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!
You have a short memory or are ignorant of history and elitist RC claims. And what Scripture says the response should be. Rome has made herself an enemy of God.
And see for yourself which type of "Christianity" is more on the side of liberals.
Well, that ignorant and untrue statement has been refuted more times than I can count, so instead of attempting to do so AGAIN, since it gets us nowhere anyway because Catholics will just never believe it when we show them that they're wrong, my response from now on will be......
eat your heart out.
As are the mariolators.
And not a one of those says that our salvation hangs on doing those good works, or that we lost our salvation if we don’t.
Prove that they *turned against the *OTC* and did it with *vicious hatred*, and that it is not merely an opinion of yours that that is how they behaved.
Has it ever occurred to you that there are bigger problems out there than Catholics?
Like atheism, paganism, Islamism and liberalism.
And if you ever were to persuade a Catholic to change their beliefs, have you thought about the possibility that they might just quit going to church altogether?
I am sure you think that that is better than being a Catholic, but attendance in ALL denominations are down.
FR did a poll awhile back and Catholics are the largest single group on FR by a wide margin.
If you have any respect for the intelligence of the average Freeper, I suggest you consider changing your posts to antiMorman, anti Jehovah Witness, antitheist, anti-atheist, anti-pagan, antiliberal, antidemocrat, antiHillary, ect.
The list goes on and on.
Just saying.
Glad someone has time to do it.
I John 5:10-13 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may *KNOW* (emphasis mine) that you have eternal life.
God wants us to KNOW that we HAVE eternal life.
Now.....
That's why He told us in Scripture, right in these very verses.
And here are more, spoken by Jesus Himself.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 10:25-30 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
Jesus came to set us free. Free from sin. Free from death. Free from FEAR.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
How many times a day do I utter the words, “Forgive me, Lord?” I don’t know. How un-Christian is that?
It's not unChristian. However, it demonstrates a lack of trust in Jesus both in what He did and what He said/says.
“Keep in mind that Martin Luther and Henry VIII were Catholic apostates also. They were both devout Catholics at one time, but when they turned against the One, True, Church, they did so with vicious hatred. Pray for all apostates .”
Keep in mind that Luther wanted the Church to reform and go back to it’s Biblical roots. Instead he was labeled an apostate and the Church caused a terrible division.
Pray especially for apostates inside the Church.
Yeah slam dunk.
Phil 2:12 “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”.
Wait, once saved always saved. I guess Paul was wrong.
The history of the Church and the origination of the Protestantism more than anything brought me into the Church.
I was raised by a family who thought the Pope was the anti Christ.
Totally anti Catholic bigots.
I was written out of my dad’s will when I became Catholic.
Needless to say they would have felt right at home here on Freerepublic!
Phil 2:12 “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”.
“work out”
not
“work for”
And the Catholic church EX-COMMUNICATED Luther.
He didn’t leave it and didn’t want to.
He wanted the immorality and corruption cleaned out of it and for that, they kicked him out.
None of this righteous living stuff for them, eh?
Imagine the nerve of speaking out against sin and money grubbing in the form of indulgences, which when the RCC got rid of them, by default admitted that Luther was correct. Not to mention that Catholics today condemn indulgences, just like Luther did.
I wonder, how many Catholics today would be willing to accept the condition of the Catholic church as it was in Luther’s day?
Would they be OK with the sale of indulgences and the licentious lifestyle of the clergy?
Look at them speak out at Pope Francis. Can you imagine that they’d be OK with the condition of the RCC as it was then?
I am happy for any Christian believer to worship wherever they believe God wants them to worship.
It is between them and Him.
My only desire for all is that they come to entrust themselves to Christ alone for salvation. Not their own works, which do not give eternal life.
I started Catholic and came to know Christ in college. I worship in a different Christian church.
best
Become conformed to the likeness of Christ.
*Working out* doesn’t mean earning it. It means working through it, living it out.
We are saved. Work it out = live it out. Live as a saved person would. Over come sin. Overcome evil with good.
Pot, meet Kettle.
Hoss
I have nothing against Roman Catholics. I know many for whom I have no doubt are Christians; and none of them believe that one must be a Roman Catholic to be saved to gain eternal life in Heaven.
The greatest fault of the Roman Catholic Church is the unbiblical belief that it is the only true church.
There is only one path to eternal life; and that is through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. A membership in any paricular church or denomination is not a requirement.
Agreed; and once the Christians wake up and come out of that old harlot, the Roman Catholic Cult, they will no doubt stand and fight. But until the Lord calls them out of their sin and death, all we can do is show them the Gospel and pray for them. To God, by the way, not some "Saint so and so" --
Hoss
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