Salvation by Grace, or by works?
The answer is straightforward:
Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.
The verses in The Bible that he claims he had to ignore, I, as a non Catholic, born again Christian, have never ignored nor needed to ignore, but rather they harmonize perfectly in with my beliefs. The way he now needs to interpret those verses, he claims he had to ignore, is non sequitur. The verses themselves do not speak to his current Catholic doctrines, as they are clearly read, but rather he has been indoctrinated into reading into them the doctrines that the Catholic Church purports.
I would suggest that anyone who reads the Bible should go into a room by themselves with Almighty God, ask Him to illuminate His word, and read it without prejudice. You will not come out with most all of Catholic doctrine. Nor will you come out with Mormon doctrine, Jehovah Witness doctrine nor any other misguided religion's doctrines. Don't come out of the room until you know that it is Almighty God who has instructed you.
Because we can be subject to being brainwashed by whatever religion we are closely associated with, to prevent ourselves from being deceived, the only sure way we can know that we truly have the truth is to know that we have received it from The LORD Himself through His Word. Remember that Christ, when confronted with lies, said "It is written" and referred to Holy Scripture as the ultimate guide to all truth.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The verses in The Bible that he claims he had to ignore, I, as a non Catholic, born again Christian, have never ignored nor needed to ignore, but rather they harmonize perfectly in with my beliefs. The way he now needs to interpret those verses, he claims he had to ignore, is non sequitur. The verses themselves do not speak to his current Catholic doctrines, as they are clearly read, but rather he has been indoctrinated into reading into them the doctrines that the Catholic Church purports.
I would suggest that anyone who reads the Bible should go into a room by themselves with Almighty God, ask Him to illuminate His word, and read it without prejudice. You will not come out with most all of Catholic doctrine. Nor will you come out with Mormon doctrine, Jehovah Witness doctrine nor any other misguided religion's doctrines. Don't come out of the room until you know that it is Almighty God who has instructed you.
Because we can be subject to being brainwashed by whatever religion we are closely associated with, to prevent ourselves from being deceived, the only sure way we can know that we truly have the truth is to know that we have received it from The LORD Himself through His Word. Remember that Christ, when confronted with lies, said "It is written" and referred to Holy Scripture as the ultimate guide to all truth.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
In case no one else has made the connection yet, this article reminds me of C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters.”
:)
I would add another biggie to the author’s list:
Teach them Once Saved Always Saved for the ultimate feel-good pride fix.
Apostasy? LOL SO, that whole Vatican II thing? Just a fluke? A head fake, so to speak? Mother Church playing “Gotcha” with the heretics? We’re really NOT “separated Brethren” after all? Sheesh....!!
apostasy ping
My husband and I, then in our thirties, were looking into returning to our Catholic faith. We attended weekly Mass, and the Neumann Center religious classes. We did this for more than 3 months. Then we returned home for Christmas. After the Christmas mass, as we were driving back to our relative’s home, my husband and I looked at each and almost simultaneously said. “This isn't going to work. There is something seriously missing here.” Of course, we now have words to use for this. What was missing was the Spirit. What was missing was that God did not need us in the Catholic faith or want us to be there.
The following week I started looking at Protestant churches. I believe that we were led by the Spirit to the denomination to which we have been faithful members for 29 years. This is the church in which God wanted us to be. How we found it has a somewhat miraculous story behind it.
If one will sincerely ask God for direction, he will lead you to the Christian denomination in which He wants you to participate. Possibly that is the Catholic faith, but maybe not.