Jesus said seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
Does God ignore the sincere desire to know Him and Love Him?
It is one thing to know and reject. It is another to honestly follow what one believes is the truth.
Jesus told us he would send the Spirit of truth to guide us. The Church of the Magisterium tells it's followers that Scripture is to hard for individuals to understand and they must depend on what the Church Fathers have decided it means.
As I stated before, we have free will. God can only suggest how we find truth. We have to decide who we listen to.
I don’t believe that God would allow so many of the latter to be lost to Him. I am sure He grieves at every lost soul. He can only keep trying to show us the right way desiring all will use their free will to chose salvation, not through a Church, but through His Son. BVB
Bob, I have to say, few of these posts upset me as your few have done. After getting off the computer, I couldn’t stop thinking about the things you said. I honestly mulled it over for hours wondering “Could it be true that God would allow so many to perish?”
I agree with you that we have free will. I agree that God does allow Satan to work in this world. So far, so good, right?
Now, you may be thinking that I was worried that maybe I have chosen the wrong path. Maybe, your post made me think that the Catholic Church is under the spell of Satan and not the under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Maybe, the peace I feel is really the work of the one who wishes me harm and not the One who wants me to be with Him forever.
No, it bothered me because, I truly believe that God meant what He said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life.”
You say that God is grieves for the souls lost and I agree.
But, when Jesus spoke the words regarding the eating of His flesh and the drinking of His blood, He does not rush to stop those who left, or to reassure those who remained. No, He acknowledges that the words are hard to hear, He asks them if they too will leave because of that. No, Peter instead says quite confidently, “To whom would we go? You have the words of everlasting life.”
Remember, this is before Jesus goes on to speak of the spirit and the flesh.
When Peter makes that statement he accepts what Jesus says, because he TRUSTS Jesus and believes that Jesus is the Messiah.
So, why was I bothered?
Because, of the ones who REJECTED Jesus after hearing His words. And, I realized that you are right. God did allow them to hear the truth and reject it. And that makes me sad.
Well, the theme that the Church believes that Scripture is just too hard for us to understand is one that has certainly gained a strong foothold in Protestant sects.
Even more embraced is the meme that the Church has sinister motives in hiding Scripture out of fear that Catholics will bolt upon learning the “truth”.
I imagine both offer reassurance to the Protestant. After all, they have the freedom to read the Word and believe on it whatever they want. They have no binding doctrine, no rituals, no legalese under which to be oppressed.
Why then do they gather and listen to a preacher speak about the Bible? What need have they to listen to what anyone says about the Bible? Aren’t they already guided by the Holy Spirit? They call this worship, yet they are listening to a man give his interpretation. They are not letting the Holy Spirit lead them, but are trusting the sermon of a man, trusting that the Holy Spirit is guiding him. And, if they are doing that, aren’t they then admitting that their own reading and interpreting is not enough?
And should that man say something with which they disagree, they just move on to a different man, a different interpretation, a different congregation; one that sits well with what they already know.
They may remain, but they will reject what the man said regarding that particular teaching. The music is so good, the fellowship so profound and gee, the programs for the kids are so lively and fun.
So, who do they trust? The preacher? Themselves? How do they know when they have heard a wrong interpretation? And, if they have heard the preacher say something wrong once, how do they continue to listen to him without constant vigilance when listening? How is that worship of God if one must be ever on guard while at the service?
The Catholic Church asks us to read the Bible with a Catholic heart and mind. That is not the same as hiding it or restricting it. The Bible is a Catholic book, it is God’s gift to us given through the Catholic Church, just as the Sacraments are gifts of grace given to us through His church.
Growing up I learned all about how to be a Catholic. But, I was drawn away by others who tickled my ears with their own interpretations of the Bible. I was unprepared for the falsehoods I heard and rather than turn to the Church out of trust, I turned away out of fear.
Eventually I trusted no church, no one in regards to faith and completely rejected all of them. Over the years I have watched unfold within the Christian community more and more deviation from the Word. Abortion, gay marriage both supported, not because the Word of God supports them, but because the people in the pews, who give their money supported them. Otherwise, the Holy Spirit had to have totally contradicted what is written and there was the problem.
The Bible is inerrant, isn’t it? And it says what it says pretty clearly, right? Then how can such deviation be justified?
I have gone at length here to explain my own approach and how I came to trust the Church and how I came to read Scripture with a heart and mind that doesn’t have to be ever vigilant, afraid of being misled. And when I go to Mass, my heart and mind are fully focused on worshiping God and preparing to meet Him in the Eucharist.
Jesus said, “Peace be with you, my peace I give you.”
How sweet it is:)
LOL, I know I have been quite the busy bee this morning, but as I said, your post really sparked a lot of thought for me and I cannot help myself. I have to address what I find wrong with your analysis.
You say that we have free will and that God only suggests how we find truth.
Wow, I totally reject that.
We have free will to choose God in Jesus or reject Him.
We have free will to choose to live as a Christian believer or to sin with impunity.
But, to say that God, once we have made the choice for Him, allows us to then be led to the slaughter is basically saying we cannot trust Him.
New International Version (©1984)
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
New Living Translation (©2007)
For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
English Standard Version (©2001)
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
International Standard Version (©2008)
This is my Father’s will: That everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day.”
GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
My Father wants all those who see the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. He wants me to bring them back to life on the last day.”
King James Bible
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
American King James Version
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
American Standard Version
For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Bible in Basic English
This, I say, is my Father’s pleasure, that everyone who sees the Son and has faith in him may have eternal life: and I will take him up on the last day.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And this is the will of my Father that sent me: that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in him, may have life everlasting, and I will raise him up in the last day.
Darby Bible Translation
For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son, and believes on him, should have life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day.
English Revised Version
For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Webster’s Bible Translation
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Weymouth New Testament
For this is my Father’s will, that every one who fixes his gaze on the Son of God and believes in Him should have the Life of the Ages, and I will raise him to life on the last day.”
World English Bible
This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Young’s Literal Translation
and this is the will of Him who sent me, that every one who is beholding the Son, and is believing in him, may have life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day.’