Yarelis:

Welcome.

One of the major differences between the various Protestant Sects that sprung up since the time of Martin Luther and what has been taught by the Catholic Church since Jesus founded it circa 33AD is that most Protestants believe in an invisible Church, formed by people of all sects who are true believers. Other members of the sects are not true belivers and will are not “Saved”.

From the time of the Apostles the Church has taught that Jesus founded and authorized a Church. That Church was given the responsibility of preaching the message of Jesus, and doing what He commanded, ie baptizing, eating His body and drinking His blood, having authority to govern and guide it’s members. This Church was to have visible unity in Christ, and the sign of that unity was communion, or union with Peter, and Peter’s successors. Following the Biblical idea of Salvation and Justification, the Catholic Church maintains what the Bible actually says, rather than any number of novel ideas that have developed since Luther’s time.

Historically this is what happened. Martin Luther, who obtained his doctorate in Scripture from a Catholic University, (which is counter to the Protestant idea that Luther was the first man to pick up the Bible and read it himself, after all if he got his Doctorate in Scripture from a Catholic University we have at least one proof that the Bible was not a banned book as some Protestants erroniously proclaim) Luther when he split from all other Christians (Catholics and Orthodox were the only Churches around at the time) taught that all people should read the Bible in their own languages and decide for themselves what it means, guided by the Holy Spirit. Later in life he regretted his new teachng, but it was too late. Luther saw that people who just took the Bible in a translation were finding all sorts of things that were not really there. Salvation is an example.

Reading the translations of the Bible with no real background in what the writers were inspired to write can lead one to some very strange ideas. When you read the word Saved, in the origianal greek of the New Testament it gives you a different reading than interpreted by most Protestants. Saved, is not a done deal, but rather a transitional verb, the more correct translation is, in the process of being saved. For Protestants who read a translation they see and want to believe that once you say “Jesus is my Savior” you are saved, and there is nothing you can do to change that, Jesus did His job, and now you are going to heaven. But the Apostles, the Bible, and the Catholic Church never taught that. They taught like Jesus, that Faith a free gift from God brings us to the place where we can enter into a covenant with God. God continues to supply us with the graces and justification for our spiritual path of salvation. When we cooperate with God and His graces, we grow spirtually, and as St. Paul wrote, we “run the good race.” Or “work out our salvation in fear and trembling.” we see more clearly what the original text was teaching.

Unfortunatly there are many Protestants and a Catholics alike who fall under the false assumption that it is us who decides (claiming personal inspiration from the Holy Spirit) what the truth is. Something Jesus never promised. What He did promise was He would remain with the Church, that He would send the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) to Guide the Church, not to illuminate each individual to see something different. There are dozens of other things that Jesus said which you have contradicted by the misreading of the NT in your posts. We can take them one at a time if you wish, because the shotgun approach you’ve copied from your anti-catholic sources leads to much confusion, and clouds the issues.