Dear Roman Catholic
A letter from Pastor Ralph Ovadal, Pilgrims Covenant Church
We count it a privilege to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ to you today. We are not here because we hate Roman Catholics—quite the contrary. We are here because we are deeply concerned for the glory of our Lord and also for your souls. I would like to briefly share some things with those of you who have come to the Lady of Good Help shrine.
You have been taught that the “Virgin Mary” is the Queen of Heaven, crowned so by Christ Himself. If such an eternally significant coronation, with such enormous spiritual implications, has taken place in heaven, why do we not read one word of it in the Word of God? Would not this total silence be demeaning to the “Queen of Heaven” and harmful to mankind? Have you not considered the blasphemous inconsistency of this claim: that a human being reigns over heaven—and so earth and all things—alongside the eternal God? Psalm 93:1: “The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.” Revelation 19:6: “. . . Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” The plain truth is the only “Queen of Heaven” mentioned in the Bible is a heathen goddess. Jeremiah 7:18: “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” Heathen religions venerate goddesses; the true followers of Jesus Christ most certainly do not.
You have been taught that Mary was a perpetual virgin, but the Scriptures never make that claim about her—quite the opposite. For instance, Matthew chapter one, verse twenty-five says of Mary’s husband, Joseph, that he “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” Now, many apologists for homosexuality claim Genesis nineteen, verse five, proves that the men of Sodom only wanted to make the acquaintance of Lot’s guests, not have carnal relations with them. “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” Unfortunately, your church must pervert the Word of God in a similar fashion in order to convince you that Mary never was a true wife to her husband. The Word of God says that Mary’s husband “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn.” In other words, after Jesus was born, Joseph did “know” Mary, and obviously the Word of God is not speaking of Joseph making Mary’s acquaintance. Of course, other passages make it very clear that Jesus had brothers and sisters, the children of Joseph and Mary.
Your church teaches you that Mary is the mother of God: for instance, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 495: “. . . the Church confesses that Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ (Theotokos).” Para 966 blasphemously states that Mary “conceived the living God.” Every true Christian knows that Jesus, as to His humanity, was “conceived . . . of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20) and made of the substance of Mary—that is, He was “made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Every true Christian also knows that the Scriptures clearly teach that Christ Jesus is “God . . . manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). Christ, the one and only Mediator between God and men, is both true God and true man, two entirely distinct natures inseparably joined in one Person. Now, while Mary is indisputably the mother of Jesus with regard to His humanity, she is most definitely not the mother of His deity! God by definition is eternally self-existent. He certainly was not “made of a woman” and was not “conceived by Mary”! Psalm 90:2: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” To claim Mary is the Mother of God is to declare that Jesus Christ is not God manifest in the flesh but only a man. John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Hebrews 1:8:“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”
You have been taught that Mary (CCC, para 411) “was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.” This claim is a brazen contradiction of the Word of God. Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Psalm 14:3: “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” There is not even a hint in the Word of God to suggest that Mary was born with an original, perfect righteousness and throughout her life lived in perfect conformity to the righteousness of God in thought, word, deed, and intent of the heart. Mary, unlike Jesus, was a fallen child of Adam and certainly was not “God . . . manifest in the flesh.” Because she was a sinner, Mary herself testified “my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47).
Given just these examples of many gross errors which the Roman Catholic Church teaches about Mary, it is no wonder that your church also teaches you to pray to Mary as if she were God, or perhaps a goddess. CCC, para 2679: “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. . . . We can pray with and to her. . . .” Have you ever considered that the only way Mary would be able to hear the prayers of millions, all around the world, at any given time, is for Mary to be omnipresent and have the ability to hear and discern millions of voices all speaking to her at once? Only God is omnipresent and all-knowing. The Scriptures are clear that we are to pray to God alone, and to pray to human beings who have died is forbidden as necromancy.
The Roman Catholic Church, by her clergy, also teaches you that Mary is a mediator between God and men. CCC, para 969: “. . . the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.” Those titles are wrongly given to Mary and would make her a usurper of Christ’s glory and His mediatorial ministry by which He executes the offices of the church’s Prophet, Priest, and King. 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Now, in closing, please allow me to address one more aspect of the idolatry of what can only be called “Mariolatry.” The Scriptures are most abundantly clear that, first, we are not to make any images of God—Father, Son, or Holy Spirit—whatsoever for any purpose. Secondly, we are not to make any images of any man, woman, child, or created thing for use in worship or prayer.
You have been taught that the “Virgin Mary” is the Queen of Heaven, crowned so by Christ Himself. If such an eternally significant coronation, with such enormous spiritual implications, has taken place in heaven, why do we not read one word of it in the Word of God? Would not this total silence be demeaning to the “Queen of Heaven” and harmful to mankind? Have you not considered the blasphemous inconsistency of this claim: that a human being reigns over heaven—and so earth and all things—alongside the eternal God? Psalm 93:1: “The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.” Revelation 19:6: “. . . Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” The plain truth is the only “Queen of Heaven” mentioned in the Bible is a heathen goddess. Jeremiah 7:18: “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” Heathen religions venerate goddesses; the true followers of Jesus Christ most certainly do not.
You have been taught that Mary was a perpetual virgin, but the Scriptures never make that claim about her—quite the opposite. For instance, Matthew chapter one, verse twenty-five says of Mary’s husband, Joseph, that he “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” Now, many apologists for homosexuality claim Genesis nineteen, verse five, proves that the men of Sodom only wanted to make the acquaintance of Lot’s guests, not have carnal relations with them. “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” Unfortunately, your church must pervert the Word of God in a similar fashion in order to convince you that Mary never was a true wife to her husband. The Word of God says that Mary’s husband “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn.” In other words, after Jesus was born, Joseph did “know” Mary, and obviously the Word of God is not speaking of Joseph making Mary’s acquaintance. Of course, other passages make it very clear that Jesus had brothers and sisters, the children of Joseph and Mary.
Your church teaches you that Mary is the mother of God: for instance, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 495: “. . . the Church confesses that Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ (Theotokos).” Para 966 blasphemously states that Mary “conceived the living God.” Every true Christian knows that Jesus, as to His humanity, was “conceived . . . of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20) and made of the substance of Mary—that is, He was “made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Every true Christian also knows that the Scriptures clearly teach that Christ Jesus is “God . . . manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). Christ, the one and only Mediator between God and men, is both true God and true man, two entirely distinct natures inseparably joined in one Person. Now, while Mary is indisputably the mother of Jesus with regard to His humanity, she is most definitely not the mother of His deity! God by definition is eternally self-existent. He certainly was not “made of a woman” and was not “conceived by Mary”! Psalm 90:2: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” To claim Mary is the Mother of God is to declare that Jesus Christ is not God manifest in the flesh but only a man. John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Hebrews 1:8:“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”
You have been taught that Mary (CCC, para 411) “was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.” This claim is a brazen contradiction of the Word of God. Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Psalm 14:3: “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” There is not even a hint in the Word of God to suggest that Mary was born with an original, perfect righteousness and throughout her life lived in perfect conformity to the righteousness of God in thought, word, deed, and intent of the heart. Mary, unlike Jesus, was a fallen child of Adam and certainly was not “God . . . manifest in the flesh.” Because she was a sinner, Mary herself testified “my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47).
Given just these examples of many gross errors which the Roman Catholic Church teaches about Mary, it is no wonder that your church also teaches you to pray to Mary as if she were God, or perhaps a goddess. CCC, para 2679: “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. . . . We can pray with and to her. . . .” Have you ever considered that the only way Mary would be able to hear the prayers of millions, all around the world, at any given time, is for Mary to be omnipresent and have the ability to hear and discern millions of voices all speaking to her at once? Only God is omnipresent and all-knowing. The Scriptures are clear that we are to pray to God alone, and to pray to human beings who have died is forbidden as necromancy.
The Roman Catholic Church, by her clergy, also teaches you that Mary is a mediator between God and men. CCC, para 969: “. . . the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.” Those titles are wrongly given to Mary and would make her a usurper of Christ’s glory and His mediatorial ministry by which He executes the offices of the church’s Prophet, Priest, and King. 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Now, in closing, please allow me to address one more aspect of the idolatry of what can only be called “Mariolatry.” The Scriptures are most abundantly clear that, first, we are not to make any images of God—Father, Son, or Holy Spirit—whatsoever for any purpose. Secondly, we are not to make any images of any man, woman, child, or created thing for use in worship or prayer.
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Exodus 20:4-5: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me . . .”
Deuteronomy 4:15-18: “Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth . . .” |
Those are just two of many passages of the Word of God which forbid and condemn the very thing you are doing today—not only using a graven image in your worship service but also blasphemously bowing down before that image.
I must warn you that the Scriptures repeatedly warn that idolaters will not enter the kingdom of God. For just one example, I would urge you to read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 which begins with “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.” That passage ends with good news for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Christ Jesus alone for the remission of sins and everlasting life: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Please read the gospel booklet titled From Death unto Life which accompanies this letter. Our prayer is that the Spirit of the Lord will use that faithful and true gospel message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone to save your soul and make you a “new creature” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Dear Roman Catholic friend, out of Christian love, we urge you to flee from the idolatry and blasphemy of the Roman Catholic Church. Flee from the wrath to come. Seek the Lord while He may be found. By the free grace and tender mercy of God, take hold on Christ alone and take hold on the everlasting life which is in Him alone. John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
I must warn you that the Scriptures repeatedly warn that idolaters will not enter the kingdom of God. For just one example, I would urge you to read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 which begins with “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.” That passage ends with good news for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Christ Jesus alone for the remission of sins and everlasting life: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Please read the gospel booklet titled From Death unto Life which accompanies this letter. Our prayer is that the Spirit of the Lord will use that faithful and true gospel message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone to save your soul and make you a “new creature” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Dear Roman Catholic friend, out of Christian love, we urge you to flee from the idolatry and blasphemy of the Roman Catholic Church. Flee from the wrath to come. Seek the Lord while He may be found. By the free grace and tender mercy of God, take hold on Christ alone and take hold on the everlasting life which is in Him alone. John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”