How Christians Will Know They Can Join Hands With Rome

The Cripplegate, New Generation of Non-Conformists ^ | October 29, 2014 | Eric Davis, Pastor since 2008 of Cornerstone Church, Jackson Hole, WY

[RnMomof7]

With Reformation Day coming up, this is a good time to recall why the Reformers departed from Roman Catholicism. In our day especially, it seems that many Christians have history-amnesia when it comes to the importance of what God did through the Reformers. During the Reformation, great confusion existed regarding what was, and was not, the true church of Christ. Rome had asserted itself as the true church for centuries, and continues to do so today. However, as the Reformers recognized then, Christians must follow in step today by recalling that joining hands with Rome is a departure from Christ.

To be clear, this is not to say that everyone who sits in a Roman Catholic church is not a Christian. What it is saying is that several changes must occur before Roman Catholicism, by the book, can be considered biblical Christianity. And the men and women of the Reformation understood this, hence their necessary break with Rome. In their case, and ours, joining Christ necessitates breaking with Rome and coming under Christ means coming out from under Rome.

Christians will know that it is time to join hands with Rome when it does the following:

1. Renounce the Papacy.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***That makes the so called Sunday Sabbath keepers twice the hypocrites as the seventh day Sabbath keepers.***

My my, will you now revert to the old SDA belief that worship on Sunday is THE MARK OF THE BEAST!

I don’t think GOD stops his ears when people worship him on Sunday, after all, we are NOT HONORING THE DAY but honoring the Lord Jesus Christ!

[Salvation]

Non-Catholic Clergy Abuse & Crimes

[Petrosius]

30,000+ is a number that is often quoted and I already stated that it was an exaggeration of the doctrinal divisions among Protestants.

[Petrosius]

Christ's statement did not build his church on Peter -- Christ's church is built on the truth that Peter proclaimed which is that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. (Matt. 16:18)

Show me where it says "truth".

[metmom]

ALL Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

There is nothing else that qualifies.

If God breathed, Holy Spirit inspired Scripture is not good enough, then no man-made teachings are either.

There is no need for a authoritative hierarchy for man to come back into right relationship with God. That was taken care of on the cross when Jesus died and paid the penalty for our sin.

There is no need for RELIGION period.

Reconciliation with God is about restoring a broken relationship between God and man, not establishing a top down authoritarian hierarchy to regulate that relationship.

[caww]

<...."So what did Jesus do before he ascended into heaven?"...>

..He left the deciples and believers in God's care under the guidance and inspiration of His Holy Spirit which He promised HE would send.....

Jesus' own words tell's us clearly what He did.....in John 17:6-26.

Father..."I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ....Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.... For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them....... They knew 'with certainty' that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.....

... I pray for them.... I am not praying for the world,... but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

... All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ... I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you....

....Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 2 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. ...None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled....

... “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ..... I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world....

....My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

...Sanctify them by the truth; 'your word is truth'. .... As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.....

.....“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me 'through their message',... that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you...... May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ...

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— .... I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity..... Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me....

... “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.....

.... “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 'I' have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

[Petrosius]

ALL Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

There is nothing else that qualifies.

And yet it is the God breathed Scripture itself that states that the Apostles and presbyters at the Council of Jerusalem spoke with the authority of the Holy Spirit. How, then, can you invoke the authority of Scripture without acknowledging the authority of the Church found in Scripture.

[caww]

...”We all must renounce the following of a person rather than the living Christ - thus we become true Christians”....

It is when we dare to stand alone with Jesus Christ that I believe He reveals Himself the most. There are times in life which He gives us that time where all and any “crutches” we lean on are simply not there or have left. He wants us to fully lean on Him and He will meet us there in that place we find oursleves in.

[caww]

...”Then us ex-Catholics can comment in the Catholic caucuses”....

It appears that you can comment according to the rules of the caucuses.

[bonfire]

Well said, metmom. Beautiful post.

[metmom]

The authority of the Council of Jerusalem that then became Scripture, is NOT the Catholic church.

The Catholic church likes to retroactively claim that all things Christian are by default Catholic, and yet there is not ONE mention of the Catholic church by name in any of the Bible.

What the RCC is doing by claiming that all references to the church in the Bible are references to ITSELF, is to try to put its claims of authority beyond dispute.

And it hasn’t because of the fact that virtually every verse dealing with the church that the RCC claims means it, only references the assembly of believers. It does NOT anywhere, name the Catholic church by name.

Nor is there anywhere where that authority can be traced in Scripture, nor is there anywhere where apostolic succession is mentioned or instructed.

[avenir]

“Christ’s words trump Paul’s words in my book.”

With respect Salvation, Paul’s words ARE Christ’s words. He KEPT SPEAKING AFTER THE RESURRECTION. through his apostles.

[Petrosius]

The authority of the Council of Jerusalem that then became Scripture, is NOT the Catholic church.

The Catholic church likes to retroactively claim that all things Christian are by default Catholic, and yet there is not ONE mention of the Catholic church by name in any of the Bible.

Then where is this council of presbyters today?

Nor is there anywhere where that authority can be traced in Scripture, nor is there anywhere where apostolic succession is mentioned or instructed.

Perhaps you missed:

During those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place). He said, “My brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was numbered among us and was allotted a share in this ministry. He bought a parcel of land with the wages of his iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out. This became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem, so that the parcel of land was called in their language ‘Akeldama,’ that is, Field of Blood. For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

‘Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.’

And:

‘May another take his office.’

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:15-26)

[caww]

<......”Christ's statement did not build his church on Peter — Christ's church is ‘built on the truth that Peter proclaimed’... which is that Jesus Christ is Lord......Catholics always — ALWAYS — get this wrong, and claim it as justification for the “one true church.”.......>

That is one of the keys to their indoctrination, easily accepted because they ‘want’ to believe their decision to adhere to Catholicism is the right choice....so anything which will solidify that, even if it's wrong, will be accepted...... Becuase indoctrination to catholicism is filled with huge amounts of literature and in vocbulary few can understand fully without a "teacher", (much as in cults who do likewise), few will take the time to actually seek what God has to say in His word....rather they will easily accept a verse here and there....which is dangerous.

New believers are especially mis-lead...and also targeted....or those who do not know the sciptures well.

[Petrosius]

With respect Salvation, Paul’s words ARE Christ’s words.

And Christ's words are Christ's words. They do not need an affirmation from Paul.

[avenir]

Hebrews is awesome in showcasing Christ Jesus and all that HIS work accomplished.

[caww]

Jesus said to the Father...., “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

This was consistent with the declarations right through the Old Testament in which the Holy Spirit continually proclaims that the revelation from God is truth, as for example Psalm 119:142,... “thy law is truth.”....

There is ‘no source other than Scripture alone’ to which such a statement applies. That source alone, the Holy Scripture, is the believer’s standard of truth.

[avenir]

“However, once you are brought to the end of yourself and you cry out to God in absolute desperation and see yourself as you really are, you find out that God will meet you there and begin the work of transformation in you, conforming you into the image of His beloved Son.”

Beautiful!

[metmom]

Then where is this council of presbyters today?

They died.

Scripture was written and established.

ALL Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

There is no more need for any council to determine truth. It's been settled in Scripture and written down for posterity.

So if something disagrees with the written word, then it is contrary to Scripture and needs to be rejected.

If it agrees with Scripture, then it is redundant and unnecessary.

That passage in Acts proves nothing.

There was no consulting with God about the matter. Peter, acting in the flesh (as the Holy Spirit had not yet been given to the church) decided to cast lots. They gave God two choices and then cast the lots. Of course someone was going to be *picked*. There was no other option.

Nor is that the way that the RCC currently picks its popes, according to the last account I heard.

So even IF, and that's a big IF, that is the command for apostolic succession, then the RCC is currently doing it wrong by taking a majority vote. They should be casting lots.

[caww]

...”Hebrews is awesome in showcasing Christ Jesus and all that HIS work accomplished”....

Indeed..and it clearly tells us the “old” way was just a “shadow” of what was to come.

The entire Old Testament points to Christ Jesus! and Hebrews shows how and why....it’s a great study!