“Also, to me, the notion of PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR gives an implication that means that OUR PERSONAL interpretation of the bible is truly all that matters. Are you understanding the distinction and the inherent danger of this subtle difference?”
CatholicKnight,
This is a great post and shed some light on a few very important things for me. I feel you are 100% right on about Christ being the final judge.
However, I quoted this part of your out because I wanted a little further clarification. This part of the post talks about sola scripture. Which is the whole reason I am looking for the proper authority to live the proper Christian life. But I still cannot make the distinction in what protestants and Catholics believe differently on faith alone vs faith plus works. In a practical sense, they are basically saying the same thing when it all comes down to it. Honestly, I feel like faith alone is a horrible term that Luther and Protestants use to explain the same beliefs as Catholics that many Protestants adhere to. I can’t understand why this is so much of a point of division.
Sola scripture on the other hand, which I feelyou alluded to in the quoted portion of the text is obviously a point of division between the two. There must be something I am missing because many intelligent people are really passiontpate about this issue which is obvious from the multiple post on this subject and the information I have found discussing it. But it seems to me a argument about nothing except using different terminology for the same thing.
Anyways, I really appreciate your post because it gave me some real insite on Gods judgement and the importance of us not to be judgemental of those who have differing beliefs. God Bless you.
So, when Christ says to BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER from the cross. He then looked up and said EVERYTHING WAS FINISHED. Read the gospel of John to get perspective.
So is there anything more to show that it is right to not just BEHOLD OUR MOTHER, but it is also GOOD to ask her to pray for us. In Revelation chapter 12, it clearly descirbes the woman that gave birth to the male CHILD that was caught up to the throne of God and sits at HIS RIGHT HAND. Well, it is hard to not see who that woman is that was crowned with 12 stars. Yes, protestants will say that refers to Israel, not Mary.
Well, a few things about that. One, at Revelation 12:17, it says, “The devil went off to wage war with the res of her offspring. All those who bear witness to Christ, and keep his commandments.” Well, when we combine that verse with what Christ said from the cross to the disciple that was bearing witness and keeping his commandments in John, we can see how those words are indeed eternal. We can also see why John was at the foot of the cross in the first place. From what I gather, John was the only disciple of the 12 to take the first EUCHARIST in grace. Why? Cause he was the only one to acknowledge his unworthiness when he leaned on Jesus’s chest and asked him, Is it I when Christ said one of them was going to betray Him. That was not a small thing that happened between Jesus and John. In fact, later in Johns gospel, Peter asks Jesus about the disciple that reclined at His chest.
Look at the other disciples during the supper. When Christ said one of you will betray, they slowly said TO THEMSELVES, SURELY NOT I. Boasting inside. Peter during the last supper, openly declared that he would never betray. He openly exalted himself. So, it was at those words that Peter was then DESTINED to deny Christ OPENLY. The other disciples? Well, there is no account of them being at the cross. What does that mean? It means, that they were also afraid to be WITH Christ. They denied him INWARDLY as they exalted themselves INWARDLY.
John, the only one of the 12 to acknowledge and be humble, was the only one to have the grace to be there at the cross. Therefore, since he walked in the spirit, was led to the foot. Right where the Holy Spirit leads us all when he walk in faith. Therefore, those words become eternal. It also illustrates the Trinity when Christ comforted his mother, even in his worst suffering and revealed to her that she was the mother of all his faithful. Not just Christ, cause even though He is dying, he is also living. With in his beloved disciple. The Holy Spirit.
This here is an example of the words being alive. Not just words printed on pages or carved in stone.
The living word is just that. Living.
It did not END with the last book of the bible. The Holy Spirit still inspires people as HE inspired people.
