Why is the Pope so Popular?

Relevant Magazine ^ | 6/13/13 | Chris Nye

[dangus]

free republic needs a like button.

[cuban leaf]

“I’ve just taken his comments one at a time. Some were so contrary to the message of the bible”

You mean like feeding the poor and not thinking you are better than someone else? Yea, really revolutionary thoughts there. Can’t find them anywhere in the Bible.

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I provide above my comment and your response. To respond to your response let me say that your example is not an example that I was referring to and why I specifically used the word “some”.

From where in my posts would you get the impression that I would disagree with a comment like that? Is it contrary to the bible? If not, then you can assume that it is not what I was referring to. ;-)

[cuban leaf]

The Pope interpretation of Grace and what is said about Athiests being redeemed was exactly what the scriptures teach.

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Not exactly. This is what he actually said:

“The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can... “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”.. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

My problem is not with him saying everyone is redeemed. I agree with that. Rather, it is with the very last sentence within the context of the whole comment. That is a utopian comment. It’s the “brotherhood of man” thing based in works. We don’t meet in good works. Rather, we meet in the grace of God through the blood of Christ. Period. The other stuff follows. I’ve seen saved people do bad things and I’ve seen unsaved people live extremely good lives. But the latter can be the most lost of all BECAUSE of their works. They see themselves as “good” and don’t think they have any need for all that “Jesus nonsense”. That is “for the lowly that need a crutch to be good.”

We are not to judge others based on works. Though works follow salvation, we do not know from where a man came before he was saved. We can try to work toward making men better brothers to their fellow man. That is all good and well. But a Christian’s objective, first and foremost, in dealing with those who have not received Christ, is to bring them to the knowledge of salvation through his blood. Not by works, lest any man should boast.

The pope was focusing on works as a “meeting place”. Personally, I think the “meeting place” is where the saved and unsaved both come to full reaalisation of their need for the blood of Christ and the one who has not acted upon that is compelled, through knowledge and love, to accept the Grace freely offered - to accept that redemption that is waiting to be received.