The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
March 6, 2005
In
This Issue:
What
If YOU Were the Last Remaining Christian?
by
Greg Gwin
Should
the Pope Resign?
by
Steve Klein
What If YOU Were the Last
Remaining Christian?
A tired and discouraged Elijah proclaimed to God, "I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away" (1 Kings 19:10). He was wrong, of course. The Lord explained that He had 7,000 who remained faithful (vs. 18).
But, what if Elijah had been right? What if he really was the last remaining faithful servant of God in all the earth? Two things seem clear: 1) He could not have used this as an excuse to give up, to surrender, to stop doing the will of God; and 2) The urgency of his work would have been even greater. The need for his proclamation of God's word would have been even more pressing.
There's a lesson here for us. Have you ever felt like you were alone in your stand for the truth? Has it seemed like no one else was committed to doing what was right? If so, you should take heart in knowing that there are many others who share your convictions and dedication. You are NOT alone. As in Elijah's day, God knows and has an accurate count of all those who are faithfully living for Him.
But, even if you were the last faithful Christian in all the world, you would still need to work hard to teach and practice the will of God. This would not be an excuse for you to give up or surrender in your service for Him. In fact, your work would be more important than ever.
If all men were to let us down, and we truly stood alone, we would still have this promise from God: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." And our reaction to this truth should be to ``boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me'' (Heb. 13:5,6).
Christian, you are not alone. You have a host of faithful brethren who stand with you. And, you have the Almighty God of heaven who supports you. Stand fast!
-- Greg Gwin
Via Gospel Observer, September 10,2000
Pope John Paul II has been much in the news lately. He is getting older (84) and is fairly infirm. Recently he was hospitalized with breathing difficulties and had to undergo a tracheotomy. The question of his possible resignation has bounced around on television news shows, in newspapers, and on the internet quite a bit lately. Most agree that the Pope could resign if we wanted to, but that it is unlikely that anyone would or could force him to resign. Associated Press writer Frances D'Emilio observed that in the Middle Ages, Catholic legal scholars argued that "if a pope became mentally incapable he could not function as a human being and therefore could be treated as dead." On the other hand, most modern Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit directs their Church, and would not permit such a situation to arise. But, as D'Emilio says, "both arguments seem weak in the light of the precedent of the 14th-century Pope Urban VI. His severe emotional and mental disturbances led the cardinals to declare him dead and elect another pope, Clement VII. This resulted in the disastrous Great Schism in the West of 1378-1417 during which two and subsequently three rival popes claimed authority. . . Where was the Holy Spirit then, one may ask?" Good question.
There's an old saying among Catholics that goes something like this: "A pope is never sick until he's dead." The saying refers to the fact that Catholic leaders have a hard time admitting that any pope could ever become unfit to lead. The reason is that they have declared the pope to be the infallible head of their church. The second Vatican council declared that, "In virtue of his office, that is, as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has full, supreme, and universal power over the Church." (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution, p.22)
Catholics just won't allow the reality of papal infirmity or papal errors to get in the way of their belief that the pope is and must be infallible. Yet, by the Catholic Church's own admission, the popes have led it into many errors throughout history. Abuses in the sale of indulgences and The Inquisition are two famous instances of such. Besides this, the Papacy has reversed itself on several doctrines over the centuries. Charging interest on loaned money and eating meat on Friday are examples of things that were once said to be grievous sins but are no longer considered to be sin at all. When different Popes declare completely opposite things to be true, it proves to any fair-minded person that at least one of them is fallible.
The truth is that the pope should resign, but not because he's sick.
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He should resign because he is not the true head of the church. Christ alone "is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18; cf. Ephesians 1:22-23).
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He should resign because no mere human has the right to be elevated by other mere humans to a position of "universal power over the church." Pope John Paul's debilitating infirmities make it painfully obvious to any open-minded person, that he is unfit to lead God's people in the paths of righteousness without error. His meager abilities are unworthy to be compared with those of the true head of the church -- "He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light" (1 Timothy 6:15-16).
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He should resign because he is a son of perdition, "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
-- Steve Klein