Just because someone was baptized, made a faith profession, walked an isle or attends church every Sunday and Wed. does not mean they are saved. It means in many cases the Catholic church .
Personally I would rather see them go and take their false doctrine (in the case of preachers) than to have them stay and poison the flock.
Were they legitimate scholars ??? Well scripture says the natural man can not understand scripture.. so if they are unsaved they may know a lot of scripture, but be unable to rightly divide it. So they may have a kind of self made scholarship ...but not genuine scholarship .
Just because i sleep in the garage, go beep beep and have an auto manual does not make me a car.. :)
That is a very revealing statement. Thank you.
But one question? If somebody abandons your (Presbyterian?) confession to join the Catholic Church, do you write them off immediately or do you pray for them?