How can use Scripture to counter Protestant claims about justification?

How can use Scripture to counter Protestant claims about justification?

Full Question

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "justification includes the remission of sins, sanctification, and the renewal of the inner man" (CCC 2019) Protestants deny that the last two of these are part of justification. What Bible verses can I use to show they are?

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff

Look up Romans 6:7. All standard English translations render this verse as some variation on the statement "He who has died has been freed from sin." The topic here is one of sanctification, the making holy of the believer, or the freeing of him from sin.

What is significant about 6:7 is that when it says the one who has died has been freed from sin, the word for "freed" is actually the Greek word for "justified." What it literally said was "he who has died has been justified from sin," yet the context is so obviously sanctificational that all standard English translations of the Bible rendered "justified from sin" as "freed from sin." This shows that there is not a rigid wall between justification and sanctification in the apostle Paul's mind. The semantic ranges of the two terms overlap.

Do the prophecies of St. Malachy suggest we are living in the end times?

Do the prophecies of St. Malachy suggest we are living in the end times?

Full Question

Someone in my parish told me about the prophesies of St. Malachy, which he claims, prove that we are nearing the end of times. What are these prophesies?

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff

St. Malachy was an Irish bishop who lived in the 12th century. By far the more famous of his prophecies concerns the sequence of popes.

The prophecy consist of 112 short Latin descriptions of future popes; the prophecies were discovered in 1590 and attributed to Malachy. Each description indicates one identifying trait for each future pope, beginning with Celestine II, who was elected in 1130. In some instances, the descriptions hit home in an uncanny way; they have led to centuries of speculation that the prophecy might be a real one.

For instance, the description of the future John XXII (1316-1334) is "de sutore osseo"--"from the bony shoemaker." This pope was the son of a shoemaker, and his family name was "Ossa," which means bone. In another example, "lilium et rosa" was the phrase used to describe the pope who would be Urban VIII (1623-1644), whose family coat-of-arms was covered with "lilies and roses."

Malachy's prophecy has been cast into doubt by the fact that the descriptions become vague from the 16th century on--about the time the prophecy was "discovered" in the Roman Archives. But there have been a few good matches in modern times. The phrase "pastor et nauta," meaning "shepherd and sailor," was attributed to John XXIII. This pope hailed from Venice, historically a city of sailors, and on the day he took office he indicated the goal of his pontificate was to be "a good shepherd."

There have been many more misses, though. Describing the popes to follow John XXIII are the phrases "flower of flowers" (Paul VI), "from a half-moon" (John Paul I), and "from the toil of the sun" (John Paul II), none of which is an obvious connection. After our current pope there are only two left in Malachy's prophecy, "the glory of the olive" and "Peter the Roman." The latter will supposedly lead the Church through many tribulations, concluding with the last judgment.

Is "Malachy's" prophecy legitimate? Probably not. The consensus among modern scholars is that it is a 16th-century forgery created for partisan political reasons.

10 Great Prayers from the Psalms

1.

Arise, Lord!

Psalm 3:1-7a

Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him." But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! 

2.
Better is One Day
Psalm 84:10-12

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

3.
Better than Life

Psalm 63

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

4.

Confession of Sin

Psalm 51:1-12

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned  and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

5.

God Knows You

Psalm 139

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand —  when I awake, I am still with you.

6. 

"I Will Never Be Shaken"

Psalm 30:6-12

When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”  Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

7. 

"My Soul Thirsts"

Psalm 42:1, 5

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

8. 

 

"The Lord is my shepherd" 

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

9.

"The Prayer of Protection"
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

Psalm 91

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. ”

10.

"Slow to Anger, Rich in Love"

Psalm 145: 1-16

I will exalt you, my God the King;  will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you  and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty — and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works — and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

What is the non-biblical argument against homosexuality?

What is the non-biblical argument against homosexuality?

Full Question

It is easy to show Scripture condemns homosexuality. Can a case be made without referring to Scripture?

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff 

One way is by showing how homosexuality violates natural law. Many people have a basic ethical intuition that certain behaviors are wrong because they are "unnatural." For example, virtually everyone would agree that bestiality (sex with animals) is unnatural. We perceive intuitively that the natural sex partner of a human is another human, not some lower animal. If one can argue in this fashion, then one can also argue (drawing on the same intuition) that the natural sex partner of a man is a woman and of a woman, a man.

This is also supported by considering the nature of reproductive organs. It is clear that in nature some things have inherent functions (called teleologies by philosophers). In the human body the function of the heart is to pump blood, of the teeth to tear and grind substances (usually food). Reproductive organs also have teleologies which can be easily discerned. The physical design of each organ, as well as the process of human reproduction, is geared for this function. To violate this arrangement is to engage in an unnatural act--thereby offending God, the author of natural law.

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff

What can I do about anti-Catholic materials in a Protestant bookstore?

What can I do about anti-Catholic materials in a Protestant bookstore?

Full Question

I went into a Protestant bookstore recently and found a bunch of anti-Catholic material on the shelves. What should I do?

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff

Explain and complain. Some book stores are not really aware they they stock anti-Catholic materials or do not have a strong commitment to carrying it, and pointing it out can get it taken off the shelves. The best thing is to approach the cashier and ask to see the manager (or assistant manager if the manager is not there). This will be the person who makes the decisions. In talking to the manager, stress three things:

First, stress the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church, citing examples of things that the manager will consider foundations of orthodoxy (e.g., the Trinity, the fact we are saved by grace and do not earn our place in heaven, that we must all repent of our sins and have a "personal relationship" with Christ).

Second, stress errors in the anti-Catholic material. Even if the manager doesn't mind carrying anti-Catholic material, he may mind carrying erroneous material.

Third, stress the hatefulness and divisiveness of the mind-set which motivated the production of the work.

Finally, give the manager something to read about the anti-Catholic material (e.g., This Rock's article on Dave Hunt's A Woman Rides the Beast or Christianity Today's exposé of Alberto Rivera).

Is it unbiblical to refer to ministers as "reverend"?

Is it unbiblical to refer to ministers as "reverend"?

Full Question

I do not think ministers should be called "reverend" because even in the King James Version of the Bible that term is only used once and then as a description of God's name (Ps 111:9)

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff

This objection is either silly or uncharitable--take your pick. Not only does it hinge on the use of terms in the King James Version (why not try to base the argument on a Catholic translation?), but it seems to be a gratuitous dig at non-Catholics (and, come to think of it, even at Catholic priests). It ignores the fact that there are a lot of individual terms that appear in the Bible only once, and some of them are in passages which apply them to God. This does not mean that in everyday life we may use those terms only in connection with God.

The term reverend does not mean that a person is equal in dignity with God or possesses divine attributes or even that he is to be revered for anything intrinsic to himself. A person bearing the title Reverend may be a thorough scoundrel. The title simply indicates that a person holds a position for which reverence is to be shown (as he has chosen to devote his full-time to ministry in serving God), whether or not he is a worthy occupant of that position.

Reverencing another human being is shown in Scripture. One will note that in 2 Samuel 9:6 Mephibosheth does reverence to King David, as does Bathsheba in 1 Kings 1:31. In Hebrews 12:9, children are said to revere their fathers, and in Ephesians 5:33 wives are instructed to revere there husbands. All of this is true and proper regardless of whether the husband or father or king (or mother or wife or queen) is a scoundrel or a saint. It is the office that is revered, not anything intrinsic to the person.

Your problem about the title Reverend results from an legalistic reading of Scripture, using the premise that if something isn't commanded or stated (e.g., "Thou shalt call men 'Reverend'") then it is prohibited. This is contrary to the basic principle of all law: That which is not prohibited is permitted.

Finally, Scripture requires us to show reverence for validly ordained ministers (e.g., 1 Thes 5:12-13, Heb 13:17; cf. Ex 28:2), and since they are to be shown reverence, it is thus perfectly appropriate to call them Reverend. It is also appropriate to use the title Reverend for Protestant ministers, not because we recognize their ordinations as valid (they aren't), but simply as a matter of courtesy.

Does the seal of the confessional go against the Bible's admonition to tell the truth?

Does the seal of the confessional go against the Bible's admonition to tell the truth?

Full Question

A recent court case involved a situation in which a prison system had taped a prisoner's confession without his knowledge or the priest's. (The prisoner and the priest communicated through a glass partition, I understand.) A Protestant minister told me that the tape should be allowed in court because the Bible requires us to tell the truth, not keep secrets, and thus there is no basis for a priest-penitent privilege.

Answered by:  Catholic Answers Staff

The Protestant minister is flat-out wrong. There are multiple verses in the Bible that talk about not revealing secrets (e.g., Prv 11:13, 12:23). While there is a biblical requirement not to lie, there is no biblical requirement to spill all the truth one knows whenever anyone asks.

Second, the minister appears to admit that the attorney-client privilege is valid and to be honored. But if what he says about the Bible requiring full disclosure to the authorities were true, this would demolish the attorney-client privilege as well, since what the Bible says about truth-telling applies just as much to lawyers as it does to priests.

Third, society deems the attorney-client privilege beneficial, even if some guilty people go free because of it. How much more beneficial is the priest-penitent privilege, which entails a requirement of true contrition! The advantage to the many in knowing that their sins will not be broadcast justifies the practice, even though it means some people guilty of criminal offenses (which are by no means the worst offenses discussed during confession) will escape civil (though not divine) justice.

Fourth, the Bible requires us to confess our sins to others (Jas 5:16). On the Protestant model one confesses to just anybody and does so for purely therapeutic purposes, not for absolution. Even in that model the confider-confidant privilege would be needed. People need to know that their sins will not be publicly revealed, or they will not confess them.

Finally, Catholics believe that the priest, in administering sacraments, assumes the role of Christ; what is said by the penitent is as inviolate as anything said directly to God in prayer.