January 2001 chaplain's corner

The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.

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Chaplain's Corner - January 2001

Rev. Rich Hines

During the Question and Answer session at our last Chaplain Enrichment Seminar, in late October in California, a number of prison and jail chaplains asked some very good questions. I say they asked good questions, because these questions bring up the issues men of God representing the Biblical gospel in a correctional setting, must face today. That being true, I have decided to answer these questions not only for our Seminar attendees, but for all who read our monthly Chaplains Corner messages.

Often, as we shall see from the one I picked to speak about in this Chaplains Corner, a chaplain's question has two or more parts to it.

The first question I want to answer is:

"If you were a head chaplain how would you deal with many who come in to do work under you who have differing views of salvation or having to work with Catholics?"

That question is loaded. It shows the real situation, right now out there in America's jails and prisons. "Many" want to come in and "work" who do not agreed about the basic message of how men are to be saved from their sin against God. The result is that the inmates are constantly getting mixed messages and without the help of the Spirit of God, they cannot help but to be confused by their exposure to religion and even to what claims to be "Christianity."

Part of the problem alluded to in this question is that of accommodation. Corrections officials often expect chaplains to accommodate and sponsor all religious groups. Possibly the chaplain that asked this question feels pressure from secular authorities to never say "No" to those that want to come in and promote their errors.

Our first allegiance must be to God, rather than to men. As a Bible believer, I am to honor and obey the ruling authorities - the wardens and commanders, in a correctional setting, but only until they command me to do or say something in direct opposition and disobedience to the God I serve.

In Daniel 1, we see that Daniel and his three companions Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego) obeyed the pagan government of Babylon in submitting to the special training in the literature and language of the Chaldeans, (verses 3-7) but (in verses 8-17) when it came to accepting a diet prescribed for them - a diet that was forbidden by God in the Old Testament for the Jewish people, they said "No."

Likewise, when the king ordered that they bow down and worship the image he set up, they disobeyed the law of the land - even to the point that they were willing to accept the consequences - being thrown into a furnace of fire. (Daniel 3:1-18).

The Christian Apostles, Peter and John were finally ordered in Acts 3:18 by the duly appointed authorities in Jerusalem "not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus." They answered in Acts 3:19 "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard." Checking back to Acts 1:8 Jesus had told these men (and the whole true church including saved chaplains today) "...you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses..."

By application of this truth I am saying that Christian chaplains must fear offending God rather than man. God is not tolerant of error, especially about the way of salvation. If prison authorities command me to become in effect a universalist, which means to believe every religion leads to God, and everyone is going to get to God and heaven, regardless of what they believe; I must disobey them.

Next, the question includes these words:

"many who come in to do work under you who have differing views of salvation" The sad fact is that so many who claim to be Christian today do have differing views of how men are to be saved. This is not a new or recent situation. Paul wrote in Galatians 1:6,7:

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different* gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert** the gospel of Christ" * **

On another occasion he was led to say:

"...I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted - you may well put up with it!"

(2 Cor.11:2-4

There comes a time when a true man of God must take a stand. Since God says in John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 there is only one way to salvation, which is only through faith in who His Son Jesus is and what He fully accomplished at the cross, a true Christian Chaplain must oppose all other claims to salvation that are different from that gospel. If people come to the men I serve for the Gospel of Christ, to work under my authority and sponsorship, they must proclaim the same gospel message I do. If they do not, then I must not allow them to work under my name or ministry.

The simple answer to the first part of this question "How would you deal with many who come in to do work under you who have differing views of salvation?" is I would not let them in. If they did get in legally, it would have to be under some other sponsorship. If they did get in, the inmate population would need to understand they were representing a different religion than the faith I represent.

The last part of the question may be the most controversial. The controversy here is not with correctional authorities, but rather with those that claim to be "Evangelical, Bible-believers." because the chaplain asked how a Biblically defined Christian chaplain would deal with:

"Having to work with Catholics?"

Simply stated, the problem is many, maybe even a majority, of those who claim to be "born again of God's Spirit" today think Roman Catholicism is just another brand of Christianity.

When you define "Christian" by the Biblical terms, rather than the secular, you have to mean among other things, a person who is rightly related to God, forgiven and on their way to heaven. You mean someone whose faith is in agreement with the Gospel taught in the Bible.

A Christian chaplain cannot be the representative of both New Testament or Biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism. These two are different religions, not simply different brands of the same faith. They have two different authorities, Church tradition and the Bible.

The Jesus of Roman Catholicism is a "different Jesus" than the Jesus of Biblical Christianity.

Let me briefly explain this. Although, Roman Catholic teaching would officially say "Christ's death was sufficient to pay for your sins." It also says "You still need to work to pay your own debt for your sins, on earth and in Purgatory"

Can't you see this means the Jesus of Roman Catholicism can't completely save you - all by Himself. He can help you - but others can give you merit out of their accounts, and you can do good works to add to that, and help yourself out of an unbiblical place called purgatory. The Roman Church also can grant you "good-time, work-time" off your sentence in purgatory by granting "Indulgences."

The Jesus of Biblical Christianity:

"Is also able to save to the uttermost all those who come to God through Him" Heb. 7:25

This is based upon the fact that:

"...after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting until His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He (Jesus) has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." Heb. 10:12-14

The same text says:

"...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

and "...there is no longer an offering for sin" Heb.10:10,18

Yet in the Roman Catholic Mass, or Eucharist, the body of Jesus is continually offered over and over again, because once was not enough. Therefore in reality, the one offering of Jesus on that cross almost 2000 years ago is not the complete payment for sin - to a true Roman Catholic.

Lastly, in Roman Catholic teaching one becomes a "Christian" through infant baptism. According to the New Testament no one was ever saved by any ceremony, but by simple repentance from sin and faith in the person and work of Christ (Acts 16:30,31; 20:21; Gal 2:16-21).

So, Christian chaplain, regardless of pressure from any so called "Protestant" or "Evangelical" leader today, you must not confuse the inmates on this vital issue. Christianity and Roman Catholicism are two different religions. An ex-Catholic that has come to the knowledge of biblical truth and been truly born of God can work with you, but those that remain loyal to Rome cannot.

Next month we'll move on with more of these kinds of vital questions that chaplains asked at our Seminar. The one I've picked for February is: "How would you encourage a wife who has a husband in jail for a long term to deal with that and would she have biblical grounds for divorce?" I'm sure questions like these and their answers will minister biblical help to you..

Until then, let me close by encouraging you to continue to minister the word of God and the truth of the biblical Jesus.