OK, so maybe we don’t believe the same things.
Let me explain the Pentecostal position more fully and then I’d like to hear the Catholic position in fuller detail.
Please accept my sincere apology for procrastinating.
We believe that sin is both a condition and an act.
Here is where there is a major difference between the Pentecostal position and Catholicism. We believe that there are two separate sins, personal and original.
We believe that scripture shows that the descendants of Adam are born into a sin cursed nature (Romans 5:12-21; Psalm 51:5). This is the sinful condition.
Catholicism, like other Christian religions, believes in the spiritual dignity of the human person because we are created in the image of God. It is because of this dignity and value in the sight of God, that God so loved the world… Romans 5: 12 -21 is an affirmation of John 3:16.
Psalm 51 begins with a plea for the mercy of God Who is goodness in the greatness of compassion. In verse 7 there is the recognition that sin is everywhere so that even birth takes place in the environment of personal sin. Still, the author prays, albeit in a vague way, for his soul, not his actions, to return to God.“A clean heart create for me,” begs the author, “and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” Psalm 51:12. His prayer is answered in Romans 5: 12-21
In its section on the definition of sin, the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, paragraph 1850 refers both to Psalm 51 and Genesis, chapter 3. Mankind continues to sin personally throughout history; yet, these sins reflect the Original Sin of Adam who freely chose Satan’s temptation to become like gods knowing all things. What else is there besides good and evil?
The Original Sin of Adam was primarily disobedience of the obvious “condition” that in order for the creature Adam to remain in the Creator’s friendship, he had to freely live in submission (through obedience) to his Creator. St. Paul knew and taught about the necessity of Adam’s obedience. “For just as through the disobedience of one person, the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one (Jesus Christ), the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5: 19. Here, St. Paul makes sure that in this instance he is not talking about the accumulated sins of mankind, he is definitively talking about one person.
St. Paul continues his theme of one man and one Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15: 21-22. This time he names that one man.
“For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,”
I am not sure if I can properly explain what is happening. As one can tell from reading the above, Christians look to similar Scripture passages in order to understand the teachings handed down to the present day. For Catholics, understanding Original Sin is key to understanding the Divine Mystery of Christ.
When Christ is recognized as being Divine then Chapter six, Gospel of John, is understandable and so recognized as the Catholic Sacrament of the Eucharist.
There was a time in a high school class when we traced the paths of the main Reformers. I remember being “in love” with certain individuals. Tonight, I no longer remember the names of these individuals or how the differences between these men came about. I simply know that today there are differences in the way certain Scripture verses are interpreted and acted upon.
The above is just the beginning of Catholicism’s theology position.
Comments?
