AboutSal Expertise I love the Catholic Church and her book, the Bible. I will try to answer your questions with an emphasis on God*s Word. I believe the Catholic Church is the Church established by Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world. I can answer questions pertaining to the biblical basis for Catholic beliefs. I can also explain the beliefs of Jehovah*s Witnesses, Mormons, and Seventh Day Adventists as related to Catholic doctrine.
Experience I have studied the Catholic faith for twenty years. I have conducted adult education classes in the teachings of the Catholic Church. I have taught teenagers the Catholic faith. I have taught Bible Study.
I have a few questions for you. You explain so well. The first concerns sin. Is it really possible to avoid sin? I know that Christ said, "Go and sin no more", but how is this possible? Wouldn't we need to be full of grace to avoid sin? Why did John Calvin argue in favour of double predestination? This harsh doctrine eliminates free wills and leads to the notion of eternal security. Predestination in the Bible simply means advanced knowledge, doesn't it? Finally, many Protestants argue that the Virgin Mary mentioned in Genesis and Revelation is either Israel or the church. How can we illustrate that these interpretations are incorrect?
Thank you very much!
Answer Hello Les:
I believe that it is “possible” to avoid sin if one is in Christ. For example, the Blessed Virgin Mary & some saints. However, most of us do struggle with sin throughout our lives. I don’t think that Jesus telling a sinner, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11; cf. 5:14) means that it is easy to not sin. I believe that Jesus was telling this woman to repent of her sin and stop committing adultery.
Calvin argued for double predestination because he rejected good theology in favor of faulty theology. Those who reject the Catholic Church always fall into one error or another. We look at Calvin’s predestination and see it for what it is—Satan inspired falsehood concerning the true nature of God. Those blinded by Satan see it as “new light”.
Predestination in the Bible basically does mean “foreknowledge”. God does not create people to be damned. Those people chose that for themselves. Even though God knows whether or not one will chose Him that individual does not know and has to make a freewill decision.
Les, you didn’t mention the verses in Genesis & Revelation that you were referring to. I assume you were thinking of Genesis 3:15 & Revelation 12:1. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This could not refer to Israel because God did not put enmity only between Israel and the offspring of Satan. In that sense it is between all mankind and the offspring of Satan. The Church being the woman makes better sense in that the Catholic Church is always at enmity with Satan and his offspring. Of course, Protestants would mean the Protestant Church and there is still some truth there, but markedly less than the Catholic Church being the woman. The best understanding of this verse is that the woman represents the Blessed Virgin Mary whose offspring, Jesus, crushes Satan’s head at the Cross.
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1). This woman could not represent the Church because the Church did not give birth to the Messiah. The Messiah came first then the Church was born. This woman could not be Israel. Although Israel could be said to have given birth to the Messiah since Jesus was of the tribe of Judah the analogy does not follow through. For the other offspring of this woman are those we keep the commandments of God, for John this means the New Covenant commandments, and give witness to Jesus (v. 17). This, of course, refers to Christians. The best understanding of this verse I believe is that the woman represents the Blessed Virgin Mary who did literally give birth to the Messiah (v. 5) and whose other children, Christians, are persecuted by agents of the Devil (v. 17). In John’s understanding these agents were first the Jews and then the Romans.
