And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.
Matthew 25:8
We find ourselves today at the most troubling verse of the parable. In addition to describing the unbelief of the foolish virgins it describes the unbelief of one of the largest religions in the world today.
By verse 8, the Lord had returned, the cry had gone out, the hour foretold was at hand, and the foolish virgins had no oil. In their hour of need and desperation, did they turn to the Lord for help? No. They turned to the wise virgins for help, “give us some of your oil”.
Several months ago we said the oil was something like the regeneration of the Spirit. It represents being born again. Baptized by the Spirit. It is the saving grace bestowed upon the wise virgins by the Holy Spirit.
As the end came upon them, where did the foolish look? They did not look to the Savior, which is why they are foolish and have no faith, but they looked to the wise virgins to bestow their grace upon them.
The foolish virgins were foolish because they thought they could gain eternal life just by being near the wise virgins. They thought that grace could be transferred from a wise virgin to a foolish virgin. Much the same way as the rich man in Hell would never look to Christ for help, even so at the end, the foolish virgins still did not turn to Christ (Luke 16:19-31).
Have you heard this way of thinking before?
This deadly teaching is a primary doctrine of the Roman Catholic religion. The technical term is “Supererogation” which refers to meritorious acts that go beyond what is required for ones self. When a so called pious Roman Catholic does good works in such a manner as to go beyond what God requires (according to what Rome says God requires), the Roman Catholic religion teaches that those extra works produce meritorious acts which go into bank account of sorts, a bank account of grace and merit called the “Treasury of Merit.”
Further, Rome teaches that the Pope can draw and dispense from the Treasury of Merit and grant it to individuals with less merit so as to shorten their suffering in Purgatory, or in extreme situations to forgive their sins outright. The ordinary way the Pope dispenses from this treasury is through financial payments (also called indulgences) from sinners to the “Vicar of Christ.” Thus sinners are said to be able to obtain grace and favor with God, not from God alone, but from other people’s works. Christ alone is not the sole source of salvation and grace – man is a source of strength and grace and without man’s works one cannot attain eternal life.
Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and others the graces needed for: our sanctification; for the increase of grace and charity; and for the attainment of eternal life….”
Roman Catholic Catechism Question #2010
One billion people around the world, one in six, many of our loved ones, are taught to hope for exactly what Jesus said foolish virgins do. Foolish virgins look to the works of another sinful person to provide the grace needed for eternal life. When the cry goes out how many of those 1,000,000,000 will be looking to the supposed grace of Mary, St. Paul, Joseph, their dead (or living) spouse, a pope, or some other saint, to save them in their hour of need? That is precisely what the foolish virgins did. They went to the wise virgins and begged for some of their oil. What was the outcome?
When those foolish virgins finally went to the door, the bridegroom said this, “I do not know you.”
Christ is freely offered to us and eternal life in, by, and through Him alone! He alone is the source of all grace. He has by Himself purged our sins (Hebrews 1:3). And yet, due to unbelief, foolish virgins will look to the works of other sinners for their salvation. They will look to their idol of Mary for help when the real Mary of History looked to Jesus Christ alone for Her Salvation. They will cry out to Joseph to protect children in the womb when Jesus is the only one who carries us from conception to birth and even to old age (Isaiah 46:1-4). The longterm prolific nature of Rome’s sin makes it the most significant example of the foolish virgins from Matthew 25.
In looking to idols and sinners, Rome is not looking to Jesus Christ alone and therefore they do not know Christ in truth. Christ who was incarnate and dwelt with us came to save His people to the uttermost and He surely did it. He shares His glory with no others for no others can attain to even a small measure of the glory that is in Christ. The foolish virgins of Rome do not trust in Christ alone for Salvation and have no hope of eternal life given them in Scripture. They have denied Christ and unless they repent they will be denied by Christ at that rapidly approaching day of judgment.
In this hour and at the Lord’s return, we cannot look to anyone else but Christ alone for entrance into the marriage supper of the lamb. He alone is able to save and Christ alone did save. To look to anyone or anything else for grace is to deny Jesus Christ who alone is full of grace and truth. If you are in the religion of Roman Catholicism today you have read an unpopular message. It is meant to confront you with the truth of Christ, His word, His work on the cross, and His gospel, so that you might abandon all other ways of salvation, trust in Christ alone, and have everlasting life. Even as I write this I have many family members and more friends who are slaves of Rome. I do not desire any of them or you to perish in your unbelief. Instead I pray that all might listen to the Lord, look to Him by faith, and live. May the Lord use His word and Spirit to draw you out of the religion that leads to destruction and bring you into the glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ whose children hear His voice and follow Him!
The foolish virgins were not crying out to the Lord for help at the midnight hour. They were crying out to the wise virgins. Brothers and sisters, let us make our calling and election sure looking unto Jesus alone the author and the finisher of our faith. For in the day of the Lord’s return we may fool ourselves with our foolishness but we will not fool the Lord.
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An evangelistic tract for Roman Catholic friends and loved ones can be found here by download. Instructions for ordering physical copies are at the bottom of the page.
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