Catholic apologists often let us know how crucial it is to have an infallible magisterium and church Tradition in order to interpret the Bible correctly. With so many Catholic apologists now commenting on sacred scripture, I thought it would be interesting to provide their commentary on the Bible. Let’s see how they’ve been able to rightly divide the word of truth. I’ll post their interpretations as I come across them.
In this MP3 clip, Catholic apologist Tim Staples was in the process of explaining why one should pray to the saints.
Tim Staples Interprets Romans 8:35-39
For Tim, “If you die in Christ you are more radically joined to the other members of the body of Christ than when you were alive.” Tim explains these verses show death does not separate Christians “from Christ or one another.” This somehow is supposed to make one realize why Catholics would ask “deceased brothers and sisters to pray for us.”
Take a look at the verses cited by Mr. Staples:
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These verses present tremendous depth and comfort to suffering Christians. Trials and tribulation do not mean God has abandoned the believer. Rather, as Romans 8:28 points out, in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. It’s interesting that Mr. Staples chose to skip verse 36 which highlights this obvious point. Christians will persevere in their deepest trials, because nothing can separate us from the love of God.
But an even more telling sign that Staples is forcing this verse into the faulty doctrine of praying to the saints is that Romans 8:33-34 states, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”Are you looking for a verse as to who one should pray to? It can’t be more obviously stated than Romans 8:34 makes it. Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God interceding for his people.
