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Are you infallible?
One Fold ^ | December 10, 2013 | Brian Culliton

Posted on 04/28/2015 8:36:56 AM PDT by RnMomof7

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To: paladinan; Springfield Reformer; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; caww; CynicalBear; ...
Here's the problem: when you say "we", you'd have a very hard time speaking for all the various non-Catholics on this forum... since, on this topic (and almost all others related to Christian theology), they're all over the map!

He speaks for me.

I find nothing in his posts that I disagree with and find them well stated as I would expect from a lawyer. I get a lot out of them and have several saved for future reference.

Count me in when he says "we".

1,141 posted on 05/05/2015 3:00:21 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: paladinan
James is differentiating between saving faith and intellectual assent.

Intellectual assent doesn't save anyone.

Faith, trust, does, and it produces works.

So how do you explain the passage in James in light of Paul's comments here....?

Romans 4:1-25 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

1,142 posted on 05/05/2015 3:05:55 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Springfield Reformer

Well done! The double speak of Catholics at times gets them sideways with “merit”.


1,143 posted on 05/05/2015 3:12:46 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: paladinan
>>Good works are not optional. Unless you don't mind being a goat, and burning for all eternity, that is. (Matthew 25)<<

So do you do the good works of your own volition?

1,144 posted on 05/05/2015 3:13:45 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: Springfield Reformer; paladinan

I would like to know whether he thinks the good works are of his own volition or if it emanates from the Holy Spirit.


1,145 posted on 05/05/2015 3:16:52 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: paladinan

So, if someone claims they believe and are saved and adds good works to their lives, are they saved?


1,146 posted on 05/05/2015 3:30:48 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Springfield Reformer
But in any event, I am encouraged we have come so close to saying the same thing concerning the relationship between faith and works.

Keep preaching it bro. I know when I was a catholic, the faith/works thing was confusing to me too, but eventually, the truth sank into my thick skull. Even after I got saved, it still took time to understand the concept. I freely admit, that my primary motivation in coming to true faith in Christ, was to make sure my fire insurance was paid up, and I could avoid Hell. 😇 Keep up the good work.

1,147 posted on 05/05/2015 3:42:14 PM PDT by Mark17 (The love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong. It shall forever more endure.)
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To: CynicalBear; Springfield Reformer; paladinan
"Being CONFIDENT of this very thing, that HE which HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU will PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST." (Philippians 1:6).

I LOVE this verse. As it tells us exactly WHO is performing the good works in a believer!

1,148 posted on 05/05/2015 3:44:09 PM PDT by smvoice ("It certainly looked like a small toe")
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To: metmom
So, if someone claims they believe and are saved and adds good works to their lives, are they saved?

If he has indeed been born of the Holy Spirit who speaks endlessly to believers and non-believers alike about Who the Lord Jesus Christ really is. Other believers in Christ will know in the and by the Holy Spirit whether the person's testimony should be accepted outright or whether the spirit(s) they confess need(s) to be tried further.

The answer to your question is most definitely YES if the one confessing the new birth is one the Father has enabled and given to Lord Jesus Christ.
1,149 posted on 05/05/2015 3:47:09 PM PDT by Resettozero
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To: paladinan
>>If you're claiming that "any old visible Church is good enough<<

Any old church? Once again, where did you get that?

>>if taking an unrepentant sinner to them", then that logically requires unanimity between the Churches...<<

No, it doesn't. It's the local assembly they were to take it to. Not some hierarchical man made organization.

>>if the 7 Churches have 7 different ideas of what constitutes a "sin"?<<

They were each addressed independently of the others weren't they.

>>So it's not the mere fact that a hierarchy is involved, but it's the POPE, SPECIFICALLY, with whom you claim to have a beef.<<

I'm sure you would like to split them up for discussion but they are actually one and the same problem.

>>And how, exactly, do you come to the conclusion (aside from personal taste and raw personal opinion) that he's teaching "another Gospel from what the apostles taught"?<<

Many ways but one easy one would be the assumption of Mary and the requirement to believe it.

>>I see the word "Nicolaitans" only twice in the Bible (Revelation 2:6 and 2:15), and it's left undefined in both cases.<<

It's just a matter of searching the Greek.

Greek - “Nico,” in Greek, is “to rule over or conquer,” and “lait” is “the common people,” the laity. Jesus Himself said it was not to be so with His assembly.

Mark 10:42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;

In Revelation He said He hates it.

1,150 posted on 05/05/2015 3:51:30 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: RnMomof7

hey!


1,151 posted on 05/05/2015 3:52:30 PM PDT by Elsie
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To: metmom; paladinan; Springfield Reformer; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; caww
>>Count me in when he says "we".<<

He can count me in!

1,152 posted on 05/05/2015 3:54:26 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: paladinan
Good works are not optional.

I guess you're a

'Saved by grace; Kept by works.'

kinda person.

1,153 posted on 05/05/2015 3:55:40 PM PDT by Elsie
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To: paladinan; MHGinTN; St_Thomas_Aquinas

.
>> But this (the previous comment) is the same mistake which editor-surveyor was making: it’s assuming (without any proof at all, but relying only on personal opinion) that “water” refers primarily (or even exclusively) to “amniotic fluid” <<

.
You attribute statements to me that I’ve never made. It was in a reply to me by someone else.

To me, it is very obvious that Yeshua was explaining the new incorruptible body that we will have after the first resurrection, and the solid proof of that is his equating in verse 8, our contrition to that of the wind, invisible, yet showing traces of our presence.

That is exactly how Yeshua was after his resurrection, appearing out of nowhere, and walking through solid walls. It will be a transformation of our presence to a different realm, not of time, nor material things, so our appearance when we return to Earth to rule with him will be similar, on Earth, but not a part of Earth.

That is the only way we can survive the complete destruction of the material/temporal universe that Peter described.

Yeshua was definitely not addressing Baptism. Nicodemus, being a high priest, was already familiar with it (the Mikva). Yeshua’s conversation with Nicodemus was about the absolute necessity of the change that was going to come.
.


1,154 posted on 05/05/2015 3:57:18 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: paladinan
...the Church requires BOTH...

 
 
 
 

 
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.


John 6:28-29
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?
 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."


1 John 3:21-23
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.


James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
 

 
 
 

1,155 posted on 05/05/2015 3:57:41 PM PDT by Elsie
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To: smvoice
>>I LOVE this verse. As it tells us exactly WHO is performing the good works in a believer!<<

Same here. We know who it is that gets credit.

1,156 posted on 05/05/2015 3:59:06 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: paladinan; RnMomof7; metmom
For a quick reality check on question of redemptive suffering, lets take a look at the passage in question with a little context:
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
(Colossians 1:21-24)
Paul here nowhere mentions expiation for sin.  We do however suffer persecution and affliction when we present the Gospel, but because the world hates Christ, and therefore it hates us. That's all Paul is talking about, except his personalizing his portion of it.  The word used there for "affliction" is θλίψις ("thlipsis"), and that word is never used in connection with Christ's redemptive death on our behalf.  Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.  Jesus did that for us, precisely because we could not do it for ourselves.  If He had left any part of His redemptive work undone, we would all still be lost.  There is no half measure possible here, neither by reason nor by Scripture.  He offered Himself once for all, and sat down at the right hand of the Father because his death satisfied the debt of sin.  To suggest that we become co-redeemers of ourselves is to insert ourselves in a place that can only ever be occupied by Christ, an activity that to me suggests the most extreme spiritual danger.  I cannot recommend it.  

In any event, the alleged redemptive suffering of believers appears to be a conclusion not based on good exegesis of this or any other passage, but does seem to perfectly support the asceticism that corrupted many in the early years of Christianity, and came to full fruition in monasticism. But it has no Scriptural foundation. Period.

Peace,

SR


1,157 posted on 05/05/2015 3:59:41 PM PDT by Springfield Reformer (Winston Churchill: No Peace Till Victory!)
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To: Resettozero

What I am thinking of is those who claim to have faith, add works because they think they need to, and then think they’re saved because they have the works to *prove* it, and yet have no evidence of a regenerate spirit at all.

They are the ones who seem to think that salvation is fire insurance and that we can go on and sin all we like now that we’re saved. The ones who wonder why we bother to pray or go to church now that we’re saved.


1,158 posted on 05/05/2015 4:15:26 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: paladinan

Context!

You try to dodge it , but context solidly proves my point.

This is not a dictionary issue. Biblical issues rarely are, as it is unusual for context not to be the main factor.
.


1,159 posted on 05/05/2015 4:23:16 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: paladinan

"Scoot".

That was your own word said to another.

By the same tokens you can go scoot and reread your own comments, and look for bullying. Or at least drop all the self justification postings, wherein you bring additional accusations against myself each and every single time.

I'd be a much nicer a sweeter guy if I didn't see that sort of stuff mixed in with so many comments here.

After years and years of it, I'm left raw from it all.

1,160 posted on 05/05/2015 4:47:01 PM PDT by BlueDragon
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