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!
He did not need to have an excuse ..one is free to leave as they wish
If it was for a woman all he had to d was what the pope and priests have always done. just have her as a mistress
TC loves the word “inane”.
Of course
But there needs to be another forum for that
Is this a political forum or a religious forum
But Elsie honey this ain’t prosletyzing here
It’s breast beating and finger pointing
“Look at me Lord I’m loud”
Yeah! Elsie honey.
But the fact that the version that would be in current use would have been approved by the pope and the magisterium would place it in the category of not having anything in it that is opposition to rome teaching .It would hold the imprimatur .
"The nihil obstat and imprimatur are declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat or imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.[7] "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprimatur
You have to keep in mind that dogmas can be changed or eliminated as they wish
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
If any does not gather with Him, then that person scatters.
Essentially, Christian Unity is a precious biblical doctrine for the entire body of Christ.
John 17:...20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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.
So, did you believe in Him through their (the Apostles’) message? Did I? Did John Smith on the other side of the world?
If so, then Jesus wants us to be ONE.
I have family and friends that are RC..and I love them .. this is not about loving individuals ...this is about a church position.. Rome has officially condemned me to hell. . so you may "love" me, but your church does not.
BTW I love you as well .. I actually have warm feelings for most of the RC posters here.. Salvation and I have bumped heads for many years, .. A few years ago an RC lady died I felt so bad , and missed her input..
If they had an FR get together we could have coffee or "share a beer "... this is not personal ,,
Thats why the comment struck me..according to his beliefs that is where she would be..but he said they could pray to her
That would be cool!
I’m southern it’s not disrespectful to a woman here to call her dear or honey
I think Elsie is rather smart actually on most topics
I just don’t see Christian to Christian denominational vitriol helpful
The Church of Jesus Christ doesn’t act like it’s one, and in their oneness they convince others that God truly did send His Son. In their divisiveness they have a much tougher go of convincing others that the love of Jesus on the Christ is somehow evidenced in their lack of love for each other.
The council of trent cursed every protestant to hell ...
Canon 1. "If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema."
Canon 4. "If any one saith, that man's free will moved and excited by God, by assenting to God exciting and calling, nowise co-operates towards disposing and preparing itself for obtaining the grace of Justification; that it cannot refuse its consent, if it would, but that, as something inanimate, it does nothing whatever and is merely passive; let him be anathema."
Canon 9. "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema."
Canon 11. "If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favour of God; let him be anathema." Canon 12. "If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema."
Canon 24. "If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."
Canon 30. "If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema."
Canon 32. "If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life, ...and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema."
pretty much.. but they only curse protestants to hell
Good sources ...but it does not bother me one bit that rome thinks I am going to hell, I think most RC’s are going to hell .. ...but to play the “separated brother” card when in fact they have and still curse us to hell ... is just more than I can take
Correction: love of Jesus the Christ
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.”
The way I was taught puts it in a better perspective; “Bless me Father. I confess to Almighty God, and to you, Father, that I have sinned.”
And if you remember the Act of Contrition that we were told to say when being absolved, there was not one word pertaining to the priest. It was, “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee. And I detest all of my sins...”
The priest may absolve us in the name of God, but it is through this heartfelt sorrow for and hatred of our sins that we receive forgiveness from God.
That was not an infallible teaching..sort like "limbo"..
That makes me wonder is the idea any "indulgences " is infallible..
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