Answer to Common Roman Catholic Questions for Protestants – Pastor Patrick Hines Reformed Podcast

I’ll be answering these good questions a thoughtful Catholic person posed to a member of the congregation I pastor:

1. If the last man that had free will was Adam, what sins do we have to repent of and be forgiven? What debt do we owe that Jesus must pay? Isn’t our free will necessary in order for there to be judgement at all?
2. How does God select who to save and who not to? It can’t be our faith, that would be a choice (invoking free will or even a WORK that we participated in) does He just love some of us more than others? And if He does love some of us more than others, doesn’t that mean that He ceases to be omnibenevolent?
3. Whose interpretation of the Bible (or the entire deposit of faith) do you subscribe to? Your own? Some particular ecumenical council? Some particular latter-day prophet? And why wouldn’t the apostolic succession (and the “keys of heaven”) be a more trustworthy source of interpretive authority than us?
4. What does it mean when the Bible says we are made in the image and likeness of God? Most people interpret that as including a soul and mind capable of free will, intelligibility, and creativity. But that cant be the case if we don’t have free will.
5. If we were to subscribe to our own interpretation of scripture, which is probably not a good idea, since it produced 24,000 different denominations that all believe something different and they have the privileged and correct truth, then why does the New Testament council us to “sin no more,” “carry our cross,” or “endure?” Or any of the language that very thinly veils the implication that our choices MUST matter? Why do we even need to know that the crucifixion and resurrection occurred if nothing we could do about it matters? Why does Jesus command the apostles to go out and forgive sins, make disciples and baptize the nations?

it is evident, that there will come a time of much greater purity in the church of God, than
has been in ages past; it is plain by these texts of Scripture, Isa. 52:1. Ezek. 44:6, 7, Joel 3:17.
Zech. 14:21. Psal. 69:32, 35, 36. Isa 35:8, 10, chap. 4:3, 4. Ezek. 20:38. Psal. 37:9, 10, 21, 29.
And one great reason of it will be that at that time God will give much greater light to his
people, to distinguish between true religion and its counterfeits. Mal. 3:3, “And he shall sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” With ver. 18,
which is a continuation of the prophecy of the same happy times. “Then shall ye return, and
discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that