Comparative Theology, Part 3

Servants Preparation Curriculum

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Comparative Theology, Part 3 – The Protestant Movement

Objectives:

1. To review the wrong teaching of The Catholic Church
2. To learn about the life of Martin Luther
3. To gain an understanding on the Five Solas
4. To study Baptism and Communion in The Protestant Church

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Meditation Verse

• St. Paul:

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“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (2 Timothy 2:5)

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The Orthodox Sources of Legislation/Doctrine

1. The Bible
2. The Didache/Discola
• The Teaching of The Disciples and The Apostles
3. The Ecumenical Councils
4. The teachings of the church fathers
• 4^th-5^th Centuries
• St. Cyril The Pillar of Faith
• St. Athanasius
• St. Gregory The Theologian
• St. Augustine

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The Wrong Practices of The Catholic Church in The Medieval Ages

• The Medieval Ages were the 6^th-16^th Centuries
• They prohibited the printing and distribution of The Holy Bible
• They prohibited reading The Holy Bible at home
• They collected money for the sacraments
• Marriage, baptism, unction of the sick, etc.
• They accumulated wealth from the poor people
• There was great corruption among the clergy

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Purgatory

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Indulgences

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Apostolic Benediction and Plenary Indulgence Parchment

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The Wrong Practices of The Catholic Church in The Medieval Ages Cont.

• Purgatory
• Indulgences
• Withholding The Blood of Christ
• The Catholic Inquisitions/Courts
• The mixing of politics and religion
• Controlling the Kings in Europe

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The Catholic Inquisitions/Courts

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Comparative Theology, Part 3 – The Protestant Movement

Objectives:

1. To review the wrong teaching of The Catholic Church
2. To learn about the life of Martin Luther
3. To gain an understanding on the Five Solas
4. To study Baptism and Communion in The Protestant Church

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Martin Luther, Theologian (1483-1546)

• Born in Germany in 1483 to a poor family
• In 1501, Martin Luther entered the University of Erfurt, where he received a Master of Arts degree (in grammar, logic, rhetoric and metaphysics)
• He was caught in a horrific thunderstorm where he feared for his life, so he promised to be a monk if was saved
• He became a Professor of Theology at The University of Wittenberg in Germany
• He focused on one verse, “The just shall live by faith”

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Martin Luther, Theologian (1483-1546) Cont.

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Martin Luther, Theologian (1483-1546) Cont.

• Before The Papal Court in Rome

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• On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, angry with Pope Leo X’s new round of indulgences to help build St. Peter’s Basilica, nailed a sheet of paper with his 95 Theses on the University of Wittenberg’s chapel door
• He was summoned to appear before the church court in Rome to apologize and recant his theses, he refused
• On May 8, 1521, the council excommunicated him and declared him a “convicted heretic” and should be punished

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Martin Luther, Theologian (1483-1546) Cont.

• Husband and Father

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• He escaped to Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany to organize a new church: Lutheranism
• He gained many followers and got support from wealthy German Princes
• He denounced the Peasants/Farmers War in 1524 and sided with the Rulers and Princes
• In 1525, He married “Katharina von Bora” a former nun and had six children
• He got sick and died February 18, 1546 at 62 years old

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Martin Luther, Theologian (1483-1546) Cont.

• Marriage and 6 children

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Comparative Theology, Part 3 – The Protestant Movement

Objectives:

1. To review the wrong teaching of The Catholic Church
2. To learn about the life of Martin Luther
3. To gain an understanding on the Five Solas
4. To study Baptism and Communion in The Protestant Church

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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The Main Changes/Reforms

• The Five Solas (only):
• Sola Scriptura = Scripture/Bible Alone
• Solus Christus = Christ Alone
• Sola Fide = Faith Alone
• Sola Gratia = Grace Alone
• Soli Deo Gloria = Glory to God Alone

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• Infant Baptism?
• Communion?

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1. Sola Scriptura: Scripture/Bible Alone

• The Bible should be interpreted in new visions/perspectives
• Every individual has the right to interpret Holy Scripture as he or she pleased, without adhering to tradition
• He paved the road for many new denominations/subgroups
• For example: Episcopal, Methodist, etc.

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1. Sola Scriptura: Scripture/Bible Alone

• Ignoring Holy Tradition
• Rejected because The Holy Tradition was practiced in The First Church and mentioned in The Bible many times

Biblical proofs of Holy Tradition

1. Noah divided the animals into clean and unclean
2. Noah built an altar to God after the flood
3. Jacob gave the 10^th of his income to God

4. St. John epistle

“Having many things to write to you, did not wish to do so in paper and ink but I hope to come and speak to you face to face” (2 John 1:12)

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1. Sola Scriptura: Scripture/Bible Alone

• Ignoring the Ecumenical Councils
• Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus

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• Ignoring the early Fathers teachings

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Johannes Gutenberg printed The Bible In 1440, 43 years before Martin Luther

2. Solus Christus: Christ Alone, No Need for Priesthood

“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9)

• No need for priesthood, we can all be pastors/preachers
• No need for any mediator between people and God
• Rejected because
• The Lord gave the power to forgive and retain sins to the Apostles, not to all believers
• The Apostles delegated this authority to The Bishops, but not to the deacons
• Specific men were chosen, ordained by the laying on hands, to be a substitute for The Bishop in the parishes – St. Paul

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2. Solus Christus: Christ Alone, No Need for Priesthood Cont.

Priesthood in The Bible

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• The Old Testament:
• One ENTIRE Book (Leviticus)

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• Jesus Established the Sacrament of Priesthood

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23)

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3. Sola Fide: Faith Alone, No Need for Good Deeds

• Faith alone can save you and get you to Heaven
• Example: The Right-Hand Thief was saved without any works

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• Rejection because:

“Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20)

“Faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6)

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• The Right-Hand Thief confessed and pleaded to Jesus Christ on The Cross – so, he did a good deed

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4. Sola Gratia: Grace Alone, No Need to Work for Destiny

“For by grace you have been saved through faith”

(Ephesians 2:8)

• Grace is a gift from God and we are passive receivers
• All believers will be saved based on God’s Grace and individual beliefs, and it is not based on your deeds/acts
• Believers do not have to do any good deeds

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• Rejected because

St. Paul: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10)

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4. Soli Deo Gloria Gratia: Glory to God Alone, No Need for Intercession

• No glorification to any creature - no matter what
• We all are equal in God’s sight
• No glorification to St. Mary
• No celebration for any martyr
• No honor given to any monastic father or mother
• No honor given to the clergy – Pope, Bishop, or Priest
• Rejection because

Jesus Christ said: “Whoever honors you, honors me, and whoever honors you, honors Him who sent me” (John 5:23)

• We value Intercession in our Church

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Comparative Theology, Part 3 – The Protestant Movement

Objectives:

1. To review the wrong teaching of The Catholic Church
2. To learn about the life of Martin Luther
3. To gain an understanding on the Five Solas
4. To study Baptism and Communion in The Protestant Church

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Infant Baptism

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Infant Baptism Cont.

• They reject Infant Baptism, and they wait until the children grow up, understand the faith, then get Baptized

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• Rejected because
• Stories from The Bible
• Cornelius’ Family’s Baptism
• Lydia’s Family’s Baptism
• The writing of the Early Church Fathers
• Irenaeus
• St. John Chrysostom: “which request infant baptism”

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Communion

• Jesus gave the communion to all without except
• Jesus Christ said: “He who eats My Flesh, and drinks My Body abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56)
• Jesus Christ said: “Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. He who eats this Bread will live forever" (John 6:54,58)

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• Luther believed Communion was for sinners - those who NEEDED Christ’s Incarnation the most

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Conclusion

• Martin Luther called for God and The Bible without The Church and Its Clergy or Saints
• They separated the Apocryphal books are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine
• He Ignorance to The Holy Tradition

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Rejection:

• No one can call God his father, if the church is not his mother!
• The sacraments are essential to Salvation and Spiritual Growth
• The Saints and Martyrs are our intercessors and helpers

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Comparative Theology, Part 3 – The Protestant Movement

Objectives:

1. To review the wrong teaching of The Catholic Church
2. To learn about the life of Martin Luther
3. To gain an understanding on the Five Solas
4. To study Baptism and Communion in The Protestant Church

Lecture 34, Servants Preparation Curriculum

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Memorization Verses

1. “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9)

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• “Whoever honors you, honors me, and whoever honors you, honors Him who sent me” (John 5:23)

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