Posted on 08/07/2019 3:20:08 PM PDT by ebb tide
The thing is that there’s a world of difference between *Paul is my father* and *Father Paul*.
It’s staggering the lengths people will go to to justify disobeying Jesus clear command.
Borderline ridiculous...
Paul calls himself the father of his converts. Whether he titled himself “Father Paul” is a distinction without a difference. Jesus never specified titles or official forms of address
“So tell me, is THIS the One True church, body of Christ which is supposed to be the only way thorough which salvation MAY BE attained, but not guaranteed?”
You and I both can say a resounding “NO” to that question.
Matthew 23:1-12 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
It cannot be much clearer.
I can only conclude that people don't see what Jesus meant because they don't want to see. There can be no other reason.
AMEN!!!!!
When you can figure out what it means to be BORN AGAIN, get back to me. Until then, this merry-go-round conversation with you of behavior driven works with in exchange for ‘salvation’ is adolescent.
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The Self-Flagellation of Roman Catholics (as if their dirty filthy deeds can help them approach The Lord) is about as fruitless of a work as “holy water”, confession to a sin-filled priest, and constant repetitive prayers that mock Jesus (Matthew 6:7) and shows paganism.
When you try to lift Mary higher than her Creator, King, Savior, and LORD - you project any argument against placing deity status on her as ‘HATE’.
The real Mary is appalled and mortified that billions have replaced worship of The Lord of the Universe with the golden calf worship of her.
She was sinful and needed salvation just like everybody else - except for ONE. (Romans 3:23)
The (non-Irish) Catholics, at the time, were calling their diocesan clergy (the typical parish priests) "Mister" or the vernacular equivalent (Monsieur, Senor) or Don/Dom.
This all switched around when Irish refugees --- who called both monastic and ordinary parish clergy "Father" ----started pouring into the U.S. during the Great Hunger (1840's).
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I do ask you to read it and comment.
I find it rather telling, that when the most literal of the Fundamentalidts were getting organized in the U.S., they called their pastors "Father," and read Jesus' words about "father,""master," and "teacher" as injunctions against the Pharisees' vainglory, not a ban on applying those words to "any man on earth."
What changed that? Read the history: Irish immigration.
As the author says,
In a class by itself is "Reverend." The most common designation for contemporary Protestant clergy, it also seems the most objectionable. To be sure, "Reverend" is gender-free. But it possesses neither a biblical nor a patristic lineage. The King James Version employs the word only once (for God, in Psalms 111:9)..."
And the Protestant fondness for "Doctor" really clinches the case. "Doctor" is, of course, directly and explicitly "teacher," --- found in verses 9 and 10, almost never quoted in these discussions of Matthew 2:8, 9, and 10.
Strong's
doctor, master, teacher.
From didasko; an instructor (genitive case or specially) -- doctor, master, teacher.
See GREEK didasko
Shall we ban the vainglorious M.Div? Or erase "Doctor" from all those learned Protestant, Fundamentalist and Evangelical clergy??
You tell me.
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I rest my case.
If most people are wrong about something, do you follow them anyways?
Sometimes error takes time to weed out.
That does NOT justify blatant disobedience to commands of Jesus and the tsunami of excuse making for doing so.
When confronted with the truth of Scripture, we change our behavior to fit that. We don’t change Scripture to fit our behavior.
I'm not going for that "mom" part-- the feminine equivaIent of father.
It's curious to reflect that every single Christian was in the dark from St. Paul (ca. 50 AD) to some American in 1840 --- on the question of whether you can call a man "father," "teacher", or "master."
It suggests that the Holy Spirit --- guaranteed to enlighten and inform the People of God --- and Christ, the Head of His Body the Church --- were dormant until the 1840's, and only woke up with a start, as soon as Irish Catholics hit the American Protestant shores. Thus arrived the enlightening news --- 1800 years after the Gospel was written --- about what Jesus really meant.
And St. Paul, Stephen the first Martyr, and even John the Beloved Disciple, didn't even know!!
I'm just now making contact lists of local Christian Churches. to send them info. about 40 Days for Life. Just now I typed up the following Baptist pastor contact:
Dr. W. Alexander Johnson, B.A., B.D., M Div Thm., L.H.D.DD - Pastor
Serious question: should these Baptists eliminate the "Dr" because it means, literally, "teacher," -- as being contrary to the Gospel?
How about the academic degrees? A modern-day equivalent of "Rabbi" and more!
I think you have, in effect, abandoned the principle of using Scripture to interpret Scripture, and de-classified St. Paul as an example to follow, and that is the most concerning thing of all.
Some will twist their minds into Gordian knots to defend the religion of Catholicism, which is not Christianity but an Org which tries to look like CHRIST ianity. Jesus spoke of their destiny ...
No, no one needs to explain/justify anything to your closed mind. This childish ‘well they were doing it so I do too’ is quite telling of the Catholic/ Roman Catholic mind.
placemarker
When I was a catholic, I tried hard to let my dirty, filthy deeds get me to Heaven. Eventually, I realized I didn’t measure up, so I left the Catholic Church. I figured, since I wasn’t going to Heaven, I might as well eat, drink and be merry.
In confession, I told the priest about my racy peccadilloes, till he started asking me personal questions about my sins. I think he was getting his jollies, so I just lied to him. I didn’t care if I was committing a mortal sin of sacrilege. I wasn’t going to tell that dude the truth about my sins. 👎 I think I mentioned before, that a snow ball could survive a trillion eons in Hell, before I swim the Tiber. By the way, Mary was a sinner, in need of a savior. 👍🤣
I didn’t even do this, when I was a catholic. I was actually embarrassed to be a catholic. Many things embarrassed me, but the thing that embarrassed me most, was holy water. Holy water? Are you kidding me?
You are right about one thing. It will all sorted out at the great white throne. No innocent pleas will be allowed. I believe it is ONLY about determining amount of punishment, not guilt or innocence. I don’t plan on being there, except as a witness against those in the docket. My favorite Bible Character, is the Queen or Sheba. I hope to sit next to her, as she rises in judgment over this generation, and condemns it. 😁👍
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