Posted on 12/02/2024 2:21:56 PM PST by daniel1212
Most Catholics in all seven countries want the church to allow Catholics to use birth control.
In most of the countries surveyed, majorities of Catholics also say the church should allow women to become priests.
Opinion is more divided on whether the church should allow priests to get married.
Views on whether the church should recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples vary among Catholics in the countries surveyed.
Ten years ago, nearly all Catholics surveyed there (98%) expressed a favorable opinion of Francis, compared with 74% today.
Same here. RCs are obsessed with Luther. Us ... not so much.
LDS, Luther Derangement Syndrome.
Kind of like Trump Derangement Syndrome.
They live in the heads of those opposing them 24/7.
I don’t even care what Luther had to say. It doesn’t affect my life at all.
I’m glad for what he did, but its time had come and if Luther didn’t do it, someone else would have.
God was going to get His words into the hands of the people, whether the Catholic church liked it or not.
Read Galatians 3:2 again. The WORKS of the LAW.
Read all of Galatians. Paul is speaking of the Mosaic Law, and specifically of circumcision, not of the universal and eternal moral law.
You were running well; who hindered you from following [the] truth? That enticement does not come from the one who called you. A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. I am confident of you in the Lord that you will not take a different view, and that the one who is troubling you will bear the condemnation, whoever he may be. As for me, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. Would that those who are upsetting you might also castrate themselves! (Gal. 5:7-12)Both Galatians and Romans are addressing the problem of the Judaizers who insisted that the new Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law. He is not saying that we will not be judged by our acts. Thus he immediately follows with:
For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another. (vss. 13-26)Thus he lists a number of sins and says, "Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." He does not add, "unless you have faith." Nor does he say that faith will cover these sins." Note that he is writing to believing Christians, not to pagans. So yes, we can loose our salvation through unrepentant sin. Paul says this explicitly. If you have a problem with this, you have a problem with Paul and you have a problem with the Bible.
Protestants try to broaden Paul's teaching to obedience to the moral law. In doing so they are placing the doctrine of sola fide above Scripture, forcing an interpretation that is not there. So much for the claim of sola Scriptura. You are placing your own man-made tradition above Scripture.
Ah, the assumed trump card when Protestants start loosing an argument. And following the Pharisees, they take a legalistic view of Scripture and salvation. Do really think that our Lord was talking about the word? No, his point was about placing one's faith on a man rather than above God.
Scholars have NOT found any instances in Scripture where the title of FATHER was used.
Oh, really?
Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (1 Cor. 4:15)
See my remarks about Galatians. Paul is clear on this point.
Ignoring all the passages that clearly state that we will be judged by our works, or where Paul states that he is speaking specifically of circumcision is not putting them in context.
Exactly my mindset.
No, he is addressing believing Christians, both Jews and Greeks. Notice: "But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek." This has to be about believing Christians, unless you want to hold that Jews and Greeks there will be glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good without the need for faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul gets to that later in Romans.
Romans 8:1-2 …
Again, the law here is the Mosaic Law and circumcision.
Now if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of God and know his will and are able to discern what is important since you are instructed from the law, and if you are confident that you are a guide for the blind and a light for those in darkness, that you are a trainer of the foolish and teacher of the simple, because in the law you have the formulation of knowledge and truth—then you who teach another, are you failing to teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples? You who boast of the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written, “Because of you the name of God is reviled among the Gentiles.” Circumcision, to be sure, has value if you observe the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Again, if an uncircumcised man keeps the precepts of the law, will he not be considered circumcised? Indeed, those who are physically uncircumcised but carry out the law will pass judgment on you, with your written law and circumcision, who break the law. One is not a Jew outwardly. True circumcision is not outward, in the flesh. Rather, one is a Jew inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not the letter; his praise is not from human beings but from God. (Rom. 2:17-29)Romans is a reply to those Jewish Christians who insisted that the non-Jews had to be circumcised. Paul was not preaching that we no longer had to obey the moral law. Notice that earlier (vs. 16) Paul says that "God will judge people's hidden works through Jesus Christ." This is about believers.
Typical Catholic weaseling to get out of deliberately disobeying a clear, concise, direct, COMMAND of Jesus.
It’s a given when Catholics are confronted with obeying a unequivocally clear direct command of Jesus, they will engage in Olympic grade theological gymnastics to excuse away their direct disobedience to a command of Jesus.
Whatever happened about obeying God?
Suddenly it’s not important when it doesn’t suit you?
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
You’re tilting at windmills.
The Law, and following the works of the Law save no one.
But nobody ever said that not obeying God was an option for believers.
But the motivation is different. We don’t obey out of fear of loss of salvation.
We obey out of a love for God and a desire to please Him and honor Him in our lives, out of gratitude for what He’s already done for us.
Believing in Jesus is more than just having faith in his resurrection. It includes believing in all that he taught, i.e., that we will indeed be judged by our deeds. Do you not believe Jesus?
Indeed! But Catholics do not believe that the Law, i.e., the Mosaic Law, or the works of that Law saves anyone.
But you are still refusing to address that in Galatians Paul clearly says that those who sin will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But if a faithful RC, you are to follow your pastors (see Required Catholic submission), with its living magisterium, which interprets Catholics teaching by word and deed, and not presume you know better than they, which causes divisions by acting like evangelical Christians (as me) are supposed to. Of course, to what extent RCs are allow themselves to be led like a docile flock and follow the Pastors, with this being their one duty, is subject to varying interpretations.
Do YOU? Or do you still address your priests with the title of *Father*?
Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Our works are judged and rewarded or not.
Our salvation is a given.
Catholicism teaches that salvation is the reward. It’s not. Salvation is a free gift apprehended by faith.
Rewards are for the saved person’s faithful service here on earth.
Not of works. Why?
So no on can boast before God.
If you're going to depend on your ability to not sin and to do good works, then you can boast about how great you did, and it robs God of the glory for the work HE is doing in our lives.
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The believe can't even take credit for the good works they do. It's GOD working in and through them to do them.
I have addressed it. I do not think that our Lord was being legalistic about the use of a word, a word that Paul applied to himself.
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Eph. 5:1-5)Yes, salvation is by grace through faith. I do not earn salvation through my works; I receive it as a gift. This is Catholic teaching and we agree on this. But, as Paul points out, continuing in sin blocks us from the kingdom of God. Paul's teaching is here, as it is in Romans and Galatians. You cannot just ignore it because it does not match your man-made tradition of sola fide.
If you're going to depend on your ability to not sin and to do good works, then you can boast about how great you did, and it robs God of the glory for the work HE is doing in our lives.
I do not depend on my ability not to sin, but on God's grace working through me; and when I do sin, on his gracious forgiveness when I repent and turn back to him.
Paul continues in Philippians:
Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (vss. 14-16)Here Paul admits that if the Philippians do not maintain a blameless life, his efforts in preaching the Gospel to them could be in vain, i.e., their salvation could be jeopardized.
The believe can't even take credit for the good works they do. It's GOD working in and through them to do them.
Indeed, I do not take credit for my good works. They are the result of God's grace working through me. But if I were to turn away from God through my sins, it would be my fault.
Do you not see that you are pulling selected verses out of context and applying a meaning to them that is directly opposed to what Paul is preaching. You cannot just ignore what else he says because it does not fit in with the doctrine of sola fide
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