Churches / Denominations / Branches.

[Obadiah]

So if its that easy people can freely sin?.

What is sin?. Its breaking the commandments.

You have to go precept upon precept to get full understanding. You cant just use one verse. If thats the case i just need to believe and can freely live under grace i can break as many of Gods Laws as i like.


What does Paul say, should we continue breaking the law, God forbid.

You read into the scripture I posted way to much that was never said. This is what happens when you do not accept the council of elders, which you have made very clear in other threads that you do not accept and, in fact, disdain. There are many things you have said on this forum that are very wise and well thought out, but this is one area where I don't see this in your ideas.

Edit: Quote added to preserve the integrity of the original post I am responding to.

 

[reba]

Kiwi, i sin, i strife not to but i still goof up.. I dont want to sin because i love the Lord.. I am thankful for His Grace and Mercy .. I am thankful for a new day in Him...
We need the whole of scripture it all works together... We just dont all see or understand the Word the same way at the same time.. ST Paul got knocked of a donkey and blinded so God could get his attention we are all saved by His Blood but do all "get it " the same way.. Paul was blinded . Peter got it by fishing.. Zaccious (sp) the tax collector got it cuz Jesus was nice to him...

 

[reba]

kiwidan your brother Obadiah is offering some really good advice..

 

[Corn Pop]

I guess im just a OSNAS believer then.

 

[Obadiah]

kiwidan your brother Obadiah is offering some really good advice..

I just fear the effects this kind of talk will have on all the people (many who are not even members here) who stumble onto this thread and will say something like "man, I wish I could be a Christian, but if I have to follow all those laws and rules there's no way I can live up to that. Guess I'll forget about it."

 

[Obadiah]

I guess im just a OSNAS believer then.

This doesn't even have anything to do with Once Saved Not Always Saved concept. It was a response to the OP's question which asks in part: "I suppose what interests me the most is how people came to consider themselves Christian..."

 

[Corn Pop]

I just fear the effects this kind of talk will have on all the people (many who are not even members here) who stumble onto this thread and will say something like "man, I wish I could be a Christian, but if I have to follow all those laws and rules there's no way I can live up to that. Guess I'll forget about it."

Not really. They might just want the easy way and follow you. Im not saying anyone has to believe me, and also if they are interested they might just pick up and read for themselves rather than listening to us who are only men and who can fail in the things we say.

 

[Obadiah]

They might just want the easy way and follow you.

*Sigh*

 

[Corn Pop]

Lol. Sorry.

 

[Christ_empowered]

the sheer number of protestant denominations has sometimes made me want to go Catholic. I mean, they've been around 2,000+/- years, right? Must be doing something right.

 

[Obadiah]

the sheer number of protestant denominations has sometimes made me want to go Catholic. I mean, they've been around 2,000+/- years, right? Must be doing something right.

Actually, they haven't been around over 2000 years. And many pagan religions have been around much longer. That doesn't mean they are right.

 

[Corn Pop]

Also im not saying anything is hard. Believe in Jesus. Jesus said love fulls the commandments. They dont need to follow a million rules.

Im only talking the extra few things Jesus said that people ignore. Like prayer, doing alms, sounding trumpets and things like that.

 

[Nick]

Im only talking the extra few things Jesus said that people ignore. Like prayer, doing alms, sounding trumpets and things like that.

Which is a fine discussion to have, but it has nothing to do with this thread, as this thread is about salvation.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I'm curious, kiwidan , have you read other books in the Bible like Romans, James, etc? It sounds like you're only referring to the Gospels, but other books in the New Testament explain a lot more about the purpose and effect of Jesus' work and stuff.

 

[KevinK]

I'm not currently a member of a congregation...I was raised Roman Catholic, but for reasons I won't go into details about here, no longer consider myself. I would be open to joining a church, denominational or non-, but I have but one single requisite: it would have to sermonize frequently on the topic of Hell, just as Christ did. So few pastors or ministers seem to even touch this topic these days, and it's a pretty important one.

One honest question: the commandment says to "honor the Sabbath", but does that necessarily mean church service? I appreciate the benefits, but is it an actual requirement?

 

[Corn Pop]

I'm curious, kiwidan , have you read other books in the Bible like Romans, James, etc? It sounds like you're only referring to the Gospels, but other books in the New Testament explain a lot more about the purpose and effect of Jesus' work and stuff.

I have, but i would not say i have a full understanding of everything, or can i remember everything or have everything in its correct context.

I just go one verse at a time now, and if im unsure what something means i will find it to get full understanding.

 

[Obadiah]

I have, but i would not say i have a full understanding of everything, or can i remember everything or have everything in its correct context.

I just go one verse at a time now, and if im unsure what something means i will find it to get full understanding.

I give you an example. Paul says all are one in Christ, so i want to know what that means, so i find another verse where Paul says one body in Christ.

So now i know that verse means we are all one body in Christ, corrext context, and does not contradict where he says first the jew then the gentile.

All im trying to do is my best to get a full understand of everything.

I'm sorry, I did not realize you were having this difficulty in understanding the scriptures. I recall a long time ago you told me that you spend around 40 hours per week reading and studying scripture on your own. I assumed by now you would have read all of it and had a pretty good handle on things like remembering it and having it in context.

Maybe a good thing for you to do would be to enroll in an actual Bible study course in a Christian university that is taught by respected theologians (not just a church Bible study that might be lead by the only person who didn't have the nerve to say no to the pastor). With the amount of time you told me that you put into study anyway, this is certainly doable for you without even putting a time burden on you, and it would give you the benefit of hearing viewpoints that have been established over hundreds of years of study. That doesn't mean the viewpoints are always right, but it gives you the opportunity to listen to them, many of which you have probably not heard and had the opportunity to analyze. You can reject the ones that aren't right, but more importantly you can gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and understanding that would take you thousands of years to gain all by yourself in your own home. There is much to gain from the collective knowledge of elders in the faith, and you still have the Holy Spirit to guide you in knowing when they are in error and when they are not.

 

[antipasta]

You know, if all you people would just join me and come home to Rome, we wouldn't have all these issues with denominations. You're all Christians, now complete the process and come back to the Church that traces its history through 2000 years of unbroken Apostolic Succession all the way back to St. Peter. You know you want to.

 

[Corn Pop]

You know, if all you people would just join me and come home to Rome, we wouldn't have all these issues with denominations. You're all Christians, now complete the process and come back to the Church that traces its history through 2000 years of unbroken Apostolic Succession all the way back to St. Peter. You know you want to.

But those gregorian chants, man, they scare the living daylights out of me. I could not walk into a church hearing gregorian chants.

 

[Mike S]

the sheer number of protestant denominations has sometimes made me want to go Catholic. I mean, they've been around 2,000+/- years, right? Must be doing something right.

Every Christian denomination is the inheritor of Christ's ministry and sacrifice. We all spring from the same source. The Catholic Church has no more claim to Christian history than any other denomination.