"It is dangerous for God to give high truth to highly educated people. There is 
a danger that in the furtherance of that truth it becomes mixed with an alloy of 
human reason. It pleased God on that first Christmas morning to give high truth 
to humble men, even shepherds in the fields." -- Unknown

"'But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his 
subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in 
Christ' (2 Cor. 11:3). Bible believing Christians must be careful not to be led 
away from the simplicity that is in Christ! We must never idolize any system of 
thought that contradicts God's Word. A. W. Tozer once said that the essence of 
idolatry is to imagine things about God and then preach them as truth."

"Regrettably, some will be lost, but God will not be the agent of their 
perdition. They are the ones who by their works have proven they knew not the 
Saviour and are thus cast into the lake of fire."  so, ...by their works have 
proven they knew the Saviour...

"But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in 
protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my 
responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

"Any attempt to be just a Bible-believing Baptist and you are labeled with the 
moniker of "Calminian;" obviously a derivative from the only two accepted 
systems."

"Solas. Belief and Teaching in salvation by Faith Alone (Sola Fide), through 
Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura), by way of Christ Alone (Sola Christus), 
because of Grace Alone (Sola Gratia), all for which to God Alone be the Glory 
(Soli Deo Gloria).* (Suggested Reading:  Canons of the Synod of Dort.)"

Jesus chose the apostles to be the earthly leaders of the Church. He gave them 
his own authority to teach and to govern not as dictators, but as loving pastors 
and fathers. That is why Catholics call their spiritual leaders "father." In 
doing so we follow Paul's example: "I became your father in Jesus Christ through 
the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15)."

Scripture (CCC 101-141) 
Scripture, by which we mean the Old and New Testaments, was inspired by God (2 
Tim. 3:16). The Holy Spirit guided the biblical authors to write what he wanted 
them to write. Since God is the principal author of the Bible, and since God is 
truth itself (John 14:6) and cannot teach anything untrue, the Bible is free 
from all error in everything it asserts to be true. 

(Catholic teaching on "Bible alone" - not what is meant by Sola Scriptura)
-----
"Some Christians claim, "The Bible is all I need," but this notion is not taught 
in the Bible itself. In fact, the Bible teaches the contrary idea (2 Pet. 1:20-
21, 3:15-16). The "Bible alone" theory was not believed by anyone in the early 
Church. 

It is new, having arisen only in the 1500s during the Protestant Reformation. 
The theory is a "tradition of men" that nullifies the Word of God, distorts the 
true role of the Bible, and undermines the authority of the Church Jesus 
established (Mark 7:1-8).

Although popular with many "Bible Christian" churches, the "Bible alone" theory 
simply does not work in practice. Historical experience disproves it. Each year 
we see additional splintering among "Bible-believing" religions. 

Today there are tens of thousands of competing denominations, each insisting its 
interpretation of the Bible is the correct one. The resulting divisions have 
caused untold confusion among millions of sincere but misled Christians. 

Just open up the Yellow Pages of your telephone book and see how many different 
denominations are listed, each claiming to go by the "Bible alone," but no two 
of them agreeing on exactly what the Bible means. 

We know this for sure: The Holy Spirit cannot be the author of this confusion (1 
Cor. 14:33). God cannot lead people to contradictory beliefs because his truth 
is one. The conclusion? The "Bible alone" theory must be false."

"If we are to be taught by Scripture we must believe that every man is 
responsible according to his light. The gentile is responsible to listen to the 
voice of creation. The Jew is responsible on the ground of the law. Christendom 
is responsible on the ground of the full-orbed revelation contained in the whole 
Word of God. If God commands all men, everywhere to repent, does He mean what He 
says, or merely all the elect? What right have we to add to, or alter, to pare 
down, or to accommodate the Word of God? None whatever."
-----

"Hell is a furnace of unquenchable fire, a place of everlasting punishment, 
where its victims are tormented in both their bodies and their minds in 
accordance with their sinful natures, their actual sins committed, and the 
amount of light given to them, which they rejected.  Hell is a place from which 
God's mercy and goodness have been withdrawn, where God's wrath is revealed as a 
terrifying, consuming fire, and men live with unfulfilled lusts and desires in 
torment forever and ever."

[CCC37] "In the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man 
experiences many difficulties in coming to know God by the light of reason 
alone: 
Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural 
power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal 
God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the 
natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles 
which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. 
For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend 
the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and 
influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in 
its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of 
the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the 
consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily 
persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at 
least doubtful.[Pius XII, Humani generis 561: DS 3875.] "

"Real salvation is not only justification.  It cannot be isolated from 
regeneration, sanctification, and ultimately glorification.  Salvation is an 
ongoing process as much as it is a past event.  It is the work of God through 
which we are "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom 8:29, Rom 13:11).  Genuine 
assurance comes from seeing the Holy Spirit's transforming work in one's life, 
not from clinging to the memory of some experience."

"Of course, there is an important distinction to be made between law and grace.  
But it is wrong to conclude, as Chafer apparently did, that law and grace are 
mutually exclusive in the program of God for any age.  Actually, elements of 
both law and grace are part of the program of God in every dispensation.  
Salvation has always been by grace through faith, not by the works of the law 
(Gal 2:16).  Clearly, even Old Testament saints who preceded or were under the 
mosaic Law were saved by grace through faith (Rom 4:3, 6-8, 16).  Just as 
clearly, New Testament saints have a law to fulfill (Gal 6:2; 1 Cor 7:19; 9:21).  
That is not "careless co-mingling" of law and grace, as Chafer implied.  Rather, 
it is basic biblical truth."

"Lordship salvation, defined by one who labels it heresy, is "the view that for 
salvation a person must trust Jesus Christ as his Savior from sin and must also 
commit himself to Christ as Lord of his life, submitting to His sovereign 
authority."

"We do not "make" Christ Lord; He is Lord!  Those who will not receive Him as 
Lord are guilty of rejecting Him.  "Faith" that rejects His sovereign authority 
is really unbelief.  Conversely, acknowledging His lordship is no more a human 
work than repentance (2 Tim 2:25) or faith itself (Eph 2:8-9).  In fact, it is 
an important element of divinely produced saving faith, not something added to 
faith."

"Those who teach that obedience and submission are extraneous to saving faith 
are forced to make a firm but unbiblical distinction between salvation and 
discipleship."

"Salvation is solely by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).  That truth is the 
biblical watershed for all we teach.  But it means nothing if we begin with a 
misunderstanding of grace or a faulty definition of faith."

"Faith, like grace, is not static.  Saving faith is more than just understanding 
the facts and mentally acquiescing.  It is inseparable from repentance, 
surrender, and supernatural eagerness to obey."

"... salvation is a gift, yet it costs everything."

"It is precisely here that the key distinction must be made.  Salvation by faith 
does not eliminate works per se.  It does away with works that are the result of 
human effort alone (Eph 2:8).  It abolishes any attempt to merit God's favor by 
our works (v. 9).  But it does not deter God's foreordained purpose that our 
walk of faith should be characterized by good works (v. 10)."

"I fear there are multitudes like Judas in the contemporary church.  They are 
friendly to Jesus.  They look and talk like disciples.  But they are not 
committed to Him and are therefore capable of the worst kind of betrayal."

"A real disciple, on the other hand, may fail Christ but will never turn against 
Him.  A true Christian might temporarily fear to stand up for the Lord but would 
never willingly sell Him out.  Inevitably, true disciples will falter, but when 
they fall into sin, they will seek cleansing and not wallow in the mire (2 Pet 
2:22).  Their faith is neither fragile nor temporary; it is a dynamic and ever-
growing commitment to the Savior."

"The Son of God became man so that men may become sons of God." C.S. Lewis

"God became the Son of Man that men may become sons of God." L. Walker

"Salvation is by grace and has nothing to do with human works.  But the only 
possible response to God's grace is a broken humility that causes the sinner to 
turn from his old life to Christ.  The evidence of such a turning is the 
willingness to submit and obey.  If disobedience and rebellion continue 
unabated, there is reason to doubt the reality of a person's faith."

"If a profession of faith in Christ does not grow out of a deep sense of 
lostness; if it is not accompanied by an inner conviction of sin, if it does not 
include a tremendous desire for the willingness to deny self, to sacrifice, and 
to suffer for His sake, then it is without a proper root.  It is only a matter 
of time before the flourishing growth withers and dies."

"Christians are not supposed to live like unsaved people."

"If repentance, holiness of life, and submission to the lordship of Christ are 
all optional, why should we expect the redeemed to differ from the heathen?  Who 
is to say that people might not be believers, just because they live in stubborn 
rebellion against God?  If one claims to be a believer, why not take his word 
for it?"

"When Scripture acknowledges the difficulty of telling the sheep from the goats, 
the point is not that Christians may seem ungodly, but rather that the ungodly 
often appear to be righteous."

"God does not call His people to a ministry of inquisition.  Now is not the time 
to rip the tares out.  Our mission is not a political or military crusade, and 
this is not a time of judgment where we are called to distribute retribution.  
We are sent out rather to be ambassadors for Christ, emissaries of His mercy and 
grace.  And we are not here by accident.  We are planted by the Lord, in the 
world.  We should never try to escape that."

"Forsaking oneself for Christ's sake is not an optional step of discipleship 
subsequent to conversion; it is the sine qua non of saving faith."

"Both parables make the point that a sinner who understands the priceless riches 
of the kingdom will gladly yield everything else he cherishes in order to obtain 
it."

"Most parables have on main lesson, and if you allegorize, stretch the symbolism 
too far, or try to squeeze meaning from peripheral details, you will inevitably 
find a point where the illustration breaks down."

"Biblical interpreters know that the simplest and most obvious interpretation is 
the normal ..."

"... whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all he hath, he cannot be my 
disciple."

"This is how it is with salvation.  To the unregenerate mind, the thought of 
yielding everything to Christ is ridiculous.  But a believing heart surrenders 
to the Master with great joy.  The glorious freedom from sin and the unending 
blessings of eternal life far outweigh the cost of surrender to divine 
authority."

"It clings to no cherished sins, no treasured possessions, no secret self-
indulgences.  It is an unconditional surrender, a willingness to do anything the 
Lord demands."

"We are conditioned to think that inequity is always injustice."

"All salvation and true ministry is by the Holy Spirit.  Were it not for the 
Holy Spirit, there would be no followers of Christ save those who met Him 
personally. (John 16:7-15). Were it not for the Holy Spirit, there would be no 
scripture, no gospel. (2 Tim 3:16) and were it not for the Holy Spirit, none 
would believe.  There would be no faith. (John 6:65 and 6:44) And were it not 
for the Holy Spirit we would have no gifts or abilities to minister (1 Cor 12).  
Recognizing this our motives for ministry should be obedience to Christ's 
calling rather that ownership, pride or a sense of capability to save." Dave 
Klem

"It is important to note that salvation occurs first and foremost as God's 
initiative. The term predestination emphasizes this initiative at every step of 
our journey. Without God's initiative, we would fail. If God did not choose us, 
we could not be saved. If God does not draw us through grace and lead us to 
faith, we could not be saved. If God does not give us faith, we could never 
attain it on our own, and we could not be saved. If God does not cleanse us of 
our sins we could not be saved. If God does not bring us into the life of the 
church, we could not be saved. If God did not draw us back after sin, give us 
the grace of repentance, and give us the grace of perseverance, we could not be 
saved. It is even impossible, ultimately, to lead a moral life without God's 
assistance. Everything is grace, and without it we would fail."  Rev. Paul 
Walsh, CSB

"We know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that 
only those who know Him can be saved through Him."  C.S. Lewis

"Finally, by a high paradox, God enables men to have a Gift-love towards 
Himself.  There is of course a sense in which no one can give to God anything 
which is not already His; and if it is already His, what have you given?  But 
since it is only too obvious that we can withhold ourselves, our wills and 
hearts, from God, we can, in that sense, also give them.  What is His by right 
and would not exist for a moment if it ceased to be His (as the song is the 
singer's), He has nevertheless made ours in such a way that we can freely offer 
it back to Him."  C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

"'It means,' said Aslan [the Christ figure], 'that though the Witch knew the 
Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know.  Her knowledge 
goes back only to the dawn of Time.  But if she could have looked a little 
further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would 
have read there a different incantation.  She would have known that when a 
willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, 
the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.'" C.S. 
Lewis

Lamentations 3:21-23: This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. {22} It is 
of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail 
not. {23} They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. (KJV)

Great Paradox - God
It seems there exists a great paradox in most things God presents to us.  Massive 
dilemmas.  Biblical truth that fits no category.  The whole of the gospel is a 
series of categories which are completely foreign to our understanding.  This is 
the glory of the Gospel.  (Isa 55:9 NIV)  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(Jer 10:2 NIV)  This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations 
or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them.
(Prov 3:5 NIV)  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own 
understanding;
Some ideas:
- We obey and submit out of love and obedience gives us great joy.
- The righteous must pay for unrighteous.
- Must deny or lose life to obtain it.
- C.S. Lewis quote (as above)
- Sinners are called to repent (Bible, God, Evangelists, John Baptist, Jesus), but 
there is nothing in the sinner by which he can induce his own repentance.  We are 
called to repent, commanded to repent, we are damned to hell if we do not repent, 
yet at the same time there is nothing in the sinner that has any capacity to repent.
- Sovereign election and human responsibility. 
- We must continue to believe, yet we are kept by the power of God.
- We are responsible to live our own Christian lives, yet it is not us but Christ 
living in us.
- who teaches us to lose life in order that we might gain it, 
- that if we are going to live, we have to die, 
- that if we are going to reign, we must become a servant of others, 
- that if we are going to become rich, we must accept poverty and loss, 
- who constantly rules with undeviating justice, and yet with warm, heartfelt, 
absolutely unending love. 

No wonder Paul says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness 
of God is stronger than men," (1 Corinthians 1:25). At last we must cry out with the 
apostle as we stand before the greatness of God and say, "Oh, the depth of the riches 
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his 
ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33 KJV). What a God! What truth!

"... temporal affairs are treated primarily as material for obedience." Screwtape on 
ideas to be avoided.

God is what makes men noble.  L. Walker

Contentment is not having what you want, it's wanting what you have.  Unknown

"Real hope comes from Truth." -– Glenn Beck

The telegram read: I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope 
without it. – J. Gresham Machen

"The world, and ALL its facets, is cursed because of man's rebellion against God."

"The gospel got to me."

Forsaking All I Trust Him. (FAITH)

(CCC)
PROLOGUE 

"FATHER, ... this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." "God our Savior desires all men to be saved 
and to come to the knowledge of the truth." "There is no other name under heaven 
given among men by which we must be saved" - than the name of JESUS. 

I. THE LIFE OF MAN - TO KNOW AND LOVE GOD 

1 God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness 
freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, 
at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek 
him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, 
scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To 
accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as 
Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in 
the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

2 So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the 
apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore 
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and 
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have 
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." 
Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, 
while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that 
attended it." 

3 Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded 
to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in 
the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully 
guarded by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on 
from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in 
fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.

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Soli Deo Gloria