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The Joy of Direct Access to God

I watched with great interest all the pageantry and fanfare surrounding the announcement of a new pope for the Catholic Church. Admittedly, it was an awe-inspiring visual spectacle. However, despite the beauty of the occasion, it highlighted our major theological differences we have with our Catholic neighbors. I list a few of these here—not as negative criticisms, but as joyful affirmations:

  1. Praise the Lord, we do not need a pope! Jesus is the head of His church. Jesus did not say that Peter himself is the rock upon which the church would be built, but rather Peter’s truthful confession of Christ (Matthew 16:15–18).
  2. Praise the Lord, we do not need priests or other mediators (1 Timothy 2:5). Through Jesus, we can come directly into the presence of God. We believe in the “priesthood of every believer.” Our pastors and other Christian leaders serve a biblical role of teaching, equipping, and exhorting us to walk with Jesus, but they are not mediators between us and Him.
  3. Praise the Lord, we have salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone! Ephesians 2:8–9 declares that we are not saved by any work (or sacrament), but through Jesus alone. Our faith in Him is credited to us as righteousness.
  4. Praise the Lord, we have the Bible as our authority. We know that church traditions are not above the clear teachings of Scripture. We look to the Bible to guide all of our faith and practice.

So, let this current cultural fascination with the papacy lead you to rejoice in Jesus alone. Look for opportunities to joyfully share with others that the way to eternal life is through repentance and faith in Jesus alone. And take full advantage of your direct access to your loving Savior through His Word and in prayer.

In Him,

Jim