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PART 3
- Merit
- "...Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life," (CCC 2010).
- "Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods,” (CCC 2027).
- Jesus' brothers
- There are many arguments pro and con concerning Jesus siblings. But the issue cannot be settled without examining Psalm 69, a Messianic Psalm. Jesus quotes Psalm 69:4 in John 15:25, "But they have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law, They hated Me without a cause."
- Clearly, Psalm 69 is a Messianic Psalm since Jesus quoted it in reference to Himself two times. The reason this is important is because of what is written between the verses that Jesus quoted.
- Penance
- "Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification..." (CCC, par. 1446).
- "By Christ's will, the Church possesses the power to forgive the sins of the baptized and exercises it through bishops and priests normally in the sacrament of penance ," (CCC par. 986).
- "As a means of regaining grace and justice, penance was at all times necessary for those who had defiled their souls with any mortal sin. . . .The Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, c. i).
- Purgatory
- The 2nd Vatican Council, p. 63, "The truth has been divinely revealed that sins are followed by punishments. Gods holiness and justice inflict them. Sins must be expiated. This may be done on this earth through the sorrows, miseries and trials of this life and, above all, through death. Otherwise the expiation must be made in the next life through fire and torments or purifying punishments."
- Salvation
- Salvation through Catholic Church alone: "The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God." (CCC 816).
- Quote: Salvation through Catholic Church alone: "The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained." (CCC 816).
- Heaven is God's reward for good works: "In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere 'to the end' and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ," (CCC, 1821).
- Merit grace for ourselves: "Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification," (CCC, par. 2010).
- Salvation through keeping the commandments: "The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are obligatory for Christians and that the justified man is still bound to keep them;28 the Second Vatican Council confirms: "The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments," (CCC, par 2068, Vatican: the Holy See)
- "...the Second Vatican Council confirms: 'The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments,'" (CCC, par 2068).
- Saved without knowing the gospel of Christ: “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation,” (CCC, 847).
- Catholics still under the Law. The RCC requires the Catholics to keep the law (along with faith) to be saved (CCC 2036, 2070, 2068). But that means that they have not died to the Law in Christ (Rom. 6:6; 7:4; 7:6). If they had, then they would not be required to keep the Law to be saved since they would have died to it and it to them - it would have no jurisdiction over them and have no ability to contribute to salvation in any way. So, since the RCC has its people under the Law, its people are not saved and are not freed from the Law.
- Necessary for Salvation
- “The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation,” (CCC 1257).
- “Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation,” (CCC 846).
- “This sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn,” (CCC 980).
- “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation, (CCC 1129).
- “Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation,” (CCC 1816).
- “The authority of the Magisterium extends also to the specific precepts of the natural law [i.e., 10 Commandments, CCC 2070], because their observance, demanded by the Creator, is necessary for salvation,” (CCC 2036).
- “Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven,” (CCC 2556).
- Summation: In Roman Catholicism that which is necessary for salvation includes the church (CCC 846), baptism (CCC 1257), penance (CCC 980), sacraments (CCC 1129), service and witness to the faith (CCC 1816), keeping the ten commandments (CCC 2036 and 2070), and detachment from riches (CCC 2556).
- Questions
- Do you believe that going to heaven, which is salvation, is your reward for the good works that you do? "In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere 'to the end' and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ," (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 1821).
- If Christians have died with Christ (Rom. 6:6,8), and that means that the Law has no jurisdiction over us (Rom. 4:15; 10:14), because we've died to the Law (Rom. 7:4), then why does the RCC say we need to keep the commandments (Law) in order to be saved (CCC 2036, 2070, 2068)? Also, consider that Rom. 3:28 says, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith APART from works of the Law” (i.e., 10 Commandents).
- Jesus said in Matt. 7:22-23, "Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" Jesus condemned them to damnation, why? Because they appealed to their faith AND works to be in heaven.
- Do you really believe you can merit (earn) God's grace? "we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification," (CCC, par. 2010).
- Are you keeping the commandments enough to attain your salvation? "...so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments," (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par 2068)
- Are you being good enough in all that you do to be saved?
- James 2:10, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
- Gal. 3:10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."
- In Mt 28:18 Jesus said all authority has been given to him. In Jn 14:14 he said that if we ask him anything in his name he would do it. So would you pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of all of your sins and put all your trust and hope in Him alone? If you do, would you be forgiven of all your sins? If not, why won’t you pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of all your sins?
- Salvation through Catholic Church alone: "The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God." (CCC 816).
- Terms
- Assumption - the taking of the body and soul of Mary, by god, into glory. Catholic doctrine, apparently, does not state whether or not Mary died, but tradition holds that she died and was immediately afterward assumed into heaven both body and soul.
- Mass - a reenactment of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross in a ceremony performed by a priest. This ceremony is symbolically carried out by the priest and involves
- Mortal Sin - a serious and willful transgression of God's Law. It involves full knowledge and intent of the will to commit the sin. If left unrepentant, can damn someone to eternal hell. '
- Purgatory - a place of temporary punishment where the Christian is cleansed from sin before they can enter into heaven.
- Rosary - A string of beads containing five sets with ten small beads. Each set of ten is separated by another bead. It also contains a crucifix. It is used in saying special prayers, usually to Mary where the rosary is used to count the prayers.
- Transubstantiation - The teaching that the bread and wine in the communion supper become the body and blood of the Lord Jesus at the Consecration during the Mass.
- Venial Sin - A sin but not as bad as Mortal Sin. It lessens the grace of God within a person's soul.
- Tradition
- ". . .the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence'." (CCC, par. 82.)
- Verses dealing with Tradition
- Matt. 15:4-6, Jesus said, "For God said, Honor your father and mother, and, He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death 5But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or mother, Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God, 6he is not to honor his father or his mother. And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition."
- Mark 7:8-9, "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men. [SUP]9[/SUP]He was also saying to them, You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition."
- Col. 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
- Refuting Tradition
- "But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater," (Heb. 7:7). The context deals with Melchizedek blessing Abraham, but the principle that the lesser is blessed by the greater is still true. If the Catholic appeals to scripture to validate tradition, then he is appealing to scripture as the superior source in order to validate his tradition, the lesser being tradition.
- 1 Cor. 11:2, "Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you."
- In 1 Cor. 11:2, the traditions "delivered" in the past and, from the context, it appears that Paul is either referring to avoiding idolatry or he is restating the tradition concerning head-coverings, authority, and prayer. There is nothing in the context about RCC Tradition.
- 2 Thess. 2:15, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us."
- The Tradition being spoken of in 2 Thess. 2:15 is the teaching about the second coming of Christ as is spoken of in (2:1-3) and following, not the RCC tradition.
- 2 Thess. 3:6, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us."
- In 2 Thess. 3:6, the tradition Paul is speaking of is the tradition of working hard and not being idle. There is nothing here about RCC Sacred Tradition.
- Transubstantiation
- Verses they use to support it.
- Matt. 26:28, "for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins."
- John 6:52-53, "The Jews therefore began to argue with one another, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? [SUP]53[/SUP] Jesus therefore said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.'"
- Yet, Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life," (John 6:63).
- 1 Cor. 11:27, "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord."
- Re: Transubstantiation: 1st, the Supper was instituted before Jesus' crucifixion; hence, how could it be a re-sacrifice since it hadn't happened when Jesus instituted it? 2nd, transub. violates Levitical law forbidding drinking of blood (Lev. 17:14). 3rd, it violates the incarnation - for a man (Jesus) cannot be physically omnipresent as transub. would physically require.
- Verses they use to support it.
- Verses Examined
- John 20:23, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
- The context of John 20:23 is that Jesus was speaking to the disciples (v. 19). He breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit (v. 22). Then they said "have been forgiven". It is aphiami, perfect passive, "have been" forgiven. They are not forgiving, but pronouncing the sins that "have been" forgiven.
- John 20:23, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
- Eucharist
- How is it possible for the Eucharist to be the body and blood of Christ? Isn't a man only in one place at one time as Jesus was in the incarnation? He is still a man (1 Tim. 2:5). Therefore, the incarnation means that the man Jesus is only at one place at a time. Therefore, the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist violates the doctrine of the incarnation of Christ.
- The Eucharist is the broken body and shed blood of Christ, right? When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper he said it was his body and blood, but how can that be since he was sitting right there? Was he sitting there and also physically in the bread and wine, too?
- The Eucharist is the broken body and shed blood of Christ, right? When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper he said it was his body and blood, but he hadn't yet been crucified, so how could it be his shed blood and broken body?
- The RC Eucharist cannot literally be Christ’s blood because when Jesus instituted the supper Levitical Law was still in effect since the death of Christ had not yet occurred and the New Covenant was not then instituted (Heb. 9:15-16). So, since the disciples were under O.T. Law when Jesus instituted the Supper, then how was Jesus NOT urging the disciples to violate the command in Lev. 17:14 which says that they were NOT drink the blood of any flesh? (Furthermore, the Jerusalem council also forbid drinking blood in Acts 15:19-20.)
- Questions for Catholics
- What rituals must you perform in order to obtain the grace of God?
- "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace," (Rom. 11:6).
- Are you being good enough to keep yourself saved?
- If your salvation is dependent, in part, upon your ability to repent of your sins, what do you do with those since you have not repented of because you don't know about them?
- If authority of the Roman Catholic church is so important, then why did the Bereans in Acts 17:11 not just subject themsleves to that apostolic authority instead of checking what Paul said against scripture -- and Paul praised them for it?
- If the RC has authority over you, do you submit to whatever it says or do you check what it says against scripture?
- What rituals must you perform in order to obtain the grace of God?