Posted on 06/13/2010 12:16:24 PM PDT by markomalley
.- Thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered at noon Sunday in St. Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus with the Holy Father. Before the prayer, he said that the fruits of the recently ended Year for Priests could never be measured, but are already visible and will continue to be ever more so.
“The priest is a gift from the heart of Christ, a gift for the Church and for the world. From the heart of the Son of God, overflowing with love, all the goods of the Church spring forth,” proclaimed Pope Benedict XVI. “One of those goods is the vocations of those men who, conquered by the Lord Jesus, leave everything behind to dedicate themselves completely to the Christian community, following the example of the Good Shepherd.”
The Holy Father described the priest as having been formed by “the same charity of Christ, that love which compelled him to give his life for his friends and to forgive his enemies.”
“Therefore,” he continued, “priests are the primary builders of the civilization of love.”
Benedict XVI exhorted priests to always seek the intercession of St. John Marie Vianney, whose prayer, the “Act of Love,” was prayed frequently during the Year for Priests, and “continues to fuel our dialogue with God.”
The pontiff also spoke about the close of the Year for Priests, which took place this past week and culminated with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He emphasized “the unforgettable days in the presence of more than 15,000 priests from around the world.”
The feast of the Sacred Heart is traditionally a “day of priestly holiness,” but this time it was especially so, Benedict XVI remarked.
Pope Benedict concluded his comments by noting that, in contemplating history, “one observes so many pages of authentic social and spiritual renewal which have been written by the decisive contribution of Catholic priests.” These were inspired “only by their passion for the Gospel and for mankind, for his true civil and religious freedom.”
“So many initiatives that promote the entire human being have begun with the intuition of a priestly heart,” he exclaimed.
The Pope then prayed the Angelus, greeted those present in various languages, and imparted his apostolic blessing.
Are there some who are really concinced of this?
" . . . Whether the number is 33,000 or 3,300 differing denominations of protestantism the one and only unifying characteristic is their protestation of Catholicism."
To be conv[i]nced of this, to begin with, one must be bound in chains to the false notion that there are two and only two partitions of Christendom: Catholicism and Protestantism.
One must be oblivious to the historical truth that there have always been Christians who were never [Roman] Catholic in the Vatican sense, nor Protestant in the Geneva sense.
And to continue in that kind of oblivion, one must believe that there is no history outside of that penned by [the] Vatican [RUBBER HISTORIED VULCAN MIND-MELD] sense [ROMAN] Catholic authors.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS IS A REQUIREMENT OF ALL WHO DESIRE TO WALK IN, MAINTAIN, EXPRESS THANKFULNESS FOR, DEMONSTRATE THEIR FORGIVEN STATE. UNFORGIVENESS OF OTHERS is a demonstration of a heart not truly fully surrendered to God the only righteous all knowing judge. Forgiveness is not a work, it is an attitude, a spirit born of God. Unforgiveness is a rebellion against God born of hell.
Which rubberized version of the Bible are you using? Or are those words within the brackets your additions to Scripture?
John5: 24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
AN ACCOMPLISHED FACT based on faith
John 5:25Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
EVERYTHING the unsaved do is evil to God, even things the world might call good..
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters" (Matt. 12:30).
— But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.(Heb 11;6)
What is not of faith is sin ... The only ones that can "do good" are the saved..
Your interpretation evidently was:
John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good [AS PARTIALLY EARNING THEIR SALVATION], unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
I inserted mine in the context I was referring to.
OF COURSE, I'm not about to add words to Scripture. Proddys usually don't do that. That's Vatican edifice turf.
We've all left stuff out there friend. We can't post the entirety of Scripture in each post.
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Yes, it is necessary to believe. Nobody argues against that. But when you look at the rest of Scripture, it isn't just believing in isolation. You must also be doing the will of God.
Faith with no action, including charity, is dead as specified in many of the Scriptures you left out friend. So anyone who cries out "Lord, Lord" but does not pray and live piously and charitably (i.e. does not do the will of His Father in Heaven) will be condemned.
Faith of itself, if it does not have good works, is dead. Scripture can't be any clearer. The only time you find the words faith and alone next to each other, the word "not" is in front.
Thanks. Now I know.
So you believe what you want. Go ahead and trust in your good works to save you - because salvation can only be by grace OR works. Faith that does not bear fruit is indeed dead - unfruitful. True faith will bear fruit because it is its nature to do so, not so it may become true faith.
John 6:27-29
27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Our savior's own words. I will trust in him.
| SCRIPTURES FM ANNALEX’s POST possibly construed as SUPPORTING EARNING ONE’S SALVATION | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item | Quix Commentary | BIBLE VERSE |
| V19: Teaching the commandments correlating with greatness in The Kingdom is on the part of those ALREADY SAVED. This verse has nothing to do with Salvation—“earned” OR by faith. V20: |
Matthew 5 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. |
Am still dinking with the table html. It's not looking like its supposed to on PREVIEW . . . more verses to follow.
| SCRIPTURES FM ANNALEX’s POST possibly construed as SUPPORTING EARNING ONE’S SALVATION |
| Item | Quix Commentary | BIBLE VERSE |
|---|---|---|
| V29: . There is no evidence in this verse of EARNING ONE’S SALVATION by plucking anything out. If anything, this verse is about maintaining a redeemed state, or avoiding losing one’s Salvation by chronic habitual sinning with a specific body part. . It is also plausible to assert that the emphasis of this verse is that nothing—even body parts are to compare in value, worth--with the ultimate priority of eternal life. . V30: . DITTO. It is pagans, the heathen who imagine to please ‘gods’ by abusing the flesh. Christians’ Salvation comes only and totally through the Blood of Christ. . Certainly these verses emphasize that Eternal Life is supremely important. . I have a bias that even these verses may have a literal interpretation in terms of emphasizing to God that we agree with His priority of Eternal Life over all else—including our body parts. However, the man who cut off his hands would no longer be able to provide for his family and would thereby, Biblically be worse than an infidel. So, probably, Christ is making a point about the supreme priority of Eternal Life. |
||
| Matthew 5 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. |
That was my point - we can't. Go ahead a try to post the entire Scripture in one post. Have fun.
We then must leave it to the the Holy Spirit to lead each seeker of truth to what is the true Gospel
When you post the entire Scripture in your post, I won't bother looking for that little nugget.
I am completely certain that God's word does not contradict itself.
As am I.
There have always been people who twist and contort Scripture to say what they want
I agree.
but we know that in the major doctrines of the Christian faith, there WILL and MUST be unity.
The problem is that there's not "a" Christian faith. Look at all the division on major doctrines within Protestantism.
Words in context mean what they say and scripture interprets other scripture. God is NOT the author of confusion.
Exactly.
So you believe what you want.
No, I'll stick with believing in the context of Scripture, as believed by His Church, which is the pillar and ground of the truth, and which is led by the Holy Spirit. Protestantism can't even agree amongst itself what the context of Scripture has to say about major doctrines.
salvation can only be by grace OR works.
Not by faith alone.
Faith that does not bear fruit is indeed dead
Amen.
True faith will bear fruit because it is its nature to do so, not so it may become true faith.
There aren't 2 types of faith in Scripture, i.e. true faith and faith that needs to become true. That's an extrascriptural tradition. There is "faith". That faith can be alone or that faith can be with works. Scripture spells it out: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
2 Peter 1:1-12 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, [you will be] neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.
If the things in the above paragraph came automatically with faith, there would be no need to tell them or for them to be reminded.
:)
Lets give james the credit he deserves
The book of James was written to a converted church , not heathens seeking salvation . It tells them how their conversion is seen by the unsaved world . It is not about becoming saved or being saved. It is about the fruit of your salvation.
Jam 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
This is an amplification of the teaching of Jesus that we know a tree by the fruit it bears. It is how we know the saved from the unsaved. It does not declare that the man has faith ...but that he SAYS he has faith.
I forgot to add you to ping 855
This is a valid distinction, and the answer in my case is that the motivation is mixed. What you are referring to is known as "heroic virtue" as opposed to ordinary virtue. Heroic virtue is looked for in order to discern sainthood.
But our discussion is simply the possibility as well as necessity for salvation, of good works, or as the questioner put it, righteous works. Obviously, we do them, and I gave an example from my recent life in response to a direct question. There is nothign extraordinary about good works done with the desire to reach salvation of self as well as salvation of others, out of love of God and fellow man. While faith helps in doing them, also good works strengthen faith. The notion that fth is somehow separate and always precedes good works is precisely the heresy of "Sola Fide"; it is nowhere in the Bible.
Sweetheart, in 716 you demonstrated nothing because everything you said in it, including your amplifications, is in broad agreement with the Catholic teaching.
Your next post
It will take more time than I may have left this evening to post a detailed reply to those Scriptures
I'll wait then.
REWARDS are granted on the basis of works. NOT SALVATION.
That, too, but the scripture in Matthew 5-7, 25 and Romans 2:6-10 plainly speaks of salvation and condemnation and not of rewards additionally obtained by the elect.
Your next post (apparently, some time last night was about to be left unused)
IF SALVATION is in the discussion, then the BEST OF WORKS WITH THE BEST OF ATTITUDES AND MOTIVES are not any more recemptive than the worst used ___tex—according to Scripture
Isaiah's reference to filthy rags in 64:6 speaks of works generated by man alone outside of the grace of Christ. This is why the redemption worked by Christ is necessary for salvation. This verse does not invalidate the salvific role of works in the Church that Christ built.
Your next postthe notion that we can have no sense of security in our Salvation delivered by the Blood of Jesus smacks me as a huge insult to Christ’s Blood
How come? I'd say the notion that Christ came to save automatons into whom He plants at some imaginary early moment of "salvation" faith, whereupon they proceed with good works as programmed irrespective of their salvation already accomplished -- that notion insults Christ. Not surprisingly, it is nowhere in the scripture.
It accounts for everything, since outside of the grace of Christ, by which alone we are saved, there are no good works possible (Eph 2:8-10). If you think otherwise, you don't understand Catholic Christianity, or the Holy Scripture.
Your verses all do say that the follower of Christ has eternal life and will be saved. They say nothing against the other scriptural fact, that this salvation is granted or not based on our works (Matthew 5-7, 25, Romans 2).
Many left Christ in His life. Many profess faith and fall to sin and heresy today. The salvation of these people is in grave danger, especially if, beign outside of Church, they do not have a secure way to absolution.
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