if christians who are not Catholics are not protestants....what are they???
It's simple, they are simply Christians (with a capital "C")
(A person can become a Christian by just reading the Bible)
You do not have to "protest" Catholicism to become a Christian.
There are millions of Christians that do not belong to Protestantism or Catholicism.
They are called "born again"--by themselves and Jesus:
Of course many Catholics and Protestants are born again, that is the sign of true Christianity and fulfillment of the assurity of everlasting life.
SALVATION & THE NEW
BIRTH
How to be Born Again
What is salvation and the new birth (
being born again ) ?
Let us start
by saying that the Bible calls it being "born again".
During Jesus'
ministry here on earth, a rabbi ( teacher of Jewish law ) named Nicodemus came
to interview Jesus
at night and stated, "we all know that God has sent you
to teach us, your miracles alone are proof enough of this.
Jesus then told
him, "That unless a person is born again ( anew, from above
) he cannot
ever see ( know, be acquainted with and experience ) the Kingdom
of God" Nicodemus then said to Jesus,
"how can a man be born when he
is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?" Jesus answered,
"I tell you, unless a man is born of water and ( even )
the Spirit ( Holy Spirit ), he cannot ( ever ) enter the
Kingdom of God.
What is born of ( from ) the flesh is flesh ( of the physical is physical ) and
what is born of
the Spirit is Spirit", John 3:2-6.
This is
the new birth, what is referred to as being "born again". Jesus Christ paid a
great price ( His life )
by suffering and dying on the cross to pay the
price for every sin that mankind had committed up till then
and every sin
humanity would commit in the future to open the way of salvation, the "new
birth".
What part does belief have in salvation (
the new birth ) ?
Jesus said in
John 3:15-16, "everyone who believes in Him ( who cleaves to Him, trusts Him and relies on Him ) may not perish
but have eternal life and ( actually
) live forever. For God so greatly loved the world that He
gave up His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in ( trusts in, clings to, relies on ) Him
shall not perish, come to destruction,
be lost but have eternal everlasting
life".
The Bible makes it quite clear who and what His Church is.
Is is every single (not as opposed to married lol) born again Christian.
There is no overall authority except Jesus Christ.
Christians have no problem with Catholics being all caught up in their Catholicism, but please...We don't need to "come back to the mother church," we are the Church.
(So are you if you are born again)
The Authority of Christianity is Centered on Jesus Christ.
Christians - followers of Christ.
My identity is not a religious denomination, it is in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Churches or denominations do not save. They are not a mediator between me and God. God does not require church membership or affiliation to be able to come to Him. We don't need church leaders to get us to God, we can come to Him ourselves.
Romans 12:4-8 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Waldensians, Nestorians, Donatists, and on and on and on...Just because your false religion labeled them as heretics doesn't mean there's an ounce of truth to it...
Your religion tried to kill them all off but quite a few survived and flourished...
Those Christians were around long before there was a Protestant Reformation by truth seeking Catholics...