Posted on 05/25/2017 8:27:02 AM PDT by Salvation
He doesn’t HAVE to be merciful, but He is anyways because He is love and chooses to be merciful.
Some OT verses on God’s grace and mercy.
Exodus 34:6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
2 Chronicles 30:9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”
Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
Nehemiah 9:31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 111:4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
Psalm 112:4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.
Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
Jonah 4:2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
An understanding of how James uses the verb believe is essential to understanding his book. And as always....context is your friend in these matters.
Ooops, never mind.
Should have read ahead.
Balderdash! I'm surprised that you don't seem to be able to understand the difference. What if I were to post a "Protestant/Evangelical Caucus" thread under the title of: Conversion from Roman Catholicism to Biblical Christianity? It's talking about those who left Catholicism for the Protestant/Evangelical faith tradition. Would you insist on being able to dispute the reasons given for the conversion or would you be fine with "letting" the non-Catholics discuss the topic? What about the thread, What Caused the Reformation?? Then there was one titled 5 questions and the 5 solas, something that was about the Protestant view of the Christian faith? Or, how about a thread titled: Christ in Colossians - Chapter 1? It didn't so much as mention Catholicism but someone added the keyword "Catholicbashing" to ALL the above examples!
It appears that Protestant/Evangelicals are NOT afraid of inviting discussion, even disagreement with what is posted and stand ready to defend the faith. It's why you won't find many threads that are labeled Caucus so as to restrict dialog with others. It was even suggested for this thread that Protestants can RE-POST it and open it up for discussion!
The rules seem pretty straightforward to me. I cannot post a Caucus thread that:
If you believe a poster is not a member of the caucus, or if you believe the article or reply posts are mentioning the beliefs of non-members of the caucus then let me know by Freepmail and I will follow-up as soon as possible.
I think it is a little amusing that the Religion Moderator has had to include so much in the Profile to differentiate between who is allowed to post to Catholic Caucus threads even so far as to exclude SSPX, Sedavacanists, etc. and "non-practicing Catholics" from participating. For a religion that claims so much authority and power, at least on this site, Catholic Freepers seem pretty fragile - unwilling to even consider that their claims might have to be defended. But it also explains why some cannot seem to understand that a faith unable to withstand scrutiny is weak and powerless - hardly worth devoting ones life to. It is why you won't find all that many Protestant/Evangelical Caucus threads. I know what I believe and why I believe it and I'm never afraid to share it with whoever asks me of the hope that is within me OR defend it with those who post to OPEN threads.
Have you dreamed up any good Limericks lately?
>> I know about them. However, I don't personally know any right now." <<
> I read three contradictory uses of the verb "know" in the comments in question so it is difficult to know what is meant.
And again...context, which is apparently a new concept to the Catholic, is your friend in these situations.
>> Joining a church does not make one a follower of Christ<<
If one is a member of the church Messiah built on "this rock" then one is a Christian.
You're telling me that every single Roman Catholic, just because they're a member of the RCC, is a Christian?
Well, as Roman Catholics define "this rock" to be Peter, then a lot of people are going to be in for a surprise.
Yes, every Catholic believes Jesus is God and that He died to save them. So yes, every Catholic believes that Jesus is their Lord and Savior.
Anyone who does not believe that is not a Catholic.
That makes every Catholic saved and incapable of losing that salvation no matter what they do after that.
Love,
O2
Predictable, isn’t it?
You forget mortal sins as taught by Roman Catholicism. We've been told numerous times on these threads the "mortal sins" cause you to lose your salvation.
All ~1 billion??
Like Kennedy, Kerry, Gillibrand, Pelosi, Chavez, your current pope?
All members in good standing with the Roman Catholic church, as it serves them communion and gives them Catholic funerals, and you're here telling us that they are Christians, followers of Christ and examples of Christ to the world?
SERIOUSLY?????
SO let me see if I have this straight. Being a Christian is something extrinsic to a person, not intrinsic to them. Something that they do, not something that they are.
Correct?
Then the Catholic church is built on the wrong rock.
The Rock that the church I'm part of is built on JESUS CHRIST.
Here, Paul identifies who petra is, and that is Christ. This link takes you to the Greek.
http://biblehub.com/text/1_corinthians/10-4.htm
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock (petra) that followed them, and the Rock (petra) was Christ.
http://biblehub.com/text/romans/9-33.htm
Romans 9:30-33 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock (petra) of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
http://biblehub.com/text/1_peter/2-8.htm
1 Peter 2:1-8 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
and
“A stone of stumbling, and a rock (petra) of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
All occurrences of *petra* in the Greek.
Anyone who does not believe that is not a Catholic.
That makes every Catholic saved and incapable of losing that salvation no matter what they do after that.
OSAS? eh?
I thought you guys considered that the sin of presumption.
And you can speak for EVERY. SINGLE. CATHOLIC. ion the world?
You know what each and every one of them believes? All 1.2 billion of them?
Canon 27. If anyone says that there is no mortal sin except that of unbelief, or that grace once received is not lost through any other sin however grievous and enormous except by that of unbelief, let him be anathema.
I admit there are posts from some Catholics that make me wince. But, no, I am not referring to them. I am talking about those posts that mock Catholics for their sincerely held beliefs. It’s not a very effective way of “instructing” others.
That's what I was taught. I had a weakness. I couldn't stop committing mortal sins, so I thought there must be a better way. In school, I went to confession about 5 times a week, cuz I was scared of going to Hell. I am not scared like that anymore. If others are scared of Hell, well, that's on them. 😀
I can’t figure out what they all believe here on FR, much less worldwide.
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.