| Contraception a Culture of Death. Feigned Ignorance. |

| False Identity vs Everlasting Identity. |

| Lessons from the Trial of Albert Speer. Feigned Ignorance. |

| Protestant Reformers of the 16th Century. |

|Natural Law. |

| The Authority Having Jurisdiction. |

| Sin has a Double Consequence. |

God is Art Work.
175.jpg photographs.

| Rebellious Sinners Claiming:
Modern, Progressive, Inclusive, Personal Choice, or Legal Right. |

History: Salvation History | Scripture | Covenant |

The Canon of Scripture and Salvation

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The Council of Trent lists 45 books of the Old Testament not 46, because like the Traditional Bible (LV) it considers Lamentations part of Jeremiah. It also lists 27 books of the New Testament. This canon is exactly the same as the Traditional Bible (LV) as it was listed for over 1000 years before the Council of Trent. This canon was agreed upon (after much debate) by the earlier popes mentioned and both regional (provincial) and ecumenical official church councils or synods. Todays Catholic Bibles usually count a 73-book canon of Scripture, not 72. This is simply because they number the book of Lamentations separate from Jeremiah. However, once dogmatically defined, there can be no dispute as to the canonicity of the sacred books on the part of Catholics. Here are a few keywords and phrases to help in understanding what the Council of Trent did: reaffirmed, reiterated what had already been taught, dogmatically defined.

Early Protestant reformers of the 16th century like Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin promoted individual judgment and interpretation of the Bible. They rejected outside authority (John 17: 20 - 23) (Luke 10: 16) that is the Holy Spirit sent upon the Church by Christ to teach and guide the Church as a universal body in matters of faith and morals. In effect, we have the Korah revolt again on a grand scale (Num. 16:2 - 33) (Jude 1:4 - 8). Protestant churches then became fragmented into many thousands (well over 20,000) of Protestant denominations and growing. [8] They can have standards of moral behavior that will accommodate almost any lifestyle. They appeal to pride and self, by claiming to be "progressive" or "modern". They claim "rights" not given by God using appealing terms like "personal choice." For example, man was not empowered by God to cause abortion, or to use artificial contraceptives. To do so is usurpation of power, an illegal seizure; a wrongful encroachment of and violation of sacred space. It is sin. The early Protestant reformers of the 16th century also adapted a shorter, 66-book canon of Scripture. They have a large chunk of truth but not the fullness of the truth in the Church founded by Jesus Christ. It is the Protestant churches that are adopting relatively recent or novel doctrines like justification by faith alone (sola fide) and use of the Bible alone (sola scriptura) as the only source of divine revelation. They eliminated the deuterocanonical books of the Traditional Bible (LV) of the Catholic Church, which had been in use for over 1000 years, and which supported Catholic doctrine like prayer for the dead and Purgatory found in 2 Maccabees.

Wishful Thinking.
The Very Appealing Promise of Assurance of Salvation
(Eternal Security).

I wonder now, if the reformers would have done this, had they known at the time what we know today about the findings and analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran and the Hebrew versions of the deuterocanonical books? Both of these Protestant doctrines (sola scriptura, and sola fide) are unbiblical, unhistorical, and illogical. Oftentimes, along with these "sola is" (traditions of men) comes the very appealing promise of assurance of salvation (eternal security). [9] [10] This rash presumption of assurance of salvation could also be exegetical error in combination with wishful thinking, where God in scripture, is only speaking of a general plan of predestination or salvation. Either way, there is an abundant number of Scripture references that warn against a rash presumption of assurance of salvation. [11] [12] Here is a sample: (Matthew 7:21-23) (Matthew 24:12-13) (Luke 8:13) (John 12:47-48) (John 15:6) (Acts 20:29-30) (Romans 11:20-22) (Romans 2:6) (1 Corinthians 4:5) (Titus 1:16) (Hebrews 3:12-14). This Protestant doctrine of eternal security is not true and is corrosive to the Catholic doctrine of sacramental theology. Why bother receiving the sacraments if you've already been saved? According to some Protestant doctrines, eternal salvation can be achieved fast and with great simplicity by repenting and saying a short prayer something like this: "I accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior and believe it in my heart." Thereafter, your name is written in "the Lamb is book of life", and eternal salvation or security is assured here on earth, while you are still alive. This seems to conveniently bypass any judgment by Jesus Christ after death (Heb. 9:27). Does not Christ have a "vote" in the matter?

The Protestant Doctrine of Eternal Security.
A Psychological Trap.

The Protestant doctrine of eternal security is a psychological trap, and one that is all too easy to fall into. By providing a quick, simplistic answer as to how we are saved, and giving the person the comfort of assured eternal salvation, it discourages further inquiry into the fullness of the truth on this most important matter. This rather fast assurance of salvation helps to make Protestantism very popular. My personal feeling is that many people in the silent or quiet moments of their lives must know in their hearts that this fast, simplistic assurance of eternal salvation is too good to be true (Rom. 2:14-16). The natural law, the law written on our hearts of flesh, is calling us to seek the fullness of the truth in the Church founded by Jesus Christ (Jer. 29:11-13) (Deut. 6:4-6).

Playing With Fire.

Many people in following the 16th century reformers are deliberately choosing to reject Catholic Church authority and the channels of grace available to them in the seven (7) Sacraments. If they knowingly and willfully did this, on such an important matter, they could find out (perhaps to late) that it will be more difficult for them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God will respect their free will and the decisions they made, along with the grace and truth that they have received, and will place them in the proper eternal location or condition. The more grace and truth that they have received the more that will be expected from them (Luke 7:47; 12:48). Perhaps they feel they can live life their way, using their freedom to choose the truth when they want to, or abuse their freedom by choosing to do evil (contraception, abortion, etc.) when they find it convenient. You are only free to choose the good. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your spirit, and then do what you will. Many people joining a church for convenience of life style, are "choosing not to know" the fullness of the truth in the Catholic Church. They hope that they can somehow claim ignorance (or say it was controversial) and therefore escape culpability on their individual day of judgment. Feigned ignorance will not allow anyone to escape culpability ( Proverbs 24:11-12 ). This is like playing with fire. They choose not to turn and come closer to the fullness of the truth, which is a person Jesus Christ and who also is one with His Spouse, the Church (Eph. 5:32).

We are under the system of grace now where God will not only see our deeds, but also read the reflections of the heart (John 1: 17). God who sees the heart will judge us according to the intentions of our actions (or lack of actions, what we failed to do), not just the actions themselves. Did we ever "choose not to know the fullness of the truth?" Apparently, those who feel they have "nothing but a personal relationship between me and the Lord Jesus Christ" think they can somehow reject (or bypass) the teachings of the Catholic Church that Christ founded, and substitute for it the fast and simplistic teachings of the church they choose. This idea of just "Me and Jesus" is against the teachings of Saint Paul. "We... are one body in Christ and individual parts of one another..." (Rom. 12:5) (1 Cor. 10:16-17; 12:18-26). I believe Hell will have a plentiful population (Matt. 8:8-12) (Titus 3:10-11). It is our culture and time period that likes the words "personal choice" and "progressive" or "modern" because they appeal to pride and self. Pride and self swells to the extent that Sacred Tradition, Magisterial Teaching, and Sacred Scripture become as stumbling blocks to intellectual sophisticates being "progressive" or "modern". They invent new doctrines like indifferentism, moral relativism, or secularism, rejecting the truth and the grace that has been given to them. They would do well to consider: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8).

Many Protestant churches, trying to stay orthodox; yet trying to appease the culture and bias of the times, fragment under all the pressures. Yet, many people in these churches can still be saved because the will of God is for "all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). Those who because of "invincible ignorance", or because they did not have the opportunity to knowingly accept the graces of salvation won by Christ, can also be saved because of the presence of the Church in the world (1 Cor. 7:12-16). Because the Sacraments do not bind God, He makes the grace of salvation available to all in ways unknown to us. This "Baptism of Desire" (CCC 1258-60, 1281) and the grace of salvation is given to one who dies without explicit knowledge of Christ, but would have embraced the truth had it been presented. [13] Only God can judge the hearts of all, and judge their souls, and will determine their eternal destiny.

Footnotes:

[8] Handbook of Denominations In the United States, 11th Edition, Revised By Craig D. Atwood, abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee 37202-0801

[9] Eternal Security, By Charles Stanley, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee 37214

[10] How Can I be Sure That I Am a Christian? What The Bible Says About Assurance of Salvation. By Donald S. Whitney, NovPress, 1994

[11] Council of Trent, Session Six

[12] How can I get to Heaven? The Bible is Teaching on Salvation Made Easy To Understand, By Robert Sungenis

[13] Catechism of The Catholic Church, Second Edition, ISBN 0879739770

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