I am sure you mean well and I will take your comment as such. But, it is absolutely condescending.
You know nothing about me and assumed a lot, not in evidence.
To be quite frank, it is that type of assumption that turns me off to Christianity. The reason is, you present a very simplistic understanding and then accept that to be the standard of what a "Christian" is.
Hang in there .Truth can hurt... no pain... no gain. either we suffer for doing right or suffer for the wrong in this world we will have tribulation daily.
Christians, I beleive have the understanding of God therefore not turning His understanding upside down, as the understanding of man's oral traditions called "apostolic succession" a term used by the Catholic sect .It has no biblical understanding
Catholic cannot trust the word of God as seeking the approval of God as a personal one, one on one relationship They must trust the fathers as that seen by worshipping the things seen ,
They take a literal view of the parables not receiving the spiritual understanding as that not seen, the eternal.... making prophecy of God without effect. Therefore they must seek after man seen as a source of faith . This is even though scripture clearly teaches us God is not a man and there is no daysman or what they call a Pope as a infallible teacher mediator as that seen which stands between God not seen and man seen. ,
They simply dismiss that teaching found in Job 9 just as dismiss the teaching in respect to the motive of operation of the antichrists, the many who were their during the first century in 1 john 2 .
These things have I written unto
you concerning
them that seduce you. But the
anointing which ye have received
of him abideth in you, and ye
need not that
any man teach you: but as the same
anointing teacheth you of all things, and
is truth, and is
no lie, and even as
it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in him.1 John 2 :27 -28
I have met many Christians, who claim to have Jesus as their "Lord and Savior" and know nothing about the Bible and can't or don't understand the Gospel, so I do not buy your assertion at all.
I would offer ...Big difference between not knowing what the bible teaches and making it to no effect through the oral traditions of men, called a law of the fathers, or what Catholics must call apostolic succession .
The idea that all we need is the Bible is ludicrous.
.
I would think its ludicrous to those who go above that which is written, making that seen the flesh the greatest (the apostles) .
Jesus said His flesh profits for nothing, nada ,zip It is his unseen Holy Spirit that he poured out as if it was blood .That which does quicken our souls is the power of his word His word id Spirit providing eternal spirit life to the believer.
Catholicism clings to the flesh looking to make everything literal to give it a face thyey can seek after. Christian walk by faith .
I would suggest doing a study on how the word faith is used and what is meant by no faith .Who it belongs to and how it can give us a understanding hid from the wisdom of the world. I think that is the reason for parables .Catholicism apposes the parables in the scriptures .They developed their own use of metaphors to show the language of their sect to be some kind of mother, The Pope has many tittles to help the increase of men worshipping him as that which they call venerating as clear form of worship
The Catholic simply must walk by sight seeking the approval of that seen as if the kingdom of God came by observation...... destroying the gospel (faith to faith) .The unseen spiritual understanding to the same faith... understanding of God.
They have a hope in being found with a righteousness of their ow selves. Making the righteousness of Christ without effect accrediting Christ to a unknown amount of grace therefore doing despite to the grace of God.
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith: as
it is written, The just shall live by
faith.
( His)Romans 1:15 -17
Even the apostles had the spiritual meaning hid from their understanding immediately when not understood they would look to put their faith in that which was seen and play the childish game of" who is the greatest" gets venerated (worshiped) as the highest as if Christ was not standing right in front of them .
Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.Then there arose a
reasoning (philosophical) among them, which
of them "should be greatest". And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. And
John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in
thy name; and we
forbad him, because he followeth not with
us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not agains
t us is for
us.Luke 9:44-50
The apostles did not mix faith in what they did hear and reverted to philiosophy, the intellectual gospel
Christ defines the
us and those who went out from
us , not the Pope and his workers with famailiar spirits (3500 and rapidly rising) that the Catholics must call" Patron saints".as a form of necromancy communing with the dead Three time Christ performed that work of hiding the spiritual meaning . In the end he declared to them; you know not the manner of spirit you speak from (the deceitful heart, not the new born again one)
I do not at all buy into that anti-intellectualism and I have seen and study the effects of people who just use the Bible and the biggest culprit was Martin Luther because he used that same logic to undermine the Catholic Church and Western Intellect when he said "All we need is the Bible alone, we do not need Aristotle!" and proceeded to remove his influence from European Thought, which had damnable effects that we still live with today.
It really has nothing to do with our intellect, but His thoughts... not ours . Just as the Jews like the Catholics who required a outward sign before they would commit faith, the same applies to the Greek who said show me God by our intellect as if we did know Christ after the philosophies of men as the wisdom of this world . The Catholic have a whole group of philosophers trying to make the word of God with out effect so again they can receive the approval of man seen and not God not seen. Instant gratification like in the garden ignoring the thing not seen (God) both stumbled over the cross
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;1 Cor 1:22-23
We simply do not know God who is unseen after the rudiments( flesh and blood)or the philosophies of this is world he cannot be found by looking in a microscope corrupted flesh and blood could never enter the new order.
So I will keep reading what I read and what "Faith" I have, I will continue to build up.
Built on whose faith, the unseen things of God or those of men, the imaginations of their own hearts. Who is the greatest the approval of men seen or of God not seen?
Colossians 2:8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.