protestant theology of the “three solas” really makes our personal behavior separate from our faith,
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Protestants do not have the understanding of venial/mortal sins that Catholics have so often times they take liberties with it, …It’s like a liberation theology to have carte blanche, do as you will, and still get the prize.
why DO we need commandments or even the Gospels if we’re saved already by mere faith with no real hard demands on living the Gospels?
(sorry I snipped so much ran out of post characters)
Do Catholics really do anything without a reward or Punishment tied to it? IS it not worth doing if you don’t get out of hell for it or get into some reward for it? Why cant we just do things out of pure LOVE for God? I know you SAY you do but these sorts of arguments against Protestants really make me wonder! If there were no hell, would you go out and break all the 10 commandments just cause you could? Do you only fear God and have no love and respect for Him?
True Faith in God means to Love Him. And we obey out of respect and love and awe of God. Fear of Hell is not necessary for good works.
WHY should one care coming from that mode of thinking that faith overrides all of our works anyway?
Why should we care? Because we LOVE. And we know that we could not love without God, cause He is Love!
Why did Jesus give us so many admonishments, warnings, and outlines for our daily behavior if our faith overrides those admonishments?
I give my Daughter many admonishments, warnings, and outlines for her daily behavior . Every day I remind her to brush her teeth and hair. I homeschool her and insist she do her school work daily. I make her do chores. I warn her of danger “Do not go in the road without looking both ways! Use the crosswalk!” If she chooses to disobey me, i will not be happy. She will get hurt or rotten teeth or cause others problems. I will be sad that she got hurt, even if it was her fault. Even if she disobeys all these things, she will still be my daughter. I might discipline her but I will not stop feeding her. I will definitely not stop loving her. I will not cast her onto the street to fend for herself. I will keep teaching her, keep admonishing her, she is my daughter no matter what!
It is possible that she could disown me. She could run away. She could decide to live on the street and fend for herself, I would be heartbroken, but many kids have done it before, it is not unheard of. I would try to pull her back but in the end it would be her decision.
Scriptures tell us God takes us into His Family as adopted sons and Daughters. He did not take us in as employees to do His bidding, to be fired for messing up. He takes us in as children and dusts us off, loves us, guides us and teaches us. Yes there are warnings and admonishments! That is a normal thing for a loving parent to do! Yes there are earthly consequences for our wrong actions, but we are not left to hell till we see the error of our ways… Like the lost Sheep He comes after us to bring us back. God does not want to see us harm ourselves.
I do not believe in OSAS. A Child of God can also run away, and we can run to a point where God will not force us to return. BUT people who do believe in OSAS will only believe that God did not bring into the Family people whom He knew in advance (By being All knowing) that they would run away and never return if brought in, in the first place.
Either way Children love and obey their parents for many more reasons than out of fear of abandonment if they disobey. If my Daughter refuses to brush her teeth I do not say “Ok you have chosen to live alone in the street with no food, you may come back home only if you say you are sorry and brush them from now on!” And then the neighbor kid does not say “What?!? You don’t get abandoned for not brushing teeth? You only get in a bit of trouble? Sheesh you should just do what ever you feel like from now on!” Yeah. sounds silly put that way huh?
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3) For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:19-20)
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
(Hebrews 12:5-11)
If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?
(Matthew 7:11)