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!
Belief/faith in Him is what seals the person by the Holy Spirit. Not the institution which may prevent the believer from actually going on from milk to strong meat. If satan cannot prevent a believer from believing, the last thing he wants is that believer bringing forth more for the harvest. I was at the graveside of an old friend, a man who brought me to Christ decades ago. He died two Sundays ago. His graveside service was officiated by Mormons because he fell into Mormonism within ten years of being Born Again. I know of not one more person he led to the Lord once he fell into Mormonism with his wife. I watched that religion change him, dull his light, cast his mind into endless confusion. But he will be in the Rapture of the Church, because the Church is something God fashions, not the works of. Faith is the key which opens the heart to the Promises of God. During the ages when the Catholic Church was the only Christian message, God was saving believers, even as the rituals and incantations were blunting the growth of same.
Having faith in your faith does not save ..JESUS CHRIST SAVES ...Having faith in a false jesus does not save..
Aw, you taking away Jim Caveazel’s ‘potential’?
Father; bless me; for I have sinned.
Els meister, not only are you a hater, but you got it backward too. 😂😎 I can see you have never been to confession. When I used to go confess all my mortal sins to the priest (I did not worry too much about venial sins) but I was always taught it was "bless me father, for I have sinned." How dare you make a mistake like that? 😱😇
This!!!!!!!!!!
If the eternal life giving eucharist doesn’t wear off, then why the repetition?
Who knows for sure? I couldn't give an answer either, and I am an ex catholic, but maybe it doesn't give eternal life in the first place, or maybe they are simply not sure, and want to keep receiving it, just in case it DOES wear off.
I don’t know who drew that diagram, but neither Jesus Christ, nor the apostles, EVER used the phrase ‘God the Son’. They always used the phrase ‘Son of God’. Even Satan and his demons addressed Jesus Christ as the ‘Son of God’. Foretelling of the birth of the Christ child, the angel Gabriel used the phrase ‘Son of God’. And witnessing his death on the cross, the centurion said, “truly this man was the Son of God”.
The apostles knew that God the Father is omnipresent (there’s not a circle big enough to put him entirely in it). They knew that Jesus Christ dwells in the midst of (the invisible) God the Father, and that God the Father dwells IN Jesus Christ, and has given the Christ ALL power in heaven and earth. They knew that the Holy Ghost proceeds FROM God the Father. God gives of his Spirit as he sees fit for the task at hand; be it rebirth, healing, prophecy, etc.
There are many traditions that are a mix of scriptures and ideas of man. The eucharist ritual is one such tradition that was revised to suit the fleshly minded man. They ignore the fact that Peter didn’t spell it out in detail during the conversion of the Jews (Acts chap 2), or the Samaritans (chap 8), or the Gentiles (chap 10).
With the exception of some of the Jews that may have been present when the Lord made his ‘flesh’ and ‘blood’ declaration (Jn chap 6), none of those folks had heard about the ‘Lord’s supper’. And Peter certainly didn’t mention it in those cases, or in his epistles. I believe that the apostles taught it as a solemn remembrance of the Lord’s death, because the scriptures seem to make that clear.
The phrase ‘God the Son’ is an invention of man. It is a quite needful phrase for the ‘mother of God’ proponents.
While trying to grasp the understanding of the infinite God, many ideas abound. I just prefer to define God as the ‘scriptures hath said’.
I believe that God has preserved the essentials of what he wants man to know about the past, present, and future; and what he wants man to observe, and pass on. The means in which He has kept his will made known, has been wide and varied. But his best means is through his Son.
Obama’s “You didn’t build that” would be a fitting response to anyone claiming to preserve God’s Word, for it is written in heaven, and cannot be destroyed.
Affirmative sir. The key word being 'clear' I have no problem understanding it. I always interpret difficult verses in the light of the clear teaching of the Bible, not the other way around. Some may not like that. They may feel free to think whatever they like. That's on them. I am an independent thinker. I make up my own mind. Isn't that great? 😂😇
Catholics identify as Catholic because that's what true Christians are....Catholic. That was the case for 1,600 years and still is. If you come along 16 centuries after Catholicism was instituted by Christ and decide to change the definition of the word Christian...good luck getting that through....If you are not a Catholic, you are either incomplete as a Christian or in serious error....there are both in the protestant world....but there are NO protestants who are complete or errorless Christians...NONE.
WOW...you're awake....that's exactly what Christ said "THIS IS MY BODY and THIS IS MY BLOOD"...pretty clear to all who do not attempt to reinterpret truth...see how easy it is when you just read and understand???
**I am an independent thinker. I make up my own mind. Isn’t that great?**
Absolutely! Having that freedom is great. Without independent thinkers, there would have not been those that Jesus Christ said displayed great faith, such as the woman from Cannan (”the dogs eat the crumbs”), and the centurion (”say the word only, and my servant shall live”).
God bless
please tell me that you don't live in central Indiana...........
Gigantic moneymakers and Elmer's glue is still the best!!!!
The simple fact is that God used the Catholic Church as His messenger and without the messenger, there would be no message.....there obviously could have been a different messenger, but there wasn't.
The Vatican is paid for...they are free.
Probably caused the loss of more souls that any other human in history.
No it isn't.
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