Posted on 04/13/2013 2:54:16 PM PDT by NYer
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic faith is not centered simply on a book -- the Bible -- but on Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, Pope Francis said.
"The sacred Scriptures are a written testimony to the divine Word," which came before the Bible and exceeds it, the pope said April 12 during a meeting with members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, an international body of scholars that advises the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Commission members met at the Vatican April 9-12 to conclude work on a document about inspiration and truth in the Bible, which is likely to be published in the coming months.
Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the doctrinal congregation and president of the commission, told the pope the aim was to help people interpret the Scriptures "in accordance with the nature" of the Bible itself. The focus on "inspiration," he said, was an attempt to explain the divine origin of the Bible and the focus on "truth" was an attempt to describe what the Bible says "about God and his plan for salvation."
The archbishop said the commission recognized that when the church describes the Scriptures as being divinely inspired and true certain "challenges come from the Bible itself," including when passages seem to contradict scientific or historical evidence.
Another challenge, he said, is posed by "the violence in some passages" that seems to contradict basic Christian teaching and even phrases the Bible attributes directly to Jesus.
The point of the document, he said, is to help Catholics "overcome both fundamentalism and skepticism."
Pope Francis said the themes of biblical inspiration and truth are important not only for individual believers, "but for the whole church because its life and mission are based on the Word of God, who animates theology and inspires all of Christian existence."
Interpreting the Bible in an honest and authentic way means respecting its nature and recognizing its purpose, the pope said.
"The texts inspired by God were entrusted to the community of believers, the church of Christ, to increase the faith and guide the life of charity," he said. It is only with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and with full respect for the tradition and teaching of the church that the Scriptures' true meaning can be understood.
“The Word of God is of utmost importance.”
Which is why it’s important to get it right, is it not?
No, he says those who love him will follow ALL of his commandments AND learn his ways.
Don’t JUST look at those 10 commandments.. when you read the word, you will see something like this: THIS I command you- obey my voice..
Look up all of His commandments and learn His ways, you will find yourself in the word (the Bible- the Torrah) and learning about God’s will for us.
It is so many hundreds of layers deeper than just the 10 commandments.
Go read it you will be so happy you did.
“his delight is in Yahweh’s law.”
Again, this doesn’t say, ‘read the bible, you’ll be saved. It says, just as Jesus taught - obey the commandments.
“Don’t JUST look at those 10 commandments.”
So you are saying that salvation is a start not an end? That I should continue reading on to be made perfect so that I can do good works?
Seriously?
Ok- here is ONE: You have to look it up yourself too.. Mark 8:38
Why are you so hesitant to read the Bible for yourself?
That is sort of weird to me.
Again, Jesus says, in a passage you like to quote but not read...
Luke 11:28
“Blessed is he who hears the word of God, and obeys it”.
Who is speaking the word of God? His priests? The Apostles, the disciples?
“Why are you so hesitant to read the Bible for yourself?”
Why are you so insistant to insert something into the bible that isn’t there?
Show me. Where does the bible say, “read the bible for yourseelf and you will be saved.”
It says no such thing.
If you want to take the chance that there is no need to read the word of God, and would rather invent things to argue with people about, and argue against the word of God, there is nothing I can do to help you.
Best wishes to you.
He’s not.
He's not .... infallible? I presume that is the reference - "infallibility". Again, I would appreciate your understanding of papal infallibility.
This is such a cultish remark, it is almost blasphemous. First of all, Mary is not the Mother of God. This is a nonsensical statement. Mother's predate their progeny. Mary would have to predate God to be His mother.
Clearly, Mary bore the human body which Jesus took on, but Jesus predated His human body by INFINITY. He likely had made several appearances on earth prior to his "incarnation" as a man. Thus, Mary had an honored place to bear that body, but Jesus did not come into existence at that birth. If this is the Christology of Rome, it is more screwed up than we thought. Please, go ask someone who speaks for Rome...do they actually believe God came into existence after His Mother?
In no way does returning Mary to her normal, human state (a sinner, like all of us, but with a certain job just as Isaiah, or Moses, or Sarah) diminish the incarnation. Once again, a twisted view of the Scriptures.
“First of all, Mary is not the Mother of God.”
Yes, she is. She is the Theotokos.
“Mother’s predate their progeny. Mary would have to predate God to be His mother.”
Mothers bear their children. Jesus is the Son of Mary, just as you are the son of your mother. He was born of Mary. Jesus is God. Ergo, Mary is the mother of God.
“Clearly, Mary bore the human body which Jesus took on”
And, like I said. Your Christology is flawed. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is the son of Mary just as you are the son of your mother. There is no distinction between Jesus and his human body - his body is Jesus’s body.
What you are saying - is that God only has one nature - a divine nature. That he simply ‘puts on the appearance’ of a body. This is heresy.
“This heresy is the view that Jesus was in nature divine, eliminating his humanity. The name Docetism (Greek, dokein = “to seem”) indicated the distinctive thesis of it that Christ’s man hood, hence his sufferings, were unreal, phantasmal, appearing only to be human. It claimed that Christ only appeared or seemed to be a man. This view clearly shows the Graeco-Oriental assumption the divine impassability and the inherent evil nature of matter. The first to mention expressly “Docetists” is Serapion of Antioch (c. 200 A.D.). It was not a simple heresy on its own, but was an attitude which infected a number of heresies, particularly Marcionism and Gnosticism. This is seen in the remark of Justin Martyr, “There are some who declare that Jesus Christ did not come in flesh but only as a spirit, and exhibited an appearance (phantasian) of flesh.” Some Docetists even claimed that someone else was crucified in the place of Christ. Polycarp anathematized those who refused to “confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh” (Compare I John 4:13).”
You deny the incarnation.
“do they actually believe God came into existence after His Mother?”
No. We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, and that Mary was his mother just as you are the son of your mother. Ergo, Mary was the Mother of God - the Theotokos.
“In no way does returning Mary to her normal, human state (a sinner, like all of us, but with a certain job just as Isaiah, or Moses, or Sarah) diminish the incarnation”
Yes, it does. As you just said here. You’re a heretic and deny the incarnation.
I most certainly do believe this. Because we, as believers, are told to “PREACH THE WORD; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and DOCTRINE.” 2 Tim. 4:2. In order to PREACH THE WORD, we have to “STUDY to shew thyself APPROVED unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the WORD OF TRUTH.” 2 Tim 2:15.
Actually, I got that wrong. You’re a Nestorian.
This heresy was the view of the Nestorians, who were followers of Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople (A.D. 428). He objected to the use of the term “Theotokos”, God-bearer, to refer to Mary as implying that the baby in Mary’s womb had only one nature, divine nature. He proposed the use of the term “Christokos”, Christ-bearer, to better emphasize the unity of the two natures of Jesus. Nestorius published these views in his Easter letter of A.D. 429. Cyril of Alexandria objected arguing that it was essential to maintain that God Himself had entered the womb of Mary; therefore she was “Theotokos” without qualification. Both men appealed to Rome. In A.D. 430 at a council held in Rome, Nestorius was condemned and deposed. He appealed to the emperor Theodosius II, who had appointed him patriarch, and the Synod of Ephesus was held in A.D. 431, which ultimately condemned, deposed and banished him to upper Egypt.
“I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
Paul gives this charge to Timothy. Not the laity.
2 Tim 2:14
“Keep reminding God’s people of these things.”
Again - Paul is talking to Timothy and giving him instructions for how to govern his flock.
We are all, as the Body of Christ, ambassadors for Christ. And we ALL have a mission and calling from God to give the gospel of the grace of God. Read 2 Cor. 5:14-21. You don’t believe that you can stand by silently while deceit and lies are preached, do you? Because you’re just “laity”? Do you think you can defend your silence before God because it wasn’t your job to preach the word? That’s not a very good workman that needeth not to be ashamed, if that’s what you believe.
Amen. It is true.
You say priesthood of all believers, and I am saying, scripture does not teach this.
Yes, I agree we have an obligation to share the Gospel. However, that doesn’t obviate the fact that there are those who’s job is to correct and to instruct the body of the faithful.
To understand the Bible you must have a new nature; hence, “you must be born-again.”
It is EVERY man’s job to STUDY THE WORD OF TRUTH, rightly divided. I’m not going to have a minister standing beside me when I’m at the judgement seat of Christ, explaining to Christ what he taught me. It is MY responsibility to search the Scriptures daily, as the Bereans did, and it is MY responsibility to be an effective workman for Christ, as His ambassador. Believe it or not, the Holy Spirit HAS given you the ability to read, understand, and learn GOd’s Word to YOU. IF you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, that is.
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