• Home
  • About
  • Awards
  • Dialogue with a Muslim: links
    • 1st response
    • Second response
    • Final response
  • Saturday Jess

All Along the Watchtower

~ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you … John 13:34

All Along the Watchtower

Category Archives: Salvation

Intermission: Luther v Zwingli on the Eucharist

13 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by NEO in Catholic Tradition, Lutheranism, Salvation

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Catholic Church, Christianity, controversy, Eucharist, history, Luther, Papacy, Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Salvation, sin, Zwingli

Phillip mentioned yesterday that Lutherans have a very clear doctrine of the Eucharist, which is certainly true, and that the controversy between Luther and Zwingli highlighted the differences. That too is true. I didn’t want to go into it on his post, it is a bit far off topic. It is interesting, though, and last night I found a concise summary of the differences by Trevin Wax. It also highlights how it differed from Luther’s contemporary Catholic experience.

Luther’s view

In the medieval period before the Reformation, the mass formed the centerpiece of Christian worship and devotion. Three centuries before Luther began teaching in Wittenberg, the fourth Lateran council of 1215 established the doctrine of transubstantiation, which holds that upon the priest’s consecration of the bread and wine, the accidents (according to the senses) remain the same, but the substance (the internal “essence”) is miraculously transformed into the physical body and blood of Christ.

The implications of this doctrine were widespread. Laypeople began to adore the bread and wine from afar or superstitiously carry pieces of bread back home to plant in the garden for good crops or to give to an ailing animal for good health. To avoid an accidental spilling of the wine, the priests began giving only the bread to parishioners, keeping the cup for themselves. By the 1500’s, even the bread was withheld in most churches.

The mass had turned into a show instead of a sacrament. Some parishioners feverishly hurried from church to church to obtain the blessing of seeing more than one host in a given day.

Luther objected to the extreme practices brought by medieval superstition, but he continued to regard the “images, bells, Eucharistic vestments, church ornaments, altar lights and the like” as “indifferent.”

Two things in particular bothered Luther about the Roman Catholic view of the Lord’s Supper. First, he disagreed sharply with the practice of withholding the cup from the laity. So strongly did Luther believe in the laity’s participation in the mass that he condemned the Roman Catholic practice as one way that “Babylon” holds the church “captive.” (It should be noted however that Luther did not believe that withholding the cup necessarily invalidated the sacrament or that the Christians who were denied the cup during the previous centuries had not received sacramental benefits.)

Secondly, Luther believed that the Roman Catholic understanding of the sacrament as a “good work and a sacrifice” was the “most wicked abuse of all.” Luther argued forcefully that the mass must be seen as a testament – something to receive, not a good work to perform. The only sacrifice at the Lord’s Table is the sacrifice of ourselves. The idea that a priest could sacrifice the body and blood of the Lord was especially appalling to Luther and he considered this belief the most abominable of Roman errors.  […]

Another area in which Luther remained close to Roman doctrine is in the doctrine of the “real presence.” Up until 1519, it appears Luther agreed with the official doctrine of transubstantiation. In 1520, he criticized the idea quite forcefully, painting it as needless speculation based on Aristotelian thought.

A popular misconception among Reformation students is that Luther affirmed and promoted “consubstantiation,” but neither Luther nor the Lutheran church ever accepted that term. Luther simply refused to speculate on how Christ is present and instead settled for affirming that he is there. The presence of Christ in the Supper is miraculous and thus defies explanation.

Roman Catholic theologians strongly emphasized the moment of consecration, when the priest would lift the bread and say “Hoc est corpus meum.” At that moment, bells would be rung and all eyes would be on the elevated host, which had magically been transformed into Christ’s body.

Luther similarly emphasized the words of institution, but only because Christ’s command leads to the change, not because the priest has made a special utterance. In this and other practices, Luther was content to alter the understanding behind Roman Catholic practice without feeling the need to actually change the tradition itself.

Luther believed that the fruit of the Lord’s Supper is the forgiveness of sins. Roman doctrine held that Communion was for the righteous, those who have confessed their sins to the priest. Luther believed Communion was for sinners, those who needed Christ’s incarnation the most.

 

Zwingli’s view

 

Zwingli did not see the need for a “sacramental union” in the Lord’s Supper because of his modified understanding of sacraments.

According to Zwingli, the sacraments serve as a public testimony of a previous grace. Therefore, the sacrament is “a sign of a sacred thing, i.e. of a grace that has been given.” For Zwingli, the idea that the sacraments carry any salvific efficacy in themselves is a return to Judaism’s ceremonial washings that lead to the purchase of salvation.

Whereas Luther sought to prune the bad branches off the tree of Roman Catholic sacramentalism, Zwingli believed the problem to be rooted at least partly in sacramentalism itself. […]

What Zwingli could not accept was a “real presence” that claimed Christ was present in his physical body with no visible bodily boundaries.

“I have no use for that notion of a real and true body that does not exist physically, definitely and distinctly in some place, and that sort of nonsense got up by word triflers.”

Zwingli’s theology of the Lord’s Supper should not be viewed as an innovation without precedent in church history. Zwingli claimed that his doubts about transubstantiation were shared by many of his day, leading him to claim that priests did not ever believe such a thing, even though “most all have taught this or at least pretended to believe it.”

Had Zwingli’s modified doctrine of the “real presence” been an innovation, it would probably not have been so eagerly accepted by his parishioners. The symbolic view spread rapidly because Zwingli had given voice and legitimacy to an opinion that was already widespread.

In Zurich, the mass was abolished in 1525. The Lord’s Supper was celebrated with a new liturgy that replaced the altar with a table and tablecloth.

The striking feature of the Zwinglian observance of the sacrament was its simplicity. Because the bread and wine were not physically transformed into Christ’s body and blood, there was no need for spurious ceremonies and pompous rituals. The occasion was marked by simplicity and reverence, with an emphasis on its nature as a memorial.

Zwingli’s denial of the “real presence” did not result in the neglecting of the sacrament that would characterize many of his followers in centuries to come. He saw seven virtues in the Lord’s Supper that proved its importance for the Christian life.

Do read the articles linked above. While what he says on Lutheran doctrine is in accordance with what I know and believe, and what I know of how it was derived, and I am sort of assuming that as an Evangelical he knows a fair amount about Zwingli, I don’t know enough to comment intelligently about it. My original church had a fair amount of Reformed in it, but it was long ago, and I’ve long since come to believe in The Real Presence myself, actually before I became a Lutheran. It is just more consonant with the Lord’s words and the disciples’ reaction to them.

Ps, the short form

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Being Saved

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by chalcedon451 in Bible, Faith, Salvation

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

Catholic Church, Catholicism, Christianity, Faith, Obedience

When Christians say they are ‘saved’, what do they mean? Let us begin, as we should, with what Our Lord says. To be saved, we must believe:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Jesus goes on to say: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life”. So, as simple as that. If we have faith, we are saved. But Jesus does not stop there. One problem with the way we read the Gospel is that it tends to be in chunks, when, if you have ever seen early codices, you will see it was meant to be read in its entirety; chapters and verses are relatively novel; designed to help us, our fallen nature so often ensures it does no such thing.

Jesus told those who followed him asking for more bread: “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world”, to which “They said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always’”. To clear up any doubt, Jesus told them: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” We are told, now, by some, that this is a sort of metaphor, that all food gives us life, or some other explanation, but Jesus is clear. Indeed, he was so clear that the Jews listening were shocked. How could the son of Joseph be the ‘bread’ come down from heaven, and how could a man give them his flesh and blood to drink?

This was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to reassure them that he was not speaking literally. Why should they have thought he was? In verses 54-58 Jesus uses the word ‘trogo’. This is a word found only five times in the New Testament, and these are four of those times. It means ‘to chew’ or to ‘gnaw’, and in Greek is often used to describe the feeding habits of cattle and pigs. Up to this point in the Gospel, Jesus had been using the more usual word, ‘esthio’ (verses 49-53 all use it), so in changing the word he uses, Jesus is emphasising the literal nature of what he was saying; that was why the Jews took fright. He was telling them that to be saved we must eat his body and his blood – the connotations of cannibalism and of non-kosher food horrified his listeners – as he knew it would. He had ample opportunity to reassure them he was not talking literally. Indeed, as some left him, he had every reason to do so. He could quite easily have stopped many leaving him, but he did not do so.

He asked the Apostles if they wished to go; they did not, even thought they did not understand. It was only when they came to the Last Supper that they understood. That is why from the beginning. Christians have met to worship and to consume his body and his blood. St Paul passed this on to the Corinthians, as he had received it from the Apostles. Paul is clear about the literal nature of what was passed on to him, as he tells the Corinthians:

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Jesus told us “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life”. So, yes, we must believe in Him as Lord, but we must also partake of His body and His blood. Dos that mean there is no other way to be saved? God alone decides who will be saved, and anyone who pronounces on that issue takes upon him or herself the power of God – and I suspect God will not be mocked in that way, He is a merciful and compassionate God, who alone knows the devices and desires of our hearts, and who, alone, can read what is written there. He is the only Just Judge, and we can leave such questions to Him. Our part is to serve obediently where we feel we have been called.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

‘He rose again’

14 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by chalcedon451 in Bible, Faith, Salvation

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Catholicism, orthodoxy, religion, Resurrection of Jesus

jesusresurrectionstory

Christianity has a content. Its most important content is that Christ died and rose again from the dead to redeem us; if we do not believe this, then, as Paul said, our faith is in vain. There are clever theologians who have constructed whole edifices of scholarship providing explanations of the things modern intellectuals find uncomfortable about Christianity; but such attempts raise questions about the content of our belief.

The Resurrection either happened or it didn’t. Anyone who thinks that the first Christians were channelling their spiritual experience of Christ needs to re-read the account of St Thomas and his doubts. The NT goes out of its way to make clear that the resurrection was a physical reality. It does so because clearly there were those at the time who denied it and sought more philosophical explanations; it is not by such that we are saved.

The world has always had trouble with Jesus. It had it whilst he was Incarnate in the flesh in this life, and, just when it thought it had disposed of him by crucifixion, he came back and has given it trouble ever since. He tells us things we do not want to hear: we are sinners; we need to repent; if we don’t we shall go to hell. All of this makes us uncomfortable. There are three reactions to this: the orthodox Christian one – that we should indeed repent and mend our ways and follow him; the other is that we decline to believe any of this Bronze-age nonsense; the third, and in many ways more worrying one, is to explain it all away as being not what most Christians have believed for most of history.

It is most worrying because of the impulse behind it. People want to have Jesus, but on their terms. They want a Jesus fit for North Oxford or Islington salons; they want a Jesus who would be at home in the senior common room; they don’t want to be laughed at by their sophisticated friends; they want a Jesus worthy of them. In this, they play God. God created us in his image; these men recreate God in their own, and in worshipping him, they are actually worshipping themselves. But they do more. They tend to make other people feel insecure. This is not what the Apostles did. Christianity is either something that we can all grasp, or it is nothing; whatever these sophisticated philosophical explanations might be, they have a tendency to empty Christianity of its content.

I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Three in One and One in Three. I do not believe in the prime mover, the secondary mover and the inspiration, or any other set of variants on the opening of the Creed. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. I do not believe that the Apostles had some kind of collective group-think; I don’t, because they didn’t. What I do not believe in is the superior wisdom of modern man, the church of good fellowship without Christ, or the life of the philosophy to come.

If Jesus did not rise, physically rise, then the whole of Christianity is a bad joke and should be discarded.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Feast of the Annunciation

25 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by chalcedon451 in Bible, Lent, Marian devotion, Salvation

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

Catholicism, Christianity, Marian Devotion, The Annunciation

The earliest English text on the Annunciation was by the Venerable Bede, and to celebrate today’s Feast of the Annunciation, let us spend some time in his company, meditating on this great event which truly changed history. The text in bold is the Magnificat, the commentary by Bede himself:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

The Lord has exalted me by a gift so great, so unheard of, that language is useless to describe it, and the depths of love in my heart can scarcely grasp it. I offer then all the powers of my soul in praise and thanksgiving. As I contemplate his greatness, which knows no limits, I joyfully surrender my whole life, my senses, my judgment, for my spirit rejoices in the eternal Godhead of that Jesus, that Saviour, whom I have conceived in this world of time.

 

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Mary looks back to the beginning of her song, where she said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Only that soul for whom the Lord in His love does great things can proclaim his greatness with fitting praise and encourage those who share her desire and purpose, saying: Join with me in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord; let us extol His name together.

Those who know the Lord, yet refuse to proclaim His greatness and sanctify His name to the limit of their power, will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven. His name is called holy because in the sublimity of his unique power He surpasses every creature and is far removed from all that He has made.

He has come to the help of His servant Israel, for He has remembered His promise of mercy.

In a beautiful phrase Mary calls Israel the servant of the Lord. The Lord came to his aid to save him. Israel is an obedient and humble servant, in the words of Hosea: Israel was a servant, and I loved him.

Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved. They cannot say with the prophet: See, God comes to my aid; the Lord is the helper of my soul. But anyone who makes himself humble like a little child is greater in the kingdom of Heaven.

The promise He made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.

This does not refer to the physical descendants of Abraham, but to his spiritual children. These are his descendants, sprung not from the flesh only, but who, whether circumcised or not, have followed him in faith. Circumcised as he was, Abraham believed, and this was credited to him as an act of righteousness.

The coming of the Saviour was promised to Abraham and to his descendants forever. These are the children of promise, to whom it is said: If you belong to Christ, then you are descendants of Abraham, heirs in accordance with the promise

Thus wrote Bede more than 1400 years ago. How sad, then, that now there are some who claim the name of Christian who make the claim that Mary had no choice but to accept God’s fiat. What image of God do such people possess? It is that akin to the old gods of Greece and Rome who impregnated human women with out their consent. It is not, perhaps, then, so strange that they should fail to perceive this massive beam in their own eye whilst claiming with great shrillness that our veneration of Mary is a form of goddess worship. Christianity began with Mary’s ‘yes’ and through her heroic virtue, the Christ became incarnate and the miracle of our salvation was begun. On this day, holy to our ancestors, we celebrate, with a ‘great crowd of witnesses’ the actions of Our Lady and pray, through her, to God, that His will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven.

https://richardnye.info/annunciation.html

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

On being ‘saved’

06 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by chalcedon451 in Anti Catholic, Blogging, Faith, Salvation

≈ 99 Comments

Tags

Catholic Church, Catholicism, choices, Christ, Christianity, Faith

How can I know I'm saved

To the evident discomfort of some here, we have a long-time contributor who goes by the name of Bosco, who criticises the Catholic Church and all ‘religions’, preferring, instead, his own unmediated connection with Jesus. He recently committed some of his thoughts to a piece here, and it, and the comments it provoked provide an interesting insight into the strengths and limitations of that view.

Its strength is obvious.As Bosco recently put it:

When one is born again, one is changed. Theres no two ways. You know you have had something happen. You know Jesus is rite there with you. He lets you know. he starts working with you. Theres no uncertainty. No confusion with the holy ghost. Its real.

Not all the insults he directs at my Church can take away from that. It can make me doubt his level of theological literacy, and it can make me lament the language he employs about my own Church; but it cannot detract from the effect he says it made on him. I, too, would be an even worse person were it not for Jesus.

But in this attitude there is, it seems to me, some confusion. He states: ‘If you ask him to reveal himself to you, and he does, you wont have all these worries.’ But then, when asked whether one could lose this sort of salvation, Bosco states he does not believe in ‘once saved, always saved‘, although he thinks ‘its really hard to lose ones salvation‘. This puzzles me. You know you are ‘saved’ Bosco says, but you can lose salvation. Does that mean that the promise of salvation Bosco has could be lost if God changes his mind? This seems, at least to me, a strange version of God.

It opens up some odd prospects, and ones of which St Paul was only too well aware, as his letters to the Galatians and Corinthians show. If one is ‘saved’ and one has that assurance, then one is amongst the ‘elect’ and if God is faithful, then one cannot lose that election, whatever one does. St Paul clearly warns those early converts against such an attitude. Salvation, for him, is like a race, and one must keep running to the very end to win the crown of the victor. Nowhere does Paul talk like Bosco and tell us of his assurance that he is ‘saved’. He remains convinced he is a great sinner, and he keeps up the effort to be worthy of the Lord whom he serves. For him, as for the sort of Christian I am, salvation is a process. We were saved from sin when we were baptised; we are saved from the effects of sin by our sacramental life; and we hope that, at the end, God will judge us worthy of his greatest gift of being with him for eternity.

Bosco tells me ‘One cant unmeet Jesus. If you ask him to reveal himself to you, and he does, you wont have all these worries.’ But what of all those who ask for this (and it is not clear from his own account that Bosco ever actually asked Jesus to reveal himself) and do not get it? Are they not part of the ‘elect’? If so, then why should they bother trying to lead a good and moral life? If, whatever they do, they are damned to hell, why not h=behave as badly as the law will allow and ensure that at least in this life, you have the best time possible. It isn’t a question of damning the consequences, after all, because if you have asked and Jesus has not turned up, then you are already damned.

This seems to me as far away from the message Jesus offers us as you could possibly get. Jesus came so that all could have eternal life. Not everyone will receive him, but to as many as will receive him, he offers eternal life. There is nothing here about a random set of appearances to sup with the elect, such as Bosco. There has always been, within Christianity, the danger of various forms of pharisaism, that sense that others are unworthy where one is, oneself, worthy, but of all of them, it seems to me the idea that Jesus will appear in a random way to some of those who ask him to appear (and to some who don’t) is one of the worst. It offers no hope to many, and an unconditional offer of salvation to others, regardless of the lives they lead. This is certainly how a cult would operate, but it is not how the Church founded by Jesus has operated, nor is it how most Christians, in whatever church, looked upon these things. It is, perhaps, a form of hyper-calvinism which speaks to the contemporary need to be special. I’d be interested in your view.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

A message of joy and hope?

02 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by chalcedon451 in Church/State, Faith, Salvation

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Catholicism, Christianity, Faith, religion

pictures-of-jesus-with-peter_2

In an interesting sermon at Midnight Mass last week, The Right Reverend Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, made reference, as our Prime Minister, Theresa May has, to the difficulty which many Christians feel about expressing their faith in public:

However, there has been a danger of a strange silence falling over our land which has recently led the Prime Minister to urge Christians never to be afraid of speaking freely in the public space. She insisted that our Christian heritage is something of which everyone can be proud, and Christians must ‘jealously guard’ their right to speak publicly about their faith. The Prime Minister is doubtless conscious of the strange phenomenon of local authorities and public bodies who fear that even to mention the word ‘Christmas’ might be a cause of offence. Somewhat more sinisterly, people tell me how they have felt inhibited or even intimidated in their places of work when speaking of their Christian faith and how it shapes their conscience and values. In a country founded on the Christian faith, it is a terrible perversion of political correctness that would so intimidate people from speaking of Christianity: the very faith and moral path which has shaped our way of life. It is the joy which Christmas announces.

In a world where ‘identity politics’ seems increasingly prevalent, and divisive, it seems strange that an identity which transcends all human ones should be marginalised; or maybe not? Perhaps the need for an identity one forges oneself has good reason to shun an identity which emphasises what we all have in common, and one which eschews ego and its seductive tones. The Gospel message is one of great joy. It tells us that we are saved. But that recognition demands something from us which the ego is reluctant to give – which is that we have sinned and that by our own efforts we can do nothing to save ourselves from the consequences. That is a startling message, and it is one from which even as Christians we sometimes try to resile. If we are not careful (and we are not always careful) an emphasis on good works and earning merit can come to seem as though we are co-workers in our own redemption, and that it is something we can, at least in part, earn. We do not like to be helpless, we like to feel that if we are not actually masters of our own fate, we have a great influence on it. Of course, properly understood, the language about ‘merit’ and ‘good works’ does not mean that, but it can sound like it. No one likes to be a beggar, and yet that is what we are, each one of us. God’s Grace of salvation is one He freely bestows on all who will receive it. Tidings of great joy indeed.

Being a child of God gives us an identity which transcends all human distinctions, for in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, freeman or slave, or even man and woman. This os one reason that Totalitarian regimes of all hues have always distrusted Christianity, and why many have sought to extirpate it. They would like us to identify with whatever their ideology is – be it Communist, Nationalist or some other ideology, and they demand that the richness that is human life in Christ should be reduced to one, usually utilitarian, aspect of our identity. They seek to restrict and constrict that humanity to which the Holy Spirit gives life and life abundantly.

We are made in the image of God, and that image is fully restored in us through the gift of the redeeming love of Christ. We should never sell that birthright for any mess of pottage.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Doctrine Really Does Matter: So Does Evangelization

15 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by NEO in Consequences, Faith, Prayers, Salvation

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Christianity, church politics, history, mission, orthodoxy, Testimony

This is very interesting, although I’ve heard this anecdotally for years, here are some real results. From On Religion via The Catholic Herald.

When they set out to find growing mainline churches, sociologist David Haskell and historian Kevin Flatt did the logical thing – they asked leaders of four key Canadian denominations to list their successful congregations.

It didn’t take long, however, to spot a major problem as the researchers contacted these Anglican, United Church, Presbyterian and Evangelical Lutheran parishes.

“Few, if any, of the congregations these denomination’s leaders named were actually growing,” said Haskell, who teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University in Branford, Ontario. “A few had experienced a little bit of growth in one or two years in the past, but for the most part they were holding steady, at best, or actually in steady declines.”

To find thriving congregations in these historic denominations, Haskell and Flatt, who teaches at Redeemer University College in Hamilton, had to hunt on their own. By word of mouth, they followed tips from pastors and lay leaders to other growing mainline churches.

The bottom line: The faith proclaimed in growing churches was more orthodox – especially on matters of salvation, biblical authority and the supernatural – than in typical mainline congregations. These churches were thriving on the doctrinal fringes of shrinking institutions.

“The people running these old, established denominations didn’t actually know much about their own growing churches,” said Haskell, reached by telephone. “Either that or they didn’t want to admit which churches were growing.”

I found that fascinating, the growing churches, are simply putting their head down and growing the church, but they are not really telling the hierarchs what they are doing. I can’t say I’m surprised, though, I can remember when I was a trustee of my home church, even the council paid no attention to the mission fundraising, we were a fairly conservative E & R church in the maelstrom of the UCC, it was not a happy combination. You know, we traditional types were not enamored of supporting Dr. Jeremiah Wright, who was and is a part of the UCC. Continuing:

In growing congregations, all the clergy interviewed said it was crucial to encourage non-Christians to convert. In declining ones, only half the clergy agreed.

The study found that, in growing churches, pastors were even more orthodox than their congregations. In declining ones, the pastors were even more liberal.

Growing congregations were likely to be younger and have more children.

via On Religion – Canadian researchers find that doctrine really does matter, in terms of church growth – Columns

I don’t really think I have much to add to that, except that I told you so, and so did a lot of others here. A lot of the mainstream churches have become political clubs, or as I said once, coffee shops full of do-gooders, not houses of God. Well, the ones that remember the mission seem to be progressing in the mission.

Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Punishing & Healing

02 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by chalcedon451 in Faith, Salvation

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Catholicism, Christ, Christianity, Grace, Jesus, love

wrath_of_god-463x620

As human beings we are very familiar with legal codes and penalties; if we are caught transgressing the law, we can expect to be tried and, if found guilty, to pay a penalty of some sort. We see this in the Old Testament in the Deuteronomic Code: I sin, I am punished, I repent, God forgives me and restores me to his love. Te most revolutionary aspect of the Gospel message is that God still loves us though we are far off: Saul of Tarsus was not repentant, and yet God’s love reached him and he repented and followed God even unto death; unearned Grace saved him, and it is the same Grace, similarly undeserved, which will see us home of we repent and follow God’s precepts.

This runs so counter to our experiences as fallen human beings that we have trouble comprehending it. Jesus asked (Luke 7:42) who would love more, one forgiven a small debt, or one forgiven a large one? As the Word Incarnate he knew that true love stemmed from receiving forgiveness rather than from fear of being punished. It is understandable that so often the Christian message gas been spread in terms of the fear of God, but it is hard to see that as the main message coming from Jesus himself. He offers salvation to all who will receive him and his message, and that message is not based on frightening us, but on enlightening us, not on fear, but on love. I know there are those who have a visceral reaction to the word ‘love’ because of its use to effectively obscure the consequences of not turning to God and repenting. It may well be that there are those who have turned to God because of fear, but we are not presented with any examples in the New Testament of Jesus or the Apostles using such methods.

Punishment does not heal us. It may make us mindful enough to avoid whatever behaviour got us punished, or it may make us cunning enough not to get caught again, but it will not heal us – it will not make us good. Where Scripture talks of the ‘fear of God’ the Greek word ‘phobos’ is better translated as ‘respect’ or ‘awe’. In encouraging us to call God “Father”, Jesus encourages us to think in a way which can help us. So, though it may run counter to some modern child care theories, fathers do set boundaries, and they do so for the sake of their children; there are some things which are bad for children which they would, nonetheless, embrace if allowed (think child, think sweet-shop, think unlimited access to same). But a father who punished his child for an infraction with the threat that they would burn forever unless they behaved would not command ‘awe’ or ‘respect’, he would be someone to be reported to the authorities for child cruelty.

We have free will from God. He wants us to use it to embrace his love for us and to love him back. If we turn away from that offer, if we refuse that free Grace, then we exile ourselves – and in so doing, thwart his will for us which is that he should be all in all to us. In this Advent Season let us not turn away, but tread the road to Bethlehem.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Saved? An Advent reflection

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by chalcedon451 in Advent, Catholic Tradition, Faith, Salvation

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

Catholic Church, Christianity, Faith, God, Jesus, love

AdventWeek1

The major, but often unstated argument against the idea of universalism – that is that all will be saved – is that Christ was incarnated, died and was resurrected to save us. If we are all saved by God’s mercy, the question arises why did he bother? There was a purpose in his mission, his suffering and in the work of the Church he founded, none of which can be adequately accounted for in the belief that we are all saved. At the very least, the requirement for salvation is faith that Jesus is Lord and that we are saved through faith in him. It follows from this that, embracing our salvation, our new life in him should bear witness to the changes it has wrought in us. That’s not asking for the sort of behaviour which some of us might find excessive (although we might pull ourselves up a bit here and ask how else one is supposed to respond to the Good News that we are saved?), but it is to say that a faith which in no way evidences itself is a strange phenomenon (St James has harder things to say about this, of course). Now we can, and we do, argue about the Church, but as four years or so here shows (and as history confirms) this is a fruitless pursuit; but the churches all have in common the view that Jesus came to save us, and to offer us eternal life.

Now it may be, as some would argue, that the alternative to eternal life is death, extinction, non-existence, and we have discussed this here many times (as the link will show, a surprisingly large number). In my simple way, I take the many mentions of hell in the New Testament by Jesus to mean that there is a hell. I am quite content to think, with St Isaac the Syrian, that it is a state of separation from God that sinful and wilful men bring on themselves, and that the realisation of what one has done is like a burning pain, and I am uneasy with the literal view; but I know what my Churches teaches and reject the crude caricature foisted on us by atheists who ought to know better. But whatever view one takes, there is a place of separation from God, and it is a place from which, if we but knew it, we should pray to be saved. But we do not need to pray for a Saviour – we have one in Christ Jesus. Although, as a Catholic, I would, of course, say that the best place to find him is in the Church he founded, I don’t, as I say, want to be side-tracked by confessional disputes. I know many people who are better followers of Christ than I am if judged by their behaviour, and many of them are not Catholics, and if pressed I should simply say God is the only Just Judge and he alone can say who is saved and who is not; I should also add that I have found the Catholic Church the best place to find my Lord and could only say, if asked, that I am sure others would find it so too. But, and this gets us back to the main point of this post, the fact remains there is something from which to be saved. That being so, then unless all men embrace Christ as Saviour, they cannot be saved. Those who are ignorant of his holy name are in another category – that of invincible ignorance, and the failure is that of those who preach his name, not of those we have not reached. But again, the conclusion is that people need saving.

Our friend Bosco tells us truly that Christ is knocking at the door of our heart – and we should let him in, not because we fear hell-fire, but because we recognised in his out-stretched arms the love he first had for us. Now there’s a thought for Advent.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Viva el Cristo rey!

22 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by NEO in Catholic Tradition, Faith, Salvation, St Luke's Gospel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Christ the King, Christianity, church, history, Jesus

christ-as-kingThis was the cry of many Hispanic martyrs put before firing squads by socialist dictators.

“Long live Christ the King!“

I thoroughly agree with all that Chalcedon said in his reflections Sunday. While he writes from his Catholic perspective, I find them valid for us all. Is there any amongst us whose church doesn’t have similar problems?

But for us, as for the Catholics, last Sunday was Christ the King, and it is perhaps happenstance that we have been speaking recently of the two kingdoms, or perhaps it is not. One thing we do know is who reigns and rules in both Kingdoms. The reading Sunday was Luke 23:33-43, and I want to emphasize a bit of it.

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

If you can’t see yourself in the first thief, well I surely can in my mirror.

Dr. Gene Veith who is currently in Australia posted a bit from a bulletin note on Christ’s kingship from Pilgrim Lutheran Church there. I’d like to share it with you as well.

On this Last Sunday of the Church Year, the Day of Fulfillment, the focus of our readings is “Christ the King.” In Jeremiah 23 God denounced the kings of Judah as “shepherds” who had scattered God’s sheep.  But God also promised to “raise up for David a righteous Branch,” who “shall reign as king and deal wisely.”

In Luke 23 we see how this King would be revealed to the world:  dying on the cross for the sins of the world.  How hidden from the world is the wisdom of God!  It is seen only by faith.  The hostile religious leaders sneered and scoffed:  “A Messiah (the long-promised King) who can’t save himself!”  The pagan soldiers mockingly challenged him to save himself.  Pontius Pilate wrote a contemptuous yet official (and profoundly true!) superscription, “This is the King of the Jews.”  One of the criminals derisively called for proof of his messiahship.  But the other thief, admitting his guilt, looked to the tortured, dying Jesus and by faith saw Him for who He was:  the King who could save him.  And Jesus promised that he would be with Him in paradise today.  Jesus is the the merciful King who forgives even those killing Him and grants eternal life to a repentant sinner.

Still Christ our King comes among us, bringing the reign of God into our ordinary lives; not in dazzling spectacle but in the ordinary things He has commanded and in which He promised to be present to forgive, save, and give life:  water, word, bread, and wine.

One day, at Jesus’ second appearing, the veil will be lifted and Christ the King’s reign will no longer be hidden to human eyes, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil 2:10-11).  But for the time being the same Lord Jesus Christ brings the reign of God to us in humble ways, and looking to Christ Crucified we can joyfully say:  “This is my King.”

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

AATW writers

  • bozoboy87
    • Catholic Mass vs Biblical Salvation
    • Behold I Stand at the Door: Bosco writes
  • chalcedon451
    • Unclean lips: Sunday reflection
    • The Modern Age in arms?
  • No Man's Land
    • Crowns of Glory and Honor
    • Monkeys and Mud: Evolution, Origins, and Ancestors (Part II)
  • Geoffrey RS Sales
    • Material world
    • Christianity and religion
  • JessicaHof
    • Pope Francis: reflections by Phillip Augustine
    • The problem with religion?
  • Phillip
    • Biblical Exegesis: Primarily a philosophical discussion or historical?
    • Do Miracles need a priori knowledge?
  • NEO
    • Happy Thanksgiving
    • A Visit to a Lutheran Church.
  • Nicholas
    • Silence
    • The Argument from Coherence (5)
  • orthodoxgirl99
    • Veiling, a disappearing reverence
  • Patrick E. Devens
    • Vatican II…Reforming Council or Large Mistake?
    • The Origins of the Authority of the Pope (Part 2)
  • RichardM
    • Battle Lines? Yes, but remember that the battle is already won
  • Rob
    • The Road to Emmaus
    • The Idolatry of Religion
  • Scoop
    • The God of the Gaps
    • From being to Life; creation from the Progenitor of both being and living
  • Struans
    • Being Catholic
    • Merry Christmas Everyone
  • theclassicalmusicianguy
    • The war on charismatics
    • The problem with Protestantism

Categories

Recent Posts

  • The God of the Gaps Saturday, 14 December 2019
  • From being to Life; creation from the Progenitor of both being and living Friday, 13 December 2019
  • Biblical Exegesis: Primarily a philosophical discussion or historical? Wednesday, 11 December 2019
  • Bergoglianism: where we are, how we got here and where we’re going Saturday, 7 December 2019
  • Do Miracles need a priori knowledge? Wednesday, 4 December 2019
  • The Birth of God in Historical Context: An Examination of the Infancy Narrative of Jesus Christ Tuesday, 3 December 2019
  • The Road to Liturgical Hell Saturday, 30 November 2019
  • Happy Thanksgiving Thursday, 28 November 2019
  • Narcissism and the Novus Ordo Wednesday, 27 November 2019
  • The Unfaithful Prophets Monday, 25 November 2019

Top Posts & Pages

  • The God of the Gaps
  • Biblical Exegesis: Primarily a philosophical discussion or historical?
  • From being to Life; creation from the Progenitor of both being and living
  • Book Review
  • More on Pre-Wrath
  • Atheism: thoughts of Fulton J. Sheen
  • The Rapture: Part 4
  • The Birth of God in Historical Context: An Examination of the Infancy Narrative of Jesus Christ
  • Dagon fish hats and other nonsense
  • Plague and the Unfinished Cathedral.

Archives

Blogs I Follow

  • The Young Tractarians Podcast
  • Gavin Ashenden
  • Ahavaha
  • On This Rock Apologetics
  • sheisredeemedblog
  • Quodcumque - Serious Christianity
  • ignatius his conclave
  • Nick Cohen: Writing from London
  • Ratiocinativa
  • Grace sent Justice bound
  • Eccles is saved
  • Elizaphanian
  • News for Catholics
  • Annie
  • Outside In
  • Dominus mihi adjutor
  • Communio
  • Malcolm Guite
  • Bishop's Encyclopedia of Religion, Society and Philosophy
  • LIVING GOD
  • tiberjudy
  • maggi dawn
  • Equus Asinus
  • thoughtfullydetached
  • A Tribe Called Anglican
  • Living Eucharist
  • The Liturgical Theologian
  • Tales from the Valley
  • Men Are Like Wine
  • Acts of the Apostasy
  • www.newmanlectures.co.uk/home?format=RSS
  • Listening in the Desert
  • Karenwriteshere
  • Blog of the Courtier
  • Francis Young
  • Larry Hurtado's Blog
  • Thine Own Service
  • The New Oxonian
  • The Conciliar Anglican
  • Servus Fidelis ~ The Faithful Servant
  • Smoke of Satan & the Open Windows of Vatican II
  • nebraskaenergyobserver
  • The Lonely Pilgrim
  • Oxford Ordinariate Mission
  • Fr James
  • ORDINARIATE NEWS (from the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society)
  • Not For Itching Ears
  • Anglican Samizdat
  • Finite Reflections of Infinity
  • 1catholicsalmon

Blog Stats

  • 403,544 hits

Blogroll

  • Catholicism Pure & Simple A site for orthodox Catholics, but also all orthodox Christians
  • Coco J. Ginger says
  • Cranmer Favourite Anglican blogger
  • crossingthebosphorus
  • Cum Lazaro
  • Eccles and Bosco is saved Quite the funniest site ever!
  • Fr. Z
  • Keri Williams
  • nebraskaenergyobserver
  • Newman Lectures
  • Public Catholic
  • Strict and Peculiar Evangelical blog
  • The Catholic Nomad
  • The Lonely Pilgrim
  • The Theology of Laundry

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 7,321 other followers

Twitter

My Tweets

Tags

Abortion Anglican Communion Anglicanism Apostles Atheism Baptists Bible Bunyan Catholic Catholic Church Catholicism Cavafy choices Christ Christian Christianity church Church & State Church of England church politics conservatism controversy Deacon Nick England Epistle Eucharist Evangelism Faith fiction God Grace Hell heresy history Holy Spirit Iraqi Christians Jesus Jews love Lutheran Lutheranism Marian Devotion Martin Luther mission Newman Obedience orthodoxy Papacy Philosophy poetry politics Pope Francis Prayers Purgatory religion Roman Catholic Church Salvation self denial sermons sin St. Cyril st cyril of alexandria St Leo St Paul St Peter Testimony Thanks Theology theosis Trinity Trump United Kingdom United States works writing

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

The Young Tractarians Podcast

Gavin Ashenden

Restoring Orthodox Christianity as an Anglican

Ahavaha

On This Rock Apologetics

The Catholic Faith Defended

sheisredeemedblog

To bring identity and power back to the voice of women

Quodcumque - Serious Christianity

“Whatever you do, do it with your whole heart.” ( Colossians 3: 23 ) - The blog of Father Richard Peers SMMS, Director of Education for the Diocese of Liverpool

ignatius his conclave

Nick Cohen: Writing from London

Journalism from London.

Ratiocinativa

Mining the collective unconscious

Grace sent Justice bound

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” — Maya Angelou

Eccles is saved

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you ... John 13:34

Elizaphanian

“I come not from Heaven, but from Essex.”

News for Catholics

Annie

Blessed be God forever.

Outside In

Dominus mihi adjutor

A Monk on the Mission

Communio

"Fear Not, Only Believe." Mk. 5:36

Malcolm Guite

Blog for poet and singer-songwriter Malcolm Guite

Bishop's Encyclopedia of Religion, Society and Philosophy

LIVING GOD

Reflections from the Dean of Southwark

tiberjudy

Happy. Southern. Catholic.

maggi dawn

Equus Asinus

A life with donkeys

thoughtfullydetached

A Tribe Called Anglican

"...a fellowship, within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church..."

Living Eucharist

A daily blog to deepen our participation in Sunday Mass

The Liturgical Theologian

legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi

Tales from the Valley

"Not all those who wander are lost"- J.R.R. Tolkien

Men Are Like Wine

Acts of the Apostasy

The USO for the Catholic Church

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you ... John 13:34

Listening in the Desert

I'm totally dependent on You, Father.

Karenwriteshere

Hope isn't an emotion, but a daily choice. Choose hope.

Blog of the Courtier

by William Newton

Francis Young

Just another WordPress.com site

Larry Hurtado's Blog

Comments on the New Testament and Early Christianity (and related matters)

Thine Own Service

The New Oxonian

Religion and Culture for the Intellectually Impatient

The Conciliar Anglican

reflections on Anglican teaching and practice

Servus Fidelis ~ The Faithful Servant

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam ~ For the Greater Glory of God

Smoke of Satan & the Open Windows of Vatican II

"We would say that, through some mysterious crack—no, it’s not mysterious; through some crack, the smoke of Satan has entered the Church of God." __ Pope Paul VI

nebraskaenergyobserver

The view from the Anglosphere

The Lonely Pilgrim

A Christian's Road Home to Rome and Journey Onward

Oxford Ordinariate Mission

News and information about the Ordinariate in Oxford

Fr James

Thoughts and Reflections of a Catholic Priest

ORDINARIATE NEWS (from the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society)

This independent website/blog provides news of the Ordinariates worldwide and the remaining Pastoral Provision communities

Not For Itching Ears

Calling the Church Back to The Cross

Anglican Samizdat

Finite Reflections of Infinity

1catholicsalmon

Swimming upstream against the tide.

Cancel
%d bloggers like this: