Monsignor Pope Ping!
He works in an Archdiocese that has been run by liars for decades.
“The Protestant tradition erred in dividing faith and works. In the 16th century, Protestants claimed that we are saved by “faith alone.” Faith is never alone. It always brings effects with it.”
That isn’t the case. The Roman Catholic Church has, very sadly, missed the point. Because it ignores Ephesians 2 and many other verses, it argues that Protestants ignore James 2 and other verses. And then for all intents and purposes it negates and ignores Ephesians 2 and all verses about being saved by faith not by works.
No, Protestants don’t ignore any of it. We accept them both as true. We are NOT saved by works. But we know if we are saved, if we have truly been reconciled to God and converted to His way and His will for us, then we will do works. And that is the only way to reconcile both types of verses. There is no other way to accept them.
We are told by Jesus Himself that apart from Him, the vine, we can do nothing. And anything done outside f faith is sin. And that the Christian works we do are done by Christ living inside of us. So it’s a matter of being truly converted and born again.
The closely-related issue to the “faith versus works” question is whom do we credit for our salvation? Does the Lord alone save us, or do we get some of the credit? Because Protestants believe that the Lord alone saves us and gets the credit, and our works don’t count anything towards that, then we have to accept what Ephesians 2 and other verses say about us being saved by grace alone, through faith, which is not of ourselves, but a gift to us, so no man may boast.
So here is another way of looking at this as well.
God is light, the Bible teaches us. Can any of us claim to be an original source of light, like God is? Who else besides God can be an ORIGINATOR of light? Any light that we have in us, does any of it come originally from us, or does it ALL come from God? I know what I believe.
The Roman Catholic tradition erred in making SALVATION dependent on faith and works - a change from the ancient and Biblical understanding that we are justified and made righteous by the grace of God through faith and not our works. This doesn't mean that works have no place in our lives. As Mr. Pope said, genuine faith is not alone but WILL be evident in a changed life because of the indwelling AND sealing by the Holy Spirit. If our works of righteousness, though, are made a condition of salvation - as Catholicism and some other faiths do - then it is no more by grace because grace would no longer BE grace (see Romans 11:6).
Peter gave an altar call in Acts and a lot of folks responded.
When we profess faith in Christ....if He's not our Lord and Savior and it's not personal....then what kind of salvation is it?? Cold and aloof??
Jesus died on the Cross for my sins....that's pretty personal to me.
But I think this speaks to a greater problem in Roman Catholicism.....a distance between the lay Roman Catholic and God.
This is why I believe Roman Catholics think they have to go through Mary or some other mediator....they don't believe they can actually approach the throne of Grace or that God won't hear/answer their prayers.
The NT is clear...We can know for certain that we have eternal life and that He does hear and will answer our prayers.
13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:13 NASB
But I've been noticing a trend among a number of threads labeled as caucus threads by Roman Catholics that aren't due to mentioning other religions.
I ask that Roman Catholics scrutinize their threads more closely or perhaps before a thread is able to be labeled a caucus thread it is reviewed by a mod.
should have put this in the caucus because you know the “SINNING IS OKAY” brigade will have a field day....
Dear Salvation,
Thank you so much for what you do here. Seems to me that if you weren’t doing good, you wouldn’t be the target of all these sickening attacks.
Which evidences ignorance on the part of pope, or, whom like so many "Catholic answers types, rely on misrepresentation to justify their attacks on historical faith.
Rather than “faith alone" meaning to 16th century, Protestants what pope says in regards to works, they taught it is the faith that effects works that is salvific, saying what Pope states, that "Faith is never alone. It always brings effects with it." No less a historical document on SS and Sola fide than the Westminster confession states that faith,
yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love. - Westminster Confession of Faith, CHAPTER XI. Of Justification
Luther himself in sermons rejected the idea that a faith which did not effect characteristic obedience was salvific, stating,
Now where is pope's correction of himself?
Good old James!
For what would we be arguing about if he hadn't penned: "Faith without works is dead."?
Why didn't the writer of HEBREWS identify himself??
Ashamed of chapter 11???
And this is the Pelagius mistake that separates the true gospel from the phony one. We do not change the way we live. We are given to Christ Jesus by the Father who baptizes us into the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who changes the way we live. If one examines themselves, they will acknowledge God's work in their lives which is verified with what the scripture teaches. To this end we give glory to God for the work that He continues to bring in our lives. Apart from Him we can do nothing.