I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where... Read more
+ Martin Luther’s Superb Exegesis of the Passage 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (RSV) Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. [30] That is why many... Read more
Acts 15:9 (RSV) and he made no distinction between us and them [the Gentiles], but cleansed their hearts by faith. [similar: Weymouth, ESV] Protestantism formally separated sanctification from justification in a way contrary to the Bible. Justification saves through faith alone, according to their view. Sanctification and good works, on the other hand, are definitely encouraged and regarded as necessary in the Christian life, but are not a cause of either justification or salvation; only God’s grace and our faith accomplish... Read more
Acts 26:18 (RSV) . . . that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Protestantism formally separated sanctification from justification in a way contrary to the Bible. Justification saves through faith alone, according to their view. Sanctification and good works, on the other hand, are definitely encouraged and regarded as necessary in the... Read more
Romans 6:22 (RSV) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. Protestantism formally separated sanctification from justification in a way contrary to the Bible. Justification saves through faith alone, according to their view. Sanctification and good works, on the other hand, are definitely encouraged and regarded as necessary in the Christian life, but are not a cause of either justification or... Read more
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (RSV) . . . God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Protestantism formally separated sanctification from justification in a way contrary to the Bible. Justification saves through faith alone, according to their view. Sanctification and good works, on the other hand, are definitely encouraged and regarded as necessary in the Christian life, but are not a cause of either justification or salvation; only God’s grace... Read more
+ Luther’s ignoring of the biblical motif of “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16) The following is drawn from The Interpretation of the Second Psalm (March 1532), derived from the transcription of the “indefatigable scribe” Georg Rörer (1492-1557), possibly also from the notes of Veit Dietrich (1506-1549), who prepared it for publication in 1546 (see the Introduction in Luther’s Works, Vol. 12, viii). Since it is included in a set called Luther’s Works, the editors evidently concluded... Read more
From Martin Luther’s Thirty-Second Sermon, on Matthew 23:14, preached sometime “after March 27 and before September 25, 1538” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 68 [2014], 168-173): Now people do not give anything at all when the Gospel is being preached and people can pray correctly. Now they can find a pastor who does more than all the pope’s bishops, but they give him only about ten gulden. No one wants to give now, and if we did not have the stolen property of... Read more
Anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant apologist James Swan is again trying to make polemical and rhetorical hay out of a supposed dispute between myself and a fellow Catholic lay apologist; in this instance, my very good friend, Gary Michuta. He calls this post, “Why the Canon Is Closed According to Roman Catholic Apologists, and Why the Canon is Not Closed According to Roman Catholic Apologists” (3-14-12). Here is most of it: You can’t make this stuff up: The Canon is closed: “Scripture... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Bp. Barron’s Word on Fire Bible (The Promised Land)
I have reviewed the previous three installments of Bishop Robert Barron’s planned seven-volume Word on Fire Bible: Volume I: The Gospels, Volume II: Acts, Letters and Revelation, and Volume III: The Pentateuch. Volume IV: The Promised Land is, like all of the others, bound in beautiful leather, with page edges of brilliant gold foil. The text utilizes the NRSV version, and is chock-full of relentlessly insightful and interesting commentary from Catholic luminaries, as well as gorgeous reproductions of great Catholic... Read more