Rejecting the Roman Catholic Church has nothing to do with the biblical Jesus Christ. John Calvin like the other Reformers are pointing to the biblical Jesus Christ.
John Calvin, like the other reformers then and today, actually ignore history and ‘shape’ scripture to fit their man-made theology, that frankly, are actually new ideas.
It seems to me that those that leave Catholicism do so because of feelings and without understanding what the church teaches and why, an unstudied move based on emotion only.
Those that convert to Catholicism do so through study of scripture and history, and with that background, their feelings of connection with Christ through the Eucharist are immense.
Not that I’ll badmouth those that, through emotion, leave the church to go to a place that gets them more interested and focused on God. That is extremely important.
These same people though, I’ve seen come back to the Catholic Church once they get serious about reading scripture and history.
Christ founded a visible church.
It is still here, because Jesus said it would be.
By your unwillingness to answer the questions regarding the men forgiving sins through the power of Jesus tells me that this very basic, scriptural command of Jesus’ is not practiced in your church.
I would say that your church has not yet ‘discovered’ the church Jesus Christ founded.
You would have us believe that the Holy Spirit messed up real bad until the 1500’s, THEN got it right. The Holy Spirit couldn’t get it right, so good thing Calvin came along. I think better of the Holy Spirit.
Scriptural arm-wrestling will be your tactic, but the bottom line is that the visible church Jesus founded was there in the first century … and in the second century, the 3rd century, the 4th century, the 5th century, the 6th century, the 7th century, the 8th century, the 9th century, the 10th century, the 11th century, the 12th century, the 13th century, the 14th century, the 15th century, the 16th century, the 17th century, the 18th century, the 19th century, the 20th century, the 21st century, … is still here today, and it is the Catholic Church.
You typically provide a position then quote sections of scripture seemingly from a tract with a title. Scripture that actually does not show what you think it means, as I point out over and over again.
To find the church that Jesus founded is to find the visible church that has the authority of the apostles and is one with each other in doctrine.
Protestantism that I see today is so contrary to these basic attributes of His church: one, apostolic, and authoritative.
Don’t get me wrong. In my faith journey, I’ve had my questions regarding the Catholic faith, and my studies of scripture and history over a ten year period present overwhelming evidence that the Catholic Church is the church that Jesus founded. Not one protestant religion bourne of 1500s and later holds any water.
‘Reformer’ is not even a correct title for these men such as Calvin and Luther. They didn’t reform a church, but left it. This is the lesson they’ve taught. If you don’t like it, or agree with it, leave and start your own. This is not a tenant of Jesus’.
I think it is great to question. Even necessary. This is what I did. I pray that you do as I did, and read the bible … without the footnotes of a Catholic or non-Catholic … and devour it. Pray to the Holy Spirit to open your heart. Read the early Christian writings. This is a point I got to in my journey that has led me to where I am today.
If you truly want to follow Christ, pray, pray, pray, listen to what He says, and please honestly seek the church that he founded.
Cheers, brother.
michel
:blushing: