Archimedes, again trying to understand what you believe. After 5 pages of posts ; this is what I have condensed them down to, please make any corrections where you see fit :
The Catholic Church wrote the scriptutes, 'She' collected the scriptures and compiled the New Testament. Therefore She owns the scriptures and has the Full and Only Authority to interpret them and the rest of us ; the 38,000 other churches, are the proverbial lost sheep that have wandered away from their Mother Church.
So am I hearing correctly? understanding correctly?
Arch, right above your last post there is a statement which I consider to be a condensed statement of your position .....Is it correct??? I am really trying to understand what You believe....Does the statement accurately reflect what you believe?
I will speak slowly so as to not be misunderstood.
The Catholic Church did not �write� Scripture. The Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ �wrote� Scripture. Would you like for me to repeat that?
The Catholic Church did not �write��
The Catholic Church �separated� what was and what wasn�t �Inspired Scripture� and placed these into the Canon of The New Testament.
The Catholic Church does not �own� Sacred Scripture in the way you imply. Scripture was written for ALL to OWN (as their own). What She does own is the Right to say that it was She that had The Truths that were used to Separate Sacred Scripture from out of over 300 books and letters claiming to be inspired by God and to be able to say that it is She that has the Interpretation of those same Scriptures because She was there when the Authors wrote it and Received that Interpretation from them and from Christ Himself.
Chuck�I am expecting that this is still confusing to you and you�ll probably come up with more questions. It really is becoming trying.
Why don�t you just put one hand behind each ear and stick your tongue out and give me the raspberry and we�ll be done with this! Christians have been arguing this for 500 years and we�ve gotten nowhere�so how about we either decide to use Logic and the Mind God gave us or just agree to not egg each other on by insulting my Church.
Arch, I apologize, I do not mean to be frustrating to you. I honestly thought you wanted discussion. I am merely trying to understand what you believe. If you would stop judging my motives and being so defensive this could be a pleasnt experience for you to explain your beliefs to one who is actually listening and trying to understand tor position on spiritual matters.
Am I hearing you correctly? :
Since the Catholic Church complied the New Testament, She has the Full Authority and is the Only Authority to interpret scripture. And the 38,000 other churches are the proverbial sheep that have wandered away from their Mother Church.
Does this statement accurately reflect what you believe?
I get the impression the only way or one of the onlyh avenues of understanding scripture is by putting your faith in the Roman Catholic Church. For that matter, most people do the same thing: by putting their faith and trust in a denomination, or become a members of a sect, or cult which are more or less all the same thing and are taught the doctrines of their sectarian affiliation.
I believe this is why we have so much confusion and many beliefs is because people put their faith in the wrong place.
If we have our faith, trust, and association only in Christ and let the Holy Spirit teach us then we can come into the Lord's marvelous light.
To accomplish this, a person has to be born again from God. Divinity schools are breeding grounds for man's philosophic sectarian doctrines that instead of unifying God's people, it divides them.
Colossians 2:8 �Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
A summation of the above is found in scripture as follows.
We all start out being born of water {Such as when a woman's water breaks} then the next step is to be born of spirit.
John 3:3 �Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 �Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 �Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 �That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
1 Peter 1:23 �Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
To be born again by the word of God, {please notice nothing is ever mentioned about going to divinity school to learn God's truth} Again to be born of spirit, of incorruptible seed, only God can do that; not man dunking another in water.
Colossians 2:12 �Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Once a man is man a new creation from the spiritual operation of God, {Ephesians 2:15} and is renewed in knowledge {Colossians 3:10}.
Again the only way this new man can be renewed in Knowledge correctly can only be done by God's Holy Spirit as it says in the next verse.
1 Corinthians 2:13 �Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
One of the big problems with man's philosophic views is they mix physical worship with spiritual worship and God only wants us to do the spiritual for our new man is of a spiritual nature and is not fashioned after carnal flesh and neither can the new man in Christ sin.
Once a man is born again, the new man in Christ becomes part of the church or body of Christ that only Christ can add the members.
Acts 2:47 �Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. �
Anyone who becomes a member of a church regardless of size or what men consider important is not of God for no man can be added to the body of Christ unless Christ adds that member. If you can join it then it is not of God. That is why Christ can say the gates of hell will not prevail against it, is because there are no unsaved in the Church Christ is building. God doesn't make mistakes, so no unsaved. God says all believers in His church are living stones building up a spiritual house, not one made of stone and wood.
In all of man's sectarian institutions, both saved and unsaved alike belong and worship together.
1 Peter 2:5 �Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Please notice the theme through out Paul's revelations concerning the Church Christ is building is always described in the spiritual and not in the physical.
God says He dwells in temples made without hands, not in churches as we know them today. His temples are born again believers.
2 Corinthians 6:16 �And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
God has also instructed us on our to fellowship as well and that is to do so only in His name. Again we focus on Him and identify with just Christ Jesus, not with a sectarian name.
Colossians 3:17 �And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
There won't be any Baptist, Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, etc in heaven: all will be just known as belonging to Christ. Then believers will have the true unity God wants us to have now but we don't.
1 Corinthians 1:10 �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
The verse 18 of the next set of verses describes what goes on in sectarian religion.
Romans 16:17 �Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 �For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Instead if avoiding them people flock to them by the millions. That is why Christ is rejected and He is a stumbling stone to most because of unbelief in the simplicity that is in Christ.
1 Peter 2:4 ��To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 �Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 �Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 �Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 �And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 �But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 �Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
God's people don't need a priest for they are their own priest {verse 9} and can go directly to the father through Christ.
The reason God's people are called peculiar, {odd, queer} because so few people see the lovely simplicity that God has given His chosen because of His love for His own. That is why carnal believers and the unsaved see His people as being wrong, odd, out of touch with main stream religion as people perceive it through the eyes of modern Christianity. In other words they don't understand God's ways and neither do they desire to do so as a whole. That is why God says they worship Him with their lips and their hearts are far from Him.
Matthew 15:8 �This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 �But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
The Lord says the way to life is narrow an the way to destruction is so broad.
Matthew 7:13 �Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 �Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 ��Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matthew 22:14 �For many are called, but few are chosen.
I hope what I sincerely believe from God's word will help someone, Gary
