Whether or not a person who reads the Bible agrees with it, and repents of their sin. and puts their trust FULLY in Christ and his atonement for them on the cross has nothing at all to do with how many times they read the Scriptures. It has to do with the action of the Holy Spirit, and that ALONE. "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 No one can make themselves Christian - it is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible declares that we are "dead in trespasses and sins" Eph. 2:1 Of course it is speaking of spiritually dead. Dead people cannot do a thing to save themselves - never mind doing anyone else any good.
Demi, the difference between Catholicism and Protestanism is this. Martin Luther saw in his day, that the Catholic "church" had strayed far from the original Scriptures -- so much so that they had lost the gospel (good news). The reason that this had happened is precisely this - they allowed things other than Scripture (ie: papal decree, church tradition) to speak authoritatively (sp?) and put them on par with God's Holy Word. However, in Revelation, we are warned decisively not to do that -
"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: IF ANYONE ADDS TO THESE THINGS, GOD WILL ADD TO HIM THE PLAGUES THAT ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK: AND IF ANYONE TAKES AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF THE BOOK OF THIS PROPHECY, GOD SHALL TAKE AWAY HIS PART FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE, FROM THE HOLY CITY, AND FROM THE THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK. " Rev 22:18,19 (emphasis mine)
The Roman Catholic "church" has done just what was forbidden in the words quoted above with their papal decrees, traditions and what not. Demi, the things you say about Mary are not found in Scripture and are added by the Roman " church to their everlasting damnation. The Bible specifies that Mary was a sinner in need of a Saviour " My soul magnifies the Lord And my spirit has rejoiced in God MY SAVIOUR" (emphasis mine). There is no purgatory in the Bible and purgatory is a damning doctrine. Even if you are angry, please read on.
The Bible says in Ephesians - speaking of those who have been born again "For by GRACE (grace is unmerited or unearned favour) you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:8.9 (emphases mine). Salvation is a GIFT. You don't earn a gift, it is freely given. I once had a friend that tried to pay me for a gift I gave her. I was really offended. However, the RC "church" has stated that we must do penance, works of righteousnessmasses, confessions etc, etc, and in the old days, buy indulgences (for a fat, happy "church" - do they still do indulgences?) for salvation. They try to add to the work of Christ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> To try to add our own filthy works to the work of Christ is shameful and will bar His free grace from our lives. The Bible says that "He who lives by the law will die by the law." In other words, if we try to be justified by doing good deeds (the works of the Law) we will be judged by the Law. Anything less than perfection warrants hell. The Law is meant to be a tutor to bring us to Christ. In other words, if we REALLY study the law - and how Jesus expounded on the Law in the Beatitudes and elsewhere, we will finally reallize that "all our righteous deeds are filthy rags..." to God. There is NO WAY we can even come close to fulfilling the demands of the Law. By the Law, we stand condemned!! But, by realizing this, we will come to the end of our own self-righteousness and realize that without someone else to pay for our debt (lifetime of sin) we are lost. Jesus came to PAY IN FULL that debt for those who would fully trust in HIM and HIM ALONE for salvation. Good works only come afterward, as we show our gratefulness for all that He did for us. No true Christian will live as if sin does not matter. A true Christian realizes that without the sacrifice of Christ, and that ALONE, he would be eternally doomed. The RC "church" says that salvation can be bought by good works, penance, indulgences(?), confession, Hail Mary's etc, etc, etc. but that is like slapping Jesus in the face and saying that His work on the cross just is not sufficient. I repeat, the doctrines of the Roman Catholic "church" are pseudo Christian and, if believed, will damn a person for all eternity. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Read the Scriptures! Don't let some pseudo "church" seal your eternal destiny! Only when we are free from our continual striving to please God for our own salvation ( through what Jesus did for His people on the cross) can we then concentrate on doing good for others out of pure thankfulness to the God who saved us. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
