You are simply talking about people, be they Apostolic Fathers long returned to dust, or Protestants on this forum, or Catholics on this forum. I would say without hesitation that no two of us are the same in all respects. The Truth, according to everyone of this group, who believes in God and His Son, is Jesus. Again while we likely agree on that no two of the same group will have precisely the same understanding on every point as to what and who Jesus, the Truth is. Without full understanding, hopefully all of us love Him anyway. All of us that love Him are right, so then not just those defined by your "both" but all of us are right. Is not Jesus to be our first love?
Why would you insist in separating us further from one another than we already are? Should there be more division and splintering? Why not start with this, that Jesus is our first love?
Are you are inferring by your questions that we cannot all love Jesus and put Him first even though we may disagree on details? Surely we can. I do not believe that Catholic Church teaches that all Protestants are lost. Why would you presume it because do not agree on every point?
As to what those you call Apostolic Fathers, we can only know what they wrote. Will that tell us what was in their hearts? No more than I by reading your writings or you by reading my writings can tell without doubt what is in the heart of the other. God has given me some truth as I am sure He gave those men some truth. You want me to make a choice between what God has given me and what God gave them. Of course as you already knew I have to choose myself just like everyone else would do. You may say you choose them, but that is also effectively choosing yourself, isn't it?
"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts." Prov 21:2
Is either of the two of us the Lord? Can either of us definitely ponder the hearts as He does? I don't claim that for me.
So why not let be it leaving it alone until the harvest when God will send His reapers to separate where necessary any tares from the wheat. I am not a reaper. Are you?
How do you read these verses?
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" John 3:36
"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." Gal 3:11
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:17
And then we see here where to look for the end of our faith:
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:1-2
Why do you play games and ask dishonest questions like the Pharisees old apparently like them to trip someone up rather than simply seeking the God's truth whatever it is and who ever holds it? Does only the formal Catholic Church possess any of God's truth?
Levels?:
There are babies, toddlers, teenagers, young adults and old folks in the flesh. Why would you not understand there are comparable levels spiritually or among those who walk with God? Read chapter 12 of I Corinthians for what Apostle Paul wrote about parts of the Body of Christ. Different functions with different gifts operating to accomplish God's purposes. But, in spite of a baby's eventual mature function within the Body of Christ, he does not as a baby perform the work of a mature part of the Body. The hands of an infant cannot and do not do the work of a teenager... and so forth...
"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." II Tim 1:13
What sound words have we heard from Apostle Paul who penned those words? It does not say in "knowledge" but "in faith and love". If an Apostolic Father did write it down right, we still could not know what was deep in that writer's own heart, could we?
"If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." I Tim 4:6
And this good minister [Timothy or another] will then not by his own ability for sure, but rather by the Holy Spirit in him, "put the brethren in remembrance of these things". The proper nourishment for him [Timothy or another] is in attained "words of faith and good doctrine". These things come from where but from our Lord Jesus as they are quickened in a person by the Holy Spirit, right?
"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;" I Tim 6:3
What are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are they the words in quotation marks on a printed Bible page [in red in some Bibles] identified as have been spoken by Him about 2000 years ago, or are they what the Holy Spirit has brought to Life with us? The "wholesome words" are those words which nourish the what Paul called the "new man" are they not? Without the Holy Spirit, where is the nourishment? Without the Holy Spirit, where is the Life?
Continued on next post