Replies

It isn't our place here to love the world or to comingle with darkness. Christians aren't here to save the world. That is Christ's alone, and the Father has given Him the saved. Of course, we do what we can in our lives that befit a Christian walk, but there is a line.

James 4:4

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1 John 2:15

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

It isn't our place here to love the world or to comingle with darkness. Christians aren't here to save the world.

Yet it seems to be our duty to try to do what we can to make it a more Godly world while we're here, to express our constant praise and sheer gratitude for the blessings that Our Lord has entrusted unto our stewardship and care.

But then, what is the meaning you ascribe to "the world?" Is this "nature," or something else?

Well, if Nature, we must recall that our Lord created it. That is, the Christian vision of Nature is that it is the fruit of God's creative desire. As such Nature expresses a design of love and truth. Moreoever, God bids us to creatively tend to it as His good stewards. There is great beauty in this world because that's the way God made it. To notice this, and work for it, to me is simply one way to express profound thanks to God for the blessings he has showered on us in this life.

This is not exactly what you'd call a dark and gloomy vision of the world. Catholics honor and celebrate the creaturely aspects of life for (among other reasons) the Incarnation of Christ sanctifies the Body as the expression of God's creative and redemptive Will.

It isn’t our place here to love the world or to comingle with darkness. Christians aren’t here to save the world. That is Christ’s alone, and the Father has given Him the saved. Of course, we do what we can in our lives that befit a Christian walk, but there is a line.

James 4:4 - Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1 John 2:15 - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

AMEN!!!

As Alamo-Girl reminds us so often, our job is to ”Love God.”

And how do men show their love to God? By obeying Him and worshiping Him in truth and love.

If that is done, everything else falls into place.

But if we worship something other than the Triune God and swear allegiance to part of the creation instead of the only Creator, we can never be right with God because that skewed trajectory is only taking us ever farther from Him.

Creation is ontologically good because it was created by God for His glory. Because of the Fall Creation has been sickened over by the curse of sin which is experienced by mankind as an ethical derangement where we now see things backwards, mistaking evil for good.

The resurrection power of Jesus Christ removes this spiritual inversion, perversity and self-destruction from those whom God has chosen to acquit of their sins by the sacrifice of Christ. These men and women will, at a time of God's choosing, experience creation as intended, joyfully and good. We sing "Joy to the world...the Lord is come."

The question, distilled through the Reformation, is how do men become acquitted? The RCC gets much of this correct. Its dogma of acquittal by the blood of Christ is correct. Its method of acquittal is heresy. Men are not acquitted of their sins through the mojo of "another Christ." As Luther stated, men are justified by grace through faith given by God to whom He will.

How is God's grace dispensed? Through the priestcraft and mystical rituals, or through the Holy Spirit working directly on the heart of the believer?