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Justification by Faith. Two Views - Catholicism & Protestantism

There are many, thousands even that believe Catholics and Protestants (or Evangelicals) believe the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth. This article will not be a history regarding the relationship between Roman Catholics and Protestants, but it will deal with the very important matter of how one is justified in the eyes of God. This is a matter one MUST get right! Your eternal destiny depends upon your understanding of this vital matter. Unfortunately, there are two views regarding how one is justified. I say unfortunately on purpose because one view is right, and the other is wrong. What I will attempt to do in this article is explain the clear distinctions between the two ideas. For Catholics they teach that one is saved or justified by grace plus works. What are the works? The sacraments of course. And what are the sacraments? They are: 1.        Baptism – Catholic Church teaches that Baptism removes original sin and infuses...

The Church of Laodicea

In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John writes to seven churches is Asia Minor (Modern day Turkey). The seventh church is in the city of Laodicea. The city of Laodicea gets its name from the Seleucid King Antiochus II (261-246 B.C.). It was located in the Lycus Valley in Phrygia. [1] He named the city after his sister and wife Laodice. The city was 90 miles east of Ephesus which was on the coast in that area – Laodicea was an inland city. Laodicea was a famous commercial and wealthy center due to its production and selling of their world famous black wool.  The city was so rich that when it was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 A.D., it refused government aid. The citizens rebuilt the city with their own resources. [2] Laodicea was also well known for its banking industry and medical skills especially for a Phrygian powder – a medicine for the eyes; an eye salve. [3] The city water supply came from an underground aqueduct miles away. The water flowed through pipes m...

From the birth of Abraham to the death of Joseph

In my previous article, I covered from creation to the death of Shem – son of Noah. I said that covered 2158 years of human history. Now as we continue through the life of the Patriarchs, we come to Abraham. There are at least two dates given for the year of Abraham’s birth. The first one we will consider is the early birth date of ca [1] 2166 BC. How this date is derived is by moving back in time. The year given for the Exodus out of Egypt is 1446 BC. Moses is 80 years old which means he is born in the year 1526 BC. We read in I Kings 6:1 that King Solomon begins to build the house of the Lord in the fourth year of his reign – 966 BC 480 years after the Exodus. Adding 480 + 966 = 1446 BC. Add in the 430 years the Hebrews were in Egypt before the Exodus, we get to 1876 BC. when Jacob enters Egypt at 130 years old (Genesis 47:9). As we continue through our time machine, we go back to the birth of Isaac, Jacob’s father who was born 190 years ago from the time Jacob entered Egy...