Posted on 10/03/2018 7:21:05 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Let us begin with a church history exam question. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) was a figure not to be taken lightly. He was Pope Clement VIII’s personal theologian and one of the most able figures in the Counter-Reformation movement within sixteenth-century Roman Catholicism. On one occasion, he wrote: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is _______ .”
...How would you answer? What is the greatest of all Protestant heresies?
...What he wrote was: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance.”
A moment’s reflection explains why. If justification is not by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone — if faith needs to be completed by works; if Christ’s work is somehow repeated; if grace is not free and sovereign, then something always needs to be done, to be “added” for final justification to be ours. That is exactly the problem. If final justification is dependent on something we have to complete it is not possible to enjoy assurance of salvation. For then, theologically, final justification is contingent and uncertain, and it is impossible for anyone (apart from special revelation, Rome conceded) to be sure of salvation. But if Christ has done everything, if justification is by grace, without contributory works; it is received by faith’s empty hands — then assurance, even “full assurance” is possible for every believer.
(Excerpt) Read more at ligonier.org ...
bergoglio? The homo pope?
Yes, Pope To Not Catch A Predator
>> Without justification we are lost - and we cannot achieve (nor add too) justification. <<
That is true, but justification alone is not enough. Living an abundant, holy life requires obeying the will of God; impossible without being filled (controlled) by the Spirit of God (Eph. 5:15-18).
From then on, Paul was justified, having the righteousness of The Christ imputed to him, in exchange for allowing all his sins to be borne by Jesus and paid for by His Blood shed on the Cross, applied to the True Mercy Seat in Heaven, and accepted by the Mighty God for full remission of sins.
Please - do not try to “add” to the completed work of Jesus on the cross. He “Justified” us before the Father. If we need to add anything to that, then He failed. Indeed, we CANNOT add anything to the completed work of Jesus.
Everyone since Paul has struggled with this: “It really cannot be that simple!”
But it is - the Father has longed to “walk in the cool of the evening with His man”, and now Jesus has made this possible.
Once we realized - appreciate - accepted that we are truly Justified, then everything else - everything else - falls into place.
Neither the Father nor the Son can see our sin - the Holy Spirit resides in us to convict us of sin and to keep us in His Grace.
The hard part is not making this too hard - the work has been completed - and we stand fully Justified before our Creator - Hallelujah!!
God determines who is a regenerated genuine believer and who is not. Sometimes humans have a real problem discerning this, and especially about themselves if they are not.
God commands people to believe. God promises those who choose believe they will be saved.
If there is no free will in all that, then for Him to command people to believe is superfluous. Indeed, all of creation would be superfluous....
Why go through a charade of creation when every soul's destination has be pre-determined by God?
And if God, in His sovereignty, has not elected to give his creations free will, then what's up with Lucifer? Did he rebel willingly, or was he forced (pre-determined) to do so?
A God who commands his creatures to believe, but pre-determines those who can/will believe, is a mocking God.
I have over the years followed a number of Calvinist/Non-Calvinist debate threads. But one thing they both have in common, neither side wants to say that God is a mocker.
The Greatest "Heresy" of The Protesters seeking to Reform the Catholic paradigm was/is rejecting only some of the RCC's false doctrines, rather than all of them. Such false doctrines include baptismal regeneration, paedobaptism, considering the emblems of Christ's Passion as sacraments, a two-class clergy/laity system of government of the assembly, a bishopric external to the local church, gaining/losing/gaining/losing one's salvation ad infinitum, episcopacy, special religious dress for the clergy, female elders/pastors, etc.; to name a few unbiblical heresies.
You have not negated what I said. There are many people out there who claim to “believe” but whose actions proclaim otherwise. Though I do not, cannot judge their standing with God, I most certainly can ascertain their witness and treat them accordingly.
“This epistle was not meant to apply to the Gentile world...”
Really? Hebrews is a letter that only applies to Jewish converts? THAT is a novel theory of canon! This non-Jewish Baptist find it both inspiring and enlightening!
I (and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) agree with you on 2/3 of the ‘heresies’ you mention.
It’s also after midnight so I’m going to go to bed instead of get into an argument about the remaining 1/3.
In other words, both propitiation and reconciliation must precede justification. Jesus not only had to die, but for his Body, Soul, and Spirit to be rejoined in resurrection, by His Ascension and Appearance in Heaven as Our High Priest. There is no shortcut to this process.
The principles involved may apply also to Gentiles, and used by Gentiles to begin to understand the significance of the Hebrew religion. This is not novel. The primary audience of the epistle is clearly given in the title. My Textus Receptus page says "Paulou Tou Apostolou Hay Pros Ebraious Epistolay" (sounding it out with the English alphabet).
I do not see how this can be a problem for you. I learned this in my 47 years of participation in independent fundamental immersionist assemblies, and as having been discipled for over 25 years by a retired Baptist missionary, whose doctoral degree was from the Western Conservative Baptist Seminary.
My dear FRiend and brother in Christ, there is no argument about it. I am not a Protestant, nor am I a Reformer. I just subscribe to the doctrines followed by the first autonomous immersionist New Testament assemblies. And that does not include denominationalism.
I think you just about covered most of the false doctrines of the RCC. If there are others, I can’t think of any at the moment. 😁
You may have never heard of some fruitcake, that lives around here. I had never heard of the dude either, till a few years ago. He is still alive here too. His name is Apollo C Quiboloy. If there is a dictionary definition of blasphemy, his picture would be there. The dude is a total chump.
What I named is the doctrines that the Protestant denominations have let slide by during the Reformation rather than reject, ones that are now locked into and cripple their basic platforms. There is a lot much more RCC dogma that they haven’t, though.
AMEN!!!!
Well, a few others, that I disagree with, the mass, the sacraments, Purgatory, the most important, salvation by works, the rejection of assurance.
I remember my mom telling me once, that she thought my dad would go to Limbo. I haven’t heard RCs talk about Limbo in decades. Does the place no longer exist? 😁 I know, I know, it never existed, but I just haven’t heard it mentioned in a long time. 👎 Where did these peculiar doctrines come from.
Not sure what that means. Is there some kind of contest going on?
Jesus hung around (get it?) with prostitutes and tax collectors.
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