If Demons Believe and Tremble, What about Us?

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 01-09-18 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

If Demons Believe and Tremble, What about Us?

Msgr. Charles Pope • January 9, 2018 •

As we begin the ordinary time of the Church year, we follow the Lord’s public ministry. The curtain lifts and we are in the synagogue at Capernaum:

Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. (Mark 1:21-26)

Here are two brief thoughts:

First, note the astonishment of the people. The preaching of the Word of God is not meant to be a perfunctory part of the Mass. Even when the preacher is not gifted with eloquence or charisma, God’s Word has the power to astonish us.

The Greek word used in this passage is very strong: ἐξεπλήσσοντο (exeplessonto). It comes from combining exe or ek (wholly out) and plesso (to strike) Thus the most literal translation is that Jesus “knocked them out” with his proclamation. The word indicates the state of being utterly amazed, dumbfounded, or left at a complete loss after witnessing something incredible. One can picture someone gaping in sheer astonishment.

If we carefully attend to the Word of God rather than just listening half-heartedly, we should expect to be astonished. It may make us mad, sad, or glad; it may console or afflict us; but we cannot be unchanged if we open our heart and mind to its power.

Do you go to Church expecting to hear a Word that will change you? When you read Scripture, do you expect to be surprised, astonished, or even intrigued? If not, why not?

Second, notice that the demon recognizes Christ for who He is: The Holy One of God. James rather sadly observed that demons believe and even tremble (see James 2:19). If even demons recognize and are thunderstruck by the glory of God, how is it that so many of us are half asleep during the sacred liturgy?

Those who have attended exorcisms are quite surprised at the power that simple holy water, the touch of the priest’s hand, and the priest’s stole have over demons. This is also true of relics and sacramentals. The demons experience their power, yet so many of us are casual and unexpectant around such realities.

These observations are meant not so much to shame as to remind us that in the sacred liturgy we encounter the Lord of Glory. He is present in both word and sacrament. If a demon can know that and have servile fear, how about us? Can we know this and have a reverential fear and love?

Tomorrow I will post more on the power of Jesus’ preaching.

[af_vet_1981]

As stated before and on numerous times....yes.

Thank you for confessing the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, One God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity

This teaches the eternal security of the believer.

If there is a believer who professes to be a believer and denies Jesus is God the Son, does that believer have eternal security ?

The question is do Roman Catholics believe this?

The premise of the question is flawed. Catholics, Roman or other, believe the scriptures. They do not believe John Calvin.

It is not enough to say one believes or think one believes. Read the words of God in the book of Revelation. The LORD spoke to genuine churches, with candlesticks in heaven, all part of the one holy catholic apostolic Church, one body. They were legitimate, which the profane scorners cannot prove about their own faith communities. Jesus mentions works (not works of the Law) some dozen times.

[ealgeone]

You've been indoctrinated into to much Roman Catholic dogma.

The Greek behind the verbs in the verses I posted John 3, and I could show others, indicate the security of the believer in Christ. You can know. John was clear on this.

I know Rome doesn't believe that due to the control factor of Roman Catholicism.

[ealgeone]

If there is a believer who professes to be a believer and denies Jesus is God the Son, does that believer have eternal security ?

I think John does an excellent job in addressing your question.

1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 1 John 4:1-3 NASB

If you deny the Son....you are not a believer.

You do have eternal security....it's just not going to be in Heaven.

[ealgeone]

If there is a believer who professes to be a believer and denies Jesus is God the Son, does that believer have eternal security ?

I think John does an excellent job in addressing your question.

1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 1 John 4:1-3 NASB

If you deny the Son....you are not a believer.

You do have eternal security....it's just not going to be in Heaven.

[ealgeone]

If there is a believer who professes to be a believer and denies Jesus is God the Son, does that believer have eternal security ?

I think John does an excellent job in addressing your question.

1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 1 John 4:1-3 NASB

If you deny the Son....you are not a believer.

You do have eternal security....it's just not going to be in Heaven.

[ealgeone]

apologizes for the multiple posts

[Zuriel]

**If there is a believer who professes to be a believer and denies Jesus is God the Son, does that believer have eternal security ?**

Peter professed to Jesus Christ that he was the Son of God, NOT that he was God the Son. The Son was sent by, and OF God the Father.

To help support the “mother of God” argument, RCs need the “God the Son” designation.

When you finally realize that God the Father is not a separate image, but a Spirit, and was the power given to the Son (as Christ professed), then you have the revelation that Peter had.

[raygunfan]

aaah, the fun you can have when you decide your interpretation of scripture is the only right one....amazing....

[af_vet_1981]

o help support the “mother of God” argument, RCs need the “God the Son” designation.

And thus nontrinitarian heresy slips in under the antiCatholic banner ...

[af_vet_1981]

To help support the “mother of God” argument, RCs need the “God the Son” designation.

1. Miriam/Mary is the virgin prophesied in Isaiah who son would be called Immanuel
2. Emmanuel is a Romanized spelling of Immanuel.
3. It is translated as "God with us."
4. Immanuel/Emmanuel is all one needs to know, from the scriptures, that
   Miriam/Mary is the mother of "God with us."

And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

...

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Isaiah, Catholic chapter seven, Protestant verses thirteen to fourteen,
Matthew, Catholic chapter one, Protestant verses eighteen to twenty three,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

[af_vet_1981]

You've been indoctrinated into to much Roman Catholic dogma. The Greek behind the verbs in the verses I posted John 3, and I could show others, indicate the security of the believer in Christ. You can know. John was clear on this. I know Rome doesn't believe that due to the control factor of Roman Catholicism.

Here is a way to make one's calling and election sure:

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Second Peter, Catholic chapter one, Protestant verses one to eleven,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

[ealgeone]

Here's another way to know as well:

13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:13 NASB

The Greek indicates we can know this to be a true statement. John is writing to tell the believers there is no doubt of their eternal life.

[af_vet_1981]

In the epistle, who is "we" and who is "you" ?

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

...

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

First John, Catholic chapter one, Protestant verses one to four,
First John, Catholic chapter two, Protestant verses three to six, ,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

[Zuriel]

Thanks for your replies. I do appreciate them.

In the gospel according to John, Jesus Christ said sooooooo much about the Father; even that the Father dwelled in him, giving him life, the words to speak, and power to do miracles.

He told his disciples that when they see him, they see the Father.

When speaking to the Jews, Jesus said that the Father was with him; that he was not left alone.

Peter told those inquiring souls, on the day of Pentecost, that God had made that same Jesus, who they crucified both Lord and Christ.

Peter told Cornelius et al, that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power.

Come to think of it, Peter is not recorded as mentioning Mary by name anywhere in the NT. (Just an interesting side note)

“God with us”......... absolutely. God is a Spirit (let’s me think,....... who said that?..... hmmmm)

When you just accept the written testimony of the Lord and his apostles, you can accept the fact that they never defined the Son of God as “God the Son”, or the Holy Ghost as “God the Holy Ghost”.

Isaiah 42:1-8 really does a nice job of showing where the original source of divine power resides.

Yes, that favorite question of mine is next.............

Where is the Father NOT at, if thou canst tell?

[af_vet_1981]

Please share which general denomination or sect with whom you stand.

Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity—the teaching that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence (from the Greek ousia). Certain religious groups that emerged during the Protestant Reformation have historically been known as antitrinitarian.

According to churches that consider the decisions of ecumenical councils final, Trinitarianism was definitively declared to be Christian doctrine at the 4th-century ecumenical councils,[1][2][3] that of the First Council of Nicaea (325), which declared the full divinity of the Son,[4] and the First Council of Constantinople (381), which declared the divinity of the Holy Spirit.[5]

In terms of number of adherents, nontrinitarian denominations comprise a small minority of modern Christianity. By far the three largest nontrinitarian Christian denominations are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons"), Jehovah's Witnesses and the Iglesia ni Cristo, though there are a number of other smaller groups, including Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Members Church of God International, Unitarian Universalist Christians, The Way International, The Church of God International and the United Church of God.[6]

[Zuriel]

I don’t go to Wikipedia for original doctrine.

While I attend a oneness Pentecostal church, I avoid defining God in any way other than the way the scriptures define God. Oneness organizations mostly use the “three manifestations of one God” definition. It is an attempt to make defining God as brief as possible, but is like other efforts of men to explain God “in our own words”: not as accurate as simply quoting what the Lord and his apostles taught.

They didn’t ever use the phrases “God the Son” or “God the Holy Ghost”. They never taught prayer to anyone in heaven, other than God. They never embraced the praying to graven images.

In my most recent post to you I mentioned things that they taught, without scriptural reference, because they were from passages that you are no doubt familiar with, and would look up to confirm anyway. And I couldn’t devote my hands to the phone for very long.

A nice looking antique car can look somewhat like the original, but maybe not have original wheels, motor, interior, paint, tires, etc.

A true original has the original everything.

For men to take three centuries to iron out a definition of the Godhead, is actually pathetic.

The scriptures are plain:
God is a Spirit.
That same Spirit is God the Father.
He is the source of all things divine, and always has been.
He chose to dwell in a body that he fathered, and redeem fallen man.

Where is the Father NOT at?

[af_vet_1981]

According to the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (DPCM), “Oneness Pentecostalism (OP) is a religious movement that emerged in 1914 within the Assemblies of God (AG) of the early American Pentecostal movement, challenging the traditional Trinitarian doctrine, and baptismal practice with a modalistic view of God, a revelational theory of the name of Jesus, and an insistence on rebaptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

...

Furthermore, error begets error; thus the belief that one must be baptized only in the name of Jesus has led Oneness Pentecostalism to the further error that Jesus is himself the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They do not hold to one God revealed in three persons who are eternally distinct but to three manifestations of one God revealed in Jesus. Indeed, according to Oneness, the doctrine of the Trinity is pagan polytheistic philosophy. In truth, the Trinity is neither pagan polytheism nor pagan philosophy. Rather it is biblically based. Scripture plainly reveals personal self–distinctions within the Godhead. As such, the Father says of the Son, “Your throne, O God will last for ever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8); and the Son says of the Father, “I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the father, who sent me” (John 8:18). Moreover, the very fact that Jesus prays to the Father demonstrates that Jesus cannot be the Father. While I am frequently told by Oneness adherents that this is explained by the notion that Jesus’ human nature prays to his divine nature this is clearly not the case—natures can’t pray, only persons can.

Finally, Oneness Pentecostalism holds to a litany of legalistic proscriptions including the test of rebaptism by their formula with evidence of speaking in tongues. No tongues, no salvation. As one can imagine, this has placed tremendous socio–psychological pressure on adherents to conjure up the gift of tongues. Those who do not speak in tongues are thought to be lacking in faith or even to be entirely unrepentant.

...

The problem is that a group’s denial of an essential biblical teaching excludes that group from Christianity. While there may be some Christians in Oneness churches, the movement as a whole is non-Christian. As CRI president Hank Hanegraaff has said, “It would be inappropriate to argue that Jehovah’s Witnesses or various other groups are non-Christian because they deny the doctrine of the Trinity, but that the United Pentecostal Church can reject the Trinity and still be considered Christian.”16

[Zuriel]

The points I brought up for you were largely untouched.

I don’t expect to find informed and unbiased opinions from a man so over confident that he thinks that he is the “answer man”. I wonder if when he plays chess or checkers, he reaches over and moves the other player’s pieces, saying that he knows where “you were going to move it.”

1914? Organizational beginnings are not the beginnings of the scriptures.

Jesus Christ said: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou HEAREST the SOUND thereof, but canst NOT tell whence cometh, and whither it goeth: so is EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (my caps)

There are three witnesses in Acts, of people speaking in tongues when being filled with the Spirit: 2:4, 10:44-46, and 19:6. One other instance (8:14-18) shows a sorcerer seeing people receive the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands by the apostles, and wanting the power to make it happen himself. He must have witnessed something supernatural.

People that don’t believe in that experience, have never had it. That’s simply a lack of faith issue.

Maybe some day I will ask Hank:

Where is the Father NOT at, if thou canst tell?

The Son of God said that the Father was in him doing the works (John 14:10). Does the answer man think that the Father is not going to be in the Son when he sits on his throne?

[af_vet_1981]

The main point that even in Protestantism and Evangelicalism apologetics Oneness Pentecostalism is considered to be a modern heretical cult that rejects the Trinity and the scriptural formula of baptism which Catholics/Orthodox, Protestants, and Evangelicals share. Oneness Pentecostalism, Mormonism, JWism, et. al. are modern religious movements that departed from historic Christianity.

[Zuriel]

As I said previously: Organizational beginnings are not the beginnings of the scriptures.

Luther came along 1500+ yrs after what I believe is plainly taught in the scriptures. He saw some truth but didn’t entirely shed himself from man made traditions.

It’s straight and narrow, and few there be that find it.