Steve Ray Helps Me Answer Protestant Bible Questions

Steve Ray
CatholicConvert.com
FootprintsOfGodPilgrimages.com
Follow Steve @Twitter.com/JerusalemJones

How does one receive salvation, justification, new birth,
and eternal life?
By believing in Christ (Jn 3:16; Acts 16:31)?
By repentance (Acts 2:38; 2 Pet 3:9)?
By baptism (Jn 3:5; 1 Pet 3:21; Titus 3:5)?
By the work of the Spirit (Jn 3:5; 2 Cor 3:6)?
By declaring with our mouths (Lk 12:8; Rom 10:9)?
By coming to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4; Heb 10:26)?
By works (Rom 2:6, 7; James 2:24)?
By grace (Acts 15:11; Eph 2:8)?
By his blood (Rom 5:9; Heb 9:22)?
By his righteousness (Rom 5:17; 2 Pet 1:1)?
By his Cross (Eph 2:16; Col 2:14)?
These guys take verses out of context — the whole issue in Romans and
Galatians is one of JEW and GENTILE — not Catholic vs. Protestant
Hop around the Bible quoting numbered sayings as though there is no
HISTORICAL or CULTURAL context!!
Not a verse slinging contest!!
“Bible Christians” (a misnomer, since Catholics are the real
and original Bible Christians), based on their recently
devised “Reformation” principle of sola Scriptura, study the
Bible with the following premises:
• 1. There is no binding authority but the Bible alone;
2. There is no official binding interpretation or interpreter; each
person ultimately is their own pope;

• 3. The Bible is perspicuous (i.e., easy to understand) and it can
be interpreted and understood by anyone.
• 4. An individual can/should read the Bible and interpret the Bible
for themselves.
Catholics have a different set of premises that direct their
study of the Bible.
• 1. The authority of the Apostles and the Church preceded the
Bible and the Tradition of the Church is an equally infallible
authority (2 Thes 2:15; CCC 80 83). The Bible is part of the
Apostolic Tradition.
• 2. The authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the prerogative
of the Catholic Church (1 Tim 3:15; Mt 18:17; CCC 85−88).
• 3. The Bible is not always easy to understand (2 Pet 3:15−16)
and needs to understood within its historical and contextual
framework and interpreted within the community to which it
belongs.
• 4. Individuals canshould read the Bible and interpret the Bible
for themselves— but within the framework of the Church’s
authoritative teaching and not based on their own “private
interpretation” (2 Pet 1:20−21). These basic differences place the
Catholic and Protestant worlds apart
Romans 10:9–10 “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is
Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For man believes with his heart and so is
justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.”
Hebrews 12:14 “Strive for peace with all men, and for the
holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
Philippians 3:9–12 and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that

depends on faith; 10 that I may know him and the power of his
resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in
his death, 11 that if possible I may attain the resurrection from
the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already
perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus
has made me his own.

Colossians 1:22–23 “ He has now reconciled you in His
fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him
holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you
continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not
moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 Process or Done-deal. SAVED is sōzō in
the present tense, not past tense
Not just for those coming to know the Lord, but Paul includes
himself — US!
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but
to US who are being saved it is the power of God.

2 Timothy 3:14–15 “You Timothy, continue in the things you
have learned [tradition passed down] and become convinced
of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that
from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are

able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you,
which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother
Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

Cult — only group following God’s will. What about a man who is
the only one who is the final word and thinks he is correct and
others are all wrong.

John 3:3 he uses to show he is saved, really? Who is born again
the Bible way.
1 John 5:13
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
To Gnostics — uses “if” 22 times