On the Roman Catholic Church

I’m going to go out on a limb here (hah) and say that this is going to be very, very controversial…oh well!    There are several things that I want to say, but the first is this.  Not all Catholics are non-Christians.  This post is simply things that I believe are wrong with the Catholic Church in general.  Okay, here we go.

The first thing is the pope.  There is no need for a pope, seriously.  Catholics (and most people in general) treat the pope as if he is some special.  His very title (your holiness) treats him with an unBiblical air.  The Bible is very clear.  No one is righteous.  Even the pope.  To claim otherwise is blasphemy, period.  No one is holy except God.  End of discussion.

The next thing is the whole “you can earn your salvation” junk.  That, also, is unBiblical.  This is also very clear.  Ephesians 2:8-9:  “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Okay.  End of discussion.  Well, not really.  There is also Purgatory.  This is pretty much the same thing.  Once you die, you go to Purgatory, where you work off your sins.  Obviously, this is also unBiblical, for the same reasons (not even to mention that Purgatory isn’t ever mention in the Bible).

Something else (this is the one that kills me the most, figuratively speaking) is that Catholics pray to Mary (and the other saints).  First of all this is absolutely unBiblical, period, end of discussion.  Christ instructs us to pray only to God, and He will hear our prayers through Jesus Christ.  There is one mediator between man and God.  One.  ONE.

So, that is about it.  There’s more I could go into, but that’s enough to prove that Catholicism (which wasn’t actually establish by the apostles.  The Church meaning the organized gathering of Christians (not the Catholic Church alone) was set up by the apostles.) is very, very off on a lot of extremely important things.

Atheist Atrocities

I simply love this video.  It’s almost ten minutes long, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

On the Law and Salvation, Part 5 “The Purpose of the Law for Salvation”

Alas, we’ve come to the end of the line with this series.  This post will be more or less a follow up on all that we’ve previously said; I’ll piece it all together and give you the purpose of the Law.  I first (well, I guess second, technically) want to say that this has been a fairly difficult endeavor, but I have enjoyed every moment of it, I hope the same for you.

So then, what is the purpose of the Law, specifically, for salvation?  Does it aid salvation?  We have already stated that salvation comes by faith alone, through the grace of God.  However, a crucial part of salvation is conviction, correct?  How are we to know what sin is?  Paul gives us the answer in Romans 7:7-12.  The Law is what tells us what sin is, it is by the Law that we realise the nature of sin.  We have also said that the Law is not sin, rather, sin came alive through the Law.  With that said, I believe that the Law is necessary for salvation.

I say this for a simple reason, really.  If we did not know what sin was, then how would we know that we need to be saved from sin?  I do not believe that the Law brings salvation, however, as Judaism believes.  We can see this in several places (mostly in the books written by Paul), such as Romans 4:16 “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace….”  Still, the question remains, what is the purpose of the Law?

Galatians 3:19-24.  We see that the purpose of the Law was to guard us until the coming of Christ (who has already come and released us from the Law).  We can also see that the Law does not grant life, but life is promised to us by Jesus Himself.  The clearest example is John 3:16.  Therefore, since the Law does not grant life, the Law cannot offer salvation, which is to say, the bringing to life those dead in sin.  But if the Law does not grant life, why is it important?

Jesus said Himself that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.  What does this mean?  The Law didn’t prophecy about anything.  No, but no one can keep the Law; Jesus tells us that the Law isn’t about mere actions, but it concerns the thoughts and feelings of all.  So, if you harbor angry thoughts about your brother, you are guilty of murder (see Matthew 5:21-26).  If you look at a woman with lust for her in your heart, you are guilty of adultery (see Matthew 5:27-30).  No one is righteous, no one has, does, or will keep the Law perfectly; except one, Jesus Christ.  Jesus fullfiled the Law through a perfect life, a life without any sin.  Through this life, Christ became a “ransom for many.”  That is why the Law is important.  Without the Law, we would not know sin, therefore, we would not know our need of salvation for it, therefore, we would not want salvation.  This is very important.

I hope that you all have been as blessed as I have through this series.  Peace and love, to all, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

On the Law and Salvation, Part 4: “By Faith or Law?”

I first want to apologize for the delay; I was out of town and didn’t have access to my blog.  With that said, there are three point that I wish to cover in this post:  1)  Salvation is not by works, 2) Works are a product of salvation, and 3) Salvation is a matter of the heart.

For the first point, this is seen most clearly in Ephesians 2:8-9:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  The passage that I want to focus on for this point, though, is Galations 3:1-14.  In verses 5-6, Paul tells us that Abraham’s righteousness did not come from the Law (which is the same as salvation by works), but from faith in God.  Paul goes on to tell us that the promise made to Abraham is fulfilled through faith, and those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham.

For the next point, we’ll look at Galations 5:22-23.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  This clearly shows that every good work performed is a result of the Spirit of God, after salvation.  This is crucial.  If it were the other way around, there would be no need for faith in God, thus pretty much eliminating the need for Jesus, thus destroying Christianity.  Thankfully, we are only counted righteous through faith in Jesus, as can be see in Romans 4:13-25.  Abraham, who was the father of Judaism, was not counted righteous because of the Law; we’ve already said that the Law came 430 years after the promise of Abraham.  The Bible tells us that through faith in God, Abraham was counted righteous.  This applies to all who have faith in Jesus Christ, His perfect life, death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, not just Abraham.

The next point is somewhat similar to the last, that is, that salvation is a matter of the heart.  This is seen in Romans (perhaps my favorite book of the Bible) 2:25-29.  Paul here is telling the Christians in Rome that circumcision (of which most would not have had the operation, it was a strictly Jewish custom) is merely a symbol of faith.  Its original purpose, which was to set Abraham apart from the other peoples at the time, was corrupted into a tradition through which the Jews claimed their salvation.  The Law and circumcision go nearly hand-in-hand, so to speak.  Paul tells that “Circumcision is indeed of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.”  He is saying that if you do not keep the Law perfectly (which we have already seen is impossible for mortals), then your circumcision becomes meaningless.  Why is this?  Because the circumcision was not necessary for salvation, just as works are not necessary for salvation, rather, they are a product of salvation.  The Law came after faith, thus, works come after faith, thus, salvation comes from faith alone, through the grace of God.  End of discussion.

I again apologize for my not-so-puctual post, and if you were waiting, I apologize yet again.

On the Law and Salvation, Part 3: “Released from the Law”

So in this, the third part of the series, I will cover the release of believers in Christ Jesus from the Old Testament Law.  We will stay, for the majority of the time, in Romans 7:1-6.  Let us begin.

In verses 1-3, Paul tells us, first of all, that the Law is binding on a person only so long as he lives.  He then gives us the example of marriage.  Paul says, “Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.”  First of all, we must understand that in Old Testament times, divorce was culturally and morally unacceptable (even as true, Bible-believing Christians cannot support or advocate divorce, which is another discussion for another time), unlike 21st century America, which I say with regret.  Paul tells us that if a woman lives with another man while her husband lives, she is counted an adulteress, but if her husband dies, she is no longer bound to him but may be married to another and not counted an adulteress.

In verses 4-6, Paul goes on to explain his example.  The followers of Christ are often times compared as being the Bride of Christ (see Ephesians 5:22-33).  We have thus died to the Law, through the body of Christ, so that we might belong to God.  We have already said that sin siezed its opportunity through the Law, but if we have died to the Law, have we not also died to sin?  To die to the Law we must first die to sin, since it was sin that held us captive through the Law.  Thus, “we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.”

Are we then to say that the Law is void?  That we may sin as we wish, since we are no longer under the Law but under grace?  As Paul says, by no means!  If you sin, you become a slave of sin, but “thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to whom you were committed. (Romans 6:17)”  And how can we, who have died to sin continue to live in that which we died to?  If we died to sin, we must have come alive to Christ, to life in God.  How can we live in both life and death?  “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obedient to their passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.  For sin will have no dominance over you, since you are not under the law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14)”

On the Law and Salvation, Part 2: “The Law and the Promise”

For this second part of the series we will stay in Galations 3:15-26.  I first want to define ‘the Promise.’  The Promise refers to the promise made to Abraham by God (Genesis 15:18-21).  I’m going to be covering three basic points:1) The Law does not annul the Promise 2) Why the Law? and 3) Are the Law and the Promise contradictory?

For my first point, we will look at verses15-18.  Paul tells us that the Promise is the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Now, the Law, which came 430 years after the promise was made, does not nullify the promise made by God.  The reason for this is actually quite simple.  If inheritance of what God promised to Abraham came through the Law, then it no longer comes from a promise.  “But God gave it to Abraham by a promise.”  This leads to my next point, what is the purpose of the Law?

For this next point, we will look at verses 19 and 23-26.  In verse 19 we are told that the Law was added because of sin, until the offspring (who is Jesus) should come.  The key verses for this point, though, are 23-26.  We see that “we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.”  Next, Paul tells us that the Law served as a guardian, until the coming of Christ.  He next tells us that since faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.  So, does the Law then contradict the Promise?

As Paul says, certainly not.  This is perhaps the most simple, yet the most often misconcieved, part of the entire purpose of the Law.  We see that the Law does not give life, and thereby cannot give forgiveness of sins.  Through the Law, man became imprisoned to sin that we might be forgiven through faith in Christ.  This leads to something else:  circumcision and uncircumcision.  Circumcision was a part of the promise made to Abraham, it set him apart from the other peoples; it afterwards became customary for the Jews to circumcise their sons.  However, Paul tells us Romans 2:25-29 (I know, it’s a new passage) that circumcision is a symbol.  It represents faith in God.  This is seen especially in verses28-29.  Paul says that “nor is circumcision outward and physical,” and “circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”

On the Law and Salvation, Part 1: “The Law and Sin”

This is the first of a five part series entitled “On the Law and Salvation.”  By “the Law” I mean the Old Testament Law seen in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.  The reason I feel the need to cover this topic is because of the seemingly common misconception among non-believers (and, perhaps, some believers) that the salvation from Jesus Christ nullifies the Law.  There are two points I am going to cover in this post:  1) Through the Law, sin is given opportunity, and 2) Sin is independent of the Law.

For my first point we will stay solely in Romans 7:7-23.  In verses 7-12, Paul tells us that sin seized its opportunity to tempt man through the Law.  We also see that the Law is not sin because of the nature of the Law.  The Law was intended for good, but sin came through the good of the Law.  We also see this in verse 13: “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?  By no means!  It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.”  This can also be seen in verses 18-23.  Paul tells us that he wants to do the good of the Law, but his nature is sinful, prohibiting the fulfillment of the Law.  This leads to the next point.

For the last point we will stay in Romans 2:12-29.  In verse 12, we see that men will be judged based on individual actions.  Paul says that “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.  Jew or Gentile, with or without the Law, man will be judged.  In verse 13 we see that it’s not those who hear the words of the Law that are counted righteous before God but the doers of the Law.  The key verses for this point are 14-16.  We see that God, in His grace, reveals His Law in the consciences of men.  Paul says that “their conscience also bears witness.”  To reiterate, in verses 25-29, Paul talks about circumcision and uncircumcision.  We see that circumcision is symbolic, not to be taken literally; Paul says: “For circumcision is indeed of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.”  There is so much more to be said about that verse, but that will come later.

In summary:  Through the Law, sin is given opportunity to tempt man.  Knowing that a particular behavior is sin (which we have previously defined) only serves to (in the sinful nature of man) cause one to want to sin (see Romans 7:18-20).  However, sin is also independent of the Law; meaning that men sin with and without the Law, this counted as sin because of the natural revelation of God in the consciences of men.

On A Video Entitled “How do we know that Christians are delusional?”

I would first like to say that this video’s title is misleading.  It deals with not only Christianity, but with Islam and Mormonism.  There are several, several, several reasons why this video cannot be taken seriously.  First of all, it fails to use logic in the majority of arguments.  Secondly, it provides absolutely no evidence for telling us how Christians are delusional (I’ll only be dealing with the Christianity portion of the video).  Here it is:

Let us take the “problems” with Christianity one at a time.  The first is that (supposedly) the power of prayer is superstitious.  It says that every valid scientific study proves this.  My argument with this is that they fail to provide specific scientific studies.  This leads me to believe that they took no time to research the topic, they simply assumed that every scientific study falsifies the power of prayer.

Problem 2:  Christianity devalues human life.  This is simply false.  According to true, Biblical Christianity, humans are worth more than any other part of creation.  This can be seen in Matthew 6:26 and Genesis 1:26, 28.  I use the Bible in this because the argument is that Christianity devalues human life, where that is simply not the case.

Problem 3:  True, Biblical Christianity simple does not skew thinking of the future of humanity.  Jesus teaches us to not be anxious, not to worry.  The example in this video (the return of Christ) is a very poor example.  I will also say that they jump to many, many conclusions.  The authors of this video assume that you already are “aware” that Christianity is “delusional.”  By saying that Christianity replaces rational thought with mythology is a lack of knowledge of the religion.  For example, in Proverbs, we are told that “he [being God] stores up sound wisdom for the upright…” and “the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”  Why would God give wisdom, why would He store up wisdom, why would He speak with knowledge and understanding if He wanted us to be irrational in our thinking?  Proverbs also says:  “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them….”  This proves that God (and thereby Christianity) promotes, encourages, and renders understanding and wisdom, which lead to rationality.

This video is also guilty of serious name-calling, which proves that it is not attempting to provide a reasonable argument against Christianity.  It is simply trying to find fault, not to debate.  It calls Christians (not to mention people of any other religion) delusional.  I do have one last thing to say in this regard.  Atheists make up the smallest religious minority on Earth.  According to their logic, why am I, as a Christian, not to believe that they are living in a state of delusion?

On Embryonic Stem Cell Research

I will first tell you that I am against embryonic stem cell usage and research.  I also believe that it is an unBiblical process.  I have three main reasons for these statements: 1)  When obtaining stem cells from a human embryo, the embryo is destroyed, 2) No proven scientific evidence has been provided to support the theory that stem cells from a human embryo actually do heal the way adult stem cells do, and 3) it’s simply unnecessary to use human embryonic stem cells when we can use adult stem cells.

1)  We all know that when extracting cells from a human embryo, the process kills the embryo.  Some would argue that a human embryo is not in fact an actual person.  However, God has decreed that “Before you were in the womb, I knew you,” which implies that this embryo does in fact have enough characteristics to be human.  Killing these humans takes away the chance to not only live (obviously) but it takes away a chance for that person to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I will assume that you have read some of my other posts and know that I am anti-abortion.  There is no difference.  In stem cell research, science is killing human babies; in abortion, science is again killing human babies.

2)  There is no solid, proven scientific evidence that says “Stem cells taken from a human embryo is highly effective at treating diseases such as cancer and repairing organs such as the heart.”  There is no proof.  If there is no proof, why should we allow human babies to be killed when we have adult stem cells (the extracting of which would not kill the adult, by the way) that are proven to be effective?  This question leads to my next point.

3)  It’s unnecessary.  There is no need to kill human babies if we have working stem cells from adult humans.  There may be less stem cells and less places from which to obtain these stem cells, however, at least we can extract these cells without killing the human.  I have also another point that coincides with this.  Science will never be able to cure death or abolish disease.  Somewhere down the chain, some cancerous cell will develop that will be immune to the effects of a stem cell.  Disease will always be apart of earth.  “For just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, death has spread to all men because all sinned….”  Sin is the cause of death and disease, and the only cure for death (or disease, for that matter) is the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  Period.

Those are the reasons why I can not and will not support or approve or allow embryonic stem cell research to prevail.  I do not believe that any Bible-believing Christian can do otherwise.  That’s my stand, like it or not.

Coming Soon

In the near future, I will be posting two posts on the following subjects:

1)  Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2) A Video from Youtube debating Christianity