The Council of Trent was a long winded council of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) held in Trent, Italy, between 1545 and 1563.
It was created to respond to priest Martin Luther’s public outrage over the pope’s offer to shorten shifts in its “purgatory” to those who would give more money to expand the Vatican building complex.
It also responded to Luther’s stand that eternal salvation is solely by faith in what Christ completed when He died and rose again. The RCC bucks the Bible on this point and teaches that salvation is by faith in Christ, plus its traditions, our good works, and our linkage to the Church of Rome.
The public furor against Rome led to the establishment of Protestantism that snowballed into a huge breakaway from Vatican dogma and control.
The end result of the RCC Trent sessions were hellish anathemas, or church curses, that were declared to be of God. These man-made condemnations remain in place today. They all fly in the face of Bible truth. Listed here are some of the RCC curses and what the Bible says about them.
The Council of Trent:
Canon 9. If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone,[114] meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.
God's Word:
John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; He who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him form the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:13 "It shall be whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no man can boast."
1 Peter 2:24 "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His stripes we are healed.”
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my Word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
The Council of Trent:
Canon 18. If anyone says that the commandments of God are, even for one that is justified and constituted in grace,[121] impossible to observe, let him be anathema.
God's Word:
Galatians 2:20-21 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
Galations 3:10-13 "For as many are under the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law to perform them". Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for the righteous shall live by faith. However the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, He who practices them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."
Galatians 3:21-26 "Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be!! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
The Council of Trent:
Canon 4. If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous, and that without them or without the desire of them men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification,[2] though all are not necessary for each one, let him be anathema.
God's Word:
Three tenses of the verb saved:
• Been saved -- the believer has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin (Luke 7:50; Acts 16:30-21; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).
• Being saved -- The believer is being saved from the habit, power and dominion of sin (Romans 6:1-14; Philippians 1:19, 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8;2; Galatians 2:20, 4:19; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
• To be saved -- The believer is to be saved. This is the glorification process in which we are changed into the image of Jesus. (Romans 13:11; Hebrews 10:36; 1 Peter 1:5).
The Council of Trent:
Canon 2. If anyone says that true and natural water is not necessary for baptism[9] and thus twists into some metaphor the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost,[10] let him be anathema.
Comment:
Water baptism is just an outward expression of our faith. We want to tell the world about our faith in Jesus. In the days of Jesus, declaring Christ as Messiah Savior was a death sentence. Water baptism is not necessary for salvation. Check out John 4:2, 1 Corinthians 1:13-17. Baptism was not a concern to Jesus or Paul.
The problem with infant baptism is that babies cannot make a commitment to Christ at that tender a age. In Acts 1:5 Jesus says, "for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Also see Acts 11:6. Holy Spirit baptism is what saves a person.
God's Word:
• John 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." The thief on the cross was not baptized but he went to heaven. Luke 23:43
• Jesus did not baptize. John 4:2
• Paul stressed the importance of preaching the gospel rather than baptizing. 1 Corinthians 1:17
The Council of Trent (April 8, 1546):
These are the new approved books of the Bible - the five books of Moses, namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Josue, Judges, Ruth, the four books of Kings, two of Paralipomenon, the first and second of Esdras, the latter of which is called Nehemias, Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, the Davidic Psalter of 150 Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle of Canticles, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias, with Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel, the twelve minor Prophets, namely, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus, Zacharias, Malachias; two books of Machabees, the first and second. Of the New Testament, the four Gospels, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the Acts of the Apostles written by Luke the Evangelist; fourteen Epistles of Paul the Apostle, to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews; two of Peter the Apostle, three of John the Apostle, one of James the Apostle, one of Jude the Apostle, and the Apocalypse of John the Apostle.
If anyone does not accept as sacred and canonical the aforesaid books in their entirety and with all their parts, as they have been accustomed to be read in the Catholic Church and as they are contained in the old Latin Vulgate Edition, and knowingly and deliberately rejects the aforesaid traditions, let him be anathema.
Response:
Added to the Canon that was first approved by the RCC in 393 are Tobias, Judith, The dream of Mardochi (added to the book of Esther), Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, The Song of the Three Children (inserted in the 3rd chapter of Daniel), Susanna and the Elders (made a 13th chapter of Daniel), the prayer of Manasses, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd book of Maccabees.
1. Jesus nor the apostles ever quoted these pieces.
2. 2 Maccabees is claimed to be copied by author. 2 Mac 2:23
3. Promotes questionable ethics - Judith 9-11, fanciful legends, Tobit and the doctrine contradicts Scripture, Tobit 4:10, 12:9.
4. Never received, acknowledged nor admitted into the cannon of the Old Testament Scripture by the Jews.
5. They were never written in pure Hebrew.
6. They were rejected by the early church.
The Council of Trent:
Canon XXIII - lf any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, during his whole life, to avoid all sins, even those that are venial,-except by a special privilege from God, as the Church holds in regard of the Blessed Virgin; let him be anathema.
Comment:
Well, I guess I'm anathema. Aside from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible is clear that nobody else has ever been sinless: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10
"They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Romans 3:12
"But the scripture hath concluded all under sin..." Galatians 3:22
The Council of Trent:
CANON XXVII - If any one saith, that there is no mortal sin but that of infidelity; or, that grace once received is not lost by any other sin, however grievous and enormous, save by that of infidelity; let him be anathema.
Comment:
The Bible does refer to sin that is mortal or leading to spiritual death (1 John 5:16). This is in reference to a situation such as Acts chapter 5:4-5 where a believer is mortally (physically) punished for sin. God will forgive any sin but the rejection of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
"Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemies against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin." Mark 3:28-29
The Council of Trent:
CANON XXX - If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema.
Comment:
The concept of Purgatory and prayers for the dead are not found in the Bible. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:26 we are told, "And besides all this, between us and you is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us." This tells us that once a person dies, they are fixed forever in Heaven or Hell.
The idea of a Purgatory, a car wash concept where sins can be washed away, takes away from the Bible statement that the sin issue was dealt with by the blood of Christ at the cross. The Purgatory thought is an affront to the truth that Jesus paid for all our sin debt. (John 19:30 and 1 Peter 2:24) Purgatory was invented as a money maker for the RCC and their sale of indulgences that continues to this day.
The Council of Trent:
CANON IV - If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification; though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema.
God’s Word:
Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, For the Law of the Spirit is life in Christ Jesus who has set you free from the law of sin and of death."
The Council of Trent:
CANON X - If any one saith, that all Christians have power to administer the word, and all the sacraments; let him be anathema.
God’s Word:
Acts 16:31"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
The Council of Trent:
CANON II - If any one saith, that true and natural water is not of necessity for baptism, and, on that account, wrests, to some sort of metaphor, those words of our Lord Jesus Christ; Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost; let him be anathema.
CANON V - If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessary unto salvation; let him be anathema.
God’s Word:
"For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts
1:5. We are saved by the Holy Spirit, not water.
The Council of Trent:
CANON I - If any one saith, that the confirmation of those who have been baptized is an idle ceremony, and not rather a true and proper sacrament; or that of old it was nothing more than a kind of catechism, whereby they who were near adolescence gave an account of their faith in the face of the Church; let him be anathema.
Comment:
We don't need to be "confirmed" by the RCC. It is the Holy Spirit that does the confirming.
1. Our baptism and rebirth (born again) cannot be reversed. The conception and birth of a baby cannot be reversed (John 1:13, 3:3-6; Titus 3:4-6; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4; 1John 3:9).
2. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a permanent part of the believer (John 7:37-39; Romans 5:5, 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 6:19).
3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit that joins us to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17,12:13; Galatians 3:23).
4. The presence and seal of the Holy Spirit will endure forever (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30).
The Council of Trent:
CANON I - If any one denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really, and substantially, the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ; but saith that He is only therein as in a sign, or in figure, or virtue; let him be anathema.
CANON lI - If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema.
Comment:
1. Jesus was present with His disciples when He said the bread and wine were His body and blood.
2. Scripture forbids us to consume blood. (Genesis 9:4; Liviticus 3:17; Acts 15:29).
3. Christ said nothing about the bread and wine imparting grace.
4. After He spoke of the wine as representing His blood, He referred to it as "the fruit of the vine" (Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25). He didn't change it back again.
5. He said "do this in remembrance of me" 1 Corinthians 11:24-25.
The Council of Trent:
CANON X - If any one saith, that priests, who are in mortal sin, have not the power of binding and of loosing; or, that not priests alone are the ministers of absolution, but that, to all and each of the faithful of Christ is it said: Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven ;(d) and, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained;(e) by virtue of which words every one is able to absolve from sins, to wit, from public sins by reproof only, provided he who is reproved yield thereto, and from secret sins by a voluntary confession; let him be anathema.
Comment:
Only God has the power to forgive sin. Mark 2:6-10 The quote of Matthew 16:19 about binding and loosing by the RCC refers to the ability to proclaim the gospel. Those who heard the gospel and believed were forgiven by God. Those who rejected it were condemned to hell by God. As Christians, we have the ability to proclaim the gospel and speak of the consequences of not accepting it.
The Council of Trent:
ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. If any one saith, that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or, that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat; let him be anathema.
CANON III - If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema.
God’s Word:
Hebrews 7:25-27 "Hence, also, He is able to save forever, those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, Holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted among the heavens, who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because He did this ONCE AND FOR ALL when He offered up Himself."
The Council of Trent:
CANON I - If any one saith, that there is not in the New Testament a visible and external priesthood; or that there is not any power of consecrating and offering the true body and blood of the Lord, and of forgiving and retaining sins; but only an office and bare ministry of preaching the Gospel, or, that those who do not preach are not priests at all; let him be anathema.
God’s Word:
Everyone who is born again is a priest. By our faith in Christ we all become priests of God...Peter 2:9, Rev. 1:6, 5:10, 20:6. Only God has the power to forgive sins, and the sacrifice of Jesus was a one-time event. The sacrifice that God wants is the sacrifice of praise and compassion.
Hosea 6:6 "For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
Matthew 3:13 "But go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Hebrews 13:15-16 "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of the lips that give thanks to His name. And not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices is God pleased."
