Posted on 04/08/2016 7:34:38 AM PDT by Salvation
The Gospel proclaimed on Wednesday of this week included the familiar John 3:16. So familiar is this verse, that many hold up signs or have bumper stickers that simply say, “John 3:16.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life (John 3:16).
It is indeed a beautiful verse, but I would argue that many use it inauthentically by pulling it out from its place within a longer passage. The fuller segment is John 3:16-21, which is as much a passage of warning as it is of consolation and assurance.
Here it is again, along with the remainder of that longer passage:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God (John 3:16-21).
This fuller context has somewhat of a different tone. It sets forth a great drama in which our lives are cast. It amounts to sober assessment of the obtuseness of many human hearts and of the urgent need for us to decide well in life.
Those who merely quote the first verse run the risk of presenting this text as a kind of a freewheeling assurance that all is well and that salvation is largely in the bag, that judgment and condemnation are not a significant factor since “God so loved the world.” And while the concept of faith is included in this first verse, without the larger context the tendency is to soft-pedal the need for repentance and for the obedience of faith. In so doing, the true drama and sober teaching of the fuller text are lost.
The longer passage fleshes the message out and has a balance that the shortened text does not. Here is what Jesus is in effect saying, expressed in more modern language:
As I live, I and my Father do not desire that any should die in their sins or be lost. I have not currently come as your judge but as your savior. I will come one day as the judge of all, but now is a time of grace and mercy extended to you.
But you need to know that you have a decision to make, a decision that will determine where you will spend eternity.
So please listen to me! Open the door to me and let me draw you to the obedience of faith and the beauty of holiness. If you do this, light will dawn for you, for I am the Light and your life will grow ever brighter.
But if you will not repent and come to a lifesaving obedience of faith, your heart will begin to despise me and the light of my glory. You will become accustomed to the darkness and begin to consider the Light (which I am) to be obnoxious, harsh, judgmental, and even cruel. Yes, you will begin to hate me, for I am the Light. You will prefer the darkness because you love your sins more.
Come to your senses and don’t let this happen. You have a decision to make: for the light or for the darkness, for me or for the prince of this world, Satan. Be sober and understand the dramatic choice before you. Your salvation depends on your choice to come to obedient faith in me or to reject me.
And know this: on the day of your judgment, the verdict will not be rendered by me so much as by you. For by then, you will either love the Light or hate it. And I will not force you to live in a light you detest. You will be free to go your own way. It will not be I who reject you. It will be you who reject me.
Be sober. Don’t let this happen. Don’t marginalize or ignore me. Don’t prefer the world and its twisted values and passing pleasures. Your sins will make you hate the light and prefer the darkness. You have a decision to make.
This message is much more complex than that contained in the popular, abbreviated text known as John 3:16. God’s mercy is offered, but the final verdict will center on whether or not we accept it. This message may be less consoling but it is true nonetheless, and only the truth can set us free.
There is a tendency by many to pull out certain verses and isolate them from their context and from the fuller message of the Gospel. The full and authentic Gospel echoes the opening call of the Lord Jesus: “Repent and believe the Good News.”
So yes, John 3:16! But please continue reading. The whole Gospel, please!
Would that not involve reading their minds?
Best we could do is to LISTEN to what a catholic says about his/her 'experience'.
I'll wait to see what you say about all of AUGUSTINE's words.
HMMMmmm...
Says the fella that brushes away the 'scam' popes of Rome!!
And the wafers?
Back into the box until needed?
We are NOT the folks who force others to go to catechism classes!
And then complain later that they were poorly catechized!
Straighten out your own teachers!
This shows the level of ignorance of TRUE Catholics have about Catholic teaching, dogma, instruction, and social work.
Likewise...
Inquiring minds have embraced Protestantism even among former Catholics, atheists and communists.
The Eucharist is just a commemorative meal, as the Bible insists.
Now then...
It was quite a JOYFUL noise I'd bet!
You accept Rome's doctrine without Scripture; so NOW you complain?
Oh; I see...
So; the Holy Spirit; Who will teach jus all things; didn't get the message straight to SOME of the ECFs; right??
They had to DEBATE the issue?
It should have been PERFECTLY clear!!!
May a brood of vipers bite you.
I see...
Luke 22:19 Douay-Rheims Bible
And taking bread, he gave thanks, and brake; and gave to them, saying: This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me.
You can thank me for the rest of the verse later...
You are using the WORD dishonestly. Put the rest of the words of Jesus regarding the cup onto the screen and see your deception clearly. JESUS called the cup contents fruit of the vine.
Luke 22:17 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves, 18because I tell you, from now on I will never drink the product of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”19 Then he took a loaf of bread, gave thanks, broke it in pieces, and handed it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Keep on doing this in memory of me.”
20 He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood, which is being poured out for you.
[Keep in mind what Augustine said of this memoria, if it appears something violates the law then it should be taken figuratively; Jesus ends the lesson by identifying the cup contents as fruit of the vine. He is using a sacred symbology that Catholicism has twisted into a blasphemy.]
Mark 14:22 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to them, saying, “Take some. This is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He told them, “This is my blood of the covenant that is being poured out for many people. 25 I tell all of you with certainty, I’ll never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it. This is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, 28 because this is my blood of the newn covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell all of you I will never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it with you once again in my Father’s kingdom.”
The part you leave out is making your posts a great lie, to support the blasphemy of catholiciism teaching sincere adherents that they eat the real flesh and imbibe the real blood of The Risen Lord Jesus. But the lie is easily exposed because this Passover meal was BEFORE the Cross and Resurrection, so Jesus would not have been giving the flesh and blood of the Risen Lord. Does it not yet slap you up the side of the head that the entire blasphemy is based in a great lie that satan has duped catholics into swallowing? Sad that catholic minds cannot see lies when two are put together by the magicsteerignthem to make a larger lie palatable.
“Plus, if we start examining those books [the canon from the council of Rome] we find problems with them that don’t line up with Christianity. Roman Catholicism maybe, but not Christianity.”
LOL This is my favorite argument from the Protestants on this thread. “There are problems with this canon because it does not conform to what we want it to say so therefore, toss out the ones that don’t.”
And they don’t know the difference between apocrypha and The Book of Wisdom which is quoted by Jesus. They lay more weight on the counsel of Jews who met long after Jesus and who excluded anything not originally written in Hebrew than they do in the direct apostolic descendants of the Apostles.
It’s a pretzel from folks who are part of the 41,000 denominations schismed (is that a word?) from the Church.
Ah, but the holy spirit in catholiciism is not God’s Holy Spirit because God is not double-minded like the hs of catholiciism.
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