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Response to comment [from a Catholic]: [Praying the Rosary] "The key is in "as the heathen do..."

Catholics can claim all day long that their pagan, heathen repetitions are Christ-centered. But God knows of the idols in their hearts (Eze 14:3).

God does not hear the prayers of the wicked (Pr 15:29). When you are found in Christ, he will hear your prayer.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "When we call Mary "Mother of God," what that says about Jesus is actually far more important than what that says about Mary."

The Roman Catholic Church officially teaches that Mary is co-redeemer. This is not biblical. Only Jesus saves. God will not share his glory (Isa 42:8).

See:

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "...development in the Church."

Sell out. Corrupted by greed. The visable "Church" if filled with false teachers (2 Pet. 2:14, 15) as the Bible said it would be.

Look at your avatar. Do you worship the Eucharist? Worship of the Eucharist is idolatry. The Roman Catholic Mass blasphemes the name of the Lord.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "I think we are being harassed."

Attack the bad doctrine not the watchmen (Eze 33).

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: ""If we have received grace then aren't we expected to extend it to all others?.." It hurts me to see Christians attacking one another."

A Christian trusts in Jesus alone not a program (e.g. churchiosity or sacraments). Truth divides the believer from the make-believer (Mt 10:34). There is one gospel--the gospel of grace (Eph 2:8). We share this truth with others unashamedly (Ro 1:16).

See:

"...It hurts me to see Christians attacking one another."

Christians do not attack one another. They love each other. We are commanded to agree (1 Pe 3:8).

See:

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "...logic was in place with keeping the Bible in the Latin."

Roman Catholics have a long history of keeping the word of God from the people. Today, the Pope says read your Bible. That is an improvement from strangling men and burning them at the stake for trying to give out the word of God (e.g. William Tyndale).

Why would Catholics today wish for a return to the Latin mass? People in this country would not understand. Does it matter? Does the priest give out the word of God each service in a way that edifies?

Believers eat the word of God like bread daily [Mt 4:4] (not to be confused with Eucharist worship). Make-believers despise God's word (1 Thes 4:8).

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "What part of Hoc est corpus meum do you not understand? Your avatar is a sock puppet (and a pretty dirty one at that). Didn't your mom ever tell you that people in glass asylums shouldn't throw delusional stones?"

We were told to change avatars for Muppet/Dr. Seuss month. It was the best I could find. Address the issue not the sock.

"Are these words of Jesus from John 6:53 to be taken literally or figuratively? The Roman Catholic Church teaches the context of John chapter six and the above headlined verse 53 are literal. Thus Jesus is giving absolute and unconditional requirements for eternal life. In fact, this literal interpretation forms the foundation for Rome's doctrine of transubstantiation -- the miraculous changing of bread and wine into the living Christ, His body and blood, soul and divinity. Each Catholic priest is said to have the power to call Jesus down from the right hand of the Father when he elevates the wafer and whispers the words "Hoc corpus meus est." Catholics believe as they consume the lifeless wafer they are actually eating and drinking the living body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is a vital and important step in their salvation and a doctrine they must believe and accept to become a Catholic.

If priests indeed have the exclusive power to change finite bread and wine into the body and blood of the infinite Christ, and if indeed consuming His body and blood is necessary for salvation, then the whole world must become Catholic to escape the wrath of God. On the other hand, if Jesus was speaking in figurative language then this teaching becomes the most blasphemous and deceptive hoax any religion could impose on its people. There is no middle ground. Therefore the question of utmost importance is -- Was the message Jesus conveyed to the Jewish multitude to be understood as literal or figurative? Rome has never presented a good argument for defending its literal interpretation. Yet there are at least seven convincing reasons why this passage must be taken figuratively..." Full text: John 6:53: Unless You Eat My Flesh

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "The power of sanctification that is possible with faith in this sacrament cannot be expressed!"

The Eucharist is not where the Christian gets his power. We are empowered by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Worship of the Eucharist is false teaching and idolatry. Roman Catholics who believe this con are the victims of a dog and pony show--"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."

I knew an alter boy who used to mess around ringing the bell at the wrong time with his friends (this is supposedly the time when the priest calls down Jesus' presence from heaven to enter the Eucharist to be re-sacrificed by a man). Thankfully, the kid didn't believe the absurdity. The priest has no such power over the Lord. He never has. He never will. It has always been Satan's desire to be worshipped. Roman Catholics should ask themselves-- who do they honor during the blasphemous ceremony of the mass.

"Counterfeit Miracle

There is no Biblical precedent where something supernatural occurred where the outward evidence indicated no miracle had taken place. (The wafer and wine look, taste and feel the same before and after the supposed miracle of transubstantiation). When Jesus changed water into wine, all the elements of water changed into the actual elements of wine.

Drinking Blood Forbidden

The Law of Moses strictly forbade Jews from drinking blood (Leviticus 17:10-14) A literal interpretation would have Jesus teaching the Jews to disobey the Mosaic Law. This would have been enough cause to persecute Jesus. (See John 5:16)

Biblical Disharmony

When John 6:53 is interpreted literally it is in disharmony with the rest of the Bible. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you," gives no hope of eternal life to any Christian who has not consumed the literal body and blood of Christ. It opposes hundreds of Scriptures that declare justification and salvation are by faith alone in Christ.

Produces Dilemma

It appears that the "eating and drinking" in verse 6:54 and the "believing" in verse 6:40 produce the same result - eternal life. If both are literal we have a dilemma. What if a person "believes" but does not "eat or drink"? Or what if a person "eats and drinks" but does not "believe?" This could happen any time a non-believer walked into a Catholic Church and received the Eucharist. Does this person have eternal life because he met one of the requirements but not the other? The only possible way to harmonize these two verses is to accept one verse as figurative and one as literal.

Figurative In Old Testament

The Jews were familiar with "eating and drinking" being used figuratively in the Old Testament to describe the appropriation of divine blessings to one's innermost being. It was God's way of providing spiritual nourishment for the soul. (See Jeremiah 15:16; Isaiah 55:1-3; and Ezekiel 2:8, 3:1)

Jesus Confirmed

Jesus informed His disciples there were times when He spoke figuratively (John 16:25) and often used that type of language to describe Himself. The Gospel of John records seven figurative declarations Jesus made of Himself -- "the bread of life" (6:48), "the light of the world" (8:12), "the door" (10:9), "the good shepherd" (10:11), "the resurrection and the life" (11:25), "the way, the truth and the life" (14:6), and "the true vine" (15:1). He also referred to His body as the temple (2:19).

Words Were Spiritual

Jesus ended this teaching by revealing "the words I have spoken to you are spirit" (6:63). As with each of the seven miracles in John's Gospel, Jesus uses the miracle to convey a spiritual truth. Here Jesus has just multiplied the loaves and fish and uses a human analogy to teach the necessity of spiritual nourishment. This is consistent with His teaching on how we are to worship God. "God is Spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). As we worship Christ He is present spiritually, not physically. In fact, Jesus can only be bodily present at one place at one time. His omnipresence refers only to His spirit. It is impossible for Christ to be bodily present in thousands of Catholic Churches around the world.

When Jesus is received spiritually, one time in the heart, there is no need to receive him physically, over and over again in the stomach." Full text: Unless You Eat My Flesh: John 6:53

The bread is a symbol. the Lord spoke of the bread-- right before them. They would later understand the symbolism. Men were not created to worship bread. They were created to worship the Lord. Get rid of idols. Worship the Lord in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24).

The mass is a celebration of Jesus' death. Christians celebrate the living Lord. All that Satan says and does does leads to death. All that the Lord says and does leads to life.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "You would do a better job of actually analyzing the sacraments and engaging in some study behind the rationale and the history of transubstantiation instead of copying bits from websites. You will at least appear a lot more convincing..."

Ad hominem--address the false doctrine (2 Cor 13:5). I do not need to spend additional time analyzing Roman Catholic doctrine. Their sacrimentalism will never get a person saved. Those who study the Bible will quickly learn this. Regarding their rationale--Rome found it necessary to add apocryphal books to support their false teachings. Their "Bible" is no Bible at all. When you mix truth with error, the result is error (Ga 5:9). The books they use in their apocrypha did not claim to be inspired; they contain historical errors and have many other problems. If it is truth people want, scripture thankfully provides all that a person needs-- even after the centuries of deceit from the Roman Catholic Church.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "The Bible is so catholic that many are coming into the catholic fold because of it. The catholic Faith is the only one I see that can answer the scriptures fully from Genesis to Revelation.

1. Keys to the Kingdom (binding and loosing)
2. regular oral confession for healing and forgiveness of sins
3. leading the flock into all the truth
4. virgins for the sake of the Kingdom
5. formal, daily, corporate hours of prayer
6. daily teaching and fellowship
7. constancy of doctrine, developing as rungs on a ladder
8. doctors, saints, the Blessed Mother
9. Apostolic succession

No one else even attempts most of these, and they are all Biblical. These are too beautiful to even remotely consider living without them; they are from heaven, not from men. You err greatly."

"The concept of the kingdom and the keys must be understood from their usage in the first century. Peter and the disciples understood the kingdom to be the visible rule of Christ over the earth, not the spiritual rule of Christ over His invisible church. The king would rule from Jerusalem, free Israel from political bondage and destroy her enemies. After Israel rejected the offer of the kingdom, Christ began to teach about it from a different perspective. He taught that it would be a mystery, invisible, and progressive. It would be both present and future and could be entered only by regeneration. The kingdom would not be limited to the church, but would work through the church to proclaim the good news of God's redemptive rule..." Full text: Who Holds the Keys?

Opposition to God's Word: "As with so many other Catholic doctrines, Rome's teachings on confession and forgiveness stand in opposition to the Word of God. The following fallacious teachings are found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1423 to 1498. Through the sacrament of Penance, Catholics make "the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin." Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace. The sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. This sacrament is the second plank of salvation after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace. This second conversion is necessary because sin is a rupture of communion with God. Penance is the only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the Church. The authority of priests is expressed in Christ's solemn words to Simon Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mat. 16:19). "Bind and loose" means whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his..." Full text: Divine Forgiveness: Joyful Assurance or False Hope?

Catholic Traditions: "You nullify the Word of God by your traditions that you have handed down" (Mark 7:13)...Over the years many traditions have crept into the Roman Catholic Church, nullifying the Word of God and His saving grace. The following list shows a steady departure over the years from the pure Gospel of salvation. Each tradition goes directly against the truth of Scripture. Roman Catholics are required to believe all the doctrines of their church."

Year & Tradition:

431 Proclamation that infant baptism regenerates the soul.
500 The Mass instituted as re-sacrifice of Jesus for the remission of sin
593 Declaration that sin need to be purged, established by Pope Gregory I
600 Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints, and angels.
786 Worship of cross, images, and relics authorized.
995 Canonization of dead people as saints initiated by Pope John XV.
1000 Attendance at Mass made mandatory under the penalty of mortal sin.
1079 Celibacy of priesthood, decreed by Pope Gregory VII.
1090 Rosary, repetitious praying with beads, invented by Peter the Hermit.
1184 The Inquisitions, instituted by the Council of Verona.
1190 The sale of Indulgences established to reduce time in Purgatory.
1215 Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III.
1215 Confession of sin to priests, instituted by Pope Innocent III.
1229 Bible placed on Index of Forbidden Books in Toulouse.
1438 Purgatory elevated from doctrine to dogma by Council of Florence.
1545 Tradition claimed equal in authority with the Bible by the Council of Trent.
1546 Apocryphal Books declared canon by Council of Trent.
1854 Immaculate Conception of Mary, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX.
1870 Infallibility of the Pope, proclaimed by Vatican Council.
1922 Virgin Mary proclaimed co-redeemer with Jesus by Pope Benedict XV.
1950 Assumption of Virgin Mary into heaven, proclaimed by Pope Pius XII. Unbiblical Catholic Traditions

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "Latin is a very beautiful language. Have you ever heard the Mass and the prayers chanted? While I do not think that it should be enforced by canon law, I definitely think it should be a public option for people."

This is why I have seen parishioners fall asleep during the mass. God have mercy on a church that will not give out the word of God to edify.

"Revisit Luther and all the early Protestant reformers. They all believed in and supported the Eucharist as well as the nascent Marian doctrines."

I do not defend Luther. I defend and contend for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Get your eye off of men (ad hominem) and on scripture (2 Cor 13:5).

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: ""Ad hominem", apparently you have overcome your aversion to Latin."

Ad hominem is a type of fallacy (commonly used by the left by the way). Dismiss the person (or sock in this case) so that you do not have to address the issue.

"And yes, if you expect your critique of Catholic doctrine to be valid, then you do kind of have to study said doctrine rather than being dependent on what you think that doctrine means."

Ad Hominem. Address the issue not the person. I have studied Catholic doctrine. What I have addressed is official teaching. More importantly, I have studied the Bible. What Roman Catholics teach is unbiblical.

Catholics are accused of not studying their Bible, that is true. Generalizations are helpful. Are they always true? No, that is why they are called generalizations. I have found this generalization to be accurate.

"[I]f you are saying these books are not inspired, you are also calling into question all of the Old Testament."

Non-acceptance by the Jewish canon

"The Jewish Canon does not include the Apocrypha. This is significant as it was to the Jews that the OT was entrusted (Rom 3:1,2) and they are the custodians of the limits of their own canon. (Some of the Apocrypha books were written in Greek, not Hebrew).

The Jewish scholars of Jamnia (ca. A.D. 90) did not accept the Apocrypha as part of divinely inspired canon.

Philo, an Alexandrian Jewish teacher (20 B.C.- A.D. 40) quoted extensively from virtually every canonical book but never once quoted the Apocrypha as inspired.

Josephus (A.D. 30-100), a Jewish historian explicitly excluded the Apocrypha, speaking of the number of Jewish books which are divinely trustworthy, not leaving a place for the apocryphal books. . He numbered the OT books as 22 (the equivalent of the 39 books in the Protestant Old Testament). Josephus expressed the common Jewish perspective when he said that the prophets wrote from the time of Moses to that of Artaxerxes, and that no writing since that time had the same authority.

The Jewish Talmud teaches that the Holy Spirit departed from Israel after the time of Malachi, both of whom lived about four centuries before Christ, while the books of the Apocrypha were composed in the vicinity of two centuries before Christ.

There are several statements by Rabbis that prophecy ceased in the fourth century B.C. acknowledging that the Apocrypha was written in a period when God had ceased giving inspired writings..." Full text: Why Isn't the Apocrypha in the Bible?

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "The mass is not a re-sacrifice of Jesus. Someone has misled you."

"...Each Catholic priest is said to have the power to call Jesus down from the right hand of the Father when he elevates the wafer and whispers the words "Hoc corpus meus est." Catholics believe as they consume the lifeless wafer they are actually eating and drinking the living body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is a vital and important step in their salvation and a doctrine they must believe and accept to become a Catholic.

If priests indeed have the exclusive power to change finite bread and wine into the body and blood of the infinite Christ, and if indeed consuming His body and blood is necessary for salvation, then the whole world must become Catholic to escape the wrath of God. On the other hand, if Jesus was speaking in figurative language then this teaching becomes the most blasphemous and deceptive hoax any religion could impose on its people. There is no middle ground. Therefore the question of utmost importance is -- Was the message Jesus conveyed to the Jewish multitude to be understood as literal or figurative? Rome has never presented a good argument for defending its literal interpretation. Yet there are at least seven convincing reasons why this passage must be taken figuratively..." Full text: Unless You Eat My Flesh: John 6:53

"...[W]e are instructed to pray for each other and advised to seek the prayers of the righteous."

Repetitious prayer was not recommended by Jesus. Jesus said: "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words (Mt 6:6-7)."

"Paul told us to hold fast to the traditions, whether spoken word or written word."

Jesus asked: "Why do you break the commandment of God because of your traditions?" (Mt 15:3).

"The Deuterocanonicals were always part of the Christian bible until protestants removed these books."

"The nation of Israel treated the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books with respect, but never accepted them as true books of the Hebrew Bible. The early Christian church debated the status of the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals, but few early Christians believed they belonged in the canon of Scripture. The New Testament quotes from the Old Testament hundreds of times, but nowhere quotes or alludes to any of the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical books. Further, there are many proven errors and contradictions in the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals. Here are a few websites that demonstrate these errors...

...While many Catholics accepted the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals previously, the Roman Catholic Church officially added the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals to their Bible at the Council of Trent in the mid 1500’s A.D., primarily in response to the Protestant Reformation." Full text: Do the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical books belong in the Bible?

[1922 Virgin Mary proclaimed co-redeemer with Jesus by Pope Benedict XV] "Do you know what this means? I doubt it."

That would mean that Mary must be something other than a human being. Mary was a sinner in need of a savior like all people. Mary cannot hear prayer to her. Mary had normal relations with Joseph after the birth of Jesus. She was not the perpetual virgin that Roman Catholics teach.

[1870 Infallibility of the Pope, proclaimed by Vatican Council.] "Actually, that was Jesus."

"[T]here is no biblical basis for the Assumption of Mary. The Bible does not record Mary's death or again mention Mary after Acts chapter 1. Rather, the doctrine of the Assumption is the result of lifting Mary to a position comparable to that of her Son. Some Roman Catholics go so far as to teach that Mary was resurrected on the third day, just like Jesus, and that Mary ascended into Heaven, just like Jesus. The New Testament teaches that Jesus was resurrected on the third day (Luke 24:7) and that He ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9). To assume the same thing concerning Mary is to ascribe to her some of the attributes of Christ. While the idea of the Assumption of Mary is not heretical in and of itself; in the Roman Catholic Church, the Assumption of Mary is an important step towards why Mary is venerated, worshipped, adored, and prayed to. To teach the Assumption of Mary is a step toward making her equal to Christ, essentially proclaiming Mary’s deity..." Full text: What is the Assumption of Mary?

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "So the state of awareness of the congregants is the criteria you are using to judge the "rightness" of a church now?"

McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (5:471). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "Serpentdove, spamming up threads with links to websites may be a slight improvement over copying and pasting directly from those same websites, but it still does not mean you have a point. Actually, it means you rather slavishly let often dishonest, unscrupulous, or just plain clueless websites do your thinking for you. They aren't exactly careful about researching theses matters, you know. People like you and Dodge are proof that they don't have to be. You will accept it anyway."

A few housekeeping items: I tend to link to my own website as I find that I must refer to it often. I do my own thinking. I then back up with additional sources that support my argument. But thanks for asking. Again, ad hominem. Stay focused.

"Explain how you have looked into the matter yourself and why you agree with the position those websites would like you to unquestioningly assume is correct."

If a man has not had a baby can he not have an opinion about the murder of babies? Ad hominem. Keep on task.

"Just posting a bunch of links to laughably unscholarly websites repeating the same things that Catholics constantly hear from fundamentalists who have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.."

They really do know what they are talking about. Mike Gendron, who I referenced, was a Catholic for over 30 years. Ad hominem. Eye off Gendron. Eye on doctrine. Another good skill that should be noted: Eye off saint. Eye on Jesus.

"And, just to show everyone what I mean, I bet you're going to post some more links in response to this now."

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "There is only one Church, that speaks with one voice."

It is the tendency of all all cults and 'isms to proclaim that they are the one, true "Church" on earth. It is an elitist attitude. The Bible says that the true church on earth (pictured as a bride) is an organic body of believers worldwide. Whether a man resides in a hut or igloo or house, if he has received Christ as Savior then he is secure in the kingdom of heaven. Church membership will never get a man into heaven. Trust in Christ as Lord (not a church or program [an idol]). Religion can destroy a person. Why do you think Jesus had such harsh words for the religious leaders?

"[L]istening to anyone other than the Church which Christ founded is un-Scriptural..."

If you will not study the scriptures for yourself believing all that you hear from Rome (Ac 17:11), you will be a casualty of war . Read the epistle to the Galatians.

"What happened to all the poor souls who didn't have a Bible for 15 centuries (until the invention of the printing press). Did Christ err?"

McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:408). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[Jn 6:63]

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him [John 6:66].

"You can see that in the group there that day were the hostile leaders, the religious leaders. Also there was an undesignated number of disciples in addition to the twelve. And in the twelve was Judas. So you actually find four opinions concerning Him at this time. Many of these disciples—not the twelve—but many of the other disciples turned and went back."

McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:408). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

"This is what Jesus might ask a Catholic when He hears a disbelieving protestant. My answer is "Jesus I do not wan't to go away. I believe." So serpentdove, do you wan't to go away? Or do you believe?"

Elite-alert...elite-alert...elite-alert...(Ingraham).

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "Christ commands believers to listen to the Church."

False. Christ commands believers to listen to him (Jn 8:31).

"The Church is visible, and is the final arbiter."

Wrong. Christ is the final arbiter (Mt 28:18).

[James 2:21-24]

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only [James 2:21–24].

"Paul said that Abraham was justified by faith (see Rom. 4:3), and Genesis tells us that he was justified by faith (see Gen. 15:6; 22:1–14). Was Abraham justified when he offered his son Isaac? The question is: Did he offer his son Isaac? And the answer is: No, he didn’t. Then what was Abraham’s work of faith? How did works save him? His faith caused him to lift that knife to do a thing which he did not believe God would ever ask him to do. But since God had asked him, he was willing to do it. He believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham never actually offered Isaac, because God provided a substitute, but he would have done it if God had not stopped him.

This is a choice illustration of the fact that you demonstrate your faith by your actions. The action of this man was that he believed God."

James uses a second illustration—

Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? [James 2:25].

"How was Rahab justified by works? She received the Israelite spies, concealed them from her own people, then told them how to escape without being detected (see Josh. 2). That woman living there in the city of Jericho jeopardized her life by turning her back on her old life and on her own people. What was gain to her became loss. She did not say to the Israelite spies, “I’ll just stand on the sidelines when you enter the city and sing, ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow.’” She did not just say, “Jesus saves and keeps and satisfies.” She did not say, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” She said to them, “I’m going to do something. I will hide you because I believe God is going to give the people of Israel this land. We have been hearing about you for forty years, and I believe God.” My friend, she believed God, and she became involved. She was justified before God by her faith: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace” (Heb. 11:31). However, before her own people and before the Israelites, she was justified by works.

Many years ago I went to a nursery and bought a bare root which was labeled “Santa Rosa plum.” It wasn’t even as big as a broom handle, and it looked no more alive than a broom handle. I was told to put it in the ground in a certain way, and I did that. I watched it, and the next spring it began to shoot out leaves. In three years them were blossoms on it, and then there was fruit. Do you know what kind of fruit was on that tree? Plums. The root of that tree was a plum root.

Faith is the root, and the root produces the kind of fruit that the root itself is. If you have a living faith, there is going to be fruit in your life. Paul says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves …” (2 Cor. 13:5).

And James continues—"

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also [James 2:26].

"Faith without works is like a dead body in a morgue. James said that; Paul said that, and Vernon McGee believes both of them because they are giving us God’s Word for it."

McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (5:651-652). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[Jn 6:60]

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life [John 6:59–63].

"There was definite reaction to what Jesus had said and differences of opinion. Jesus tells them that they are not going to eat Him literally because He is going back to heaven. It is the Spirit that makes alive; the flesh profits nothing. So obviously, friend, He is not talking about His literal body. We are to appropriate the Lord’s Supper by faith. The juice in the cup is sweet, and I always taste the sweetness, remembering that He bore the bitter cup for me on the cross so that I might have this sweet cup. That sweet cup is to remind me that He shed His blood for me, and there is a spiritual blessing there.

“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” During my ministry, I have always read to the congregation from the Word of God during the Lord’s Supper. I find that the Word of God ministers to the hearts of the people. Why? Because the words of the Lord Jesus are spirit and they are life."

McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:408). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "And we hear Him through His Church."

We hear him primarily through his word. His true church on earth preaches the true gospel (one of grace not works). Church membership will never get you into heaven. Don't trust in the beauty of a church (Eze 16:15). No works can get you into heaven (1 Pe 2:9). You must be born again (Jn 3:7). Read 2 Timothy 3.

He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me [Luke 10:10–16].

"Our Lord solemnly speaks of the seriousness of rejecting His messengers—to reject them was to reject Him."

McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:291). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "But what about those who refuse to follow the Thru the Bible Commentary and the Thru the Bible Program interpretation? This just goes in a circle. Everyone thinks everyone else is rejecting the "true messengers"...and therefore rejecting Christ."

J. Vernon McGee taught the Bible book by book highlighting important passages. They still play his five-year Bible study on the radio daily. But I have other sources as well. I prefer to quote him first because he makes everything very simple--put the cookies on the bottom shelf where the kiddies can get at them, he used to say.

Don't trust any messengers (especially those who point to themselves). Trust those who point to Jesus. Test all things (1 Thes 5:21). Scripture is the final authority. Only the Holy Spirit can take the things of God and make them real to a person.