The point being is that much of what is said in the Bible is straightforward. You don’t need an interpreter to understand it. Especially the straightforward verses pertaining to faith and salvation/justification. Is this verse so difficult?Rom 4:4-5 “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but **believes **in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,” Or what Jesus said:John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."Those who find these verses difficult are usually those refuse to believe what they plainly say and the simplicity of their message.
I still do not understand the difference between someone referring to themselves as a catholic instead of a roman catholic. Does roman catholic mean you follow the pope? Does this mean that people who call themselves catholic (only) not follow the pope. Sorry to bring this up again, but I am new to the faith and don’t understand the difference as I thought all catholics followed the pope. After 30 years of adult life spent going to churches where everyone had a different opinion of what the scriptures say and how we should worship and live, constantly breaking up and forming new churches because they disagree, I find the idea of the authority of the pope absolutely wonderful! After a lot of study of the Bible, (thats what protestants do most) I believe its exactly what our Lord wanted when He said " I will build my church upon this rock." I wonder if Jimmy B could answer this since he signs as I am Roman Catholic.
Hello,
Quote=OneNow1 The church is not dependent on individuals, Jesus recognizes the problems we will face in the future, in his prayer. John 17: 26 I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them and so that I may be in them.
Which translates into unbelief. They simply refuse to believe it. They stumble over the simplicity of Christ and salvation. Their pride says, “No, I must do something to merit my own salvation. God must see something wonderful in me.” And so rather than salvation they opt for religion.
I’m not sure you get the drift of what I’m saying. Human institutions are not a mystery; the Church is a mystery; the sacraments of the Church are mysteries. The two (human institutions and the Church) cannot be approached in the same way. All Christians believe Christ to be their leader. Roman Catholics say the Pope is the leader of the universal Church; Orthodox say the bishop is head of the Church. But whatever the case, with Catholics and Orthodox, the function of the bishop or Pope, acting in persona Christi (as the head of the Church) cannot properly be understood if compared with imperial models, since the Mystery of the Church must be understood in relation to the Mystery of Christ himself, which is beyond our knowing.
Most national governments have had at least one woman leader in their history. Rome has never had a female Pope (Pope Joan aside).
I recently read an essay by Father Schmemann in which he does in fact mention how some Orthodox Churches, especially the Russian Orthodox Church, have functioned as though the Patriarch were in an exalted position over the other bishops. However, when it comes down to it, the Orthodox reject the belief that any bishop is any greater than another bishop in authority. Why? Because each bishop is the visible head of the local church. In Orthodox ecclesiology, each local church is in fact the fullness of the Church, as the Eucharist is the full Body of Christ and not a part. The bishop is the head of the local church, and by virtue of the Eucharist over which he presides in representation of Christ, he is acting as visible head of the Church.
speaking of…
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Need a visual?
We are catholic.This is the view espoused by Louis Bouyer, O.P. and so many others. Yet, neither the Eastern Orthodox Church nor the Roman Catholic Church acknowledges the full orthodoxy of the other communion. Each remains committed to the view that the other has departed from the Apostolic Faith in one way or another.In my mind, I basically refuse to separate the Orthodox from the Catholic or visa versa. I beleive they are inseparable. I think of us as two sisters in a cat fight.
No response needed here, you have answered your own question.
Hello Madaglan,
What you may not realize is that, the teaching of Jesus and or the Apostles become doctrine when the said teachings come under attack, by Rulers, kings, governments, and secularism. When the Catholiic church infallibly cannonized your bible, was for the purpose that bishops and or false teachers would stop using anti christian or teaching against the already belief that Jesus taught and the Apostles themselves handed down to the church, from other sources. The Catholic church, these are the books inspired of God and will be used for the Liturgy of the word of God and the Eucharistic liturgies.