Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: adiaireton8
If God directly told you that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and you replied, "Upon what do you base your belief that you are the Creator of the heavens and the earth?", He might very well reply, "Upon my own testimony". And if you replied, "But that's circular reasoning", He might reply, "There is nothing greater than my own testimony. My word is truth. Appealing to my own word is more certain and more sure and more authoritative than appealing to anything else.
You did not read my post carefully. I admit to circular reasoning. I believe that Scripture is true and trustworthy because Scripture tells me so. I believe that the WORD is God because His Word tells me so. Yes, that is circular reasoning but it is also indeed fact. You, as I predicted, did not admit to circular reasoning.

Your argument is I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the sole authority in matters of faith because the Roman Catholic Church told me so. The Roman Catholic church, however, is NOT God. Churches are subject to error. That's what the Pauline epistles deal with. That's what Peter warns against. That's what John deals with in the first three chapters of Revelation. If you lived in John's day, and you lived in Pergamos, you would be referred to as being a part of the "church" at Pergamos. Presumably, as a duly appointed Bishop by the "Holy Roman" institution (which didn't exist as a point of overarching authority at the time, but for arguments sake we will say did), you would have been follow the doctrines of Balaam and would be condemned. If you lived in Corinth, you'd be dealing with factionalism with some saying they are Paul's decendents, some saying they are Peter's decendents, and some saying Apollos's decendents. Paul's answer is that we are all of Christ (not 'idiots, don't you know Jesus made Peter the head of the church, follow him.'). If you lived in Galatia, you would be dealing with legalism and some who had crept in and said you need something else in addition to faith for your salvation. In this case, it is circumcision. Paul was so angry with this suggestion that he suggested that those who were trying to enslave them by works again would go the whole way and castrate themselves! The point here is that in spite of Christ's prayer, the church has forever been divided - and yet, Paul nor Peter nor John ever say to these various churches that they aren't a part of the church any more or that they are out of fellowship with Christ's centralized institution in Rome. The church of Christ is universal. We don't have an argument with that. It is not haphazzardly scattered but is unified in Christ alone. If one has Christ Jesus as Savior one is a part of that church. If one follows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and has a true relationship with Him, one IS in good fellowship with the church and Rome has nothing to say about it.

Denying that Christ's body subsists in an organization is NOT Gnosticism. What you are espousing is Materialism.

All man-made institutions have this cockamamie idea that we can somehow "Merit" salvation. All man-made religions include works as a prerequisite to Salvation. Only Biblical Christianity realizes that It is through Christ alone, exclusive of works, that we are saved. We show that salvation through our works, but we are not saved by them. Penance, Confession, and any host of Catholic practices are works. They are meant to confer grace upon a believer. Christ's grace was shed upon us from the cross that whoever believes already has eternal life. We could not be saved by keeping the law. Only Christ saves. Only Christ keeps. Not a bureaucracy in Rome. Solos Christos! Sola Scriptura. Sola Fide. Sola Gratia. Amen.
2,790 posted on 12/22/2006 5:33:19 PM PST by Blogger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2787 | View Replies ]


To: Blogger

How would you distinguish, identify, define a "work" in this context?


2,795 posted on 12/22/2006 6:10:13 PM PST by D-fendr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2790 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson