Wrong. Receiving the love of God is the key, and that love is so inextricably intertwined with His Word as found in the Holy Scriptures that they are inseparable. A person's word is so intertwined with who they are that you cannot accept the one without accepting the other.
If you have His Word as found in the Scriptures in your heart, then you have received His love. But if you reject His Word, then you have rejected His love -- and that is what matters.
And I presume that you have read the first chapter of 1 Corinthians:
And I presume that you read all the way through chapter 13 which says:
"Love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." [I Corinthians 13:6]
A Christian's love rejoices in the truth. What does your love rejoice in????
***Receiving the love of God is the key***
Interesting. I find myself in agreement with you here.
You'd best be careful there, Chip. Scripture is certainly vitally important. But it is possible to become so focused on Scripture, that you forget what Scripture says is important: loving God and your neighbor.
As Jesus put it, You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)
This passage (and the context within which it is found) point out the danger of your position. Jesus is not Scripture. Scripture is not Jesus. Scripture helps us come to Jesus -- but it does not give us life. To have life, we must love God, and thus be known by God. We are to love one another as He loved us. That's the important stuff.
You're basically using selected Scriptural passages as a bludgeon to to tear down other Christians. And in so doing you seem to have lost the point of what Jesus taught, in very much the same way that the Pharisees did.
As it happens, there are a number of elements of Catholic doctrine with which I disagree. I'm not a Catholic. But it just so happens that we agree on the really important stuff: salvation through Jesus Christ, faith in God, loving our neighbors as ourselves, belief that the Scriptures are the word of God -- and so everything else is distinctly secondary.
The Catholics on this thread recognize this, too. Unfortunately, you and your friends are so focused on the cosmetic differences, that you seem to have missed the fact that you, too, agree with them on the important stuff.
By focusing on the differences, and by being remarkably unpleasant about it, your clique ends up doing a great deal of damage to the Body of Christ. You need to wise up, and get over yourselves.
Can God justify a person in His sight when that person is NOT actually righteous? There are two, and ONLY two schools of thought in the Christian world.
And, there is Sola Fide, by faith alone that a man is justified. This is the view of Luther and the Reformers. Justification is forensic. We are declared righteous through the imputation of the "alien" righteousness of Christ to us.
I am in Christ Jesus who became for me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and REDEMPTION.
I have coram deo (righteousness before God). God justifies the ungodly.
I have coram hominibus (righteousness before man). This is by works of faith. As James said, "I'll show you my faith...."
It is faith alone which saves, but this faith is never alone. Faith without works is dead.
Rome is wrong. Let her repent of her vain attempts to become righteous and her blasphemies against Christ. Let her discard her filthy rags and embrace the righteousness from God. Let her take up the message of outreach: God sees men righteous solely because of the blood of Christ. Simul Iustus et Peccator. Your contribution to your salvation: your sin. God's contribution to your salvation: the grace of God which was shed. God justifies the ungodly. This is the message of salvation. This is the message of the Reformers.
Let Rome repent and her sisters with her. Let her take up the battle cries of the Reformation and be reformed by the Word of God....
Sola Scriptura
Sola Gratia
Sola Fide
Solo Christo
Soli Deo Gloria
"Love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." [I Corinthians 13:6]
A Christian's love rejoices in the truth.
Amen. Well said!