Posted on 07/01/2015 7:13:05 AM PDT by RnMomof7
Recently there has been a surge in prominent Evangelicals calling for unity with Roman Catholicism. In one sense there seems to be strong foundational similarities that would justify these calls to unity. Catholics are baptized in the name of the Trinity. God’s revealed word in the Bible -- setting aside their addition of the Apocryphal books, for argument’s sake -- is foundational to their worldview. Catholics love Christ and believe that he died on the cross and rose again to provide grace for sinners.
Obviously there are theological differences associated with the specific teachings of each one of these perceived similarities, and I do not want to minimize the importance of these differences. But for argument‘s sake, at least on the surface, there is some common ground.
There is also a strong agreement in ethical standards. Both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals ground morality on God’s holy nature as revealed in the law of God. This means that on the hot button moral issues of the day; the murder of the unborn, human sexuality, the sanctity of marriage there is solidarity between Roman Catholic and Evangelical ethics because they are coming from the same source. Again, this seems to justify a call to some sense of unity.
Are these good enough reasons to publically stump for visible unity with Roman Catholics? That question is beyond the scope of this post. But there is a more fundamental question that must be answered first. That question serves as the dividing line between followers of Christ and the world, which separates biblical Christianity from every other worldview; does Rome possess and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The author of the book of Hebrews in chapter 10 contrasts the gospel with that which is but a shadow of the gospel. He argues:
"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." -- Heb 10:11–14
The argument being presented here makes it clear that Christ’s singular sacrifice, his death on the cross, perfects those for whom it is made for. This is the gospel. It is contrasted with the shadow of the gospel in which sacrifices were repeatedly made year after year because though they symbolized the atoning and perfecting sacrifice of Christ, they never themselves perfected those for whom they were made. The gospel of Jesus Christ perfects and any other religious strategies cannot.
This principle is directly applicable to the question of Roman Catholicism and the gospel of God. Roman Catholic worship centers on the mass. The mass is a series of liturgical practices that culminates in the Eucharist which according to paragraph 1068 of the Catholic of the Catholic Church (hereafter CCC) is a divine sacrifice. Paragraph 1367 of CCC calls the Eucharist a “truly propitiatory” sacrifice. This sacrifice is performed repeatedly in the life of a Catholic.
The reason the Eucharist is performed repeatedly is because even though it is claimed to be a propitiatory sacrifice that can make reparation for sins (CCC, 1414), it is a sacrifice that never perfects anyone. According to the Catholic message grace is something that you get from God by performing certain acts. First, God gives you the grace for faith in Jesus (CCC, 2000). Second, when you are baptized God graciously erases the sin of Adam from your record (CCC 1257). From that point on you get more grace by doing things like participating in the sacraments, including the Eucharist. The problem is that when you commit sins, you lose some of the grace you have gained and now need more lest your grace be found wanting at final judgment. This forces the Catholic into a position where they need to return day after day, week after week, and year after year to a priest who serves to repeatedly re-present the same sacrifice which never perfects those for whom it is made, since it only offers grace to cover some sin.
This is not the gospel.
Roman Catholics need the gospel for the same reason we all need it. We are all sinners with such a messed up and low view of how holy holiness really is that we think somehow through our own efforts we can attain it. If we just had enough time and willpower we could somehow have our good deeds outweigh our bad, and this will please God just enough for me to be acceptable to him. This is a satanic lie. A satanic lie that to some degree or another we have all bought into at some point in our life.
But the truth is glorious. God is good and God is holy. He is more good and more holy than we can possibly imagine. God is so good and so holy that anything less than absolute perfection is unacceptable in his presence. It is because of God’s awesome goodness and awesome holiness that in his wisdom he has offered us grace, through faith in Christ. A good and holy sacrifice that absolutely without question completely perfects everyone for whom it is made.
I'm a pretty old codger myself, but we had great grammar teachers in my day! Verbs have voice, tense, mood, sometimes number; nouns have case, number and/or gender -- no voice.
Did you ever learn sentence diagramming in grammar school? I had it in seventh grade and for a while couldn't read a book (even Anne of Green Gables, a favorite!) without mentally diagramming the sentences as I read!
My lost answer was better . . .:(
I would pray for your salvation ... would you let me go to communion???
You are not on my ping list
Please don't do that -- maybe you just need a break (just coming off about a 2-year break myself!)
It distresses me, perplexes me to no end, to try to account for evident divisions within the Body of Christ.
At a time when unity of the Body is what is most needed, and most wanting.
The salvific Good News of the Christian Revelation is so simple, so true, so beautiful. Basically its message can be expressed in human action by living according to the little "list" I presented in my foregoing reply to MHGinTN.
So why do the Christian denominations strive to complicate things, by making "war" on each other's "doctrines?"
I am reminded of your splendid metaphor of the universal, eternal Christian church: It is a seven-faceted diamond.
It seems to me, "doctrines" are perspectival views that cognize matters of truth and reality itself in terms of an observational perspective that depends on which "facet" their adherents align with.
But it also seems to me that no one should ever forget that the "facets" are all equally Godly (in their way) reflections and witnesses of one single Truth, which is the "diamond" — which is metaphorically speaking, God.
It seems to me God loves diversity: He made so much of it in this world; so likely doesn't object to any one of the seven facets, but welcomes them all as different expressions of love from His children....
My point is that Christians really need to be standing together, not fighting each other, in this critical time: We are under full-scale attack from "the other side." We must compose the "saving remnant," to save the "saving tale" that, if we save it, will save us....
May God ever bless you, dearest sister in Christ, and all your dear ones! I hope you all will enjoy a splendid celebration of Independence Day!
Hi, RnMom. Were you once Catholic...do I remember that from someplace...or is that a faulty memory on my part?
You were including me with several other posters in addition to the single poster you were responding to each time...a de facto ping list.
It makes matters confusing when you are responding to me with a response to someone else, especially when I haven’t participated in what you are discussing with the other poster.
You are welcome to post directly to me alone or in response to me when you choose.
Amen sisters.
Oh my, sentence diagramming! That nightmare was revisited in Graduate School when I had to take Modern English Grammar as a requirement toward my Masters.
I apologize openly for pinging you. It will not happen again.
Please don't. If you do then the haters win. We must standup for the faith in spite of overwhelming odds and opposition.
The Mormons use a similar slur, calling anyone who opposes their religion a ‘hater’. Do you really want to find yourself making as baseless an accusation?
“Hater” was the most polite term I could use in this forum.
Your assertion, “who simply reject persons if beliefs do not conform precisely to theirs” is inaccurate. As one of those who oppose the Catholic religion, I post on these threads precisely for persons with whom I disagree. The Lord has instructed us to contend for the faith. That faith is different from what the Catholic Church teaches persons, so we contend for the faith while caring about the adherents enough to have childish insults hurled at us.
If the only thing you can do is to pray for them, then do that. They desperately need it.
Liberal speak.
Discuss the issues all you want but do not make it personal.
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.