THANK YOU for once again illustrating your total ignorance of the Scriptures.
You never fail to completely bungle a Scriptural passage . . .
2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
I reckon you are running out of patience and meekness and gentleness then. Maybe you should take a break before replying like that again.
Even a NOVIE to the Scriptures knows that Paul was referring to the Gnostic heretics here in 1 Tim. 4.
It was the Gnostics who forbade certain foods, marriage and ALL earthly possessions as "evil".
I do not believe Paul identified them as Gnostics here in context, but Paul was addressing how believers will fall away from the faith in giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils which is what? Receiving those spirits again and again and again after a sign like a medium does.
Granted those that have gone astray will speak lies, but it is seducing spirts that have taken hold of their attention & focus in getting them to seek after them for a continual visitation & filling.
1 Timothy 4:1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
The Church's practice of priestly celibacy was a DISCIPLINE that was not only practiced by Paul - but one that he recommended (1 Cor. 7:1, 1 Cor. 7:7, 1 Cor. 7:26, 1 Cor 7:32).
Paul said that to every believer, but if they could not contain, to let them marry les they burn. So Paul would definitely speak against the vow of celibacy.
1 Corinthians 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. 9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
Galatians 5:1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Paul did say for a priest or bishop to be married for a reason, because if they cannot manage their own house, how can they take care of the house of God?
1 Timothy 3:
1his is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Then I came across a saying in the Catholic Church that if a priest marries, they can only perform communion. Now how does that not make it look like the unmarried priest has power to pull Christ from Heaven in putting Him in the bread & the wine in performing the Eucharist in the Mass?
1 Corinthians 10:14
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
He ALSO recommended mortification of the flesh as a means of strengthening resistance to sin (Romans 8:13, 1 Cor. 9:27, Col. 3:5, Gal. 5:24) - which includes the Church's discipline about fasting and abstinence on certain days.
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
The Church is not listening to Jesus about fasting either.
Finally – as to your idiotic notion that celibacy "automatically" creates pedophiles – what excuse do YOU and your splintered Protestant factions have in the face of so much molestation going on in YOUR sects?
My point was about the judgment you had shared in that post about those needing to be obedient to God about, to avoid being the goats.
I agree that any Christian doing the same thing are in danger of being the goats but that does not excise this so called apostolic succession nor the infallible Pope doctrine as still being true when obviously some are in danger of being judged as goats when the Bridegroom comes.
I believe you are saved because you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ & that God had raised Him from the dead but I believe the Catholic Church has robbed you of the joy of your salvation if you continue to believe you are not saved yet but needing to be a member of the Catholic church and doing the sacraments within in order to achieve that salvation, thus laboring unbelief.
We are to follow Him by trusting Jesus Christ to help us lay aside every weight & sin as well as iniquities of dead works that deny Him, daily so we can be accepted by the Bridegroom as vessels unto honor in His House to attend the marriage Supper in heaven when He comes, but we run that race as saved believers for why we are in that race and how we are running that race by faith in Jesus Christ to finish His work in us to His glory.
