Luther and his followers could not bring themselves to draw the extreme conclusions that logically flowed from their false teaching on man's salvation. Calvin and Zwingli and their reformer-followers proved to be more consistent. If good works have no significance whatsoever in the matter of salvation, if man through sin has lost every capacity for good, and if even faith - the sole condition for salvation - is God's gift, the question naturally arises: why then are not all men saved, why do some receive grace, while others believe and perish? There can be only one answer to this question, and the reformers give it: "From eternity, God predestined some for salvation, others for perdition, and this predestination depends not at all on a man's personal freedom and life."
The erroneousness of the reformers' teaching is obvious. It perverts the truly Christian understanding of God's justice and mercy, of man's worth and purpose as a free and rational being. God appears here not as a loving, merciful Father, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4), but as a cruel, unjust despot, who saves some without any merit and dooms others without fault to perdition.
The Orthodox Church also recognizes predestination, but does not consider it unconditional, that is, independent of men's free well and based on a groundless decision of the divine will. According to Orthodox teaching, God, as omniscient, knows, foresees the moral state of men and, on the basis of this foresight, preordains, predetermines for them a certain fate.
But He does not preordain for anyone a definite moral state; He does not preordain either a virtuous or a sinful life and does not at all inhibit our freedom. Therefore, even the Apostle Paul, whom the reformers cite, very closely connects the teaching on predestination with the teaching on God's foresight. In the Epistle to the Romans, he explains this thought in detail, and, incidentally, says concerning predestination: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son? Moreover whom he did pre-destinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Romans 8:29-30). In this way, God predestinates to glory not according to His groundless arbitrariness, as the reformers think, but according to His foreknowledge of a man's merits accomplished through his free will.
As a counterweight to the exaggerated significance in Catholicism of a man's personal merits before God, the followers of Luther teach that good works do not constitute an essential condition for a man's salvation, that they can even be harmful, since they develop self-conceit and Pharisaical pride. God's grace, acting on a man, instills in him faith in Jesus Christ, and this faith, which places a man in an immediate relationship to the Redeemer, also affords a man salvation and makes him righteous.
Lutherans, as proof of their teaching on justification by faith alone, cite the words of the Apostle Paul: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28), and further: "...a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16). But in these and similar expressions, the Apostle Paul does not at all deny the significance of good works for salvation, but only rejects the false view of the Jews, who in proud self-assurance hoped to attain salvation by an exact, formal fulfillment of the outward prescriptions of the law, apart from heartfelt faith in Jesus Christ. This faith, according to the Apostle Paul, ought to be alive and active, that is, united with good works. It ought to be that "which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6); "and though," he says, "I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing" (I Corinthians 13:2). The Saviour Himself says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). But the idea of the necessity of good works for salvation is especially clearly set forth in the Epistle of the Apostle James, which the Protestants so dislike that they even reject its authenticity: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ...as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:14, 26).
Nuke read the above a few times and let in sink in.
Also please inform us to what domination / sect you belong and if its not too personal what Church you attend.
Drunky,
It seems that Catholics tend to ask the Virgin Mary for help with prayers rather the Jesus or God. Why?
No they don't. They simple ask Mary or the saints to join in their prayers. All prayers are through and in the name of Jesus Christ. Only God has the power the answer prayers.
You don't pray to Mary for grace, salvation or mercy, you simply ask that see join in your prayer.
Isn't God and Jesus pretty bad ass? They are GOD and the SON of GOD. Yes, Mary gave birth to Jesus. But isn't she just a vessel for the spirit of God? A subheading under 'The Big Cheese'?
The answers to your first 2 questions can found int he reply I gave to Nuke.
In the Orthodox teaching on the veneration of saints there is no belittling of the Lord's redemptive sacrifice, since we ask of the saints not that which is not within their power - the forgiveness of sins, the granting of grace and the future blessed life - but we ask the saints, as members of the Church who have been redeemed by the most pure blood of Jesus Christ and are nearer to God than we, that they intercede for us before the one Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the passages of Sacred Scripture cited by the Protestants (Deuteronomy 6:13, I Timothy 1:17), the rendering of divine honor to God alone is spoken of; but we do not render such honor to the saints. We venerate God's grace, which resides in them; we venerate God, Who is, according to the words of the Psalmist, "wondrous in His saints."
You don't pray to the Saints as if they are equal to God.
You simply ask that they join in your prayers just as you would a living person. After all they are not dead, they are alive in Heaven.
When you think of the Holy Trinity do you think of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary? or do you think of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
The Father (God), The Son (Jesus), The Holy Spirit (God's Presence).
You don't hear about Catholics seeing the face of Jesus under an overpass and visiting it. Why?
First whether you believe these 'Mary sightings' or not there's a rich and documented history / tradition of the Saints and in particular Mary revealing themselves. The answers to why are to be answered by those who truly believe.
As I said above I am not a Christian (all though I was raised in a devote Catholic Family).
However, there are any number of claims of 'weeping Jesus's' from paintings to Statues etc...
I would not presume to tell those who truly believe what they see as a sign of God that they are wrong. They believe and have faith in what they see. It not not seem logical or even sane but whether its 'true' or psychological' faith has power.
The Catholics that I know have the Virgin Mary tattooed on them but none have a picture of Jesus tattooed on them. Why?
I dunno. I am covered in tattoos. None of them are of Mary or Jesus.
