Well, hello, even Catholicism teaches that. No?
And, if they are not behaving or doing the “right” things, then their faith is suspect?
Their profession is suspect if they show no signs of spiritual growth. Lip service and all.
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And, if their faith is suspect, then is their salvation still assured?
Yeah, it can be, if they're really saved. Because even though I look at a person and see sin or lack of growth, if they're saved, they're saved. That is why we're not supposed to judge but rather to encourage and teach and rebuke and exhort.
Everyone is at different stages in their spiritual walk and dealing with different issues that God is addressing in their lives. Just because they aren't progressing in areas in which I think they ought to doesn't mean they aren't progressing. The important part isn't what they do or don't do at any one given moment, but rather that on the whole, they are becoming more and more Christlike.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
All anyone needs is faith the size or a mustard seed because it's not how great our faith is but how great the God we put that faith in is.
Where does Jesus tell us to read Scripture? Where do the Apostles tell us to read Scripture? And, do not give me the verse in Timothy as it does not one has to read Scripture.
Jesus read Scripture and endorses it. He teaches that error comes in from not knowing Scripture.
Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
John 5:38-40 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Acts 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Mark 4:20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
If someone does not have a desire to read God's word and find out for himself what God has to say to him about Himself, then yes, I'd question that person's salvation.
How can someone have a relationship with someone else when they won't get to know him?
Is reading Scripture a sign of one’s faith?
It can be and a person's attitude towards Scripture is a pretty good barometer of where that person is spiritually.
So, one’s nature is changed, but the old one is still there?
Yes, there are two natures living within us.
Romans 7 addresses the old versus new nature conflict.
What happens if one gives in to the old nature?
One sins.
Why, because I’m not just swallowing whole all that you profess to be the truth? It’s more like trying to feed garbage to someone who has just left a feast.
Scripture is garbage? Expecting people to live out what they profess is garbage?
Who knew?
****Well, hello, even Catholicism teaches that. No? ****
Yet, protestants say Catholics must earn their salvation, when the truth is, that one’s faith is seen in one’s behavior and actions. If you agree with that, then you must agree that we don’t earn our salvation, it is our faith that does, but our faith is evident in our lives.
****Yeah, it can be, if they’re really saved.****
Here is the contradiction then. It is said, faith alone, but what is faith? Is is merely lip service, a simple profession? Or is it action? A Catholic believes it is action, that one is moved to action by genuine faith.
It is synergistic in that one is moved to action out of faith and one’s actions strengthen one’s faith.
That is different from avoiding sin, but the closer one feels to Jesus, the more they will try to avoid sin.
****All anyone needs is faith the size or a mustard seed because it’s not how great our faith is but how great the God we put that faith in is.****
But what is Jesus telling them here? What does He say next? In Matthew, He speaks of being able to move mountains and in Mark, He speaks of the bush which grows from the seed that is sown.
I agree, it is our great God who does great things through us because of our faith, but the key is we are expected to DO something with our faith. God will bless our work when we do those works out of love for Him and love for others.
In all things we see the union of the divine with the human and it is no different with what protestants like to call works. And these works needn’t be on a grand scale, what is important is that we are motivated out of love. And that love comes from faith.
***Jesus read Scripture and endorses it. He teaches that error comes in from not knowing Scripture.***
Okay, I am splitting hairs here, but only because it is what protestants do when parsing Scripture. Jesus never says one MUST read Scripture and neither do the Apostles.
One can KNOW Scripture without ever reading it.
*****Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.****
Who is Jesus addressing here? The Saduccees. Are you saying that the Saduccees did not read Scripture?
Jesus is saying here that they don’t KNOW Scripture, yet we know that the Saduccees did indeed read Scripture. Was Jesus mistaken then? NO, He pointed out that have knowledge of what Scripture says is not the same as knowing what it means, what the heart of it is.
As for the rest of the quotes, all very nice verses, all speaking of knowing the word of God, following the word of God but not one which says one must READ the word of God.
What if one cannot read, or see or does not have the resources to own a Bible?
****If someone does not have a desire to read God’s word and find out for himself what God has to say to him about Himself, then yes, I’d question that person’s salvation.****
How does that square with faith alone? The desire to know God and what He has to say about Himself is an action, a result of faith. And again, what if one cannot read and must depend on hearing the word from someone else?
****How can someone have a relationship with someone else when they won’t get to know him?****
Where is it said that the only way to know God is through reading Scripture?
****Scripture is garbage? Expecting people to live out what they profess is garbage?****
LOL, just like a good little protestant. Not what I said, but typical when one is challenged and shown to be wrong.