With so many people relying on the bible alone, with the individual guidance of the Holy Spirit of course, and coming to so many different conclusions … and outsider would say that God gave us a Spirit of confusion or division.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
No. Your friend has equal access to God as you do if you are believers. If your friend required you to pray because he did not have access to God, then you would be mediating for him.
You may see it as a mute point, but others do not share your perception. There are plenty of Protestants who believe that baptismal regeneration contradicts and is incompatible with faith alone. Somehow, Lutherans don’t see it that way. The issue is not whether a person is baptized or not, but what they teach regarding baptism and this teaching has to do with salvation.
Perhaps for you, there aren’t any differences. But for many Calvinists and Arminians there are significant differences. I have heard a number of Calvinists claim that Arminians teac a false gospel. So even in the perception of what the differences are among Protestants there are also divisions.
Non sequitur.
And who said we don’t have access to God? Now I have a question:
In the CC the sacraments are only available through the priest. Therefore the priest stands between the believer and God for it is only though the priest that the blessings can be obtained. Apart from the priest, the believer cannot receive the very things necessary for salvation.
We are in agreement on this point. What we don’t seem to agree upon is that a mediator is a faciliator, not a blockage. A mediator is a conduit, not a prevention or an obstacle.
You are right. We don’t agree. What does scripture say we should do when we cannot agree?
Those who are gathered in the Name are gathered with those whom He appointed to be ministers of His grace. If they are not in union with the bishops and the elders, then they are there in their own name.
Jesus chose to work through the priesthood, in the OT as a shadow of what was to come, in His own life as the mediator and also the victim of the sacrifice. He appointed priests to continue this memorial in rememberance of Him.
Your interpretation cannot be reconciled with the human use of this language at the time, nor with the faith and teaching of the Apostles. This constitutes “a different gospel”, one that has emerged only in recent history.
So, when He said “take and eat…this is my Body”, you think He did not really mean what He said? He was talking about a heart transplant while He was handing out the bread?
All those who were in union with Christ came to the table of plenty in Eucharist up until the Modern American Fundamentalist movement in the 1930’s. How do you account for the fact that Jesus, who said He would lead the Church into “all Truth”, was so weak, disinterested, or neglectful to allow this misunderstanding of his words for the past 1900 years? How could all of them have gotten it wrong?
Right. So, Protestants, having done away with the priesthood, have lost the ordinary means of salvation.
Nope. Jesus made a distinction between the 12 and the 70, and between the disciples and the crowds. Here we see already a four-tier heirarchy - Jesus, then the 12, then the 70 and last, the crowds. If you had lived at the time of Christ and had been in the crowds, you would not have had personal access to Him in the way that either the 12 (who lived with Him) or the 70 (who lived in their own homes, but worked with Him daily) had.
Not to nitpick, but there were only two at the foot of the Cross - Mother Mary, and St. John the Divine.
In that we all have the ability to become members of the Church, yes. But in our roles, once we enter the Church, no. St. Paul in I Corinthians 12 shows that we each have different roles, akin to different parts of the human body. All are essential, and all are equal in dignity, but not all are equal in authority.
I have heard those on this blog contradict each other. What is your point? I have told you over and over that salvation is dependant upon one thing – Jesus. He died to save sinners of whom I am chief.
Here you are wrong. The Catholic Church teaches that the sacraments are the normative means by which God confers His grace. God can also work outside of the sacraments.
And how do you go about understanding that the scripture you are quoting is correct? Ralph
This is what you believe. What is not essential for you, is essential for another Protestant. There are plenty of Protestants out there who believe that if you have a false understanding of baptism (baptismal regeneration) or even a false understaning of faith ( synergistic rather than monergistic) then you cannot be saved because you are adhering to a false gospel of salvation. All Christians claim that salvation is dependant on Jesus. However, they differ on what this means and even accuse those who do not share their understanding of having a false gospel.
This is false.
This is also false.
And this is false. It is sad that you seem to have learned nothing aboutthe Catholic faith in all these posts.
Our equality as adopted children of God is not equal to equality in responsibility in mission, gifts, or calling. God does give certain gifts and responsibility to some that He does not give to others.
This is what happens in Eucharist, Russ. He is consecrated for us, in the flesh, and provides access through the veil.
There is a difference between the mediation of eternal life, and the ministrations of His grace. God ordains that we participate in His mediation by making dispensation of His grace through people. Or do you deny that He uses certain people more than others?
This He did, to make us new creatures. Not so that we could just continue on in the same old way.
It is Jesus who commands us to be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:16-20.)
Not me.
Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
Jesus left us a church, which is the pillar and protector of the truth.
Yes!
Philip was a Deacon of the Catholic Church; not just some random passerby.