An Observation

[Fair_Lady]

there are no words here that restrict scripture as the only source .In fact read verse 10 and St.Paul clearly says my doctrine,which could not be found in scripture yet.

I haven’t seen any other book that purports to be God’s word.

Yes but do not forget that God reveled Himself through His Son and not just written words.and if tradition comes from the body of Christ it is not of man but of Christ.Christ is the word made flesh He is my light,through His body the Church. did not Christ say you are the light of the world to His disciple’s.

Yes, the point you bring up of God revealing Himself through His Son is an important one. Once the Son left the earth, we are left with His written word, the Bible and that is the final authority on which I base my beliefs. All people who believe in Christ as their personal Saviour form the body of Christ.

But i am even more grateful He gave me His body the Church to help my weak mind understand His word truthfully.

The Holy Spirit gives understanding to all who want His truth. We can count on Him.

 

[Fair_Lady]

wisdomseeker:
Oh dear. how can i make you understand. by these Scriptures, do you think God was talking about Holy Mother of God and His Saints? what is He talking about here? think, just think.

What is He talking about here? Anyone or anything who receives hnour, devotion or glory that belongs to Him.

 

[Fair_Lady]

So Jesus being the Word here being God, and being born of Mary, would it not stand to reason that she is is earthly mother??? Hence “Mother of God.” At least minimally look at it from that perspective. That is where the expression “Mother of God” came from. It has nothing to do with Mary having divinity.

I have yet to find a Catholic doctrine that says that Mary had any form of divinity so where do you get that erroneous notion? I don’t think anyone on this thread disagrees with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I just think that Mary bening referred to as “Mother of God” is a misnomer. I definitely do believe that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the title of “Mother of God” suggests that Mary is the mother of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time, Jesus was fully God and fully human when He walked the earth. If one refers to Mary as “Mother of God” because Jesus was fully God and man at the same time, I think it’s just an unfortunate choice of words. My preference is to say that Mary was the mother of Jesus.

 

[Fair_Lady]

wisdomseeker:
do you think God inspired the CC to compile the Bible, so you could use the Book against the Church He inspired?

If Scriptures is all one needs, why do you think Jesus summoned a few men and instructed them to go out and teach all He tought them?

The words of Jesus are recorded in the Bible so I don’t see the issue here. The men Jesus summoned taught as Jesus wanted them to, and the wonderful thing is that a record has been kept in scripture that is useful today and always.

dont you think Jesus could have saved many lives just by telling one person to just write the Book?

Possibly, but that wasn’t in God’s plan. Instead, what we have today in scripture is as God has inspired it and it will never be destroyed.

you can quote Scriptures all day long but you dont know what they mean, unless somebody teaches you.

Peace

Yes, but it may not be a human teacher, though God does use men to preach and teach the word. The ultimate teacher is the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave us to flounder on our own. In John14:26 He promised “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” That Holy Spirit is alive today in all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we can call on Him to help us in studying His word and coming to the knowledge of the truth. I get thoroughly excited over the written word of God and how it penetrates the heart and how is comes alive!

Hebrews 4:12&13 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

 

[Fair_Lady]

You shouldn’t have any problems answering these questions. Please don’t side-step again. You do that an awful lot and it’s beginning to appear that you just can’t answer these questions. I’m sorry, but frankly I am very tired and I don’t like being ignored.

Can you answer these questions?

I think I’ve explained my position adequately to this point. If it doesn’t suit you, you are free to go elsewhere.

There is one more item I feel I should point out. I know that you’re Canadian so perhaps you aren’t aware of this but the term “coon” is a derogatory reference to blacks. It’s against forum rules to use such terms. I thought you should know this.

You’re right, I had no idea it was a derogatory term and if it offended anyone, please accept my sincere apology.

 

[Fair_Lady]

One thing i realized about Protestants. Because they have the Bible they think they know everything. they believe they got it right.

I hope you have the Bible too. I don’t ever want anyone to take anything from me without checking it out in God’s word.

 

[Randy_Carson]

LittlleSoldier and Kay Cee,

Goodness, I haven’t been ignoring you. I’ve just tried to answer as best I could on a general level because to answer each miniscule question would take me a coon’s age.

[bold]“16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17[/bold]

God speaks to us through His scriptures. That is His provision for us to get to know Him and it how He revealed Himself to us. As 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, all scripture is given to us by the inspiration of God (some versions say it is “God breathed”). Then it goes on to tell us that scripture is profitable for “doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. This is followed by a very important statement in verse 17 – …”that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In other words, the way God has revealed Himself and His instructions to us in scripture are sufficient for the people of God, so they may be complete. There is nothing of significance in spiritual matters that should be sought after outside of scripture. As far as books go, there is no other source that we can go to outside of scripture that is absolutely reliable for truth. That is because it is only the Bible that was written by the inspiration of God.

At times we will be faced with traditions of men and we will have to discern whether or not it is in agreement with God’s word or not. If it is not, we can know that what God’s word says about that situation, even if only in principle, is sufficient for us. Even in biblical times, Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and scribes on a matter of tradition, to which Jesus flatly told them in Matthew 15:3, ““Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” So there we have it, a clear and concise instruction to heed God’s word over man’s tradition.

Psalm 119:104 & 105 is how I see God’s word and strive to apply it to the way I live my life and to grow in Christ Jesus:

“ Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

I am so thankful to God that He has given us a book to refer to when human “wisdom” is so utterly insufficient.

The challenge, Fair Lady, is that the passage you quote from 2 Timothy does not teach the sufficiency of scripture. This ground was covered in detail in Patrick Madrid’s debate with James White back in the 90’s. Sorry, but the Greek just doesn’t support your position here.

Since you’re overwhelmed with posts and pressed for time, I’ll cut to the chase: despite every effort by evangelicals, professional apologists and scholars to come up with a verse that proves sola scriptura, it has never been done because the Bible simply doesn’t teach this “tradition of men”.

This is why we Catholics love to send newbies off on this snipe hunt.

In the end, after much searching and frustration, you’ll be forced to admit (to yourself at the very least if not to us) that the Bible does not teach sola scriptura. And at that point, you’ll be faced with a choice: continue on in the Protestant tradition that you now know is built upon sand or turn to the one, true Church built upon the rock, Peter, by Jesus Christ Himself.

You’re probably a couple of years away from this point, but seeds of doubt are already planted. You’ll feel uncomfortable for awhile, angry perhaps, maybe scared. But eventually you will tell God that you’ll follow Him wherever He leads…even if He leads you to Rome.

We’ll be waiting to greet you.

 

[Fair_Lady]

Fair Lady, there are so many problems with using 2 Tim 3:16-17 to “prove” scripture is sufficient, that I scarcely know where to begin.

1. There is the glaring problem of the canon. One cannot even go to 2 Timothy without first knowing it is scripture. But nowhere does the Bible tell us Paul’s letters to Timothy are scripture. For this, one must go to a source *outside *the Bible, as you did yourself did when you said you base your belief in the canon on faith.
2. It is *circular reasoning. *I could write that this post is scripture, but that wouldn’t make it so. The Koran says it’s the Word of God. Does that statement in the Koran make it so?
3. If you read up a couple verses from 2 Tim 3:16, you will see this: “But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you have learned it.” (verse 14) In other words, the *context *is what Timothy has already learned, which would be the Old Testament scripture.
4. Paul could not have possibly had in mind the Book of Revelation or any other scripture which had yet to be penned.
5. The verse in question nowhere says scripture is sufficient. The words used to describe scripture are “inspired,” and “useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” It does not describe scripture as sufficient, nor does the passage say *only *scripture is good for these things.
6. In no way does this fulfill my request since you have not answered my questions from scripture. In posts 53, 61, 67, 78, and 83 you were asked to provide scripture to back up things you ask us to believe. (LittleSoldier has provided some examples in her post.) Since you claim all our beliefs are to be based on scripture, surely you must have based those beliefs you posted on scripture. So it should therefore be a piece of cake for you to tell us where those ideas are in scripture. So why do you keep side-stepping instead of telling us? Even if you could prove all our beliefs must come from scripture (and you haven’t proved that at all), it still doesn’t tell us where those beliefs of yours are found in scripture!!!

Either provide the scripture or stop claiming everything we believe must be found in scripture. THIS IS NOW MY FIFTH REQUEST.

Again, I believe that I have stated my position adequately. I think that there is such a vast difference in our foundational premises that we hold to, that we would need to begin all over again to make sense of any of this. The bottom line as far as this thread goes is that I believe that praying to Mary and saints that have gone before us is error and so far no one has been able to come up with scripture to prove otherwise.

 

[Cristian_B]

(1) Where does it state in the Bible “that had Mary died ahead of Him, He would not have prayed to her because He taught us to pray to His father?”

Please cite book, chapter, and verse.

*And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.* (Luke 11:1-4)

As you see, Jesus says “Father…” not “Abraham”; neither “Moses”; neither “Elijah”, who was a man that ascended in Heaven. If we can’t pray to a man we are sure that he’s alive and in Heaven, what makes you think you can pray to the dead, or asleep? We can’t pray to Enoch who was a man who walked with God, and then later God took him with Him. If we can’t pray to Enoch, a man that walked with God and we know he’s alive, what makes you think we can pray to the saints that are dead (asleep)? There were people greater than Mary and the saints, but He tells us to pray to God. If we can’t pray to people that were greater than Mary and the saints, why should we pray to them? Why don’t pray to Enoch and Elijah, whom at least you are sure that they are alive? The saints are dead, but you know that Enoch and Elijah never died, and you don’t pray to them. You don’t pray to them, who are alive, but pray to the saints, who are dead. Jesus didn’t tell us to pray to them so you must pray to God only.

(2) Where does it state in the Bible that “Had He wanted us to pray to Mary, I’m sure He would have told us?”

Please cite book, chapter, and verse.

What you quoted from her speaks for itself. If He would’ve wanted us to pray to her and the saints, He would’ve told us. If He doesn’t want us to pray to Elijah or Enoch whom we’re completely sure that they’re alive, I suppose He doesn’t want us to pray to asleep people neither.

(3) Why do you believe that you have the right to assume what Jesus would do? You are sure. You’re not merely offering it as a possibility; you are sure!! You are awfully sure of some things that aren’t in the Bible yet you say that we shouldn’t pray to saints because it isn’t in the Bible. Why are you allowed to believe what is not in the Bible, but Catholics aren’t??

If the Holy Spirit can be infallible through the bishops and papacy, couldn’t He speak infallible words through her as well? You say she’s contradicting herself, but you are as well.

The Catholics can believe in whatever they want. You can keep traditions as long as they don’t interfere with God’s Word and work.

(4) Why do you have the right to add to Scripture? You have done this by assuming what Jesus would do in certain situations. You state “Had He wanted us to pray to Mary, I am sure He would have told us.” [emphasis mine] This is adding to Scripture. According to the website you offered re sola scriptura you aren’t allowed to do so. Yet you do!! You put words in Jesus’ mouth!! Where does your authority to do things like this come from?

And your authority… where does the Catholic authority come from? I could tell you but you’d be offended.

Jesus didn’t tell us not to pray to Enoch of Elijah either, but I see no one praying to them: them, who are alive! But you are praying to some dead people who can’t hear you and neither think or anything like that; all they do is wait for Jesus.

Here are a few added questions from your current post to Kay Cee and myself:

(4) Where in the Bible does it state that the books of Timothy are scripture?

Please cite book, chapter, and verse.

Because it contains teachings based on the the rest of the Bible?

(5) Where in the Bible does it state “There is nothing of significance in spiritual matters that should be sought after outside of Scripture?”

Please cite book, chapter, and verse.

Tell me one thing that is very important in spiritual matters, and that’s not in the Bible.

(5) Where in the Bible does it state “As far as books go, there is no other source that we can go to outside of Scripture that is absolutely reliable for truth?”

Please cite book, chapter, and verse.

Tell me something absolutely reliable for our own salvation that’s not in the Bible.

(7) Where do you find the authority to discern whether man’s tradition is in agreement with God’s word or not? What if it is tradition that is not covered in Scripture?

Please cite book, chapter, and verse.

You shouldn’t have any problems answering these questions. Please don’t side-step again. You do that an awful lot and it’s beginning to appear that you just can’t answer these questions. I’m sorry, but frankly I am very tired and I don’t like being ignored.

Can you answer these questions!

If it is not covered in the Scripture, then it is not necessary to your own salvation. She has wisdom which surely God gave her: that is the source of her authority.

By the way, what do you mean by tradition?

 

[MarysGirls]

Again, I believe that I have stated my position adequately. I think that there is such a vast difference in our foundational premises that we hold to, that we would need to begin all over again to make sense of any of this. The bottom line as far as this thread goes is that I believe that praying to Mary and saints that have gone before us is error and so far no one has been able to come up with scripture to prove otherwise.

Okay, I think I can explain this to you if you can just spare me a moment of your time.
If I were to ask you to pray for me, would you refuse? I hope you wouldn’t. Praying to saints and to Our Lady is no different, because we are not really praying to them, in as much as we are asking them to pray to GOD for us. Because no soul in heaven is dead, it is the same as me asking you to pray for me. Does this make sense?

Pax!
Nicole

 

[MacDaddy]

I’ve been researching Catholicism because my granddaughter goes to a Catholic school and I am interested in finding out what she is learning.

One observation I’m making is that it is common for Catholics to pray to Mary to ask her to pray for them. Then the praise report comes in. Who gets the credit for answered prayers? Mary. There isn’t even an acknowledgment of God’s involvement in what He has done.

Comments from grateful recipients of answered prayer often include the notion that Mary’s prayers are more effective than the recipient going directly to God with their prayers. I believe it is wrong to give the credit to Mary. God is the One who provides every one of His mercies and graces. ALL glory should be directed to Him.

Aside from the fact that I don’t believe Mary should be prayed to in the first place, I find it extremely offensive to give her the praise for what transpires.

I would suggest that you get use to the idea, she is in a Catholic school. If you would like, send me PM and an email address and I will locate some resources for you if you would like. Both Catholic and/or Protestant which can show the similarities and differences.

MacD

 

[Padrej]

I just think that Mary bening referred to as “Mother of God” is a misnomer. I definitely do believe that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the title of “Mother of God” suggests that Mary is the mother of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time, Jesus was fully God and fully human when He walked the earth. If one refers to Mary as “Mother of God” because Jesus was fully God and man at the same time, I think it’s just an unfortunate choice of words. My preference is to say that Mary was the mother of Jesus.

While it is your opinion that it is a misnomer for Mary to be called “Mother of God” let me quote you from the Ultra conservative Protestant Hank Hanegraaff (AKA the Bible Answer man) from his website equip.org. He writes the following on the “Theotokos” which is the far older name for “Mother of God” and is still the name used by the Orthodox Christians to this day.

*"THE THEOTOKOS- Introduction
Both Catholics and Protestants recognize Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ. However, beyond this, their views are vastly divergent. Just how different are they?

THE THEOTOKOS- The Beginnings of a Conflict
Of the many issues which divide Catholics and Protestants, the question of Mary’s status within the church is definitely one of the most prominent ones. In fact, the beginning of the problem can be traced all the way back to the Council of Chalcedon, which took place in 451 A.D. Here, Mary was officially given the title Theotokos (which means “God-bearer” or “mother of God”). Well, this designation was meant to underscore the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh — one person who possessed two distinct natures, rather than two persons who were somehow joined together. Unfortunately, the title paved the way for extreme Marian devotees to filter into the church.

THE THEOTOKOS- Blessed, or Venerated?
In confessing Mary to be “the mother of God,” we simply mean that it was within Mary’s womb that the eternal Son became united to a human nature and entered the world as theanthropos, the God-man. Mary was truly Jesus’ mother, but let’s make an important distinction here — she was Christ’s mother with respect to His humanity and not His deity. We affirm with Catholics that Mary was indeed “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28). After all, God chose her to give birth to the Messiah."*

So you can see from this That Hank even shows that he can live with this ancient custom. If it makes you comfortable calling Mary “the Mother of Jesus” that would certainly not be out of line with scripture; But “Mother of God” would not be out of line with church traditions held for centuries either. I hope this makes the story on the title a little clearer from the PROTESTANT view.

 

[LittleSoldier]

Good Greif! I have not heard the “Abraham covenant” argument since I read the complete works of Menno Simon the founder of the Mennonite and Amish sects. The arguments are old and weak at best. If you are in a “covenant of Grace” by your argument you should be able to Baptize an infant. Jesus came not to change the Law but to fulfill it, or do you overlook that part of your Bible?
The water of Baptism is an outward sign of the inner work, if done on your behalf, you re-affirm those vows later when able to answer. If the water had any saving property in and of itself I would be spraying the road down in front of my church at every car that went by.

I’d grab a fire hose and get anyone that got within 500 feet of me!!

 

[MacDaddy]

The words of Jesus are recorded in the Bible so I don’t see the issue here. The men Jesus summoned taught as Jesus wanted them to, and the wonderful thing is that a record has been kept in scripture that is useful today and always.

Possibly, but that wasn’t in God’s plan. Instead, what we have today in scripture is as God has inspired it and it will never be destroyed.

Yes, but it may not be a human teacher, though God does use men to preach and teach the word. The ultimate teacher is the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave us to flounder on our own. In John14:26 He promised “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” That Holy Spirit is alive today in all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we can call on Him to help us in studying His word and coming to the knowledge of the truth. I get thoroughly excited over the written word of God and how it penetrates the heart and how is comes alive!

Hebrews 4:12&13 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Dear Sister,

You are on target. Jesus was a Soloa Scriptura, He never quoted anything outside of His own Word and He never will.

De 8:3
"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Matt. 4 & Luke 4 But He answered and said, ***"It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ " ***

I know of no other place, than the written record of Scripture where the mouth of the Word of God rests. I cannot find any proof that anything outside of Scripture is not in our Bible.

Any verse that mentions oral teachings are speaking in the tense that shows it already existed; therefore we can rightly conclude from Peter that the oral teachings are one in the same with the written record.
2Pe 3:15-16
“our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,as also in all {his} letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as {they do} also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

 

[MarysGirls]

I’d grab a fire hose and get anyone that got within 500 feet of me!!

Wait for me! I’ll join you!!!

 

[MacDaddy]

Excuse me, but it’s your rule. You said callling on the dead was “strictly forbidden” in scripture, making such a rule an absolute with no exceptions. God does say “***Thou ***shalt not kill” not that He should not kill those over whom He has ultimate authority.

De 6:13 "You shall fear {only} the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

De 8:19
"It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.

Prayer is a form of worship; so praying to a saint will not be heard but by God alone for He is omnipresent and omniscient.

Jesus gave us the model and told His disciples, whom you call the Apostles and claim to follow their traditions, which they were taught by Jesus when they asked “How should we pray?” and Jesus gave the only model of prayer, which is to the Father directly and known as the Lord’s prayer. It is a matter of obedience as Jesus told us exactly the manner to which and He set the example throughout His earthly life by praying only to His Father and my Father. Take it for what it is worth.

I also don’t see any hint in scripture of a ban on praying to Mary or any other saints. Please show me the scriptural prohibition on praying to those alive in Christ. (BTW, to “pray” means to “beseech” not to “worship.”)

See above, we are commanded in the affirmative, not the negative.

Please show me where scripture says that the fact that we can go directly to God means we are never to communicate with those alive in Christ who have passed on. I want book, chapter, and verse, please. And remember, I mean a prohibition against communicating with those alive in Christ.

Same answer as above - take it for what it is or not.

 

[LittleSoldier]

While it is your opinion that it is a misnomer for Mary to be called “Mother of God” let me quote you from the Ultra conservative Protestant Hank Hanegraaff (AKA the Bible Answer man) from his website equip.org. He writes the following on the “Theotokos” which is the far older name for “Mother of God” and is still the name used by the Orthodox Christians to this day.

*"THE THEOTOKOS- Introduction
Both Catholics and Protestants recognize Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ. However, beyond this, their views are vastly divergent. Just how different are they?

THE THEOTOKOS- The Beginnings of a Conflict
Of the many issues which divide Catholics and Protestants, the question of Mary’s status within the church is definitely one of the most prominent ones. In fact, the beginning of the problem can be traced all the way back to the Council of Chalcedon, which took place in 451 A.D. Here, Mary was officially given the title Theotokos (which means “God-bearer” or “mother of God”). Well, this designation was meant to underscore the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh — one person who possessed two distinct natures, rather than two persons who were somehow joined together. Unfortunately, the title paved the way for extreme Marian devotees to filter into the church.

THE THEOTOKOS- Blessed, or Venerated?
In confessing Mary to be “the mother of God,” we simply mean that it was within Mary’s womb that the eternal Son became united to a human nature and entered the world as theanthropos, the God-man. Mary was truly Jesus’ mother, but let’s make an important distinction here — she was Christ’s mother with respect to His humanity and not His deity. We affirm with Catholics that Mary was indeed “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28). After all, God chose her to give birth to the Messiah."*

So you can see from this That Hank even shows that he can live with this ancient custom. If it makes you comfortable calling Mary “the Mother of Jesus” that would certainly not be out of line with scripture; But “Mother of God” would not be out of line with church traditions held for centuries either. I hope this makes the story on the title a little clearer from the PROTESTANT view.

Thank you very much for your post. As a Catholic, of course I believe that Mary is the mother of Jesus as 100 percent human and 100 percent God (I almost typed 200 percent God - that would have stirred the pot a bit!!) She is the mother of God incarnate and is the most blessed of persons to have ever lived. She is truly called blessed by all generations and I think she would still be called blessed (and be blessed) even if she were only the mother of the human part of Jesus.

My father loved Mary very much, all his life. I didn’t understand it at first but when I became an adult I began to admire him for his devotion to her. He didn’t speak about it but his love for her was clear. One day I walked up to him and flat out asked if he loved Mary and he looked at me like I must be crazy for even doubting such a thing. Of course he loved Mary!!

He has passed on and I pray that he has seen Mary and talked to Mary for I know that was his wish and I hope to be with her one day, also.

And for anyone else reading this, I do not mean to imply that Mary is divine. It has never been Church teaching that we should worship Mary. In fact, the Church teaches that the worship of Mary is absolutely wrong. Catholics worship God. Only God. Without God Mary would be nothing, just as we are nothing without God.

But God does love Mary and she plays a very special role both as the mother of God and as the woman who freely chose to carry the Christ within her. She is a personal inspiration to me and I turn to her daily with prayer and hope. Like my father, I love Mary very much - she is my mother, too and I try to honor her as much as I can.

 

[MarysGirls]

Dear Sister,

You are on target. Jesus was a Soloa Scriptura, He never quoted anything outside of His own Word and He never will.

De 8:3
"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Matt. 4 & Luke 4 But He answered and said, ***"It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ " ***

I know of no other place, than the written record of Scripture where the mouth of the Word of God rests. I cannot find any proof that anything outside of Scripture is not in our Bible.

Any verse that mentions oral teachings are speaking in the tense that shows it already existed; therefore we can rightly conclude from Peter that the oral teachings are one in the same with the written record.
2Pe 3:15-16
“our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,as also in all {his} letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as {they do} also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

John 21:25 “But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

MacDaddy, the Bible contains what is necessary for salvation. That’s why Protestants are saved and I thank GOD for that. However, JESUS says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn. 14:6) So the closer we are to Truth, the closer we are to Christ, right? Well, GOD’s Truth is too big to fit in one book. It’s too big to fit in our minds. But GOD in His infinite wisdom has seen fit to give us a limited understanding of this Truth. Not only in the Written Word, but through Dinine Revelation, which is made up of three parts: Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and Magesterial Teaching, all of which are inspired by the Holy Spirit. “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things.” (Jn. 14:26) Meaning, after JESUS went to the Father, the Holy Spirit came to continue the revelation.

 

[LittleSoldier]

De 6:13 "You shall fear {only} the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

De 8:19
"It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.

Prayer is a form of worship; so praying to a saint will not be heard but by God alone for He is omnipresent and omniscient.

Jesus gave us the model and told His disciples, whom you call the Apostles and claim to follow their traditions, which they were taught by Jesus when they asked “How should we pray?” and Jesus gave the only model of prayer, which is to the Father directly and known as the Lord’s prayer. It is a matter of obedience as Jesus told us exactly the manner to which and He set the example throughout His earthly life by praying only to His Father and my Father. Take it for what it is worth.

See above, we are commanded in the affirmative, not the negative.
Same answer as above - take it for what it is or not.

I see that your religious affiliation is Christian. Do you believe that Jesus is God?

 

[LittleSoldier]

The words of Jesus are recorded in the Bible so I don’t see the issue here. The men Jesus summoned taught as Jesus wanted them to, and the wonderful thing is that a record has been kept in scripture that is useful today and always.

Possibly, but that wasn’t in God’s plan. Instead, what we have today in scripture is as God has inspired it and it will never be destroyed.

Yes, but it may not be a human teacher, though God does use men to preach and teach the word. The ultimate teacher is the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave us to flounder on our own. In John14:26 He promised “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” That Holy Spirit is alive today in all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we can call on Him to help us in studying His word and coming to the knowledge of the truth. I get thoroughly excited over the written word of God and how it penetrates the heart and how is comes alive!

Hebrews 4:12&13 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

I am going to ask another question of you. Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is God? If not, what is He?