Posted on 11/01/2014 11:34:33 AM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
It’s November 1, the day Brittany Maynard vowed to kill herself. The 29-year-old California woman says she no longer finds life worth living after being diagnosed this past spring with stage 4 glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor.
Brittany has become the poster girl for “Compassion & Choices, ” a so-called “end-of-life choice” advocacy organization that is fighting to increase the number of stateS with so-called “Death With Dignity” laws on the books.
The model is Oregon, the state to which Brittany relocated this past summer because her home state of California doesn’t allow physician-assisted suicide (at least for now).
Oregon is one of five states – along with Montana, Washington, New Mexico and Vermont – that allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients like Brittany, diagnosed with terminal illnesses, longing for a premature death.
And Compassion & Choices has campaigns underway underway in four other states to legalize euthanasia – Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts and, of course, California (so terminally ill residents like Brittany don’t have to go all the way to Oregon to kill themselves).
If the pro-euthanasia movement succeeds in nearly doubling the number of states with “Death With Dignity” laws, it will only be a matter of time before physician-assisted suicide is routine throughout the county – like physician-assisted abortion.
Indeed, just as Planned Parenthood soft-pedals abortion as “reproductive health care,” Compassion & Choices portrays euthanasia as end-of-life “comfort and control.”
And they are shamelessly exploiting terminally ill Brittany, casting her as the face of the euthanasia movement and even setting up The Brittany Maynard Fund not to benefit her family – she and her recently-wed husband are childless – but to raise money to further Compassion & Choices’ political advocacy.
Well, as a Christ follower who this very year was a pallbearer at his 83-year-old father-in-law’s funeral, who had no moral qualms with the family’s decision not to resuscitate him when he drew his last breath, I have nothing but empathy for those who find themselves in similar situations.
But it’s one thing to allow a natural death, and quite another to actively terminate life, as in the case of euthanasia.
Indeed, God’s precious gift of life is cheapened when we send off the terminally ill, like Brittany, to a hasty death.
If we accept euthanasia today for those diagnosed with six months to live, do we accept it tomorrow for anyone with a terminal illness – cancer, Alzheimer’s, whatever – no matter how far they may be from death’s door?
Is it hard to imagine Compassion & Choices one day begging the question why the “comfort and choice” of euthanasia should be limited strictly to those with terminal illnesses?
What about those of weakened mind or sinew who feel that their quality of life has so deteriorated that death would be welcome?
And why should euthanasia be restricted to adults only? What about the infant suffering from a fatal illness? Why not put the child out of his or her misery?
Because life is sacred, as the Scripture reminds.
“Do you not know,” the Apostle Paul wrote, “that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? You are not our own. You were bought with a price.”
But isn’t it said in 2 James that faith without works is dead?
I take that to mean that we can all believe and repent our sins, but if we don’t do good in our lives, we may not attain salvation. Am I wrong?
I think what Brittany does is between her and God, other wise she would not be able to make the choice, just my opinion as I don`t know.
can there be forgiveness without repentance ?
Am I wrong?
The scriptures tell us
Do not kill
Do not kill with out cause and do not commit murder.
In most case`s we have no problem deciding for ourselves just which law we would be breaking but as for this I have not decided and most likely never will.
She is not throwing herself on a grenade. Those that do know that they probably won’t live, but if they do or don’t others will be saved by their act. That is the ultimate sacrifice (Jesus anybody?).
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/my_top_ten.html
James 2:24
“You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
In addition to their belief in the Bible alone (”sola Scriptura”), most Protestants believe that all one has to do is accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior in order to be justified by God (justification is the process by which man, moved by grace, turns toward God and away from sin, and accepts God’s forgiveness and righteousness). Thus, most Protestants believe that one is justified and saved by His faith in Christ alone (called “sola Fide” or Faith alone). But if this is true, then why does James say that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone?
James says this because we are justified, and ultimately saved, through both our faith and works, and not just faith alone. In fact, the only place in the Bible where the phrase “faith alone” appears is in James 2:24 where it says we are justified by works and NOT by faith alone. So the Bible never teaches anywhere that we are justified, saved, or anything else, by faith alone. While on its face the Catholic position seems obvious, the theology of faith and works in the matter of salvation is actually quite complicated, and has been one of the main sources of division between Catholicism and Protestantism. Hence, a couple of points should be made to address the controversy and clarify Catholic teaching.
First, Catholics ultimately believe that we are saved, not by faith or works, but by Jesus Christ and Him alone. Jesus Christ’s death and Resurrection is the sole source of our justification (being in a right relationship with God) and salvation (sharing in God’s divine life). But as a result of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are now able to receive God’s grace. Grace is God’s own divine life which He infuses into our souls. It is what Adam initially lost for us, and Christ won back for us. This grace initially causes us to seek God and to believe in Him (the “faith” part). Non-Catholics generally stop here.
But God desires us to respond to His grace by putting our faith into action (the “works” part). This is why Jesus always taught about our salvation in the context of what we actually did during our earthly lives, and not how much faith we had (”whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did to Me.” Matthew 25:40,45). When Jesus teaches about His second coming where He will separate the sheep from the goats, He bases salvation and damnation upon what we actually did (”works”), whether righteous or evil. Matthew 25:31-46. In James 2:14-26, James is similarly instructing us to put our faith into action by performing good works, and not just giving an intellectual assent of faith. James says such “faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:17,26.
So we must do more than accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. Even the demons believe Jesus is Savior, and yet “they tremble.” James 2:19. We must also do good works. Faith is the beginning of a process that leads us toward justification, but faith alone never obtains the grace of justification. Faith and works acting together achieve our justification. Saint Paul says it best when he writes that we need “faith working in love.” Galatians 5:6. We are not justified and saved by faith alone.
Secondly, it is important to distinguish between the “works” James taught about in James 2:24 and the “works of the law” Saint Paul taught about in Rom. 3:20,28; Gal. 2:16,21; 3:2,5,10; and Eph. 2:8-9. Protestants generally confuse James’ “good works” from Paul’s “works of the law” when they attempt to prove that “works” are irrelevant to justification and salvation. The “works of the law” Paul taught about in Ephesians 2:8-9 and elsewhere referred to the Mosaic law and their legal system that made God obligated to reward them for their works. They would thus “boast” about their works by attributing their works to themselves. Cf. Rom. 4:2; Eph. 2:9. Saint Paul taught that, with the coming of Christ, the Mosaic (moral, legal, and ceremonial) law which made God a debtor to us no longer justified a person. Instead, Paul taught that we are now justified and saved by grace (not legal obligation) through faith (not works of law). Eph. 2:5,8. Hence, we no longer “boast” by attributing our works to ourselves. We attribute them to God who gives everything to us freely by His grace.
Therefore, we are no longer required to fulfill the “works of law,” but to fulfill the “law of Christ” Gal. 6:2. This is why Paul writes that the “doers of the law (of Christ)” will be justified. Rom. 2:13. Of course, the “works of the law” Paul wrote about in Rom. 3:20,28; Gal. 2:16,21; 3:2,5,10 and Eph. 2:8-9 have nothing to do with the “good works” James is teaching in James 2:24 or the “law” Paul is teaching about in Rom. 2:13 (because they are part of the same Word of God which can never contradict itself).
In summary, based on the Scriptures, the Church has taught for 2,000 years that we are justified and saved by the grace and mercy of Christ through both faith and works, and not faith alone. We are no longer in a legal system of debt where God owes us (creditor/debtor). We are now in a system of grace where God rewards our works when done with faith in Christ (Father/child). This also means that we must continue to exercise our faith and works to the end of our lives in order to be saved. This is why Jesus told us to “endure to the end” to be saved. Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13. This is also why Saint Paul warned us that we could even lose our salvation if we did not persevere. cf. Romans 11:20-23; 1 Corinthians 9:27. This Catholic belief contradicts the novel Protestant notion of “once saved, always saved.”
Your post #6.....where does the bible suggest this sin cannot be forgiven. Last time I checked Christ died for all sins.
“Regarding the debate about faith and works: It’s like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most important.”
Will she have time to truly repent?
That’s up t the Almighty. I’m not about to speak on his behalf.
~C. S. Lewis
You are correct in a very real sense.
But it is faith that saves us. Works flows out of that faith. Works does nothing.
I see you read patterson’s new book.
If you read James in context you will see works are a confirmation of faith as exhibited by Abraham. Would he have been saved if he hadn't been willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice? Yes he would because God had declared him righteous because Abraham believed God.
you contradict yourself in your post. We're either saved by faith in Christ and Christ alone or we're not. Which is it?
now as Christians are we to produce fruit for the kingdom? Yes we are.
the belief you note in James 2 that the demons have is intellectual knowledge. Do they know who Christ is? You bet. Do they believe He can save/forgive them? Nope. Because they have no faith.
Do you believe Mohammed lived? Of course you do as history records he lived. Does that make you a Muslim? Nope.
can you lose your salvation? Not based on the Bible. Ephesians tells us we are sealed by the Holy Spirit who is given as a pledge of our inheritence. No where does the bible say that pledge is removed from us nor is the Holy Spirit ever removed from us.
if the catholic believes they can lose their salvation, and they do, then they best be living with the priest to beg for his forgiveness on an hourly, if not minute basis.
Christ does not intend for us to live in this state of fear. He loves us so much He has taken our sins and nailed them to the cross....where they remain today.
Is that a serious question and comment? My brain hurts.
Which question?
Ok, but where’s the Biblical distinction here?
She’s not God. That’s the distinction.
They were not taken out of context. The context is provided with the quote.
"Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 7:21
"But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the just judgment of God. Who will render to every man according to his works. To them indeed, who according to patience in good work, seek glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life: But to them that are contentious, and who obey not the truth, but give credit to iniquity, wrath and indignation." Romans 2:5-8
"For we must all be manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil." 2 Corinthians 5:10
"Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers be transformed as the ministers of justice, whose end shall be according to their works." 2 Corinthians 11:15
"You are made void of Christ, you who are justified in the law: you are fallen from grace. For we in spirit, by faith, wait for the hope of justice. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity." Galatians 5:4-6
"For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; Not of works, that no man may glory. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10
"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation. For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to His good will." Philippians 2:12-13
"Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ. For he that doth wrong, shall receive for that which he hath done wrongfully: and there is no respect of persons with God." Colossians 3:24-25
"What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?" James 2:14
"So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself." James 2:17
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" James 2:20
"Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?" James 2:24
"For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead." James 2:26
"And if you invoke as Father Him who, without respect of persons, judgeth according to every one's work: converse in fear during the time of your sojourning here." 1 Peter 1:17
"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in the presence of the throne, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them; and they were judged every one according to their works." Apocalypse 20:12-13
"And account the longsuffering of our Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:15-16
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