Do I need to confess some sins to a Roman Catholic priest to be forgiven?

Question: Hello Jeffrey! I’ve been studying Christianity once again and found out that there are two kinds of sins at the Roman Catholic Church — ‘venial’ and ‘mortal’. I found out that if one commits a mortal sin then it must be confessed in front of a priest in order to be completely forgiven. That…

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If Christ Built Only One, Where Did They All Come From?

by Jefferson David Tant At the beginning of the gospel age, there was but one church, and now, 2000 years later, according to some reports, there are over 1,200. How did this happen? People wonder where they all came from. Is this division and confusion what Christ intended? Let’s examine this situation to see just…

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Why Baptize Infants?

by Whit Sasser “Baptizing” infants is practiced in the Roman Catholic church and some of the Protestant denominations as well. But why would one need to subject a baby to such? They are not sinners. Sin cannot be inherited (Ezekiel 18:20). Sin is not passively received but a violation of God’s will (I John 3:4).…

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Apostolic Succession

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ApostolicSuccession.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 20:17-36   I.         How do you prove that your brand of Christianity is real?             A.        For some, the argument is based on who was around the longest.                         1.         A religion that just recently started is declared to be suspect. If the church has been around for 2,000 years, then where was…

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Is it wrong to get married in a different church?

Question: I have a question. I took your advice and want to get married. My mum, my wife-to-be, and I are cool with getting married in a Lutheran church. Our bone of contention comes from our best man and woman who are born again, like ourselves. They will not do a wedding at a Lutheran…

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What are the citations for Luther’s quotes on baptism?

Question: Appreciated your article on “Is water baptism a work?” but could you cite your references to Luther’s writings? I’d never before heard that he wrote these things. The references would be valuable. Answer: “What does Baptism give or profit? It effects the forgiveness of sins …” Martin Luther, “The Small Catechism,” in The Book of…

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What is wrong with Lutheranism?

Question: You addressed other denominations and contrasted their doctrines to the Church of Christ’s teachings. Could you please address your differences with the Lutheran faith (I can see the issues of infant baptism and original sin in reading your articles). I am a member of the WELS and we take our doctrine seriously and I…

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Faith Only

by Mark Russell published in Biblical Insights, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2005 Even Martin Luther didn’t deny baptism as an expression of faith and as necessary to salvation. There were five Latin phrases, known as the “Five Solas” that became the mantra of the Protestant Reformation. These five ideas developed through the years and summarize…

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