Religious affections and love for God

[Reformed]

Let God be God. He leads men through many paths before they are found home in the Church.

I disagree here. God leads in mysterious ways. Millions are sincere in heart towards God and are not yet in the Catholic Church. Let God do the leading, we'll just be faithful where we are and trust Him.

“There are many difficulties on the way to the truth.”-Pope

We are all on a spiritual journey… and pilgrims and aliens on this planet. The Catholic Church is not our home my brothers and sisters in Christ. Has anyone read Pilgrim’s Progress?

 

[SimonArizona]

That’s why we’ve been asking Reformed.

1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Thanks for not answering lol

 

[AshleyBelle]

We are all on a spiritual journey… and pilgrims and aliens on this planet. The Catholic Church is not our home my brothers and sisters in Christ. Has anyone read Pilgrim’s Progress?

That’s a misconception, reformed, and an understandable one. You see the great cathedrals of the Catholic church, and assume we mean those buildings when we say “the Catholic Church.” But we do not, nor does scripture teach us this. We believe the Catholic Church exists both visibly and invisibly. That She embodies all the faithful…that we are one, in heaven and on earth. Have you read Mere Christianity?

 

[SimonArizona]

That’s a misconception, reformed, and an understandable one. You see the great cathedrals of the Catholic church, and assume we mean those buildings when we say “the Catholic Church.” But we do not, nor does scripture teach us this. We believe the Catholic Church exists both visibly and invisibly. That She embodies all the faithful…that we are one, in heaven and on earth. Have you read Mere Christianity?

is “Mere Christianity” good?

 

[AshleyBelle]

is “Mere Christianity” good?

It’s a great read! It was by C.S. Lewis, and I have yet to read anything by him I didn’t truly enjoy

He never joined the Catholic church, but he wrote and believed a lot of catholic ideas

 

[SimonArizona]

It’s a great read! It was by C.S. Lewis, and I have yet to read anything by him I didn’t truly enjoy

He never joined the Catholic church, but he wrote and believed a lot of catholic ideas

Yea “C.S. Lewis stood on the mountain looking at the Church but never entered in” said Frank Sheed. I just, I mean, just finished 'The Srewtape letters" yesterday. It was good, its hard to read his high intellectual british style writing but I got the meat of it I suppose.

 

[SimonArizona]

What is that verse that says something like “whoever does what is right before Him, in any country is accepted by Him.” ???

 

[Reformed]

That’s a misconception, reformed, and an understandable one. You see the great cathedrals of the Catholic church, and assume we mean those buildings when we say “the Catholic Church.” But we do not, nor does scripture teach us this. We believe the Catholic Church exists both visibly and invisibly. That She embodies all the faithful…that we are one, in heaven and on earth. Have you read Mere Christianity?

Hebrews 11:16

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

1 Peter 2
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

 

[fhansen]

Actually, the Bible is a closed book for those who do not have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. It is only by the Spirit of God that a redeemed sinner can progressively grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout their life. Ephesians 4 is the unity passage which testifies that those with the Spirit are enabled by the Spirit to grow in unity of the essentials of the Christian Faith. Catholics like to throw out a red-herring distraction to claim that there are a million denominations. But when you study the testimonies of God’s elect and redeemed, the Spirit unites those who are in Christ with basically the same testimonies, same faith, and same gospel.

So would this mean that Luther, for example, had the Spirit guiding him when he read the bible as teaching baptismal regeneration while others who disagree with him don’t have the Spirit? Or does that depend on whether you agree with him or not? Maybe he doesn’t have the Spirit but the others do? Who can play pope on a matter like this-a critical matter as it involves salvation.? Each one of us? With our own personal Spirits?

 

[SimonArizona]

"God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that fears Him and works righteousness, is accepted with him."- St.Peter Acts 10:35

 

[Reformed]

So would this mean that Luther, for example, had the Spirit guiding him when he read the bible as teaching baptismal regeneration while others who disagree with him don’t have the Spirit? Or does that depend on whether you agree with him or not? Maybe he doesn’t have the Spirit but the others do? Who can play pope on a matter like this-a critical matter as it involves salvation.? Each one of us? With our own personal Spirits?

LOL!..well we know the Spirit was not illuminating Luther when he kept a form a baptismal regeneration…right?

The baptismal regeneration issues is non-essential in this debate because we Protestants still get baptized anyways as an outward sign of the inward reality. And since the Catholic Church believes we were regenerated at our Protestant baptism, then we have it covered both ways… by faith alone and our outward sign baptism.

 

[AshleyBelle]

Hebrews 11:16

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

1 Peter 2
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

I’m sure you had a reason for posting these? What are you trying to say with these passages?

 

[SimonArizona]

Augustine

**“Just as baptism is of no profit to the man who renounces the world in words and not in deeds, so it is of no profit to him who is baptized in heresy or schism; but each of them, when he amends his ways, begins to receive profit from that which before was not profitable, but was yet already in him” (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 4:4[6] [A.D. 400]). **

 

[fhansen]

LOL!..well we know the Spirit was not illuminating Luther when he kept a form a baptismal regeneration…right?

The baptismal regeneration issues is non-essential in this debate because we Protestants still get baptized anyways as an outward sign of the inward reality. And since the Catholic Church believes we were regenerated at our Protestant baptism, then we have it covered both ways… by faith alone and our outward sign baptism.

That begs the question. The CC recognizes baptisms performed correctly but it only matters in the first place because she considers baptism essential. Only if baptism is considered to be symbolic does it become a non-essential issue.

 

[Reformed]

That begs the question. The CC recognizes baptisms performed correctly but it only matters in the first place because she considers baptism essential. Only if baptism is considered to be symbolic does it become a non-essential issue.

What are you saying, that Protestant baptism are nullified until the person is in a RCIA class and now believes his non-regenerational baptism was a regeneration baptism?

 

[Reformed]

For those who were participating on the Galatians Bible Study, the moderator moved the thread to the Apologetics section. As I tried to understand the various sections, the only area that I can participate is on the

Non-Catholic Religions - explore the history and beliefs of non-Catholic and non-Christian faiths, dialogue with their adherents

Sorry that we cannot continue to book of Galatians together. Please send me a PM to continue our study on the book of Galatians on another forum site.

 

[AshleyBelle]

What are you saying, that Protestant baptism are nullified until the person is in a RCIA class and now believes his non-regenerational baptism was a regeneration baptism?

No, their baptism is valid because the church recognizes that it was done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy spirit, and is therefore a valid baptism. It has nothing to do with whether or not they believe it was regenerative or not at the time… It is an essential to the faith because the church declares it so, not because of what anybody believes about it.

If we begin regarding baptism as only “symbolic” then it no longer becomes an essential to the faith. That is why the church will always hold to the teaching of our Lord which institutes baptism as the infusion of grace.

 

[Ag_not]

There is absolutely NOTHING stopping you continuing the discussion in the apologetics section. Nothing.

Perhaps it is you that doesnt want to continue the discussion with highly skilled apologists

 

[Reformed]

There is absolutely NOTHING stopping you continuing the discussion in the apologetics section. Nothing.

Perhaps it is you that doesnt want to continue the discussion with highly skilled apologists

I don’t think you understand the essentials of our division. You will soon learn little sister in the Lord. The Protestant Reformation was about what God actually revealed in His Holy Word as compared to what the Catholic Magesterium requires you to believe. It has nothing to do with intellligence, skilled and well educated men. Some of the most spirituality blinded men have 10 theology degrees. That is worldly thinking that goes against God’s wisdom. There is no boasting in the flesh in true Christianity. This verse has nothing to do with literal children. Remember, when Christ walked this earth, the religious teachers taught God’s people the Scriptures…but Christ was quite harsh with the religious teachers of the day. Why don’t you have those apologetics experts discuss and debate the book of Galatians on this non-Catholic forum with a level playing field? The apologetics section is quite controlled and monitored according to Catholic dogma.

Actually, this is nothing new under the sun. My door to door ministry team was invited to debate a Catholic apologist from Catholic Answers at Saint Martha’s Catholics church in Murrieta, CA about 10 years ago. When we showed up to discuss and debate, the Catholic apologist did not allow us to speak one word during the one-sided debate. The angry and mean apologist from Catholic Answers got the Catholic crowd so worked up, I thought the door to door team was going to be lynched by an angry Catholic mob. I’m not kidding one bit.

Luke 10:21
l
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God - 1 Cor 1
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, [2] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being [3] might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him [4] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

 

[SimonArizona]

The Protestant Reformation was about what God actually revealed in His Holy Word

If that were true then God in His Holy Word revealed 30,000 different interpretations of the Gospel. Thats one for every denomination that disgrees with the others over what the Bible teaches. How do you know your interpretation is correct?<—that is an impossible question to answer for Protestants.