The word of God clearly states that the act of grace forgives our PAST sins, and writes the law on our hearts, thereby opening us up to our salvation at the last trump. (If we endure to the end)
That is the essence of the NT message; what else can there be?
We do not have the needed capacity to love others as our selves without the writing of Torah on our hearts. It is a gift from God.
Did the disciples love each other?
No, they strived to be the greatest, and constantly had to be admonished that all are equal. They got that needed change when the Holy Spirit was sent to them. That is when what they had studied and tried to live by all their lives suddenly became their nature.
.
“The word of God clearly states that the act of grace forgives our PAST sins”
Where does the Bible “clearly” say such a thing? You provided no Scriptural references.
And are you suggesting Christians have a bifurcated salvation wherein “an act of grace forgives our past sins” ONLY and we must work for the forgiveness we need for future sins, much as the Hebrews had to continually offer sacrifices?
If that is what you believe and are calling the “essence of the NT message” we don’t agree AT ALL.
I usually like to read Msgr. Pope’s writings, but the train has derailed here:
1) The Roman church was NOT the final authority on Canon. It was already recognized by the 4th Century. They just agreed with what was already known to believers. Besides, the Roman church of the 4th century is not anything like the Medieval institution you see today; it was still a body with fidelity to the Scriptures.
2) Protestants do not deny that there is God-given authority in the Church. Indeed, He has appointed certain men to lead, and we are to honor their leading. But, Scripture is very clear that we are to never abandon its teachings for the sake of following after any man. Paul declared an anathema on anyone, even angels, who preached a different Gospel than the Gospel of Jesus as given to him and the apostles.
3) Regarding the Roman church’s authoritative interpretation of Scripture—can someone point me to an official Roman Catholic guide to the Scriptures that goes verse-by-verse? No, because there is no such thing. It would easy enough to produce, but the idea that the Magesterium has it all tied together is nonsense. They change their interpretations, too. Reference the abominable, evil Council of Trent and its heretical anathemas against the Protestants and compare it to Vatican II which acknowledges the Christian faith of Protestants. Which one of those is the “REAL” interpretation?
4) Msgr. Pope repeated the old tens of thousands of Protestant denominations lie, and I am ashamed that he would do so. There are actually less than 100 Protestant faith groups in the entire world if you look at their beliefs as a whole.
5) The Roman Catholic Church is hardly the institution of solidarity that it claims to be. There are many sects within that Church, and if you look at the various orders and groupings around the planet, every perspective can be seen. The official statement is that it is one unified body, but reality shows us that underneath that veneer, the Pope sits on top of a huge, boiling tea kettle.
6) Even IF I were to acknowledge that the Roman Catholic Church was established by Peter, which I don’t believe at all, then the fact that it has changed the Gospel and directly contradicted Scripture demonstrates it has abdicated its position.
7)There are things about the Roman Catholic Church that I admire, believe it or not, such as the emphasis on solemn worship within the Mass. I don’t agree with confession as necessary for forgiveness of sins, but I do think that we should all be much more mindful of confessing sins to each other as the Scriptures command. But, I cannot, in good faith or conscience, submit myself based on a clear understanding of Scripture to many things that are objectionable or even heretical. If I am wrong, I pray for God’s mercy upon me in my ignorance, but I don’t think I am wrong.