Posted on 07/01/2015 7:13:05 AM PDT by RnMomof7
Recently there has been a surge in prominent Evangelicals calling for unity with Roman Catholicism. In one sense there seems to be strong foundational similarities that would justify these calls to unity. Catholics are baptized in the name of the Trinity. God’s revealed word in the Bible -- setting aside their addition of the Apocryphal books, for argument’s sake -- is foundational to their worldview. Catholics love Christ and believe that he died on the cross and rose again to provide grace for sinners.
Obviously there are theological differences associated with the specific teachings of each one of these perceived similarities, and I do not want to minimize the importance of these differences. But for argument‘s sake, at least on the surface, there is some common ground.
There is also a strong agreement in ethical standards. Both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals ground morality on God’s holy nature as revealed in the law of God. This means that on the hot button moral issues of the day; the murder of the unborn, human sexuality, the sanctity of marriage there is solidarity between Roman Catholic and Evangelical ethics because they are coming from the same source. Again, this seems to justify a call to some sense of unity.
Are these good enough reasons to publically stump for visible unity with Roman Catholics? That question is beyond the scope of this post. But there is a more fundamental question that must be answered first. That question serves as the dividing line between followers of Christ and the world, which separates biblical Christianity from every other worldview; does Rome possess and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The author of the book of Hebrews in chapter 10 contrasts the gospel with that which is but a shadow of the gospel. He argues:
"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." -- Heb 10:11–14
The argument being presented here makes it clear that Christ’s singular sacrifice, his death on the cross, perfects those for whom it is made for. This is the gospel. It is contrasted with the shadow of the gospel in which sacrifices were repeatedly made year after year because though they symbolized the atoning and perfecting sacrifice of Christ, they never themselves perfected those for whom they were made. The gospel of Jesus Christ perfects and any other religious strategies cannot.
This principle is directly applicable to the question of Roman Catholicism and the gospel of God. Roman Catholic worship centers on the mass. The mass is a series of liturgical practices that culminates in the Eucharist which according to paragraph 1068 of the Catholic of the Catholic Church (hereafter CCC) is a divine sacrifice. Paragraph 1367 of CCC calls the Eucharist a “truly propitiatory” sacrifice. This sacrifice is performed repeatedly in the life of a Catholic.
The reason the Eucharist is performed repeatedly is because even though it is claimed to be a propitiatory sacrifice that can make reparation for sins (CCC, 1414), it is a sacrifice that never perfects anyone. According to the Catholic message grace is something that you get from God by performing certain acts. First, God gives you the grace for faith in Jesus (CCC, 2000). Second, when you are baptized God graciously erases the sin of Adam from your record (CCC 1257). From that point on you get more grace by doing things like participating in the sacraments, including the Eucharist. The problem is that when you commit sins, you lose some of the grace you have gained and now need more lest your grace be found wanting at final judgment. This forces the Catholic into a position where they need to return day after day, week after week, and year after year to a priest who serves to repeatedly re-present the same sacrifice which never perfects those for whom it is made, since it only offers grace to cover some sin.
This is not the gospel.
Roman Catholics need the gospel for the same reason we all need it. We are all sinners with such a messed up and low view of how holy holiness really is that we think somehow through our own efforts we can attain it. If we just had enough time and willpower we could somehow have our good deeds outweigh our bad, and this will please God just enough for me to be acceptable to him. This is a satanic lie. A satanic lie that to some degree or another we have all bought into at some point in our life.
But the truth is glorious. God is good and God is holy. He is more good and more holy than we can possibly imagine. God is so good and so holy that anything less than absolute perfection is unacceptable in his presence. It is because of God’s awesome goodness and awesome holiness that in his wisdom he has offered us grace, through faith in Christ. A good and holy sacrifice that absolutely without question completely perfects everyone for whom it is made.
Agreed. However, we were discussing the Real Presence®, weren’t we?
If so; it's probably in the Book.
After all; that's the place to look for the evidence of Mary's assumption; right?
It was a song lyric.
The meaning is somewhat different there, so yourself not understanding from the onset (it's admittedly obscure) obviates possibility for "back attcha" in my direction.
See #1039
It does for me.
If you must...
Want a banana?
Christianity has evolved just like this.
With harsh penalties for NOT believing; just who; in their right mind; is even going to DISCUSS not believing??
I know.
But for some of us (That dang SOME, again!) the definition is; shall we say; a bit lacking in detail.
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I have heard and told this story many times. I’ll have to remember to start off by saying it never really happened.
Love God above all else. How much more detail do you need?
And the Jewish Study Bible Says “Their heel”. Is there a point you were trying make straining a gnats while swallowing camels?
Nah, you don’t need to provide the link. As I think about it, I’m don’t know if context could mitigate this statement.
Well, Mariology may just be gnat strainings, but it is not Christianity. Mariology is an insult to the real Mother of Jesus and totally a fabrication of the traditions of Catholicism. The prominence Mariology plays in catholic worship would lead one to expect there must be passage after passage in the Bible to support this promotion of the Mother of Jesus to such heavenly authority and power. Would you like to show us a half dozen passages from The Bible which teach this RCC dogma? Try to avoid the one I showed to you in Genesis which has been jiggered by the Douay-Rheims to pretend there is such resource. That little change is just gnat strainings, apparently.
The Hebrew characters do not transfer well between the website and FR. So what Bible did you say you were consulting? would you like to put the side-by-side translation here, if you have a better program? I don't have a Hebrew keyboard.
Why thank you for the link! Does it agree with the Douay-Rheims version where “she” is replacing ‘they’?
It neither agrees with the Douay-Rheims version nor your version, and Verga already pointed out in post 1067.
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.