Posted on 06/16/2019 4:55:18 AM PDT by CharlesOConnell
In Captains Courageous, with Spencer Tracey, Freddy Batholomew is a blowhard millionaire's son who is socially, poorly adjusted. He uses his father's incredible wealth, to bully his classmates and even his teacher, but he's roundly disliked, and ostracized. While on an ocean liner, he unsuccessfully tries to impress some other boys by eating 5 ice cream sodas. When he has to throw up, to escape the mocking boys, he runs into a lifeboat area to evade their ridicule while purging his overindulgence, and manages to fall overboard into the ocean.
Instances of people falling overboard into the open ocean are rather commonly reported in the news. Usually they are lost, but if by chance their accidents are observed and a life-preserver is thrown to them, is that the end of the story, do we just say, "oh, well, you have a floatation device, you're okay now"?
No, we have to pull them in. The life-preserver, the lifesaver, is only part of the formula for saving their lives. There is also a rope, which must be attached to the life-preserver, and must be used to finally accomplish their salvation.
Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man. But on the man side of the equation, unlike the radical individuality most typified by J.J. Rousseau, we who life the life of Christians do so in communities. But even then, we do not abide as atomistic individualists. We live our Jesus-oriented life in relation to our fellows. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." – Hebrews 10:25.
Jesus' first disciple was his mother, who gave us the total account of his early life and who "treasured these things up in her heart". "A sword will pierce your own soul too, so that the secret thoughts of many hearts might be revealed". On the cross, he gave his mother to John to take in his home, but when you take your master's mother, she takes care of you.
Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.
And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. …
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. - Rev 11:19 -- 12:17
She forms the body of Christ. She schools her son's disciples. Those who won't attend her school, remain ignorant.
We are in a time when any merely human institution would be washed away. Our churches are going under the shadow of a new Heresy of Ba'al of Peor, as when the Hebrew people were successfully attacked and overwhelmed through human sexuality. Our churches are now pro-gay and as soon as the civil authority authorizes child sex, they will be indistinguishable from the denizens of the town of Sodom: "Bring them out that we may know them".
Jesus' mother forms the few of the elect who will resist being fooled by the great apostasy. Those who will not avail themselves of the lifeline of Mary, will be lost.
Please stop projecting I certainly do believe in the basic promise of Christ when He says you can have eternal life.
The concept of the Trinity is way beyond you.
Admittedly, my finite mind cannot fully understand or explain this mystery of God (to borrow a quote from the Billy Graham EA), but I definitely believe in this most fundamental doctrine of the Catholic faith.
The LCMS is a strong biblically based church. But just because a church is or is not in full communion with another does not mean we think their members are not saved. We expect to see each other in Heaven. We just have doctrinal differences such that we do not share pulpits and communion rails with each other. I have doctrinal differences with most of the Protestants on this board. HOWEVER we all agree that salvation is only by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ not by works. We all agree that Scripture alone is the final authority on all matters pertaining to faith. We all share the assurance of salvation and are happy to call each other brother and sister in Christ. What we have in common is more important than what we do not.
Show me where Scripture says we can know the status of someone else’s salvation based on a single thing the say when you don’t know, and can’t know, if they truly believe what they’ve said. I’m still waiting.
Honey; I have.
And I post regularly what Rome ALLOWS people to believe about the apparition that is called "Mary".
It is this FAILURE to refute the GODESSness of "Mary" that is the DAMNING feature of Rome 'not' teaching otherwise.
Honey; I have.
And I post regularly what Rome ALLOWS people to believe about the apparition that is called "Mary".
It is this FAILURE to refute the GODESSness of "Mary" that is the DAMNING feature of Rome 'not' teaching otherwise.
Thanks, that's the point I was making in response to someone's claim that Protestant churches are in communion with each other even though there are doctrinal differences.
Do you?
Does ANY Catholic 'need' Mary?
I've NEVER seen any Catholic in these threads denounce Mariology: excessive or otherwise.
You've managed to type a LOT of stuff about JESUS in this reply without mentioning 'Mary' at all.
Why doesn't your PRACTICE of Catholicism do the same?
Try praying your rosary without saying Hail Mary; Mother of GOD ...
Then get back to us about the taste in your mouth that appears.
did you read the rest of the post? what unites us is more important than what separates us as protestants
And they all love their current pope; too.
LOL
Yes, I read it.
Al; I posted a multi-page spread of Scripture pointing out the WRITTEN Word.
When are you; or any FR Catholic; going to create a list of the times that "tradition" is found to be a POSITIVE thing in Christianity?
I'm sure there are who some don't love him.
Why?
Which is "wrong"?
What I get is that so many of you Catholics do NOT even want to be 'in communion' with your OWN pope!
Make up what you will. I can't stop you.
Only ONE verse is not true:
Hurray for you.
When are you; or any FR Catholic; going to create a list of the times that "tradition" is found to be a POSITIVE thing in Christianity?
I don't know who has the time to compile that lengthy list.
I hear ya: Call no man father.
That about as distorted as we Prots can get.
Happy Unneeded Mothers' Day!
You speak for non-Catholics now? Based on what?
Catholics are the most divisive group of Christianity going.
They will do and say anything to drive a wedge between other believers.
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.