Posted on 12/29/2006 4:47:11 AM PST by cowboyfan88
Edited on 12/29/2006 8:32:56 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
The assurance of salvation is the most important thing in life. It should be the number one concern of every human being. Sadly, too often it is not.
The good news is, the Bible teaches that you can know for sure that you are going to heaven. I John 5:13 says: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE..." Notice that this verse doesn't say, "that ye may HOPE that you can GET eternal life." It says that you can know that you have it, as a present possession.
How do you get it?
Acts 16:31 says: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." Notice again that it doesn't say, "Believe and you will someday be saved." It rather says, "Believe...and BE saved." Of course, the word "saved" makes a lot of people nervous.
A man told me once, "We don't speak in those terms at our church." But that's a shame, because the Bible uses this word over and over again. John Newton used it hundreds of years ago when he wrote that most beloved of all Christian hymns, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that SAVED a wretch like me." You've probably even sung that song! Well, it was written by a man who was saved, and you can be saved too. Ephesians 2:8,9 says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” “Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Here we see that people are saved "by grace," and "through faith." By God's grace. Through your faith. Faith and believing are the same thing. If you believe something, it means you have faith in it. Notice also the contrast to "works." Works are things that we can DO.
Most people think that they can be saved by the things that they do. If they don't do bad things, if they instead do good things, they think that they will be saved. The problem with this system is that you can never be SURE that you've done enough good things, and avoided enough bad things, to be saved. That's why the people who believe this are generally not sure they are saved. But Romans 4:16 says, "Therefore it is OF FAITH, that it might be BY GRACE, to the end THE PROMISE MIGHT BE SURE..." The only way you can be sure of salvation is by faith. If you had to do as little as lift your finger to be saved, you could never be sure that you had done it right.
But by faith we can believe that the Lord Jesus Christ did it right. We can be sure that He lived a sinless life. He never did anything wrong, He did everything right. A person like that didn't deserve to die. The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But He was no sinner. Why did He have to die? Ah, He died OUR death. He died our death so that we could have His righteousness and be saved. II Corinthians 5:21 says: "For God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
Two thousand years ago, God laid all of our sins on Christ as He hung on Calvary. But that doesn't mean that everyone is saved! Two thousand years later, WHEN YOU BELIEVE that Christ paid for all of your sins, God then takes Christ's righteousness and puts it on you, completing the transaction that must be completed for the redemption of your soul.
I like to explain it this way. God says to us in the Bible that Christ paid for all of your sins. The only question is,
Do you BELIEVE God when He says that all of your sins are paid for? Do you TRUST Him when He says that?
If you do, the Bible says that you are SAVED.
If you don't, well, you just have to go on trying to pay for your sins in your own way. By being good. By not being bad. But these are things the Bible says you can't do well enough to be saved. Romans 4:5 says: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Titus 3:5 says: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
That big word "regeneration" is just a big word that means to be "born again," as the Lord talked about in John 3. But in both of these verses, you can see that salvation is by faith alone, and has nothing to do with your conduct. Most people think that we are all born GOOD, and on our way to heaven, and that we have to do something REALLY BAD to blow it and go to hell. But the Bible teaches the opposite. The Bible teaches that we are all born bad, and have to get saved by faith to go to heaven. Sometimes when we explain this, people then ask, "Why then should I be good?"
The answer to this question is, we should be good out of gratitude for God for saving us. Earlier I quoted Ephesians 2:8,9 to show that we are saved "by grace" and "through faith." But the NEXT verse in Ephesians 2 tells us where "being good" comes in: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
When we are saved, we are made "new creatures" in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). But Ephesians 2:10 here says that we were "created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works." That is, we were saved by faith, but we were saved FOR A PURPOSE, for a reason. God saved us and made us new creatures in Christ so that we would THEN do good works.
Most people get the cart before the horse, as the saying goes. Most people think you do good works, then God saves you. The Bible teaches that instead we are saved by believing, then we SHOULD do good works. Right after Titus 3:5 says we are saved "not by works of righteousness," three verses later it says, "...these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable unto men."
Do you see it? We are not saved by good works, but after we are saved by faith, we are told we should do good works to please the One who saved us. Romans 6:23 says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Here there is a contrast drawn between "wages" and a "gift." Wages are something that we EARN. We go to work, and work all week, and the boss pays us. If we want to be polite, we can say "thank you" when he hands us the check, but we don't have to. He OWES us that money, we EARNED it.
But a gift is something altogether different. You can't earn a gift. If you did, it wouldn't be a gift. That's why the verses BEFORE Romans 4:5 says, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." You can't earn a gift, you can only receive it. And the way you receive the gift of salvation is by faith, by believing God when He says your sins are paid for. Suppose you were a gambler, and racked up a debt of a million dollars to the Mafia. They threatened to kill you unless you paid up. A wealthy friend learns of your plight and comes to you and says, "Don't worry, I've paid your debt."
Now in this case, you must REALLY BELIEVE that your friend paid your debt. You must really TRUST your friend when he says that. That's why the other word that the Bible uses besides "believe" is "trust." Ephesians 1:12 talks about people... "...who first TRUSTED in Christ "In whom ye also TRUSTED, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).
If you DON'T trust that your friend paid your gambling debt, then you will most likely continue to make payments to your bookie or loan shark. But if you DO trust your friend when he says that your debt has been paid, then you will rest comfortably in that knowledge, knowing that you've been "saved" from an awful fate, and you will be forever grateful to the one who saved you. That's how salvation works too.
In John 5:24, the Lord said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, and SHALL NOT COME INTO CONDEMNATION, but IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE." Here we see that the Bible teaches that not only are you saved if you believe on the Lord, you already possess eternal life, and it is NOT POSSIBLE for you to ever be condemned for your sins, for you are ALREADY passed "from death unto [eternal] life." Remember, Acts 16:31 says, "believe...and...be saved." It DOESN'T say, "Believe and be good." It doesn't even say, "Believe and be religious." It just says believe and be saved.
If you believe that Christ died to pay for all of your sins, and that you don't have to pay for any of them, the Bible says you are saved. In I Corinthians 15:1-4, the Apostle Paul identifies “the gospel” that he preached to the Corinthians, by which they were “saved”: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; “And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” You too can be among those who are “saved,” if you will simply put your faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25).
Whole lot of hearing the WORD required over and over, not just a few scriptures but the Word, like John says John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The beginning starts in Genesis and the Word does not end until Revelation, so salvation is a first step in believing in God.
I have Been Saved...
Romans For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen, is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he hope for?
I am being saved
Phil Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.
I will be saved
MT...And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.
GOODMORNING BAC,
WHEN AND WHERE?
HINT - TE TELESTAI!
PRAYERS FOR A BLESSED NEW YEAR!
Persevere unto the end 'of what'???
of your life
Good morning to you, brother
One of the hardest things we have to learn as humans is how to receive a gift, especially a gift as magnificent as salvation. So often I hear people comment on their "unworthiness" and then grumble about accepting God's gift of eternity. Well of course we are all unworthy (Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one), which makes the gift all the more sweet.
I pray for humble hearts to just believe and receive.
Thanks again for brightening my morning. Maranatha Lord Jesus!
WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU SAVED?
HINT IN GREEK THIS TIME - TELEO!
Paragraphs are our FRiends. Like this: < p >
Ist (Pope) Peter 3
Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit, In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison: Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. Whereunto baptism being of the like form, now saveth you also: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
*My Salvation began in VT where I was Baptised...
However, I could fall away, like many others have before
"However, I could fall away, like many others have before."
Exactly--that's my problem with people running around saying "I am saved". Yes, you are, possibly, if you died right this second. Fortunately or unfortunately, you have to live a long life and you could become "unsaved" by sinning egregiously and not asking for God's forgiveness. Dying in that state will not put you very close to God in the next life.
"If I knew God I'd be Him." I hope so.
Paragraphs, please. Won't read it otherwise.
could someone save that article from the bad formatting?
Romans 11...See then the goodness and the severity of God: towards them indeed that are fallen, the severity; but towards thee, the goodness of God, if thou abide in goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
1 Cor 10...Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.
Heb 6....For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated, have tasted also the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, Have moreover tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, And are fallen away: to be renewed again to penance, crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making him a mockery.
Heb 10....For if we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, But a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries.
HOW DO YOU INTERPRET THESE VERSES RELATIVE TO SALVATION?
1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
Joh 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh 18:9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.
Joh 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
GODSPEED!
Heb 10....For if we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, But a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries.
These are pretty straight-forward verses...As you can see, once you lose your salvation, you can't get it back...And make no mistake...There is no distinction between a venial or mortal sin...If you have 'borrowed' a pencil and didn't give it back, or you have a habit of over eating, you're doomed...
And if you don't believe that, you can't claim you believe the bible...
God don't make no mudpies.
Phl 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:
God is the authur and finisher of our faith.He would not be sovereign if once he brought you to faith through his Grace he allowed you to be lost.
>1 Cor 10...Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.<
You need to read this chapter for context.It in no way refers to loosing ones salvation.It is actually a warning that Christians are still subject to sins of the flesh and should guard against conceit.
You should have read all of Hebrews Chapter 6.
Hbr 6:19 Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
We have a hope that will endureth until we see the father(He resides behind the Veil)
God will mess you up if you don't take his word seriously and study...
Noah wasn't really saved by water...If that were so, all the folks that died by the same water would have been saved...
Noah was saved by the boat...And the boat, which was a ridiculous endeavor at the time, was the result of Faith...Faith in God...Faith in God's word...'Course you can believe it was the water that saves if you want...
Whereunto baptism being of the like form, now saveth you also:
You see any water in that verse??? I don't...There isn't any...
not the putting away of the filth of the flesh,
That eliminates any thought of water in the verse...
but the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now there's the faith...The same faith that Noah had to build the stupid boat while living in the desert...
*My Salvation began in VT where I was Baptised...
It didn't start if all you got was wet...You can't get saved by water...
Joh 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
Once the Comforter, the Holy Ghost showed up, there was no more need of water baptism...
However, I could fall away, like many others have before
If you are a human being, you have alreay fallen away...
1Jo 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
So according to the scripture that you use, your salvation by water, and my salvation by faith are dead and gone...I know that I have sinned since my salvation and I am comfident you have as well...We're doomed...
I didn't read in scripture where your personal opinion is the pillar and ground of truth
Now, the verses I posted can not be simply excised from Holy Writ because they do not fit the oral protestant tradition.
Acts....But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
Mark 16...He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.
Jesus answered, and said to him: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith to him: How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born again? Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
You answered, of your life
That's easy to say but one can not read Mat. 24 where this occurs and not see that the 'end' is the end of a period of time...The time known as the great tribulation...Has nothing to do with anyone's lifetime...
Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
IN THOSE DAYS
Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
OF THOSE DAYS
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Somehow your church got you to believe IT instead of the bible...
That's the problem...Get out your bible and read it...
You might learn that your church is NOT the pillar and ground of the truth...The pillar and ground of the truth is Jesus Christ, and His word...
It fits perfectly with what I posted. Your life could end at any moment. Even if you are saved, as you claim you are, you could fall away before you die
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Thank GOD that the price for that sin has already been paid!
Dear bornacatholic,
Cut that out. Don't you know that us Catholics don't know any Scripture??
sitetest
:) it is sorta funny this one verse is so routinely denied, ain't it?
Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained
*Your post made me think that maybe you think your sins are already forgiven and do not need to be repented of, Confessed, and penance done to try and repair the damage done by your sins.
I am surely wrong, right?
Dear bornacatholic,
I don't know which is funnier, the attempt to interpret the verse to mean something other than what it means, or the attempt to deny that it's even in the Bible, and then call folks who quote the verse "ignorant of Scripture."
LOL!
sitetest
It even gets funnier when the Church, which wrote and Canonised the New Testament, and is the Pillar and Ground of Truth, is accused of Teaching in opposition to the Canon She established.
It makes no sense. I mean, one would have to think Jesus' promises were unreliable. Worse, one would have to think Jesus Satan.
Jesus established His Church upon Peter. He promised to be with it until the end of time.
He sent the Holy Spirit it upon it to Teach it all Truth.
He said he who hears you hears me...
And I am supposed to seriously entertain the idea Jesus established a Church and let it fail. I am supposed to think Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to teach it error. And, far from being the pillar and ground of truth, the Church Jesus esstablished is a fountain of evil and lies and heresies and we Christians who trust in Jesus' promises are really dupes who don't hear Jesus when the Church Teaches - we are Christians who are hearing Satan, not Jesus.
IOW, I am supposed to think that Jesus' words went out and returned void. IOW, I have to think Jesus an incompetent man or a liar. He did not do as He promised, according to our opponents..
IOW, Jesus abandoned His Bride and let her become a lying whore.
Now, I know that makes sense to some folks, but, I just don't get it...
Who IS this Jesus they think broke His promises and failed? He certainly is not the Divine Person I know.
Me Jesus keeps His promises. My Jesus does not abandon His Bride at the altar. My Jesus is with His Church - The Catholic Church - until the end of time. My Jesus is one who sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to Teach it all truth -not lies.
I have no idea who their Jesus is. He appears to be a phony failure whose promises are untrustworthy
I understand you might have difficulty understanding this, but I'm not on a hamster wheel.
John 10:26-28 "But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand."
*When Jesus breathed upon His Apostles and gave them power to forgive or retain sins, what word or words of Our Lord and Saviour made you think of a hamster?
None of the Lord's words. Your words. You're running in circles like a hamster on a hamster wheel with your ritualization of FAITH.
bc:*Your post made me think that maybe you think your sins are already forgiven and do not need to be repented of, Confessed, and penance done to try and repair the damage done by your sins.
Well, GOO GOO G’JOOB, then
The Didache
"Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure" (Didache 4:14, 14:1 [A.D. 70]).
The Letter of Barnabas
"You shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light" (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 74]).
Ignatius of Antioch
"For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of penance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ" (Letter to the Philadelphians 3 [A.D. 110]).
"For where there is division and wrath, God does not dwell. To all them that repent, the Lord grants forgiveness, if they turn in penitence to the unity of God, and to communion with the bishop" (ibid., 8).
Irenaeus
"[The Gnostic disciples of Marcus] have deluded many women. . . . Their consciences have been branded as with a hot iron. Some of these women make a public confession, but others are ashamed to do this, and in silence, as if withdrawing from themselves the hope of the life of God, they either apostatize entirely or hesitate between the two courses" (Against Heresies 1:22 [A.D. 189]).
Tertullian
"[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness" (Repentance 10:1 [A.D. 203]).
Hippolytus
"[The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles . . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command" (Apostolic Tradition 3 [A.D. 215]).
Origen
"[A final method of forgiveness], albeit hard and laborious [is] the remission of sins through penance, when the sinner . . . does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord and from seeking medicine, after the manner of him who say, ‘I said, "To the Lord I will accuse myself of my iniquity"’" (Homilies on Leviticus 2:4 [A.D. 248]).
Cyprian of Carthage
"The apostle [Paul] likewise bears witness and says: ‘ . . . Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27]. But [the impenitent] spurn and despise all these warnings; before their sins are expiated, before they have made a confession of their crime, before their conscience has been purged in the ceremony and at the hand of the priest . . . they do violence to [the Lord’s] body and blood, and with their hands and mouth they sin against the Lord more than when they denied him" (The Lapsed 15:1–3 (A.D. 251]).
"Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who . . . confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience. . . . I beseech you, brethren, let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord" (ibid., 28).
"[S]inners may do penance for a set time, and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy receive the right of Communion. [But now some] with their time [of penance] still unfulfilled . . . they are admitted to Communion, and their name is presented; and while the penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet made, the hands of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid upon them, the Eucharist is given to them; although it is written, ‘Whosoever shall eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27]" (Letters 9:2 [A.D. 253]).
"And do not think, dearest brother, that either the courage of the brethren will be lessened, or that martyrdoms will fail for this cause, that penance is relaxed to the lapsed, and that the hope of peace [i.e., absolution] is offered to the penitent. . . . For to adulterers even a time of repentance is granted by us, and peace is given" (ibid., 51[55]:20).
"But I wonder that some are so obstinate as to think that repentance is not to be granted to the lapsed, or to suppose that pardon is to be denied to the penitent, when it is written, ‘Remember whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works’ [Rev. 2:5], which certainly is said to him who evidently has fallen, and whom the Lord exhorts to rise up again by his deeds [of penance], because it is written, ‘Alms deliver from death’ [Tob. 12:9]" (ibid., 51[55]:22).
Aphraahat the Persian Sage
"You [priests], then, who are disciples of our illustrious physician [Christ], you ought not deny a curative to those in need of healing. And if anyone uncovers his wound before you, give him the remedy of repentance. And he that is ashamed to make known his weakness, encourage him so that he will not hide it from you. And when he has revealed it to you, do not make it public, lest because of it the innocent might be reckoned as guilty by our enemies and by those who hate us" (Treatises 7:3 [A.D. 340]).
Basil the Great
"It is necessary to confess our sins to those to whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries is entrusted. Those doing penance of old are found to have done it before the saints. It is written in the Gospel that they confessed their sins to John the Baptist [Matt. 3:6], but in Acts [19:18] they confessed to the apostles" (Rules Briefly Treated 288 [A.D. 374]).
John Chrysostom
"Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.’ Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven? ‘Whose sins you shall forgive,’ he says, ‘they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’ What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men [Matt. 10:40; John 20:21–23]. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven" (The Priesthood 3:5 [A.D. 387]).
Ambrose of Milan
"For those to whom [the right of binding and loosing] has been given, it is plain that either both are allowed, or it is clear that neither is allowed. Both are allowed to the Church, neither is allowed to heresy. For this right has been granted to priests only" (Penance 1:1 [A.D. 388]).
Jerome
"If the serpent, the devil, bites someone secretly, he infects that person with the venom of sin. And if the one who has been bitten keeps silence and does not do penance, and does not want to confess his wound . . . then his brother and his master, who have the word [of absolution] that will cure him, cannot very well assist him" (Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:11 [A.D. 388]).
Augustine
"When you shall have been baptized, keep to a good life in the commandments of God so that you may preserve your baptism to the very end. I do not tell you that you will live here without sin, but they are venial sins which this life is never without. Baptism was instituted for all sins. For light sins, without which we cannot live, prayer was instituted. . . . But do not commit those sins on account of which you would have to be separated from the body of Christ. Perish the thought! For those whom you see doing penance have committed crimes, either adultery or some other enormities. That is why they are doing penance. If their sins were light, daily prayer would suffice to blot them out. . . . In the Church, therefore, there are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptisms, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance" (Sermon to Catechumens on the Creed 7:15, 8:16 [A.D. 395]).
Didn't this "Saved" thing start about the end of the 1800's?
You could if not for Grace through Christ. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep and calls then by name. The one and the only sin that can not be forgiven of man is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The ultimate and complete rejection of the call to salvation given to a person.
Life hands persons events that can make them fall events beyond what their spirit and mind can take. Does it mean they fall beyond the very salvation given them if they can not recover from it? No. But it does mean that their life on earth is not peaceful as GOD would desire. The cost for that is paid here on earth.
The saved person fallen who doesn't repent will be among the least in the Kingdom on Heaven. Unless our final words on this earth are "LORD please forgive me" we all die in our sins one are as bad as a hundred before GOD. The wages of sin is death and all will be required to pay it. Sin is just that. You are just as guilty at that point as the drunk Deacon or the thief or even the preacher who left fly a few foul words when working on the house. Even the saved shall give account for their deeds and thoughts.
This isn't an accounting to condemn you to hell but rather to determine your rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven as your sinful body and mind has passed away and is taken away separated from the new reborn person at our physical death.
These two conditions of man co-exist in each other till death do they part. No one not even the Pope will live without sin even after excepting salvation. If it were possible then salvation through Christ would not be needed. It is a preparation for a life in the Kingdom GOD has readied for us.
While we most certainly will pay for our sins on earth we will know them no more when we die and come before GOD as they will be removed from us and we will be reborn beings as GOD originally intended for us to be without sin and the curse. GOD will look upon us at that time and will not see our sins but rather His Son.
Jesus saves...at the Wal Mart in Laredo.
Nope...The church is alive and well...
I am supposed to think Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to teach it error.
The fact that you think Jesus sent the Holy spirit upon your church is the error...
And, far from being the pillar and ground of truth, the Church Jesus esstablished is a fountain of evil and lies and heresies and we Christians who trust in Jesus' promises are really dupes who don't hear Jesus when the Church Teaches
You only hear Jesus when your church teaches what Jesus said, when He said it, where He said it and whom He said it too...
- we are Christians who are hearing Satan, not Jesus.
Why would you find this remarkable???
2Co 11:13 For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light.
Me Jesus keeps His promises. My Jesus does not abandon His Bride at the altar. My Jesus is with His Church - The Catholic Church - until the end of time. My Jesus is one who sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to Teach it all truth -not lies.
Jesus did not send the Holy Spirit to your church...He sent the Holy Spirit to all Christians...And he sent the bible to teach us all truth...
Your church says you must attend your Catholic church for, what is it, a year, before you can become a Christian...God tells us we must become Christians before we can join His church...Quite a little difference there...You can not join God's church before you are a Christian...So you think you got the right church???
Only in the Catholic church...Around the time Catholics, as a group, started reading the scripture...
It's been in the bible since, uh, the 1st Century...
Oh, you must be a historian. I like history too. Can you give me some names of Christians who believed that Baptism was unnecessary? Can you show me their writings? All the way back to the time of Christ?
I did a little research, all I can come up with is some heretics called the Anabaptists, who may have believed such.
I don't think Jesus said that he was going to leave us a Bible. He did say He was going to leave us a Church though.
What would be the point??? You'd just continue with the typical Catholic Triangulation and avoid the subject like always...
I did a little research, all I can come up with is some heretics called the Anabaptists, who may have believed such.
You mean you did a little 'Catholic' research...And found that the Anabaptists were heretical to the Catholic church...And no doubt they figured your religion was heretical to their church...So what's new??? The question is, which group is heretical to the bible???
I don't think Jesus said that he was going to leave us a Bible.
Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psa 12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.
He said it...Your church has convinced you to not believe it...
He did say He was going to leave us a Church though.
And He said he would leave his written word so that the church would have something to teach...And He did...But YOUR church doesn't want you to know that...
The point is: you can't give me any names or writings by people who believe baptism is unnecessary. Because it's a false doctrine of individuals outside of Christ's teachings. People who proof-text and take Scripture out of context.
There is no historical basis for being "Saved." There is no Biblical standing for it either, without taking Scripture out of context.
Your quotes from Scripture are from the Old Testament, not from Jesus, who promised to leave us a Church, not a bible. And, they have nothing to do with a "Bible."
Show me some proof/history of your doctrine.
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