Posted on 07/01/2015 7:13:05 AM PDT by RnMomof7
Recently there has been a surge in prominent Evangelicals calling for unity with Roman Catholicism. In one sense there seems to be strong foundational similarities that would justify these calls to unity. Catholics are baptized in the name of the Trinity. God’s revealed word in the Bible -- setting aside their addition of the Apocryphal books, for argument’s sake -- is foundational to their worldview. Catholics love Christ and believe that he died on the cross and rose again to provide grace for sinners.
Obviously there are theological differences associated with the specific teachings of each one of these perceived similarities, and I do not want to minimize the importance of these differences. But for argument‘s sake, at least on the surface, there is some common ground.
There is also a strong agreement in ethical standards. Both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals ground morality on God’s holy nature as revealed in the law of God. This means that on the hot button moral issues of the day; the murder of the unborn, human sexuality, the sanctity of marriage there is solidarity between Roman Catholic and Evangelical ethics because they are coming from the same source. Again, this seems to justify a call to some sense of unity.
Are these good enough reasons to publically stump for visible unity with Roman Catholics? That question is beyond the scope of this post. But there is a more fundamental question that must be answered first. That question serves as the dividing line between followers of Christ and the world, which separates biblical Christianity from every other worldview; does Rome possess and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The author of the book of Hebrews in chapter 10 contrasts the gospel with that which is but a shadow of the gospel. He argues:
"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." -- Heb 10:11–14
The argument being presented here makes it clear that Christ’s singular sacrifice, his death on the cross, perfects those for whom it is made for. This is the gospel. It is contrasted with the shadow of the gospel in which sacrifices were repeatedly made year after year because though they symbolized the atoning and perfecting sacrifice of Christ, they never themselves perfected those for whom they were made. The gospel of Jesus Christ perfects and any other religious strategies cannot.
This principle is directly applicable to the question of Roman Catholicism and the gospel of God. Roman Catholic worship centers on the mass. The mass is a series of liturgical practices that culminates in the Eucharist which according to paragraph 1068 of the Catholic of the Catholic Church (hereafter CCC) is a divine sacrifice. Paragraph 1367 of CCC calls the Eucharist a “truly propitiatory” sacrifice. This sacrifice is performed repeatedly in the life of a Catholic.
The reason the Eucharist is performed repeatedly is because even though it is claimed to be a propitiatory sacrifice that can make reparation for sins (CCC, 1414), it is a sacrifice that never perfects anyone. According to the Catholic message grace is something that you get from God by performing certain acts. First, God gives you the grace for faith in Jesus (CCC, 2000). Second, when you are baptized God graciously erases the sin of Adam from your record (CCC 1257). From that point on you get more grace by doing things like participating in the sacraments, including the Eucharist. The problem is that when you commit sins, you lose some of the grace you have gained and now need more lest your grace be found wanting at final judgment. This forces the Catholic into a position where they need to return day after day, week after week, and year after year to a priest who serves to repeatedly re-present the same sacrifice which never perfects those for whom it is made, since it only offers grace to cover some sin.
This is not the gospel.
Roman Catholics need the gospel for the same reason we all need it. We are all sinners with such a messed up and low view of how holy holiness really is that we think somehow through our own efforts we can attain it. If we just had enough time and willpower we could somehow have our good deeds outweigh our bad, and this will please God just enough for me to be acceptable to him. This is a satanic lie. A satanic lie that to some degree or another we have all bought into at some point in our life.
But the truth is glorious. God is good and God is holy. He is more good and more holy than we can possibly imagine. God is so good and so holy that anything less than absolute perfection is unacceptable in his presence. It is because of God’s awesome goodness and awesome holiness that in his wisdom he has offered us grace, through faith in Christ. A good and holy sacrifice that absolutely without question completely perfects everyone for whom it is made.
The BIBLE
Yeah I watched the video you posted and about half of the second one as well., And I thanked you for posting it.
Was it crafted by the same artist that put a crucifix in a jar of pee?
You are incorrect.
It will hurt their feelings too greatly as the Truth exposes how they have been deceived. That’s a hard thing to accept, ‘that you have been deceived for lo these many years’, and satan counts on that to capture most souls he will drag away from God’s Grace.
It didn't hurt my feeling at all. I thought it was pretty hilarious the way they misinterpreted Scripture, and regurgitated the same tired arguments that the Catholics have tried to explain to deaf ears time and time again.
No..but I looked at some of his other work...also “dark”.
Given the other things that they got wrong I have to question their veracity.
MS is going to skip Windows 15.3 and go directly to Windows 16, right after Windows 10 bombs with PC users.
(Stick with 7.)
Placemarker! This is gonna be interesting.
Some thing else that is pretty hilarious is reading the one star reviews on Amazon.com. They must have scripted the video and then cut and pasted their shock and dismay.
No...but i saw some of his other works..also “dark”.
I have been around long enough to see people with agendas "quote" things out of context to further their own ends.
Non-Catholics are exceptionally guilty of this.
“How does a rational person get convinced that a non-leavened cracker and a sip of wine get converted into REAL flesh and REAL blood to begin with”.
Number one you have to believe the Bible is the Word of God. Everything in the Bible. You can’t pick and choose. The heretics that make of the Holy Eucharist will bust hell wide open when they leave this earth. The ones that are totally ignorant of this teaching might someday inherit the Kingdome.
Never forget that there are TWICE AS MANY CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE
that believe in the Lord and believe what he said, and all practice the Holy Eucharist. You lose. Move on to another subject to look stupid. The majority agrees with me not you or any other heretic. You’re outnumbered. Give up.
By actually reading, and understanding the Bible, instead of trusting Brother Bob and the house of god.
But the John O’Brien quote was the topic of discussion. Why evade checking it out for validity, since you say you watched the video and part of the second one?
I say it is very important for every Roman Catholic to know whether they agree or disagree with John O’Brien’s quote. because he has brought so much to the table as an officially-approved spokesman for the RCC.
Still am curious why you refuse to say whether you believe O’Brien’s statement is what you believe or not. I do not believe it.
I am with the majority in believing in the Real Presence at the Eucharist. There are twice the number of Christians worldwide that take the Lord at his word, and have been observing the Holy Eucharist for the last 2,000 years, that those that deny the Real Presence. Protestant sects are vastly outnumbered. Give it up. You lose.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life”.
One requirement yes. Bingo. Give that person a cigar.
In his book The Faith of Millions, John O’Brien, a Catholic priest, explains the procedure of the Mass.
How many Roman Catholics here believe this is truly a factual statement? O’Brien write this”
“When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors: it is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man—not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.”
Verga, where do you stand on this statement please?
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