Sorry for the notes being a little discombobulated today, it was a bit of a weird Bible study session and I did doze off the last 10 minutes of the first half L I tried to stay awake but it was so peaceful!
1) Finishing the saga of 1 John 4
a) Three criteria for discernment
i) Moral
ii) Doctrinal
iii) Body of Christ.
b) Feelings
i) Three types of good/bad feelings
(1) Body=physical=pain/pleasure
(2) Mind=mental=happiness/sadness
(3) Soul=spiritual=joy/sorrow
ii) One can be in physical/mental pain yet still feel spiritual joy at doing the right thing and vice versa
2) Applicability of doctrine
a) There are no lone Christians.
b) All laws/doctrine applies to the “Church”
c) Prayer brings together the moral and doctrinal life.
d) The Church is the source of the Holy Spirit.
i) This comes at odds with people’s view of the humanity aspect of the Church is not always fulfilled, e.g. the priests, etc.\
ii) Of course, doctrine does not always reflect the actions of the Church members on behalf of the doctrine.
3) On the necessity for human intervention in salvation
a) No one gives physical birth to self.
b) Likewise, no one can baptize themselves either.
c) Therefore, we must submit to the priests that have been ordained in God’s name.
4) On the Bible.
a) We believe the Bible because we have been told it is true.
b) Since the Bible is a human tradition, there must be a central teaching authority.
5) Cutting out the middle man
a) We as humans always try to cut out the middle man
b) To do so is to circumvent the very men placed here by God.
c) Socially speaking…
i) We can be any person we want to be while by ourselves.
ii) It is when we are with others that our true colors show.
iii) This view is in direct contrast with the Protestant claim of “God and myself only”, which is a spin-off of sola fide
6) Obedience is where the truth lies!
a)
i) Church obedience goes as follows
(1) Obey EXACTLY what has been commanded, down to the littlest detail.
(2) Even if you’re better at something, you have the right to allow the person ot know your thoughts BUT you accept their verdict, regardless of outcome.
(3) Only reason you can disobey is if what a superior asks of you is against the Church but you must accept the consequences of your refusal with open arms and without reservation./
7) 2 John vs. 7
a) At times, it is necessary for us to judge.
i) The message of the Church has not changed since the beginning of the Church.
ii) There are no new spins on Christianity, nor any secret messages.
8) On “Packaged Christianity”
a) Most Catholics believe that following the routine below will get them into heaven.
i) Baptism
ii) Mass
iii) Eucharist
iv) On death, go to heaven.
b) Church is not a mechanical formula.
9) Purpose of the Church
a) It is to spread the good news and bring people in communion with God.
b) Church, however, is not the end-all to everything, since it is mortal and there is no Church in heaven
i) It is a vision.
c) We are all pilgrims passing through and no one gets out alive (mortally speaking, that is)
10) Real Christianity is Dangerous and Inconvenient.
a) Dangerous due to suffering required to follow the Way
b) Inconvenient because it makes one participate in the Spiritual War
i) Bible very graphic about hell and snatching people to it/from it.
11) God was an outcast
a) By today’s standards, He was an outcast.
b) Forsook by all and murdered.
c) The world will always choose Barrabas over Christ
i) He killed Jews, not Romans, and the Jews wanted him saved in place of Christ!
ii) Shows the hatred.
d) In the end, He became the slave of the world.
e) Apostles could not follow Jesus to the cross.
i) We have the Spirit through baptism
ii) The Apostles didn’t get the Spirit until Pentecost.
(1) Ran away, sold his name to save their lives, etc.
f) The purpose of Heaven/Hell
i) What is the purpose of heaven when you don’t believe in hell?
ii) Hell mentioned more times by Jesus than any other book in Scripture combined.
iii) If you reject hell because you don’t like it, then you must reject heaven as well.
12) Matthew 25:31-46
a) Only scene in Scripture where God is a judging God.
13) Saints
a) Every single canonized saint worked with the poor.
i) Every deed done to the poor will forever be written into the book of life. (Scripture?)
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