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What Is the Greatest of All Protestant “Heresies”?
Ligonier ^ | 10/3/18 | Sinclair Ferguson

Posted on 10/03/2018 7:21:05 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper

Let us begin with a church history exam question. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) was a figure not to be taken lightly. He was Pope Clement VIII’s personal theologian and one of the most able figures in the Counter-Reformation movement within sixteenth-century Roman Catholicism. On one occasion, he wrote: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is _______ .”

...How would you answer? What is the greatest of all Protestant heresies?

...What he wrote was: “The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance.”

A moment’s reflection explains why. If justification is not by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone — if faith needs to be completed by works; if Christ’s work is somehow repeated; if grace is not free and sovereign, then something always needs to be done, to be “added” for final justification to be ours. That is exactly the problem. If final justification is dependent on something we have to complete it is not possible to enjoy assurance of salvation. For then, theologically, final justification is contingent and uncertain, and it is impossible for anyone (apart from special revelation, Rome conceded) to be sure of salvation. But if Christ has done everything, if justification is by grace, without contributory works; it is received by faith’s empty hands — then assurance, even “full assurance” is possible for every believer.

(Excerpt) Read more at ligonier.org ...


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KEYWORDS: bible; christianity; jesus; theology
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To: Elsie

bergoglio? The homo pope?


121 posted on 10/03/2018 8:44:41 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

Yes, Pope To Not Catch A Predator


122 posted on 10/03/2018 8:46:37 PM PDT by Luircin
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To: impactplayer

>> Without justification we are lost - and we cannot achieve (nor add too) justification. <<
That is true, but justification alone is not enough. Living an abundant, holy life requires obeying the will of God; impossible without being filled (controlled) by the Spirit of God (Eph. 5:15-18).


123 posted on 10/03/2018 8:53:47 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: allwrong57; Mark17; daniel1212; MHGinTN; metmom
And judging, God says to the human who accept the gift of salvation, by judicially declaring, "Not Guilty"; as He did for Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus.

From then on, Paul was justified, having the righteousness of The Christ imputed to him, in exchange for allowing all his sins to be borne by Jesus and paid for by His Blood shed on the Cross, applied to the True Mercy Seat in Heaven, and accepted by the Mighty God for full remission of sins.

124 posted on 10/03/2018 9:09:17 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: imardmd1

Please - do not try to “add” to the completed work of Jesus on the cross. He “Justified” us before the Father. If we need to add anything to that, then He failed. Indeed, we CANNOT add anything to the completed work of Jesus.

Everyone since Paul has struggled with this: “It really cannot be that simple!”

But it is - the Father has longed to “walk in the cool of the evening with His man”, and now Jesus has made this possible.

Once we realized - appreciate - accepted that we are truly Justified, then everything else - everything else - falls into place.

Neither the Father nor the Son can see our sin - the Holy Spirit resides in us to convict us of sin and to keep us in His Grace.

The hard part is not making this too hard - the work has been completed - and we stand fully Justified before our Creator - Hallelujah!!


125 posted on 10/03/2018 9:09:37 PM PDT by impactplayer
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To: ravenwolf

God determines who is a regenerated genuine believer and who is not. Sometimes humans have a real problem discerning this, and especially about themselves if they are not.


126 posted on 10/03/2018 9:13:39 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: imardmd1
God determines who is a regenerated genuine believer and who is not.

God commands people to believe. God promises those who choose believe they will be saved.

If there is no free will in all that, then for Him to command people to believe is superfluous. Indeed, all of creation would be superfluous....

Why go through a charade of creation when every soul's destination has be pre-determined by God?

And if God, in His sovereignty, has not elected to give his creations free will, then what's up with Lucifer? Did he rebel willingly, or was he forced (pre-determined) to do so?

A God who commands his creatures to believe, but pre-determines those who can/will believe, is a mocking God.

I have over the years followed a number of Calvinist/Non-Calvinist debate threads. But one thing they both have in common, neither side wants to say that God is a mocker.

127 posted on 10/03/2018 9:30:30 PM PDT by kevao (BIBLICAL JESUS: Give your money to the poor. SOCIALIST JESUS: Give your neighbor's money to the poor)
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To: SoFloFreeper; daniel1212; metmom; Mark17; MHGinTN; aMorePerfectUnion; Elsie; Luircin
What Is the Greatest of All Protestant “Heresies”?

The Greatest "Heresy" of The Protesters seeking to Reform the Catholic paradigm was/is rejecting only some of the RCC's false doctrines, rather than all of them. Such false doctrines include baptismal regeneration, paedobaptism, considering the emblems of Christ's Passion as sacraments, a two-class clergy/laity system of government of the assembly, a bishopric external to the local church, gaining/losing/gaining/losing one's salvation ad infinitum, episcopacy, special religious dress for the clergy, female elders/pastors, etc.; to name a few unbiblical heresies.

128 posted on 10/03/2018 9:42:47 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: kevao

You have not negated what I said. There are many people out there who claim to “believe” but whose actions proclaim otherwise. Though I do not, cannot judge their standing with God, I most certainly can ascertain their witness and treat them accordingly.


129 posted on 10/03/2018 9:49:41 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: imardmd1

“This epistle was not meant to apply to the Gentile world...”

Really? Hebrews is a letter that only applies to Jewish converts? THAT is a novel theory of canon! This non-Jewish Baptist find it both inspiring and enlightening!


130 posted on 10/03/2018 10:14:48 PM PDT by Mr Rogers (Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools)
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To: imardmd1

I (and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) agree with you on 2/3 of the ‘heresies’ you mention.

It’s also after midnight so I’m going to go to bed instead of get into an argument about the remaining 1/3.


131 posted on 10/03/2018 10:16:47 PM PDT by Luircin
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To: impactplayer
I added nothing to the work of Jesus on the Cross. There He finished fulfilling the Law as the Sacrifice. However, His work in propitiation was not completed until He, as our Eternal High Priest, offered His shed Blood by sprinkling it on the True Mercy Seat according to the pattern showed in Scriptures Hebrews 8:1-6, 9:23-26, 10:11-13, and having the payment accepted by the Mighty God and Judge of all; thus having His Righteous Anger slaked, His Prescribed Demands satisfied; and it was possible for His Enmity to be turned to affection, resulting in reconciliation with confessing and repenting humans, allowing Him to unilaterally offer each such a one not only friendship, but Spiritual paternity together with justificationas the benefit of one's appeal for rescue and restoration through accepting the transaction involved.

In other words, both propitiation and reconciliation must precede justification. Jesus not only had to die, but for his Body, Soul, and Spirit to be rejoined in resurrection, by His Ascension and Appearance in Heaven as Our High Priest. There is no shortcut to this process.

132 posted on 10/03/2018 10:29:00 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: Mr Rogers
Again, the epistle was written to the dispersed Hebrews, many of whom were ill-instructed in the import of their own religion as symbolic, a precursor revealing the Person and Work of the Christ.

The principles involved may apply also to Gentiles, and used by Gentiles to begin to understand the significance of the Hebrew religion. This is not novel. The primary audience of the epistle is clearly given in the title. My Textus Receptus page says "Paulou Tou Apostolou Hay Pros Ebraious Epistolay" (sounding it out with the English alphabet).

I do not see how this can be a problem for you. I learned this in my 47 years of participation in independent fundamental immersionist assemblies, and as having been discipled for over 25 years by a retired Baptist missionary, whose doctoral degree was from the Western Conservative Baptist Seminary.

133 posted on 10/03/2018 11:01:10 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: Luircin

My dear FRiend and brother in Christ, there is no argument about it. I am not a Protestant, nor am I a Reformer. I just subscribe to the doctrines followed by the first autonomous immersionist New Testament assemblies. And that does not include denominationalism.


134 posted on 10/03/2018 11:06:14 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: imardmd1
to name a few unbiblical heresies.

I think you just about covered most of the false doctrines of the RCC. If there are others, I can’t think of any at the moment. 😁
You may have never heard of some fruitcake, that lives around here. I had never heard of the dude either, till a few years ago. He is still alive here too. His name is Apollo C Quiboloy. If there is a dictionary definition of blasphemy, his picture would be there. The dude is a total chump.

135 posted on 10/04/2018 12:59:35 AM PDT by Mark17 (Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
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To: Mark17

What I named is the doctrines that the Protestant denominations have let slide by during the Reformation rather than reject, ones that are now locked into and cripple their basic platforms. There is a lot much more RCC dogma that they haven’t, though.


136 posted on 10/04/2018 2:10:01 AM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: impactplayer

AMEN!!!!


137 posted on 10/04/2018 2:14:15 AM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith......)
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To: imardmd1
There is a lot much more RCC dogma that they haven’t, though.

Well, a few others, that I disagree with, the mass, the sacraments, Purgatory, the most important, salvation by works, the rejection of assurance.
I remember my mom telling me once, that she thought my dad would go to Limbo. I haven’t heard RCs talk about Limbo in decades. Does the place no longer exist? 😁 I know, I know, it never existed, but I just haven’t heard it mentioned in a long time. 👎 Where did these peculiar doctrines come from.

138 posted on 10/04/2018 3:00:47 AM PDT by Mark17 (Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
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To: Elsie

Not sure what that means. Is there some kind of contest going on?


139 posted on 10/04/2018 4:25:54 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: onedoug
bergoglio? The homo pope?

Jesus hung around (get it?) with prostitutes and tax collectors.

140 posted on 10/04/2018 4:26:47 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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