Jesus brought me out of the Catholic Church; a letter by Tom Gaston
The following letter was written by my brother in Christ, Tom Gaston to his sister who wants him to come back to the Catholic Church. Tom left Catholicism 21 years ago when he found Jesus Christ. This letter sums up the best of why we follow Jesus Christ and Not the pagan church of Rome.
Tom Gaston
Rapturetj@comcast.net
begin quote:
Marie,
What I am about share with you in this email is not meant to be hateful toward you in anyway. Nevertheless I will be direct and to the "point" Scripturally speaking in what I share and discuss with you here. And I know that when I confront you with the Scriptures that it will no doubt upset you because God's word will always "offend" those who are not in complete "agreement" with what it specifically teaches. As a believer in Christ I must take a stand for the true gospel of Jesus Christ according to what Scripture teaches and not according to mans "teaching and traditions" which so many fall prey to in their "ignorance" of THE TRUTH.
First of all, if you would, please do not send me anymore "Roman Catholic" material, as I noticed that you have some below. And so since there is Catholic material connected to this email which you never decided to remove before you sent it to me, then you have "opened the door" for me to respond and share God's word with you and my heart. And I must say that all your prayers and sincerity are not going to convert me back to Romanism. I don't needRomanism as I have everything that I will ever need, and that is the salvation of my soul through faith in Christ alone as Scripture teaches. And there is no other name which has been given among men whereby we must be saved ( Acts 4:12 ).
I have already "received" Christ as my personal saivor by faith apart from my religious duty and religous works ( Rom. 3:10 - 28; Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7 ). I already have eternal life in Christ ( John 5:24 ). Heaven is my "next stop" when God calls me home, and not a made up place called "Purgatory." I do not need to return to Romanism which had kept me "blinded" to the true gospel of Jesus Christ for the first 21 years of my life. It gave me no hope, no assurance, no peace, no correct biblical answers, but always demanded of me to "perform religiously" in order to try and "attain" at best entry into a place that has been "invented" called "Purgatory."
And so the only assurance I had been given by theRoman Church after all the masses that I served, the9 first Friday's I made, communion, confession,praying the rosary, and on, and on, and on, was that I could be certain ( according to the Roman Church teaching ) that I would have to suffer in place called "Purgatory" ( which doesn't exist ) after I died so I could be "purged" of any sins which Jesus supposedly didn't die for when He went to the cross. This is a devils lie from hell!
I myself, Mark, Claudette, Suzanne, and Monica have truly been "born again" ( John 3:5,6; 1Peter 1:3, 23 ), and we have truly come to know Christ by simply trusting in Christ and His redemptive work which paid for all of our sins past, present, and future. We have received Him as our Savior by faith alone as Scripture teaches. Despite all your prayers and other family members prayers who still want to remain in Romanism I must say that you are wasting your time praying for "our return" to "mother Rome" because this will never happen! We have all found "The real Truth" which resides in Jesus aloneand His word.
I was saved by faith in Christ back in 1976 when our brother Mark came down from Peoria one Sunday afternoon to visit me, and he shared with me "for the first time in my life" the "true and clear gospel of Jesus Christ" which is "salvation by grace through faith in Christ" apart from my moral and religious works. And in all sincerity I have to say that I never heard once in all the 21 years as a Roman catholic the "true Gospel of Jesus Christ" which later saved my soul and made me complete in Christ( Colossians 2:13,14 ). And so 1976 was the year that our brother Mark shared with me the true gospel of Jesus Christ as "I called upon the name of the Lord to be saved that day ( Rom. 10:13 ).
1Tim. 2:5......"For there is "one God", and "one mediator" also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" ( Not Mary, Not the saints, NOT the pope, nor the "sacrements" of the Roman Church...etc...etc..etc.. ).
Titus 3:4-7......But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, NOT on the "basis of deeds which we have done" in righteousness, BUT according to "His mercy" ( Not Mary's mercy ), by the washing ofregeneration ( John 3:3-6; 2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15 ) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured outupon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior , so that "being justified by His grace" ( not works ) we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Romans 3:23, 24, 28....'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a "Gift" byHis grace through the redmeption which is in Christ Jesus.".....( v. 28)....."For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."
1Peter 1:3-5...."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercyhas caused us to be "born again" to a "living hope" ( Question: How ? It goes on to say...) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ( and for what purpose? In order ), to obtain an inheritancewhich is imperishable and undefiled and will NOTfade away, reserved in heaven for "you" who areprotected by the power of God through "faith" for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Hebrews 10:10-14....By this will we have beensanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands dailyministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He (Jesus ), having offered one sacrifice for sinsfor all time, sat down at the right hand of God,waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by "one offering" He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified ( Those who are saved and already set apart unto the Lord ).
Jesus while on the cross declared that HisRedemptive work was "FINISHED" in John 19:30. And if He stated that " IT IS FINSIHED", then ideed it its finished as we can add NOTHING to what He did, nor can we take away from it. And so it comes down to one thing, and it is this. One either truly believes what He said, or they don't! And those who are trying to "climb up" by another way other than what Jesus has already accomplished at the cross, then Jesus calls these people a "thief and a robber" ( John 10:1 ).
Hebrews 7:25...."Hence, also, He ( Jesus alone ) is able to save forever those who draw near to God "through Him", since He ( Jesus ) always lives to make intercession for them" ( Not through Mary, not through the pope and the Roman Church and its religious demands and dogmas which is according to "man"...etc..etc.)
Marie, I would advise you to look up everyone of the following Scriptures in God's word.
Justified by faith apart from works / Apart from religious works, duty, and dogma of man-made religions which includes the Roman Church and its practices in which many of their teachings are NOTsupported in Scripture, they are false ).
Romans 2:13, 3:4, 20, 24, 28
Rom. 4:2, 5:1, 0
Rom. 8:30
1Corinthians 6:11
Galatians 2:16, 17
Galatians 3:11,24
Galatians 5:4
Ephesians 2:8-10
Christ died once for all sin for all time.
Colossians 2:13-14
Romans 6:9-10
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Hebrews 7:26,27, 9:11-15, 9:24-28, 10:10-14
Here is what the Apostle Peter states. Yes, this is what your so called "first pope" has to say about it.
1Peter 3:18..."For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order to bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."
Marie, Jesus is NOT being "sacrificed" over and over again on the Roman Catholic altar whenever there is a "Roman mass" taking place. Jesus only needed to "die once for all sin" for all time, and He needs NOT to be sacrificed over and over again through a process which is a "reinactment" of Christ's death. Jesus does not need to ever die again! How do I know this? I know this from God's word and the His Scriptures which I have listed for you to read which are NOT the "word of man", but they are The word God given to man for our instruction ( Go read Heb.9:24-28 ).
The practicing of Holy communion in the Roman Catholic Church is NOT biblical. The Roman doctrine of "transubstantiation" is NOT even supported nor mentioned in Scripture as none of the Apostles of Christ taught it in their epistles to the Church. Therefore it is a "false doctrine." Jesus makes this clear in John 6:51-63. Therefore I want to reveiw this passage of Scripture.
John 6:51-63......I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will givefor the life of the world is My flesh”
Attention Marie: Jesus is NOT speaking about theRoman Catholic teaching of "transubstantiation" here, but He is speaking of the fact that He was going to give His own "physical body" over tophysical death for the atonement of "all sin" which would then provide eternal life to all those who would "receive and believe" in Him in order to become "children of God" ( John 1:12,13 ). The Greekword for "believe" in the Bible code NOT mean to give "intellectual assent" through your conscience as in an acknowledgment of God and His Son. But rather the word believe in the Bible actually means to "put your total trust and faith" in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life apart from any religious involvement and practice whatsoever.
( Continuing )....."Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood haseternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ForMy flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread whichcame down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
Attention Marie: [ Jesus will be explaining what He meant in these verses above in the following verses below which one has to continue to read in order understand these statements Jesus made. And the fact is that the Roman Church in their teaching stopright here with these verses and then they "insert" their false teaching on transubstantiation. They fail to "read on" in this passage in order to find out and understand what Jesus was really teaching here in this important text ].
( Continuing ).....These things He ( Jesus ) said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" ( They didn't understand what Jesus was talking about )” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does thiscause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? '
Attention Marie: [ Jesus knew that His disciples didNOT understand His statements. He knew what His disciples were thinking in that they thought that Jesus was speaking about "literally" eating His physical flesh. This is why they were confused. Therefore Jesus knowing this says to them...."What then if you should see the Son of Man acending back to where He was before." In otherwords Jesus is saying to them...."How can you possibly literally eat my physical flesh and literally drink my physical blood if I return back to heaven from which I came.]
( Continuing ).....It is the Spirit who gives life; theflesh profits nothing; the words that I havespoken to you are spirit and are life.
Attention Marie: Here in this last verse we find the "answer" to what Jesus was teaching His disciples in this passage of Scripture. Jesus Himself makes it very clear in that He was NOT suggesting nor teaching that we are to "literally" eat His physical flesh, nor are we to literally drink His physical bloodin order to have eternal life, but rather Jesus was using this example of His flesh and Hisblood in a "figurative sense", and not in a "literally sense" in order to teach a "spiritual truth."
Jesus used all kinds of "physical examples" like this throughout His ministry in order to get across a "spiritual truth." This passage of Scripture is where the Roman Church then "inserts their doctrine" oftransubstantiation which distorts and totally perverts the context of this passage of Scripture.
The "spiritual truth" which Jesus was conveying to His disciples here was for the purpose of teaching them that unless one "partakes of Him" by believing and receiving Him personally as their Savior, then they have "no life" in themselves. We know this from the text itself as Jesus states....."It is the Spirit ( Holy Spirit ) who gives life; the "flesh profits nothing; The words I have spoken to you are "spirit" and are "life." And so Jesus makes clear here that "the flesh profits nothing."
Therefore what good is this false teaching of "transubstantiation" which is an unscriptural and fabricated doctrine of the Roman Church. Jesus Himelf ( based on this passage ) would never changea "piece of bread " into His literal flesh whichspiritually would profit nothing for anyone! How foolish! Jesus Himself has already clarified that "It is the Spirit ( Holy Spirit ) who gives life." and so why would Jesus want to "violate" and "contradict" His"own word" which He has already spoken here in the gospel of John? It is the Holy Spirit who givesspiritual life to the believer. And according to Scripture it is also clear that no one ever receives theHoly Spirit by anyone receiving a "piece of bread" which supposedly has been changed through aninvented process called transubstantiation, but rather the Scriptures teaches clearly that the those who hear the gospel and put their "faith and trust" in Jesus Christ for their salvation are therefore "sealed" and thus placed into the spiritual body of Christ by the Holy Spirit from the moment they trusted in Christ.
Ephesians 1:13...."In Him, you also, after listeningto the message of truth, the gospel of your slavation- having also believed you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
Ephesians 4:30...."And do not grieve the Holy Spiritof God by whom "you were sealed" for the day of redemption ( the resurrection and the glorification of the believers physical body ).
1 Corinthians 12:13...."For by one Spirit we were allbaptized into one body...etc."
Romans 10:13....."So faith comes by hearing, andhearing by the word of God."
John 14:16, 17......"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be "with you forever" ( The Holy Spirit is the "Helper" whom Jesus is speaking of here, and of which He sent on the day of Pentecost after His ascension back to heaven )
John 5:24...."Truly, truly, I say to you. He who hears My word and believes Him who sent me "has" ( perfect present tense verb ) eternal life and doesNOT come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" ( No Purgatory teaching mentioned here by Jesus, is there! ).
God's word in Acts 7:48 states the following:....."However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands...etc."
Therefore it can be stated accurately here that theSon of God also certainly does NOT place "His literal flesh" in a "piece of bread" made with human hands through the so called act of "transubstantiation" which was "invented" by the the Roman Church. And again Jesus in John 6:51- 63shows this clearly by His own testimony.
God's word can be "trusted." But the problem with "Roman Catholic Church" and all those who practice it, and who have given themselves over to this false religious system and its teachings and dogmas is that they uphold their false "Church traditions and distorted false teachings" way abovethe authority of the word of God which are NOTsupported doctrinally in Scripture. And therefore when you confront any Catholic about the "error" of their beliefs and teachings by showing them what God's word says, then in retaliation and in their "defense" they run to and embrace the Roman Church traditions and teachings rather than "surrender" to the authority of God's word.
Galatians 1:6-9......."I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man ( The Roman Pope included ) is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Marie, so how do we know when "a religion" and its "teachings" are false, those teachings which requires its people to follow and obey "certain religious requirements" in order to obtain salvation? We know that they are false when they do not line upwith Scripture which is infallible! The Roman Church and "their vicar" ( the pope ) are NOTinfallible! God's word condemns such false teaching. It is a terrible thing for anyone to be "indoctrinated" into a false religion, especially after many years of indoctrination and practice since they become so rooted in what they have been taught as "truth" that it is almost impossible to help them see the "error" of their way and bring them out of it, except by the grace of God.
2Timothy 3:16......"All Scripture is inspired by Godand profitable for teaching, for reproof, forcorrection, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
This is where the problem lies with the Roman Church and its false teachings and dogmas Marie. And not only the Roman Church, but also every otherfalse religious system which would rather uphold "their traditions" above the infallible word of God. God's holy word, the Bible, is absolutely clear in itsinfallible instructions on how a person is to be saved and forgiven of all of their sins past, present, and future. And it is by "grace through faith alone" in the the already accomplished and finished work of Christ, and nothing else! Any other teaching "on this planet" which contradicts, perverts, and "adds to" the "true gospel of Jesus Christ" is "accursed"according to the Apostle Paul in Gal. 1:6-9. Salvation is NOT attained by the attempt of mixing "grace + works", but rather it is attained only by "grace through faith" in the completed work of Christ alone as Scripture clearly teaches.
Oil and water do NOT mix. And neither does "Grace" and "works."
I will close with the following.
Ephesians 2:8-10......"For by "grace" you "have been"saved, and that NOT of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works that "no man should boast." For we are "His workmanship" ( not our own ) created "in Christ Jesus" unto good works.
When someone truly gets born again, then this "new life" which they have received in Christ ( 2 Cor. 5:17 ) will then produce "the fruit of righteusness" which are deeds that the righteousness of God ( which they now possess ) produces in their lives as the result of their salvation which they have received from God through faith in Christ.
1Corinthians 1:30..."But by His doing ( God's doing ) you ( the believer ) are "in Christ Jesus", who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousnessand sanctification, and redemption."
Marie, Jesus said that He alone is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man comes to the Father but through Him." ( John 14:6 ). God's word is "The Road Map to real truth and real life." And if anyreligion and its religious teaching invites and brings
Tom G.
Rapturetj@comcast.net
I have already "received" Christ as my personal saivor by faith apart from my religious duty and religous works ( Rom. 3:10 - 28; Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7 ). I already have eternal life in Christ ( John 5:24 ). Heaven is my "next stop" when God calls me home, and not a made up place called "Purgatory." I do not need to return to Romanismwhich had kept me "blinded" to the true gospel of Jesus Christ for the first 21 years of my life. It gave me no hope, no assurance, no peace, no correct biblical answers, but always demanded of me to "perform religiously" in order to try and "attain" at best entry into a place that has been "invented" called "Purgatory."
And so the only assurance I had been given by the Roman Church after all the masses that I served, the 9 first Friday's I made, communion,confession, praying the rosary, and on, and on, andon, was that I could be certain ( according to the Roman Church teaching ) that I would have tosuffer in place called "Purgatory" ( which doesn't exist ) after I died so I could be "purged" of anysins which Jesus supposedly didn't die for when He went to the cross. This is a devils lie from hell!
I myself, Mark, Claudette, Suzanne, and Monica have truly been "born again" ( John 3:5,6; 1Peter 1:3, 23 ), and we have truly come to know Christ by simply trusting in Christ and His redemptive work which paid for all of our sins past, present, and future. We have received Him as our Savior by faith alone as Scripture teaches. Despite all your prayers and other family members prayers who still want to remain in Romanism I must say that you are wasting your time praying for "our return" to "mother Rome" because this will never happen! We have all found "The real Truth" which resides in Jesus alone and His word.
I was saved by faith in Christ back in 1976 when our brother Mark came down from Peoria one Sunday afternoon to visit me, and he shared with me "for the first time in my life" the "true and clear gospel of Jesus Christ" which is "salvation by grace through faith in Christ" apart from my moral and religious works. And in all sincerity I have to say that I never heard once in all the 21 years as a Roman catholic the "true Gospel of Jesus Christ" which later saved my soul and made me complete in Christ ( Colossians 2:13,14 ). And so 1976 was the year that our brother Mark shared with me thetrue gospel of Jesus Christ as "I called upon the name of the Lord to be saved that day ( Rom. 10:13 ).
1Tim. 2:5......"For there is "one God", and "one mediator" also between God and men, the manChrist Jesus" ( Not Mary, Not the saints, NOT thepope, nor the "sacrements" of the Roman Church...etc...etc..etc.. ).
Titus 3:4-7......But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, NOT on the "basis of deeds which we have done" in righteousness, BUT according to "His mercy" ( Not Mary's mercy ), by the washing ofregeneration ( John 3:3-6; 2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15 ) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior , so that "being justified by His grace" ( not works ) we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Romans 3:23, 24, 28....'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a "Gift"by His grace through the redmeption which is in Christ Jesus.".....( v. 28)....."For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of theLaw."
1Peter 1:3-5...."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be "born again" to a "living hope" ( Question: How ? It goes on to say...)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ( and for what purpose? In order ), to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiledand will NOT fade away, reserved in heaven for "you" who are protected by the power of Godthrough "faith" for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Hebrews 10:10-14....By this will we have beensanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He ( Jesus ), having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by "one offering" He hasperfected for all time those who are sanctified ( Those who are saved and already set apart unto the Lord ).
Jesus while on the cross declared that HisRedemptive work was "FINISHED" in John 19:30. And if He stated that " IT IS FINSIHED", then ideedit its finished as we can add NOTHING to what He did, nor can we take away from it. And so it comes down to one thing, and it is this. One eithertruly believes what He said, or they don't! And those who are trying to "climb up" by another wayother than what Jesus has already accomplished at the cross, then Jesus calls these people a "thief and a robber" ( John 10:1 ).
Hebrews 7:25...."Hence, also, He ( Jesus alone ) is able to save forever those who draw near to God "through Him", since He ( Jesus ) always lives to make intercession for them" ( Not throughMary, not through the pope and the Roman Churchand its religious demands and dogmas which is according to "man"...etc..etc.)
Marie, I would advise you to look up everyone of the following Scriptures in God's word.
Justified by faith apart from works / Apart from religious works, duty, and dogma of man-made religions which includes the Roman Church and its practices in which many of their teachings areNOT supported in Scripture, they are false ).
Romans 2:13, 3:4, 20, 24, 28
Rom. 4:2, 5:1, 0
Rom. 8:30
1Corinthians 6:11
Galatians 2:16, 17
Galatians 3:11,24
Galatians 5:4
Ephesians 2:8-10
Christ died once for all sin for all time.
Colossians 2:13-14
Romans 6:9-10
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Hebrews 7:26,27, 9:11-15, 9:24-28, 10:10-14
Here is what the Apostle Peter states. Yes, this is what your so called "first pope" has to say about it.
1Peter 3:18..."For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order to bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, butmade alive in the spirit."
Marie, Jesus is NOT being "sacrificed" over and over again on the Roman Catholic altar whenever there is a "Roman mass" taking place. Jesus only needed to "die once for all sin" for all time, and He needs NOT to be sacrificed over and over again through a process which is a "reinactment" of Christ's death. Jesus does not need to ever die again! How do I know this? I know this from God's word and the His Scriptures which I have listed for you to read which are NOT the "word of man", but they are The word God given to man for our instruction ( Go read Heb.9:24-28 ).
The practicing of Holy communion in the Roman Catholic Church is NOT biblical. The Roman doctrine of "transubstantiation" is NOT even supported nor mentioned in Scripture as none of the Apostles of Christ taught it in their epistles to the Church. Therefore it is a "false doctrine." Jesus makes this clear in John 6:51-63. Therefore I want to reveiw this passage of Scripture.
John 6:51-63......I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread,he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh”
Attention Marie: Jesus is NOT speaking about theRoman Catholic teaching of "transubstantiation" here, but He is speaking of the fact that He was going to give His own "physical body" over tophysical death for the atonement of "all sin" which would then provide eternal life to all those who would "receive and believe" in Him in order to become "children of God" ( John 1:12,13 ). TheGreek word for "believe" in the Bible code NOTmean to give "intellectual assent" through your conscience as in an acknowledgment of God and His Son. But rather the word believe in the Bible actually means to "put your total trust and faith" in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life apart from any religious involvement and practice whatsoever.
( Continuing )....."Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, sohe who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
Attention Marie: [ Jesus will be explaining what He meant in these verses above in the following verses below which one has to continue to read in order understand these statements Jesus made. And the fact is that the Roman Church in their teaching stop right here with these verses and then they "insert" their false teaching ontransubstantiation. They fail to "read on" in this passage in order to find out and understand what Jesus was really teaching here in this important text ].
( Continuing ).....These things He ( Jesus ) said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" ( They didn't understand what Jesus was talking about )” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does thiscause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? '
Attention Marie: [ Jesus knew that His disciples did NOT understand His statements. He knew what His disciples were thinking in that they thought that Jesus was speaking about "literally"eating His physical flesh. This is why they were confused. Therefore Jesus knowing this says to them...."What then if you should see the Son of Man acending back to where He was before." In otherwords Jesus is saying to them...."How can you possibly literally eat my physical flesh andliterally drink my physical blood if I return back to heaven from which I came.]
( Continuing ).....It is the Spirit who gives life; theflesh profits nothing; the words that I havespoken to you are spirit and are life.
Attention Marie: Here in this last verse we find the "answer" to what Jesus was teaching His disciples in this passage of Scripture. Jesus Himself makes it very clear in that He was NOTsuggesting nor teaching that we are to "literally" eat His physical flesh, nor are we to literally drink His physical blood in order to have eternal life, but rather Jesus was using this example of His fleshand His blood in a "figurative sense", and not in a "literally sense" in order to teach a "spiritual truth."
Jesus used all kinds of "physical examples" like this throughout His ministry in order to get across a "spiritual truth." This passage of Scripture is where the Roman Church then "inserts their doctrine" of transubstantiation which distorts and totally perverts the context of this passage of Scripture.
The "spiritual truth" which Jesus was conveying to His disciples here was for the purpose of teaching them that unless one "partakes of Him" by believing and receiving Him personally as their Savior, then they have "no life" in themselves. We know this from the text itself as Jesus states....."It is the Spirit ( Holy Spirit ) who gives life; the "fleshprofits nothing; The words I have spoken to you are "spirit" and are "life." And so Jesus makes clear here that "the flesh profits nothing."
Therefore what good is this false teaching of "transubstantiation" which is an unscriptural and fabricated doctrine of the Roman Church. Jesus Himelf ( based on this passage ) would neverchange a "piece of bread " into His literal fleshwhich spiritually would profit nothing for anyone! How foolish! Jesus Himself has already clarified that "It is the Spirit ( Holy Spirit )who gives life." and so why would Jesus want to "violate" and "contradict" His"own word" which He has already spoken here in the gospel of John? It is the Holy Spirit who gives spiritual life to the believer. And according to Scripture it is also clear that no one ever receives the Holy Spirit by anyone receiving a "piece of bread" which supposedly has been changed through an invented process called transubstantiation, but rather the Scriptures teaches clearly that the those who hear the gospeland put their "faith and trust" in Jesus Christ for their salvation are therefore "sealed" and thus placed into the spiritual body of Christ by the Holy Spirit from the moment they trusted in Christ.
Ephesians 1:13...."In Him, you also, afterlistening to the message of truth, the gospel of your slavation - having also believed you weresealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
Ephesians 4:30...."And do not grieve the Holy Spiritof God by whom "you were sealed" for the day of redemption ( the resurrection and the glorification of the believers physical body ).
1 Corinthians 12:13...."For by one Spirit we were allbaptized into one body...etc."
Romans 10:13....."So faith comes by hearing, andhearing by the word of God."
John 14:16, 17......"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be "with you forever" ( The Holy Spirit is the "Helper" whom Jesus is speaking of here, and of which He sent on the day of Pentecost after His ascension back to heaven )
John 5:24...."Truly, truly, I say to you. He who hears My word and believes Him who sent me "has" ( perfect present tense verb ) eternal lifeand does NOT come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" ( No Purgatory teaching mentioned here by Jesus, is there! ).
God's word in Acts 7:48 states the following:....."However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands...etc."
Therefore it can be stated accurately here that theSon of God also certainly does NOT place "His literal flesh" in a "piece of bread" made with human hands through the so called act of "transubstantiation" which was "invented" by the the Roman Church. And again Jesus in John 6:51- 63 shows this clearly by His own testimony.
God's word can be "trusted." But the problem with "Roman Catholic Church" and all those who practice it, and who have given themselves over to this false religious system and its teachings and dogmas is that they uphold their false "Church traditions and distorted false teachings" way above the authority of the word of God which areNOT supported doctrinally in Scripture. And therefore when you confront any Catholic about the "error" of their beliefs and teachings by showing them what God's word says, then inretaliation
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