What is it?

[PJM]

=JoshuaNY;12764639]Our works cannot reconcile God or merit forgiveness of sins, grace, and justification, but that we obtain this only by faith when we believe that we are received into favor for Christ’s sake, who alone has been set forth the Mediator and Propitiation, 1 Tim. 2:5, in order that the Father may be reconciled through Him. 10] Whoever, therefore, trusts that by works he merits grace, despises the merit and grace of Christ, and seeks a way to God without Christ, by human strength, although Christ has said of Himself: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6.

Ephesians 2
[6] And hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus. [7] That he might shew in the ages to come the abundant riches of his grace, in his bounty towards us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; [9] Not of works, that no man may glory. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.

Joshua have you ever been exposed to the One Infallible RULE for right understanding on God’s Bible?

***Never EVER
Can, may or DOES
One Verse, passage or teaching
Have the Power or Authority to
Override, invalidate or make VOID another
Verse, passage or teaching.

Where this not true the bible would be worthless to teach Christ ones faith Eph. 4:1-7***

Which is exactly Why Christ desired, founded, and protects the ONLY Church He created. Mt. 16:18-19 and gave to Her ALONE the Command, the mandate and the authority to teach His Faith. Mt. 28:18-20

Galations. 2: [16] But knowing that man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ; we also believe in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified

 

[PJM]

=God_I_Love;12766030]I would say a more thorough understanding will reveal the Catholic Church carries the Truth. However that does not mean all interpretations by them have a full understanding of the doctrine. Protestants have better understanding yet are subject to err as they are not being led by Peter. I’m glad you are allowing the HS room to grow in your life and understanding.

Your position is not biblical.

Who did Christ give ALL of the keys to heaven too? His Catholic Church Mt. 16:18-19

Who does Christ share His actual Godly Powers with [including Infallibility]? His Catholic Church Mt. 10:1-8 & John 17:18-19

Who Do Christ assign the responsibility to TEACH His faith [singular]? His Catholic Church
Mk 16:15+16 & Mt. 28: 1-20

Who does Jesus Give HIMSELF as an offering to the father to protect? His Catholic Church, John 17:18-19

God Bless you,

Patrick

 

[ptisme]

I was hoping to be able to pass this up, BUT

All Christian Are not equal in the eyes of God

One God, founded ONLY One Church Mt. 16:18-19 and has just One set of faith beliefs
Eph. 4:1-7 and the CC alone was give the direct mandate to teach Christ Faith, Mt. 16:18-20

The Pope, the Magisterium and even the Bishops who speak “in communion” [agree with] the Pope ALL Speak Infallibility on BOTH and only 1. Faith belief issues and 2. Moral Teachings.

God Bless you,

Patrick

The Church Militant consists of all Christians, not just Catholics.

 

[gachristian]

You know what? Stop it! Stop picking parts of the Bible and not others. James 2:14-26, read the WHOLE thing. We don’t do ANY verses in the Bible, because the Church cannot contradict the Bible. You are cherry-picking verses as an excuse to commit heresy. So did Arius. So did Nestorius. So did Luther. So did Calvin.

Yes, I did read James. The whole book. He is explaining the difference in saying you have faith and practicing it. When one accepts God’s gift of Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit that changes him and the evidence of that change come through his works. Works do not save you; only the grace of God (Eph2; 8-9). If a person does not have works to back up his faith, then his true faith is what is in question, not that he is saved by his works.

Paul wrote to the Galatians who were beginning to return to the Law.

Cherry pick verses? Please! Are you saying that there are Catholic teachings that don’t “cherry pick verses” and that only non-Catholic scholars of the Bible “cherry pick?” Are you saying that anyone who associates himself with a Christian denomination other than the Catholic Church is going to Hell?

I thought this was suppose to be a friendly conversation and not a condemnation of those who do not believe as you. I thought this was what this original post was about.

I have respect for the Catholic Church as I do for any Christian denomination that preaches Jesus and Him crucified.

There are simply doctrines in the Catholic Church that I do not see line up with Scripture.
That is what I was trying to bring up. I am not condemning the Catholic Church. I am only trying to bring up what I have studied.

 

[ptisme]

Yes, I did read James. The whole book. He is explaining the difference in saying you have faith and practicing it. When one accepts God’s gift of Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit that changes him and the evidence of that change come through his works. Works do not save you; only the grace of God (Eph2; 8-9). If a person does not have works to back up his faith, then his true faith is what is in question, **not that he is saved by his works. **

Paul wrote to the Galatians who were beginning to return to the Law.

Cherry pick verses? Please! Are you saying that there are Catholic teachings that don’t “cherry pick verses” and that only non-Catholic scholars of the Bible “cherry pick?” Are you saying that anyone who associates himself with a Christian denomination other than the Catholic Church is going to Hell?

I thought this was suppose to be a friendly conversation and not a condemnation of those who do not believe as you. I thought this was what this original post was about.

I have respect for the Catholic Church as I do for any Christian denomination that preaches Jesus and Him crucified.

There are simply doctrines in the Catholic Church that I do not see line up with Scripture.
That is what I was trying to bring up. I am not condemning the Catholic Church. I am only trying to bring up what I have studied.

Are you insinuating that Catholics believe we are saved by works?

 

[gachristian]

Are you insinuating that Catholics believe we are saved by works?

That is what I have been told by practicing Catholics. Please correct me and I can correct those Catholics that tell me that.

 

[Jon_Mallory]

That is what I have been told by practicing Catholics. Please correct me and I can correct those Catholics that tell me that.

Then those Catholics need to read their own catechism…

 

[SteveVH]

Being outside the Catholic Church has nothing to do with salvation. It is a person’s faith and relationship with Jesus that matters.

This is like saying “running away from home doesn’t matter. My relationship with my parents is what matters”.

This is much more than just “Jesus and me”, my friend. Christ started a Church. He didn’t hand out Bible’s and say “Good luck”. We are meant to be the people of God; the Bride of Christ; a family.

Salvation is not just found within the Church. The Church, rather, is God’s salvation and yes, you must be part of it (in one way or another) in order to be saved. Through his sacraments he meets us in the most intimate and profound way possible on this earth. Through his sacraments, the grace that flows from his most perfect sacrifice, flows into us and saves us.

So, having a relationship with Christ’s Church is the way we have a relationship with Christ. It is where he forgives us, and feeds us, and strengthens us, and it is where he sanctifies us. He did not leave us orphans to wander around with a copy of the Bible, relying only on our limited capacity to grasp it. He left us with a living, breathing Church in which he remains and to which he sent the Holy Spirit as our guide. He left a Church with unprecedented authority (Christ’s own authority) and sent it out as he had been sent out. This was Christ’s plan; the normal means for our salvation. What is sad is that there are many people called “Christian” who haven’t even the faintest idea of the meaning of “sacrament”. That is how far some have strayed from the “family”.

 

[ptisme]

That is what I have been told by practicing Catholics. Please correct me and I can correct those Catholics that tell me that.

My friend, please, square your Catholic brothers and sisters away. The Catholic church has always taught that we are saved by grace. Pls refer to the Catechism or here:
fisheaters.com/solafide.html

And please peruse here for any other questions regarding what we believe:
fisheaters.com/responses.html

 

[PJM]

=gachristian; Justification beliefs
REPLY:

gachristian
New Member

First allow me to welcome you to the CAF! The Holy Spirit has led you here, so let’s see if we can assist you in some small way with your concerns.
If I’m going to be able to help you, I would ask that for My sake, you express again your concerns so that they all can be addressed one by one, is the best way to do this given our space limits.

Let’s start here

***There is an important Infallible Rule for right understanding of God’s Words:

Never ever
Can, may or does
One verse, passage or teaching have the power or authority
To invalidate, override, or make void another
Verse, passage or teaching. Were this even the slightest possibility it would render the entire bible as worthless to teach or learn Christ true faith [necessarily singular: One God can logically have only one set of beliefs on issues long defined and held.[/COLOR]***

The Gift of right understanding, as that is what it is; a Gift from God, has to originate with God’s offer of sufficient grace, and then our humble acceptance of it. It must be prayer for.

Take note of the fact that the passages you quote from Gal. 2:26-21 speak of “works of the law”

My friend these differ significantly from other bible passages that speak of “works” & here is why and how: “works” in common Catholic phraseology is a synonym for “charity”.

**Jn 13:34 **“A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another” And as this is from Christ, it pertains to all of His humanity.

Heb.6: 10 “For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.”

**Rev.2: 23 **“and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”

**1 Peter 1: 17 **“Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, “

Catholicism does not teach, accept or believe that “Jesus Has paid the price of our sins” SUFFICIENT FOR SALVATION as is a common Protestant belief. What we do believe and teach is that “Redemption” and “Salvation” are NOT synonymous terms. Purgatory is a separate discussion, but it would not apply to one who dies in Mortal sin anyway.
Jesus is and HAS “Redeemed” all of humanity past, present and future; bar none. What this means is that Christ HAS paid the price of the worlds “Redemption”. A completely separate issue from one’s salvation. By and through Redemption we NOW have once again access to heaven as a highly conditional covenant to one’s merited salvation, accomplished God’s way. This means that heaven which had been locked out as one of the consequences of Original sin; once again become a possibility.

Salvation briefly here, means that man must merit [through God’s offer of and acceptance of Grace] a suitable state of our souls upon our death. Specifically this means that we must not die with unconfessed and therefore unforgiven Mortal sin:** READ 1 Jn. 1: 8-10, 1 Jn. 5: 16-17 and Jn. 20:019-23.**

We Catholics have an advantage given to US by CHRIST, who Himself Instituted the Seven Sacraments, specifically to facilitate our meriting salvation His way, being the NORM. And I certainly would not count on any other method.

Being outside the Catholic Church has nothing to do with salvation. It is a person’s faith and relationship with Jesus that matters.

**Friend, you decision to believe this error is not biblical. **

Mt. 10: 1-8 “And having called his twelve disciples [Apostles] together, he gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. And the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, … These twelve Jesus sent: commanding them, saying: Go YOU not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go YOU rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely have you received, freely give”

Mt. 16: 18-19 “And I say to YOU: That thou you are Peter; and upon [YOU] this rock I will build my church, [Singular] and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. And I will give to YOU [all of] the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

Mt. 28: 16-20 “And the eleven disciples [Apostles] went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. [17] And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. Go YOU therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things that I have taught to YOU: and behold I am with YOU all days, even to the consummation of the world.”

Friend there is very much more I could share space permitting. So please ask if you need further proof.

Jesus following the example of Yawheh who choose 1 God, with 1 Faith & 1 Chosen people; Jesus ALSO choose 1 God, 1 Faith and One Church. **Eph. 4:1-7. **Nowhere in the entire bible can you show me that God accepted other faiths than His necessarily singular faith. Even God can’t hold contradictory beliefs on the same issues, and there is no way that Christ waited over 1,000 years for Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin or anyone else. Amen

 

[PJM]

=ptisme;12767404]The Church Militant consists of all Christians, not just Catholics.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART ONE
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

SECTION TWO
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

CHAPTER THREE
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

ARTICLE 9
“I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH”

• Paragraph 5. The Communion of Saints

946 After confessing “the holy catholic Church,” the Apostles’ Creed adds “the communion of saints.” In a certain sense this article is a further explanation of the preceding: "What is the Church if not the assembly of all the saints?"479 The communion of saints is the Church.

947 "Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. . . . We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head. . . . Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments."480 "As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund."481

948 The term “communion of saints” therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)" and “among holy persons (sancti).”

Sancta sanctis! (“God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people”) is proclaimed by the celebrant in most Eastern liturgies during the elevation of the holy Gifts before the distribution of communion. The faithful (sancti) are fed by Christ’s holy body and blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to communicate it to the world.

Thanks for your post,

God Bless you,

Patrick

 

[PJM]

=gachristian;12767426]Yes, I did read James. The whole book. He is explaining the difference in saying you have faith and practicing it. When one accepts God’s gift of Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit that changes him and the evidence of that change come through his works. Works do not save you; only the grace of God (Eph2; 8-9). If a person does not have works to back up his faith, then his true faith is what is in question, not that he is saved by his works.

Paul wrote to the Galatians who were beginning to return to the Law.

Cherry pick verses? Please! Are you saying that there are Catholic teachings that don’t “cherry pick verses” and that only non-Catholic scholars of the Bible “cherry pick?” Are you saying that anyone who associates himself with a Christian denomination other than the Catholic Church is going to Hell?

I thought this was suppose to be a friendly conversation and not a condemnation of those who do not believe as you. I thought this was what this original post was about.

I have respect for the Catholic Church as I do for any Christian denomination that preaches Jesus and Him crucified.

There are simply doctrines in the Catholic Church that I do not see line up with Scripture.
That is what I was trying to bring up. I am not condemning the Catholic Church. I am only trying to bring up what I have studied.]

I AGREE With the “catholicposters” unnecessarily harsh approach to SHARING our Catholic Faith.

Friend, would you care to add some specifics to your last point, please

God Bless you,
Patrick

 

[PJM]

=gachristian;12767645]That is what I have been told by practicing Catholics. Please correct me and I can correct those Catholics that tell me that.

My friend, please read post 118 on page 8 for the answer on this string and your topic:thumbsup:

 

[PJM]

=Jon Mallory;12767653]Then those Catholics need to read their own catechism…

Hi John, Welcome to CAF.

My friend there is NO NEED for such an abrasive attitude

John.13: [34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35]*** By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another
***

God Bless you!
Patrick

 

[PJM]

=ptisme;12767766]My friend, please, square your Catholic brothers and sisters away. The Catholic church has always taught that we are saved by grace. Pls refer to the Catechism or here:
fisheaters.com/solafide.html

And please peruse here for any other questions regarding what we believe:
fisheaters.com/responses.html

Friend, PLEASE READ post #118 of this string on this topic

 

[ptisme]

Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART ONE
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

SECTION TWO
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

CHAPTER THREE
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

ARTICLE 9
“I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH”

• Paragraph 5. The Communion of Saints

946 After confessing “the holy catholic Church,” the Apostles’ Creed adds “the communion of saints.” In a certain sense this article is a further explanation of the preceding: "What is the Church if not the assembly of all the saints?"479 The communion of saints is the Church.

947 "Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. . . . We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head. . . . Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments."480 "As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund."481

948 The term “communion of saints” therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)" and “among holy persons (sancti).”

Sancta sanctis! (“God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people”) is proclaimed by the celebrant in most Eastern liturgies during the elevation of the holy Gifts before the distribution of communion. The faithful (sancti) are fed by Christ’s holy body and blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to communicate it to the world.

Thanks for your post,

God Bless you,

Patrick

Agreed. But none of that refutes the fact that Protestants are considered part of the church militant. Suggesting they aren’t is suggesting they can’t be saved which is not what the Chuch teaches.

 

[Vanny]

cont.
In conclusion, we have seen that Matthew has packed an incredible amount of information into one brief passage. We know that Jesus promised that He Himself would build a single Church with Peter as the rock upon which that Church would be built, that the office of head of the Church would be eternal, and that the Church itself must be protected from ever teaching error.Jesus reveals the infallible nature of the Church when he declares, “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." What does this curious passage mean? There are two possible interpretations.

First, if God reciprocates the binding and loosing of Church on earth with an identical binding or loosing in heaven, then the binding and loosing done on earth must of necessity be free from all error. If this were not so, God would have put Himself in the impossible situation of having to affirm that which is not true whenever the Church taught error.

A second interpretation would be that the authority of the church is to carry out the will and decisions of God upon earth as they have been established in heaven. This is in perfect accord with the way Jesus instructed us to pray: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Thank you for all the above. ( I know the Pope is not infallible as a person only in what he speaks ex-cathedra in Faith and Morals)
Lutherans also have the office of Keys and confession but with a different understanding than Catholics. Actually I’ve been trying to read though the Catholic/Lutheran dialogue.
We are so close in some ways.
I think, Lutherans look at faith and works as two sides of the same coin.
If you truly have saving faith, it will show in your works and life.
If you really love Jesus, you will do what He says(Matthew 7).
But we are all sinners with original sin, and we’re gonna fall(We try not to)
That’s where we need to cling to the Cross. Much reading to do.

 

[ptisme]

Thank you for all the above. ( I know the Pope is not infallible as a person only in what he speaks ex-cathedra in Faith and Morals)
Lutherans also have the office of Keys and confession but with a different understanding than Catholics. Actually I’ve been trying to read though the Catholic/Lutheran dialogue.
We are so close in some ways.
I think, Lutherans look at faith and works as two sides of the same coin.
If you truly have saving faith, it will show in your works and life.
If you really love Jesus, you will do what He says(Matthew 7).
But we are all sinners with original sin, and we’re gonna fall(We try not to)
That’s where we need to cling to the Cross. Much reading to do.

Faith and works are two sides of the same coin. We agree on much. I actually got my degree from Concordia and took numerous theology classes there. I couldn’t tell a difference from what I learned in catholic grade school. Later I will tackle some of your other concerns so don’t go away

 

[ptisme]

Why am I not Catholic? (at least yet)
The doctrine of justification and salvation. I think Lutheranism is the closest to what the Bible actually teaches.

Salvation: Is the Reformation cornerstone of Sola Fide biblical?

Please have your bible in hand when you read this so that you may see each verse in the context it was meant. I want to broach salvation and will even touch on the Good Thief:

We agree on much:

• Salvation is a free gift from God that none of us “deserve”.
• It’s something God does, and not something we do.
  I feel it’s important to discuss the aspects where we agree. In short, everything Protestants believe regarding justification we believe. But we say it’s more.
  Agreements:

1. There is no way to be saved without Jesus (Acts 4:12). He loves us so much that he died for us. We must have faith (Acts 16: 30-31, 1 John 5:13, John 3:16, Rom 10:9, Gal 3:24). The bible is VERY clear: We can NOT be saved unless we have faith in Christ, and Catholics and Protestants together believe that we are justified through faith.
2. We are saved by what he did, not by what we do. Jesus did it all and he did it once (Heb. 10:10). This refers to redemption, which is different than justification. Redemption is something that has already happened. Jesus Christ went to the cross and died for our sins. It has happened and will only happen once. But now we must accept that redemption, which is what Salvation is all about. Salvation is excepting redemption.
3. We can’t “work” our way to heaven (only Muslims believe this BTW). Let’s look at Eph 2:8-9: “By GRACE you have been saved through faith.” Thus salvation is a free gift from God. You can’t pride yourself and proclaim you are saved. Look at Romans 5:15- the key to salvation is God’s Grace and there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven. Then: Titus 3:5-He saved us not because of our righteous deeds but because of his mercy.

Now, where we differ (and this is important!)
We believe that being saved depends on faith. Where most (not all) Protestants error is that being saved does not rely on Faith ALONE as we see throughout the New Testament.
Larry Richards talks about an easy way to look at this. Imagine we are all born on the bottom of Lake Michigan, chained to the bottom. We have no air. But before we perish, here God comes with an endless supply (eternal life) of oxygen (a free gift). For many Protestants, this is where the story ends. I’m saved, free gift, I don’t have to do anything else. Once saved always saved. For Catholics, this is where the story begins, not where it ends. Holding onto this tank of oxygen will not save us, we must breath in and out. We must continue to breath. Because if, by free will, we don’t continue to breath God’s free gift we can lose that gift of salvation and die (committing mortal sin or rejecting God) by our own free will.
Cont…

 

[ptisme]

Cont.
Faith Alone: Martin Luther’s invention?

1. From Romans 4:16: “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace”. Notice we don’t see the words “faith alone”. Paul is adamant in his writings that we must have faith for justification. But nowhere does Paul suggest that faith alone is required to enter heaven. In fact, Paul tells us of the need to love just as Jesus does (1Cor 13:2 and 1Cor 16:22). Finally, Peter reminds us not to distort what Paul is trying to say to us (2Peter 3: 15-17). We must not distort the teachings of Paul. Nowhere in his writing does Paul use the words “Faith Alone”.
2. On to James: Paul, while inspired by God, never heard Jesus speak one sermon. He never knew the historical Jesus Christ, only the resurrected Jesus Christ. James was there from the beginning, one of the close ones (Peter, James and John: the three best friends of Jesus Christ). This is what James (James 2: 14-17) said: “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."
   Protestants say works are important but Faith alone is all that is needed. This is clearly not biblical. *“FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD! *”
3. Next James says this (James 2: 18-26): “You believe that God is one. You do well; THE DEMONS ALSO BELIEVE, AND SHUDDER. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS USELESS?” “YOU SEE THAT A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS AND NOT BY FAITH ALONE!” Interesting to me that the ONLY time the words “faith alone” appear in Holy Scripture is in a negating context. He also cites the example of Abraham and the sacrifice.
   It seems to me the bible couldn’t be any more clear to anyone who reads it: Faith is essential for justification. But faith without works is DEAD!
   Paul uses the same example of Abraham and he says that Abraham was justified by his faith. James says Abraham is justified by his works. The inspired word of James completely contradicts the inspired word of Paul IF: You take Paul out of context. Paul does not believe that you are justified by only Faith unless you take him out of context. You see, you can’t take any one verse and pull it out of scripture and say: "This is what God means”.
4. Moving on Acts 2:38. “again, they asked Peter and the apostles: ‘Brother’s, what must we do to be saved?’ ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So we must do something (repent) and be baptized.
5. John 3:5. Here Jesus tells a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish council, what we must do to be saved: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Jesus doesn’t even mention Faith does he? Should we take this verse out of context and say all we need to do to enter the kingdom is to be baptized? By the way, if a fundamentalist ever asks you if you have been “born again”, you read off the date you were baptized. Jesus clearly states that to be “born again” means to be baptized (John 5:5). We baptize infants because Jesus tells us we need to be born again of water to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are baptized as infants but we confirm our Christianity and don the armor of the Holy Spirit as young adults when we are confirmed, when we can make a conscious choice in the matter.
6. Luke 10:25-37. Another man quizzes Jesus about what we must to inherit eternal life. Jesus puts it back on him and asks him what the (Hebrew) Law says: He 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.” To which Jesus replies: “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” He doesn’t point to Faith but to the Law. Look at what he says: “Love your God. Love your neighbor as I have loved you.” If we believe that we can inherit eternal life through FAITH ALONE then Jesus Christ is a liar!
7. Moving on to Matthew (Ch 7: 15-20). Jesus says: "you know if someone is saved by their DEEDS. Believing that the key to salvation is Faith Alone in Jesus Christ is not biblical. But people are flocking to this in droves because it allows them to do onto others as they would, so long as they have Faith in Christ. Sounds too good to be true!
   Now look what Matthew says next! (Ch 7: 21-23):* “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”*
   You can say “Lord, Lord” until you are blue in the face. But if you do not perform God’s will you will not go to heaven. Says: Jesus himself!

cont…