This Pope was surely a man after God's own heart. Surely the Catholic church has it wrong on many issues, but personally I believe that many, if not most, Catholics are just as saved as many or most Protestants. If this Pope isn't visiting Jesus right now, then pretty much everyone I know is going to miss out too. If you have any doubt, and who are we to judge, just read his books.
No, I won't be joining any Catholic parishes, I'm died in the wool Baptist. But I would consider myself a total fool to suspect that of all the divisions that the church of Jesus Christ has been splintered into, that only the Baptists have it right. Thank you John Paul for the witness you provided to the world of how disciples of Christ should act.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
The Passing of the Pope
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4 comments:
Amen to that Randy!
HE ALONE IS WORTHY
PS Looking forward to your pending union with the SoCal Alliance. If you can't get an easy meet up with anyone else, let me know!
I have many family members that are Catholics. I also have had the recent opportunity to witness to some Catholics as well as talk to former Catholics within our church. While Catholics believe that Christ died, was buried and rose again for our sin, they do not believe that grace is dispensed in the same way that the Bible teaches. Baptism and communion are mere symbols that point to the greater reality of Christ's atoning work. For Catholics, the sacraments are not symbols, but rather the vehicle through which grace is dispensed. That is total heresy. That is why the Catholic religion so strongly pushes infant baptism and first communion. Clearly that is not what scriptures teaches about the dispensing of grace. We are saved by grace through a repentant faith. Both are the work of God (faith comes by the hearing of God's word). So the only thing we truly contribute to salvation is our sin. Now all this isn't to say that there are no saved Catholics. Clearly that would be an overstatement. Surely there are Catholics that do not believe this heresy yet stay within the Catholic church for the sake of reformation. Martin Luther would be an example of one who attempted to do this until he was excommunicated (I think that is correct). So it's a very sad thing to come to grips with, but anyone that trusts in baptism, communion, saying a little prayer and asking Jesus in to your heart has clearly believed an adulterated form of the gospel. Even worse is that if they have died in such a state, they are in hell. That is why Paul stated in Galatians that anyone who preached another gospel should be cursed. It's a serious thing to botch up the gospel. May we never be guilty of doing such a damnable thing in the sight of our Lord. So regardless if you are Pope John or John Doe, if you have not repented and trusted in the atoning work of Christ, you are saved. It matters not how good you are. And whether or not he is in heaven has no bearing on whether a person is saved or not.
Signed,
An ex-Catholic
TYPO:
So regardless if you are Pope John or John Doe, if you have not repented and trusted in the atoning work of Christ, you are NOT saved.
I don't get all the "hoopla" over the Pope by those who are not of the Catholic persuasion. Other than the fact that he gave consent to Lech Walensa's Solidarity Movement and has traveled a lot, tell me again what he has accomplished.
Catholicism continues, as it has for centuries, to enslave its followers with promises of eternal uncertainty, false doctrine, and a whole potload of guilt. Maybe once the church formally proclaims Mary as "Co-Redemptrix" (do a Google search to confirm), protestant's eyes will have the self imposed vail removed.
Volumes have been written that expose the deceit Catholicism has delivered to a spiritually hungry world, so to repeat that would be a waste of space. But, ask yourself one question: Since nothing has changed in the Catholic Church since the Council of Trent (Vatican II included) and the differences were once worth dying for by protestants, why are we Christians so "tolerant" of those differences today?
Pope John had an opportunity to effect change and failed to do so. Tell me again what was so great about him.
I had probably better sign "anonymous"!
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