God Bless You, my FReeper brother in Christ. The fire in the Spirit that glows from those that come into the church through RCIA is truly an inspiration for me. You are so right that it is not easy being a good Catholic, especially if we take the words of Christ to heart. When I read Matthew 25, I ask myself if, when the Son of Man comes into his glory, will I have brought extra oil for my lamps, will I bring as many talents as I have been given, will the king welcome me into the kingdom, for I ministered to the needs of the least of my brothers? I struggle with these questions every day.
Peace
That's a real shame...Because as this post suggests, make sure you study the Gospels but never any hint to go beyond that...Bondage...Bondage to do good but never knowing if you will have been good enough...
If you don't study further than the Gospels, then how are you to know that
Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
this applied to the earliest church and not the modern church??? The church started going thru a transition...This is where the Catholic religion stops teaching...And while you guys are taught to stick with the Gospels only, with the baptism of John, the modern church is yet to be revealed to you guys...
Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
While you guys are trying to do good, you WILL fail because NO ONE can be doers of the law, completely...
And yes, all those good works you do are part of the 'law' if you do them for what you perceive is merit, or salvation regardless of what your religion may tell you...
So while you are trying to be as good as you can to please God for your salvation, along comes Paul with the 'latest' shocker directly from Jesus Christ...
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Everything that we do, or don't that is done to gain salvation puts us under the law...
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
No more need to struggle with whether you've been good enough...Why, because the righteousness is not yours...It is not of you, any longer...
Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
Good works...The law of Moses...The law which the new Christians of the Gospels were still under...
Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Rom 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Here is the new commission for the modern church...
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
ONLY believe on Jesus Christ...The good works will follow because of your belief, not as deeds to gain salvation which will lead people to hell...
Read the book of John...The entire book...And when you go thru Acts, you will see the transition from Christians living under the law to Christians living under grace and faith...Then, don't stop...Continue on into Romans and beyond...