Roman Catholic Apologists Are Just Chewing Themselves Whenever They Quote Mark 7:8-13 Against Born Again Christians
It's very amazing to how Roman Catholic apologists can really chew themselves out whenever they misquote the Bible. That is why it's important for every serious born again Christian apologist to use exegesis or learning more about Scripture in context lest they go ranting "to him that pisseth against the wall" out of context.
Let's read Mark 7:8-13 from the Good News Translation which is commonly used by Roman Catholics saying:
Many Roman Catholics tend to appeal to the Bible when it's convenient then they flip their stance to the Vatican Canon Laws whenever it's convenient. What's even more ridiculous is that many of them end up telling born again that they reject God's Word to keep their tradition is that they're calling the kettle black. It's very tempting to tell them, "Look who's talking!" because the more I read the Bible daily, the more I understand their traditions don't fit at all with the Bible when I take their claims into context which they don't. One of the verses that some of them love to use is Mark 7:8-13.
They're chewing themselves because many of their traditions are not in accordance to the Word of God. They have conveniently 2 Thessalonians 2:15 from the Good News Translation says, "So then our brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to those truths which we taught you both in our preaching and in our letter." to justify their addition of extrabiblical tradition. What the Apostle Paul really said was that every tradition of the church must be weighted according to Scripture. That's what Sola Scriptura is about. It's not that the Bible is the only book we read but the Bible is the only standard we follow for right and wrong.
The following have been some of the traditions of the Born Again Christianity which Roman Catholics have considered "unscriptural":
Allowing people to eat meat during Fridays and Lenten season.
They can go ahead and misquote Jesus' fasting to justify not eating meat. Colossians 2:16-17 condemns them because it says you shouldn't judge anyone what they eat or drink for religious reasons. What the passage is talking about is about that you may or may not abstain from meat during Lenten season or any holy day. Of course, this doesn't mean to condone people not to listen to their doctor about avoiding certain foods for health reasons. Like eating of dogs, cats or any rabies producing animals should definitely be a no-no because they can seriously harm your body with a lot of complications. On the other hand, pork, certain fish without fins and scales, shrimp, prawn, lobster and any "unclean meat" that are fit for consumption can certainly be allowed. Although, you might want to consider going under a Levitical diet for better health.
Baptism by immersion.
Have they even understood the meaning of the Greek that baptizio means to immerse? If they clearly read the Scriptures (which they don't) they should realize the formula of baptism was as Acts 2:41 says first you believe before you're baptized. In Acts 8:38-39 we read that baptism happens by immersion. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch really shows that they went to the water and the immersion happens. They can laugh at baptisms at the river as if the Lord Jesus Christ whom they claim to serve wasn't baptized in the Jordan River. Jesus' baptism was done by immersion. Today, Christians don't necessarily have to baptize by the river since there are modern alternatives where immersion can be done.
Confessing one's sins directly to God.
Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 to say that you need to confess your sins to the priest. They're just really taking things out of context. Matthew 16:19 is about the keys of the Gospel of the Kingdom and Matthew 18;18 is all about church discipline. There's been no example in the Bible where confession of one's sins was ever done to the priests in the New Testament. 1 John 1:9 really says we need to confess our sins directly to God and not through anyone.
Lord's supper done with both bread and wine and in the evening.
I really find it funny they say that you must eat Jesus' body and drink Jesus' blood by literal means as they misquote John 6 to do so. What's really so funny is that the celebration of the Roman Catholic Mass goes beyond symbolism to the point of absurdity as a continuous sacrifice. While Vatican Canon Law says that the sacrifice is continuous but Hebrews 10:12 declares it to be done. The Lord's supper was set as a memorial for what's already been finished on the cross. Roman Catholics don't even do the Lord's supper right. Not only are the laity not drinking any of the wine which makes me ask them, "If you don't drink the wine then how can you drink Jesus' blood to obtain eternal life?" but they have also turned it from supper to breakfast and lunch if the Mass was celebrated during the morning or noon or snacks if it were celebrated in the afternoon. The Bible commands in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup. So if transubstantiation were a real doctrine then born again Christians are the ones getting eternal life by the ordinance of the Lord's Supper because they both have the bread and wine, while Catholics only get wine and only their priest will have the right to eternal life.
Pastors are required to be married.
It's stupid how one can quote the Old Testament to fit in the miter for the bishops yet they ignore that the priests are meant to be married and two, the rule for priesthood was they should come from the Tribe of Levi. Leviticus 21 also commands the priests to be married to virgins of their own tribe which is so against celibacy. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 commands the church leaders (And don't tell me that a priest is not a church leader?!) to be married, the husband of only one wife and to run one's house properly. What they fail to consider is that 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 doesn't require priests to be celibate and that if you can't handle celibacy, get married.
Praying directly in the Name of Jesus.
They always love to throw the argument that you must pass through Mary before you can get to Jesus. They misquote John 4:1-12 without understanding the full context. John 14:13-14 makes it clear that we pray in the name of Jesus. After the Day of Pentecost, the Scripture remains silent of the rest of Mary's days before she inevitably died of a natural death. While she's indeed important in the fulfillment of the prophecy fo Jesus as the Seed of the woman and the Seed of David but she never invited people to herself to come to Christ. All she said in John 2:5 was that do whatever Jesus tells you. Jesus never told people to give His earthly mother more honor that only God alone should get. Mary deserves honor like every good Christian but praying to her or asking for her intercession in spiritual matters is not biblical at all. It is both necromancy and idolatry.
Sola Scriptura or Bible alone as the basis for worship practices and tradition.
They just love to say that Sola Scriptura is "self-refuting" in order to justify their own traditions. They quote John 21:25 to say that the Bible isn't enough but you have to realize that the Bible doesn't record anything that wasn't important like Jesus' eating meals, going to school and just anything that you don't write down in your diary. To quote Hebrews 5:12 is also very condemning considering that the teachers were meant to teach the Scriptures and not add to it. Born again Christians believe in the importance of having teachers to guide in teaching the Bible as the only standard for Christian values. Besides, since when did Roman Catholic Masses ever have a diligent expository of Scriptures?
It really show ignorance goes down to yet another level. It's very important to keep praying for these people that they may be opened to the truth. Sad to say, many of them will choose to remain blinded in their traditions. It's important to keep praying for them, repay evil with kindness and to do whatever it takes to win them to Jesus Christ. Besides, if anybody claimed to be a "born again Christian" before and became a Roman Catholic, they never woke up to the truth. They were never in the truth to start with (1 John 2:19).
See also:
Let's read Mark 7:8-13 from the Good News Translation which is commonly used by Roman Catholics saying:
"You put aside God's command and obey human teachings. And Jesus continued, You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching. For Moses commanded, Respect your father and your mother, and, If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death. But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, This is Corban (which means, it belongs to God), they are excused from helping their father or mother. In this way the teaching you pass on to others cancels out the word of God. And there are many other things like this that you do."
Many Roman Catholics tend to appeal to the Bible when it's convenient then they flip their stance to the Vatican Canon Laws whenever it's convenient. What's even more ridiculous is that many of them end up telling born again that they reject God's Word to keep their tradition is that they're calling the kettle black. It's very tempting to tell them, "Look who's talking!" because the more I read the Bible daily, the more I understand their traditions don't fit at all with the Bible when I take their claims into context which they don't. One of the verses that some of them love to use is Mark 7:8-13.
They're chewing themselves because many of their traditions are not in accordance to the Word of God. They have conveniently 2 Thessalonians 2:15 from the Good News Translation says, "So then our brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to those truths which we taught you both in our preaching and in our letter." to justify their addition of extrabiblical tradition. What the Apostle Paul really said was that every tradition of the church must be weighted according to Scripture. That's what Sola Scriptura is about. It's not that the Bible is the only book we read but the Bible is the only standard we follow for right and wrong.
The following have been some of the traditions of the Born Again Christianity which Roman Catholics have considered "unscriptural":
Allowing people to eat meat during Fridays and Lenten season.
They can go ahead and misquote Jesus' fasting to justify not eating meat. Colossians 2:16-17 condemns them because it says you shouldn't judge anyone what they eat or drink for religious reasons. What the passage is talking about is about that you may or may not abstain from meat during Lenten season or any holy day. Of course, this doesn't mean to condone people not to listen to their doctor about avoiding certain foods for health reasons. Like eating of dogs, cats or any rabies producing animals should definitely be a no-no because they can seriously harm your body with a lot of complications. On the other hand, pork, certain fish without fins and scales, shrimp, prawn, lobster and any "unclean meat" that are fit for consumption can certainly be allowed. Although, you might want to consider going under a Levitical diet for better health.
Baptism by immersion.
Have they even understood the meaning of the Greek that baptizio means to immerse? If they clearly read the Scriptures (which they don't) they should realize the formula of baptism was as Acts 2:41 says first you believe before you're baptized. In Acts 8:38-39 we read that baptism happens by immersion. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch really shows that they went to the water and the immersion happens. They can laugh at baptisms at the river as if the Lord Jesus Christ whom they claim to serve wasn't baptized in the Jordan River. Jesus' baptism was done by immersion. Today, Christians don't necessarily have to baptize by the river since there are modern alternatives where immersion can be done.
Confessing one's sins directly to God.
Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 to say that you need to confess your sins to the priest. They're just really taking things out of context. Matthew 16:19 is about the keys of the Gospel of the Kingdom and Matthew 18;18 is all about church discipline. There's been no example in the Bible where confession of one's sins was ever done to the priests in the New Testament. 1 John 1:9 really says we need to confess our sins directly to God and not through anyone.
Lord's supper done with both bread and wine and in the evening.
I really find it funny they say that you must eat Jesus' body and drink Jesus' blood by literal means as they misquote John 6 to do so. What's really so funny is that the celebration of the Roman Catholic Mass goes beyond symbolism to the point of absurdity as a continuous sacrifice. While Vatican Canon Law says that the sacrifice is continuous but Hebrews 10:12 declares it to be done. The Lord's supper was set as a memorial for what's already been finished on the cross. Roman Catholics don't even do the Lord's supper right. Not only are the laity not drinking any of the wine which makes me ask them, "If you don't drink the wine then how can you drink Jesus' blood to obtain eternal life?" but they have also turned it from supper to breakfast and lunch if the Mass was celebrated during the morning or noon or snacks if it were celebrated in the afternoon. The Bible commands in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup. So if transubstantiation were a real doctrine then born again Christians are the ones getting eternal life by the ordinance of the Lord's Supper because they both have the bread and wine, while Catholics only get wine and only their priest will have the right to eternal life.
Pastors are required to be married.
It's stupid how one can quote the Old Testament to fit in the miter for the bishops yet they ignore that the priests are meant to be married and two, the rule for priesthood was they should come from the Tribe of Levi. Leviticus 21 also commands the priests to be married to virgins of their own tribe which is so against celibacy. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 commands the church leaders (And don't tell me that a priest is not a church leader?!) to be married, the husband of only one wife and to run one's house properly. What they fail to consider is that 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 doesn't require priests to be celibate and that if you can't handle celibacy, get married.
Praying directly in the Name of Jesus.
They always love to throw the argument that you must pass through Mary before you can get to Jesus. They misquote John 4:1-12 without understanding the full context. John 14:13-14 makes it clear that we pray in the name of Jesus. After the Day of Pentecost, the Scripture remains silent of the rest of Mary's days before she inevitably died of a natural death. While she's indeed important in the fulfillment of the prophecy fo Jesus as the Seed of the woman and the Seed of David but she never invited people to herself to come to Christ. All she said in John 2:5 was that do whatever Jesus tells you. Jesus never told people to give His earthly mother more honor that only God alone should get. Mary deserves honor like every good Christian but praying to her or asking for her intercession in spiritual matters is not biblical at all. It is both necromancy and idolatry.
Sola Scriptura or Bible alone as the basis for worship practices and tradition.
They just love to say that Sola Scriptura is "self-refuting" in order to justify their own traditions. They quote John 21:25 to say that the Bible isn't enough but you have to realize that the Bible doesn't record anything that wasn't important like Jesus' eating meals, going to school and just anything that you don't write down in your diary. To quote Hebrews 5:12 is also very condemning considering that the teachers were meant to teach the Scriptures and not add to it. Born again Christians believe in the importance of having teachers to guide in teaching the Bible as the only standard for Christian values. Besides, since when did Roman Catholic Masses ever have a diligent expository of Scriptures?
It really show ignorance goes down to yet another level. It's very important to keep praying for these people that they may be opened to the truth. Sad to say, many of them will choose to remain blinded in their traditions. It's important to keep praying for them, repay evil with kindness and to do whatever it takes to win them to Jesus Christ. Besides, if anybody claimed to be a "born again Christian" before and became a Roman Catholic, they never woke up to the truth. They were never in the truth to start with (1 John 2:19).
See also:
- Another Reason For Roman Catholics to Reject Sola Scriptura: To Keep Their OWN TRADITIONS!
- Defending the Doctrine and Tradition of Sola Scriptura
- Does 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Justify Priestly Celibacy?
- God Requires the Pastor to be MARRIED!
- Some Roman Catholics Are Making Fun of Born Again Christian's Baptism by Water Immersion
- The Confessional Debunked!
- The Roman Catholic Mass Compared to the Traditional Lord's Supper