Posted on 06/21/2006 5:15:34 AM PDT by MountainMenace
When St. Paul wrote those words, the New Testament was not in existence.
Matthew 10:32-34 (New King James Version)
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
When the prophets of the OT wrote about Jesus, he was yet to be born of a woman but when God shows us his finished product we stand amazed how it all fits together in ways we could not imagine and can take a life time to begin to appreciate.
In New Haven, Connecticut, the beautiful church I was baptized in is now a "gentleman's club"
Very sad!!
see second paragraph of post 78.
It's the spotless Blood of The Lamb that saves. Jesus shed that for all on the cross. one cannot proclaim Jesus is Lord after death - because that is where one gets it's just rewards. We decide our own fate by our choices here and now. Besides, if they didn't want to serve and praise Our Savior here, why would they want to be with Him for all eternity!
Don't be misled, as you can see there are many false doctrines out there to deceive. Stay the course.
"God will judge us as individuals not as churches or denominations"
Read what He says about the Churches in Revelation.
Good, that's part of it. Infants, small children and those with mental difficulties would not be expected to be able to show or use "knowledge" of Jesus, yet we don't believe they are all cast into hell for this deficiency.
however if your inquiry is about the proverbial bushmen.
Something like that.
The Bible says there is enough in God's creation (i.e. nature) to cause a person to seek after Him and that if anyone did that he would honor it (I believe by bring him to a saving knowledge of Jesus as Lord and Savior).
Exactly. But I believe that there can exist circumstances where a person is being honest and open to God, He leads them to have the faith necessary for salvation. Even if they have no way of knowing the details of Jesus.
Knowledge is not faith and ignorance (when not in the person's control) is not damnation.
SD
His execution certainly lends an importance to his teachings that other religious teachers don't have. According to the gospels, Jesus was executed for having the audacity to heal people on the sabbath, and in general for being a threat to the dominant religion of his place and time.
The second is based on the whole reason for Christianity, namely Jesus rose from the dead.
After reading the gospels I got the impression that the whole reason for Christianity was to rebel against the corruption of Judaism during Jesus' time and to spread the spirit of truth.
"My question, basically, is are we allowed to read Scripture and then think about it, or must we limit ourselves in belief to only those thing which are stated in a simple fahsion in Scripture?"
Of course we can think about it. I never said we are to believe in only what is stated in simple fashion.
There are plenty of things in the Bible that aren't plainly stated. But they're not so loosely defined or declared, that you can twist the words and somehow for example, find a basis for a pope that rules the church and that he is another Christ who doesn't make mistakes. "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
You grew, they retreated to the enemies camp.
I cannot imagine anyone wanting to spend one millisecond in hell...Christ was all about forgiveness, yea, even for the stupid. Only one sin is mentioned unforgivable: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (denial of God existence, or atheism)
Good, I'm glad we agree. Now it's a question of whose interpetation of Scripture we find more compelling and not an argument about how one side "reads Scripture" and the other side "adds stuff."
So if Catholics want to take Jesus at face value when He says "this is my body" you should not have a problem with that.
But they're not so loosely defined or declared, that you can twist the words and somehow for example, find a basis for a pope that rules the church and that he is another Christ who doesn't make mistakes. "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Who put these ideas into your head? Are you interested in learning what Catholics actually believe or are you content in your ignorance?
SD
There's an Episcopal bookstore in Seattle that I sometimes go to, and I'll occasionally overhear the employees' chit-chat. They are all huge admirers of Bishop Spong, so this does not surprise me at all.
"I Corinthians 11:27-29:
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."
Yes, I understand this part, I am asking you to point to a verse in the Bible that says a priest has the power to bring Jesus down from Heaven to become a peice of bread.
The Catholic church I used to go to, teaches children that is how they receive Jesus, by eating this little round peice of bread that the priest converts into the actual body of Jesus.
Minor correction: God made the world in 6 days, He rested on the 7th.
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (denial of God existence, atheism; or attribution of a miracle to Satanic intervention)
I don't see anywhere here about belonging to a church or denomination to be saved. It's talking about you and I as individuals. Yes it does encourage us to worship with other Christians but there are NO attachments to being saved. Like: Believe and give, believe and go to church, believe and get baptized, believe and go door to door. By the way, you will not be judged for any sin , if you are a believer, as Christ DIED for every sin you did or will ever do. Unbelievers will not be judged on sin either. He died for All sins. They will be judged on "did you believe on what my Son did on the cross"
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