One True Church

[BornAgain]

Does anybody every question what the right church is? Do you ever think am I going to the right church or what is the right church? Tell me, what is the right church and do you belong to the right church? What does "church" mean?

 

[Webb]

So far as I know, the scripture speaks of only one church. Its in the singular. Jesus said He would build His church, singular, not plural. I believe it possible to identify that church in the NT.

 

[Mitspa]

Mar 16:17



And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18



They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Joh 13:34



A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35



By this shall allmenknow that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The true "Church" can not been seen, it is not physical. But if you know faith and love you will know its members!

 

[BornAgain]

Does anybody every question what the right church is? Do you ever think am I going to the right church or what is the right church? Tell me, what is the right church and do you belong to the right church? What does "church" mean?

Matt 16:18Matthew 16:18 (KJV)
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

[Knotical]

The Church, is literally the body of believers that follow Christ. When it comes to if we are attending the right "denomination" it really comes down to how closely it follows Christ's teachings, as well as the rest of the doctrines in the bible. There are those who do not believe that the letters of Paul, for instance, should not have been included in the bible. But I put the question to them, what exactly about Paul's letters do not build on Christ's teachings, or the teachings from the rest of the bible, for that matter?

I believe the Orthodox Presbyterian denomination does a very good job, for the most part, being very mindful about what is being taught is strictly biblical. I do not the Catholic Church has it right on every doctrine, especially when it comes to salvation, purgatory, and praying to the Saints.

 

[Webb]

The term denomination basically means "a part of the whole." The church Christ built is not a "part" but the "whole." One may be a member of the body of Christ (the church of the NT) and never know a denomination.

The NT church will have the right answer to the question "what must I do to be saved?" It will have the same names worn by the church in the NT. It will have the same items of worship, including its music. It will worship on the 1st day of the week and not the 7th. It will have the same organization, for example Phil.1:1. Its members will live the godly life espoused by the NT teaching. Its only "creed" will be the NT and the Christ Who is its Testator. Her members will seek to "rightly divide the word of truth" as Paul admonished Timothy. I might go on, but my time gets short.

 

[Danus]

Often times people speak of their faith in terms of their religion. They will say things like; "I'm of the Catholic faith, or the Methodist faith, or (------fill in the blank -----) faith. Our faith should not be represented by a religious organisation.

A Christian should first have a relationship in faith in Jesus Christ, and the religious affiliation they attend they attend should complement that. If God is not found in an individuals heart He certainly will not be found in any idea of an exclusive body of believers that might hold themselves as the one an only correct church.

 

[BornAgain]

Often times people speak of their faith in terms of their religion. They will say things like; "I'm of the Catholic faith, or the Methodist faith, or (------fill in the blank -----) faith. Our faith should not be represented by a religious organisation.

A Christian should first have a relationship in faith in Jesus Christ, and the religious affiliation they attend they attend should complement that. If God is not found in an individuals heart He certainly will not be found in any idea of an exclusive body of believers that might hold themselves as the one an only correct church.

The most important thing is not whether you are in the main stream of the fellowship of the church, but whether you are in the main stream of "The Faith" (Jude 3).

 

[Webb]

Good post Born Again. Further the only thing we can read in our NT's that Christ gave Himself for, that He saves and that He will present to the Father at His 2nd coming is the body, the church: Eph.5:23,25 and I Cor.15:24. If I wish to be saved I must be in that one body of which He is saviour, for which He gave Himself for and which He will at last present to the Father at the end. NO, the church does NOT save, rather the church aboved IS the saved.

 

[BornAgain]

Good post Born Again. Further the only thing we can read in our NT's that Christ gave Himself for, that He saves and that He will present to the Father at His 2nd coming is the body, the church: Eph.5:23,25 and I Cor.15:24. If I wish to be saved I must be in that one body of which He is saviour, for which He gave Himself for and which He will at last present to the Father at the end. NO, the church does NOT save, rather the church aboved IS the saved.

Amen, Webb.

 

[elijah23]

Does anybody every question what the right church is? Do you ever think am I going to the right church or what is the right church? Tell me, what is the right church and do you belong to the right church? What does "church" mean?

I think a church is a group of people who join together to do the Lord's will. No church is perfect.

 

[BornAgain]

I think a church is a group of people who join together to do the Lord's will. No church is perfect.

The church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. The individual Christians are members of that body, all moved and directed by the Head. "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." (1:24.) The statement is that the church is the body of Christ. The same thing is said in the following: "And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Eph. 1:22, 23.) Everyone therefore who belongs to Christ necessarily belongs to the church. To be out of the church is to be out of Christ. To be in Christ is to be in the church.

 

[twinc]

where Peter is there is the True Church - for flesh and blood cannot reveal the truth but only Our Father in heaven - this he did to Peter and still does to Peter,so where Peter is the true Church must be imho - twinc

 

[smaller]

Does anybody every question what the right church is? Do you ever think am I going to the right church or what is the right church? Tell me, what is the right church and do you belong to the right church? What does "church" mean?

That church would be the church that loves all the other right church people who might not believe 'like them.'

s

 

[Webb]

The scriptue and the scripture alone identifies the church of Matt.16:18.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

So far as I know, the scripture speaks of only one church. Its in the singular. Jesus said He would build His church, singular, not plural. I believe it possible to identify that church in the NT.

Unforntunately most think there are many churches and many faiths when the bible says there is one body and one faith.

 

[Webb]

Unforntunately most think there are many churches and many faiths when the bible says there is one body and one faith.

Hi Ern---Yes, and the devil continues to have his way. We can't separate Jesus from His blood (though some try); we can't separate" Jesus from his blood bought church (though some try mighty hard). "--Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body" Eph.5:23. The church does NOT save, rather it is the saved. No wonder satan tries his hardest to discount it.

God bless, brother

 

[Cassian]

Hi Ern---Yes, and the devil continues to have his way. We can't separate Jesus from His blood (though some try); we can't separate" Jesus from his blood bought church (though some try mighty hard). "--Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body" Eph.5:23. The church does NOT save, rather it is the saved. No wonder satan tries his hardest to discount it.

God bless, brother

The church does NOT save, rather it is the saved. No wonder satan tries his hardest to discount it.

the primary purpose of the Church is to save. Christ left us his Body so that we could become members of it which constitutes being IN Christ. Christ is the Church. He is the Head over His Body. We as individuals are not the body, but members of that Body. Believers are united IN Christ and it is in the Body that we can be saved.

YOur statement, "he is the saviour of the body" Eph.5:23" is sort of an oxymoron statement. He is the Savior of the members of that Body. Christ's Body does not need saving. It is a matter of perspective. The Church has always been considered the extension of His Incarnation. It is the part of Himself, the organic, ontological aspect, that He left for us here on this earth.
Which is why Satan works so hard against the members of the Church. He has enticed many to leave and follow him. Which is why one is not finitely saved just because you are a member of Christ's Body.

 

[Carolyn]

the primary purpose of the Church is to save. Christ left us his Body so that we could become members of it which constitutes being IN Christ. Christ is the Church. He is the Head over His Body. We as individuals are not the body, but members of that Body. Believers are united IN Christ and it is in the Body that we can be saved.

YOur statement, "he is the saviour of the body" Eph.5:23" is sort of an oxymoron statement. He is the Savior of the members of that Body. Christ's Body does not need saving. It is a matter of perspective. The Church has always been considered the extension of His Incarnation. It is the part of Himself, the organic, ontological aspect, that He left for us here on this earth.
Which is why Satan works so hard against the members of the Church. He has enticed many to leave and follow him. Which is why one is not finitely saved just because you are a member of Christ's Body.

And all this time I thought It was God who does the saving. We were told to preach the Gospel and to testify as to what we have seen and heard. And I thought that all who are in Christ, and have Christ in them that are saved. But what do I know?

 

[farouk]

And all this time I thought It was God who does the saving. We were told to preach the Gospel and to testify as to what we have seen and heard. And I thought that all who are in Christ, and have Christ in them that are saved. But what do I know?

Amen, there!