Thanks for posting and I will pray for fortitude for you as you will need spiritual armor since you almost certainly will come under attack. There is a double standard on these threads:
It is OK for anti-catholics to post polemics - one poster puts up anti catholic propaganda at least twice a week or more, and that is considered OK. But God forbid a Catholic should put up an article defending and explaining the Church’s actual doctrine based on scripture because that is considered to be hatred; in fact, particularly if it contains scripture, because only anti catholics feel justified to quote scripture since they have been taught and actually believe the absurd lie that Catholics are “unscriptural”. This occurs even though the Catholic explanation does not contain any vicious language or ad hominem attacks.
Therein lies the complete lack of civil discourse and conversation on these topics. The moderation rules ought to be changed: individual name-calling and attack is not allowed (deo gratias or things would be worse); group name calling should be banned as well.
“Cross talk” where groups are talked about (mocked and derided which is actually not Christian and proscribed in the bible) in a side conversation on the thread needs to be banned also; I have read that this type of “cross talk” is forbidden at twelve step meetings because it is destructive and harmful and does nothing to promote healing. These RF threads ought to have a similar rule instituted.
At any rate, I will pray for this thread.
On topic:
Not well known but true, is the fact that Martin Luther made up his own bible translation for the Germans (mostly FROM the Vulgate, the Catholic canon) pretty much as he pleased; he “found” the entire doctrines of sola fida and sola scriptura, etc. using just one or two verses; other scripture he considered “obscure”, nullifying his own “all scripture is useful” premise.
Somehow God kept Christians from the “correct” (i.e. no sacraments) understanding if the the Truth for 1500 years!
St. Irenaeus ora pro nobis
Sts. Peter and Paul; ora pro nobis
I realize that this post contains the “cross talk” that I believe ought to be banned - however in order to solve the problem it has to be defined before it can be done away with, and that was the intent here.
No, I'd consider it refreshing except they twist the meanings out of context.
This occurs even though the Catholic explanation does not contain any vicious language or ad hominem attacks.
I'm glad they were able to restrain themselves.
Jesus stated clearly that God has those Promised for Jesus in His Hand. And Jesus stated clearly that He has His in His hand. That makes two hands holding the Saved, the Delivered, the born from above into His family.
Jesus goes on to assert no man can take them or snatch them from those two hands. That 'no man' includes you, when you are born from above. Why? Because you did not birth yourself into His family, He did it. So the assurance of Salvation, the absolute guarantee of Delivered from the law of sin and death is made by God's Promise, and no man, not even you, would be able to take you out of His family grasp.
I know that's a hard saying for a catholic to comprehend, but it is the essence of how people are 'kept from the Truth' that this simple explanation is not sufficient for the 'salvation' offered by catholicism. And that is by design, the Nicolaitan design which empowers the institution at the expense of immortal souls.
A born from above Christian is obedient to family character traits, which of course are shown in the Ten Commandments revealing the Nature of God ... God is not a man that He could lie, or steal, or commit adultery or murder or ... well, you should get the gist.
The New Covenant Jesus delivered (Luke 22:15-20), sealed in Christ's Blood is this, that God has taken Christ's death upon the Cross as penalty paid for violating the laws of sin and death. That done, God raised Him from the dead and has Christ's blood covering the Mercy Seat above the law of sin and death, so that the newly Justified spirit of a believer, any believer, is free to approach God's throne as His adopted child approaching his father.
This adoption is accomplished by the most astonishing Truth too many catholics miss, that God puts His LIFE in the born form above, so that His LIFE can raise you up in the Way that you should go as a family member. So that we may cry out "Abba, Father".