Posted on 05/12/2015 4:21:27 PM PDT by RnMomof7
Let us begin with a church history exam question. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) was a figure not to be taken lightly. He was Pope Clement VIII’s personal theologian and one of the most able figures in the Counter-Reformation movement within sixteenth-century Roman Catholicism. On one occasion, he wrote: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is _______ .” Complete, explain, and discuss Bellarmine’s statement.
How would you answer? What is the greatest of all Protestant heresies? Perhaps justification by faith? Perhaps Scripture alone, or one of the other Reformation watchwords?
Those answers make logical sense. But none of them completes Bellarmine’s sentence. What he wrote was: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance.”
A moment’s reflection explains why. If justification is not by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone — if faith needs to be completed by works; if Christ’s work is somehow repeated; if grace is not free and sovereign, then something always needs to be done, to be “added” for final justification to be ours. That is exactly the problem. If final justification is dependent on something we have to complete it is not possible to enjoy assurance of salvation. For then, theologically, final justification is contingent and uncertain, and it is impossible for anyone (apart from special revelation, Rome conceded) to be sure of salvation. But if Christ has done everything, if justification is by grace, without contributory works; it is received by faith’s empty hands — then assurance, even “full assurance” is possible for every believer.
No wonder Bellarmine thought full, free, unfettered grace was dangerous! No wonder the Reformers loved the letter to the Hebrews!
This is why, as the author of Hebrews pauses for breath at the climax of his exposition of Christ’s work (Heb. 10:18), he continues his argument with a Paul-like “therefore” (Heb. 10:19). He then urges us to “draw near … in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22). We do not need to re-read the whole letter to see the logical power of his “therefore.” Christ is our High Priest; our hearts have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience just as our bodies have been washed with pure water (v.22).
Christ has once-for-all become the sacrifice for our sins, and has been raised and vindicated in the power of an indestructible life as our representative priest. By faith in Him, we are as righteous before the throne of God as He is righteous. For we are justified in His righteousness, His justification alone is ours! And we can no more lose this justification than He can fall from heaven. Thus our justification does not need to be completed any more than does Christ’s!
With this in view, the author says, “by one offering He has perfected for all time those who come to God by him” (Heb. 10:14). The reason we can stand before God in full assurance is because we now experience our “hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and … bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).
“Ah,” retorted Cardinal Bellarmine’s Rome, “teach this and those who believe it will live in license and antinomianism.” But listen instead to the logic of Hebrews. Enjoying this assurance leads to four things: First, an unwavering faithfulness to our confession of faith in Jesus Christ alone as our hope (v.23); second, a careful consideration of how we can encourage each other to “love and good works” (v.24); third, an ongoing communion with other Christians in worship and every aspect of our fellowship (v.25a); fourth, a life in which we exhort one another to keep looking to Christ and to be faithful to him, as the time of his return draws ever nearer (25b).
It is the good tree that produces good fruit, not the other way round. We are not saved by works; we are saved for works. In fact we are God’s workmanship at work (Eph. 2:9–10)! Thus, rather than lead to a life of moral and spiritual indifference, the once-for-all work of Jesus Christ and the full-assurance faith it produces, provides believers with the most powerful impetus to live for God’s glory and pleasure. Furthermore, this full assurance is rooted in the fact that God Himself has done all this for us. He has revealed His heart to us in Christ. The Father does not require the death of Christ to persuade Him to love us. Christ died because the Father loves us (John 3:16). He does not lurk behind His Son with sinister intent wishing He could do us ill — were it not for the sacrifice his Son had made! No, a thousand times no! — the Father Himself loves us in the love of the Son and the love of the Spirit.
Those who enjoy such assurance do not go to the saints or to Mary. Those who look only to Jesus need look nowhere else. In Him we enjoy full assurance of salvation. The greatest of all heresies? If heresy, let me enjoy this most blessed of “heresies”! For it is God’s own truth and grace!
Advanced evangelicals will note the evidence of salvation in their lives. Note that Hebrews was talking about PAST TENSE history as such evidence. These believing Jews were longing to hang it up in the face of persecution. The author of Hebrews points out that makes no sense using some hypotheticals (such as suppose you totally could give up your faith in Christ, what would be left?). The result of stumbling badly is not to be lost, however, but to fail to gain a reward.
On St. Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine, A Valid Authority For Ecclesiology
The 15 Marks of The Church [St. Robert Bellarmine]
Mary: Mediatrix in the Theology of Bellarmine
Saint Robert Bellarmine [Patron of Catechists]
In other words, no form of government (with the exception of the explicitly condemned form, communism) is incompatible with Catholicism, provided that God is honored. As Pope Leo concludes,
"...political dissensions aside, upright men should unite as one to combat, by all lawful and honest means, these progressive abuses of legislation. The respect due to constituted power cannot prohibit this: unlimited respect and obedience cannot be yielded to all legislative measures, of no matter what kind, enacted by this same power. Let it not be forgotten that law is a precept ordained according to reason and promulgated for the good of the community by those who, for this end, have been entrusted with power. . . Accordingly, such points in legislation as are hostile to religion and to God should never be approved; to the contrary, it is a duty to disapprove them."
If Truth is considered bashing, so be it! Roman Catholicism reveals all the signs of being the largest cult in the history of the world!
And...
Cult: a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing, and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control designed to advance the goals of the groupís leaders, to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community. Unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control include but are not limited to: isolation from former friends and family, use of special methods to heighten suggestibility and subservience, powerful group pressures, information management, suspension of individuality or critical judgment, promotion of total dependency on the group and fear of leaving it, etc. ...
Isn’t here a scene from Monty Python where 20 crusaders are about to be wiped out by a horde of Muslims. A fight breaks on between a Dominican and a Franciscan monk.
“Free will” “No predestination” they yell as they roll on the ground choking each other.
As this fight breaks out the horde on the hill starts charging.
Yours posts remind me of this.
A lot of people look askance at “organized religion” and that can be pressed to a fault.
There’s a certain minimum point of churchhood at which you can’t even plausibly say you are in accord with the bible’s prescriptions.
Well howdy, stranger! Good to see you again!
It is better that people vocally want God to be at the top of their pictures, whatever the specifics of their view of how God assumes that role, than that they should try to dumb the discussion about the faith down to making it some kind of helper auxiliary to worldly goals.
If “ALL” we want to be is “Gentlepersons” then we will fail in the end to be even that.
As an unabashed Wascally Evangelical, I am “assured” that Christ is big enough to handle the confusion.
Keep up the good work mom.
You let us all know just when and where your All Knowing, All Seeing Pope found it in himself (and himself is all there is, right?) to come up with the establishment of the American Republic.
Oddly, I think that occurred right about the time y’all were still insisting that The Little People had to bow down to the Anointed Ones who ruled by Divine Right, typically confirmed by El Papa.
I think the Roman church has gotten itself into a mell of a hess... and still think this is catty too.
...of very little importance in the greater scheme of things."
I'm not sure what point you're trying to convey here.
"Oddly, I think that occurred right about the time y’all were still insisting that The Little People had to bow down to the Anointed Ones who ruled by Divine Right, typically confirmed by El Papa."
The pope remained neutral on the American Revolution, and when the United States was officially established the pope (Pope Pius VI at the time) approved a petition to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of the United States, officially recognizing the US. Doesn't quite fit with your narrative, does it?
One of the reasons this article caught my eye was that Catholics continually mock OSAS (preservation of the saints) and accuse us of antinomianism ...and yes it seems Rome does have a problem with it
TULIP
Well I’ve been around ... had some flights to do but otherwise ....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.