As a Catholic monk and priest, I have this to say about the application and fruition of the once-for-all redemption. The Letter to the Hebrews does emphasize that the sacrifice of the Cross is “once for all.” However, that same Letter also says that the ascended Christ “always lives to make intercession” for us at the Father’s right hand (Heb 7.25). Our Lord’s victory is complete, but he has not retired as our great High Priest. The evangelical Anglican theologian John Stott pointed out that, though Christ’s work of redemption is once-for-all on the Cross, Scripture also teaches that the Holy Spirit’s work is MORE and MORE-that is, still making the redemption fruitful in all ages. John Stott puts it this way: “The Holy Spirit is constantly, and indeed increasingly showing Christ to us and forming Christ in us” (Evangelical Truth, p. 36). All of this can be summed up in two one-syllable words: the preposition FOR and the preposition IN. Christ has already done everything FOR us by his death on the Cross; he is risen and dies no more. However, Christ’s work IN us by the Holy Spirit (sanctification) is ongoing. What remains now is for that perfect once-for-all redemption on the Cross to be applied to us and to bear fruit in us. When Catholics say "we offer Christ" in the Eucharist, this is the exact opposite of a Pelagian works-righteousness, since the expression really means we have nothing else to offer that is of any avail as acceptable worship. It expresses in liturgical worship precisely what Augustus Toplady wrote: "Nothing in my hand I bring / simply to Thy Cross I cling." In fact, we sing that often at Mass in my parish. And, in every Mass, the priest prays at the altar, "Look not on our sins but on the FAITH of your Church."
@@BritishBibleBelievers I have already done so. It was disappointing to find that they are premillennial dispensationalists. I have much more respect for Reformed covenant theologians like Dr Hamilton, whose criticisms are at least worthy of consideration. Ex-Catholics for Christ is very insulting toward covenant theology.
Westminster Confession of Faith XXIX Of the Lord's Supper: #2 "In this sacrament, Christ is not offered up to His Father; nor any real sacrifice made at all, for remission of sins of the quick or dead; but only a commemoration of that one offering up of Himself, by Himself, upon the cross, once for all: and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise to God, for the same: so that the popish sacrifice of the mass (as they call it) is most abominably injurious to Christ's one, only sacrifice, the only propitiation for all the sins of His elect." #6 "That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood (commonly called transubstantiation) by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant, not to Scripture alone, but even to common sense, and reason; overthroweth the nature of the sacrament, and hath been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions; yea, of gross idolatries."
@@GustAdlph Yes, the Mass as propitiatory sacrifice and transubstantiation are the key points of disagreement between Catholics and Reformed on the Eucharist. But, even here, Pierre du Moulin, a vehemently anti-papist 17th-century French Reformed theologian gave serious consideration to the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The Reformed theologian Peter Leithart has this interesting passage about Du Moulin: "Pierre du Moulin, a French Reformed pastor, enumerated in 1635 the “particular reasons for calling the Eucharist a sacrifice”: “I. Because this sacrament was instituted to proclaim the Lord’s death until He come … .Hence the Eucharist may be called a sacrifice, since it represents the sacrifice of the Lord’s death. According to the principle that signs and representations ordinarily take the name of that which they signify. II. It may be said that in the Eucharist we offer Jesus Christ to God, insofar as we ask God to receive on our behalf the sacrifice of His death. III. The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the divine benefits and especially for the benefit of our redemption through Jesus Christ. “ Du Moulin distinguished propitiatory sacrifices from sacrifices of thanksgiving and, though he said that in a certain sense the Eucharist is a propitiatory sacrifice (since it commemorates a propitiation), insisted that strictly speaking it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving. “Thus the Eucharist may be a sacrament insofar as by it God gives us and conveys His grace, and a sacrifice insofar as we offer Him our praise and thanksgiving” (Quoted in Max Thurian, The Eucharistic Sacrifice, II, pp. 87-88).
As a former Roman Catholic with 16 years of Catholic education, I know Catholics agree that we are saved by grace, but grace doesn't mean "free gift," grace is the help God gives you through the sacraments and you have to cooperate with grace to be saved.
From the Westminster Shorter Catechism: "Q. 88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption? A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, Sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation." From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life" (CCC 1996). "The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it" (CCC 1999). "Grace is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us" (CCC 2003). "Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men" (CCC 1992).
Westminster Shorter Catechism: "Quest. 88. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption? Ans. 88. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:42, 46-47).
As a Catholic monk and priest, I have this to say about the application and fruition of the once-for-all redemption. The Letter to the Hebrews does emphasize that the sacrifice of the Cross is “once for all.” However, that same Letter also says that the ascended Christ “always lives to make intercession” for us at the Father’s right hand (Heb 7.25). Our Lord’s victory is complete, but he has not retired as our great High Priest. The evangelical Anglican theologian John Stott pointed out that, though Christ’s work of redemption is once-for-all on the Cross, Scripture also teaches that the Holy Spirit’s work is MORE and MORE-that is, still making the redemption fruitful in all ages. John Stott puts it this way: “The Holy Spirit is constantly, and indeed increasingly showing Christ to us and forming Christ in us” (Evangelical Truth, p. 36).
All of this can be summed up in two one-syllable words: the preposition FOR and the preposition IN. Christ has already done everything FOR us by his death on the Cross; he is risen and dies no more. However, Christ’s work IN us by the Holy Spirit (sanctification) is ongoing. What remains now is for that perfect once-for-all redemption on the Cross to be applied to us and to bear fruit in us.
When Catholics say "we offer Christ" in the Eucharist, this is the exact opposite of a Pelagian works-righteousness, since the expression really means we have nothing else to offer that is of any avail as acceptable worship. It expresses in liturgical worship precisely what Augustus Toplady wrote: "Nothing in my hand I bring / simply to Thy Cross I cling." In fact, we sing that often at Mass in my parish. And, in every Mass, the priest prays at the altar, "Look not on our sins but on the FAITH of your Church."
Look up Ex-Catholics For Christ. Blessings
@@BritishBibleBelievers I have already done so. It was disappointing to find that they are premillennial dispensationalists. I have much more respect for Reformed covenant theologians like Dr Hamilton, whose criticisms are at least worthy of consideration. Ex-Catholics for Christ is very insulting toward covenant theology.
Westminster Confession of Faith XXIX Of the Lord's Supper: #2 "In this sacrament, Christ is not offered up to His Father; nor any real sacrifice made at all, for remission of sins of the quick or dead; but only a commemoration of that one offering up of Himself, by Himself, upon the cross, once for all: and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise to God, for the same: so that the popish sacrifice of the mass (as they call it) is most abominably injurious to Christ's one, only sacrifice, the only propitiation for all the sins of His elect."
#6 "That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood (commonly called transubstantiation) by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant, not to Scripture alone, but even to common sense, and reason; overthroweth the nature of the sacrament, and hath been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions; yea, of gross idolatries."
@@GustAdlph Yes, the Mass as propitiatory sacrifice and transubstantiation are the key points of disagreement between Catholics and Reformed on the Eucharist.
But, even here, Pierre du Moulin, a vehemently anti-papist 17th-century French Reformed theologian gave serious consideration to the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The Reformed theologian Peter Leithart has this interesting passage about Du Moulin:
"Pierre du Moulin, a French Reformed pastor, enumerated in 1635 the “particular reasons for calling the Eucharist a sacrifice”: “I. Because this sacrament was instituted to proclaim the Lord’s death until He come … .Hence the Eucharist may be called a sacrifice, since it represents the sacrifice of the Lord’s death. According to the principle that signs and representations ordinarily take the name of that which they signify. II. It may be said that in the Eucharist we offer Jesus Christ to God, insofar as we ask God to receive on our behalf the sacrifice of His death. III. The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the divine benefits and especially for the benefit of our redemption through Jesus Christ. “ Du Moulin distinguished propitiatory sacrifices from sacrifices of thanksgiving and, though he said that in a certain sense the Eucharist is a propitiatory sacrifice (since it commemorates a propitiation), insisted that strictly speaking it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving. “Thus the Eucharist may be a sacrament insofar as by it God gives us and conveys His grace, and a sacrifice insofar as we offer Him our praise and thanksgiving” (Quoted in Max Thurian, The Eucharistic Sacrifice, II, pp. 87-88).
As a former Roman Catholic with 16 years of Catholic education, I know Catholics agree that we are saved by grace, but grace doesn't mean "free gift," grace is the help God gives you through the sacraments and you have to cooperate with grace to be saved.
From the Westminster Shorter Catechism:
"Q. 88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?
A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, Sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation."
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life" (CCC 1996).
"The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it" (CCC 1999).
"Grace is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us" (CCC 2003).
"Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men" (CCC 1992).
Westminster Shorter Catechism:
"Quest. 88. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?
Ans. 88. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:42, 46-47).