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Protestantism

What Am I: A Biblical Born-Again Evangelical Protestant Christian

Born-Again: To be born again, or to experience the new birth, a "spiritual birth"

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." "How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit." --This is speaking of the second birth, that is of the Spirit of God.

Evangelical: One who believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone for Salvation

Protestant: The Christian faith that believes in justification of sinners through faith in Jesus Christ alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christianity.

Protestantism is in "Protest" of the teachings of the RCC (Roman Catholic Church). Some Catholics will claim that Christianity began with Catholicism. However, that is not true. Christianity has survived, despite Catholicism. Mary was a believer in Christ, hence a Christian, and was not a Catholic. Catholicism did not come into play till later in history.

Devout Catholicism:

Catholicism claims their popes go back to Peter and that Acts 9:31 in scripture is speaking of the Roman Catholic Church. While nothing could be further from the truth.

The scripture that the RCC uses is where Jesus asked Peter who he said Jesus is. To which Peter replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus then responded to Peter with, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Jesus was speaking to Peter about the truth that Peter spoke. The name Peter means little rock. Jesus is the Rock. It is the difference between the names "Christian" and "Christ." Jesus is truth; the Rock that Jesus would build His church on, not on Peter.

Now let's look at Acts 9:31, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."

Catholicism teaches that because the definition for "the churches" in the Greek language for this scripture means "universal church," that it is speaking of the Roman Catholic Church, because the word "catholic" means universal. Most every church out there that claims to be Christian has something in its title that technically could be found in the bible. That does not mean that all such churches out there are spoken of in scripture.

Fact is the only true church that is spoken of in scripture is the church that is spoken of in Acts 9:31. This would be the universal church of those who walk in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, a people who go to many different church gatherings, but are all part of the one universal body of Christ. This is the church that Jesus spoke of building, the one that the gates of hell shall not prevail against. It is a body of people spread out all over this world who are true biblical believers in Jesus Christ; a body of people that is not governed by the Roman Catholic Church, as the Roman Catholic Church falsely claims.

The Roman Empire persecuted the real church for 280 years in the history of Christianity. It was in the 300s when the Roman Emperor Constantine claimed to become a Christian and legalized Christianity in Rome. The Roman Catholic Church was soon formed, as a result of Constantine wanting to unify the people of Rome into one faith belief. Knowing that he could never get the people who practiced paganism to give up that practice, Catholicism became a mixture of some things from true Christianity and much from Roman paganism. This is why we see such things as Mary worship and praying to people who have died, among other pagan practices within Catholicism. This is also why Catholicism denies that the bible is the final authority and instead says the Roman Catholic Church is such, because they know that their paganism does not mix with scripture and that so much of what they do is not mentioned in the bible, as their church is not.

The RCC Catechism clearly teaches that if you know about the RCC and refuse to enter into or remain in it, that you are going to hell. So, do not be shocked that as a Christian who refuses to enter into the RCC that I am against the RCC.

The following is an excerpt from the Catholic Catechism (section 846): "Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it."

(Keep in mind that when the RCC speaks of "the church," it is speaking of the RCC.)

The Catechism makes the false claim that the RCC is necessary and claims that those of us who knowingly refuse to enter the Catholic Church are not saved, hence going to hell. So, keep this in mind if you get upset that I disagree with Catholicism. --Also, Jesus never said that baptism is necessary to be saved.

Debra...