Saturday, August 22, 2009

Proof of the Divinity of the Holy Spirit

Let's see what support there is from the Scriptures of the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

Those who deny that Jesus is God for baseless reasons also deny that the Holy Spirit is God. The reason for their denial is because they do not, implicitly, want to admit that there are three distinct divine Persons in One God (I'll talk about that in my next post). Let us go straight to the Scriptures. In referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus used certain action verbs that portray the Holy Spirit as an independent divine Entity. The action verbs are boldfaced:

When the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you
from the Father, he will bear me witness.” (John 15:26)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will not speak on his
authority, but what he hears, he will speak.” (John 16:13)

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the
Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart Barnabas and Saul (later Paul)
for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2)

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’”
(Acts 8:29)

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30)

We see that the Holy Spirit can be sent, comes, hears, bears witness, speaks and grieves. During the creation of the world, He was:

“… moving over the face of the waters.” (Gen 1:2)

Christ describes the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth.” That means the Holy Spirit is ultimately responsible for all truth. He exits, just as Satan, the spirit of all lies exists. (John 8:44)

As a distinct Person, the Holy Spirit had on occasions manifested Himself physically just as God the Father and God the Son had done on different occasions. The Father spoke to the patriarchs and the prophets in the Old Testament and His voice was heard. Adam and Eve heard the “sound” of Him walking in the garden (Gen 3:8). Jesus as God the Son came and people saw Him. God the Holy Spirit had also appeared to men in different forms: as a dove (Matt 3:16), as (tongue or flame of) fire (Exo 3:2; 19:18; Acts 2:3), as wind, breeze or noise (1 King 19:12; Acts 2:3). That is to say that the Holy Spirit exists as a living Entity.

Let us look at it this way. The Father is a Spirit and a Being. Jesus is a Spirit and a Being. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit and a Being. Thinking of the Holy Spirit as a Being rather than the Spirit of God (jointly of the Father and the Son), or as a Person will help understand Him better, for all spirits and persons (including humans) are beings, but all beings are not spirits. Since He is a divine Being (does the questioner still deny this?), He exits.

The Holy Spirit, the living Spirit of God (Gen 1:2) exits as a separate Entity.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Is Jesus Christ God? - Part Two

Today, I'll conclude my discussion on the divinity of Christ.

Now, if we go by the injunction of the Scripture to worship only God (Exo 20:3-5; Matt 4:10; Rev 19:10), then Jesus Christ is God since He was worshiped a good number of times. The three wise men from the East worshiped Him:

Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For
we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to
worship him … and going into the house they saw the
child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and
worshipped him” (Matt 2:2,11)

The man who was blind from birth that Jesus healed by mixing His spittle with sand worshipped Him:

He said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshipped him.
(John 9:38)

In awe, the apostles worshipped Jesus after Peter nearly sank in the water when Jesus bid him to step into the water:

And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly,
you are the Son of God.’” (Matt 14:33)

After the devil dared to tempt Christ the second time after He rebuked him once, Christ indicated that it is perfectly proper to worship Him as God:

You shall worship the Lord your God and only him
shall you serve.” (Matt 4:10)

Now there are numerous instances where Jesus is called God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1-2)

Paul tells the Romans:

… to them belong the Patriarch, and of their race,
according to the flesh, in the Christ, who is God over
all, blessed for ever. Amen.” (Rom 9:5)

And in his letter to Titus:

… awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:5)

Lastly, in adoration, Thomas the Apostle proclaimed:

My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)

And from the Old Testament, we see Prophet Zephaniah referring to Jesus in Mary’s womb as God:

Sing aloud O daughter of Zion; shut O Israel! Rejoice
and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
The King of Israel, the Lord (Jesus) is in your midst
(as infant in your womb); the Lord your God is in your
midst …” (Zeph 3:14-15,17)

The Good Thief said to Jesus on the cross:

Remember me when you come into your kingly power.”
(Luke 23:42)

By “kingly power,” the Good Thief must be referring to a spiritual kingdom, since as dying men, the question of an earthly kingdom was ruled out. As King then of this implied spiritual kingdom (heaven), Jesus is God, since there is only one King in heaven – God. Jesus confirmed that He is indeed King of heaven (God) by His firm promise of salvation to the repentant thief:

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in
paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Jesus Christ is Lord and God. May all honor, glory, adoration and worship be unto Him now and for ever! Amen!!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Is Jesus Christ God? - Part One

Today, I'll provide scriptural evidence of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Some Christian sects deny that Jesus is God. They prefer to call Him, “Son of God,” “Son of the Father,” “First Born of the Father,” etc. Understandably, admitting that Jesus is God implicitly means that there are three divine Persons in One God, if you include the Holy Spirit. So those who deny the trinity of God also deny that Jesus is God. But the Bible is unequivocal in referring to Jesus as God. Let us examine the Scriptures:

Jesus has all the attributes of God. He is the same with the Father:

He who has seen me has seen the Father... Do you not
believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?
The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own
authority; but the Father who dwells in me, does his
works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the
Father in me ….” (John 14:9-11)

Christ said that He and the Father are one:

I and the Father are one.”(John 10:30)

Elsewhere, He continues:

That they may be one; even as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee.” (John 17:21)

Since Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Him, and since He and the Father are One, and again, since the “Father dwells” in Him, He is God.

Christ has the same glory as God the Father. Since only God can have the same glory as God, Jesus is God:

And now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence
with the same glory which I had with thee before the
world was made.” (John 17:5)

Only God can forgive sins. As God then, Christ forgave the sins of many:

Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven … But that
you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth
to forgive sins.” (Matt 9:2,6)

Therefore I tell you her sins, which are many are forgiven …
And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 7:42-48)

He gave His apostles the power to forgive sins too:

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you
retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:23)

Also as God, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath:

For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matt 12:8)

It is true that Christ said that:

“The Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

But from the discussion of that passage, it is known that He was speaking of Himself as Man, because He said He was going to the Father. He could only “go” to the Father as Man. As God, He cannot go for He is everywhere with the Father, always. He is equal to the Father in everything, even in glory as we saw earlier.

Jesus also indicated that He is God when He asked the Pharisees whose son they thought the Messiah was, and they answered, “The son of David.” He then said to them:

How is it then that David inspired by the Spirit calls him
Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right
hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet.’” (Matt 22:41-44)

Clearly, the first “Lord” is God the Father, and the second “Lord” is Jesus, Who is both Lord and God.

One of the reasons the Jews had for killing Jesus was because He called God His Father; implying that He is also God:

This is why the Jews sought to kill him, because he … called
God his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

The Jews once took up stones to throw at Jesus and He demanded why they were intent on stoning Him. They replied:

Because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:33)

Jesus, knowing how serious a charge of divine impersonation was, did not deny the accusation; meaning that He is indeed God.

If we continue to reason along the line that as Son of God Jesus is God (John 5:18), then there are many instances where He is called the Son of God. Angel Gabriel called Him the Son of God:

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child
to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

John the baptizer testified that Christ was the Son of God:

I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son
of God.” (John 1:34)

The apostles also called Him the Son of God:

And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly,
you are the Son of God.’” (Matt 14:33)

The two demoniacs that Jesus permitted to enter a herd of swine that rushed down a steep bank into the sea called Him the Son of God:

What have you to do with us, O Son of God …?
(Matt 10:32-33; see also Luke 5:41)

In compunction of heart, the centurion called Jesus the Son of God after His death:

Truly, this was the Son of God.” (Matt 27:54)

Mark started his gospel clearly referring to Christ as the Son of God:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God.” (Mark 1:1)

God the Father also testified that Jesus is His Son during His baptism (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22) and transfiguration (Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).

Ok, I'll continue with more evidence in the next edition.

Have a blessed day!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Biblical Precedents of Image Veneration - Part Two

In this edition, we conclude our discussion on why Catholics venerate sacred objects and images. The Bible remains our reference book.

Elsewhere, we see God using Earth materials after making them sacred to heal people. He asked Moses to make a snake image and He (God) made it sacred; for those who had earlier been bitten by a snake for disobedience but now looked at the image of the snake became healed:

And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and
set it on a pole, and anyone who is bitten, when he looks
at it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and
set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would
look at the bronze serpent and he lived.” (Num 21:8-9)

In the New Testament, we read cases where ordinary handkerchiefs and aprons that made contact with the body of Paul became sacred objects that were used to heal the sick and drive away evil spirits:

And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of
Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried
away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them
and the evil spirits came out of them.” (Acts 19:11-12)

Peter’s shadow also healed people of their infirmities:

Many signs and wonders were done among the people
by the hands of the apostles … so that they even carried
out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and
pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might
fall on some of them … The people also gathered from
the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those
afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
(Acts 5:12-16)

Moses performed many miracles with his “sacred” rod after God Himself changed it from a rod to a snake and back to a rod (Exo 4:2-5):

You shall take in your hand this rod, with which you
shall do the signs (miracles).” (Exo 4:17)

Elijah’s mantle was also sacred and was used to perform a miracle:

Then he (Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen
from him, and struck the water (of the River Jordan), …
the water was parted to one side and to the other; and
Elisha went over.” (2 Kings 2:14)

The garment that Jesus wore was made and sewn with Earth materials, yet it was sacred for power did flow out of it (Matt 9:20-22; Mark 5:27-29; Luke 8:43-44).

There are many cases of incorruptible bodies of saints all over the world. Such sacred bodies merit veneration. Please see the book: The Incorruptibles, by Juan Carroll Cruz, TAN Books & Publishers, Inc. Rockford, Illinois 61105. A parallel example can be found in the Bible. A dead man was revived when his body was thrown hurriedly into the grave of Elisha as the people carrying his body sighted a group of advancing marauders:

And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band
was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha;
and as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived,
and stood up upon his feet.” (2 King 13:21)

Sacred relics like the bones of saints, such as Elisha’s, and sacred objects, such as holy medals and pictures, statues, scapulas, crucifixes, rosaries, etc should be venerated. The Bible sanctions it. Always ensure that a priest blesses your sacramental before you start using it.

Biblical Precedents of Image Veneration - Part One

Today, I have some time on my hands, so I'll just go ahead and clear the popular misunderstanding of what Catholics actually do when they venerate sacred images and objects (sacramental).

Catholics are often accused of “worshiping” certain people and objects, when in fact, all they do is venerate these people and sacred objects. To put the record straight, Catholics do NOT worship anybody or anything but worship ONLY God. However, they venerate holy pictures of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy angels, the crowned saints in heaven and other sacred objects or sacramental.

Sure, the Bible warns us strictly with severe consequences:

You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
you shall not bow down to them or serve them …” (Deut 5:8-9)

However, veneration of objects has its precedents in the Bible. The Bible treated some objects as sacred and any sort of profanation of such objects was punished. The Ark of the Covenant was built of Earth materials, yet it was sacred. God asked Moses to make two winged creatures (cherubs or angels) to be kept in the Ark where He dwelt:

And you shall make two cherubs of gold; of hammered
work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy
seat. Make one cherub on the one end; of one piece with
the mercy seat shall you make the cherub on its two ends.
The cherubs shall spread out their wings above, oversha-
dowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to
another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherub
be. There I will meet with you, and from the mercy seat from
between the two cherubs that are upon the Ark of the testimony,
I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment
for the people of Israel.” (Exo 25:18-19,22)

Solomon had engraved images of cherubim, trees and flowers in the sanctuary of the house he built for God:

In the inner sanctuary, he made two cherubim of olivewood …
He carved all the walls of the house round about with carved
figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the
inner and outer rooms …” (1 Kings 6:23-33)

On the panels that were set in the frames were (engraved
images of) lions, oxen, and cherubim.” (1 Kings 7:29)

The Ark (the dwelling place of God) was built of Earth materials, yet it was sacred and demanded reverence for:

1. The household of Obededom was blessed because of the presence of the Ark (2 Sam 6:10-12).
2. Uzzah stumbled on the Ark and died (2 Sam 6:6-8).
3. David rejoiced greatly with all his strength in honour of the presence of the Ark (2 Sam 6:12-19).
4. Seventy inhabitants of the city of Bethshemesh died because they dared to look inside the Ark (1 Sam 6:19).
5. The gods of the Philistines adored God in the Ark (1 Sam 5:1-5).

Here are some pertinent questions for those who accuse Catholics of “worshipping” images:

1. When the people of Israel showed reverence for the Ark, were they worshipping the two carved images of the cherubs (angels) inside the wooden ark itself or God Who dwelt inside?
2. Who killed the seventy inhabitants of Bethshemesh who dared to look inside the Ark – the two cherubs or God?
3. Who or what were the gods of the Philistines adoring in the Ark – the two cherubs or God?

OK, I'll stop this Part One here. In the next edition, I'll show more biblical evidence of image veneration, both in the New and Old Testaments.

Have a blessed day!

Does Purgatory Exist? - Part Two

In this edition, we'll conclude our discussion on the existence of purgatory. The Bible remains our source of reference.

Paul prayed to God to have mercy on the soul of his dead friend – Onesiphorus:

May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the
Lord on that Day.” (2 Tim 1:18)

Of course, Paul knew that his prayer would be useless if Onesiphorus was in heaven or hell, yet he prayed for the soul of his dead friend. That means he believed that he could be in a place other than heaven or hell.

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul indicated the existence of purgatory as he listed the inhabitants of heaven:

You have come to Mount Zion (the dwelling place
of God – heaven) and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels
(who were faithful during the angelic trials) in festal
gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who
are enrolled in heaven (that is, those who entered heaven
directly, e.g. the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the
apostles, the martyrs, etc), and to a judge of all (probably
referring to Jesus Who is both Judge and God), and to the
spirits of just men made perfect (most probably, souls of
righteous people who had an attachment to venial sin not
properly confessed or atoned for before they died but were
purified in purgatory).” (Heb 12:22-23)

The dying Tobit said to his son:

Place your bread on the grave of the righteous,
but give nothing to sinners.” (Tobit 4:17)

The curious question is: For what reason was this done? This was because he believed that any act of charity done for the poor had a purifying effect, which benefited departed souls.

The whole story about the existence of purgatory is told in 2 Maccabees 12:38-45. The story concludes, with unmistakable reference to purgatory in these words:

For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen
(died) would rise again, it would have been superfluous
and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking
to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall
asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
Therefore, he made atonement for the dead, that they
might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Macc 12:44-45)

Though the books of Maccabees and Tobit were rejected by the Protestant reformers and therefore are not in Protestant Bibles, one cannot ignore the historical reality of this event and the reality of the words that were said.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Does Purgatory Exist? - Part One

Today, I’m going to offer some real scriptural proofs of the existence of purgatory. The doctrine of purgatory is one of the most contentious issues Protestants have with the Catholic faith. Most Catholics have little or no idea how to answer a question from a Protestant on the biblical support for purgatory. Here we go.

The term “purgatory” is derived from the Latin word “purgare” which means “to purge” or “to cleanse” or “to make pure.” It is the name given to that intermediate state where the souls of the dead are purified, and assisted by the prayers of the living. Although the term is not mentioned in the Bible, however, its existence can easily be proved by reference to certain passages in the Bible. John the Beloved Apostle defines two kinds of sin: one that leads to eternal death, and another that is equally sin, but does not lead to eternal death:

All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not
mortal.” (1 John 5:7)

Jesus defines mortal or eternal sin as sin that leads to eternal damnation or death of soul:

Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never
has forgiveness, but is guilty of eternal (mortal) sin.”
(Mark 3:29)

Elsewhere, we are reminded that:

Nothing unclean shall enter it (that is, the kingdom
of God).” (Rev 21:27)

Paul also tells us:

Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness
without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14)

For this reason, Christ constantly reminds us that we must strive to be without any stain of sin, whether it leads to death or not:

You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father
is perfect.” (Matt 5:45)

If indeed “nothing unclean shall enter the kingdom of heaven,” and that we cannot enter heaven unless we are “perfect,” “clean,” and “holy” (that is, without a stain of any kind of sin including that “which is not mortal”), the question is: If a person has committed a “wrongdoing that is sin, but … which is not mortal,” and dies without having the chance of confessing this “wrongdoing which is not mortal” (that is, not leading to eternal damnation or hell), where does he go?

He cannot go to heaven because he is not yet perfect as God and all those who dwell in heaven are perfect (Matt 5:45). The stain of his wrongdoing (sin) has made him “unclean” (unfit, imperfect, unholy) to enter heaven. He cannot go to hell for his “wrongdoing (sin) is not “mortal” (does not lead to eternal damnation). Where then does he go?

He goes to purgatory where he is cleansed or purged (verb form of purgatory) of all his “wrongdoing (sins) that are not mortal,” which he was not opportune to confess before he died. Consider the consequence of committing a minor “wrongdoing that is sin, but … which is not mortal,” such as looking a second longer at the vain things of the world, straying in our thoughts, uttering a “careless word:”

I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render
account of every careless word they utter.” (Matt 12:36)

These are the sort of things that make us “imperfect,” “unholy,” “unclean” or “unfit” to enter the kingdom of heaven, but will not take us to hell. They are all “sinful wrongdoings” for which “men will render (an) account on the judgment day.” Only a hypocrite will deny that they do not unavoidably encounter these minor imperfections in their daily lives. Christ was actually referring to purgatory when He said:

Truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you
have paid the last penny.” (Matt 5:26)

Ok, I'll stop here for today. In the second Part, I'll present more biblical proof of the existence of purgatory.

If you want to access the complete treatment of the biblical support of Catholic doctrines, teachings and practices, you may visit our website at: www.DefendYourCatholicFaith.com.

Have a blessed day.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Is Every Article of Faith in the Bible?

Welcome back. Like I promised, today, we’ll answer the question: Is every article of faith in the Bible? When certain Catholic doctrines are mentioned, some people are quick to ask: Is it in the Bible? Such people should be told that the Bible itself says that every article of the Christian faith is not, and cannot be found in the sacred book. Let’s read from the Bible:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the
disciples, which are not in this book.” (John 20:30)

John tells us elsewhere:

But there are also many other things which Jesus did;
were everyone of them to be written, I suppose that the
whole world itself could not contain the books that
would be written.” (John 21:25)

And shortly before His death Jesus Himself said:

I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will
guide you into all the truth … and he will declare to
you the things to come.” (John 16:12-13)

We see from the above passages that certain truths were “unwritten” and others “are to come.” Elsewhere in the Bible, we read things like “traditions,” “instructions by word of mouth,” “much to write to you … I would rather not use paper and ink, but … talk to you face to face” (see 2 Thess 2:15, 3:6; 1 Cor 11:2; 2 Tim 1:13; 2 John 1:12). Now these things actually happened, but how and where can they be found in the Bible?

Every article of faith cannot be found in the Bible for the Bible says so. Some are handed down as tradition and word of mouth; others were and are still being revealed by the Holy Spirit after the Bible was written.

In the next edition, I’ll be answering the question: Does purgatory exist?

If you would like to get a head start by accessing the complete list of answers to the most popular questions Protestants pose to Catholics about the scriptural basis of their faith and belief system, which I’m going to be treating in the next couple of months, you may visit DefendYourCatholicFaith.com.

Have a blessed day!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Scriptural Foundations of Catholic Doctrines

My name is Ifeanyi Ukwe. Welcome to MyCatholicFaith.BlogSpot site.

I am going to be showing you how to defend your Catholic faith, doctrines, beliefs, teachings and practices using the Bible. Most Catholics are confounded when Protestants ask for biblical foundations of their Catholic beliefs.

Unable to relate their sacred belief system to the Scriptures, some Catholics have abandoned their faith for the more charismatic Pentecostal denominations. You needn’t do that. I am going to provide you biblical support for your Catholic doctrines, dogmas, beliefs, practices and morals.

The Bible compels us to:

Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who
calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it
with gentleness and reverence
.” (1 Pet 3:15-16)

Furthermore:

Let your speech be gracious with salt, so that you may
know how you ought to answer every one
.” (Col 4:6)

You are therefore required to defend your beliefs with reasonable arguments from the Bible. That’s exactly what I’m out to help you achieve. So, be sure to come back here often with your questions. And do refer your Catholic friends here so they too can offer a reasonable scriptural defense of their Catholic doctrines and beliefs.

Ok, that’s just the Intro. I’ll see you soon with answer to the question: Is every article of faith in the Bible? That’ll be a biblical response to those who always ask: Is it in the Bible?

If you would like to get a head start by accessing the complete list of answers to the most popular questions Protestants pose to Catholics about the scriptural basis of their faith and belief system, which I’m going to be treating in the next couple of months, you may visit DefendYourCatholicFaith.com.

Have a blessed day!