sandusky:
Repenting and believing would be pleasing to God, but those in the flesh cannot please God … Do you believe that one who is in the flesh—a non-Christian—is able to please God and come to Christ, in spite of what Paul and Jesus say?
I believe what scriptures say, not what Calvinists say.
The scriptures that you are quoted are talk about being wholly pleasing to God. These are not scriptures that teach that fallen man is created “totally depraved”, and that as a non-Christian, man lives with the “total inability” to avoid committing EVERY sin that it is possible to commit.
The Catholic Church does indeed teach that it is impossible to be wholly pleasing to God without the aid of grace. The Catholic Church, unlike Calvinism, takes seriously this command of Christ: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
The Catholic Church teaches that if Jesus commanded us to be perfect, then that must be possible for man. But she recognizes that perfection is possible only with God’s grace. It is impossible to avoid committing venial sin without the grace of God.
The justified person is not able for his whole life long to avoid all sin, even venial sins, without the special privilege of the grace of God.
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De fide.)*As a Calvinist, you have claimed that even with the grace of God that it is impossible for a Christian to avoid committing all sin – which is a denial that a Christian could ever fulfill the command of Jesus to be perfect. Do you still maintain that position? “… with God all things are possible"
(Matt. 19:26)If a Calvinist cannot quit sinning, how is it possible for the Calvinist to be wholly pleasing to God?… you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6:11-13
I said nothing about murdering, or child molesting Satan worshippers.
You don’t have to explicitly state non-Christians must be committing these sins, because that is implicit in the way you misinterpret Paul and the Book of Roman. You assert:
“God gave Israel the commandments, and the moral law which is binding upon all men. Those are commands, that God desires all men to keep, but all men do not keep the law, in fact, Paul tells us, no one keeps the law.”
You misinterpret Paul to assert that he teaches that it is impossible for man to keep ANY part of the moral law. Obviously the moral law of God would include the Ten Commandments, and the two great commandments of love found in the Torah. These moral commandments prohibit Satan worshipping, murder and child molesting. If the non-Christians cannot keep the
moral commandments of God because of their “total depravity” or “total inability”, then they must be Satan worshipping, child molesting murders.
Scripture does not teach that it is impossible for a non-Christian to exercise his free will to avoid committing mortal sin.
The Grace of Faith is not necessary for the performance of a morally good action.
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Sent. certa.)*
Even infidels can do morally good works. Thus not all works of infidels are sins. … Holy Scriptures recognizes the ability of pagans to perform morally good works …”For when the Gentiles who do not have the law, do by
nature those things that are of the law …”.
(Paul does NOT teach in Romans that Gentiles are incapable of doing what is written in the law! “Total depravity” is merely a false doctrine of Calvinism.)
For the performance of a morally good action Sanctifying Grace is not required.
(
De fide.)*
… St. Augustine teaches that even the life of the worst man is hardly without some good works (De spiritu et. litte. 28, 48) …
(St. Augustine never taught the Calvinist “total depravity” heresy).
- Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma
Excellent question!
