"What Still Keeps Us Apart" by Michael Horton (or Rome Anathematized Itself at Trent - my title)

http://www.the-highway.com/Horton_cath.html ^ | unknown | Michael Horton

[fishtank]

... We must remember that it is not we who anathematized Rome, but Rome that anathematized the gospel and thereby anathematized itself. The issue is not even really the condemnation of Protestants (those wounds are easy to heal) but the anathema against the gospel. The evangelicals who remain authentic witnesses to the gospel of grace alone through faith alone, therefore, are carrying on the Catholic faith. Just prior to the Council of Trent, there were many—including cardinals—who accepted the material principle (that is, the gospel) as the Reformation restated it. In fact, there was still much hope on both sides that a unity could be achieved. But when the Council of Trent repeatedly declared that those who believed that their only hope for salvation was faith in Christ now fell under the church's ban, Rome became a schismatic body. ...

This is an excerpt.

Entire article at the link.

[dartuser]

The very passages you cite incompletely instruct us in the necessity of good works for our salvation

Hard to say a passage is incomplete teaching when it clearly says "by grace you are saved ... not of yourself ... not by deeds done by us ... "

I will have to leave you with this ...

The difference between what you espouse to be Christianity (the teachings of the RCC) and what I espouse (the Bible) is that works means something totally different for each of us.

Since you believe your works are required to secure your eternal life ... your works are of necessity borne out of a selfish motive. Even when you believe your motives are altruistic they are performed in selfishness, since you must do them to attain eternal life.

Biblical Christianity releases you from the burden of selfish works. A saved believer knows that his works (both past, present, and future) have contributed nothing to his salvation. So his motive for doing them is in response to the salvation he already has. Since the works are performed in gratitude, they are not selfish ... but rather ... selfless. Only by possessing eternal life in the here and now can a believers' works be truly selfless. If your works are necessary for your salvation, by definition they are not selfless.

My sincere prayer is that Christ will open your eyes to the truth, that you will repent of your false doctrine and place your full faith and trust in Him alone, and make Him Lord of your life. Until you do that ... you have no part in Him ... and you will never have true peace ... because you will never know if you have ever done enough.

2 Cor. 5:17
Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

Regards

[annalex]

Hard to say a passage is incomplete teaching when it clearly says "by grace you are saved ... not of yourself ... not by deeds done by us ... "

With that part we all agree. Grace, by which alone you are saved is not a product of any kind of works.

Read the Gospel every now and then and drop Protestantism (or whatever it is you got). It is a silly attempt to amputate about half of the gospel in order to enable self-made preachers to ensnare and scatter the Christian flock. "the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flieth: and the wolf catcheth, and scattereth the sheep" (John 10:12)

[wintertime]

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