justbyfaith
Well-Known Member
WRONG.
The Bible teaches that salvation is NOT a "one-time" event -= but a lifelong process.
I AM saved when I come to the Lord and am Baptized - but that's just the beginning . . .
The Bible assures us that we as Christians are ALREADY SAVED (Rom. 5:1, 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8)
This is Initial Salvation – God give us the initial grace to believe.
However, because Salvation is a LIFELONG process – it ALSO says that I am BEING SAVED (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, 7:1, Phil. 2:12, Heb 12:14).
This is Ongoing Sanctification – God is sanctifying us throughout our life as we cooperate with his grace.
Because of this, I have the hope that I WILL BE SAVED (Matt. 24:13, Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15).
This is Final Sanctification/Salvation – We die and go to heaven having endured to the end.
The Bible teaches that a man "has" everlasting life...has passed from death unto everlasting life...from the moment of first faith. Justification is the beginning of the work that He begins in you. He will be faithful to complete it in sanctification if He has indeed started it in you (Philippians 1:6).
We ARE the tree, so we don't fall FROM any tree.
You are an apple that falls from the tree of Diotrephes in 3 John 1:9-11.
The practice of telling our sins to a priest is based directly in Scripture. THREE times in the Gospels (Matt. 16:19, 18:18 and John 20:23), we read where Jesus gave the Apostles the power to forgive sins or to hold them bound. This is NOT something that Jesus took lightly. In John 20:21-23, Jesus (who is God) breathes on the Apostles as he is giving them this power:
John 20:21-23
(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
I most certainly believe, however, that a man can be forgiven of his sins apart from being forgiven by a Catholic Priest.
If I die before I get a chance to go to confession and confessed that sin privately, I am forgiven. That, however, is the exception - not the norm.
Case in point.
And if you are forgiven when you confess your sins privately, without a Catholic priest, tell me, what is the necessity of a Catholic priest?
They'll get a kick out of heqaring that I stumped another group of antoi=Catholics who were ill-equppied to give an answer for what they believer (1 Pet. 3:15).
If you tell your class that you stumped us, you would in fact be lying to them.
But I think that you have not understood the basis for our argument; and therefore do not even realize that we have defeated you in the realm of this debate.
Uh-huh.
Sooooooo, which one of the tens of thousands of perpetually-splintering Protestant sects has it right?
Is it the one who agrees with YOU - or the one who agrees with ALL of the other posters here?
Take your time . . .
Obviously, the ones who agree with your religion are right...
not!
I'm happy to say that I do not partake of the sins of the Catholic Church; in that they have excommunicated godly people and have sold indulgences to the wicked; in that they idolize a cookie and call it Christ; and in that they venerate Mary even to the status of co-redeemer; when the Bible teaches clearly that there is one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).