If we do not have to do works to get to heaven than why are there all the do this, do that and, don’t do this, rules of the catholic church? We are saved by the grace of God.
Yes, and it befits those who are saved by grace, through faith, to bear the fruits that befit repentance. Unlike our separated brethren, we do not stop reading Eph. chapt. 2 at vs. 9.
Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 **For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. **
The Church guides us so that we know which “good works” these are, and how to fulfill the commandment that we should walk in them.
From what I am learning on CAF and the actions and words from a lot of catholics on this forum I am not really sure I want to learn more about it.
I can understand why you would feel that way. Your perceptions are very disordered, so you misunderstand most of what is said here.
I am not really sure I want to be like all of you on this forum. I am in a great quandary at the moment.
Given what you have said you think of all of us on the forum, I am most certain I do not want to be like us either!
But your perceptions of us really have a lot more to say about you than they do about us.
Matt 6:22-23
2 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Since you look at the world with an unsound point of view, everything looks full of darkness.
If I give up on being perfect than you give up on being good enough for anyone especially God. For he expects perfection as himself.
No, LIT. I know that I will never be “good enough”, so I don’t have to give up anything.
The perfection that God expects is worked in us by His grace, not by our own efforts.
Phil 2:12-13
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
When we work alongside His grace, He is able to produce in and through us those works that He has prepared for us, in which we should walk.
2 Cor 12:9-10
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
If you give up your striving for goodness, you can begin to glory in your weaknesses! You can embrace making mistakes as an opportunity for Him to be strong in you.
I am just expressing what I see and how I interpret what is said on CAF.
I believer you, LIT. In fact, I suspect that what I am hearing is probably a good representation of how you interpret your whole world.
If I am off than evidently I did not understand what someone said.
You have demonstrated that you frequently misunderstand. This is not a problem, but the fact that you cling to your misunderstanding over and above the Truth is a problem.
Code:
Remember I take EVERYTHING at face value forever.
This is a horrible habit that it is a good time to break. It is really a block to your spiritual and emotional growth, because your initial impressions are so often off center. Having a wrong first impression does not really have to be a problem, unless you are unwilling to correct it with more information.
So when someone on this forum state that you can’t get to heaven unless you are catholic. I believe what they say.
No, LIT, you don’t. It is not necessary for you to believe everything you read, or hear. However, it is good that no one has said this anyway. The fact that you thought they said that is a good example of what I mean when I say that your initial impressions are off center.
Than I get threatened with the death of my soul unless I don’t say those things anymore.
Don’t say what things?
Code:
All I am doing is responding to how I read what is printed here.
No, LIT, that is not all that is happening. You read what is printed, then it goes into the filters of your mind, gets twisted around, and comes out crooked.
Some very basic communication skills would help you a lot, like “do you mean…”
“It seems to me that…”
“when I read this…it seems like you are saying…”
Then give the other member a chance to communicate that the idea you got was the same as the one they were trying to send. Misperceptions can be corrected, if the parties are willing. If you misunderstood, like you did about only Catholics being saved, but your misperception is written in stone forever, then we will not get very far.
