Christian Catholic First ✝️🇻🇦
Boston, MA
Joined March 2025
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Knowing Christ means more than professing faith; it means obeying His Word. (1 John 2:3–5)
"Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him."
We cannot separate loving God from obeying His commandments. Obedience is an expression of our love for God. (1 John 5:2–3)
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
Love is central to the Gospel: God loved us first and sent His Son so that we might have eternal life through Him.(1 John 4:9–11)
“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”
You cannot claim to know God while refusing to love others.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
All who obey Christ’s commandments abide in Him, and He abides in them. (1 John 3:23–24)
“And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.”
Yes, Christ makes it clear in Matthew 25:31–46 that we will be judged by how we treat others. Those who feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and care for the least of these will inherit eternal life.
“Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Let me fix that too on X religious discussions:
Baptists: Posts a few memorized verses from Ephesians and Romans, taking them out of context and inserting their faith-alone and once saved always saved theology into the text.
Catholics: “Don't forget James 2:24, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 25:31–46, John 15:6, John 15:10, Hebrews 5:9, Galatians 5:6, 1 Corinthians 13:2, Romans 2:6–8, Romans 11:22, 1 John 2:3–4, and Matthew 24:13."
Don't forget that Christ also said, "If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:15).
Does John encourage too much obedience:
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome."- 1 John 5:2-3
We may fall short of loving Jesus perfectly, but Christ commands us to love God with all our heart (Matthew 22:37), keep His commandments to remain in his love (John 15:10), and be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). We are called to grow in perfect love.
Steven Anderson is a false teacher preaching a false gospel. Yet I wouldn't declare him beyond salvation. He's part of our mission field, too.
Nobody is beyond redemption. God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)
I am a Christian.
I love my enemies, whether they are Muslims, Hindus, Baptists, or Jews. (Matthew 5:44)
You cannot claim to be a Christian while hating others and refusing to love your neighbor (Matthew 5:44; Matthew 22:36–40; John 13:35; John 14+15, Galatians 5:14; Romans 13:9–10; James 2:8, 1 John, etc)
St. Paul said he wasn't sent primarily to baptize, but he connected baptism to our participation in Christ's death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4). Christ commanded the Apostles to make disciples, baptize, and teach everything He commanded (Matthew 28:19–20). Baptism is not separate from the gospel.
Yes, we must love Jesus to enter Heaven. Loving God and our neighbor is greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37–38), faith without love is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2), faith works through love (Galatians 5:6), and loving Christ means keeping His commandments (John 15:10, 1 John)
There’s no need to pit salvation by grace against baptism, especially since Jesus never made that distinction. He commanded baptism (Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:19–20) and taught that we must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Saint Paul: "if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."-1 Corinthians 13:2
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
-Galatians 5:6
The Bible makes it clear that baptism saves (1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4; Mark 16:16,John 3:5).
John Calvin makes clear baptism is not necessary for salvation:
"How much evil has been caused by the dogma, ill expounded, that baptism is necessary to salvation.
For when the opinion prevails that all are lost who happen not to be dipped in water, our condition becomes worse than that of God's ancient people, as if his grace were more restrained than under the Law.
In that case, Christ will be thought to have come not to fulfil, but to abolish the promises, since the promise, which was then effectual in itself to confer salvation before the eighth day, would not now be effectual without the help of a sign."
- John Calvin, Institutes, Book IV, Ch. 15.
Abraham’s faith wasn’t completed by faith alone. His faith was brought to completion through his works (James 2:22).
"You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works."
-James 2:22
