I often call Protestantism in general a man-made construct. I don’t do this to ridicule or to be cruel. I do it because you cannot have true unity without truth. I do have a kind of direct nature though. I retired as a lieutenant from the prison system where I was judge and jury from infractions to felonies. We judge things by the preponderance of the evidence where it is not the amount of evidence that is needed to prove a case but the quality of the evidence. The thing about the Catholic faith though, is that we have an overwhelming amount of quality evidence for our faith. We also have a huge amount of quality evidence showing that Protestantism is a tradition of man. A word they like to throw at Catholics just every once in a while.
It is a fact that Protestantism does not only look different from the faith of the disciples of the apostles but it is worlds apart from it. In the foundation for the creation of Protestantism is this idea that in their reformation they were returning to clear biblical Christianity. Yet there is something in the result of this thinking that separates people from common sense. If the results of this so called return to Biblical Christianity creates an image of faith that looks worlds apart from the faith of the early church, then it is clear that they did not achieve their objective but what happened was that man in fallen nature with a bias against the Catholic Church, either actively or subconsciously, looked at scripture through a process of separation from the Catholic Church. This led to a dumbing down of theological concepts because in trying to establish a different understanding other than 1400 years of truth, this body of false exegesis and denial of historical context, new novel concepts and definitions, then became the tradition Protestantism sees scripture through. The creation of faith alone and scripture alone established an entropy that has no way of stopping the division and watering down of concepts into complete obscurity from the original faith. So true Christianity looks completely foreign to those who built their faith on anti Catholicism and many people do not even realize that their foundation of their faith is anti Catholicism.
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The devil is a master theologian. So much of a master that he created an entire different construct of Christianity of new novel false exegesis, concepts and definitions as a religion of anti Catholicism and those who live in it our oblivious to the deception.
So we must be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. We must use reason tempered with humility. A new doctrine would have screamed out against the pages of history greater than the Arian heresy because of the call to always teach the same truths.
Paul warns the church
I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, 2With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity. 3Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all. Eph 4:1
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you; but that you be perfect in the same mind, and in the same judgment. 1 Cor 1:10
Can a born again movement believer use these verses as a litmus test for their faith showing their believers lived by them for 2000 years?
But also, they would have had to have shown the death of the Lord to the Father for 2000 years being perfectly united in one Lord one faith one doctrine one baptism
Paul says.
For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink this cup you will show the death of the Lord until He comes again.
So if they were living in truth they would be following this precept to show the death of the Lord until the end of time.
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So if Protestantism is true then the apostles lied to their disciples or the disciples that were in the both east and the west spreading out around the known world, got together and created a sinister plan that they would create an entirely different image of faith and no one in history challenged this as a new image. They did a lot more than pull a rabbit out of a hat. They would have had to have manipulate the very foundation of Christianity into a completely different image. They in turn would have had to have changed time and space and God would have lied when He said, the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
For the disciples of the apostles to have taught a false faith then they would have to have gotten together in a huge group and created a completely different religion with Bishops, priests and deacons, Ignatius would have created the lie that the bishops should do the will of the church at Rome. Irenaeus would have created the lie that all of the churches must be united to the church at Rome in order to keep the true faith. They would have been creating the formation of doctrine of sacraments and belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the Holy Mass as the true Passover, Mary as the true Eve mother of all the living and the true Ark of the Covenant, baptism as being saved by the blood of the Lamb, destruction of original sin, entrance into the chosen people the holy nation the Royal Priesthood, entrance into the family of God , and divinization, then spread this lie everywhere the apostles went convincing those who heard the apostles to choose their alternative Christianity over the apostles. They all would have had to live in a lie and many martyred for that lie and they would have gotten the whole Christian world to be quiet about the lie. And at the same time chose the correct books to form the New Testament through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And yet the early church was adamant about keeping the unity of faith in obedience to the faith.
This is the background I want our listeners to have when it comes to the diabolical deception of the creation of an understanding of being born again separated from baptism that did not exist in the first 1900 years of Christianity.
This is how far you have to go if you think Protestantism is returning the faith to the faith of the apostles. It’s ridiculous and most likely established in the mind through diabolical influences of the father of lies. It’s very sad; anything that creates division is sad.
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So the born again movement that separated baptism from being born again appears to have its beginnings in the early 19th century when Protestantism began to evolve into a liberalism of fundamentals . I believe Charles F. Parham (June 4, 1873 – January 29, 1929) had a large influence in this also. He was very heavily involved by emotions and emotions can be used against us. He and his student William Seymour was central in developing Pentecostalism. Seymour started what was known as the Azusa street revival in Los Angeles California which was a huge influence of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement. He was raised Catholic but it was a given that he did not understand his Catholic faith. No one who leaves the church had the faith to truly see the church. Or they were never properly taught. This extreme emotionalism of Pentecostalism led to confirmation of the Holy Spirit through things like speaking in tongues which in most cases is gibberish and group suggestion. Parham rejected denominationalism as he formed through his beliefs another denomination. This even led to playing with snakes. As what happens on a regular basis through the diabolical doctrine of scripture alone, Seymour broke with Parham in 1906 over theological differences. One thing that was good about this was that it was blacks and whites praising God together yet the universal church has welcomed in all races since the beginning of Christianity. The eternal soul has no color and we focus on what nurtures the eternal soul. By 1907 the missionaries of Azusa street had reached Mexico, Canada, Western Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, parts of Asia. As we move on we will see that Satan will do everything he can to promote a heretical faith.
We need to remember that Jesus raised obedience above prophecy, miracles and casting out demons. Most likely to keep us on the narrow road of the sacramental life because Satan can mimic all three of these things to keep people in a heretical belief and push them farther and farther from truth.
Jesus told the church:
Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
Mt 7:21
From the beginning of Christianity which was Catholic Christianity, speaking in tongues was a gift to the Catholic Church in order for the apostles and their disciples to be able to speak to people in different lands who spoke different languages. It was to edify the Catholic Church. You can look at different graphs. Everywhere the apostles and their disciples went, the lands went from paganism to Catholicism not Protestantism. All different lands with different languages. It was the grace of tongues given to the Catholic Church that began to unite the world. Later, it was even the teachings of the Catholic Church that established peace through international law acknowledging man receiving his dignity by being Gods creation. I guess it was only obvious that Satan would then manipulate this gift to create division which was previously used to unite. He turns everything upside down.
Paul writes:
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, (unless he interprets), so that the church may be edified.
1 Corinthians 14:4
Of course Paul is only referring to prophecy tempered by the authority of the church. The same Paul said, Obey your prelates who have the rule over you for they watch over your souls.” He would have called it heresy to obey prelates outside of the reestablished kingdom of David which the church is. He addresses interpretation of tongues as more important. So it’s not gibberish when it is true. It was the gift that spread the faith to foreign lands; to people of different languages.
We read in Acts 2
Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because that every man heard them speak in his own tongue. 7And they were all amazed, and wondered, saying: Behold, are not all these that speak Galilean? 8And how have we heard, every man our own tongue wherein we were born? 9Parthians and Medes and Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, 11Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes, and Arabians: we have heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.
So it is foolish to confirm faith through emotionalism. Satan loves this.
The so called original reformers Luther and Calvin knew nothing about being born again separated from baptism and in fact Calvin did not even think you could be saved without the Eucharist so his idea of predestination and election included predestination by baptism into the sacramental life.
Calvin describes baptism as “the sign of initiation by which we are received into the society of the church, in order that, engrafted [sic] in Christ, we may be reckoned among God’s children” (Book IV, Chapter XV.1).
He goes on and speaks of the dual purposes or “ends” of baptism (and for all sacraments) as consisting in serving our faith before God, and in serving our confession (i.e. profession of belonging to Christ) before men.
Luther said:
For that purpose Christ instituted holy baptism, thereby to clothe you with his righteousness. It is tantamount to his saying, My righteousness shall be your righteousness; my innocence, your innocence. Your sins indeed are great, but by baptism I bestow on you my righteousness; I strip death from you and clothe you with my life.
Baptism has always been understood to include quickening and sealing .
Paul writes to the Corinthians:
The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit.
He says:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
This new life begins in a sealing of the Holy Spirit. Christ and baptism is the sign and seal of that circumcision fulfilled. Circumcision is a sign of the promise of Abraham. Baptism is entrance into the promise fulfilled. We will go into more detail on this promise a little later.
To the Colossians Paul writes.
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Colossians 2:11-12
The manuscript of the Shepherd of Hermas is a good example of the early faith. It is dated from around 140-154 AD in this document we read:
They were obliged,” he answered, “to ascend through water in order that they might be made alive; for, unless they laid aside the deadness of their life, they could not in any other way enter into the kingdom of God. … For,” he continued, “before a man bears the name of the Son of God he is dead; but when he receives the seal he lays aside his deadness, and obtains life. The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive. And to them, accordingly, was this seal preached, and they made use of it that they might enter into the kingdom of God.” (Shepherd of Hermas)
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So what happened? How did people separate from a most detrimental aspect of living as a Christian?
Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and evangelicals all groups created by man after 1500 years of Christianity and later, got together and in their own opinions developed a system of theology in a 12 volume book called the fundamentals. The born again movement that began to grow in the Philippines adapted their doctrines from this 12 volume book.
This evolved into things like the Calvary Chapel Movement run by Chuck Smith in Costa Mesa California. I kind of grew up in the middle of this living in Fountain Valley California which was a ten minute drive from Calvary Chapel. Before I began to truly understand my faith I went there as a kid.
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So let’s look further at the history protestants have to ignore for a moment.
JUSTIN MARTYR
“As many as are persuaded and believe that what we [Christians] teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly . . . are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Except you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:3]” (First Apology 61 [A.D. 151]). Justin taught being born again and regeneration through baptism.
HIPPOLYTUS
“[P]erhaps someone will ask, ‘What does it conduce unto piety to be baptized?’ In the first place, that you may do what has seemed good to God; in the next place, being born again by water unto God so that you change your first birth, which was from concupiscence, and are able to attain salvation, which would otherwise be impossible. For thus the [prophet] has sworn to us: ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you are born again with living water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ Therefore, fly to the water, for this alone can extinguish the fire. He who will not come to the water still carries around with him the spirit of insanity for the sake of which he will not come to the living water for his own salvation” (Homilies 11:26 [A.D. 217]). All of the fathers taught the same.
So in order to see how diabolical this born again movement is I want to go over what the grace of baptism does for us so we can see how much the born again movement separated people from true Christianity. From the gifts of God.
We will summarize this then spend some time proving it with scripture and also further place the scripture in historical context.
So what is baptism.
Baptism is grace given freely of being saved by the mystical water, blood and spirit of Christ that flows from the true Adams rib giving birth to his bride his church and perpetuating His bride through time. Baptism flows from the cross the tree of life destroying original sin establishing redemption from original sin, sanctification from past sins, entrance into the promise of Abraham fulfilled as the chosen people, the holy nation the Royal Priesthood that has entered the family of God and has become divinized so that with the hosts of heaven through our one mediator and high priest according to the order of Melchizedek who is head of the body, we spiritually enter the Holies and with the host of heaven, present the true Passover for the general redemption of the world before the Father. We do not enter the spiritual reality of the true Passover without the seal of baptism on our souls. We are going to get very deep with this discussion.
This is what is going on when Paul says
For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink this cup, you will show the death of the Lord until He comes again.Paul writes:
1Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received and wherein you stand. 2By which also you are saved, (((if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.)))
Paul preached the sacramental life in obedience to the faith. Being born again through baptism is the beginning of living the gospel. The way of the sacramental life in transforming grace is what we hold fast to.
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So when we get into these debate rooms and we are told by Protestants that they are saved by the blood of Christ, I tend to ask them, ok, how was that blood of Christ applied? They would say it was applied when I found Christ and through faith. I then would respond, do you find a biblical principle for this?
If they are knowledgeable in Protestantism they would respond with a verse such as
Ephesians 1:7-8 tells us, “In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavishes on us.”
So I would then ask do you see any reference to forgiveness of future sins here?
They would then imply that this means future sins like it is implied that “ it is finished “ somehow means eternal security is established, so I would show them another example of forgiveness of past sins.
In 2 Peter 1 we read:
8For if these things be with you and abound, they will make you to be neither empty nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he that hath not these things with him is blind and groping, having forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10Wherefore, brethren, labour the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling and election.
2 Peter 1
So is this not the same Peter who said,
8But Peter said to them: Do penance: and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off.
Acts 2:38
Obviously Peter believed that baptism destroyed past sins.
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So being purged of past sins is occurring through baptism here and in second Peter , Peter tells those who were purged of past sin that they must secure their “election” through good works. But that is another story.
Paul also goes further and shows us how the blood of Christ is involved in this purge of past sin.
Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to the shewing of his justice, for the remission of former sins ( past)
You will find that every verse Protestants try and use against Catholics when placed in proper context in light of the New Covenant, simply express Catholic truth. It’s a Judeo Catholic Book.
Romans 3:24 You see the blood ,you see the grace, you see redemption specifically of former sins in this context not future ones. And of course you see faith for those of the age of reason. It was the faith of the parents that brought the children into the promise just like it is the faith of the parents that brings the parents into the promise fulfilled. Protestantism has a much more individualistic image of salvation while Jews and Catholics understand salvation through being inside a covenant family. The word covenant goes back to the ancient Semitic word “berit” which shows a covenant bond through a sharing of blood. The blood of Christ destroys our past sins at baptism but we see an amazing vision of this covenant in sharing of blood as Paul writes a rhetorical question to those in the church celebrating the Holy Mass. He says: The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord ? 1 Cor 10:16 this is covenant. This is family.
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People are not going to understand the epistles unless they begin to understand that they are written to those who were already baptized into the church which they understood as grace given freely, who were living the sacramental life in obedience to the faith which is the narrow road of transforming grace through which we are saved.
The epistles address churches the apostles already established with Bishops, priests and deacons and they are not a catechism of faith. They only address what was pressing on the mind of the author at the time to people who were already living the faith and apostolic tradition was simply the faith lived. Of course some of them address bishops of those churches such as Titus being the bishop of Crete and Timothy being the bishop of Ephesus, Mark ended up being the first bishop of Alexandria. They all ordained priests of the church.
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So how did the early church understand that the blood of Christ is applied at baptism? Of course first through the infusion of knowledge into the church at Pentecost when the apostles began to put things together after they thought the cross was a failure.
In many ways actually. John tells us:
5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit which testifieth, that Christ is the truth. 7And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. 8And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one.
1 John 5
John who was infused with understanding through the Holy Spirit does not separate the water, blood and spirit as testimony and neither should we. Jesus told the apostles:
But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak; and the things that are to come, he shall shew you.
Jn 16:13
This also applies to the church through all time.
In the great commission is the making of disciples through a Trinitarian baptism.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The spirit and the water and the blood is one and if someone says that the Holy Spirit is not present at baptism then they are denying Gods words. Baptism is an invocation of the Trinity which includes the Holy Spirit and baptism in the Trinity is an exorcism.
We see the spirit and the water and the blood here and remember we see it here in the destruction of past sins:
Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to the shewing of his justice, for the remission of former sins ( past)
Romans 3:24
So Paul is expressing the same in his letter to the Ephesians even though we do not see the word baptism. He is writing to those who were already taught that the blood of Christ is applied at baptism. He did not separate the testimony of the water, blood and spirit which is one. He often does not use the word baptism writing to those in the church who were already baptized but in many different writings expresses the graces of that baptism.
Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins.
Through his blood is the forgiveness of sins.
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Calvin also understood that through baptism the blood of Christ is applied to the soul in original sin. The farther back you go the more the schismatic look Catholic.
Calvin writes:
: “. . . forgiveness, which at our first regeneration we receive by baptism alone . . . we are washed from our sins by the blood of Christ.” (IV, 15:4)
People have created an entire different construct of faith in their desire to separate from the Catholic Church.
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The mysteries in the law often show us how the sacraments affect the soul. I think that is the primary reason God created the Levitical laws. Jesus said, I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law. To make the types into their heavenly reality. A lot of these laws would simply look foolish unless their purpose was to show our souls, speak to our soul’s higher spiritual truths. The Bible is the creation of an eternal God. It is a love story between a perfect groom and an imperfect bride.
So we can through humility in the mystery of the red heifer , contemplate how the grace given freely of baptism is being saved from past sins through the blood of Christ applied to our very souls by way of faith in our baptism and entrance into the flesh of Christ.
Every one that toucheth the corpse of a man, and is not sprinkled with mixture, shall profane the tabernacle of the Lord, and shall perish out of Israel: (think of this imagery. James at the council of Jerusalem explained that the Kingdom of David has been reestablished in the church. And on that day I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. Paul says, you have come to Mount Zion to the New Jerusalem. Peter you are rock… let’s move on) because he was not sprinkled with the water of expiation, he shall be unclean, and his uncleanness shall remain upon him… (Place these words in your thoughts. Baptism now saves you unclean is unbaptized.) lets move on.
17 And they shall take of the ashes of the burning and of the sin offering, and shall POUR LIVING WATERS upon them into a vessel.18 And a man that is clean shall dip hyssop in them, and shall sprinkle therewith all the tent, and all the furniture, and the men that are defiled with touching any such thing:19 And in this manner he that is clean shall purify the unclean on the third and on the seventh day. And being expiated the seventh day, he shall wash both himself and his garments, and be unclean until the evening.20 IF ANY MAN BE NOT EXPIATED AFTER THIS RITE, HIS SOUL SHALL PERISH OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE CHURCH: because he hath profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, and was not sprinkled with the water of purification.21( Place these words in your mind. Wear your wedding garment or there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth) THIS PRECEPT SHALL BE AN ORDINANCE FOR EVER. He also that sprinkled the water, shall wash his garments.
Numbers 19
Where do we see this phrase living waters in the New Testament?
The woman at the well which is a sign of the marriage between Christ and the Gentiles.
Jesus answered, and said to her: If thou didst know the gift of God, and who he is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.Jn 4:10. Johns gospel is the wedding feast of the lamb which is only understood through the church.
So the red heifer sacrifice shows us the mystery of the blood.
The red heifer is a type for the sacrifice of Christ.
It’s a rare sacrifice. Christ is fully God and fully man.
Sacrificed outside of the camp on the Mount of Olives.
Jesus was sacrificed outside of the city on the Mount of Olives.
The sacrifice was to purify both Jews and Gentiles.
Paul tells us
For you are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you be Christ's, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise
Gal 3
The red heifer is without blemish.
Christ is without sin.
The Red Heifer has never been yoked.
Christ is without the stain of slavery of original sin.
Scarlet, wool and wood is added to the sacrifice.
Jesus was dressed in scarlet and mocked and his blood flowed from the wood of the cross.
The mixture is sprinkled on the people from a hyssop branch as a sign of healing.
Through baptism in the blood of the Lamb we are healed from sin.
When you only know a religion of anti-Catholicism, you separate from the deep mystagogy of Christianity. The early church taught this mystagogy to the catechumens right before receiving the sacraments. People should read Saint Ambrose’s work on the mysteries. Paul said, consider us as dispensers of the mysteries of God. Dr Scott Hahn does a great job of describing mystagogy:
The Greek Fathers, following Saint Paul, called the sacraments “the mysteries”, and they are indeed the fulfillment of all the successive covenants in the “mysterious plan of God.” The Church and her apostles, and in turn their successors, serve as “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1)
The early Christians explained the sacraments by means of a method they called mystagogy, an initiation into the divine mysteries, the hidden plan of the saving work of Christ. Mystagogy moves a Christian’s awareness from the visible to the invisible, from the temporal to the eternal, from the human to the divine, from the earthly to the heavenly, from the sacraments to the mysteries. Typology shows us how Christ fulfills the Old Covenant; mystagogy shows us how Christ sends the Spirit to extend his fulfillment to us, to bring us into his New Covenant.
The Body of Christ that is risen and ascended in glory is the New Covenant; and it radiates out through the Spirit to encompass each one of us-through the liturgy and the sacraments.
Scott Hahn Consuming the Word P117
From mystery we get mysterion, sacramentum, sacrament.
Irenaeus said, “ all of the apostles were priests.”
So putting it together.
Consider us priests as dispensers of the sacraments of Christ.
In the mystagogy we see precursors to baptism in the phrase water and spirit.
Jesus said we must be born of water and spirit.
Both water and spirit is present at creation as we see in Genesis 1:1-2 During the flood in Gen 8:8-11 when the Israelites left Egypt in Exodus 14:1-31 when Ezekiel prophecies about the New Covenant .
Ezekiel prophecies about the coming baptism when he says:
And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. Ez 36:25 . When the Israelites left Egypt they were protected by the fiery pillar ( sign of the Holy Spirit,) crossing the Red Sea ( the blood of Christ) while Moses stood with his staff representing the cross.
Since we are not too limited to time today let’s look at one of St Ambrose’s examples of mystagogy.
Ambrose writing to the catechumens says:
Take another testimony. All flesh was corrupt by its iniquities. My Spirit, says God, shall not remain among men, because they are flesh. Genesis 6:3 Whereby God shows that the grace of the Spirit is turned away by carnal impurity and the pollution of grave sin. Upon which, God, willing to restore what was lacking, sent the flood and bade just Noah go up into the ark. And he, after having, as the flood was passing off, sent forth first a raven which did not return, sent forth a dove which is said to have returned with an olive twig. You see the water, you see the wood [of the ark], you see the dove, and do you hesitate as to the mystery? The water, then, is that in which the flesh is dipped, that all carnal sin may be washed away. All wickedness is there buried. The wood is that on which the Lord Jesus was fastened when He suffered for us. The dove is that in the form of which the Holy Spirit descended, as you have read in the New Testament, Who inspires in you peace of soul and tranquillity of mind. The raven is the figure of sin, which goes forth and does not return, if, in you, too, inwardly and outwardly righteousness be preserved.
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Another example showing us the imagery of the blood being applied at baptism is when the Israelites were told to spread the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the lintel and door posts making the sign of the cross showing us the imagery of the Trinitarian baptism and of course, they had to eat the Lamb after the application of the blood, so that the angel of death would Passover.
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Moving on, one of the verses Protestants fail to understand is Titus 3:5
To a Catholic who lives obedience to the faith in the sacramental life, Paul is obviously referring to baptism here but Protestantism simply does not go past the part of being saved not by our own justices but by grace.
Paul does not need to use the word baptism here writing to the bishop of Crete and born again every time he describes the effect of baptism which “is “
Grace given freely being born again, to those who were already baptized into the church. And of course all of the graces we are describing here is part of the gospel. Entrance into the chosen people the holy nation the royal priesthood in the reestablished kingdom of David is all gospel.
We were not saved from past sins which includes original sin through our own justices but through the grace given freely of the laver of regeneration (Paul here is showing us baptism through type and heavenly reality in the image of the Levitical Priests that needed to wash in the bronze laver before entering the veil) or as modern versions say, bath of rebirth through which we are regenerated.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost;
English Revised Version
not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
It’s obvious to every Catholic that this washing that regenerates is baptism.
From the beginning of Christianity the early church referred to baptism as regeneration.
In this washing is the purging of past sins. Like both Peter and Paul referred to which we discussed earlier.
Is purging of past sins through the mystical application of the blood of Christ and regeneration part of being born again?
I think this is obvious. It is also obvious that those of the born again movement are in a great state of error that is to the detriment of their very souls.
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So what is amazing is that Paul who shows us this mystery of baptism through the image of the bronze laver also shows us what happens after we move forward from the bronze laver.
19Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in the entering into the holies by the blood of Christ: 20A new and living way which he hath dedicated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh: 21And a high priest over the house of God: 22Let us draw near with a true heart, in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with clean water
Hb 10:19
He mentioned being washed with clean water which the Levitical priests did before entering the veil which is fulfilled in the flesh of Christ. He mentions that the blood of Christ is present in this sacrament which gives entrance into the flesh of Christ.
So this shows you how we are given entrance into the spiritual reality of the Holies and even the holy of Holies because during the Holy Mass the veil is rent from heaven to earth and the Holy and the Holy of Holies becomes one room. This is being born again, This is gospel. Participation in the true Passover with the hosts of heaven, connecting our souls to this eternal spiritual reality, is the primary reason for baptism. Jesus tells us. You are not of the world, if you were of the world the world would know its own. The world does not know the body of Christ.
Of course the flesh of Christ we enter by our baptism which is being saved by the blood of the Lamb is the church as Paul tells us where he writes:
25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and delivered himself up for it: 26That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life:
Eph 5:25
There is that laver again.
Scripture is a seamless fabric. A love story between a perfect groom and an imperfect bride prepared for the wedding by the death of the groom. Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends Jn 15:13
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So we have shown the mystical nature of how the blood is applied including mystagogy, we have shown how baptism is being purged from past sins, which redeemed us to Christ as His bride and flesh as His church which is needed to unite with the heavenly hosts in the true Passover. We have shown how baptism is regeneration and entrance into the flesh of Christ, so let’s look at this word promise.
Peter says, repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins and in this context of baptism he says, for the promise is for you and for your children.
So many people miss this word promise. Israel Zolli who was the chief rabbi of Rome during World War II before he converted to the Catholic faith, explained that Judaism was the promise and Catholicism is the fulfillment of the promise.
The apostles understood this and they understood that entrance into the promise fulfilled was through baptism. Paul writing to the church at Galatia who was living the sacramental life of Christianity says:
26For you are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you be Christ's, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise
Gal 3
Paul tells us that the promise includes entrance into the actual family of God. Not a metaphor but a heavenly reality.
6Not as though the word of God hath miscarried. For all are not Israelites that are of Israel. 7Neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is to say, not they that are the children of the flesh are the children of God: but they that are the children of the promise are accounted for the seed. 9For this is the word of promise:
Romans 9
In addition to entrance into the family of God, in order to spiritual unite with the hosts of heaven in the Holy Mass which we see in Hebrews 12:22, we need to be divinized in order to share in Gods one divinity. Peter who explained that we enter the promise fulfilled through our baptism writes:
3As all things of his divine power which appertain to life and godliness are given us through the knowledge of him who hath called us by his own proper glory and virtue. 4By whom he hath given us most great and precious promises: that by these you may be made partakers of the divine nature
2 Peter 1
Now think of this. At the council of Jerusalem James explained that the kingdom of David had been reestablished in the church.
Jesus said that unless you are born again of water and spirit you shall not enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus said that there are weeds in the wheat planted by Satan in the Kingdom and there are no weeds in the kingdom in the eternal state of heaven so to be born again into the family of God is to be born again into the flesh of Christ the Catholic Church weeds and all. So Protestants, are you truly born again according to scripture or have you been separated from being born again through a construct of man aided by Satan, in the goal of separation from the Catholic Church? The only way those outside the church gets past this is through having enough love for Christ in order to die to self.
This promise fulfilled is also entrance into the chosen people, the holy nation, the Royal Priesthood. If you asked a Protestant if he is a member of the Royal Priesthood he would say yes. He would say I am a member of the Royal Priesthood through simply belief.
This is part of the false construct. It is foolishness to think that you can become a member of the Royal Priesthood through simply belief and being a member of the Royal Priesthood requires performing an act of the priesthood with heaven itself.
For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink this cup you will show the death of the Lord until He comes again Paul says. You are not participating in the office of royal priesthood without participation in the church that shows the death of our Lord in the true Passover for the general redemption of the world before the Father through the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
More of the errors of the false construct created to separate people from the Catholic Church.
So everything above of course including a change of heart toward love for God, is being born again. Is regeneration into the family of God, is gospel.
Hippolytus
"The Father of immortality sent the immortal Son and Word into the world, who came to man in order to wash him with water and the Spirit; and he, begetting us again to incorruption of soul and body, breathed into us the Spirit of life, and endued us with an incorruptible panoply. If, therefore, man has become immortal, he will also be God. And if he is made God by water and the Holy Spirit after the regeneration of the laver he is found to be also joint-heir with Christ after the resurrection from the dead. Wherefore I preach to this effect: Come, all ye kindreds of the nations, to the immortality of the baptism" (Discourse on the Holy Theophany 8 [A.D. 217]).
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