A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the Protestant Reformation, and the Catholic and Protestant churches have changed greatly. Many formerly Protestant churches are now completely apostate, and even deny the divinity of Christ, the Virgin birth, and the value of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross.
Many other Protestant churches that hold to these basic doctrines have become shallow and weak for other reasons, and often are little more than social clubs with little real concern for the Christian life of pilgrimage toward heaven and growth in grace. and sanctification.
However, I understand that Catholic churches are not always doing so well either, with many nominal Catholics who are not that concerned about doctrines, and a papacy that is very conformed to the world on a serious level even in the eyes of many Catholics.
We cannot now rely on any institutional church, but must work out our salvation in fear and trembling as the Bible says, relying only on the help of Christ and the truthfulness of the Word of God. And what if we misinterpret the Word? Shall we turn to some priests who may themselves also misinterpret the word?
Yes the catholic church is a mess right now but its still the true unchanging faith. Christ helps us also in and through proper submission to authority biblical magesterial and institutional.
Peter had great authority and worked miracle such as no Pope - or anyone else - has ever done. Yet, he was mistaken and corrected by Paul as we read in Galatians chapter 2. And, the current Pope is making statements and policies that seem to me to be wrong and contrary to be Scripture.
If a man is in prison and he has no prior religious background Protestant or Catholic, and he only reads the Bible in his cell with no one to counsel or advise him, do you believe he can be saved by faith in Christ and find eternal life by God himself speaking directly through the word? Or does he have to find some priest or minister?
I believe he does not. But if he later gets out of prison and wants to find some church for guidance and support, then if he is following God he will be led to the proper church for him, which does not have to be the only one true church. That is according to my understandnig.
Yes for an imprisoned convert the desire for baptism suffices. But should he be released he must be baptized and accept the catholic faith and submit to his bishop and pope.
The doctrine of papal infallibility was not proclaimed until 1870 - so how can it possibly be a necessary doctrine of Christianity? And from what I have heard about the current Pope I am not even sure he knows what Christianity is.
A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the Protestant Reformation, and the Catholic and Protestant churches have changed greatly. Many formerly Protestant churches are now completely apostate, and even deny the divinity of Christ, the Virgin birth, and the value of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross.
Many other Protestant churches that hold to these basic doctrines have become shallow and weak for other reasons, and often are little more than social clubs with little real concern for the Christian life of pilgrimage toward heaven and growth in grace. and sanctification.
However, I understand that Catholic churches are not always doing so well either, with many nominal Catholics who are not that concerned about doctrines, and a papacy that is very conformed to the world on a serious level even in the eyes of many Catholics.
We cannot now rely on any institutional church, but must work out our salvation in fear and trembling as the Bible says, relying only on the help of Christ and the truthfulness of the Word of God. And what if we misinterpret the Word? Shall we turn to some priests who may themselves also misinterpret the word?
Yes the catholic church is a mess right now but its still the true unchanging faith. Christ helps us also in and through proper submission to authority biblical magesterial and institutional.
Peter had great authority and worked miracle such as no Pope - or anyone else - has ever done. Yet, he was mistaken and corrected by Paul as we read in Galatians chapter 2. And, the current Pope is making statements and policies that seem to me to be wrong and contrary to be Scripture.
If a man is in prison and he has no prior religious background Protestant or Catholic, and he only reads the Bible in his cell with no one to counsel or advise him, do you believe he can be saved by faith in Christ and find eternal life by God himself speaking directly through the word? Or does he have to find some priest or minister?
I believe he does not. But if he later gets out of prison and wants to find some church for guidance and support, then if he is following God he will be led to the proper church for him, which does not have to be the only one true church. That is according to my understandnig.
Yes for an imprisoned convert the desire for baptism suffices. But should he be released he must be baptized and accept the catholic faith and submit to his bishop and pope.
The doctrine of papal infallibility was not proclaimed until 1870 - so how can it possibly be a necessary doctrine of Christianity? And from what I have heard about the current Pope I am not even sure he knows what Christianity is.