Posted on 08/24/2022 6:25:20 AM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
Excellent post, Metmom.
The people who believe in Christ Jesus as Savior make up the church.
That is made plain in Scripture.
What represents Christ to the world is not rituals and sacraments, and bells and smells, and vestments and liturgy. Law keeping does not reveal Godly character to others. Love, mercy, and grace do.
Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another. It’s the Christlike character of the individual people that shows that love.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
But when the fruit of a religion is immorality, debauchery, corruption, etc. that is not Christlike character and in no way represents the love of God to people.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And we’re supposed to believe that Roman Catholicism is the one true church, outside of which is no salvation as they claim?
I don’t think so.
“But when the fruit of a religion is immorality, debauchery, corruption, etc. that is not Christlike character and in no way represents the love of God to people. ... And we’re supposed to believe that Roman Catholicism is the one true church, outside of which is no salvation as they claim? ... I don’t think so.”
I don’t think so either, MM.
And that debauchery began a long time ago in the RCC. Some of it is pretty funny with popes dethroning each other, lol. Sad thing is that they’ve stuck themselves out to the world as God’s representatives on earth and done a great disservice to the mission He left us and great harm to His holy character.
BUT when it comes to abusing children, it needs to come down. People need to come out of it and stop supporting the abuse. Especially after learning that the RCC is just going to push the abuser onto other unsuspecting people only for more innocent children to be abused. Dang. How much does it take to get a person to leave? It doesn’t get any worse than child abuse.
“We are down to individual believers and we are waiting for the Messiah.
“Being a Christian is an individual walk and it is only communal when you are with fellow believers, which is no guarantee no matter what people claim.”
Excellent, Jonty.
“Former Catholic here.
“Where in the Bible is Salvation ever mentioned as “communal”.
“I will wait very patiently for that response.”
- - - - -
I hope you are not holding your breath, Sister. I’ve never once even heard of such a thing. Is it taught to Catholics?
AMEN to your exceptionally good post, MM.
Well if I held my breath, I’d be dead by now as you can see.
The silence is deafening and I figured that poster would never respond because there’s no such thing.
Catholics do believe heavily in “collective” salvation.
It’s heresy FWIW.
Actually, while much can be said about the current state of the evangelical church (and of my need for greater Christ-likeness), yet what is certain is that distinctive Catholic teachings are not manifest in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture, in particular Acts through Revelation, which best shows how the NT church understood the gospels).
The only one true church is the mystical body of Christ which the Spirit baptizes one into (1 Co. 12:13) upon regeneration by heart-purifying faith, (Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9) and to which Christ is married, (Ephesians 5:30-32) for it alone only and always consists only of true believers, while the organic fellowships which believers are normally part of end up being admixtures of wheat and chaff, though that is not an excuse for separating from a church which preaches the evangelical gospel that Peter and Paul did.
The redeemed are those who come to God as sinners knowing their desperate need of salvation - not as souls saved by their works or religious heritage, but as destitute of any means or merit whereby they may find salvation - and with a humble and penitent heart (that at least implicitly wants a new life following Christ) believe on the crucified and risen Lord Jesus who alone can save them on His account, by His sinless shed blood and righteousness. (Romans 3:9 - 5:1)
And who are thus baptized to follow the Lord Jesus with persevering faith. And who thus are baptized and follow Him (John 10:27-29; Acts 8:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10) - and effectually repent when they find that they failed to do so. (Psalms 32:5, 6; 51:3; Hosea 5:15; 1 John 1:9) For penitent, heart-purifying, regenerating effectual faith, (Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9) is that which is imputed for righteousness, (Romans 4:5) and is shown in baptism and following the Lord, (Acts 2:38-47; Jn. 10:27, 28) and by which faith the believer is completely forgiven and "accepted in the Beloved" and positionally seated with Him in Heaven. Ephesians 1:6; 2:6; cf. Phil. 3:21)
And wherever Scripture clearly speak of the next conscious reality for those who die in that effectual faith then it is with the Lord, at death or His return (whatever comes first), by the grace of God. (Lk. 23:43 [cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7]; Phil 1:23; 2Cor. 5:8 [“we”]; 1Cor. 15:51ff'; 1Thess. 4:17) Thanks be to God.
Actually, Catholicism exists in sects and schism, as evidenced even on this thread, while Protestantism is not a monolithic faith and under the vast umbrella called Protestantism then perhaps only about half actually believe in the Bible, and with the most liberal usually being those closest to Rome. But the fact also is that thus those who most strongly esteem Scripture as the accurate and wholly God-inspired supreme authority have long testified to being far more unified in basic conservative beliefs than those who Rome manifestly considers members in life and in death. . Which includes proabortion, prosodomy public figures, whom you must thus own as brethren unless you also become part of a sect or schismatic group. Yet you would have conservative evangelicals become part of your unholy unscriptural amalgamation.
There’s something ironic when the RCC talks about “acts of love”.
Exactly! Like a Priest who holds his altar boy closely by the hand and walks him to his private chambers.
When in doubt, do the exact opposite of whatever the RCC “authorities” ever say.
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.