Posted on 07/22/2007 7:40:38 PM PDT by xzins
There’s another one that the Pope is Catholic.
At least the current one, anyway.
Seems pretty straight forward to me.
I hope it sets it back 1000 years.
LOLOL!!! So funny.
I agree. It's a watering down of the Gospels to suit what someone wants to psychologically convince themselves they are in the Spirit of God. There is no model of discipline or historical interpretations they can turn to in many cases as well,so they look to themselves as the pillar and foundation of truth.
What you end up with is the gifted intellectual "aka Calvin types",who prey upon the weak in faith and appeal to the undisciplined intellectual who still wants to believe in God only on his own terms.When they disagree amongst themselves,they run off and start another community of believers who agree with them. This viscous cycle never ends.
I wish you a Blessed Day
First we have to have the vote on what "Catholic" means...
I was describing what I think the Catholic position is. I thought you believe that God loves everyone and that all are His children. I respectfully disagree with that since I don't think God loves all as His children. The Bible draws distinctions between God's children and all others. God did not give "the right to become children of God" to all, so all are not His children.
Dear Brother, here is a question for you. If two men have the exact same sins at death...Do you think that Jesus could possibly save one, and send the other to hell?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, I'm sure it is a mathematical certainty that there are plenty of people in Heaven who have sinned much worse than some in hell. Think of the thief on the cross, or David the murderer.
Why would He do this? Just because he has power?
Because Hitler and I are both equally deserving of going to hell:
James 2:10 : For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
No one is judged for hell based on the number or type of sins committed. Just the smallest one a single time is plenty enough. (Even original sin is enough, but that's a separate topic :) Just as the Bible tells us that we are not judged for Heaven based on our resume of works, neither are we judged for going to hell based on our resume of sins. "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". It doesn't say "For all have sinned ENOUGH ..." :) (Now, many believe, and I tend to agree that within hell there are different levels of punishment. So, a Hitler would be in the lowest.)
Do you think "power" is greater or equal to Love?
I'm not really sure how to compare the two in terms of one being "greater". All love is power, but not all power is love.
I do have my own will, but I do not have my own goodness. When I pray for what is good, i.e. what is in accordance with God's will, then it is God's grace working in me, not of myself:
1 Cor 15:10 : But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I , but the grace of God that was with me.
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Do you think God needs our prayer to build up His power?
No, God does not need anything from us .......... EVER. :)
Or do you think we need prayer because we desire to live in His love?
Sure. The God-planted desire to grow in Him leads us to pray to Him. We need prayer to grow.
For my part I strongly support Christian Unity.
I mean by that, “true unity by true Christians.”
"With your lips, O wise Cyril, And through divine inspiration You enlightened your people To the worship of the one Trinity, Undivided in essence, yet divided in Hypostases. Wherefore rejoicing, we celebrate your all-holy memory, Offering you as our intercessor before God.
Are you putting their writings on par with the Scriptures?
Saint Michael the Archangel,defend us in battle.Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -by the Divine Power of God -cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
You can save that for yourself, for God condemns the invoking of angels, prayer to angels or departed saints.
For you:
I pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He bring you to your knees in repenting of the evils of Roman Catholicism.
Amen.
I meant your church. You’re not Unitarian Universalist I don’t believe.
That's a GOOD thing, Old Reggie..
“Are you putting their writings on par with the Scriptures?”
Am I? Its not my place to put the writings of the Fathers anywhere save before my eyes. I will say that I think the Fathers are often far more clear than the scriptures, but that’s a personal opinion. For example, look at this, Homily XX on Ephesians Of +John Chrysostomos:
1 Tim. 2:
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. 3 This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, So Paul instructs us to pray for others.
Yes, Paul was speaking to saints who were living on the earth, and not an instruction to invoke angels or the saints who have departed this space/time continuum. You do understand that don't you?
It is good to intercede for others. Therefore Christians can intercede for others. I trust that this is accepted. How about the saints? Can they pray for us in Heaven?
Because saints in heaven can petition God is not all allowance to practice necromancy which God has forbidden.
Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great A CLOUD OF WITNESSES, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Firstly, Hebrews 12:1 is not separate from Hebrews 11, which is where we find the context of 12:1.
Hebrews 11 expounds on the long list of preceeding witnesses who exhibited faith, of which the "Wherefore" points to those witnesses who are recorded in the Scriptures as great people of faith. It is THEY who are the "cloud of witnesses", who stand as witnesses who went before.
Hebrews 11:
Hebrews 11
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”;[a] for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child[b] when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,[c] embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”[d] 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in[e] Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Now, verse 11, which cannot be separated from chapter 11, lest you miss the context, and thus the meaning.
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
The "Therefore" is pointing to those witnesses of faith who's faith is a constant reminder, surrounding the heart and mind of the Christian to:
"let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Do we come only to God or do we also come to the assembly of Saints in heaven as well?
Wrong question. First answer this, where in Scripture or the writings of the first three centuries of the Church is there any directive to pray to angels or the spirits of departed saints.
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