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NASB | Jude 1:4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jude 1:4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed [just as if they were sneaking in by a side door]. They are ungodly persons whose condemnation was predicted long ago, for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom [viewing it as an opportunity to do whatever they want], and deny and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. |
Subject: Scandal of the Catholic Priesthood |
Bible Note: So the responsibility of the priests then fall into those seven sacraments. I want to pull out of that the holy order, because here we begin to see more into the priesthood. Priests are consecrated by this sacrament. It is a sacrament; that is, it is a sacred ceremony. "Sacramentum ordines," it's called; the sacrament of ordination, is what officially puts priests into their positions of ministry. Below them are deacons, who also have their own sacrament of ordination. But we're talking about the priests. Ordination confers -- this is quite interesting -- sanctifying grace on a priest. And you have to understand this, because this is critical. You've got the infallible Pope. You've got the nearly infallible bishops and, coming down the food chain a little bit, you've got the priests. And the priests at the sacrament of sacramentum ordines, of ordination, are literally spiritually invested with sanctifying grace. And I'll quote from the dogma. "By the sacrament of order, the priest receives a new and special grace, and a particular help by means of which he can cope in a worthy fashion and with unfailing courage with the high obligations of the office he has assumed and fulfill the duties." Now, they believe that a sacrament dispenses grace. We have baptism. We don't think it dispenses any grace. We think it's a commemoration. It's a public affirmation, public testimony. We have communion, the Lord's table. We don't think it dispenses any grace, any justifying grace or even sanctifying grace. We see it as a -- as a memorial, a remembrance of the death of Christ. But for them, a sacrament dispenses grace. And the sacrament of ordination dispenses a certain grace to the priests. What is that? As the dogma says: "The sacrament of order imprints a character on the recipient, a new character." And I'm quoting: "The character of order enables the possessor to take an active part in Christ's priesthood. It obliges him to dispense the saving treasures of Christ and" -- here's the key -- "to lead a morally pure life." At the time of his ordination, which can never be repeated, can never be reverted or rescinded: It is once for good. That's why they don't know what to do with priests who abuse people. Furthermore, the sacrament itself is to infuse them with a sanctifying grace to enable them to lead a morally pure life. One statement in the dogma that struck me was: "The sacrament of order confers a permanent spiritual power on the recipient." So the system teaches that this individual has received grace, permanent spiritual power, in which he has literally entered into the priesthood of Jesus Christ, is then obliged to dispense the saving treasures of Christ, he mediates the treasures of Christ to people, and he is empowered to "lead a morally pure life." Now, this priest then has taken on really almost an aura of holiness. When it comes down to his duties, let me just kind of read you something. |