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!
Lots of people who aren't Catholic are saved and NO, the revolution was NOT divinely-oriented....it was a serious attempt by Satan to damage the true church....the revolution had little if anything to do with any changes within Catholicism but rather confused many people who left the church and put their immortal souls in jeopardy....The Catholic church is very clear about what it teaches concerning those who deny the truth in Christ.....and it isn't pleasant.
I was in love with Elsie too until I learned that he was a he......now I just like him!!!
Yeah, they still work but there is no charge....neat huh???
Catholics hadn't written the Our Father or Hail Mary yet....but when they saw the need to do it, they did so....just in time too!!!
The words were said by Christ, not me....tell Him that He's wrong...
Once Luther left the true church of Christ, he could pretty much do as he pleased....OSAS saved his butt so it didn't matter if he married, divorced and remarried, violated his sacred vows....whatever....He was SAVED Halleluia!!!!!
That would, of course be true....man alone cannot write scripture, forgive sins, consecrate bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, discharge original sin by pouring a little water and saying a few words............unless Christ gives him the authority to do so....and of course He did just that....it's all there in the Bible which the Catholics provided for you to read.......read it!
I understand it is correct to say all three persons of the Godhead are involved in our salvation, but technically it is God the Father who elects and provides the call, and God the Holy Spirit who places the new human spirit in us created by God the Father, which He then indwells during this Church Age, while it is conditioned upon our receiving the common grace of God the Father with positive volition and accept the identity of Jesus Christ the Son, who is the object of our faith.
Ant that....from an authority on Catholic teaching......sheesh..
“Man would I not be a scary dogfood ugly woman”
You’d at least need to shave your face. Maybe put bones in your pockets so the dogs wouldn’t run from you.
Sports reporter for the Washington Post? Father of Maury?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Povich
FOTFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But he didn’t get divorced and remarried, etc, so that try to smear him failed.
Besides, he still had lightyears to go to reach the level of corruption found in the popes of his day.
Prove me wrong.
Show me the basis for limbo.
Well; them first two anyway...
I’m honored to be able to interact with ALL of you guys; no matter which side of the fence we straddle.
But; after a while (How long? I sure don't know) them fish better get eaten or they begin to rot.
Heck; GOD STILL isn't thru with me yet!
(If He is; I'm in BIG trouble!)
Where's your COMMON SENSE on this???
If Luther and others had NOT come along and slapped Rome to attention; who knows HOW many torture chambers YOUR church would be operating today?
Pope Stephen VI (896–897), who had his predecessor Pope Formosus exhumed, tried, de-fingered, briefly reburied, and thrown in the Tiber.[1]
Pope John XII (955–964), who gave land to a mistress, murdered several people, and was killed by a man who caught him in bed with his wife.
Pope Benedict IX (1032–1044, 1045, 1047–1048), who "sold" the Papacy
Pope Boniface VIII (1294–1303), who is lampooned in Dante's Divine Comedy
Pope Urban VI (1378–1389), who complained that he did not hear enough screaming when Cardinals who had conspired against him were tortured.[2]
Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503), a Borgia, who was guilty of nepotism and whose unattended corpse swelled until it could barely fit in a coffin.[3]
Pope Leo X (1513–1521), a spendthrift member of the Medici family who once spent 1/7 of his predecessors' reserves on a single ceremony[4]
Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), also a Medici, whose power-politicking with France, Spain, and Germany got Rome sacked.
Really?
I'd think a fine religious organization like yours would have some folks in it that heard from GOD themselves; without needing children in Portugal to receive and deliver His (her?) message.
(It's just common sense!)
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Yeah...
The Blessed Pope position was already taken...
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