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What I didn’t have time to say yesterday about the Roman Catholic Church and its fruits is that, first, Jesus said we will know true and false prophets by their works.

Then, think of all these things. Jesus said the Pharisees held the office of Moses, yet they were hypocrites and truly didn’t have hearts for God. Then both He and the Apostles in their letters left warnings to look at the doctrines and actions of those who professed to be Christians.

Jesus said, as well, that the Pharisees (or perhaps just a group of Jews) shouldn’t think that they were all right with God because they were Jews, because God was able to raise up a new Chosen people from the stones on the ground before them, and He also told Nicodemus in John 3 that the wind blows where it will, with no one being able to tell where it comes from or where it will go, and so is every one who is born of the Spirit.

In other words, that says to me, it is God’s Spirit that is like the wind (although ultimately since He made and controls the wind, it’s more like the other way around), in that He will go in any direction He sees fit to, and man can neither do anything about it, nor even with our natural human reason understand what He does, because He is acting out of His divine wisdom which is above our ways of thinking.

And that is how Jesus acted on earth. He followed the Father wherever that led, which was often into conflict with religion, even the religion of the Chosen people. And individuals then had to make a choice, which they were personally responsible for, whether to believe in and follow Jesus, or follow the religious leaders. The Gospels made clear, too, that if they followed the religious leaders over Jesus, they didn’t have any excuse that they were misled, etc. They simply didn’t follow Him because they loved other things before God.

And again and again in the Gospels, and as related too in the rest of the New Testament, it was faith in Jesus as the Messiah and repentance that brings salvation.

Now, what seems to be the chief thing that Roman Catholics say Christians who aren’t Roman Catholic are missing is the real Presence of Jesus at Communion.

Consider these points on that. What Catholics take literally is only in John 6. Jesus also told the rich young ruler that he needed to get rid of all he had, yet Christians don’t take that exchange as meant for everyone. Jesus knew the ruler, and because He did, He judged him at that point, giving the ruler something to do which the man couldn’t. It might only have been a temporary judgment, but it was one. The ruler turned from Jesus and left Him.

Something similar happens in John 6, too. But before considering that, also consider that Jesus also told the Pharisees to “destroy this temple, and He would raise it up again in three days.” Yet, the Bible says that the disciples understood later that Jesus meant not the temple, but His body. The Gospels also say that Jesus spoke only in parables at times to the crowds (because they were unbelieving) and later in John, Jesus’ disciples tell Him at one point that He was no longer “speaking in figures,” as He had been.

So, then, in John 6, we know an unbelieving crowd pursues Jesus across the lake, I believe. He tells them that right away. They keep pressing Him, though, to do signs, and that’s where what Jesus says about eating His flesh and drinking His blood causes the crowd and most of His disciples to go away, too. Jesus, though, says that His Words are eternal life, which Peter also says. Jesus at this point has judged that particular crowd, and some of His disciples, but makes mention that the one who would betray Him is still in the fold. s

Then consider something else, as well. At the Last Supper, Jesus did not give His Apostles either of His blood or His flesh to drink or eat.

What I don’t agree with is that evangelicals and Protestants often say Communion is “just a symbol.” Since evangelicals don’t treat Communion as just a symbol, I don’t believe we should say that, even though I understand why it’s said. But the World Trade Center was and is a symbol of America, and there is simply no comparing human-instituted symbols and “symbols” given by God, which are never “just symbols.” Evangelicals who actually are believers aren’t flippant or irreverent to the Body and Blood of Christ commemorated in Communion because they are the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, to make atonement for our sins. To those who profess to be Christians but don’t actually believe the Gospel, such as those in the PC-USA and the Episcopal Church, Communion really is “just a symbol,” and treated as such.

I have to leave off here, but if I get time soon, I’ll talk about the fruits of the Roman Catholic Church, in doctrine and actions, as evangelicals tend to see them.