Biblical Verses that Confound Protestants
HEBREWS 5:9 ETERNAL SALVATION to all who OBEY HIM
In the Bible, Salvation is NOT by "Faith Alone" (James 2:24). The Biblically Geniune Faith is the Faith that obeys (Hebrews 5:9; Matthew 7:21) and the Faith that perseveres (Matthew 24:13) to the end.
JOHN 6:54-56 MY BODY AND MY BLOOD
In the New Testament, those who receive Christ's Body and Blood UNWORTHILY are said to bring condemnation upon themselves. "For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died." (1st Corinthians 11:30).
Protestant Churches taught that it is A MERE SYMBOL. (A mere symbol, a quarterly reminder, could hardly have the power to cause sickness and death!)
Jesus said, This is My Body... this is My Blood (Luke 22:19-20). Jesus never says these gifts merely symbolize His Body and Blood. Critics have charged that Jesus also said of Himself, "I am the door" (John 10:7) and He certainly is not a wooden plank. The flaw in that argument is obvious: at NO time has the Church ever believed He was a literal door. But the Church has always believe the consecrated gifts of bread and wine are truly His Body and Blood. (John 6:54-56)
When Jesus' disciples heard THIS, they said: This is a hard saying (John 6:60). Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?" (John 6:61) Protestants replied, YES it offends us because that is Cannibalism!
MALACHI 1:11 INCENSE and PURE OFFERING
"For from the rising of the sun even to its going down, MY Name has been glorified among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered to MY Name, and a PURE Offering, for MY Name shall be great among the Gentiles," says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 1:11 from SAAS Text)
Protestant Churches: let us protest against the practices of Catholics in using incense and offering A PURE OFFERING in the Mass. Protestant Churches: these are traditions of men and they resacrifice Christ in the Mass.
Malachi 1:11 is a remarkable and clear prophecy that the Gentiles, in their worship of God, IN EVERY PLACE will burn INCENSE before HIM. To this day, incense is offered / used in the Catholic Church.
1ST CORINTHIANS 12:25-26 SAME CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER (COMMUNION OF SAINTS)
There is no such thing as an "individual" Christian. Being "knit together in love" (Colossians 2:2), we are called in Christ to suffer together, be honored together, and rejoice together.
MATTHEW 18:10 In Heaven THEIR ANGELS... (See also HEBREWS 1:14) They are sent forth...
Angels are sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. (See also Tobit 12:12-15)
The Jews believed departed saints (like Jeremiah; 2nd Maccabees 15:13-14) and angels are alive before the general resurrection. This is clearly revealed in the New Testament when Moses and Elijah appear with Christ on Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:1-4 and Acts 12:15). Jesus could have asked for the assistance of angels (Matthew 26:53) and Jesus certainly would not have been worshipping them in so doing - then we, who obviously need their help far more than the Lord Jesus, can do the same without necessarily engaging in idolatry.
HEBREWS 6:12 IMITATE THOSE... ROMANS 12:10 HONOR...TO ONE ANOTHER. 1ST PETER 2:17 HONOR ALL people.
We are taught from the Bible that we should honor people... saints are definitely included especially those who have perfectly attained God's likeness (2nd Corinthians 3:18), we are taught to strive to imitate them (Philippians 3:17), and we ask them for their efficacious prayers (James 5:16) on our behalf because we are taught to be in communion with one another (1st Corinthians 12:25-26).
GENESIS 19:1 When LOT saw the two angels, LOT rose to meet them and BOWED with his face towards the ground. JOSHUA 5:14 Then Joshua fell on his face upon the earth and said to him (the chief captain of the host of the Lord).
1ST KINGS 1:23 Prophet Nathan BOWED down before the king with his face to the ground. 2ND CHRONICLES 32:33 ALL Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem HONONRED him (HEZEKIAH) at his death.
LUKE 1:48 ALL GENERATIONS will call me BLESSED
Christian believers for all time (all generations) will honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she prophesied that all generations will call her BLESSED. Do Protestants call her Blessed Mary? Catholics do call her Blessed Mary.
MATTHEW 12:46-50 JESUS' MOTHER and BROTHERS
In Jewish usage, BROTHER can indicate any number of relations. Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14). Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3). Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2nd Samuel 20:9). Jesus himself had no blood brothers. The "brothers" mentioned here in Matthew 12:46-50 were sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins. Indeed, Jesus commits His mother to the care of John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), which would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.
1ST THESSALONIANS 5:12-13 THOSE WHO ARE OVER YOU
The Greek term for "OVER YOU" has a liturgical connotation. It refers to the Church leaders in the Eucharistic Assembly. In the Church, the people should recognize their pastor as their Church leader in Christ and willingly follow his admonitions. In 3RD JOHN 9, Diotrephes slanders Church leader / Church Authority. By rejecting Apostle John's missionaries, Diotrephes rejects Apostle John himself. Diotrephes disdains the Apostolic Catholic Church. The "Biblical" Church has Church Authority, do Protestants have Church Authority?
1ST TIMOTHY 3:15 THE CHURCH IS the Pillar and Foundation of Truth
For Protestants, the Bible ALONE is the pillar of truth.
For Catholics, the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth.
For Protestants, they need to protest and reform the Church.
For Catholics, they believe that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit into all the truth (John 16:13)
The Sabbath was NOT binding on the Gentiles in ancient times...
Acts 15 tells HOW SOME JEWS who believed in Jesus URGED that Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be saved (Acts 15:1-5). The apostles discussed the question thoroughly. Apostle Peter reminded the group that God had saved the Gentiles by grace (Acts 15:11) through faith. Therefore, the yoke of the law should not be put on the disciples' neck (Acts 15:10).
There are several "perpetual" practices related to Old Covenant worship that are ceased. Example: Burnt Offerings (Exodus 29:42); Ceremonial washings (Exodus 30:21) and passover feast (Exodus 12:14)... BUT Christ Himself kept the Sabbath as His regular custom (Luke 4:16) Should not we follow His example? Christ was born and lived "under the law" (Galatians 4:4). The Old Covenant did NOT end UNTIL His death and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
God's New Covenant people, the Church, is not commanded or obliged to observe the Sabbath: Colossians 2:13-17; Galatians 4:10-11 and Romans 14:1-5.
Purgatory (as through fire) 1st Corinthians 3:15; Heaven (nothing unclean) Revelation 21:27 and Salvation (A Gift through Christ) Romans 3:23-27 and Ephesians 2:8-10
The Bible is clear that Salvation is a GIFT through the redemption that is ...in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by His blood, effective through faith. Salvation is a Gift and a process; initially we are given the Gift of "Life of Grace" (zoe in Koine Greek) so that we can cooperate with God through Jesus in doing good works. (Ephesians 2:8-10 and Philippians 2:12-13) We are all called to grow into salvation (1st Peter 2:2) and be CAREFUL and NOT to be OVERPOWERED and ENTANGLED AGAIN in the defilements of the world (2nd Peter 2:20) and be CAREFUL so that we will not fall away from the life of grace (Galatians 5:4) by commiting mortal sins (1st John 5:16-17).
If a person dies in the state of grace but with defilements of the world, that person has to undergo a purification stage as through fire (coming from 1st Corinthians 3:15) BEFORE he can enter Heaven because NOTHING UNCLEAN can enter into Heaven (Revelation 21:27)
Note: It is by grace of God that we have been saved. "Purgatory" does not save. It is temporal stage AS THROUGH FIRE (1st Corinthians 3:15).
Revelation 17 is about the Roman Empire /Rome, the city on seven hills and the archpersecutor of the saints (17:6). Blasphemous names = divine titles given to Roman Emperors. The seven mountains = the seven hills of Rome. The seven kings = Roman emperors (from Julius Ceasar to Domitian).
WISDOM FOR PROTESTANTS
When Luther challenged the notion that the Church could be a faithful repository (1st Timothy 3:15) and transmitter of Divine Revelation, at root he was questioning the Holy Spirit (John 16:13) more than the Church - although he would have vociferously denied such an allegation.
Is the Church ONLY SPIRITUAL WITH NO VISIBLE STRUCTURE? Jesus instructs his disciples in Matthew 18:17 to refer earthly disputes to the Church. Hence, the Church has visible structure.
Should Protestants preserve UNITY at all costs? If yes, why did Protestants break away from the Church in the first place?
When Jesus commissioned the apostles to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20), they had only one tool ready at hand: preaching. It was ORAL communication that enabled the good news of Jesus to spread to the ends of the world. ["Scripture Alone" is NOT a teaching of The Church. Protestants introduce "Scripture Alone" AFTER 1500 years...]
The "Bible Alone" theory turned out to be refuting its own principle, since "Bible Alone" theory cannot tell us which books belong in the Bible and which do not belong to the Bible.
The phrase "Faith Alone" is ONLY found ONCE in the Bible. It is found in James 2:24.
Fundamentalist Protestants seem so highly committed to the human response (Faith) that they nearly eclipse the Divine initiative (Grace). Infant Baptism emphasizes the fact that Almighty God is sovereign and can call whomever He wills. The practice of Infant Baptism is attested to implicitly in New Testament passages that speak of whole households (Acts 16:15 & v33) being received into the Church.
How could Protestantism be the Church (Matthew 16:18) of Christ when Protestantism was nothing but disintegration, splintered, not unified, a frightening proliferation of squabbling, comepeting denominations, many masquerading under the title "non-denominational"?
In the Middle Ages, the Church showed her love for the Scriptures by chaining the Bible to library lecterns - not so that it would never be read but so that this precious Book, meant to be available to all, would not be stolen.
For those who are fond of pointing out the sinfulness of ecclesiastical leaders, past and present, it is good to underscore the fact that: the mission to Peter is given to him in the very context of Christ's reminding Peter that Peter has sinned.
HEBREWS 5:9 ETERNAL SALVATION to all who OBEY HIM
In the Bible, Salvation is NOT by "Faith Alone" (James 2:24). The Biblically Geniune Faith is the Faith that obeys (Hebrews 5:9; Matthew 7:21) and the Faith that perseveres (Matthew 24:13) to the end.
JOHN 6:54-56 MY BODY AND MY BLOOD
In the New Testament, those who receive Christ's Body and Blood UNWORTHILY are said to bring condemnation upon themselves. "For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died." (1st Corinthians 11:30).
Protestant Churches taught that it is A MERE SYMBOL. (A mere symbol, a quarterly reminder, could hardly have the power to cause sickness and death!)
Jesus said, This is My Body... this is My Blood (Luke 22:19-20). Jesus never says these gifts merely symbolize His Body and Blood. Critics have charged that Jesus also said of Himself, "I am the door" (John 10:7) and He certainly is not a wooden plank. The flaw in that argument is obvious: at NO time has the Church ever believed He was a literal door. But the Church has always believe the consecrated gifts of bread and wine are truly His Body and Blood. (John 6:54-56)
When Jesus' disciples heard THIS, they said: This is a hard saying (John 6:60). Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?" (John 6:61) Protestants replied, YES it offends us because that is Cannibalism!
MALACHI 1:11 INCENSE and PURE OFFERING
"For from the rising of the sun even to its going down, MY Name has been glorified among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered to MY Name, and a PURE Offering, for MY Name shall be great among the Gentiles," says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 1:11 from SAAS Text)
Protestant Churches: let us protest against the practices of Catholics in using incense and offering A PURE OFFERING in the Mass. Protestant Churches: these are traditions of men and they resacrifice Christ in the Mass.
Malachi 1:11 is a remarkable and clear prophecy that the Gentiles, in their worship of God, IN EVERY PLACE will burn INCENSE before HIM. To this day, incense is offered / used in the Catholic Church.
1ST CORINTHIANS 12:25-26 SAME CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER (COMMUNION OF SAINTS)
There is no such thing as an "individual" Christian. Being "knit together in love" (Colossians 2:2), we are called in Christ to suffer together, be honored together, and rejoice together.
MATTHEW 18:10 In Heaven THEIR ANGELS... (See also HEBREWS 1:14) They are sent forth...
Angels are sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. (See also Tobit 12:12-15)
The Jews believed departed saints (like Jeremiah; 2nd Maccabees 15:13-14) and angels are alive before the general resurrection. This is clearly revealed in the New Testament when Moses and Elijah appear with Christ on Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:1-4 and Acts 12:15). Jesus could have asked for the assistance of angels (Matthew 26:53) and Jesus certainly would not have been worshipping them in so doing - then we, who obviously need their help far more than the Lord Jesus, can do the same without necessarily engaging in idolatry.
HEBREWS 6:12 IMITATE THOSE... ROMANS 12:10 HONOR...TO ONE ANOTHER. 1ST PETER 2:17 HONOR ALL people.
We are taught from the Bible that we should honor people... saints are definitely included especially those who have perfectly attained God's likeness (2nd Corinthians 3:18), we are taught to strive to imitate them (Philippians 3:17), and we ask them for their efficacious prayers (James 5:16) on our behalf because we are taught to be in communion with one another (1st Corinthians 12:25-26).
GENESIS 19:1 When LOT saw the two angels, LOT rose to meet them and BOWED with his face towards the ground. JOSHUA 5:14 Then Joshua fell on his face upon the earth and said to him (the chief captain of the host of the Lord).
1ST KINGS 1:23 Prophet Nathan BOWED down before the king with his face to the ground. 2ND CHRONICLES 32:33 ALL Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem HONONRED him (HEZEKIAH) at his death.
LUKE 1:48 ALL GENERATIONS will call me BLESSED
Christian believers for all time (all generations) will honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she prophesied that all generations will call her BLESSED. Do Protestants call her Blessed Mary? Catholics do call her Blessed Mary.
MATTHEW 12:46-50 JESUS' MOTHER and BROTHERS
In Jewish usage, BROTHER can indicate any number of relations. Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14). Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3). Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2nd Samuel 20:9). Jesus himself had no blood brothers. The "brothers" mentioned here in Matthew 12:46-50 were sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins. Indeed, Jesus commits His mother to the care of John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), which would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.
1ST THESSALONIANS 5:12-13 THOSE WHO ARE OVER YOU
The Greek term for "OVER YOU" has a liturgical connotation. It refers to the Church leaders in the Eucharistic Assembly. In the Church, the people should recognize their pastor as their Church leader in Christ and willingly follow his admonitions. In 3RD JOHN 9, Diotrephes slanders Church leader / Church Authority. By rejecting Apostle John's missionaries, Diotrephes rejects Apostle John himself. Diotrephes disdains the Apostolic Catholic Church. The "Biblical" Church has Church Authority, do Protestants have Church Authority?
1ST TIMOTHY 3:15 THE CHURCH IS the Pillar and Foundation of Truth
For Protestants, the Bible ALONE is the pillar of truth.
For Catholics, the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth.
For Protestants, they need to protest and reform the Church.
For Catholics, they believe that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit into all the truth (John 16:13)
The Sabbath was NOT binding on the Gentiles in ancient times...
Acts 15 tells HOW SOME JEWS who believed in Jesus URGED that Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be saved (Acts 15:1-5). The apostles discussed the question thoroughly. Apostle Peter reminded the group that God had saved the Gentiles by grace (Acts 15:11) through faith. Therefore, the yoke of the law should not be put on the disciples' neck (Acts 15:10).
There are several "perpetual" practices related to Old Covenant worship that are ceased. Example: Burnt Offerings (Exodus 29:42); Ceremonial washings (Exodus 30:21) and passover feast (Exodus 12:14)... BUT Christ Himself kept the Sabbath as His regular custom (Luke 4:16) Should not we follow His example? Christ was born and lived "under the law" (Galatians 4:4). The Old Covenant did NOT end UNTIL His death and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
God's New Covenant people, the Church, is not commanded or obliged to observe the Sabbath: Colossians 2:13-17; Galatians 4:10-11 and Romans 14:1-5.
Purgatory (as through fire) 1st Corinthians 3:15; Heaven (nothing unclean) Revelation 21:27 and Salvation (A Gift through Christ) Romans 3:23-27 and Ephesians 2:8-10
The Bible is clear that Salvation is a GIFT through the redemption that is ...in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by His blood, effective through faith. Salvation is a Gift and a process; initially we are given the Gift of "Life of Grace" (zoe in Koine Greek) so that we can cooperate with God through Jesus in doing good works. (Ephesians 2:8-10 and Philippians 2:12-13) We are all called to grow into salvation (1st Peter 2:2) and be CAREFUL and NOT to be OVERPOWERED and ENTANGLED AGAIN in the defilements of the world (2nd Peter 2:20) and be CAREFUL so that we will not fall away from the life of grace (Galatians 5:4) by commiting mortal sins (1st John 5:16-17).
If a person dies in the state of grace but with defilements of the world, that person has to undergo a purification stage as through fire (coming from 1st Corinthians 3:15) BEFORE he can enter Heaven because NOTHING UNCLEAN can enter into Heaven (Revelation 21:27)
Note: It is by grace of God that we have been saved. "Purgatory" does not save. It is temporal stage AS THROUGH FIRE (1st Corinthians 3:15).
Revelation 17 is about the Roman Empire /Rome, the city on seven hills and the archpersecutor of the saints (17:6). Blasphemous names = divine titles given to Roman Emperors. The seven mountains = the seven hills of Rome. The seven kings = Roman emperors (from Julius Ceasar to Domitian).
WISDOM FOR PROTESTANTS
When Luther challenged the notion that the Church could be a faithful repository (1st Timothy 3:15) and transmitter of Divine Revelation, at root he was questioning the Holy Spirit (John 16:13) more than the Church - although he would have vociferously denied such an allegation.
Is the Church ONLY SPIRITUAL WITH NO VISIBLE STRUCTURE? Jesus instructs his disciples in Matthew 18:17 to refer earthly disputes to the Church. Hence, the Church has visible structure.
Should Protestants preserve UNITY at all costs? If yes, why did Protestants break away from the Church in the first place?
When Jesus commissioned the apostles to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20), they had only one tool ready at hand: preaching. It was ORAL communication that enabled the good news of Jesus to spread to the ends of the world. ["Scripture Alone" is NOT a teaching of The Church. Protestants introduce "Scripture Alone" AFTER 1500 years...]
The "Bible Alone" theory turned out to be refuting its own principle, since "Bible Alone" theory cannot tell us which books belong in the Bible and which do not belong to the Bible.
The phrase "Faith Alone" is ONLY found ONCE in the Bible. It is found in James 2:24.
Fundamentalist Protestants seem so highly committed to the human response (Faith) that they nearly eclipse the Divine initiative (Grace). Infant Baptism emphasizes the fact that Almighty God is sovereign and can call whomever He wills. The practice of Infant Baptism is attested to implicitly in New Testament passages that speak of whole households (Acts 16:15 & v33) being received into the Church.
How could Protestantism be the Church (Matthew 16:18) of Christ when Protestantism was nothing but disintegration, splintered, not unified, a frightening proliferation of squabbling, comepeting denominations, many masquerading under the title "non-denominational"?
In the Middle Ages, the Church showed her love for the Scriptures by chaining the Bible to library lecterns - not so that it would never be read but so that this precious Book, meant to be available to all, would not be stolen.
For those who are fond of pointing out the sinfulness of ecclesiastical leaders, past and present, it is good to underscore the fact that: the mission to Peter is given to him in the very context of Christ's reminding Peter that Peter has sinned.
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