About Michael O`Flaherty (Expert=8663) Expertise Did you know that the Bible does talk about the concept of the trinity? Did you know that Jesus did claim to be God, and that unless He washes you, you will not get into heaven? If you want a spirited debate about your beliefs in relation to the Bible, please ask. I will warn you; you might be challenged. Friendly debate only!
Expert: Michael O`Flaherty (Expert=8663) - 11/28/2005
Question Dear Michael,
May I ask you questions about the faith? I am a Roman Catholic. I will be respectful, and I hope to ask my questions with charity, please do not take offense if I word anything stongly, as I always try to get to the heart of any particular issue.
As I think it is benefical to ask many questions.
And truthfully most protostants cannot answer my very basic questions.
(also feel free to ask my anything)
By the way i dont need deep theological answers.
Just simply and straight forward responses. thanks
1.How do you know that your interpretation of the Bible is correct?
Dont many claim to have the Holy Spirt but all teach many different ideas? The Holy spirit is not divided, so who has the fullness of faith? and who doesn't?
Is your interpretation of the Bible your own ideas, or do you recognize any authority in the Christian world.(of couse Jesus is the ultimate authority, I know)
Is your Church the one Our Lord founded?
As we know in Scripture that Our Lord founded one, united church, with bishops and deacons that rejected division?
Where does the Bible say to believe in the Bible alone? (2Tim 3:15 doesn't say this)
O.K tough questions but I seek sincere answers,
Peace be with you
Jeff Myers
Answer Hi Jeff!
Feel free to ask any question any time. There is not too much that would offend me, even if you were not being polite. That is why I serve on this web site. It is a shame that people get offended by questions, but I know that happens. The world has grown too PC.
My Father is a Roman Catholic, so I know a little about the faith. You won't get any responses that are deep or theological because I am not a theologian.
1. In my view, the truth does not get any truer-- only the interpretation of it. Better put, God does not change--ever. So ultimately what you and I discuss will depend greatly on how we view God's word and God's son Jesus. Though there are differences between the Bibles that we use, when it comes to the important portions (the NT for example), we will be very close in agreement as far as translation.
So to answer your question about the Spirit, I believe the Bible is very clear on how we receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus states that in order to enter heaven, we must be born of water and Spirit (John 3:5.) I believe that Peter understood exactly what being born of water and Spirit meant:
AC 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
So to answer your question, the only way to receive the Holy Spirit is to repent and be baptized into Jesus. There is no other way in scripture that I am aware of. So when people claim to pray Jesus into their heart, or some other method, I just don't see that viewpoint expressed in scripture.
Where you and I may part company is in regards to baptism. For example, I do not believe that a child can repent, nor can parents repent for them, etc. I also do not see anywhere in scripture where children were baptized, or where they were sprinkled, etc. These are traditions and changes made by man. Regardless, that was not your question, but I want to make sure that if you agree that you must be baptized and repent, that you at least understand that from my perspective, you have to be willing to repent and also be immersed. Anything outside of that formula from scripture is not from God in my view.
So if someone asks me if they have the Holy Spirit, I just ask them if they have repented and have been baptized. If they answer no to either, then they do not have the Holy Spirit. It is a free gift, but one that we must ask for by being saved.
As far as how I know the Bible is correct, I can only tell you my perspective on that question. I believe that God is visible in creation, math, space, etc. So it did not take me long to figure out that there is a God. The question was which religion. So the more I studied Jesus, his life, his sacrifice, his mission, and above all, his love, it is clear to me that if God was going to reach out to us, it would be by that means. So I believe the Bible is the word of God. Besides, the Romans or the Jews could have produced a body and ended the whole thing right there. Since his enemies could not change history or dispel Jesus as a nice guy or a myth, and since there is non-Biblical references to him, I believe he died and was raised from the dead. That is why I believe.
I will state that God wants you and me to enter a direct relationship with him. That is why the Bible was written in a common language. We do not need a priest, bishop, pope, elder, saint, or deacon to explain God's word or to tell us how to live. So to answer your question, I do not have an earthly authority to interpret the Bible for me or tell me (or any person) how the run a church. God is very clear in the NT how we are to live and how the church is to be structured. That is why I do not attend a denominational church. Our church has Elders and Deacons, yes, but there is no centralized church authority to tell us how to think, act, etc. Our handbook is the Bible alone. Elders are responsible for shepherding the flock. Deacons are servants. Beyond that, there is no mention of a hierarchy other than apostles.
As far as whether the Bible is the final word, or there are other books, I do not believe we need anything beyond the Bible. That is why the NT is called the last will and testament. There is no need for additional written information from God. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us. It is hard for me to answer whether the Bible says there is nothing beyond the Bible because it was not formed until hundreds of years after Jesus' death. In fact, many people could not even read then (again, another reason why I believe God's word – it is the message which is simple to understand and doesn't require a degree to interpret.)
I hope I hit all of your topics. If I failed to answer any, please ask. Like I said, the truth does not get any truer, so I am always open to learning or discussing things further. Good people don't go to heaven—saved people do. So I pray that you are born again!
