle! Are they ashamed of being Protestants? Is it a fear of scorn by the religious and secular liberals that makes them abstain? Is it base political calculation that is at work? Or has the rot of ecumenism infected these politicans so much that they meekly refuse to stand up for truth and righteousness? It could be all these and more!

Peter's message to the new Pope

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, 1 Peter 1:18,19. 

The Church of Rome falsely claims that Peter was the first Pope. She has built the whole system of the Papacy supposedly upon certain words that the Saviour spoke to Peter making him the head of the Apostles and giving him special authority on earth over the Church of Christ.

Peter is not the rock upon which the Church is built. Neither was he given any special place above the other apostles in the Church. Furthermore there is no evidence in the Bible that Peter was ever bishop of Rome as Popery claims. The only time that Peter was ever in Rome is the claim from Church history that he was taken there and martyred for the faith.

Pillars of the Reformation - 5. Sola Deo Gloria.

The fifth pillar of the Protestant Reformation was Sola Deo Gloria - to the glory of God alone. 

All of these pillars were defined and articulated by the Reformers in opposition to the errors of Romanism. This fifth pillar likewise stands in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

Rome looks upon the Church as the mystical body of Christ. 

The term ‘Corpus Christi’ is Latin for the 'body of Christ'. In viewing the church as the body of Christ Rome goes on to argue that to honour the Church is to honour Jesus Christ Himself.

Is the Pope the final Antichrist?

Many, without much thought of the teaching of the Scriptures, believe that the Pope is the final Antichrist.

Here are some reasons set out by Benjamin Wills Newton as to why the system of Roman Catholicism is not the Antichrist referred to in Revelation chapter 13.

Same old Rome!!

The Daily Mail is reporting that Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales is telling the 'faithful' not to eat meat on Fridays:
The custom of abstaining from meat as an act of penance for the death of Christ will be re-established from September 16 - the first anniversary of Pope Benedict's visit to Britain.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said the decision to reintroduce the practice was taken at least partly as a result of the papal visit, which had created ‘a fresh expression of self-confidence and identity amongst Catholics’.

Read the full report here 

Paul warned Timothy about those who commanded such things: 

1 Timothy 4:1-9
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

According to the Apostle Paul, these acts of penance, as taught by Romanism, do not exercise the soul to godliness!

What did St Patrick really believe? Part 3

Here is a link to a sermon preached some years ago on the subject:

What did St Patrick really believe?

For Transcript of Part 1 click here
For Transcript of Part 2 click here


Transcript Part 3

II. Patrick’s teaching on the matter of salvation. 

The most important matters are: what did he teach about the matter of salvation? What does he teach about Jesus Christ? That will be the chief test of his orthodoxy. We have his creed to consult which is available from his confession.

Patrick had a deep and accurate knowledge of the Scriptures. You cannot read his confession through without marvelling at the rich knowledge of the Word of God which he possessed, even though he confesses: I have not read like others, who have been well imbued with sacred learning. He certainly had read his Bible.

It is God’s Word alone that is to direct us in the matter of salvation.

He believed in the deity and Godhead of Jesus Christ. It was Patrick who is renowned for illustrating the doctrine of the Trinity by the use of the shamrock. While preaching before the king of Meath at Tara he illustrated the mysterious doctrine of the Trinity by the three-leaved shamrock.

The belief in the doctrine of the Trinity necessitates the acceptance of the deity and Godhead of Jesus Christ and the personality of the Holy Ghost. You cannot have a Trinity of persons without there being equality of the persons in that Trinity. He had right views of Christ and the Holy Spirit. His confession is distinctly Trinitarian and evangelical.

He believed in the necessity of being born again. Another quote from his confession states: 

I am greatly a debtor to God who hath vouchsafed me such great grace that many people by my means should be born again to God and clergy should be ordained everywhere for them. I pray those who believe and fear God, whosoever may condescend to look into or receive this writing which Patrick the sinner, though unlearned, wrote in Ireland, if I have done or established any little thing according to God’s will, that no man ever say that my ignorance did it, but think and let it verily be believed that it was the gift of God.

He believed himself to be a sinner and that all sinners are in need of being born again.

He became an evangelist. His name is associated with many places both north and south of Ireland. Temple-Patrick, Down-Patrick, Sea-Patrick, Croagh-Patrick, Leck-Patrick, Inch-Patrick. There is also Patrick’s chair in the Clogher Valley.

He knew what it was to trust God. From his writings it is clear that he had a strong belief in the guiding and overruling providence of God. He accepted the providences of God that brought him away from his family and as a slave to ireland. He accepted that this affliction ‘corrected’ him and brought him to ‘know God’.

He learned the truth of this text of Scripture: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me, Ps 50:15.

In his day of trouble on the slopes of Slemish he cried to the Lord for salvation and the Lord delivered him and he went on to glorify the Lord by a life lived to the service of God and man.

May this island again redound to the sound of the gospel which Patrick preached. May God be pleased again to move among the Irish with such God glorifying results.

The creed of St. Patrick 

As given in His own confession:
I am not able, nor would it be right to be silent on such great benefits and such great grace as [God] hath vouchsafed unto me in the land of my captivity, for this is our recompence, that after we have been corrected and brought to know God, we should exalt and confess His wondrous works before every nation which is under heaven

God the Father 
that there is none other God, nor ever was, nor shall be hereafter, except God the Father, unbegotton, without beginning, from whom is all beginning, upholding all things as we have said

God the Son
and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom we acknowledge to have been always with the Father before the beginning of the world, spiritually with the Father, in an ineffable manner begotton before all beginning

Christ the Creator 
and by Him were made things visible and invisible; and being made man, and having overcome death, He was received into heaven unto the Father

Christ the preeminent One
And the Father hath given unto Him all power, above every name, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God

Christ the coming Judge
Whom we believe and we look for His coming, who is soon about to be judge of quick and dead, who will render unto every man according to his works, and hath poured into us abundantly the gift of the Holy Ghost and the pledge of immortality, who maketh the faithful and obedient to become sons of God the Father and joint heirs with Christ. Whom we confess and worship, one God in the Trinity of the sacred Name. For He Himself hath said by the prophet: Call upon me in the day of thy tribulation and I will deliver thee. 

What did St Patrick really believe? Part 2

Here is a link to a sermon preached some years ago on the subject:

What did St Patrick really believe?

For Transcript of Part 1 click here

Transcript Part 2:

I. He had no connection whatsoever with Romanism. 

Roman Catholicism loves to speak of Patrick as one of their own. They call chapels by his name, they place his statue above entrance doors, attired in full ecclesiastical costume, with a great mitre on his head and a formidable crozier in his hand. These are articles of dress which the simple missionary in all probability never either saw or wore. What is certain is that he had no connection whatsoever with Romanism.

Romanism was not known in Ireland at the time of Patrick. Rome can hardly with justification make a claim on Patrick when history teaches us that Romanism itself was not established in Ireland to many years after Patrick lived. In fact the Papacy was only developing on the continent of Europe at the time of Patrick and not fully developed there until c.a. 600 AD.

Biblical Christianity had come to Britain with the serving soldiers of the invading Roman armies. The Roman armies left in 410 AD. Romanism only came to Britain with Augustine arrival at Canterbury in 597 AD, at least 100 yrs. after Patrick’s death. The story is told of Augustine’s attempt at bringing the Celtic Church under his and Rome’s control. The Celtic representatives had previously decided that whether Augustine rose up from his seat when meeting them would indicate whether they were meeting as equals or not. Needless to say he did not rise to meet the Celtic representatives so they wanted nothing to do with him.

Romanism only came to Ireland around 1100 AD when Pope Adrian give Ireland as a dowry to the then English King to subdue and bring under the control of Rome.

Patrick never claimed Papal authority. In his confession which exists to this day we have in some detail the circumstances under which he came to Ireland. There is not a word said about either Rome or the Pope. An omission which would be simply inconceivable if he had been an emissary of the pope. With the success that he enjoyed surely Rome would have taken credit if she had sent him. Many letters of Pope Leo I from 440-461 are extant yet say nothing about Ireland and Patrick. He himself never appeals to any papal commission when his authority was challenged.

He was ‘Presbyterian’ in Church order. Patrick ordained bishops in every Church he founded. Some say it was 365 churches, others that it was 700 churches he founded. Whatever the total it is undenialable  that for every church Patrick founded he ordained bishops. This Presbyterianism not Prelacy or Popery.

His family did not believe in celibacy. Patrick states that both his father and grandfather were ecclesiastics, yet both were married. They were hardly following a cardinal doctrine of Romanism.

No mention of the other tenets of Romanism. In Patrick's writings there is no mention whatsoever of auricular confession, purgatory, the honour of Mary, the mass or any anointing of the dead or any other distinctive Roman Catholic doctrine.

He never was primate of Ireland. It is well known that neither in Patrick’s day or for hundreds of years afterwards was there any such person as either an archbishop or bishop of Armagh. Even Episcopalian writers acknowledge this.

One thing we can be absolutely sure about regarding Patrick - He was no Romanist!

To be continued

What did St Patrick really believe?

Here is a link to a sermon preached some years ago on the subject:

What did St Patrick really believe?

Transcript Part 1

March 17th is designated as St. Patrick’s day in which the patron saint of Ireland is supposed to be remembered. More and more this day is being marked by parades, festivals and carnivals which in the main are but an excuse for a day of worldly entertainment, sinful pleasure and amusement during which liberal measures of alcohol are consumed. Much of what takes place has very little connection if any at all with the life or preaching of St. Patrick.

St. Patrick is believed to have been a native of mainland Britain, Scotland it seems has the strongest claim as the place of his birth, during the early part of the 5th century.

As a young lad, at the age of 16, he was taken captive by raiders from his father’s farm and brought to Ireland and sold as a slave, where it is believed he tended sheep on the slopes of Slemish. His captivity became a means of blessing. It was the means of bringing about the conversion of his soul. Ireland may not have been the land of his natural birth but it was certainly the land of his spiritual birth.

We are privileged to have two works which have come down to us from the hand of Patrick. They are his ‘Confession’, and his ‘Letter to the Christians’. In his confession he has the following to say about his conversion to Christ:

I knew not the true God, and I was carried in captivity into Ireland.... and there the Lord opened the sense of my unbelief, that even though late I should remember my sins, and be converted with my whole heart unto the Lord my God.

After six years of slavery he escaped from his master, and making his way to the coast, procured a passage on board a boat, and after enduring many hardships, was able to be reunited with his parents in Scotland.

However he was not to be long in his father’s house. He had witnessed the darkness of Ireland and desired to bring it some of his light. A remarkable dream which he had led him back to Ireland. In his dream he saw a man coming to him as if from Ireland, whose name was Victoricius, bearing innumerable letters. He gave one to Patrick and the opening words were The voice of the Irish. As he read this in his dream he heard a call coming from the western sea: 

We entreat thee holy youth, to come and walk henceforth among us. 

Finally he made up his mind to return to Ireland as a missionary and spent the remainder of his days here. He is believed to have died on 17th March either 465 AD or 493 AD. He is said to be buried in Downpatrick. 

There is a local connection with St. Patrick and Templepatrick. According to tradition St. Patrick, during his time in Ireland is thought to have baptised converts at an ancient well in the village and is credited with founding a Church which stood in the area of the old graveyard, where the Templetown Mausoleum now stands.

What did St. Patrick really believe? We can discern this from his works.

To be continued

The unscripturalness of observing Lent

Titus 3 v 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. 

Today is the beginning of Lent. Much reference is made to this observance. Sadly many Protestants are more and more being taken up with this religion of works.

I. The definition of Lent. 

Lent is the 40 day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. This year Lent begins on 9th March and will end on 23rd April.

Sundays are excluded because this is the day on which Christ arose from the dead, making it an inappropriate day to supposedly fast and mourn over sin. On Sunday we must celebrate Christ's resurrection for our salvation. It is Friday on which we commemorate His death for our sins. The Sundays of the year are days of celebration and the Fridays of the year are days of penance.

There are 40 days in Lent because 40 is the traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible. Thus Moses stayed on the mount of God for 40 days, the spies were in the land for 40 days, Elijah travelled 40 days before he reached the cave where he had his vision, Nineveh was given 40 days to repent, and most importantly, prior to undertaking His ministry, Jesus Christ spent 40 days in wilderness praying and fasting, Matthew 4:2.

Since Lent is a period of prayer and fasting, it is supposedly fitting for Christians to imitate their Lord with a similar 40 day period of penance. Christ used this 40 day period of prayer and fasting to prepare for His ministry, which culminated in His death and resurrection, and thus it is supposedly fitting for Christians to imitate Him with a 40 day period of prayer and fasting to prepare for the celebration of His ministry's climax, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 

II. The purpose of Lent. 

Lent is observed as part of the system of Romanism that believes that salvation is obtained by human effort through the sacraments of the Church. They speak of imitating Christ. It is the old falsehood of penance, showing sufficient sorrow for sin to merit the favour of God. 

The key to understanding the meaning of Lent is simple: 

Preparation for Baptism and for renewing baptismal commitment lies at the heart of the season. Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ. Lent is the primary time for celebrating the Sacrament of Penance, because Lent is the season for baptismal preparation and baptismal renewal. 

During Lent a person is apply ashes to show association with sorrow for sin. 

III. The unscripturalness of Lent. 

Search the Scriptures diligently, from Old Testament to New, and you will find no mention of Jews or Christians observing an annual period of 40 days of fasting and abstinence preceding the festival of the Passover, yet today most of the Christian world observes a 40 day period called Lent. Christ fasted forty days before His earthly ministry began not before His death. 

It is actually the mark of apostate religion to command to abstain from meats, 1 Timothy 4:1-3.

Roman Catholicism states that the reasons for celebrating her major feasts, when they do, are many and varied. However:

In general it is true that many of them have at least an indirect connection with the pre-Christian [pagan] feasts celebrated about the same time of year, such as Christmas and Easter. 

They also acknowledge that no observance of Lent is found in the early Church.

Where did the concept of Lent come from then? The 40 days abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess and her son. This is where the 'mother and child' idea comes from.

Numerous examples have been found in history of the old pagans observing a period to mark the birth of spring. The Babylonians, Egyptians, and others among them. It was usually preceded by a feast called a 'carnival'.

Lent is part of the concept of salvation by works and sacraments. However, salvation and peace with God are not obtained in this way. That which the Lord Jesus would have us to do is come and confess our sins to Christ and be saved from them for ever. 

In this text of Scripture we are simply taught the way of salvation. There is no great mystery about it, yet it is becomes the hardest thing for men and women to discover because of the pride of the human heart.

1. Salvation is not by human effort. Paul rules out works of righteousness which we have done as a means of obtaining salvation.

It is in our fallen nature to want to do every thing for ourselves. It is a basic lesson every child has to learn as they grow up, namely that they cannot do everything by themselves. They may want to, they may push away the help that is offered but they will have to learn that help is required.

The same mentality is applied to the matter of salvation. Sinners want to play at least a part in their salvation. They are happy for God to do a part and they also want to do a part. Not so. It is not by works.

It is not even by works of righteousness. People in general have their own definition of good works. It varies from one person to another. In doing so these people are convinced that God will be pleased and His favour obtained. Not so according to this text of Scripture. Surely Lent falls into that category.

2. Salvation comes from God’s mercy. Man cannot merit or earn salvation. Neither does he deserve it.

There is nothing is us that would attract God’s blessing. The only thing we deserve is to be cast away from Him as an unclean thing. Nothing that we do will ever bring us to the place where God will find us worthy of His favour.

Therefore we should stop trying and have done with all that is associated with this false way of salvation.

Salvation is by free grace. Salvation is the free gift of God. It flows from God’s infinite mercy, love and grace. We cannot earn it but we can receive it as a free gift. God out of the abundance of His mercy has provided salvation. He moved first towards fallen mankind. Man does not merit it, God freely bestows it.

Sinners need to fall upon God’s mercy and obtain salvation in this way, Micah 7:18.

3. Conversion is by the Holy Spirit. You do not grow into conversion as Rome claims.

Salvation is by the renewing of the Holy Ghost. It is the Spirit of God that makes dead sinners alive. He renews that spiritual life which died in Adam when he sinned. Spiritual life is brought into our hearts once more by the Spirit.

Conversion is not a process but an act. Conversion takes place in an instant. A sinner is either dead or alive. He/she is not in between somewhere. He/she is not half alive or half dead.

Salvation is by the washing of regeneration. Regenerating grace is here meant. We need to be born of the grace and power of the Spirit. It is comparable to washing with water for its purity and cleansing virtue, hence all who are regenerated and sanctified, are said to be washed and cleansed, having their hearts purified by faith, and their consciences purged from sin by the blood of Christ.

It is the washing of regeneration we need to save us from our sins not the washing of water. It is only the blood of Jesus Christ that will cleanse from sin. 

Titus 3:5 teaches a different ay of salvation as compared to what lies begin the concept of Lent. 

The foolishness of Romanism knows no end

Roman Catholic Church leaders are relying on the blood of late Pope John Paul II's to heal Robert Kubica and hasten his return to Formula 1 motor racing before the end of the season.

Click here to read the full story

It is utter nonsense to believe that the blood of any mere human being can help another. The blood of the last Pope or any other pope or supposed saint for that matter has no merit or efficaciousness. 

This was the nonsense that was rejected at the time of Protestant Reformation. J A Wylie's History of Protestantism is replete with details of the gimmicks Rome used in the past to deceive her people into thinking that the popes and saints could help them. 

As every individual is a sinner before God and unable to do any spiritual good of themselves they have no merit for themselves never mind have any to pass on to any one else.