Several Questions

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I am dating a strong Protestant man and wanted to ask a few questions as we discuss religion a lot. He is not a fundamentalist, he goes to a methodist free church, he is very conservative. He doesn’t believe in Contraception which pleasantly surprised me.

Regarding Salvation, he said that we have assurance of salvation but doesn’t necessarily believe in the once saved always saved, he did say though that he does not think non-christians can be saved, but I disagreed with him there and said if through no fault of there own they had not opportunity to know of the Gospel or Jesus Christ they can be saved, we will be judged by love, he said I was saying they could be saved by works then and we can only be saved by grace through faith, not by works. How can I explain non christians can too be saved.

Also, he doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist and so i quoted some things trying to point out that it is indeed there, then he said this wasn’t really important anyway, and that only the things necessary for salvation are important, so whether he believes in the real presence or not is not important.

Next, he doesn’t believe in Purgatory and I tried pointing out in Scriptures about this, but he said I was taking it out of the context of what it was meant to be, I think it was 1Cor. 3:15 that I was quoting when he said I took it out of context. and he said the Catholic Church always changes her positions on matters.

These are just a few things we have discussed, any help would be appreciated.

Thank You,
God Bless
 
This website should answer some of your questions, just click through the links until you find what you need. If you go here you can order CDs that will answer the rest of them. You might even let your boyfriend listen to them! 👍
 
Will he allow you to attend the Catholic Church and raise your children in the Catholic faith? Ask that sooner rather than later.
 
foundthelight said:
Will he allow you to attend the Catholic Church and raise your children in the Catholic faith? Ask that sooner rather than later.
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Good point to bring up. 👍 I thought of that, too, after I posted. If this relationship is going anywhere, he needs to be aware that you are devoted to your Catholic faith and intend to stay that way, and if you do get married, any future children you two might have will be raised Catholic.
 
Kaily said:
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Regarding Salvation, he said that we have assurance of salvation but doesn’t necessarily believe in the once saved always saved, he did say though that he does not think non-christians can be saved, but I disagreed with him there and said if through no fault of there own they had not opportunity to know of the Gospel or Jesus Christ they can be saved, we will be judged by love, he said I was saying they could be saved by works then and we can only be saved by grace through faith, not by works. How can I explain non christians can too be saved.
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I would explain that just as it is not his profession of faith that saves him, but rather the grace God bestows upon him because of his faith, so with those who have not heard the gospel, but love. It is not their love that will save them, but the grace God will bestow upon them because of their love.

Nita
 
he said that we have assurance of salvation but doesn’t necessarily believe in the once saved always saved,
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Aren´t Methodists Arminian?
 
Thank you all for your posts, right now we are really discussing the faith and works, he seems to think from what I say that we think we are saved by works, he said we are saved by grace through faith, but we don’t need to do works, but without works faith is dead and he agrees, but he said he doesn’t understand why Catholics do penance, or adoration, he said that Scripture doesn’t support our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, etc… He said that Christ died for us and we can’t do anything for Him (i.e. meaning good works) and that He is the one mediator we don’t need saints or Mary to intercede for us and that belief is not based on Scripture, and if I quote a specific passage from Scripture that would refer to this belief, he says I’m taking it out of context. Thanks for all your help, I do have CD’s from the Bible CHristian Society, so I will keep listening and learning.

God Bless
 
One more thing he said is that the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation, so its not important, how do I answer this one?
 
Kaily said:
One more thing he said is that the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation, so its not important, how do I answer this one?
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John 6:53-55 Jesus therefore said unto them, Most assuredly, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life 	in yourselves. 54 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 

Matthew 26:26; 	Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19-20 In all of these accounts, Jesus says "This is my body" not "is similar to" or "is symbolic of" or "represents."

John 6:63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and they are life.
This is often the proof-text that Jesus was speaking symbolically. The words “spirit” and “symbolic” are NOT interchangeable. It’s not the ‘Father, Son and Holy Symbolic.’ Nowhere in Scripture does the word spirit ever mean symbolic. The spirit is as real as it gets. If John 6:63 is taken symbolically, why did many disciples leave Him over it, in v66? (Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.) They understood him literally, as did the Jews in v52 (The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?)
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John 6:67 Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away? 68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of 	eternal life. 69 And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God.
Peter did not reply, “Oh, no Lord! We know you’re only speaking symbolically!” If Jesus was not speaking literally, why did he let so many disciples walk away?
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Matthew 13:10-11, 18; 	Matthew 13:24-33, 36; Matthew 15:15; 	Matthew 17:10, 19 - Whenever the disciples did not understand something, they either asked for an explanation or Jesus volunteered the explanation. We do not see that happening in John 6. Jesus was speaking literally and they knew it!
If we give John 6 a symbolic meaning:

Problem #1 - How do we symbolically eat his flesh and drink his blood? If we symbolically eat his body and drink his blood by eating bread and grape juice will we have eternal life? Are we guaranteed heaven by eating bread and drinking grape juice?

Problem #2 - In v 60, why is this a hard saying if it is symbolic? If Jesus was explaining in v63 that his words were symbolic, why did they leave him in v66? Why would they consider it such a hard saying that they walked away from Jesus over it if it is symbolic? How many people today leave a church over the idea of having to eat a small piece of bread and drink some grape juice?? It is not a “hard saying” to assent to symbolism. These disciples who walked away in v66 SAW the feeding of the multitudes just the day before Jesus said this! They also had just seen Him walk on the water! Do you think after they had seen these miracles that they would walk away over having to symbolically eat His Body and Blood? They had also seen Jesus turn water to wine, heal the sick, cast out demons - they had even healed the sick and cast out demons themselves - and they walked away from Jesus because they had to symbolically eat His flesh and drink His blood?
 
Kaily said:
Thank you all for your posts, right now we are really discussing the faith and works, he seems to think from what I say that we think we are saved by works, he said we are saved by grace through faith, but we don’t need to do works, but without works faith is dead and he agrees, but he said he doesn’t understand why Catholics do penance, or adoration, he said that Scripture doesn’t support our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, etc… He said that Christ died for us and we can’t do anything for Him (i.e. meaning good works) and that He is the one mediator we don’t need saints or Mary to intercede for us and that belief is not based on Scripture, and if I quote a specific passage from Scripture that would refer to this belief, he says I’m taking it out of context. Thanks for all your help, I do have CD’s from the Bible CHristian Society, so I will keep listening and learning.

God Bless
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Ask him why he’s allowed to have a certain interpretation of Scripture but you’re not. 😉 Just because he disagrees with your interpretation doesn’t mean it’s “out of context” it means it’s not the way he’s been told that passage should be interpreted by his Protestant leadership.

On good works: Eph 2:8-10. Most Protestants like to just read verses 8 and 9, but verse 10 says that we’ve been saved in order to do the good works that God has ordained for us. Also, Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 seems to indicate that what we do “as unto the Lord” does matter a great deal to God.

Yes, Jesus is the one mediator. Mary and the Saints are not mediators, they are intercessors. Have you seen the Scripture Catholic website? That might help you out, too. If he asks people in his church to pray for him then he’s doing the very same thing you are when you ask Mary and the Saints to pray for you.

If he says that they’re dead and can’t hear us, ask him who the great cloud of witnesses is in Hebrews 12:1. Ask him how there is joy in heaven when a sinner repents if they aren’t aware of what’s going on. Jesus spent some time with Moses and Elijah and nobody told Him, “Stop talking to them, they’re dead!” Are they dead, or are they alive in Christ? Last time I checked, those who were absent from the body were present with the Lord and more alive than I am since they’ve been made perfect. Why wouldn’t I want them to pray for me?

One of the BCS CDs, can’t remember which, has 12 questions that will make a Protestant stop and think and they can’t answer without either contradicting themselves or taking the Catholic position. I believe it’s the one about Faith Alone. Hope I’ve helped!
 
Kaily, it sound as if you are in a relationship that is Unequally Yoked. While dating, these differences in faith can be a mear irritation of sorts. Once married though, they can become a serious problem, and when children are blessed to you the differences will take on an even more serious nature.

Will he, like other posters have asked, even allow you to raise the children Catholic? and back up before that even,will the two of you be married in the Catholic Church?

Some very serious issues that you are faced with if you continue this relationship, no matter how fine a man he may be.
 
Here’s a link to a long response I made recently giving the historical evidence for the belief in the Real Presence. See responses #6-14:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=198602

This certainly will only begin to address the many differences in theology between Catholics and Protestants, but if you can demonstrate he is wrong on this issue, you may be able to convince him that he’s wrong on other issues as well. Good luck.
 
I have nothing to offer just want to say don’t give up on teaching him! I had many discussions with my Catholic boyfriend like those you are having when we started dating. Six months later, I began accepting Catholicism as truth. I’ll point him to this thread maybe he’ll have something to offer.🙂
 
Regarding Salvation, he said that we have assurance of salvation but doesn’t necessarily believe in the once saved always saved,
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I thought Methodist in general are Arminian and deny Once Saved Always Saved.
he doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist
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A Methodist that does not belive in the Real Presence? Most Methodists do believe in the Real Presence. Is his Church belief or his personal belief.
 
Kaily said:
One more thing he said is that the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation, so its not important, how do I answer this one?
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Padre Pio knew the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. He said that it would be easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Eucharist.
Tell him it is true. For example if one does not believe that God exists that does not change the fact that God exists and that he loves you. Get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and you will find your answers. Do stick to your guns.
God bless.
Bill
 
I recommend reading
“Theology for Beginners” by Frank Sheed.
It will help in understanding our “Food for the Journer”.
 
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