VIRGIN MARY

"Receiving the kingdom of God AS or like a little child." What is like a little child? It is their complete trustworthiness in their parents. They have complete faith that their father (or mother) will take care of them, provide for them, etc. So should one who puts their trust in Christ. They do so by faith and faith alone, just like a little child does. In order to be saved you must trust Christ by faith, like a little child trusts his father by faith. By faith one enters the kingdom of God. By faith one is saved. The just shall live by faith.
DHK

 

"Receiving the kingdom of God AS or like a little child." What is like a little child? It is their complete trustworthiness in their parents. They have complete faith that their father (or mother) will take care of them, provide for them, etc. So should one who puts their trust in Christ. They do so by faith and faith alone, just like a little child does. In order to be saved you must trust Christ by faith, like a little child trusts his father by faith. By faith one enters the kingdom of God. By faith one is saved. The just shall live by faith.
DHK </font>[/QUOTE]Let me add my 2 cents to that, the faith of a child, when a child is told about santa clause (Satan clause) that child without any doubt or question believes that there is this 300 lbs. guy who lives in the north pole and come down your chiminey bringing gifts, in this childs mind he accepts that as the truth in his heart, and bones, without any waivering faith.A bad illistration? Yes. Never in a million years would I let my children believe in Santa Clause, but that is another subject for another thread.

 

What shall we do? REPENT and be baptized.
Have you ever seen an infant repent? I haven't.
Repentance belongs to those of maturity. Infants cannot repent. One has to be able to reason before they can repent. There were no children that were baptized here.
DHK </font>[/QUOTE]Peter says "every one of you" and later "for you and your children". He doesn't say if you do not repent you can not get baptized.
If this was the case then I believe he would emphasize it. Instead he is emphasizing "every one of you" and "for you and your children"!

 

"Receiving the kingdom of God AS or like a little child." What is like a little child? It is their complete trustworthiness in their parents. They have complete faith that their father (or mother) will take care of them, provide for them, etc. So should one who puts their trust in Christ. They do so by faith and faith alone, just like a little child does. In order to be saved you must trust Christ by faith, like a little child trusts his father by faith. By faith one enters the kingdom of God. By faith one is saved. The just shall live by faith.
DHK </font>[/QUOTE]I had in mind more 15 and 16 than 17. 17 is clear. I understand the difference between AS and LIKE. Jesus encourages people to bring children to Him.

 

Acts 16:15, "And when she and her household had been Baptized..."
Did her household have infants maybe? Did Luke say "everyone in her household except infants"?

Acts 16:33, "And he took them at that very hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he and ALL his family were baptized immediately."
Again, were infants excepted here?

1Cor 1:16, "I Baptized also the household of Stephanas..."
Did Paul say "everyone except infants"?


If the ana-baptist were around 500 years before the catholic church, then they were around during the OT times making them jews.


"I am the way, and THE TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me."
John 14:6
Since Jesus Christ is the truth, then the Church which He founded and guides has all truth.

The Church is the "Pillar and the Foundation of the Truth", not the Bible, as shown in 1Timothy 3:15

There can be only one truth. If all Christian Churches taught all truth, then there would be only one Christian Church. However, this is not the case, as there are literally thousands of Christian Churches today, with each teaching something different from the others. How can this be possible that each one of these plenitude of Churches has all truth? By reasoning, it is obvious that only one of these churches can have the fullness of truth. The trick is to find which one it is.
How do we find truth? We test for it.

"For whoever keeps the whole law, but offends in one point, has become guilty in all".
James 2:10
So we find the churches who do not keep the whole law, and by process of elimination, we can determine which Church has the fullness of truth.
I will pose just one test question which will eliminate 99% of the thousands of Christian Churches:
"So then, brethren, stand firm, and HOLD THE TRADITIONS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED, WHETHER BY WORD OR BY LETTER OF OURS."
2Thessalonians 2:15

Obviously, BY WORD OF OURS, means to hold the Apostolic traditions. Every non-Catholic church which denies holding of these traditions, is thereby denying parts of Holy Scripture.

 

Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

The promise of salvation was not only to them but to their children (i.e. descendents, and to all them that are afar off (other nations), even all those who call on the name of the Lord. Nowhere does it speak of infants here. You are reading into the passage that which is not there. Peter does not contradict himself. The primary condition is to repent. Infants cannot repent. It is an impossibility.
Use some common sense here. Who was Peter addressing?

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
The words "men and brethren" do NOT mean infants!
DHK

 

So what's your point? The disciples were originally hindering the people from bringing the children to Jesus. Jesus rebukes them, and tells them not to hinder the children from coming to Him. That doesn't mean that any infants got baptized. It does not mean that any infants got saved. It means nothing at all. Why do you read into Scripture things that are not there. There is no justification for infant baptism here.
DHK

 

Alright so you all are saying that you have to confess with your mouth.

What about the severly developmental disabled person? They are born with the stain of original sin, however they can not confess with their mouth.

So you will deny them baptism and condemn them to Hell because they cannot confess with their mouth.

Now you if you make exception for these people, why not infants?

 

Those who say that they are saved because they made a profession of faith, are still taking credit for something that they did. If you say that baptism is work, then so is walking forward in church and making a profession of faith.

Please show me where salvation means asking Jesus to come into your heart.

Salvation begins with the grace of God which touches a sinner's heart, and calls him to repentance. This grace cannot be merited; it proceeds solely from the love and mercy of God. Man may receive or reject this inspiration of God, he may turn to God or remain in sin. Grace does not constrain man's free will.

Thus assisted the sinner is disposed for salvation from sin; he believes in the revelation and promises of God, he fears God's justice, hopes in his mercy, trusts that God will be merciful to him for Christ's sake, begins to love God as the source of all justice, hates and detests his sins.

This disposition is followed by justification itself, which consists not in the mere remission of sins, but in the sanctification and renewal of the inner man by the voluntary reception of God's grace and gifts, whence a man becomes just instead of unjust, a friend instead of a foe and so an heir according to hope of eternal life.

What has been said applies to the salvation of adults; children and those permanently deprived of their use of reason are saved by the Sacrament of Baptism.

 

Actually the household of the jailor had two grandparents, three teenagers--two boys: 19 and 21, and one daughter, 17. The rest of the household consisted of three unmarried servants, all of whom were above the age of 30.
Do you know how I got that information? The same way that you got the information that there was infants in the household--by reading into the Scripture. My information is just as accurate as yours.

Same as above. By this time, Stephanus was 50, and all that was in that household was at least 40.

Yes, but he never founded the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was not founded until the fourth century.

I agree. You better look up the definition of the word "church." It is ekklesia, and in every case it ought to be translated assembly or congregation. So the church that Timothy was a pastor of (the church of Ephesus) was the pillar of the truth in Ephesus. It upheld the truth in that city. And it was the ground of truth. As a Biblical church it's very foundation was the Word of God. That is why we believe that the Word of God is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Every Bible believing church operates in the same way.

The test comes when it is tested according to the Word of God. When tested according to the Word of God, the Catholic Church fails miserably. That is why, when I got saved, I left it. It's beliefs when compared with the Bible were totally contradictory. Most churches that have the Bible as their foundation, as their sole rule of faith and order have little disagreement with each other.

This verse points out the sinfulness of mankind. It has nothing to do with finding the right church. No man keeps the whole law. We don't live under the law, but under grace. The law points us to our sin, which in turn points us to Christ.

You don't know the meaning of the word "tradition" in this verse do you? It simply means truth. It does not mean truth in the sense that the Catholic church defines it. There was no Christian "tradition" according the Catholic definition. What tradition accumulated from word of mouth over centuries of time could Paul have been talking about, when Christ died in 29 A.D., and Paul wrote this letter about 62 A.D. In a period of about 30 years how much so-called tradition do you think could have accumulated? According to the Catholic definition: NONE! It is an impossiblity. You can't force that definition into that verse. Yet that is what the Catholics want to do. The word simply means "truth."

The traditions that were taught were the Scripture that was later penned and written down for us.
Consider:
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
It was a teaching based on the Word of God, not tradition.
DHK

 

Where did you get this information?

[/quote]It was a teaching based on the Word of God, not tradition.[/quote]

It was tradition until the the NT was written.

The canon of scriptures was not completed until several hundred years later.

Christ came to found a Church not a book.

I was baptist, now I'm Catholic by the grace of God.

I was taught that everything in the OT happened exactly as it was written.
1. God created the earth in exactly six days, not the contextual approach of Gensis which teaches the religious truths that everything was created from God by nothing.
2. Incest was acceptable to God until He gave the Law to Moses, meaning Cain married his sister. (What about God being the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.)
3. God really told the Israelites to kill and destroy all their enemies. However, Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to pray for them.
4. Jonah was a real person, not a parable meant to teach the religious truths about the consequences of not obeying God.

However, they intrepret the NT by different standards.
1. Jesus is clear in His teaching concerning His Real Presence in the Eucharist, but we were taught the communion is symbolic
2. Verses concerning grace, faith, and works are treated differently in the baptist church. All those that state anything about the works of love that we are required to do are thrown out or we were told that's not what they mean.
3. Several verses dealing with baptism and that it is not symbolic are thrown out.

 

I disagree. Christ did not come to found a church or a book, he came to found a faith. (a faith and a church are not synonymous). We humans instituted the church to foster our fellowship with each other. Scripture mentions perfect faith, but makes no mention of a perfect church. Good thing, too, since there's no such thing.

God bless you, my friend. If your relationship with Christ is strengthened by your membership in a specific church or denomination, then you have my support as a brother in Christ, and my blessings. I don't expect people to agree with my own denominational choice to support my Christian walk, but I hope they support my Christian walk.

 

Now answer this, where in the Bible does it say to confess our sins to a priest? Or where a priest is the only one capable of disolving our sins?

 

Where did you get this information?</font>[/QUOTE]This information is well known historical information if one is not biased or indoctrinated by the Catholic Church's revisionist type of history. The origins of the Catholic Church were in the fourth century when Constantine tried to make a marriage between the government and Christianity, by declaring Christianity to be a state religion. He himself even made a false profession of faith. Thus in the early 300's the church became paganized and the pagans became Christianized, as Constantine allowed many of the existing pagan concepts into the church which have remained to this day.
But from the time of the Apostles there have always remained churches true to the faith of the Apostles and the Word of God, similar to the Baptist faith of today. God has never left himself without a witness, though that witness has never been in the heretical Catholic Church.

[/quote]It was a teaching based on the Word of God, not tradition.[/quote]

The Apostles knew what was Scripture and what was not as it was being written. Do you take these early believers as ignorant fools?? God gave them the Scriptures and they recognized it as such. It was completed by the first century. Consider the Scriptures themselves.

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
--First realize that the Scripture comes from God. Holy men were used of God to pen the words that God wanted them to write.

2 Peter 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
--Peter says to be mindful or keep in mind these words:
1. the words spoken by the prophets, and
2. the words spoken bu us the apostles of the Lord.
Peter says that the words of the Apostles are just as important as the words of the prophets (the OT). They knew what those words (those epistles and gospels) were.

2 Peter 3:15-16 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
--Peter recognizes Paul's writings as Scripture. He calls them epistles and refers to them as Scripture, also referring to the unlearned who take them and "wrest" them as they do the other Scriptures to their own destruction. The Catholics do this often.

The Scripture was accepted as Scripture when it was written. It did not need the Catholic Church to come along and set its approval on it to make it Scripture. How ludicrous!

A Christian is a follower of Christ. It is one who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a believer I am a child of the King, an heir of God, and a joint heir of Jesus Christ. I am his ambassador, a citizen of heaven, adopted into His family, sealed by His Holy Spirit, eternally and forever saved, with all my sins--past, present and future forgiven.

I am not sure in the above who the "we" and the "they" are always referring to, since you changed your faith.
But to comment on a couple of things.
There is no eucharist in the Bible. You won't find it there. And you won't find the teaching of "the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist" in the Bible. If you can demonstrate that through Scripture you must be some kind of magician. But it is not there. Again, you have been indoctrinated too much by RC literature and friends or teachers, but not by what the Bible teaches.
Baptists teach much about works. But works are not essential to salvation. The Bible teaches this truth plainly. You either believe the Bible or you don't. I am just the messenger here.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The Bible teaches much about baptism. It is the first step of obedience in the Christian faith AFTER one believes and calls upon the Lord as His Saviour. It does not save, is not salvic, does not impart grace, and yes it is ONLY symbolic. That is made quite clear in Romans 6:3,4.
A good verse for you to reflect on is in Jeremiah

Jeremiah 2:22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

Jeremiah mocks the Catholic belief here.
It is a superstition. Go ahead he says. Take as much water as you want. With water take nitre (lye) or the strongest possible soap or cleaning agent that you can find. Then take as much soap as you can. Scrub, and scrub thoroughly. Scrub harder. Make sure you are spotless, thoroughly clean and pure. But with all that soap, lye, scrubbing, cleaning--guess what? Your sin still remains. The water and soap will NOT wash away your sin. Water (including water of baptism) does not wash away sin! Baptism will only get you wet.
DHK

 

In about 110 Ignatius stated that catholic christians were the universal followers of Christ.

The persecution of Christians ended in 313 when Constantine of the West and Licinius of the East proclaimed the Edict of Milan, which established a policy of religious freedom for all.

I don't see from this the origins of the Catholic Church as baptist claim. Nowhere does it claim that Christianity would be the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Now who is making a revision to history. This is translation is staten from a public university not a religious one.

Whenever St. Paul said works are not needed, he was referring to the old Mosaic Law or works of darkness. He did not mean the good works rendered by the Law of Grace.

"Work from the heart as for the Lord, and not for men." Col 3:23

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Phil 2:12. See also 1Cor 9:24-27.

"For His workmanship we are, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which GOD has made ready beforehand that we may walk in them." Eph 2:10

"And if you invoke as Father him who without respect of persons judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves with fear in the time of your sojourning." 1Pet 1:17

"There are just men and wise men, and their works are in the hand of GOD." Eccl 9:1

"...who will render to every man according to his works." Rom 2:6

"But their end will be according to their works." 2Cor 11:15

"For GOD shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl 12:14

"Tribulation and anguish shall be visited upon the soul of every man who works evil; of Jew first and then of Greek. But glory and honor and peace shall be awarded to everyone who does good to Jew first and then of Greek." Rom 2:9-10

"...we should love one another; not like Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. And wherefore did he kill him? Because his own works were wicked, but his brother's just." 1Jn 3:11-12

"But if anyone builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hat, straw, the work of each will be made manifest, for the Day of the Lord will declare it, since the day is to be revealed in fire. The fire will assay the quality of everyone's work: if his work abides which he has built thereon, he will receive his reward; if his work burns he will lose his reward, but himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." 1Cor 3:13-15

These four preceding verses lay it on the line that every one's works will surely be tested, and reward or punishment will follow.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 7:21

"Now we know that GOD does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of GOD, AND DOES HIS WILL , him He hears." John 9:31

"But why do you call Me, 'Lord, 'Lord', and do not practice the things that I say?" Luke 6:46

"But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, for they have been performed in GOD." John 3:21

"Esteem them with a more abundant love on account of their work." 1Thes 5:13

"If anyone, therefore, has cleansed himself from these, he will be a vessel for honorable use, sanctified and useful to the Lord, ready for every good work." 2Tim 2:21

"Let them do good and be rich in good works, giving readily, sharing with others." 1Tim 6:18

"This saying is true, and concerning these things I desire you to insist, that they who believe in GOD may be careful to excel in good works." Tit 3:8

"And let out children also learn to excel in good works, in order to meet cases of necessity, so that they may not be unfruitful." Tit 3:14

"...looking for the blessed hope and glorious coming of our great GOD and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and cleanse for Himself an acceptable people, pursuing good works." Tit 2:13-14

"Yes, working together with Him we entreat you not to receive the grace of GOD in vain... On the contrary, let us conduct ourselves in all circumstances as GOD's ministers, in much patience; in tribulations, in hardships, in distress; in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults; in labors..."
2Cor 6:1,5

"May you walk worthily of GOD and please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of GOD." Col 1:10

"Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let everyone test his own work, so he will have glory in himself only, and not in comparison with another. For each one will bear his own burden." Gal 6:2-5

"And they who have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they who have done evil unto resurrection of judgment." John 5:29

"If you know that he is just, know that everyone also who does what is just has been born of Him." 1John 2:29

"Therefore, he who knows how to do good, and does not do it, commits a sin." Jam 4:17
This is called the sin of omission. Matt 25:37-40 has more examples of sins of omission.

"And concerning these (evil works) I warn you, that they who do (evil works) such things will not attain the kingdom of GOD." Gal 5:21 (read from verse 16 for context).

"But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore where you have fallen, and repent and do the former works; or else I will come to you, and will move your lamp-stand out of its place, unless you repent." Rev 2:4-5

"I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain, but which were ready to die. For I do not find your works complete before my GOD." Rev 3:1-2

"Alexander, the coppersmith, has done me much harm; the Lord will render him according to his deeds." 2Tim 4:14

"My dear children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue, but in deed and in truth."
1Jn 3:18

"I know your works, your faith, your love, your ministry, your patience, and your last works, which are more numerous than the former." Rev 2:19

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth. Yes, says the Spirit, let them rest from their labors, FOR THEIR WORKS FOLLOW THEM'." Rev 14:13
The works which you do in this life will follow you forever.

"I know your works and your labor and your patience, and that you cannot bear evil men;" Rev 2:2

"And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. And another scroll was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the scrolls, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS." Rev 20:12

"And her children I will strike with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches desires and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works." Rev 2:23

"Behold, I come quickly! And My reward is with Me, to render to each one ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS." Rev 22:12

"And the world with its lust is passing away, but he who does the will of GOD abides forever." 1John 2:17

"And he who overcomes, and who keeps My works unto the end, I will give authority over the nations." Rev 2:26

"I know your works, Behold, I have caused a door to be opened before you which no one can shut, for you have scanty strength, and you have kept My word and have not disowned My name." Rev 3:8

Are we saved by Grace Alone?
Yes, as this is the teaching of the Catholic Church. Grace is a gift from GOD. It is given freely to us, but in return He expects us to do our part by our performance of Good Works.

Are we saved by Works Alone?
No. Mere human works are useless without the grace of GOD and faith working through love.

Why did Jesus Christ say, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven; BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN SHALL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." Matt 7:21.
Now how can anyone DO the will of the Father without doing Good Works?

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,calling on His name."

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,

I Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"

Col. 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Rom. 6:3-6 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

I don't know about you, but these verses tell us that because of Christ, baptism is a lot more than getting wet.

 

DHK and Rapture Ready,

Those were some EXCELLANT posts!!!!! I have not been doing online boards for the last two years and forgot how much you gain from other's posts as well as keeping sharp on a lot of Bible scripture. Thanks for sharing!

 

Janosik states: "If you want to stick to the Bible how do you explain this?

Luke 18
15People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

I know NOT see where it says that Jesus was baptizing them. In fact, it does not say that there was any water in Jesus' hand. There was NO reference to baptism in the verses prior to those or after those. You are trying to make the Bible say that Jesus was baptizing babies and I just do not see that, at all.

 

In about 110 Ignatius stated that catholic christians were the universal followers of Christ.

The persecution of Christians ended in 313 when Constantine of the West and Licinius of the East proclaimed the Edict of Milan, which established a policy of religious freedom for all. </font>[/QUOTE]As I mentioned, if you stay away from biased Catholic revisionist historical sources, and consult other sources you might find the truth.

A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

The origins of the Catholic Church is not Baptist; it is historical. It is plain for all to see except for the Catholics who have their own version of history, and look at with blinders over their eyes. Check other sources besides Catholic sources.

This is a false statement as you yourself ought to know. You quote verse 10 further on in defence of good works thus defeating your own argument. You can't have it both ways. Verse 10 is part of the context of verses 8 and 9. If the good works of verses 8 and 9 refer to the law so do the works of verse 10. If the good works of verse 10 refer to the good works that the believer is required to do, then so are the works that verses 8 and 9 refer to. You can't change the context. You can't have it both ways. Look at the verse you quoted just three verses down (now four):

"For His workmanship we are, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which GOD has made ready beforehand that we may walk in them." Eph 2:10
--created unto good works. Are these good works in general, or are they the good works of the law only? Why did you then quote this verse?
Eph.2:8,9 specifially says that salvation is NOT OF WORKS.

--And so?? This has nothing to do with salvation. Just as Eph.2:10 has nothing to do with salvation. Every believer does good works after salvation. It does nothing to merit them salvaation. Salvation is by faith and faith alone.

Again you miss the context. A true believer is submitted to the Lord. Look at the next verse:

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
--It is God that does the work, not the believer.

see above explanation.

The FATHER judges HIS CHILDREN, not those who are not his children. They are already saved. They will be rewarded accroding to their works. Their salvation will never be taken away. Peter is writing to believers. Look at the introduction of the epistle.

And you point??

--A true statement: whether addressed to the unsaved or the saved. There are two resurrections; two judgements, each according their works. The resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of the unjust.

Do you ever look at context?? Read verse 10 also. This is speaking of Satan and his emissaries. Do you consider yourself in this group also? Then why mention the verse?

Yes he will. But not for the purpose of salvation.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Salvation is by faith and faith alone. It is not according to works. For the believer works will bring either reward or loss of reward. For the unbeliever it will bring a sentence of eternal damnation.

That is fairly straight forward isn't it. It agrees to what I have been saying all along.

Cain, by his works, demonstrated his unbelief in God. It was unbelief in God that condemned him. He rebelled against God, just like the individual today who rebels against accepting Christ as their Saviour.
DHK

 

--This scene is addressed to believers only. Not the phrase that they will be "saved, yes so as by fire" in verse 15. No matter what their works are they are saved individuals. Verse 11 tells us that their foundation is Christ.

Typical Catholic right? One that calls Jesus Lord, but doesn't have a clue about Biblical salvation. What does it mean to be born again? The Catholic answers to be baptized. With that answer you are doomed to an eternity without Christ, for you know not what salvation is.

So what is the will of God that you may do it?

John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Good question. Do you have the answer? There are many religious people in this world that do this (like Catholics) that are not saved.

Again, look at the context for understanding:

John 3:20-21 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Jesus is speaking. He refers to himself as light. Those that do or practice evil hate the light or will not come to Christ. As contrasted to those who do or practice the truth. They will come to the light or to Christ. It is speaking of the unsaved person here, not a person maintaing their salvation by works.

A believer will be rewarded for their works. Not salvation.

Every CHRISTIAN has his own abilities and talents. We each are given different places of services in the church.

And so? This has nothing to do with salvation just as most of the verses you have quoted.

So Christians should do good works. What else is new under the sun? This has nothing to do with salvation. Salvation is by faith in Christ and by faith alone. This is getting redundant. I will not bother to answer the rest of your verses which basically say the same thing.

In this the Catholic Church contradicts itself. It doesn't teach you are saved by grace alone. It teaches that grace is imparted through baptism (a man made work). It teaches that grace is imparted through the seven sacraments. That is not grace alone.

As I said you contradict yourself.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
--The teaching is clear enough. You just refuse to believe God on it.

John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Because the will of the Father was to believe on the Son. To believe by faith and by faith alone. You refuse to do that, so you fall into the category that Christ was speaking of.

You have your answer above. Salvation is by faith.
DHK

 

Since when is a state university a Catholic institution?

Why don't you check sources that aren't baptist?