Posted on 03/17/2016 7:49:46 AM PDT by ebb tide
I think I was just a common, ordinary, everyday, run of the mill Catholic, but the best thing that ever happened to me, was becoming an ex Catholic.
Now, I have assurance of salvation, and quite frankly, I am not all that concerned what anyone thinks about it. People can believe whatever they like, but that's on them.
Does the Roman Catholic church think it OWNS Rome?
Careful, you have a few dozen fat, slothful, adulterous heretics in your "unbroken" line of popes.
We actually have the words of Jesus to believe and He isn't a liar.
Playing chess with pigeons again bro? 😆😃😄😀
I always liked old J Vernon. He always told the truth, and he had assurance of salvation. I don't think he played chess with pigeons. 😆
Nobody can help me get to heaven.
They have no say in the matter, either for or against.
It’s between me and my Savior. HE’S the one who died for me. HE’S the one who forgives me and covers me with His righteousness.
It’s all about HIM and what HE has done. HE gets all the glory because as Paul says in Romans 7:18 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”
There’s where being born again comes in. I am now a new creature in Christ, having been given a new spiritual, reborn nature, one that does desire to please God and is pure and sinless. That’s why when this body of flesh dies, all that is left of my nature is the new, reborn in the image of Christ one. So then I am *good enough* (for lack of a better term) to stand in the presence of God.
Especially since HE is the one who chose to forgive me when I put my faith and trust in Christ. And no one or nothing else.
et: So your final judgement has already come and gone?
YES!!!!!!!
That's what we've been telling you. Jesus used the past tense to describe our standing before God.
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.
Jesus says that I do NOT come into judgment. I've passed by it already.
With a thread TITLE like this; I can SEE why there are 327 replies before I even found out of it’s existence!
ALL of you Catholics are taught that you're NEVER saved, until your final judgement by Christ.
That's good.
Can't a LITTLE peace be found ANYWHERE??
No mention at ALL about those 7 CATHOLIC churches in Asia that John wrote about?
That was yesterday. Now, let the beatings resume until morale improves.
How long should it take?
Seems like you have a problem with Jesus.
As regards the oft-quoted Mt. 16:18
• Augustine, sermon:
"Christ, you see, built his Church not on a man but on Peter's confession. What is Peter's confession? 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' There's the rock for you, there's the foundation, there's where the Church has been built, which the gates of the underworld cannot conquer. — John Rotelle, O.S.A., Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine , © 1993 New City Press, Sermons, Vol III/6, Sermon 229P.1, p. 327
Upon this rock, said the Lord, I will build my Church. Upon this confession, upon this that you said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer her (Mt. 16:18). — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City, 1993) Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 236A.3, p. 48.
• Augustine, sermon:
For petra (rock) is not derived from Peter, but Peter from petra; just as Christ is not called so from the Christian, but the Christian from Christ. For on this very account the Lord said, 'On this rock will I build my Church,' because Peter had said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' On this rock, therefore, He said, which thou hast confessed, I will build my Church. For the Rock (Petra) was Christ; and on this foundation was Peter himself built. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus. The Church, therefore, which is founded in Christ received from Him the keys of the kingdom of heaven in the person of Peter, that is to say, the power of binding and loosing sins. For what the Church is essentially in Christ, such representatively is Peter in the rock (petra); and in this representation Christ is to be understood as the Rock, Peter as the Church. — Augustine Tractate CXXIV; Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume VII Tractate CXXIV (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf107.iii.cxxv.html)
• Augustine, sermon:
And Peter, one speaking for the rest of them, one for all, said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:15-16)...And I tell you: you are Peter; because I am the rock, you are Rocky, Peter-I mean, rock doesn't come from Rocky, but Rocky from rock, just as Christ doesn't come from Christian, but Christian from Christ; and upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:17-18); not upon Peter, or Rocky, which is what you are, but upon the rock which you have confessed. I will build my Church though; I will build you, because in this answer of yours you represent the Church. — John Rotelle, O.S.A. Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City Press, 1993), Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 270.2, p. 289
• Augustine, sermon:
Peter had already said to him, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' He had already heard, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not conquer her' (Mt 16:16-18)...Christ himself was the rock, while Peter, Rocky, was only named from the rock. That's why the rock rose again, to make Peter solid and strong; because Peter would have perished, if the rock hadn't lived. — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City, 1993) Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 244.1, p. 95
• Augustine, sermon:
...because on this rock, he said, I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not overcome it (Mt. 16:18). Now the rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Hold on to these texts, love these texts, repeat them in a fraternal and peaceful manner. — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City Press, 1995), Sermons, Volume III/10, Sermon 358.5, p. 193
• Augustine, Psalm LXI:
Let us call to mind the Gospel: 'Upon this Rock I will build My Church.' Therefore She crieth from the ends of the earth, whom He hath willed to build upon a Rock. But in order that the Church might be builded upon the Rock, who was made the Rock? Hear Paul saying: 'But the Rock was Christ.' On Him therefore builded we have been. — Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), Volume VIII, Saint Augustin, Exposition on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXI.3, p. 249. (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf108.ii.LXI.html)
• Augustine, in “Retractions,”
In a passage in this book, I said about the Apostle Peter: 'On him as on a rock the Church was built.'...But I know that very frequently at a later time, I so explained what the Lord said: 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,' that it be understood as built upon Him whom Peter confessed saying: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and so Peter, called after this rock, represented the person of the Church which is built upon this rock, and has received 'the keys of the kingdom of heaven.' For, 'Thou art Peter' and not 'Thou art the rock' was said to him. But 'the rock was Christ,' in confessing whom, as also the whole Church confesses, Simon was called Peter. But let the reader decide which of these two opinions is the more probable. — The Fathers of the Church (Washington D.C., Catholic University, 1968), Saint Augustine, The Retractations Chapter 20.1:.
Perhaps you can point out the necessity of those 7 Catholic churches in Asia that John was instructed by the angel to write about.
You won't have a problem with Jesus. Mary by doing that; right?
I don't mind at all.
The number of denominations is irrelevant since it's not any one church that saves.
Often, the different denominations have a different focus of ministry or a preference for a different style of governance.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus addressed 7 different churches. They all had their strengths and weaknesses and yet not once sis Jesus chastise them for their differences or not being under one centralized authority nor did He command them to do so.
All denominations, be it Prot or RC has a mixture of saved and unsaved in them because salvation is not dependent on church but on Jesus. There will be unbelievers (tares) mixed in with the believers, (wheat) in any one church. The only thing that varies is the ratio.
The uniting factor for Christians is their relationship with Christ, not their denominational affiliation. It's not *Us* against *them* (and if it is, they are wrong).
It's being brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, united in that bond having the same Spirit.
I have no idea where any of the non-Catholics who post on this forum attend with the exception of Elsie and MomMD, who have told us. And I honestly don't care as long as they are trusting Christ for salvation, they are saved and my brother and sister.
Ten (or more) of them do; however; make a MEH!
#323
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.