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| Photo From “In the Closet of the Vatican” By Martel |
From The Roman Catholic Church scandals which have become more cases than can be numbered of Bishops, Cardinals, and Priests sexually abusing young boys, including the recently convicted Australian Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ Senior [Top] Financial Advisor, who is the most senior clergyman to date who has been found guilty of sexual abuse; to the Southern Baptist scandals with 400+ people sexually abused by Pastors to Christian actress Lori Laughnan pleading guilty to cheating people over college admissions; It seems that everywhere there is revelations of dark deeds now disclosed in the light. Jesus, Our Lord and God said this would happen, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open,” another translation, “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all,” and one more for good measure, For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17, NIV, NLT, and ESV). Christ spoke of all being revealed elsewhere, “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known,” (Matthew 10:26), “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light,” (Mark 4:22), “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known,” (Luke 12:2), and “For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). There you have it, all that is happening, the startling revelations of hidden schemes and scandal is the work of the Savior exposing the hypocrisy of those Neo-Pharisees. Christ is pouring judgement on these vile abusers by letting their deeds be divulged and punished. And if any should escape the justice of the secular powers, they shall meet the Last Judgement when God Almighty will pay them back for their deeds amply (Romans 2:6).
The abuses of minors by priests and pastors is abominable in Christ’s eyes, for He said, “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea“, (Mark 9:42), “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6), and “t would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:2). A millstone is great big wheel at approx. 6 feet tall and weighting 200+ lbs. it is used when put in hollowed out press to turn olives into olive oil. Suffice to say, Jesus declares child abusers should be punished severely.
A crisis of conscious is hitting both Catholic and Protestant. What are we to do with such disappointment and disillusionment over the deeds of those we deemed paragons of piety and godliness? What are we to do when we are let down by men and institutions? The answer is Christ, fixing our eyes upon Him, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). There is only One Man who did not fail us, nor sinned, the God Man Jesus Christ, “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ,” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21), “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:21-22), and “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ Alone (Solus Christus) is our shepherd, and He said call only Him teacher, “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader (Master, Instructor), that is, Christ,” (Matthew 23:10), and to rely on the Holy Spirit to impart, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26, cross ref. John 15:25). For far too long the Church has trusted fallible men and sought their teaching and instruction, when Christ proved in Scripture they are untrustworthy, “He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that,” (Mark 7:8-13), and “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” (John 2:24-25). While I am not saying all teaching by mortals is fallible, we must make Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit are primary trusted Ones who teach us perfectly! God does not fail us, and so let us direct our love to Him (Matthew 23:36-41), and all our trust (Proverbs 3:5-6).
What we are beholding is a shakening. We are told that the Lord will “shake all things that can be shaken.” The writer of Hebrews exhorts us, “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-29). God the Trinity is shaking trust in church institutions, leaders, and systems, so that what remains is Christ, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.” (Philippians 3:8, 15), and pure devotion to Him alone, “I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.” (1 Corinthiajs 11:3). Amen.
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