Roman Catholic Beliefs- Part 4- Man's wisdom or God's wisdom

Part 4 of "Cathechism Chat"

Jesus said, "I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly."(John 10:10, Catholic Bible, Douay Version)

         I'll be mainly speaking to the Catholics but I love to talk to anybody about Jesus.
         The last article that I was addressing the Catholics, I was speaking on the subject of water baptism and showing that it doesn't save and using this to show by their own admission that the Catholic Church isn't needed but God does want all Catholics to truly repent and come to him and him alone for salvation. He loves you ever so much but if you reject his free gift, you have hell to pay and he surely doesn't want that.

         Also when I was on this particular subject of water baptism, I saw something else very interesting when I quoted Paul in 1 to the Corinthians Ch. 1:17. Now quoting it again, he said: "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in the wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void."

         And that is what I want to speak on today, "...not in the wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void." There are so many groups out there that think, 'If I just get a Phd, God will use me, if I use big words then people will know that I am spiritual or if I wear a suit or collar then they will have more respect for me or a nice title like "Father"? On and on we could go, the things that men do to exalt their position, yet God said just the opposite in 1 of St. Peter Ch.5:1-6 "The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech, who am myself also, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come:
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake, but voluntarily:
Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart.
In like manner, ye young men, be subject to the ancients. And do you all insinuate humility one to another, for God resisteth the proud, but to the humble he giveth grace.
Be you humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the time of visitation."

         First we need to see that this letter is written to God's people those who have been born of him, next we see that those who have received Jesus are to be humble not proud putting themselves on a pedestal expecting others to treat them better because I guess they think they are but they aren't. The word says,in Romans Ch.3:23 "For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God."
And by the way that includes Mary even when she was a virgin. That's why God had to become a man and become the one time sacrifice for the world because all are sinners and all need him, only him.

         Now back to being humble commenting some more from 1 of St. Peter Ch.5:5 "In like manner, ye young men, be subject to the ancients...."          I'm pretty sure that the priests? like this because they think according to Catholic doctrine that these ancients are Senior priests, per se. All that they are speaking about are mature, responsible Christians. But the key to all this is how this verse starts out - "In like manner..." So this verse is saying that in the same way that the older mature Christians (Elders) are subject to you be subject to them and this is verified by backing up to verse 3 which says to the ancients or the elders, "Neither as lording over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart"
         To be a pattern, you are doing to and for them what you are wanting them to do to and for you. Just being a pattern so they can follow your example.
         Even when God came in human flesh, he proved it continually by his life. He put others first and himself last. He even said, "You know that they who seem to rule over the Gentiles, lord it over them: and their princes have power over them.
But it is not so among you: but whosoever will be greater, shall be your minister.
And whosoever will be first among you, shall be servant of all.
For also even the Son of man also is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many."
That's in St. Mark Ch. 10:42-45.

         So we see from reading this that Jesus came to serve, to help others, to meet others' needs. And the apostles and disciples of the Lord followed suit and we can see by reading 2 to the Corinthians Ch. 4:5 which says, "For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ our Lord; and ourselves your servants through Jesus."

         I also want to get into speaking big, fancy words like the make-believe place called purgatory and God is supposely purifying Catholics there with fire because the shed blood of Jesus wasn't enough for them. Yet the word says in To the Ephesians Ch. 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace."

         And the ones that think that his grace isn't rich enough to completely forgive then believe me all the petty things that you can do won't help a bit, not even a little bit. I was reading in their book, 'The Documents of Vatican II' and all the weird things in it. I guess I can see to a degree why Christians don't study Catholicism and just take it for granted that they are Christians because they believe in the Trinity but they believe in more than the Trinity, the Pope is God to them and so are the priests and Mary is really higher that God. I've shared alittle with you last time how that they think if they re-word certain things about Mary like calling her a Mediatrix instead of a Mediator then they would solve the problem with the verse that says, "For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus:" 1 To Timothy Ch. 2:5

        And I said before in another message, one who mediates between God and man is a mediator and any other name doesn't change the function so Mary can't play that part. The Catholic Church also calls her an 'Advocate', they didn't even make it Advocatrix and even if they did it wouldn't have helped, of course, they probably could have kept some people deceived a little longer but once again the Bible says in 1 of St. John Ch. 2:1, "My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just:"
         It doesn't say we have some advocates with the Father but we have an advocate, that's one, no more- Mary is out again. I agree Mary is blessed but so are all Christians and I also agree that God chose her for a special, very special job and that is fanastic but she needed his forgiveness like anyone else. Remember when I was sharing last time where Mary said in St. Luke 1:46,47, "My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."

         Only a sinner needs God as a Saviour and Mary did need him as such.
         I started this article off using 1 to the Corinthians Ch. 1:17, now I want to read a few verses after that starting with v.18 which says: "For the word of the cross, to them that indeed that perish, is foolishness; but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God.
For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject.
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, buy the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe.
For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness:
But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser that men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For see your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble:
But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his sight.
But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, as it is written: He that glorieth, may glory in the Lord."

         So come to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is all that you need and more. He'll satisfy your hunger as no church or religion can do. He is what life is all about.

        As I have been showing in these messages that even the Roman Catholic perversions have enough truth in them to get someone saved but if you speak English then use God's true word, the KJV, to grow in his grace and truth after you have been born again.

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