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First in 500 years: The Pope enters Westminster Hall during the historic occasion Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313115/ROBERT-HARDMAN-On-spot-Thomas-More-condemned-stirring-defence-faith.html#ixzz0zt9SxTGo

"Sir Thomas More (pronounced /ˈmɔr/; February 7, 1478[1] – July 6, 1535), also Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, and statesman. He is also recognised as a saint within the Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion[2]. During his life he gained a reputation as a leading Renaissance humanist, an opponent of the Protestant Reformation, of Martin Luther and of William Tyndale. For three years toward the end of his life he was Lord Chancellor." ... I can understand why a humanist would be opposed to Luther ... "Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge[2] and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.[3] Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther THANK GOD FOR LUTHER! Justification by Faith In the 1500s a fastidious monk, who by his own testimony "hated God," was studying Paul's epistle to the Romans. He couldn't get past the first half of Romans 1:17: "[In the gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith" (KJV). One simple, biblical truth changed that monk's life--and ignited the Protestant Reformation. It was the realization that God's righteousness could become the sinner's righteousness--and that could happen through the means of faith alone. Martin Luther found the truth in the same verse he had stumbled over, Romans 1:17: "Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith" (KJV, emphasis added). Luther had always seen "the righteousness of God" as an attribute of the sovereign Lord by which He judged sinners--not an attribute sinners could ever possess. He described the breakthrough that put an end to the theological dark ages: I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that "the just shall live by his faith." Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the "justice of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven. Justification by faith was the great truth that dawned on Luther and dramatically altered the church. Because Christians are justified by faith alone, their standing before God is not in any way related to personal merit. Good works and practical holiness do not provide the grounds for acceptance with God. God receives as righteous those who believe, not because of any good thing He sees in them--not even because of His own sanctifying work in their lives--but solely on the basis of Christ's righteousness, which is reckoned to their account. "To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (Romans 4:5). That is justification. ... The Council of Trent, Rome's response to the Reformation, pronounced anathema on anyone who says "that the [sinner] is justified by faith alone--if this means that nothing else is required by way of cooperation in the acquisition of the grace of justification." The Catholic council ruled "Justification ... is not remission of sins merely, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man, through the voluntary reception of the grace, and of the gifts, whereby man of unjust becomes just." So Catholic theology confuses the concepts of justification and sanctification and substitutes the righteousness of the believer for the righteousness of Christ. ... Therefore, because of justification, believers not only are perfectly free from any charge of guilt (Romans 8:33) but also have the full merit of Christ reckoned to their personal account (Romans 5:17). Here are the forensic realities that flow out of justification: We are adopted as sons and daughters (Romans 8:15) We become fellow-heirs with Christ (v. 17) We are united with Christ so that we become one with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17) We are henceforth "in Christ" (Galatians 3:27) and He in us (Colossians 1:27) http://www.gty.org/Resources/Print/articles/22 Now Christians take that for granted. We are justified through faith; not works. Good works will follow when justified by faith with the help of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

"Sir Thomas More (pronounced /ˈmɔr/; February 7, 1478[1] – July 6, 1535), also Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, and statesman. He is also recognised as a saint within the Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion[2]. During his life he gained a reputation as a leading Renaissance humanist, an opponent of the Protestant Reformation, of Martin Luther and of William Tyndale. For three years toward the end of his life he was Lord Chancellor." ...

I can understand why a humanist would be opposed to Luther ...

"Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge[2] and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.[3] Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

THANK GOD FOR LUTHER!

Justification by Faith In the 1500s a fastidious monk, who by his own testimony "hated God," was studying Paul's epistle to the Romans. He couldn't get past the first half of Romans 1:17: "[In the gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith" (KJV).

One simple, biblical truth changed that monk's life--and ignited the Protestant Reformation. It was the realization that God's righteousness could become the sinner's righteousness--and that could happen through the means of faith alone.

Martin Luther found the truth in the same verse he had stumbled over, Romans 1:17:

"Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith" (KJV, emphasis added).

Luther had always seen "the righteousness of God" as an attribute of the sovereign Lord by which He judged sinners--not an attribute sinners could ever possess. He described the breakthrough that put an end to the theological dark ages:

I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that "the just shall live by his faith."

Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.

The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the "justice of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.

Justification by faith was the great truth that dawned on Luther and dramatically altered the church. Because Christians are justified by faith alone, their standing before God is not in any way related to personal merit. Good works and practical holiness do not provide the grounds for acceptance with God. God receives as righteous those who believe, not because of any good thing He sees in them--not even because of His own sanctifying work in their lives--but solely on the basis of Christ's righteousness, which is reckoned to their account.

"To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (Romans 4:5).

That is justification. ...

The Council of Trent, Rome's response to the Reformation, pronounced anathema on anyone who says

"that the [sinner] is justified by faith alone--if this means that nothing else is required by way of cooperation in the acquisition of the grace of justification."

The Catholic council ruled "Justification is not remission of sins merely, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man, through the voluntary reception of the grace, and of the gifts, whereby man of unjust becomes just."

So Catholic theology confuses the concepts of justification and sanctification and substitutes the righteousness of the believer for the righteousness of Christ. ...

Therefore, because of justification,
believers not only are perfectly free from any charge of guilt (Romans 8:33)

but also have the full merit of Christ reckoned to their personal account (Romans 5:17).

Here are the forensic realities that flow out of justification:

We are adopted as sons and daughters (Romans 8:15)

We become fellow-heirs with Christ (v. 17)

We are united with Christ so that we become one with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17)

We are henceforth "in Christ" (Galatians 3:27)

and He in us (Colossians 1:27)

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Print/articles/22

Now Christians take that for granted. We are justified through faith; not works. Good works will follow when justified by faith with the help of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Breaking off Twitter news NYER Pope DID meet with the Victims despite what CNN internatinoal say

SkyNewsBreak The Pope has met five victims of child abuse perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church after apologising for the scandal during Mass.