Are we to acknowledge those in the Roman Catholic Church as our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Are we to acknowledge Pope Francis as our brother in Christ? Are we to acknowledge him as our Pope?
No..............bro Frank
What do they think of you? Without salvation. The question is over Compromise. It's a one way street in their point of view. You must take the year of mercy that's been proclaimed and come back into the fold. Their way or the highway.
Gentiles are only grafted in to the tree. How can the Catholic church be the tree? It would only be a branch. The argument for Rome as being head over the church is invalid. They see themselves as over the Jews. The natural branches are still in the tree as well; ie, the ones who have accepted Christ. Those branches in the tree are under Christ, not the Vatican.
There are those in the Catholic Church who leave and find Christ outside. We're all adrift, from this group to that group. Hopefully one day we are led to the right path.
Matt 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Matt 10:13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Most Catholics I have met do not receive my words which are the Words of God from the Scriptures. They believe bread becomes the living Christ and wine becomes Christ's actual blood and by eating these physical elements of earthly food, they believe Jesus is coming into them. Catholic doctrine does not believe or teach being born-again of the Spirit.
There is a litany of things they believe which is contrary to sound doctrine and contrary to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
So, you ask a general statement and the general answer is NO.
With that said, I have met Catholics whom the Holy Spirit has been dealing with and they needed someone to talk to, to explain things to them. Just like the Eunuch needed Philip.
No one is our brother or sister until they are a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
There are many Protestants who know nothing of the Catholic Church doctrine, may not have the Spirit of God, who are captivated by their ceremonial rituals and pomp and feigned holiness and go over to the Catholic Church. They are also captivated by the Catholic Church's emphasis on humanism (good works) and unity which is a false unity. Unity at the cost of truth is only uniformity and uniformity is not true unity. True unity is only achieved by men and women, first having the Spirit of God and a new heart. This does not exist in the Catholic Church's teachings.
Good answer
Hey Blaine,
Short answer.....NO.
Expanded answer :)
The Pope is called Peter....the rock on which the church is built. If you do not submit to Peter, you are not the true church?
So all this rhetoric about tolerance and acceptance of other religions etc is mere trickery.
The Roman Catholic church still wants to rule the world...build their kingdom on earth (in God's Name of course), whereas the true Kingdom of God is invisible, ruling and reigning in the hearts of born again men and women who hold Jesus Christ as their only Lord and Master and submit to one another out of reverence for Him.
I don't know that many Catholics but the few I have met and had discussions with seem to think their salvation is in the church they belong to and have no personal relationship of faith in Jesus Christ.
If a Roman Catholic truly comes to faith, he will soon come out from among them following His Lord, Jesus Christ, just as many of us have come out of so-called "churches" exercising illegitimate authority.
Amen.
Bear,
Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts.
William writes...........
"I don't know that many Catholics but the few I have met and had discussions with seem to think their salvation is in the church they belong to and have no personal relationship of faith in Jesus Christ. If a Roman Catholic truly comes to faith, he will soon come out from among them following His Lord, Jesus Christ, just as many of us have come out of so-called "churches" exercising illegitimate authority."
I do know many Catholics and I can say amen to what you have said William. Catholics believe their salvation, if they have it at all, comes from infant baptism and first Holy communion and how well they carry out the sacraments. It is based on empty ritual and work. There can be no assurance of salvation, for such an assurance the Catholic church has pronounced as presumptuous arrogance and has placed a curse over the heads of anyone who claims it......bro Frank
I agree with the facts of most of all of what has been stated so far. I will at least partially counter-balance (or caution?) in this way (& please don't count me as "soft on Catholicism" or a "compromiser" as I have lost much for standing against this system & was even once self-removed from these forums for this very thing many years ago keep in mind): it's true it is a false system. The Gospel gets perverted, taken away from & added to through Catholic teachings that are unbiblical (transubstantiation, infant baptism, Mary-ology, praying to dead saints, works & church affiliation for assurance of "salvation", denying leaders to marry, and on and on and on).
I have lost good friends of me and my wife through telling them the truth about Catholic doctrines as opposed to the Word of God. I almost got fired as I sent out a letter to my entire email address list years ago after John Paul 2 died and everyone was worshipping the man, & consequently found out the company I had been at for many years have me a catholic boss & catholic ownership! Thankfully the Lord blessed my sales enough where they didn't ☺ï¸.
All that to say that there are some who get saved within that system. Just as, but the grace of God & pure sovereignty in spite of the weakness of the preaching not because of it, people even get saved in Joel Osteen's church and the like. Truly regenerate people reading their Bible and seeking God & truth don't tend to stay in those places forever as they see the disconnect, but they don't "usually" leave because someone is standing outside yelling at them that the place is a haunt of jackals & Devils. Maybe it has happened, but is likely not the usual case/way. So, the thing I have been evaluating in recent months is how can I better, more graciously, but obviously still without compromise, minister the truth of God to those trapped in the RCC system without coming in like a bull in a china shop and mowing everyone down with "the truth"? Not by compromising the truth. Please don't paint my question in that light. But how can I communicate it to Catholics in a way that's like Jesus: speaking the truth in love?
Art Katz said that "Love without truth is just sentimentality, but also truth without love is just brutality." These are the words I am considering in these days so I don't just come off as "the hard reformed guy" or whatever. Basically, another theologian said something I read recently that really hit home for me: "If people disdain you, let it be for your position & not your disposition." 😊 Same is true in my thinking of ministering/evangelizing Muslims. We can quote Paul on Mars Hill pointing out their idols sure, & I'm not diminishing such straight forward preaching AT ALL. I'm just also thinking like David Wilkerson once brought up, did the prophet point his long bony finger at David and yell "YOU ARE THAT MAN!" with loud thunder in his voice (like we tend to read it, just as we often falsely read tone in someone's texts or emails), or was he broken, weeping, and struggling to get it out with brokenness & compassion in his heart, "You....are.....that man"?
Anyways, the RCC is a messed up system that has plagued the true bride down through the centuries, no doubt. Certain of The quotes of people like "Mr Theresa" & the pope are an affront to the Gospel. I'm just seeking the Lord for His heart & His way to minister to and reach out & evangelize this people in a way that is bold & true, and also gracious, loving, gentle & fruitful. Hope that makes sense?
In Him,
Jeff
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Cor.6:14 NIV
Unequivocally... no!
In Him...judy
This discussion is locked.
