True Christianity

[beagle9]

What is the opposite of False as in False prophets ? It is the true word as it was spoken and is still spoken right ? The Bible speaks of both, and keeps them in context also.

 

[ninja007]

True Christianity is defined in OP.
Unless you are saying all forms of Christianity is false.

I don't know the point of your OP. I've found that those who want to set boundaries are often trying to exclude people. There is a broad spectrum of Christian beliefs among those who say they believe in Christ. Mormons say this, but there are many who insist they're not real Christians. It reminds me of the gospels that record more than once the disciples trying to keep people from Jesus. Things aren't so different today.

Don't get me wrong, doctrines are important. But when we start saying that a certain quantity of error leads to damnation, then the frightening question is how much? Who decides how much and who can be absolutely certain they themselves don't have beliefs that will jeopardize their salvation?

This is why I don't doubt anyone who says they love the Lord and follow him. If their faith is sincere then no amount of error is going to hurt them. God isn't trying to send as many people to hell as possible, he's trying to save as many as possible.

Mormons aren't Christians. Muslims aren't Christians.

The boundary exists. There will be people that get excluded. Just because you fear it doesn't mean it doesn't exists. It is not us who excludes, but God. Therefore, why would you fear man's opinions?

You can have sincere faith in Satan as your Lord and definitely go to Hell. Sincere faith in truth saves. Sincere faith in falsehoods are fatal.

Luke 13
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Matthew 7
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Speaking of what Jesus taught, when did he teach that we should tell people who profess faith in Christ they aren't really Christian? It didn't go unnoticed that you attempted to lump Mormons in with Muslims. Mormons profess faith in the risen Christ, Muslims don't. No comparison.

It goes back to what I already said, that we have no right to decide how much error damns a person. I probably have all the same theological objections you do when it comes to LDS doctrines, but I also have serious reservations about Protestant beliefs. What if one of us is right and the other going to hell? Is that a wager you want to make? It's mighty convenient that when we deal out judgement and damnation, it's always directed at those who believe differently than we do. Such smug arrogance surely offends the Almighty.

Your posts are not seasoned with humility. Scripture tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling; that we are "scarcely saved". I don't get the sense you understand that piety at all.

S.M. IMO Mormons, biblically speaking are not Christians because of some of the following;

Is Mormonism Christian Christianity does not Recognize Mormons as Christian

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

Salvation is "easy", Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. But most denominations want to add to the grace of God through works and legalism. You cannot add ANYTHING to Jesus' FREE GIFT.

What if I told you there's not a single Christian denomination that denies salvation by grace? What if I told you that you are lecturing phantoms you've conjured in your own head?

Semper protestanda indeed!

 

[ninja007]

Salvation is "easy", Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. But most denominations want to add to the grace of God through works and legalism. You cannot add ANYTHING to Jesus' FREE GIFT.

What if I told you there's not a single Christian denomination that denies salvation by grace? What if I told you that you are lecturing phantoms you've conjured in your own head?

Semper protestanda indeed!

if you ADD anything to it, like works or sacraments or legalism then it renders the grace of God null and void.

 

[ninja007]

Gal 2:20-21.

Paul Confronts Peter
…20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

Salvation is "easy", Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. But most denominations want to add to the grace of God through works and legalism. You cannot add ANYTHING to Jesus' FREE GIFT.

What if I told you there's not a single Christian denomination that denies salvation by grace? What if I told you that you are lecturing phantoms you've conjured in your own head?

Semper protestanda indeed!

if you ADD anything to it, like works or sacraments or legalism then it renders the grace of God null and void.

You're seeing conflicts that don't exist. Faith and works are not opposed, nor Mary and Jesus, nor the sacramental faith and grace. You draw battle lines pitting things against each other that are designed to work harmoniously to edify the Christian.

Stop it.

 

[ninja007]

SM, grace comes only from Jesus, not anything else. Works are a result of faith, I agree but not the other way around. You can't put the cart before the horse.

 

[Grendelyn]

Gal 2:20-21.

Paul Confronts Peter
…20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

The followers of Charlie Manson heard the same spiel, Ninja . . . do try to entertain the board in a different manner if you truly wish to gain our attention and be believable. ~ Susan
PS And Paul was whom, one may ask (?) . . . just a puffed up misogynist nobody, who, on the road to Damascus, heard schizophrenic voices while later traveling to far off places with his oh so very close male friend Timothy.

 

[Meriweather]

if you ADD anything to it, like works or sacraments or legalism then it renders the grace of God null and void.

Discipleship (what you call "works") and centering life and worship in the same pattern and practices Christ used on earth (i.e., Sacraments) is the very embodiment of grace and a powerful connection to the source of grace.

Why would anyone want to shield themselves from receiving this grace?

 

[Avatar4321]

True Christianity is believe on the testimony of the apostles, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He suffered and dies for the sins of the world and rose on the third day, ascending into heaven. Everything else is an appendage to that central principle

 

[Avatar4321]

Salvation is "easy", Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. But most denominations want to add to the grace of God through works and legalism. You cannot add ANYTHING to Jesus' FREE GIFT.

What if I told you there's not a single Christian denomination that denies salvation by grace? What if I told you that you are lecturing phantoms you've conjured in your own head?

Semper protestanda indeed!

if you ADD anything to it, like works or sacraments or legalism then it renders the grace of God null and void.

and yet when the people asked the apostles what they were requires to do when the Holy Spirit pricked their hearts, Peter said to exercise faith in Jesus christ, repent, and be baptized so that they can receive the Holy Ghost.

Paul spoke of following the doctrine of Christ which included baptism and the laying on of hands.

John said that those who claim to love the Lord and ignore His commands are liars.

Jesus said those who ignored the Fathers commands did not know Him.

simply because we are saved by Christ doesn't mean we are excused from our duties to follow the ordinances

 

[kjw47]

True Christianity can be defined as the set of true Christianity doctrines, meaning that all are saved who have faith and trusts those doctrines. Whoever believes and remain faithful to True Christianity and its doctrines are guaranteed salvation.

I understand that people will have different thoughts about what constitutes True Christianity. With that in mind, what do you believe are crucial doctrines of True Christianity?

you are in error---Jesus taught( Matt 7:21)--those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter his kingdom( be saved) as well Gods word teaches one must do it until the end( death or Har-mageddon)Matt 10:21)
Do you know that will? its much more than you have said.

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

True Christianity is believe on the testimony of the apostles, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He suffered and dies for the sins of the world and rose on the third day, ascending into heaven. Everything else is an appendage to that central principle

This I can get behind.

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

SM, grace comes only from Jesus, not anything else. Works are a result of faith, I agree but not the other way around. You can't put the cart before the horse.

How many times does James have to phrase it before it sinks in?

"What does it profit if someone says he has faith but not works? Can faith (alone) save him?" (2:14)

"This faith by itself, if it lacks works, is dead" (2:17)

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (2:20)

"Then it is evident a man is justified by works and NOT faith alone" (2:24)

"For the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works too is dead" (2:26)


Faith alone is a Protestant teaching, authored by Martin Luther. But it isn't a Biblical teaching at all.

I became Catholic because of the Bible, not in spite of it. That's the same story for most Catholic converts.

 

[ninja007]

True Christianity can be defined as the set of true Christianity doctrines, meaning that all are saved who have faith and trusts those doctrines. Whoever believes and remain faithful to True Christianity and its doctrines are guaranteed salvation.

I understand that people will have different thoughts about what constitutes True Christianity. With that in mind, what do you believe are crucial doctrines of True Christianity?

you are in error---Jesus taught( Matt 7:21)--those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter his kingdom( be saved) as well Gods word teaches one must do it until the end( death or Har-mageddon)Matt 10:21)
Do you know that will? its much more than you have said.

no one does the Will of the Father- no one. Thats the point. Jesus came because we cannot always do the will of the Father.

 

[ninja007]

SM, grace comes only from Jesus, not anything else. Works are a result of faith, I agree but not the other way around. You can't put the cart before the horse.

How many times does James have to phrase it before it sinks in?

"What does it profit if someone says he has faith but not works? Can faith (alone) save him?" (2:14)

"This faith by itself, if it lacks works, is dead" (2:17)

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (2:20)

"Then it is evident a man is justified by works and NOT faith alone" (2:24)

"For the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works too is dead" (2:26)


Faith alone is a Protestant teaching, authored by Martin Luther. But it isn't a Biblical teaching at all.

I became Catholic because of the Bible, not in spite of it. That's the same story for most Catholic converts.

James is not talking about works saving.

 

[ninja007]

SM, grace comes only from Jesus, not anything else. Works are a result of faith, I agree but not the other way around. You can't put the cart before the horse.

How many times does James have to phrase it before it sinks in?

"What does it profit if someone says he has faith but not works? Can faith (alone) save him?" (2:14)

"This faith by itself, if it lacks works, is dead" (2:17)

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (2:20)

"Then it is evident a man is justified by works and NOT faith alone" (2:24)

"For the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works too is dead" (2:26)


Faith alone is a Protestant teaching, authored by Martin Luther. But it isn't a Biblical teaching at all.

I became Catholic because of the Bible, not in spite of it. That's the same story for most Catholic converts.

you are taking these verses out of context. I can show you 50 times more verses showing saved by faith alone. If you are trusting in your works to save you; you are in for some serious trouble- we all fail.

 

[ninja007]

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves [it is] the gift of God Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

SM, grace comes only from Jesus, not anything else. Works are a result of faith, I agree but not the other way around. You can't put the cart before the horse.

How many times does James have to phrase it before it sinks in?

"What does it profit if someone says he has faith but not works? Can faith (alone) save him?" (2:14)

"This faith by itself, if it lacks works, is dead" (2:17)

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (2:20)

"Then it is evident a man is justified by works and NOT faith alone" (2:24)

"For the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works too is dead" (2:26)


Faith alone is a Protestant teaching, authored by Martin Luther. But it isn't a Biblical teaching at all.

I became Catholic because of the Bible, not in spite of it. That's the same story for most Catholic converts.

you are taking these verses out of context. I can show you 50 times more verses showing saved by faith alone. If you are trusting in your works to save you; you are in for some serious trouble- we all fail.

Actually you can't show me any. The only time you see faith alone is in the passage I showed you. And saying I'm quoting out of context is meaningless unless you can demonstrate how. The context refutes your false belief. The sermon by James is very clear. The problem is that you Protesants assert your traditions over the Word of God.

Sound familiar?

 

[ninja007]

SM, grace comes only from Jesus, not anything else. Works are a result of faith, I agree but not the other way around. You can't put the cart before the horse.

How many times does James have to phrase it before it sinks in?

"What does it profit if someone says he has faith but not works? Can faith (alone) save him?" (2:14)

"This faith by itself, if it lacks works, is dead" (2:17)

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (2:20)

"Then it is evident a man is justified by works and NOT faith alone" (2:24)

"For the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works too is dead" (2:26)


Faith alone is a Protestant teaching, authored by Martin Luther. But it isn't a Biblical teaching at all.

I became Catholic because of the Bible, not in spite of it. That's the same story for most Catholic converts.

you are taking these verses out of context. I can show you 50 times more verses showing saved by faith alone. If you are trusting in your works to save you; you are in for some serious trouble- we all fail.

Actually you can't show me any. The only time you see faith alone is in the passage I showed you. And saying I'm quoting out of context is meaningless unless you can demonstrate how. The context refutes your false belief. The sermon by James is very clear. The problem is that you Protesants assert your traditions over the Word of God.

Sound familiar?

faith alone verses....


Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (NIV)
Faith alone, without doing any specific work saved Mary in Luke 7:48-50, the blind man in Luke 18:12,42, and the paralyzed man in Matthew 9:2 They all did different things that showed their faith.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)
Romans 3:21-22 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (NIV)
Romans 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Romans 4:9-12 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Galatians 5:2-5 Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. 4 You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. (NRSV)
Romans 4:13-24 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring -- not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. (See Galatians 3:16-18) 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” [Compare Romans 4:20-21 to James 2:21] 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (NIV) Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (NIV) Galatians 3:2-3 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? (NRSV) We see here that you do not get saved or stay saved by doing a specific work or by not doing specific works.