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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: stjames7 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Where I can find documentation | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjames7 | 183921 | ||
It seems that my comments have raised quite a bit of discussion so in an effort to bring this to a close I will answer this one last reply. I've tried to explain my faith but it's best you all get the story from the horses mouth. I suggest that you objectively read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In addition I also suggest that you start reading some of the insight offered by the Church Fathers (St Augustine, St Ambrose, St Ignatius of Antioch etc.) and see what the men closest to the actual events had to say. Then check out some of the Vatican II documents like Dei Verbum. I think you will find that the early Church faced many of the same objections that are raised here and through the grace of the Holy Spirit, discerned the proper interpretation and application of scripture. Come to think of it, I have yet to read any answers to my questions from earlier posts... "Perhaps I should clarify a misunderstanding, everything mentioned in my previous reply is the proclamation of the Catholic Church as professed in the Catechism. "I" am not interpreting scripture because I do not have the ability to do so (2 Pet 1:20). Since this is the case, who has the authority to tell me which books of scripture are inspired and which are not? I can't trust a single individual for the same reason I can't interpret scripture myself. How can I know with 100 percent certainty (my soul is at stake here) that what I read in the Bible, any Bible, is the truly inspried Word of God? And if I do believe that the Bible is God's Word, how am I to understand it (Acts 8:29-31)?" "I would like to know: what authority does the The Westminster Confession of Faith have to determine the canon of sacred scripture? How would I know that what the Westminster Confession of Faith taught was the truth? The Westminster Confession of Faith was written 100 years after Trent at the reqest of the English Parliment whereas the Council of Hippo had already compiled the canon of sacred writings almost 1,300 years prior. The Hippo Synod had much more reliable manuscripts available as well as, through apostolic succession, the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Had not the early Catholic Church discerned the scriptures as God intended, we would still have books such as the aforementioned gospel of Thomas, etc. I'm sure you would agree that if the Church was able to eliminate the uninspired writings, then the ones remaining must be inspired. Otherwise none of the books of any bible today could be considered as Divine Revelation." Even if we dismiss the Apocryphal books we would all agree that the New Testament is the true and inspired Word of God. So again I'll ask... If the 4th century Church was able to discerne the inspired books, particularly the Gospels, then the other rejected writings must not be true. If the Church was able to discerne the inspired books then the Holy Spirit would make sure that the Church were also able to interpret the same Word. Either the Church got it right or it got it wrong and if it's wrong then every bible in the world is wrong and if it's right then it must all be right. So, where do you get the authority to interpret scripture on your own? If you think the scriptures themselves supply the answer then the Bible should say that it is the only authority. The original passage for this thread was 2 Tim 3:16 which mentions that all scripture is inspired but nowhere does the Bible say that only scripture is inspired. If the Bible cannot affirm it's own authority and the individual is not able to interpret scripture then that leaves only the Church. The Catholic Church, founded by Christ, the original Christians. Trust in the Church which Christ founded on Peter,"the Rock" and you will find sources of grace that you never thought possible. Sorry for such a long post and with that I thank God that you are so adament in your love for our Lord Jesus. May He bless each of you abundently. stjames7 |
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2 | Where I can find documentation | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjames7 | 183909 | ||
Seems there is a bit of confusion about my response to salvation. It's really quite simple. Jesus said: 1. "You must be born of water and the Spirit" 2. "Amen, Amen I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." 3. "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments" I am not aware of Paul or any other epistle writer contradicting these statements. Jesus offers this salvation as a free gift, a gift that cannot be earned by merit. But He does not force us to accept this gift. In Christ stjames7 |
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3 | Where I can find documentation | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjames7 | 183902 | ||
That's easy, I was granted salvation at Baptism (Jn 3:5). I am assured of eternal life with Christ through the Eucharist. (Jn 6:47-69) Can I lose this salvation? Absolutely, through sin. Adherance to God's commandments in also necessary (Mt 19:16-17). I am saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I will be saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13)." |
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4 | Where I can find documentation | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjames7 | 183865 | ||
Thanks for the reply. Can you tell me where I can find documentation on your statement; "...the Jewish Scribes rejected all of the writings of the Apocrypha"? Perhaps I should clarify a misunderstanding, everything mentioned in my previous reply is the proclamation of the Catholic Church as professed in the Catechism. "I" am not interpreting scripture because I do not have the ability to do so (2 Pet 1:20). Since this is the case, who has the authority to tell me which books of scripture are inspired and which are not? I can't trust a single individual for the same reason I can't interpret scripture myself. How can I know with 100 percent certainty (my soul is at stake here) that what I read in the Bible, any Bible, is the truly inspried Word of God? And if I do believe that the Bible is God's Word, how am I to understand it (Acts 8:29-31)? Jesus taught his apostles and through the grace of the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were able to go out and preach to all nations. The apostles proclaimed the gospel and started churches in most major cities of the region. The movement was called the Way, a group of believers that as you so aptly put "...are a part of that one body and Christ is the head" (Acts 9:2). Members of the Way became known as Christians and for nearly 1,500 years formed the only Christian Church on earth. Only after dissenters split form the church was there a denomination. The Catholic church is not a denomination, it is the Church founded by Christ. Every other denomination has begun through a separation from the one Church. Yours in Christ stjames7 |
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5 | What authority does the The Westminster | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjames7 | 183864 | ||
WOS, I applaud your quick response and your obvious expression of your faith. I would like to know: what authority does the The Westminster Confession of Faith have to determine the canon of sacred scripture? How would I know that what the Westminster Confession of Faith taught was the truth? The Westminster Confession of Faith was written 100 years after Trent at the reqest of the English Parliment whereas the Council of Hippo had already compiled the canon of sacred writings almost 1,300 years prior. The Hippo Synod had much more reliable manuscripts available as well as, through apostolic succession, the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Had not the early Catholic Church discerned the scriptures as God intended, we would still have books such as the aforementioned gospel of Thomas, etc. I'm sure you would agree that if the Church was able to eliminate the uninspired writings, then the ones remaining must be inspired. Otherwise none of the books of any bible today could be considered as Divine Revelation. “It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New. The Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. The New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Letter to the Hebrews, the Letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude, and Revelation (the Apocalypse).” Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 120 On a personal note, if God did have more to say wouldn't you want to hear it? The Catholic Bible has 7 additional books of His divine message. That could be a lifetime of study in itself. I once heard a theologian remark "Everything new I learn about God is another reason for me to love Him." I encourage you to keep learning and keep growing in your love of God. In Christ Jesus, stjames7 |
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6 | Bible differences, Christian-Catholic | Bible general Archive 1 | stjames7 | 183850 | ||
Actually the Apocryphal books were always included. The Council of Trent formally validated the canon that was already more than 1200 years old. | ||||||
7 | Why is the Catholic bible different? | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjames7 | 183845 | ||
The Catholic Bible contains the additional Old Testament books of: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach and Baruch. In Protestant Bibles these may be included under the heading of the Apocrypha. These books were included in the Septuagint translations in Greek but not in the Hebrew canon. The early Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:26, 16:13 Acts 2:1-5) complied a canon of writings which, through the guidance of the Spirit, they deemed inspired. Many documents were discarded as heretical or false such as the gospels of Thomas, Hebrews, the Egyptians and the Epistle of Barnabas among others (2 Tim 4:3). After the Council of Hippo in 393, the writings that were kept became the canon for more than 1,000 years until the Reformation. At that time Luther called for a rejection of several books considered to be inspired (including Revelation). However Luther was just one man and did not have the authority to remove or add anything to the canon. The issue was formally settled by the Catholic Church during the Council of Trent in 1546. The structure of the modern Catholic Bible is basically unchanged from the 4th century (2 Pet 1:20). The Protestant Bible is based on the original canon minus the 7 aforementioned books. | ||||||
8 | Can a priest forgive sins? | John 20:23 | stjames7 | 183835 | ||
Several common misconceptions regarding Catholic confession of sins: The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that God alone can forgive sins and that sin “is a rupture of communion with him”. The priest therefore is not the one who is forgiving sins rather it is indeed Christ who is present in the sacrament. Catholics are free to confess their sins directly to God at any time. However, sin harms not only our relationship with God but our relationship with the Church, whose members make up the body of Christ. Jesus tells us that we are forgiven only as far as we forgive those who hurt us (MT 11:3-4) and that we should reconcile ourselves to our brother before offering a sacrifice to God (Mt 5:23-24). We must reconcile not only before God but also before the Church. The role of the priest is also to act as a spiritual advisor, giving suggestions for a plan of action to avoid sinning again. He advises penance not as a condition of forgiveness, we are forgiven with the words of absolution in the confessional, but as an act of sincerity on the part of the penitent. If we say we are sorry but continue to sin anyway, then we have never truly repented. The Catechism explains the sacrament in detail. (CCC 1440-1470 and 1113-1134) 1 Peter 2:5 is written within the context of God’s people being part of the new temple. The Mosaic Law forbade any but the priests from entering into the Temple Holy of Holies which contained the presence of God. The new temple is Christ who is the cornerstone; anyone can approach Jesus, likening to us a priestly role. Instead of the physical sacrifices made by the temple priests, we are called as a priestly people to make spiritual sacrifices. Lastly, I have found that myself among many others feel a most profound sense of peace given through the grace received during reconciliation. The act of confession is a humbling experience to have to look at my sins for what they are but it’s far from humiliating. |
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9 | i dont know | John 11:35 | stjames7 | 183819 | ||
Sorry I used the NT verse. | ||||||
10 | i dont know | John 11:35 | stjames7 | 183818 | ||
John 11:35 refers to Jesus mourning the death of his friend Lazarus. | ||||||