What is the rule of faith for Christians?

[Ferris Bueller]

“Faith alone” accomplishes nothing!
1 cor 13:2 even all faith (alone) without charity avails NOTHING!!!

Justification (being made righteous) is what faith accomplishes all by itself without works.
That does not mean faith is without works:

"We say that justification is effective without works, not that faith is without works."
Martin Luther

 

[dhh712]

In the Catholic Church, they claim that the rule of faith is both the Bible, and the traditions of the Catholic Church.
But Jesus condemned traditions that make void the Word of God (Which is what the traditions of the Catholic Church does).
Catholics have extra biblical teachings of praying to the dead (Which is necromancy), and bowing down to statues (Which is idolatry).
Catholics place Mary as some kind of co-redeemer next to Christ when that is a blatant lie against the Scriptures. So their authority is not really the Bible, but it is the traditions of the Catholic Church (Which is their real authority). Many Catholics who started to really take their Bible seriously in what it says stopped being Catholic. They decided to side with God in what His Word says over the traditions of religious men (Who like to look holy in front of others when they are not holy).

Not only that, but if any Catholic would actually take the time to read his or her Bible, they will find in Jeremiah the Israelites who were condemned by God for practising the customs of the other religions such as worshipping the "Queen of Heaven"-- that is exactly what Mary has become in the Catholic church because the Catholic church has the practise of accomodating other religions into it's own traditions, called "syncretism". Exactly what Israel was condemned by God for doing.

I was raised in the Catholic church and praise God he drew me from that heathen religion. It is atheism. No one can deny that without speaking a lie. I do not doubt though that there are brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church who are saved because it is Jesus who saves not one's doctrine. He has atoned for all our sins including the ones of worshipping false idols such as those that the Catholic church does. One must believe upon Jesus for his or her sins and trust in his work, that in his righteousness they will be able to stand before a holy God and thereby dwell with him in bliss and contentment for eternity (one must know and be known by God).

I believe that a more correct doctrine (because no church's doctrine is without falsity) can bring one into a closer relationship and thereby walk with the Lord God Jesus, but no one will be saved by his or her theology.

And yes, looking into Scripture for any length of time (a serious study of it) will divest any cognizant person of the beliefs of the Catholic church. I heard of a study that most converts into the Catholic church do so out of an emotional response. Anyone who would divest themselves of this emotion and take a studious look into God's word, unless that person were sorely deluded, would understand before long that the Catholic church has adopted quite a bit of heathen practices (the first one that should jump out like something insanely obvious would be the worship of Mary--that practise is identical to worshipping the "Queen of Heaven" as it is described in Jeremiah. No one who studies the entire Bible seriously could ever with any sane sort of reason--as I said unless this person were sorely deluded--see Mary as anything other than another sinner who needs Jesus like all of us do. Of course a very blessed woman whom God has favored with much grace, but a sinner not any different than us. My understanding of the Catholic beliefs is that this sort of regard for the "Holy" Mary--what blasphemy!--would be considered blasphemous).

 

[Ronald Nolette]

who came up with that WWJD?

DEon't know. It is just a good rule of thumb to live by.

 

[Matthias]

Did Christ found a church?

Yes. In scripture it is called the Church of God and the Churches of God.

Where have you been lately? I haven’t seen you around. Is all well with you?

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Update:

I had to remove these videos from Alan Ballou (that I posted before).

While I liked Alan Ballou’s videos before on Sanctification and putting away sin and they were really helpful, the problem is he is a false accuser of the brethren. In the YouTube comment section in this video here, Alan Ballou falsely accused me of several things that I are not actually true. I said that while I agreed with his viewpoint on how there are two aspects of salvation, I told him that I disagree with his view on “obeying the gospel.” I told him “obeying the gospel“ is defined for us in Romans 10 in that it is believing the gospel message. He also implied there was no free will when we come to the Lord (Which is Calvinism), and he used John 6 as an example. I explained to him why this is not Calvinism and instead of disagreeing in love and respect, he started to falsely accuse me (as if I had teachers, and I went to bible college - when that is not the case). I tried to tell him in love that he was falsely accusing me here, and he never replied back. You can see the conversation under the same username I use here (Bible Highlighter) with there being 16 replies to my comment to him. I refuse to watch somebody who falsely accuses other Christians

 

[BreadOfLife]

For centuries the RCC has said that there is no salvation outside the church.

Then they changed it to, one can be saved outside the church but must join the RCC and keep communion to keep that salvation.

And the list goes on!

I openly challenge you to PROVE the manure you posted.

Show me DOCUMENTED PROOF that the Catholic Church taught that there is NO salvation outside the Church – then CHANGED that teaching to include those OUTSIDE the Church as long as they join the Church and “keep communion” to “keep salvation”.

If you can’t provide me with documented evidence for this –
then I want you to ADMIT that you lied.
Deal?

 

[Heart2Soul]

@theefaith do you only start threads about your Catholic belief and nothing else?
IMHO you confirm what has been said about only teaching the doctrine of your church....and mostly the doctrine of Mary.
There is a whole lot more in the Bible to study and it has to do with all children of God teaching them HIS ways and nothing to do with a specific denomination or theology.
This is exactly what God says to avoid...
Just food for thought...

 

[BreadOfLife]

In the Catholic Church, they claim that the rule of faith is both the Bible, and the traditions of the Catholic Church.
But Jesus condemned traditions that make void the Word of God (Which is what the traditions of the Catholic Church does).
Catholics have extra biblical teachings of praying to the dead (Which is necromancy), and bowing down to statues (Which is idolatry).
Catholics place Mary as some kind of co-redeemer next to Christ when that is a blatant lie against the Scriptures. So their authority is not really the Bible, but it is the traditions of the Catholic Church (Which is their real authority). Many Catholics who started to really take their Bible seriously in what it says stopped being Catholic. They decided to side with God in what His Word says over the traditions of religious men (Who like to look holy in front of others when they are not holy).

WRONG.

Necromancy is defined as seeking information (oracles) from the dead.
Catholics ask our departed brothers and sisters who are in the presence of Almighty God to PRAY FOR us. ALL members of the Body of Christ are encouraged to pray for one another (James 5:16).
Rev. 5:8 shows the Elders in Heaven TAKING our prayers to God on our behalf.

So, tell me – when were our brothers and sisters in Heaven KICKED OUT of the Body
of Christ??
I didn’t get that memo . . .

As for the Traditions that Jesus condemned – those were the ones made up by the Pharisees and placed ABOVE the Word of God. The Catholic Church doesn’t place ANY Tradition ABOVE the Word of God. MOST traditions are monir/secondary anyway.

Sacred (Apostolic) Tradition, however is ON PAR with Scripture, per Paul (2 Thess. 2:15).

 

[BreadOfLife]

Justification (being made righteous) is what faith accomplishes all by itself without works.
That does not mean faith is without works:

"We say that justification is effective without works, not that faith is without works."
Martin Luther

I don’t care what Luther said – he was a heretic.
The BIBLE says:

James 2:24
You see that a person is justified by works and NOT by faith alone.

It doesn’t say that a person is “shown” to be justified – but IS justified.

 

[Charlie24]

I openly challenge you to PROVE the manure you posted.

Show me DOCUMENTED PROOF that the Catholic Church taught that there is NO salvation outside the Church – then CHANGED that teaching to include those OUTSIDE the Church as long as they join the Church and “keep communion” to “keep salvation”.

If you can’t provide me with documented evidence for this –
then I want you to ADMIT that you lied.
Deal?

https://www.The Church is very clear here. There is no salvation apart from a salvific union with the Catholic Church. However, the Catechism continues:catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/is-there-really-no-salvation-outside-the-catholic-church

Is there really no salvation outside the Church?

Catholic answers Tim Staples

Can't pull up the site

It's ok I don't want an apology from you.

 

[BreadOfLife]

https://www.The Church is very clear here. There is no salvation apart from a salvific union with the Catholic Church. However, the Catechism continues:catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/is-there-really-no-salvation-outside-the-catholic-church

Is there really no salvation outside the Church?

Catholic answers Tim Staples

Can't pull up the site

It's ok I don't want an apology from you.

This is precisely the kind of nonsense I expected.
You completely dodged the question.

YOU made the faile claim that the Church “CHASNGED”’ its position on this matter – and yet, you FAILED to show ANY documented evidence. Tim Staples doesn’t make thus false claim in his article.

Now – either produce the evidence – or ADMIT that you lied.

PS - Your https://www.The link goes NOWHERE . . .

 

[Charlie24]

This is precisely the kind of nonsense I expected.
You completely dodged the question.

YOU made the faile claim that the Church “CHASNGED”’ its position on this matter – and yet, you FAILED to show ANY documented evidence. Tim Staples doesn’t make thus false claim in his article.

Now – either produce the evidence – or ADMIT that you lied.

PS - Your https://www.The link goes NOWHERE . . .

Here's what I'm talking about.

But his Holiness then goes on to say that others outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church can be “related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by a certain unconscious yearning and desire” (para. 103). He makes clear that these can be saved, but “they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church,” and are, unfortunately, in a “state in which they cannot be sure of their salvation.”

Here is the usual Catholic side step, either there is no salvation outside the RCC or there is.

Hypocrites is what they are! They speak with a forked tongue, they demand this or that, and then say, well that's not what that really means.

 

[BreadOfLife]

Here's what I'm talking about.

But his Holiness then goes on to say that others outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church can be “related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by a certain unconscious yearning and desire” (para. 103). He makes clear that these can be saved, but “they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church,” and are, unfortunately, in a “state in which they cannot be sure of their salvation.”

Here is the usual Catholic side step, either there is no salvation outside the RCC or there is.

Hypocrites is what they are! They speak with a forked tongue, they demand this or that, and then say, well that's not what that really means.

Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus - the teaching that there is NO salvation outside the Church - goes all the way back to Cyprian of Carthage (circa 256 AD) – 50 years before Constantine became Emperor of Rome.

Like many other doctrines – it has had to be officially DEFINED because of people like YOU who blatantly LIE about what it teaches. Here is the teaching from the Catechism – and it has NOT been “changed” as YOU falsely claimed. It
was simply EXPLAINED to LIARS so that you wouldn’t have any more excise to LIE about it.
Unfortunately – you continue to do so . . .

"Outside the Church there is no salvation"
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?
335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly
asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336

847 This affirmation is not aimed at
those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

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.337

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338

 

[Charlie24]

Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus - the teaching that there is NO salvation outside the Church - goes all the way back to Cyprian of Carthage (circa 256 AD) – 50 years before Constantine became Emperor of Rome.

Like many other doctrines – it has had to be officially DEFINED because of people like YOU who blatantly LIE about what it teaches. Here is the teaching from the Catechism – and it has NOT been “changed” as YOU falsely claimed. It
was simply EXPLAINED to LIARS so that you wouldn’t have any more excise to LIE about it.
Unfortunately – you continue to do so . . .

"Outside the Church there is no salvation"
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?
335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly
asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336

847 This affirmation is not aimed at
those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

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.337

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338

The bottom line/ no salvation outside the church. I have shown you where they have contradicted themselves in saying they can be saved outside the church BUT.......................................

 

[Heart2Soul]

The bottom line/ no salvation outside the church. I have shown you where they have contradicted themselves in saying they can be saved outside the church BUT.......................................

I have to disagree here....when studying scripture I never found one that said people were added to the church and then got saved...Acts is the first recorded event of people being saved and then added to the church.

Acts 2 (KJV)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
³⁹ For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
⁴⁰ And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
⁴¹ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

…
⁴⁶ And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
⁴⁷ Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

 

[Charlie24]

I have to disagree here....when studying scripture I never found one that said people were added to the church and then got saved...Acts is the first recorded event of people being saved and then added to the church.

Acts 2 (KJV)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
³⁹ For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
⁴⁰ And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
⁴¹ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

…
⁴⁶ And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
⁴⁷ Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Not sure what you are disagreeing with. I agree with what you are saying.

 

[Heart2Soul]

Not sure what you are disagreeing with. I agree with what you are saying.

The bottom line/no salvation outside the church...
I didn't read the whole post. Did I speak too soon?

 

[Ferris Bueller]

James 2:24
You see that a person is justified by works and NOT by faith alone.

It doesn’t say that a person is “shown” to be justified – but IS justified.

You obviously don't know that the word 'justified' has different definitions. You're erroneously applying to James' discourse the definition of 'justification' that Paul is using in his discourse about justification in Romans 4. Which is a different definition than what James is using. It has to be different, or else you put James in direct contradiction with Paul.

But if you want to insist that James is using the same definition of 'justification' that Paul is using in Romans 4 (to be MADE righteous) then you have to explain to us how good works of faith make a person born again. James is explaining how good deeds SHOW a person to have the righteousness that comes from being born again, not how good deeds of faith MAKE you born again.

 

[Charlie24]

The bottom line/no salvation outside the church...
I didn't read the whole post. Did I speak too soon?

Maybe, but that's ok. I need to stay away from any appearance of Catholicism.

I get angry with some things, but Catholicism takes me to a rage.

If you're a Catholic just ignore me! You may become offended.

 

[Illuminator]

Maybe, but that's ok. I need to stay away from any appearance of Catholicism.

Then stay away from the canon of Scripture and the Trinity.

I get angry with some things, but Catholicism takes me to a rage.

Because you refuse to bend from false caricatures.

If you're a Catholic just ignore me! You may become offended.

Anti-Catholicism is a tradition of men and a mental illness. Rigid prejudice and endless denials, lies and falsehoods is offensive to anybody with 2 functioning brain cells. Discussion with rabid frothing-at-the-mouth anti-Catholics is impossible. So I will ignore you.