Posted on 05/12/2015 4:21:27 PM PDT by RnMomof7
Let us begin with a church history exam question. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) was a figure not to be taken lightly. He was Pope Clement VIII’s personal theologian and one of the most able figures in the Counter-Reformation movement within sixteenth-century Roman Catholicism. On one occasion, he wrote: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is _______ .” Complete, explain, and discuss Bellarmine’s statement.
How would you answer? What is the greatest of all Protestant heresies? Perhaps justification by faith? Perhaps Scripture alone, or one of the other Reformation watchwords?
Those answers make logical sense. But none of them completes Bellarmine’s sentence. What he wrote was: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance.”
A moment’s reflection explains why. If justification is not by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone — if faith needs to be completed by works; if Christ’s work is somehow repeated; if grace is not free and sovereign, then something always needs to be done, to be “added” for final justification to be ours. That is exactly the problem. If final justification is dependent on something we have to complete it is not possible to enjoy assurance of salvation. For then, theologically, final justification is contingent and uncertain, and it is impossible for anyone (apart from special revelation, Rome conceded) to be sure of salvation. But if Christ has done everything, if justification is by grace, without contributory works; it is received by faith’s empty hands — then assurance, even “full assurance” is possible for every believer.
No wonder Bellarmine thought full, free, unfettered grace was dangerous! No wonder the Reformers loved the letter to the Hebrews!
This is why, as the author of Hebrews pauses for breath at the climax of his exposition of Christ’s work (Heb. 10:18), he continues his argument with a Paul-like “therefore” (Heb. 10:19). He then urges us to “draw near … in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22). We do not need to re-read the whole letter to see the logical power of his “therefore.” Christ is our High Priest; our hearts have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience just as our bodies have been washed with pure water (v.22).
Christ has once-for-all become the sacrifice for our sins, and has been raised and vindicated in the power of an indestructible life as our representative priest. By faith in Him, we are as righteous before the throne of God as He is righteous. For we are justified in His righteousness, His justification alone is ours! And we can no more lose this justification than He can fall from heaven. Thus our justification does not need to be completed any more than does Christ’s!
With this in view, the author says, “by one offering He has perfected for all time those who come to God by him” (Heb. 10:14). The reason we can stand before God in full assurance is because we now experience our “hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and … bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).
“Ah,” retorted Cardinal Bellarmine’s Rome, “teach this and those who believe it will live in license and antinomianism.” But listen instead to the logic of Hebrews. Enjoying this assurance leads to four things: First, an unwavering faithfulness to our confession of faith in Jesus Christ alone as our hope (v.23); second, a careful consideration of how we can encourage each other to “love and good works” (v.24); third, an ongoing communion with other Christians in worship and every aspect of our fellowship (v.25a); fourth, a life in which we exhort one another to keep looking to Christ and to be faithful to him, as the time of his return draws ever nearer (25b).
It is the good tree that produces good fruit, not the other way round. We are not saved by works; we are saved for works. In fact we are God’s workmanship at work (Eph. 2:9–10)! Thus, rather than lead to a life of moral and spiritual indifference, the once-for-all work of Jesus Christ and the full-assurance faith it produces, provides believers with the most powerful impetus to live for God’s glory and pleasure. Furthermore, this full assurance is rooted in the fact that God Himself has done all this for us. He has revealed His heart to us in Christ. The Father does not require the death of Christ to persuade Him to love us. Christ died because the Father loves us (John 3:16). He does not lurk behind His Son with sinister intent wishing He could do us ill — were it not for the sacrifice his Son had made! No, a thousand times no! — the Father Himself loves us in the love of the Son and the love of the Spirit.
Those who enjoy such assurance do not go to the saints or to Mary. Those who look only to Jesus need look nowhere else. In Him we enjoy full assurance of salvation. The greatest of all heresies? If heresy, let me enjoy this most blessed of “heresies”! For it is God’s own truth and grace!
I have the pillar and foundation of Truth, protism has nothing, and since you have nothing there is nothing to refute.
So, all these were Protestant heresies? Before Luther was born.
You’ve hijacked the thread to obfuscate and confuse by making a debate no one here is debating.
Much as a filibusterer. What is your purpose in doing this?
If you think that is bad, and it is, just ask the INC people what they believe.
It is indeed sir, but check out Felix Y Manalo and Apollo C Quiboloy, if you want examples of cults. These two are cults with a capital C.
Great googly-moogly — right up there with Jim Jones and the “Rev.” Moon.
Scary stuff.
Hoss
Well you've got one thing in that statement that is correct: there is nothing for you to refute because you cannot refute truth. THE Truth.
I'm still interested in your answer to an earlier question I asked you concerning CCC 841... since you apparently believe that the RCC is some sort of pillar, it may actually have something in common with Mohammedism. After all CCC 841 teaches that Catholics and Muslims believe in the same "God."
So? What say you?
Hoss
LOL... Great backhand there Cronos.. could you tell us the "heresy " that Luther or Calvin taught ?
well, how would you define a "Protestant" heresy? Would it be one of the various beliefs that arose after the 1500s only? Meaning after Luther. Just to make sure we're talking the same thing
What great heresy did Arius teach? Well, the idea that Jesus Christ was the first creation of God the Father, so that Jesus was not co-equal with the Father
You still have the floor with your filibuster. You tell us what is and what isn’t. No sensible discussion going on here now anyway. Carry on.
The same thing I always to those in desperate need of the truth: You are wrong!
No, really — I’d like to know what you define as Protestant. I included those because of what some of the other posters have said over the years. But I’ve not interacted with you, so I don’t know you define as Protestant, so I would really like to know
So, Rnmomof7, the greatest, as you define it “P heresy” is that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Some people can only toss junk out there hoping some of it will stick. We know it is wrong. My Christian friends, relatives, are the happiest people I know and that includes me. I know I can be happy in the very worst circumstances and that includes losing a daughter, brother, husband, bil, and my mom in less than 3 years. Jesus has been the answer.
I like the way you prove his wrongness.
She looks as happy as Mary does in all of her incarnations.
How DARE you ask for PROOF from a Catholic!
Wasn’t Cronus the Titan who could stop a forum thread dead in its tracks merely by posting just his special graph and a few old maps of something or another?
Possibly. But what was the artist smoking when he made this portrait?
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