I tried to explain Christmas was pagan to my first grade teacher.
I've come a long way.
Baptism does not take the place of grace. It IS grace -- and a channel OF grace.
How can the Christian be assured of eternal life?
My old quasi-Christian church taught we needed to "qualify for entrance into God's kingdom" through a life of obedience.
But what was the standard for passing the qualification test? I never knew. It was disconcerting.
Now I know the plain truth. In the simplest terms: repent, be baptized, and believe the gospel; then be sure not to die in the state of mortal sin.
That doesn't necessarily make it easy, but it makes it clear.
If we as Christians have eternal security (i.e., are "once saved always saved"), then why should we ask for God's forgiveness when we commit a new sin?
Isn't it already forgiven? What happens if we don't ask God to forgive us our trespasses from today?
Truth: The #eternalsecurity doctrine ends up nullifying the importance of daily repentance.
It would be a legalistic view of God if we think we can choose to turn away from him through intentional serious sin, but then say it doesn't really matter because I "accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior" when I was 14.
We have to name and claim our sins whenever we commit them so we can offer them to God -- so he can heal us and forgive us. Not just in the past, but now. Right now.
Jesus never tells us we no longer need to ask, seek, and knock. It's not one and done. He says we need to endure to the end.
I still reflect on how shallow my former religion was:
ποΈ We emphasized that Saturday (definitely not Sunday) was the true day of worship.
π₯© Real Christians don't eat pork.
βοΈ Easter is pagan, and you can't even fit 72 hours between Good Friday and Sunday morning.
π Christmas is pagan, and December 25 was not Jesus' birthday anyhow.
πΊπΈ π¬π§ You can't understand the Bible if you don't know the promises to Abraham are fulfilled in the Unites States and British Commonwealth.
βοΈ The Trinity is false -- there are two God Beings: the Father and the Son.
π«οΈ No one goes to heaven.
π₯ There is no everlasting hell.
π You would believe as we do if you just let the Bible interpret itself.
There were many more, but it was these kinds of things that made us stand out. These were the things true Christians believed; others were "counterfeit Christians."
It's extra sad when I see friends and family growing old with this kind of malnourished, non-salvific, false faith.
God have mercy on us all.
It might help us to see Christmas for what it is and to think of it accordingly if we stop using the word "Christmas" for a while - - and instead use a longer, more descriptive name, such as:
**The Feast of the Incarnation.**
It changes our perception for the better.
If we took it seriously, who then would ever listen to Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for the Feast of the Incarnation Is You"?
If the Apostle Paul was #Protestant, he would have started his own church.
There is no Christmas without Jesus being born of his human mother, who of her own free will said, "Let it be done to me according to your word."
Mary's central role in our salvation must not be undermined.
In doing good works, Catholics do not suffer from an irrational fear of possibly daring to earn their salvation.
They're just trying to do what Jesus said to do.
If they falter, they simply confess it and repent, and keep trying to live as Jesus taught us.
Stay humble and stack #indulgences.