Apologetics for the Masses #401 - Mike Gendron Pamphlet (Part 3)

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Topic

Mike Gendron - Lies, Deceptions, and More Lies

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General Comments

Hey folks,

I hope all of you had a very happy, and safe, 4th of July holiday. Two upcoming events I wanted to let those of you in or around Alabama know about:

1) A conference on the "Eucharist and the Parish" at Mother Angelica's Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, on August 13th and 14th. We will have Eucharistic adoration, beginning at 7:00 PM, on Friday, August 13th, with a meditation by Msgr. Eugene Morris, followed by a Eucharistic procession around the piazza at the Shrine. On Saturday, August 14th, we will begin with Mass in the piazza at 9:00 AM, followed by talks from Msgr. Morris, Dr. John Bergsma, and Dr. Scott Hahn. No cost. No registration.

2) A luncheon, on Wednesday, August 18th, at The Club in Birmingham, sponsored by the Catholic Business and Professional Network (CBPN), with Bishop Steven Raica as our speaker. This will be the first in a series of quarterly luncheons sponsored by the CBPN. Cost of the luncheon is $35. To register: CBPN Luncheon Reservation

Introduction

Okay, I started off a few weeks back doing an "analysis" of Mike Gendron's disturbingly deceitful pamphlet titled, Which Jesus Do You Trust? And I say it is "deceitful" because I don't know what other conclusion a decent and fair-minded person can draw than that, especially after you carefully compare the doctored quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) that Gendron uses in this pamphlet vis-a-vis the actual quotes found in the CCC. In his doctored quotes, Gendron deliberately leaves out key words and phrases from the Catechism to make it seem as if the Church teaches the exact opposite of what it actually teaches.

Hey, if you want to disagree with what the Catholic Church teaches, fine - disagree with what it teaches and give your arguments as to why. But don't go around selectively editing quotes from the Catechism to come up with your own version of Catholic teaching and then claiming that this perverted version of Catholic teaching, that you've manufactured, proves the Catholic Church is anti-biblical. That is deceitful. It is despicable. And it certainly is not worthy of anyone who calls himself a Christian.

Anyway, I started off doing this analysis and I had 2/3 of it done - see Issues #396: Which Jesus Do You Trust? Part 1 and #397: Which Jesus Do You Trust? Part 2 - when Gendron responded and I got away from analyzing and commenting on the pamphlet in order to focus on his response to my analysis. So, in this issue I am going to finish my analysis of his pamphlet and then get back to Gendron's responses to this analysis.

Then, after I finish up with Gendron, I am going to get to something I had mentioned a few weeks back - the most egregious example of anti-Catholicism I have yet to personally encounter. It is a bit bizarre and you might not believe it when I tell you what this guy said to me. But, he said it, so I'll print it. Stay tuned for that...

I'm going to first print all the rest of the pamphlet, and then re-print it with my comments interspersed.

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Mike Gendron Pamphlet - "Which Jesus Do You Trust?" (cont'd)

Jesus Saves Completely
The Lord Jesus gave His life for those who hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:4-16). His death forgave all their sins and cancelled their complete sin debt (Colossians 2:13-14). By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Catholicism denies this by teaching the sinner must “expiate or make satisfaction for his sins” (CCC, 1459). Catholics can remit temporal punishment for themselves, and for the dead through indulgences (CCC, 1471).

Jesus Purifies All Sin
Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from sin because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:7). When Jesus made purification of sin, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3). The blood of the Catholic Jesus is not the only cleansing agent for sin. After death Catholics “undergo purification [through a cleansing fire in Purgatory], so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC, 1030-31).

How Will You Respond?
Will you repent and forsake everything that cannot save you - the sacrifice of the Mass, the sacraments, good works, purgatory, indulgences and Mary? Wil you believe the true message of Jesus Christ and be sealed with the Holy Spirit, thus guaranteeing your glorious inheritance? (Ephesians 1:13-14). Jesus said, “if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24).

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Mike Gendron

The Lord Jesus gave His life for those who hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:4-16). His death forgave all their sins and cancelled their complete sin debt (Colossians 2:13-14). By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Catholicism denies this by teaching the sinner must “expiate or make satisfaction for his sins” (CCC, 1459). Catholics can remit temporal punishment for themselves, and for the dead through indulgences (CCC, 1471).

My Response

Mr. Gendron is taking some liberties with the Word of God with what he has said here. He appears to be saying that Jesus only died for those “who hear His voice and follow Him,” - i.e., the saved - yet, the Word of God tells us that Jesus gave His life for everyone, that He “is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10), and that Jesus “is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Those passages fit in perfectly with the fact that God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). In other words, Jesus died for all men...He paid the price for the sins of all men...all men have forgiveness of their sins in Christ, if they but repent and confess (1 John 1:9; Acts 3:19)

     If Jesus didn't die for all men's sins, then how could He be called the Savior of all men? But, if he died for all men's sins, then why aren't all men saved? Jesus died for all men's sins, but as one saint said, "God created us without our permission, but He will not save us without our permission." We have to freely participate in the process of our salvation. Our sins are paid for. The debt is wiped away. The door of Heaven is open to us. But, we have to cooperate with God's grace in our salvation. We are free to reject God just as Satan and his angels were free to reject God. They had no sin debt; yet, they were lost, because they rejected, of their own free wills, God's majesty and authority.
     And, yes, it is through Jesus’ death that the sins of those who believe are forgiven and it is through His death that “their complete sin debt,” as Gendron puts it, is cancelled. But, and this is a shocker, he is leaving out the context of the passage he is referencing here - Colossians 2:13-14. The context is given in verses 11 and 12, and that context is...Baptism. Through Baptism you are buried with Him and raised with Him, so it is through Baptism that the grace of Jesus’ death on the Cross is applied to our lives; it is through Baptism that we are saved (1 Peter 3:21); it is through Baptism that we can enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3-5); it is through Baptism that we have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16).
     Furthermore, it seems Mr. Gendron has forgotten about the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. The servant had his “complete sin debt” cancelled by his lord, but then he went out and - very important here - after his debt was forgiven, he failed to forgive the debt of another servant who owed him. So, what happened to the unforgiving servant? Well, in Mr. Gendron’s theology, nothing happened to him. His debt was still completely cancelled, once and forever. But, in the Word of God, after the one servant had his debt to his lord cancelled, and then he did not forgive the debt of another to him, his debt was reinstituted and he was thrown in jail. Just so with believers. Our debt is “cancelled” through Baptism, but if we then go about sinning against God and against man, we can once again be held liable for our debt.
     Mr. Gendron is also misinterpreting Hebrews 10:14. I will repeat here what I said in Issue #399 in regard to this verse: “The context of this verse is that Jesus’ one sacrifice is good for all time at perfecting those who are sanctified. It does not say that once you are sanctified, you are perfect forever. That is one of those fallible interpretations of [Gendron]. Are you [Mike Gendron] perfect right now, for all time? If, yes, then why do you lie about the Catholic Church and its teachings? I would think that would be a sign of imperfection. Why did Paul sometimes do the very things he hated, and not the things he wanted to do (Rom 7:14-15) if he was perfected for all time?”
     Finally, he states that Catholicism denies Scripture by teaching that sinners must “expiate” or “make satisfaction” for their sins. No, Catholicism does not deny what Scripture says! Catholicism denies what Mike Gendron’s fallible interpretation of Scripture says. Catholicism accepts the Word of God, it rejects the Word of Gendron.
     The sinner must indeed expiate or make satisfaction for their sins, but, only after he has repented and received forgiveness from and through Jesus Christ. Once again, Gendron is not giving the context for his quote from the Catechism. The sinner does not “expiate” his sins in the sense of having his sins forgiven by his own power, as Gendron is suggesting; rather, the sinner “expiates” his sin in the sense of making amends for his sin after his sin has been forgiven. Amends to those he has sinned against and amends in recovering his own spiritual health. It says all that right there in the paragraph of the CCC that Gendron quoted from. I wonder how he missed it?
     And, this teaching of the Catholic Church fits right in with Scripture which tells us we must bear fruit fitting of repentance (Matt 3:8; Acts 26:20). All of that is conveniently ignored by Gendron in this pamphlet.

Mike Gendron

Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from sin because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:7). When Jesus made purification of sin, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3). The blood of the Catholic Jesus is not the only cleansing agent for sin. After death Catholics “undergo purification [through a cleansing fire in Purgatory], so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC, 1030-31).

My Response

     Mr. Gendron claims, “The blood of the Catholic Jesus is not the only cleansing agent for sin.” Once again, we see the Mike Gendron version of the Catholic Faith that is based on his fallible interpretations of the Bible and his selective quotes from the Catechism. If he were to do just a minimal search in the Catechism under “Sin” or “Forgiveness,” he would come across, for example, Paragraph #987 of the Catechism which states, “In the forgiveness of sins...our Lord Jesus Christ, the only author and liberal giver of salvation, wills to use in order to efface our sins...” Jesus Christ is the ONLY author of the forgiveness of sins. So teaches the Catholic Church. Will Mike Gendron disavow what he has said in his pamphlet given this fact? Don't hold your breath.
     There are also a number of paragraphs in the Catechism that talk about the blood of Jesus being offered as sacrifice for our sins and that it is by His sacrifice, and His alone, that we are freed from sins (see, for example, paragraphs 615-617). All of which put the lie to Gendron's statements.
     What then, of the “cleansing fire of Purgatory”? That’s different than the blood of Christ, right? Actually, no, it’s not. Jesus Himself tells us to “buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you...” (Rev 3:18). He's not talking about physical gold, He's talking about spiritual gold. Spiritual gold that brings riches to your soul. Spiritual gold refined by fire. 1 Peter 1:6-7, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which, though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
     And let’s not forget 1 Cor 3:13-15 which says that our works will be tested by fire and that, “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” This burning fire, this fire through which our works and our faith are tested, not just in this life but possibly in the next in Purgatory, is the cleansing fire of God’s love which we are given to suffer through only by the grace of God. The grace of God merited for us by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the Cross.
     Were it not for the blood of Christ shed on the Cross, there would be no cleansing fires of Purgatory available to us. Were it not for the blood of Christ shed on the Cross there would be no testing of our faith through trials. Were it not for the blood of Christ shed on the Cross there would be no "gold refined by fire" to purchase from Jesus. I believe Mr. Gendron knows these things, but, since it doesn’t fit his narrative, those teachings of our faith get conveniently overlooked.
     God loves us and so He chastises us. Why? So that He can present us to Himself without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish (Eph 5:27). If we do not leave this life without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish, then we have the opportunity, by the grace of God, to be refined by the fires of Purgatory in the next, so that we can indeed achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. Gendron scoffs at this idea of having to be holy to enter Heaven. Yet, once again, Scripture sides with the Catholic Faith. Hebrews 12:14, “Strive for peace with all men and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” You don’t see the Lord if you aren’t holy, so, yes, Mr. Gendron, we do indeed need to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven, and we do that all by the grace of God.

Mike Gendron

Will you repent and forsake everything that cannot save you - the sacrifice of the Mass, the sacraments, good works, purgatory, indulgences and Mary? Will you believe the true message of Jesus Christ and be sealed with the Holy Spirit, thus guaranteeing your glorious inheritance? (Ephesians 1:13-14). Jesus said, “if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24).

My Response

     Well, now I’m kinda confused. On the one hand, Gendron says his Jesus offers unconditional life (salvation) as opposed to the “Catholic Jesus,” Who only offers conditional life. Yet, here he is talking about conditions for salvation - repentance, forsaking the Mass and the sacraments and good works and belief in purgatory and indulgences and Mary. And what is the sacrifice of the Mass? It is the offering of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It is the body and blood of Christ. Yet, Gendron says that cannot save you. And we have to forsake Mary? Did Jesus ever forsake Mary?
     I will end this by asking the same question Gendron asks: “Will you believe the true message of Jesus Christ and be sealed with the Holy Spirit?” Or, will you believe the false message of Mike Gendron and possibly condemn yourself to Hell by opposing the Church Jesus Christ founded and which He sent the Holy Spirit to guide because of His desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)?
     The Word of God, or the Word of Gendron? Which will you choose?

Closing Comments

I hope all of this has shown you that, even though someone can put together what might seem to be a very convincing case against the Catholic Church - even quoting Bible verses after Bible verse - if you just make even a cursory inspection of the arguments, you can easily see that there is no case against the Catholic Church that can hold up to any kind of scrutiny - from a logical or scriptural or even common sense perspective. Gendron's arguments here are as flimsy as a $5 umbrella in a hurricane. Do not be afraid of, do not be deterred by, folks like Mike Gendron and his ilk. They are armed with doctrines and dogmas of their own making, based on their own admittedly fallible interpretations of the Bible, and nothing else. No authority whatsoever behind what they offer.

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