The Meaning of Grace

Grace to You.org ^ | 1997 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[boatbums]

The only correction I have is that the 8000+ was not Barrett's conclusion but that of the author of the Free Republic OP. The way I see it if Catholics want to assert there are 33,000 or 50,000 or a bazillion Protestant churches/denominations based upon an estimate intended to criticize non-Catholic Christians disunity, they ought to accept the same wild estimates aimed back at them.

[metmom]

Show us where she said that>

Or stop putting words in her mouth and misrepresenting what she said.

No one denies that the apostles passed on some tradition.

What is not accepted as fact on the Catholic church's say so, is that they have held and passed down all that tradition faithfully and without corruption for 2,000 years, and that what they teach now that they claim is *sacred tradition* is what the apostles actually taught or passed down.

No Catholic has EVER been able to verify that what is claimed as *sacred tradition* is actually what is taught.

So let me ask you these questions and see if you can or will answer them.

Just what are those traditions Paul was referring to that he handed down that we are to keep that were not included in Scripture?

How do you know?

How do you know they’re from the apostles, Paul in particular?

How do you know they’ve been passed down faithfully?

Show us where Paul says that tradition trumps Scripture.

What “oral tradition” do you keep that is not found in scripture but that you can prove the apostles taught?

What is your source for verifying all of the above?

Please provide the sources for verification purposes.

[metmom]

Didn’t think so.

Chalk up another non-answer to those questions.....

[mrobisr]

“I don’t know that Corinthians says you go directly to Heaven. I have always been inclined to believe that there will be a judgement day before we join God in Heaven.”

Well first I must ask you what are you being judged for? IAW Scripture if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ you have already been forgiven and justified and YOUR sins are forgotten and completely cast away.

Romans 4:25
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 3:28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 5:11
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Colossians 1:20
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 10:17
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Micah 7:19
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Justification
Justification is the declaring of a person to be just or righteous. It is a legal term signifying acquittal,

Will you be judged for rewards... YES, but not for sin as you have NONE. Our great Savior Jesus took EACH and EVERY single sin to the Cross where they were nailed once and for all.

As for as going directly to Heaven upon death I say yes, but if the Scripture doesn’t say that to you I’m sorry.

Colossians 3:1
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Romans 6:5
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Colossians 2:12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Mark 16:19
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Philippians 1:23
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Colossians 3:1
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Quit beating yourself up and accept the grace given to you by our Father through Jesus Christ. If you have placed your faith in Christ YOU are forgiven. The thought that you are not is the Devil trying to tell you that you’re not good enough and he’s right you’re not, but Jesus was, is, and will be forever more.