"I see him everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 01/26/2018 1:04:07 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
We are in a time of the first ever mass conversions of Muslims,” Father Mitch Pacwa SJ told me in a phone interview. “God is doing a mighty work among them.”
Pacwa said that mass conversions are happening even in very fundamentalist countries. There is rapidly growing number of conversions especially on the edges of the Muslim world in the western and southern parts of Africa, he said. “Africa is now growing predominantly Christian despite crackdowns,” Pacwa said.
Some of the noteworthy countries he mentioned include Iran, reported to have 3 million Christians, and Indonesia with reports of 2 million a year converting.
“In Mongolia, the president opened the country to Christians and there’s even an archbishop,” Pacwa said. “They built a Catholic school there too. If I was younger, I would have gone.” He said that the desire for a Western education was the impetus to open up the country to the Catholic Church.
There are even conversions happening in many strict Muslim countries, according to Pacwa. He did not want to go on record with particulars for fear of increased retribution. Mass conversions are also being reported among refugees that are filling up the Christian churches left empty by Europeans. Many wonder if those are authentic conversions or just a response to improving their chances for amnesty, but time will tell.
Signs of this conversion are showing up in the U.S. too, Pacwa said. “I was about to celebrate Mass at a Maronite church in San Diego and I said hi to a man who introduced himself as Achmad. I asked if he was a Christian. He said: ‘Yes, I was recently baptized.’ He said he from Morocco. Christians do not have the name Ahmad—that’s a form of Mohammad.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
I don’t know. The bloody Red Baron was German maybe? (Face palm) 😝😊
“Oh you USED to be on the Roman Hamster wheel of guilt!”
Yes! Alter boy and all.
“What sinless life have you led that you ought not to feel guilt? Don’t you DESERVE to feel guilty because you ARE guilty?”
Dear Claud,
I AM FORGIVEN.
ALL MY SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
I AM LOVED.
It isnt about my old nature in Adam any more or my Guilt.
It is about HIS righteousness.
“And are you under the impression that you will automatically go to heaven *no matter what you do from here on out*, simply because you say so?”
Dear Claud, no.
I will go to Heaven because HE IS PERFECT.
I accepted the gift of His sacrifice.
None is about me.
ALL IS ABOUT HIM.
So yes, I used to be on the Roman Hamster Wheel of Guilt and False Works.
I am now saved.
I have eternal life.
I am sealed for the Day of Redemption.
I am now seated in the heavenlies with Christ.
None of that I understood as a Roman, until God opened my eyes.
Then the Scriptures came alive.
My Gracious God intervened in my life that I might come to faith in Him.
And I got off the wheel that goes nowhere.
It doesn’t sound as if you are saved, but still running on the Roman Wheel of Guilt. You don’t have to live that way when God stands ready to grant you eternal life.
If you choose to ignore His Indescribable Gift, you have chosen poorly FRiend.
I wish salvation for you.
When was Cornelius saved?
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. Acts 10:44-48
Amen bro.
AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8“BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.” Romans 4:7-8 NASB
μακάριος ἀνὴρ οὗ οὐ μὴ λογίσηται Κύριος ἁμαρτίαν. Romans 4:8
The italicized words in greek are emphatic. It is strongly saying that the Lord will not take into account your sins.
The verb λογίσηται, is an aorist, subjunctive, middle verb.
The subjunctive is used in Greek to indicate potentiality.
In Greek, emphatic negation is indicated by οὐ μὴ plus the aorist subjunctive or sometimes the future indicative. This is the strongest way to negate something in Greek.
When combined with the subjunctive this denies a potentiality. (Daniel Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, p468).
In this passage from John where Jesus is comforting Martha after Lazarus has died we see a beautiful example of this.
The bolded words are emphatic pronouns. The red and the underlined is the negation we've been discussing.
23 λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἀναστήσεται ὁ ἀδελφός σου. 24 λέγει αὐτῷ °ἡ Μάρθα· οἶδα ὅτι ἀναστήσεται ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. 25 εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή· ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ κἂν ἀποθάνῃ ζήσεται, 26 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. πιστεύεις τοῦτο; 27 λέγει αὐτῷ· ναὶ κύριε , ἐγὼ πεπίστευκα ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐρχόμενος.
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” John 11:23-27 NASB
Jesus is making a clear unequivocal promise to her that the one believing in Him will never, ever die. For the one believing this, their eternal security is rock solid.
Martha had been a believer as evidenced by her confession.
Like Martha, I believe in Him.
I'm taking Him at His word.
The question is.....do you believe the words of Jesus in v25-26?
Amen indeed!
His baptism by John was of an altogether different type. He is God. He had no sin, actual or original.
His baptism by John was of an altogether different type. He is God. He had no sin, actual or original.
My lawless deeds are forgiven when I take them into the confessional and subject them to the power Christ gave to the Apostles: “whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, whose sins you retain, are retained”.
If you think yours are going to be forgiven without you humbling yourself before the Lord in the Sacrament of Confession or, at the very least, perfect contrition, then you are fatally deceiving yourself.
And do Christ’s words to Martha negate the parable of the Goats and the Sheep that if we do not do works of charity, we will not be saved? Do they negate the parable of the sower that grace can be lost and choked out by the cares of this world? Do they negate John 6 where Our Lord says flat out “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you”? Do they negate Paul’s “fear and trembling” lest after he preaches to others, he may himself still be lost?
You are basing your entire soteriology on one passage as if there weren’t any other. Christ’s words to Martha are part of the New Testament teaching on salvation, not the whole of it.
The parable of the sheep and goats, if understood in context, is clear. The goats never knew Him nor He them. They did not believe.
John 6 has been hashed out many times before so I won't go into that again. But to use your objection of one passage that is precisely what Roman Catholicism has done with John 6....and rather badly I might add as they go from symbolic to literal in the same passage....they've got it backwards.
To take your position you have to admit Jesus did not tell Martha the whole story. In other words, He lied to her.
I do not believe that is the case. He did not lie to her. He does not lie to us.
Your sins are never forgiven, unless you come to faith in Christ alone. No priest can forgive sin. Scripture does not say this. Nor does Scripture teach anything about a confessional. If you think yours are going to be forgiven without you humbling yourself before the Lord in the Sacrament of Confession or, at the very least, perfect contrition, then you are fatally deceiving yourself.
There is no "sacrament of confession." Made up. We have direct access to the Father to restore fellowship. Every sin is forgiven now for the believer. And do Christ’s words to Martha negate the parable of the Goats and the Sheep that if we do not do works of charity, we will not be saved?
It appears you really do not understand, do you? Do they negate John 6 where Our Lord says flat out “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you”?
The only thing negated is your interpretation of John 6. You really aren't supposed to interpret, are you?? YOPIOS and all that??
Do they negate Paul’s “fear and trembling” lest after he preaches to others, he may himself still be lost?
It appears you really can't get outside a verse and see context, can you Claud? You are basing your entire soteriology on one passage as if there weren’t any other. Christ’s words to Martha are part of the New Testament teaching on salvation, not the whole of it.
No. The entirety of the message to the Church is what we are basing it upon.
You have a funny way of thinking if you think Christ lied to Martha by not giving her the entire theology of soteriology in this one passage. He told her what she needed to know at the time....and he told other people what they needed to know at those times, and these collected teachings are combined into the New Testament.
You seem to want to screen out everything and just focus on this passage regarding salvation....and what gives you the right to do that?
The goats, by the way, were not condemned for not knowing Christ...they were condemned for not *doing* something for Christ. The passage is very explicit. And again John 6...whatever it means if you don't want to go down that rabbit hole...it clearly states that you must DO something to merit eternal life.
It's hard not to read you and see the lingering effects of Luther--he had a big problem with scrupulosity and forgiveness, and he thought he could game the system by just declaring himself righteous by fiat and then sinning boldly all he wanted. Biggest scam the devil ever pulled on the Christian faithful. Don't get sucked into his trap.
"I see him everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!
Goats in the NT was used to symbolize the people who had no relationship with Christ. They are the ones who've rejected Him.
2055 eríphion (a neuter noun which is the diminutive form of 2056 /ériphos, "a goat") – a kid (young goat); (figuratively) someone rejecting Christ's Lordship, i.e. who will not follow His will and hence is small (puny) in God's sight.http://biblehub.com/greek/2055.htm
And again John 6...whatever it means if you don't want to go down that rabbit hole...it clearly states that you must DO something to merit eternal life.
You just identified the whole problem with Roman Catholicism....it's a system of works.
Talk about using one verse to build a theology around!
There is nothing you can do aside from faith in Him to gain eternal life.
What can you possibly offer as a good work that would come close to the Cross?
NOTHING
Now, as believers in Christ do we perform good works after we're saved? Yes. The NT is clear on that. But those are not what save us. They are the evidence of our salvation.
You can do a whole bunch of "good" stuff and not be a believer. Mormons are "good" people....but they are not Christians. They will not gain Heaven.
Can you be a believer and not have a change in your life that produces fruit? I don't think so.
The "good" works we do are a result of our salvation...not the cause of it.
Agreed. So why was He baptized?
Honestly, I've learned more about Luther from Roman Catholics and their disdain for the man. Prior to joining FR and these discussions, I'd not read up much on Luther.
What I have learned though is Luther used the original languages in his studies. When he was reading Romans in the Greek that is when the light came on that we come to Christ through faith and faith alone.
It was something new to him....in other words, something he'd not been taught in Roman Catholicism as they were not using the original languages.
There was an article posted by Msgr Pope a year or so ago where he noted he was starting to study the Greek! Imagine that.
Sadly, a lot of Roman Catholic seminaries do not require Greek or Hebrew in their MDiv degrees.
I will also say non-Roman Catholic seminaries, while they may require the Greek and Hebrew, don't require much beyond two classes in each.
I will also admit the pastors I've spoken to regarding the Greek/Hebrew admit they don't use it and took the classes and moved on. What a disservice we're doing when we don't understand the languages.
To really understand the scriptures you need a solid working knowledge of both. For that reason I've been studying Greek at seminary for the past three years.
When I do my Bible study I try to incorporate the Greek. I don't say this to brag but only as an example of trying to understand the Scriptures as originally intended.
For a man of God to not understand the Greek is akin to a mechanic not understanding how the combustion engine works or how power is conveyed to the drive shaft.
I tell ya....if you read Romans 3-5 and understand the Greek you will understand the concept of faith alone regarding salvation. The key verbs in those chapters are in the passive voice...in other words, the subject of the verb is being acted upon by an outside force. It renders any "work" on our part null and void.
Guilt is from the enemy.
Nobody needs to feel guilty for sin they have been forgiven of.
And God tells us this in Scripture.
Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
No, because GOD says so.
On the contrary, if you think going to confession to a priest is going to get you forgiveness, you are mistaken.
God NOWHERE in Scripture, gives any instructions for what Catholics practice as confession.
Instead He promises us this.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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