Another example of putting the bible down.. setting it on a pedestal... all sheer nonsense.
Men are born again
by the word of God, and when they believe its content.. specifically that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, then God knowing the heart, seals that person with the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption.
Here's a perfect example of you might not be a Christian IF...
If you dis the word of God and tell others that they set it on a pedestal while at the same time worshiping your own assembly..
Hey, these two threads might be related..
No-one is "diss' ing" the word of God.
Catholics & Orthodox may sometimes see it slightly differently, and in the context of the respect in which they hold the Church, which is Christ's handiwork.
The Church gave us The Bible.....as the selected works they discerned (in virtue of their guidance & authority) as "inspired".
It is impossible to "respect" the bible (as an entity) whilst dissing the church that composed it.
But we do not "worship" our church any more than you worship the bible.
Try this passage from John 6
52 Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'
truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
person up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person.
life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me.
58 This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
59 This is what he taught at Capernaum in the synagogue.
60 After hearing it, many of his followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?'
61 Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you?"
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Do these words disturb you to?
The overwhelming majority of Christians have always believed them literally.
At the Reformation others were disturbed again and could not accept these words so clearly underlined by Christ here.
So, are those who believe these words "dissing" the word of God?
Hardly!
And those who cannot accept them? Are they the ones "respecting" Christ's words?
I think Tony Campolo is right.
Catholics & Orthodox focuss centrally upon The Gospels, and protestants upon the Pauline Epistles.
And understandably so. The Reformation started with Luther solving his existential angst through his work on Romans.
By placing the "faith alone" theme as the hingepin of everything else a necessary balance was lost. (cf James; Roms 2:5-11 & The Gospels description of judgement solely according to our treatment of the needy)
Moreover the Epistles are happenstantial survivals of letters to addresss particular issues, in particular places, as they arose. Context is everything.
The Gospels were written as definitive accounts of Christ's work & mission.
So we are not "worshipping our assemblies". Catholicism (& Orthodoxy) retains this balance between the living, breathing, authoritative community from Pentecost, and its "Word-of-God".
And this word of God has always been interpreted authoritatively by the church (As Paul was doing to a particular context in Romans). But these Apostolic Churches have also maintained a balance of focus.....not using this one phrase in Romans to "diss" other parts of scripture (Luther wanted to ditch James).
And men are "born again" when they act completely differently (Not when they have an emotional high).
When they give away all they have, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, they are "born again" ......now when we really do all that, & share this earth.....we can say "we have really, really been born again". we can then show our faith as James points out because then it is
real.
