Posted on 09/14/2013 12:29:44 PM PDT by matthewrobertolson
John 3:14-18 doesn’t necessarily support the “faith alone” position.
For Protestants, John 3:14-18 might seem like the ultimate “Gotcha!” passage to use against Catholics. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll recognize that the passage does not defend the “faith alone” position and is totally in line with Catholic teaching.
The passage reads as, “‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’”
That might seem a little damning to the Catholic position that good works are necessary, right? Well, in truth, it’s not.
With God, to believe means to obey. God does not desire a lukewarm, vague belief in Him, but a devoted life in His service. This is evidenced later in the chapter. John 3:36 reads as, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
And if one looks at verses 19-21 of the chapter, they will see that Christ said that those who “love darkness” and do “evil deeds” will not reach “the Light” (Heaven).
Sin — which, at its heart, is anything offensive to God — is a heinous, damaging thing that we must cleanse ourselves of. This cleansing is done through Christ, of course, but meriting it requires a little more than a belief in Him. It requires a repentant heart (see Luke 13:3) and, in the case of mortal sin, sacramental confession (see my video about Confession).
On top of all of this, Christ told us in John 13:15 to follow the example that He set and He also told us — in John 15:10 — that we must keep His commandments to “abide in [His] love”.
We can’t just sit back and relax non-stop, counting on our vague “faith” to save us — we have to do things! Like St. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:24, we must help the Church in “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”
So, when reading the Bible, remember that true belief requires obedience and good works.
(All verses are from the NASB translation.)
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Click here to watch the accompanying video.
“**as it gives us more opportunity to drive them all mad**
Hardly what I would call a Christian attitude.”
Perhaps not, but we still live as fallen humans, even though we are saved by grace. Therefore, we will still sin even though it is not what we want to do.
Self-righteous is hardly a Christian attitude either.
“How can they be forgiven when you do not go to Confession? How do you know for sure? Can you read god’s mind?”
Yes, because we have the Holy Spirit who lives in us and directs us. We are assured of our salvation from the moment we believe and nothing can separate us from God.
“The Gospels are first hand acconts. When did Paul meet Jesus except in being blinded on the way to Damascus?
Fact is — in the bible — Paul persecuted the Christians and did not meet Jesus and have first hand information.”
You heard it here first folks! Salvation, the Roman Catholic, has hereby renounced Paul and all his epistles! This also marks the moment when I stop taking her seriously though.
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
(2Pe 3:15-16)
I guess you’re going to have to throw out the Papacy too, since Peter apostatized by endorsing Paul and his writings as Holy scripture?
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called [me] by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. – Galatians 1:11-19
“(but we disregard such shameful excess because they are “spirit-filled”, which apparently overrides the responsibility”
No, we do not excuse this at all. We forgive. And we let the Spirit and Scripture direct us as to what action to take according to the sin.
All sin has consequences, even for a Spirit-filled believer. We are most certainly not given a pass by God nor should we be given one by our fellow believers. However, our salvation is never jeopardized as a result of our sin.
And one need no education or learned qualifications to understand the simple truth of the Gospel. It is so simple a small child can understand.
You just confirmed what smvoice said in post 62, salvation.
Come on, Salvation.
Even this is a stretch by Catholic standards.
Just because you have taught something does not mean you have understanding of it.
Salvation, are you born again and filled with the Spirit? I do not think so. Your words and your tone remind me of someone using head knowledge of faith and not heart knowledge.
All Scripture backs up all Scripture. None can be taken out of context to suit us or please us or to fit what we believe. Read the whole of Scripture prayerfully and ask the Lord to reveal the truth to you...Catholic or not. Once you stop defending an organization and seek God and His truth only, the walls will start to come down and the scales fall away.
God bless,
jodyel
This from the person that posts 37 paragraphs at a crack to say nothing.
So why not do the Christian thing and provide the link, since you apparently went there to get the quote?
The problem is with forgiving those who are not repentant. Numerous examples come to mind, such as two well-known Pentecostal evangelists (male & female) who were "caught in the act" - photographed exiting a Rome hotel hand-in-hand. As far as I can see, there has been no calling into account, and their "ministries" continue to attract the faithful (and their money).
And one need no education or learned qualifications to understand the simple truth of the Gospel. It is so simple a small child can understand.
No argument on this point. As I was taught by the song we sang in Sunday School: "Trust and Obey"
“So why not do the Christian thing and provide the link, since you apparently went there to get the quote?”
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15121.htm
Happy Christian reading
That wasn’t difficult now, was it?
“As far as I can see, there has been no calling into account, and their “ministries” continue to attract the faithful (and their money).”
Then they and their ministry are certainly not Spirit-filled nor are their followers. You may tell them by their fruit.
And, never fear, they will be held accountable one day and so will those that said nothing and let them continue on with their sinful ways. Not everything is punished in this life. God is not mocked.
God bless,
jodyel
Good morning to you (it’s almost noon here).
I see that lots of the Roman trolls are showing up. they start by posting snarky remarks and then consistently proceed to try and bring about confusion and obfuscation of the central points we make in refutation of heresy and error.
A new tactic seems to be folk coming into the thread claiming to be one thing, but characteristically siding with the Roman clan enjoining Protestants not to be opposing Rome.
I noted on another thread the statement that “the first person that mentions Islam loses”, but does the same apply when you question the use of “taquia” as a reference? Of course, there are other similes that can be used. I seem to remember a wooden horse filled with soldiers…
bflr
Indeed. Most of us see them as apostate anyway. They are moneychangers, covetous cons. Benny Hinn and Paula White, and others in the Word of Faith circles like Mike Murdock and Joyce Meyer, are consistently denounced by the faithful. Catholic Answers and EWTN probably just forgot to mention it.
It takes real hubris for any defender of Rome to point out immorality or financial corruption in others.
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