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Comment
The Bible defines 'redemption' as the 'forgiveness of sins'. Now if Christ redeemed the whole world, the sins of every single person who ever lived or ever will live, are forgiven. Which is clearly not the case. Therefore Christ did not redeem the whole world. Christ redeemed his people, his church, and nobody else.
5 comments:
MR. MIZZI: According to Roman teaching, the whole world has been redeemed by the work of Jesus Christ. Many people wrongly assume that this teaching is biblical.
COMMENT: Two teachings are being mixed here, the redemption of the whole world and how the Merits of that redemption are applied. The Bible is very clear Christ died for the sins of the whole world, two famous passages:
John 1: 29,The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the WORLD!
1 Jn 2: 2, He [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD.
Now, just because Jesus died for the sins of the whole world does not mean everyone is Saved. Only those who believe in Jesus have those saving graves applied to their souls. Jesus is the Live-Giving Vine, but only those branches ingrafted into the Vine receive the life of the Vine in themselves.
MR. MIZZI: The dictionary defines the word "redemption" as the "releasing effected by payment of ransom; deliverance; liberation procured by the payment of a ransom." The apostle Paul equates "redemption" with "forgiveness." In other words, to have "redemption" is the same as having "forgiveness of sins." Whoever is forgiven is redeemed; whoever is redeemed is forgiven.
COMMENT: Yes, Christ redeemed us from our previously spiritually dead lives of sin and bondage, yet there is more to the Gospel than that. We must remain in God's friendship from then on, and that is why Paul warns not to turn back to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).
Catholics and Protestants have different understandings of salvation, so what Dr. Mizzi said here has a true and proper understanding in Catholicism but would not be understood the same in Protestantism. Redemption has a range of meaning which can refer to (1) the whole process of salvation from start to finish (eg Rom 8:23; Eph 4:30), (2) the inital saving point where one is first freed from the bondage to sin (eg Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), (3) the ground for making possible of forgiveness of sins (eg Rom 3:24; Gal 4:5; 1 Tim 2:6).
MR. MIZZI: "If the whole world is redeemed (as the Catholic church teaches), and the Bible says that redemption means the forgiveness of sins, is it true that the whole world is forgiven?" You will agree that this is not so. Clearly, the whole world is not forgiven.
COMMENT: This is not how Catholics understand Christ as the "Lamb who takes away the sins of the world." If Catholics meant Jesus forgave the sins of the whole world, then Dr. Mizzi would be correct to say that is wrong, but that is not what Catholics are saying. Catholics are saying Christ's life and death and resurrection made the forgiveness of sins possible for the whole world, but those merits would not be applied except to those who repent.
MR. MIZZI: Rome tells you that you're redeemed like the rest of the world. But that's not very reassuring, is it? For many of these "redeemed" will be eternally lost. Somehow you can be redeemed and yet not forgiven! Redemption in Catholic theology gives no comfort to the soul. On the other hand, the Bible commands you to believe in Christ, and if you believe, the Bible reassures you that you are truly redeemed – that your sins are forgiven.
COMMENT: Dr. Mizzi does not understand what Catholics mean when we say Christ died for the sins of the whole world, we don't mean everyone is automatically forgiven but that Christ made it possible for every man to repent and be forgiven. Every man will not be forgive because not everyone will repent. If Dr. Mizzi is saying that salvation cannot be lost (which is what Reformed Baptists teach), then that is very much contrary to Scripture (Mat 18:25-32; Gal 5:19-21; etc).
Lastly, if you care to read a post from 2000 year old catholic on your e-gospel "Blood on His Cross" about our sacrifices being offered up to God are very pleasing to Him and very Biblical.
In 2cor.5:14 that one person died for all people, therefore, all people have died.
To expiate is to cover for the sins, it is the redemption and sacrifice for the sinful man, while the forgiveness is the lifting of sins. So expiation is different from forgiveness.
The sin gets its real value according to the one who was sinned against. In this case our first parents sinned against God who is unlimited/eternal and therefore, our punishiment was unlimited/eternal that is eternal death. So the redeemer who was to lift that punishment must be unlimited. Therefore, God and only Him is the unlimited/eternal who could redeem the whole/entire mankind. This explains the incarnation of God through the person of Christ. In the nutshell Jesus wrote your check it's up to you to cash it.
Did Christ redeem the whole world?
Of course He did! Jesus offered Salvation to the WHOLE WORLD, meaning to EVERYONE!
Now, it is up to the person to accept and REMAIN IN Jesus because one could refuse it or fall-out.
So sorry, Mr. Mizzi is dead wrong.
This shows that Catholics have no understanding of what happened at the cross on Calvary. They repeatedly sacrifice Christ on their wooden man made altar at mass when Christ is no more offered in sacrifice. No remission of sin can satisfy God without the shedding of blood. Mary has nothing to do with our salvation. She is not a co-redeemer and neither can we be. Jesus paid our sin debt in full. The apostle Paul understood this, that a sinner can do nothing to save himself. Its the grace of God. Jesus said: "It is finished". He came to do what God the Father had sent him in the world to do. Through your church "works, you nullify the gospel of grace and deny the completed work of Christ!
Swords99,
You have raised alot of good points here, thanks.
By denying the true living voice of Christ which he founded by his authority, protestants actually relied only upon their own fallible human logic and reasoning to interpret the Scriptures have thus nullified the gospel of grace.
You could google catholic answers and find out for yourself who makes sense for all your objections.
Peace of Christ.
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