Obstacles on the Road to Rome

[The_Iambic_Pen]

I have now been studying Catholicism for two months now, and I have learned many things. I have found the Catholic arguments to be very convincing, and I have desired to accept them. However, I find that part of me still holds back from complete acceptance. Ultimately, I still have a few reservations about Catholicism.

I guess my biggest objection is that the Church seems to “bind the conscience of the believer” on many things which do not seem to me to be necessary for salvation. People speak of mortal sins as being horrible things that no one would do without being in deliberate rebellion against God. However, I’ve heard people say that things like missing weekly Mass would be a mortal sin. I guess I don’t see how a Catholic who goes to visit his Protestant family and decides to go to church with them instead one Sunday is really rebelling against God and rejecting his salvation.

I guess Jesus himself makes salvation much less “complicated” than does the Catholic Church. As it says in Luke:

Luke 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. “How do you read it?”
27He answered: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Jesus didn’t say, “Do this, plus believe that my mother was conceived without sin; plus confess your sins to a priest; plus believe in the existence of Purgatory; plus believe the successors of my servant Peter will never teach error; plus believe it is a sin to eat meat on Fridays (for now); plus believe that you must attend mass every week, no matter what. Do all this, and you can be pretty sure you’ll go to Heaven, but you’ll never have complete confidence of this.” It just seems like the Catholic Church adds all these requirements for salvation that Jesus himself did not mention.

Then there is the whole issue of having a priest as a mediator of sorts. As a Protestant, I was taught that when the veil of the temple was torn in two, that symbolized that man no longer needed a priest to approach God for the forgiveness of his sins. We were now free to confess our sins to God directly and obtain forgiveness for them. It seems like the Catholic Church has just replaced the Old Testament priesthood with a new one. I’ve heard the verses about “if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven, and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained,” and I know they are used to defend the Catholic viewpoint. But, I also see verses like 1 John 1:9, which say:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

It says God will forgive our sins, not a priest. So, I see support for the Catholic explanation, but I also see the much simpler Protestant idea of confession to God alone. It’s very confusing for me. I guess it’s the clash of my old system of belief with this possible new one.

Plus, I still have trouble accepting transubstantiation. I know what John 6 says, but I guess I still have a very scientific mind. It’s hard for me to believe in something for which there is no physical proof.

So, I ask that all of you would pray for me, that God would show me the truth. If Catholicism is true, and despite my objections, I am very inclined to think it is, then I want to accept it with all my heart. If I am going to become a Catholic, I don’t want to be a “cafeteria Catholic,” who picks and chooses what beliefs to hold. This is why it is so very important for me to resolve these issues I have mentioned.

Those of you who have read my other posts know that I have actually defended Catholic doctrine on several occasions, so I’m certainly not hostile to Catholicism. I’m just still very confused about what to believe. I thank you for all of your help so far on my journey!

God Bless!

 

[Cairisti]

Your not alone. I think alot of us on our own journey’s towards Rome have encountered many of the same obstacles. Just keep praying that the Holy Spirit will reveal the Truth to you. (and we’ll do the same. )

 

[RobNY]

The doctrine of transubstantiation is a tough one. But first, ask yourself, what does Jesus say? What do Scriptures say? If it turns out that Jesus actually does ask us to believe in the transubstantiation, then that’s the first step. Then, haven’t the Church Fathers had their say on this too? And since I am sure both answers will lead you to a “yes,” for transubstantiation (as it did for me as well). Ok, then after you’ve submitted your will to it, then try to intellectualize yourself into it: like in this topic here where I asked about understanding the Eucharist (read it for a peek at the philosophy that tries to explain it).

Well, yes there is a new priesthood!

I’m trying to think of the links that I read that helped me with this. I like this one a lot. It starts out with the official Catholic teaching, it moves into the Protestant objections to the Eucharist (as a sacrifice), and then it uses the OT and NT to show how the Eucharist *is indeed *a sacrifice. Understanding the Eucharist as a Sacrifice is important, because priests offer sacrifice. Remember that where the priests of the OT offered imperfect sacrifice, we can offer the perfect sacrifice of Jesus in the Eucharist! To be honest, it really put me in awe of the priesthood.

The first and last links that I gave you are by far the best. Promise me you will read both.

I’ve enjoyed reading your posts, Iambic Pen, I wish you the best of luck.

-Rob

(And please tell me what you think of those links I gave you, I’d appreciate it.)

 

[EA_Man]

The Iambic Pen:

I guess my biggest objection is that the Church seems to “bind the conscience of the believer” on many things which do not seem to me to be necessary for salvation. People speak of mortal sins as being horrible things that no one would do without being in deliberate rebellion against God. However, I’ve heard people say that things like missing weekly Mass would be a mortal sin. I guess I don’t see how a Catholic who goes to visit his Protestant family and decides to go to church with them instead one Sunday is really rebelling against God and rejecting his salvation.

I guess Jesus himself makes salvation much less “complicated” than does the Catholic Church. As it says in Luke:

Jesus didn’t say, “Do this, plus believe that my mother was conceived without sin; plus confess your sins to a priest; plus believe in the existence of Purgatory; plus believe the successors of my servant Peter will never teach error; plus believe it is a sin to eat meat on Fridays (for now); plus believe that you must attend mass every week, no matter what. Do all this, and you can be pretty sure you’ll go to Heaven, but you’ll never have complete confidence of this.” It just seems like the Catholic Church adds all these requirements for salvation that Jesus himself did not mention.

Then there is the whole issue of having a priest as a mediator of sorts. As a Protestant, I was taught that when the veil of the temple was torn in two, that symbolized that man no longer needed a priest to approach God for the forgiveness of his sins. We were now free to confess our sins to God directly and obtain forgiveness for them. It seems like the Catholic Church has just replaced the Old Testament priesthood with a new one. I’ve heard the verses about “if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven, and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained,” and I know they are used to defend the Catholic viewpoint. But, I also see verses like 1 John 1:9, which say:

It says God will forgive our sins, not a priest. So, I see support for the Catholic explanation, but I also see the much simpler Protestant idea of confession to God alone. It’s very confusing for me. I guess it’s the clash of my old system of belief with this possible new one.

The veil is rent, the way into the Holy of Holies is open through Christ - you have no need of mediators.

Peace

 

[Mickey]

The Iambic Pen:

It says God will forgive our sins, not a priest.

**In the sacrament of Confession, the Christian confesses their sins to God in the presence of a Priest who acts as a witness only. Confession recognizes sin as the source of alienation from God, and it restores the believer to His love and forgiveness. **

By confessing to a priest, the Catholic learns a lesson in humility, which is avoided when one confesses only through private prayer….
During his lifetime Christ sent out his followers to do his work. Just before he left this world, he gave the apostles special authority, commissioning them to make God’s forgiveness present to all people, and the whole Christian world accepted this, until just a few centuries ago. If there is an “invention” here, it is not the sacrament of penance, but the notion that the sacramental forgiveness of sins is not to be found in the Bible or in early Christian history.

Catholic Answers

 

[E.E.N.S]

The Iambic Pen, have you read the book entitled, The Spirit of Catholicism by [Fr.] Karl Adam? It is a wonderful book (only about 250 pages) and it beautifully blends the spiritual, apologetical, historical and theological together in one of the best all around books on the Church that I have ever read. If you have not read it, I highly recommend that you pick yourself up a copy and read it - you will not regret it (regardless what the outcome may be.)

“When the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to all truth…” John 16:13

 

[EA_Man]

**
In the sacrament of Confession, the Christian confesses their sins to God in the presence of a Priest who acts as a witness only. Confession recognizes sin as the source of alienation from God, and it restores the believer to His love and forgiveness. **

By confessing to a priest, the Catholic learns a lesson in humility, which is avoided when one confesses only through private prayer….

When a Protestant makes the charge that Catholics “pray to” Mary, one frequent response is that Catholics honor Mary appropriately and do not “pray to” Mary in the same way that they pray to God. This explanation relies, at least in part, on the rationale that only God knows someone’s heart and that the Protestant is not in a position to know the heart of someone who is asking Mary to intercede for them.

Here we see the tables turned. Now it is the Catholic that makes the claim that it is the Protestant whose heart is not truly contrite, or truly humble. How is Catholic Answers in any position to assess the contriteness of anyone’s heart? That smells like a double standard to me.

Further, if the priest is a witness only to the confession, how is he necessary to the confession? And, how can he be a witness only to the confession when he specifies a penance to be performed by the penitent?

Peace

 

[Matt16_18]

The Iambic Pen:

I’ve heard the verses about “if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven, and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained,” and I know they are used to defend the Catholic viewpoint. But, I also see verses like 1 John 1:9, which say: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

John says “if we confess our sins”, and you are interpreting that to mean “John is teaching that we can confess our sins directly to God, and that we do NOT need to confess our sins to a bishop or a priest authorized by a bishop to hear confession”.

Why would the Apostle John, a bishop of the Catholic Church, think that your Protestant understanding of confession is correct? After all, Jesus gave John the power to forgive sin, the power to bind and loose in heaven and earth – why would John be dismissing that authority from Jesus as totally irrelevant?

I don’t see that your interpretation makes any sense at all, since Jesus instituted the office of bishop in the church that he founded, and Jesus vested the office of bishop with the power to bind and loose in heaven and on earth.

If you were to study the writings of the first Christians, you would find no support whatsoever for your Protestant interpretation of 1 John 1:9. You would, however, find unanimous support for the Catholic / Eastern Orthodox / Oriental Orthodox position that the bishops of the Christ’s Church are vested with the power to hear confession and to forgive sins in the name of Jesus.

 

[scylla]

You are not alone, many of us had the same type questions since there are so many here that have converted to Catholicism. Most of the time as you see it is not a quick thing, or a purely emotional conversion. So keep searching and there is a solid answer for every question of Catholicism. Sometimes it just takes a little looking into.

As for the mediator thing, Jesus is the one mediator, all Catholics believe that. We all participate in that mediation a little bit by helping each other, participating in the family of God. I think of Catholicism more as a united family that works together as God wants us to, not as just individuals and God. God wants us to help each other and participate in the body of Christ, united.

Not just me, the Bible and Jesus. It is a little different mindset and in Catholicism I see things a little differently now.

If I have some time I will post more later,
God Bless
Scylla

 

[VociMike]

Hello IP,

I think most of your problems will be resolved as you come to a fuller understanding of the Church as the Sacrament of Salvation. What you now see as oppressive rules you will come to see as gifts. The Mass is a gift, a chance to worship God in His presence and in the presence of the angels and saints, and to partake of Him in the fullest way He has given us. In your church example, you would be (if you were Catholic) subtly denying the Catholic faith by suggesting by your actions that the Mass can be foregone for a Protestant service. Why not, instead, go to church with your family and then go to Mass. Then the whole situation becomes a positive witness to your faith rather than a denial of it.

The other things you mentioned should also be viewed as gifts. The creation and life of a perfectly sinless human, first as the mother of Christ and then as the spiritual mother of all Christians, this is a gift, not a burden. The ability to confess one’s sins, to be offered spiritual counseling, and finally to hear the clear words of forgiveness pronounced with authority from Christ Himself, this is a gift not a burden. The fact that Christ gives us a Church that cannot teach us error, this is a gift, not a burden. The fact that the Lamb who is Slain gives us His flesh to eat (as it was required that the flesh of the Passover lamb be eaten) so that we may incorporate His perfect sacrifice into ourselves is a gift, not a burden.

Remember too that no scientific proof exists that Christ was God Incarnate. Jesus Himself is a gift, not a burden, and the faith by which we believe this is a gift, not a burden. BTW, do you believe the teaching of Jesus you were taught as a Protestant are a burden or a gift? Is the command to love God with all your heart, mind and soul a burden or a gift? Is the command to take up your cross and follow Him a burden or a gift? You see where I’m going, right?

Yes, your Protestant faith was a simpler faith, because it dispensed with so many of the gifts of God. I suppose Christmas morning with only one present under the tree is simpler than one with many presents under the tree, but is it better? God knows our nature, and He has given us a faith and a Church that ministers to our nature. He has given us gifts in great abundance, and every gift is intended to bring us home to Him, to fulfill our destiny as children of God. It is only because of our fallen nature that we must sometimes be coerced, like pouting children, to open such wonderful gifts.

When you can see the Catholic faith as a tree piled high with gifts from our loving God, the highest possible pile which can be given to any human being and all free for the taking, then you will become Catholic.

 

[Mickey]

EA_Man:

When a Protestant makes the charge that Catholics “pray to” Mary, one frequent response is that Catholics honor Mary appropriately and do not “pray to” Mary in the same way that they pray to God. This explanation relies, at least in part, on the rationale that only God knows someone’s heart and that the Protestant is not in a position to know the heart of someone who is asking Mary to intercede for them.

Here we see the tables turned. Now it is the Catholic that makes the claim that it is the Protestant whose heart is not truly contrite, or truly humble. How is Catholic Answers in any position to assess the contriteness of anyone’s heart? That smells like a double standard to me.

Further, if the priest is a witness only to the confession, how is he necessary to the confession? And, how can he be a witness only to the confession when he specifies a penance to be performed by the penitent?

Peace

There is a factor of accountabilty with confession. Personally, I confess my sins in private to God before I actually go to confession with my priest. And although I am sincere in my private confession to God, I can feel the grace after the absolution of formal confession. It really is hard to explain unless you have experienced it. The priest is there as a witness and a representative of Christ (Apostolic Succession/Holy Orders). It is a humbling and beautiful experience. I don’t believe that Catholic Answers or anyone else is saying that as a protestant, your confession to God in private is not sincere or of contrite heart.

Blessings to you,
Mickey

 

[Matt16_18]

The Iambic Pen:

I guess I don’t see how a Catholic who goes to visit his Protestant family and decides to go to church with them instead one Sunday is really rebelling against God and rejecting his salvation.

All Protestants are in rebellion against God, since God does not will for anyone to be a Protestant schismatic! Christ established ONE church, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and Christ identifies himself with his church. (“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME.”) Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only. However, many Christian communions present themselves to men as the true inheritors of Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ Himself were divided. Such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature.

Vatican II, Decree on EcuminsimAnyone outside of the true Church is indeed a rebel in need of reconciliation with God. The mission of Jesus was to bring rebels to repentance and reconciliation with God, and Jesus founded a church and made her necessary for our salvation. Protestant denominations are churches founded by MEN, not God, and all Protestant denominations teach heresy that is dangerous for the soul seeking union with God.

One may be correct in saying that a particular Protestant denomination serves 98% spiritually wholesome food, with only 2% being heresy. But rat poison is 98% wholesome food too. It is the 2% in the rat poison that kills. Falling into the snares lurking in Protestant heresies such as OSAS, or Sola Scriptura and the private interpretation of Scripture can lead to eternal death.

The Catholic Church understands that not everything that Protestants believe is false. Every true doctrine that is taught in a Protestant denomination is a doctrine that the Protestant denomination has persevered from the deposit of faith that Jesus gave to the Catholic Church. Whatever is truly Christian is never contrary to what genuinely belongs to the faith; indeed, it can always bring a deeper realization of the mystery of Christ and the Church.

Nevertheless, the divisions among Christians prevent the Church from attaining the fullness of catholicity proper to her, in those of her sons who, though attached to her by Baptism, are yet separated from full communion with her.

Vatican II, Decree on Ecuminsim

Plus, I still have trouble accepting transubstantiation.

This deserves a thread of its own.

So, I ask that all of you would pray for me, that God would show me the truth. If Catholicism is true, and despite my objections, I am very inclined to think it is, then I want to accept it with all my heart. If I am going to become a Catholic, I don’t want to be a “cafeteria Catholic,” who picks and chooses what beliefs to hold. This is why it is so very important for me to resolve these issues I have mentioned.

It is an honor to pray for someone who is sincerely seeking the truth, no matter what it may cost. May God bless you and sustain you in your quest.



Catholics, in their ecumenical work, must assuredly be concerned for their separated brethren, praying for them, keeping them informed about the Church …

Vatican II, Decree on Ecuminsim

 

[Matt16_18]

VociMike:

When you can see the Catholic faith as a tree piled high with gifts from our loving God, the highest possible pile which can be given to any human being and all free for the taking, then you will become Catholic.

Excellent post.

 

[Genesis315]

The Iambic Pen:

I don’t see how a Catholic who goes to visit his Protestant family and decides to go to church with them instead one Sunday is really rebelling against God and rejecting his salvation.

You are saying that going to another church for whatever reason is more important than receiving Jesus Himself in Holy Communion. Remember, Jesus says that stuff about hating your family members :bigyikes: (Luke 14:26) ? Well, I’m not saying to literally hate them of course, but you can spend the rest of the day with them, Jesus is only asking one hour of you. It’s about priorities. Jesus has to be number 1. Anyway, why can’t you just do both?

I guess Jesus himself makes salvation much less “complicated” than does the Catholic Church. As it says in Luke:

Jesus didn’t say, “Do this, plus believe that my mother was conceived without sin; plus confess your sins to a priest; plus believe in the existence of Purgatory; plus believe the successors of my servant Peter will never teach error; plus believe it is a sin to eat meat on Fridays (for now); plus believe that you must attend mass every week, no matter what. Do all this, and you can be pretty sure you’ll go to Heaven, but you’ll never have complete confidence of this.” It just seems like the Catholic Church adds all these requirements for salvation that Jesus himself did not mention

I think loving God would encompass not rejecting any of the Truth He has revealed. “God, you revealed this, but I choose not to believe it. Sorry.” Is that really loving God? Even if you are having trouble believing now, keep striving to I also think loving Him involves obeying those He put in charge and sent forth in His name.

Anyway, hope that helps. Keep praying about it of course!

 

[LSK]

Ultimately, I still have a few reservations about Catholicism.

The point is you are studying - and that is admirable.

I guess my biggest objection is that the Church seems to “bind the conscience of the believer” on many things which do not seem to me to be necessary for salvation. People speak of mortal sins as being horrible things that no one would do without being in deliberate rebellion against God. However, I’ve heard people say that things like missing weekly Mass would be a mortal sin. I guess I don’t see how a Catholic who goes to visit his Protestant family and decides to go to church with them instead one Sunday is really rebelling against God and rejecting his salvation.

Deliberately missing one’s obligation is a sin, but I think we (as human’s) can sin without totally rejecting Christ’s salvation. We are weak, we come up with excuses, we do “kinda the ok thing” but we fall short. This is something between that person, Jesus and the confessor.

Jesus didn’t say, “Do this, plus believe that my mother was conceived without sin; plus confess your sins to a priest; plus believe in the existence of Purgatory; plus believe the successors of my servant Peter will never teach error; plus believe it is a sin to eat meat on Fridays (for now); plus believe that you must attend mass every week, no matter what. Do all this, and you can be pretty sure you’ll go to Heaven, but you’ll never have complete confidence of this.” It just seems like the Catholic Church adds all these requirements for salvation that Jesus himself did not mention.

You need to keep studying. Much of the doctrine you are puzzled by did develop over time but was always there, in its purest form, in the Scriptures and the Traditions/traditions of the Holy Mother Church. In other words, much of what you spoke about was addressed by the Apostles. It is in the Bible, but not in the words of Jesus. Also, remember, St. Paul wrote that not all of what Jesus taught is in the Gospels.

Then there is the whole issue of having a priest as a mediator of sorts. As a Protestant, I was taught that when the veil of the temple was torn in two, that symbolized that man no longer needed a priest to approach God for the forgiveness of his sins. We were now free to confess our sins to God directly and obtain forgiveness for them. It seems like the Catholic Church has just replaced the Old Testament priesthood with a new one. I’ve heard the verses about “if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven, and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained,” and I know they are used to defend the Catholic viewpoint.

The Catholic position is that the priest does NOT forgive my sins - he might or he might not. He ABSOLVES my sins in the name of Jesus Christ if I truly repent. This is the teaching of the Holy Scripture. Jesus did not specifically tell us to just go on, talk to God alone and rely upon our own self-rationalization to determine the state of our souls. Even the POPES have confessors.

It says God will forgive our sins, not a priest. So, I see support for the Catholic explanation, but I also see the much simpler Protestant idea of confession to God alone. It’s very confusing for me. I guess it’s the clash of my old system of belief with this possible new one.

An interesting note: the idea of talking to someone in authority is one that Catholics have used since Apostolic times. There was a study done - and I apologize for not having a reference handy, I’ll see if I can find one to back up my claim - that looked at the reported cases of Depression among Catholics and saw a correlation between rising cases of Depression and dwindling lines at the confessional.

Plus, I still have trouble accepting transubstantiation. I know what John 6 says, but I guess I still have a very scientific mind. It’s hard for me to believe in something for which there is no physical proof.

I think of it this way - Jesus had a chance to win more converts if He had yelled “No, come back - I was speaking symbolically!”. He didn’t, instead He insisted that His flesh was food, His blood was drink. Christians in the next three centuries died HORRIBLE deaths because of this dogma. Tradition and Scripture all support transubstantiation much more than mere symbolism.

So, I ask that all of you would pray for me, that God would show me the truth. If Catholicism is true, and despite my objections, I am very inclined to think it is, then I want to accept it with all my heart. If I am going to become a Catholic, I don’t want to be a “cafeteria Catholic,” who picks and chooses what beliefs to hold. This is why it is so very important for me to resolve these issues I have mentioned.

You are in my prayers, my brother. Please pray for me too, ok?

 

[Ignatius]

The Iambic Pen:

I have now been studying Catholicism for two months now, and I have learned many things. I have found the Catholic arguments to be very convincing, and I have desired to accept them. However, I find that part of me still holds back from complete acceptance. Ultimately, I still have a few reservations about Catholicism.

It says God will forgive our sins, not a priest.

I thank you for all of your help so far on my journey!

God Bless!

Continue to pray and ask the Lord to lead you to the Truth. If you do this, you will “Knock and it shall be opened”.

I will just address the Confession issue. This sacrament of reconciliation is rooted in the mission God gave to Christ in his capacity as the Son of man on earth to go and forgive sins (cf. Matt. 9:6). After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his Apostles, telling them, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit. Whosoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; whosoever sins you retain, they are retained” (John 20:21–23). So you see that Jesus comissioned the Apostles and their successors to do this in His name.

You will find the answers to many questions here:catholic.com/library.asp.

May our Lord Yeshua ha Moshiach richly bless you and lead you to the Pillar and Foundation of Truth.

Your brother in Chrust.

 

[scylla]

Mass is often presented and stressed as an obligation by people in opposition to the idea that Catholicism is true.

It is fairly easy to make it to Mass on Sundays and how we keep holy the Lord’s day. It is not just for football, I do sometimes have to make a little effort to make it to Mass but I do so not out of a fear of sin but out of a love for God. I should remember God at all times, keep him part of your life.

Once you are a Catholic you see that participating in the Mass is how you confess the Lord with your mouth, partake of his Body and Blood, (do this in memory of me) and keep holy the Lord’s day.

Not every Catholic is able to do this and as long as we make effort to live faithfully, the Church makes it even easier to do so, but we need to remember we are human and not to beat ourselves up about it.

It is not like it is a whole bunch of rules and stuff to abide by(I don’t live my life as a Catholic even worried about this sort of thing), but as people push the envelope so to speak, we need to know what is right or wrong. The Catholic Church is also there to give us reason for pretty much whatever people think of.

It is not like the Catholic Church just makes up rules, willy nilly there is good reason it just takes some looking into.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[Todd_Easton]

EA_Man:

The veil is rent, the way into the Holy of Holies is open through Christ - you have no need of mediators.

Peace

Wow! Thanks for clearing that up for me. I guess, then, I can just ignore the words of James 5:14-16, right?

14Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

Likewise, I can ignore the words of Ephesians 4:11-14 and Hebrews 13:17, right?

11And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.

17Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Great! You know, I always had touble with those verses. I never really liked asking others for help and I was never very fond of obeying and submitting to others in authority anyway. Humility and obedience, who needs them? Now it 's just me and Jesus, that is, me and the Jesus of my own imagination, me and the Jesus of my own private interpretation of Sacred Scripture, me and the Jesus I am comfortable with, me and the Jesus who makes no demands on me. Thank you for setting me free from the chains of the ancient Catholic Church.

 

[Sherlock]

The Iambic Pen,

Look at Scripture: in Scripture we see an interesting exchange between a righteous Gentile who is seeking after God in truth and an angel who has been sent by God to console the Gentile. The Gentile’s name is Cornelius and he happens to be a Roman Centurion. The angel tells him that God has heard him and that he is to seek out Peter (Acts Chapter 10). The angel does not tell him to continue in his prayers as he has been doing, or to just “do his own thing”. No, the Centurion found favor with God and was directed to seek out the Church his Son founded in truth. The Centurion was sent to Peter.

Others have already given you answers regarding confession. I would only add that in the OT, sacrificial offerings were made to atone for sin, but—but!—there was never any surety that the sins were forgiven. I mean, God didn’t come down and say what the sinner was aching to hear, namely, “your sins are absolved”. The Church that Jesus founded DOES offer that surety, and so the sinner hears those wonderful words, “I absolve you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Having been a person who had been quite a sinner, going to Confession and confessing sins that in my non-Churched days that I was, indeed, sorry for, I can tell you that hearing those words have an incredible effect. (In fact it was partly because of that amazing feeling of mercy and grace given to me by that sacrament of Confession that I returned to the Church). Without that, I was still struggling, and could not seem to rise above the past. Also, you must read Scripture and understand the power to bind and loose sins that is given to the Apostles: how can a sin be bound or loosed unless it is heard by one who has that power? Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Confession for solid, psychological reasons: it’s necessary for our mental health, truth be told.

 

[javelin]

Genesis315:

I think loving God would encompass not rejecting any of the Truth He has revealed. “God, you revealed this, but I choose not to believe it. Sorry.” Is that really loving God? Even if you are having trouble believing now, keep striving to I also think loving Him involves obeying those He put in charge and sent forth in His name.

Just to add to this, what does Jesus say it means to love Him?

15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
And a powerful quote in the context of this discussion:
John 14:
31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Even Jesus’ love was “proven” and perfected by His obedience!

Peace,
javelin