Hang onto the TRUE Church's teachings. It's your only hope.
Posted on 01/20/2016 1:53:12 PM PST by metmom
"You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit is God's first installment on your eternal inheritance.
The Holy Spirit's ministry in your life is multifaceted and profound. Among other things He brings salvation, conviction, guidance, and strength. He indwells and equips you for spiritual service and gives assurance of your salvation. He is your Helper and Advocate. He is the Spirit of promise, who seals you until the day when your redemption is fully realized (Eph. 4:30).
Sealing speaks of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority. Ancient kings, princes, and nobles placed their official seal on documents or other items to guarantee their inviolability. To break the seal was to incur the wrath of the sovereign whom it represented (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62-66).
A seal on a letter authenticated it as from the hand of the one whose seal it bore. Legal documents such as property deeds and wills were often finalized with an official seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree of a king had the king's delegated authority to act on that decree.
Each of those aspects of sealing is a picture of the Spirit's ministry. He is God's guarantee that your salvation is inviolable and that you are an authentic member of His kingdom and family. You are His possession-having been purchased with His Son's precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20). You are His ambassador with delegated authority to proclaim His message to a lost world (2 Cor. 5:20).
The Spirit is the pledge of your eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:14). The Greek word translated "pledge" in that verse (arrabon) was used of down payment or earnest money given to secure a purchase. Rejoice in the assurance that God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), has given you His Spirit as a guarantee that He will keep His promises.
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for the security of your eternal inheritance. Praise the Spirit for His many ministries in your life. Be sensitive to His leading today so that your ministry to others will be powerful and consistent with His will.
For Further Study
Read Esther chapters 3, 8. What role did the king's signet ring play in the decree of Haman (chapter 3)? The decree of Ahasuerus and Mordecai (chapter 8)?
We (the born from above) are always speaking the truth, to expose the false religions of the world.
Only "believers" will go to Heaven, so keep speaking the truth. Now, of course, there is probably a difference between some people's definition of "believer" but we know what it means. Praise God for that.
Ain't true Christianity grand, as opposed to pseudo Christianity?
:-)
Elsie: And yet; no one ever did. Post #421
Oh, LC, you know that was only Jesus' creative teaching style using a figure of speech to illustrate a Scriptural truth! I think you're just joshing TC, aren't you? And seeing TC's reaction is such a rip! You'd think a person would just get tired of more savvy people chuckling at one's discomfiture . . .
Peter was an apostle
Very good, it nice to see you are right about something.
He was not a pope or else it would be in the Bible.
The rest of your list were not popes in their days.
They were all ex post facto appointed to make it look like there was an unbroken chain of popes.
None of those people saw themselves as popes.
Totally foolishness that you 'prove' things by saying them.
Doesn't work like that.
If you want to continue this conversation, you need to prove your statements from factual history.
I doubt the men you named dressed like Pharisees as the top elite Catholics do today.
Perhaps if there was some discomfiture in the beings of those who are chuckled at there would be a chance for redemption.
Those believing and perpetrating falsehoods will find themselves in an abyss.
You are correct sir. I suspect, that these individuals, will think they are going to Heaven, right up to their last breath, but will wake up in Hell.
Remember, it will be a lot easier to get into Hell, than it will be to get out.
SUT: remember the ORIGINAL 7 Catholic churches in Asia?
"Get thee behind me; Satan."
Yep; ol' Pete was a REALLY good role model for some of the popes to follow.
Luke 9:54
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"
No; boys.
The church I'm starting RIGHT NOW will have earthy fires that will cleanse the souls of those that do NOT adhere to what it teaches.
Josh TC?
Another Brother in Christ??
Heaven forbid!!!
John 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son.
Nothing about failing to jump thru the Seven Sacramental hoops; believing wafers turn into flesh, nothing about adoring Mary endlessly, nothing about attending the ONLY church that can save you, nothing about...
Now; unless John managed to EDIT what the CHRIST was saying; then all bets are off.
But Rome has assured us that it has transmitted, to us today, everything needed for salvation in the book it assembled so long ago.
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels,
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and
to the spirits of just men made perfect,
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
(Heb. 12:22-24 AV).
Ain't it sweet?
I don't do sacraments. I was not as familiar with them as I should have been, because during Catechism class, I was too busy paying attention to the females in there.
My dad asked me once if I ever thought about being a priest. Same thing. I was too busy paying attention to the females.
One day, I thought I committed a mortal sin of sacrilege, because I spilled some holy water on the floor and stepped in it. I thought I was going straight to Hell, for desecrating the holy water.
Oh well, I committed so many mortal sins of sacrilege, I thought they would bury me in a devil costume. I was a bad Catholic dude.
Now, I am an ex Catholic, with assurance of salvation. It's a beautiful thing. Everyone should try it.
:-)
(The Prophesied Context)
"The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into The Holiest Of All was not yet made manifest,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices,
that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed
on them until the time of reformation.
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His Own Blood he entered in once into The
Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
How much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God?" (Heb. 9:8-14).
(The Promised Consequence)
"And for this cause He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the
redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called
might receive the promise of eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:8-15).
(The Prescribed Condition)
"In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:13-14).
(The Payment Concluded)
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every
year with blood of others;
"For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the
end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of (the) many; . . ." (Heb. 9:24-28a)
(The Preemptive Coming)
". . . and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without* sin unto salvation.
(Heb. 9:28b. *apart from)
(The Possessions Collected)
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with Him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words" <1 Thess. 4:14-18).
(The Perpetual Congregation)
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
And to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant, and to the Blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel" (Heb 12:22-24)>
(The Praiseworthy Conclusion)
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all
things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" ( Rev 4:11).
Concerning the payment, it is a Catholic belief that their Mass is an act where their Priest brings The Christ from the Heavenly Throne and continues the 'once for all for all time' sacrifice of Jesus, to be then eaten in a wafer, consuming His Body, Blood, Soul and DIVINITY each time the Mass is offered. When one points out that Jesus died ONCE for all, the Catholic apologist will argue that the Mass is a continuation of the original moment of the Crucifixion. Yet these same folks will not respond when it is pointed out that the Priest supposedly brings The Christ from The Throne in Heaven at each Mass. ... The irrational is strong with this cult of catholiciism.
What Jesus instituted as a REMEMBRANCE of His once for all payment has been turned into a blasphemous shadow of the pagan practice of eating the pagan god as a mystery religion.
I think God has a sense of humor and that he will actually make a fantasy place called purgatory for Catholics to go to that don't believe in the simple saving grace of salvation.
Catholics will think it is the bottom rung of the ladder to heaven, but in actuality it would be the top of the slide into hell.
But God is stern, not mean.
Imagine all the wasted prayers for people in “purgatory” and to saints and to the Catholic Mary which if addressed to the ONLY one that hears and answers prayers, the Savior Jesus how much they would be blessed
There is something about that off kilter prayer attitude of thinking that for much words and vain repetitions they are blessing God.
They are pleasing their handlers though.
Very good post, thanks.
The part that is really blasphemous is where highly respected Catholic “scholars” say that Jesus bows down to a Priest after snatching Jesus off of His throne in heaven and making Him come to their ritual of shame.
Unbelievable how peoples minds can be taken over by false doctrine that they sacrifice their salvation to be a part of.
There is no doubt it is false doctrine. Think of it this way, however. If Jesus really got snatched out of Heaven (He doesn't) but if He really did, there is probably masses going on 24/7/365, so He would NEVER be in Heaven. He would be constantly snatched from one place to another. He might not even know where He might be snatched to next.
Elsie, I need some math done here. I know you figured out how many prayers Mary needed to answer every second. How many monstrances would Jesus be required to be in at the same time?
That sir, is the crux of the problem. What good is all this pomp and ritual, if one loses their soul, and goes to Hell? All of this, does not matter a hill of beans, if all it does, is get a person into Hell.
That is satan’s purpose for cults.
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