Without a doubt the Holy Spirit leads us to discovery and faith in God, but AJ, He does not call us to be isolated theologians coming upon faith alone. We are a community. You keep referencing the Church as a human construct. I submit to you that that is our biggest area of disagreement. I know, through what the Bible itself teaches, that the Church was created by Christ. He appointed St. Peter to be the guardian of the early Church, the ROCK upon which the Church would be built.
The Apostles were charged with defending the faith and teaching the faith, and they became the first Bishops of the early Church with Peter as their head as the first Pope.This is both historical and spiritual. Reading the Bible without the guidance of the Church leads to false doctrines and self-appointed theologies, which are potentially spiritually dangerous.
Your advice to Maple to pick up a Bible on her own, without guidance, is both foolish and dangerous to her spiritually. In the secular world we would never appoint a newbie to a job without providing training and guidance. The same is true of the Church. New members must be provided with instruction in the faith and guidance from the Holy Spirit through His Church.
Dear brother Sanctus, even though we both believe in the same God, we have technical difficulties pertaining to choice of worship.
"Upon this rock", has not a physical application but a spiritual one. To be able to "see" the spiritual application one must be able to see the through the eyes of the Spirit of God.
Natural eyes see the physical application of it, as well as all who question the bibles inspiration.
Yea bet I give the bible its true place, because it tells me what God is like, how He works and especially, how much He loves me.
How am I supposed to know who and how God is? By the church? Yes, they may point me in that direction, but it is up to me to search it out.
So the bible is the only true source by which one may get to know God personally, as it is a letter from Him to us.
Now, Jesus is the God of the new heavens and the new earth. It is all there confirmed by Him as He fulfilled all that was ever said about Him in the prophecies.
As I pointed out, but many failed to see or understand what I said about the name Yahshua.
Simply meaning that Yah is the Father Gods name and Shua is the word meaning salvation.
Those two words combined means, "The Fathers Salvation" or better understood as Jesus. (Yeshua)
I have no problem with the Catholic Church, only with its members. It's members should not settle for just the mere observations of the churches ordinances, but should truly seek out God in a more intimate way by searching out all they can about Him.
The same goes for anybody else in any church organization around the world.
"Faith without works"is a true statement brother Sanctus, but again, there is a spiritual message there also.
The spiritual message is this: If I have faith in Jesus, Jesus in me will do the works.
Otherwise, the motive for good works would be strictly for selfish reasons.
That was the jest of that example in the book of James.
Let me give you a verse which explains the spiritual side of the bibles words:
Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
"That day" is the day when we see through the eyes of God the things that are of God that are in His word, until then, we are as the blind, being able to see, but yet not see.
Darkness is a condition that shows lack of knowledge. Knowledge of either the physical world or of the spiritual world. The latter one is the one referred to as the blind eyes being opened, to hear the words of God and enabled to See Him.
We all have eyes to see and ears to hear, but many of us are deaf as well as blind. For what we ought to see, we see not, and what we ought to hear, we hear not.
How then can we see and hear?
Read the bible, pray for God to open your eyes and hear His words so that you may understand His love for you.
It is a proven fact, and I am here to testify of it.
I stake my life on it!
Peace>>>AJ:love9:
Thank you, moderator for the smiley heart transplant!!!!