Question “Angel” How would you being a Christian home to Christ when they are already IN CHRIST or as you put it home to Christ
***Hi, allischalmers!
…you got me… I’ve had so many engagements with Christians who invite me to “accept” Jesus as my Savior that I could not resist in wording my expression as such (bring to Christ those who are in Christ).
Since I am Catholic, from their perspective I am lacking true religion so they seek to bring me to Christ.
Yet, from my perspective they are lacking…
Just from your slogan (forever Baptist) I can surmise that we would almost invariably be at odds (this is based on past experience)… depending on your branch you will acclaim: sola scriptura, 66 Books in the Bible, invisible church (which was infiltrated by Catholics way back when) which only resurfaced in the fifteen hundreds, no Pope (“hierarchy”), no succession of the Apostles, only 2 or 3 sacraments, a variation on what constitutes the list of the Ten Commandments, always saved theory or not, some perplexing “salvation not by works” teachings, no hell, no confession, baptism only by submersion (hole/partial body…), baptism only at x age, hierarchy amongst God’s Triune Persons…
How can I bring you to Christ if you are already a Christian?
Jesus told Simon that he was kephas (a rock–I know, there are many interpretations but these are only conjured up to dismantle Christ’s own Word), and that on that rock He would build His Church and that not even the gates of hell, Hades, death, etc. could previal against it (St. Matthew 16:18). Since there’s only one Church that can verify a succession of the Apostles, I as a member of that Church can extend a welcome to all non-members.
I find the Gospel of St. John to be the most revealing and beautiful… not only does it proclaim Jesus as God (the Word was with God and the Word was God) but it establishes the Church as no other Gospel… and we know that the Church is the means by which we come to Christ… Jesus reveals that He and the Father are One and that together with the Paraclete they will abide in all of Jesus’ disciples… Wow… what great news! It was the Holy Spirit who revealed to the prophets of old the Word of God and the Holy Scriptures were collected in the various books of the Old Testament… some time after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension the Church, lead by the Holy Spirit, grew amongst both the Gentiles and the Jews… but during the very first years there were no new writings; the Apostles relied on Sacred Traditions as the main method of teaching and converting… eventually the Holy Spirit, as He had done in the past, inspired the New Testamente writings… it took the early Church nearly 300 years to come together and create the compilation of Books known as the Holy Bible, Bible, or Old and New Testaments. The belief (dogma) of sola Scriptura did not become a religious axiom until another 1200 or so years later; coincidentally, that was also the time when Protestants truncated the existing Bible and created “their” Bible–the number of books varied according to the leadership’s preference. Since these Protestants left the Church that also meant that they rejected all her teachings including the non-Biblical writings of the early Church (there are variations according to the branch of the schism).
Again, as a Catholic, with the fullness of the Church’s Sacred Teachings (Holy Scriptues and Sacred Traditions), I am obliged to welcome my non-Catholic brothers into the fullness of Christ…
I could go on… but this reply is getting way lengthy…
God Bless!
Angel***
For me, its not about winning or loosing, its just about not letting them misrepresent us, and not misunderstanding scripture truths.
.
