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Is it possible to be divided as a Christian?
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kristina411
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They are asking what you mean by divided.
Can a Christian be divided in their views? Maybe. But can a Christian be decided between say good and evil, no.
We are told a few times in the bible that we can not worship what is not God and worship God as well (false idols, money, etc).
But can a Christian be divided in their views about the bible and God? Yes. Its part of the process of growing and eventually with help of the Holy Spirit, eventually they will no longer be divided
Can a Christian be divided in their views? Maybe. But can a Christian be decided between say good and evil, no.
We are told a few times in the bible that we can not worship what is not God and worship God as well (false idols, money, etc).
But can a Christian be divided in their views about the bible and God? Yes. Its part of the process of growing and eventually with help of the Holy Spirit, eventually they will no longer be divided
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The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to divide light from dark.
Because of this, many that profess to be Christian are divided from one another.
However, when it is that only the Holy Spirit is divided from others, He chooses to remain divided from Christ.
So it is that the Holy Spirit remains divided - alone -, but does not call Himself "Christian" (in that context).
So the answer is Mu.
Because of this, many that profess to be Christian are divided from one another.
However, when it is that only the Holy Spirit is divided from others, He chooses to remain divided from Christ.
So it is that the Holy Spirit remains divided - alone -, but does not call Himself "Christian" (in that context).
So the answer is Mu.
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kristina411
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You say no to what exactly? Just wanting to know what decision a Christian cannot have?
My experience shows not many people are born "real Christians", not many become "real Christians" until much later. Some do but most it takes a process and on the road we are still Christians, just not mature Christians. I am not a mature Christian but I will be one day. I'm divided on many aspects and will be for some time. I am because i do not trust man to give me the answer and lets face it, the Bible is long and considering the 12 meanings one verse can have (because the entire book, every word, is very meaningful) not every human just understands it off the bat in every which way. When the Holy Spirit is in you but in this world hardly anyone walking with the Holy Spirit every minute. We become distracted and it takes practice and self discipline to become better at this. It takes work and is not something everyone can just wake up and be like for the rest of their lives. So division I believe is possible amongst the immature Christians and once they have become mature the divisions fade.
Feel free to disagree and share your thoughts (especially since this is your post), these are just mine. But I've not read the entirety of the Bible yet (about 3/4 so far, some sections repeatedly, like the New Testament) so I am more than willing to admit I am not a mature Christian yet, nor am I remotely close to a scholar of any sort relating to Christianity. I'm somewhat of a new Christian. Kinda.
And please no one take mind of "real" or mature, I dont mean that none of us are genuine or loved or saved, just that most of us Christians are not yet seasoned.
My experience shows not many people are born "real Christians", not many become "real Christians" until much later. Some do but most it takes a process and on the road we are still Christians, just not mature Christians. I am not a mature Christian but I will be one day. I'm divided on many aspects and will be for some time. I am because i do not trust man to give me the answer and lets face it, the Bible is long and considering the 12 meanings one verse can have (because the entire book, every word, is very meaningful) not every human just understands it off the bat in every which way. When the Holy Spirit is in you but in this world hardly anyone walking with the Holy Spirit every minute. We become distracted and it takes practice and self discipline to become better at this. It takes work and is not something everyone can just wake up and be like for the rest of their lives. So division I believe is possible amongst the immature Christians and once they have become mature the divisions fade.
Feel free to disagree and share your thoughts (especially since this is your post), these are just mine. But I've not read the entirety of the Bible yet (about 3/4 so far, some sections repeatedly, like the New Testament) so I am more than willing to admit I am not a mature Christian yet, nor am I remotely close to a scholar of any sort relating to Christianity. I'm somewhat of a new Christian. Kinda.
And please no one take mind of "real" or mature, I dont mean that none of us are genuine or loved or saved, just that most of us Christians are not yet seasoned.
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Not to test you unnecessarily, but I don't know that the divisions are gone once you are mature, but that you begin to see that the divisions are only there while the old man continues to delay the new man on his journey beyond this world.
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kristina411
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That can very well be true and I have considered that but the division of the mans heart who wants the answers and the part that accepts not having the answers would need to come together?
But i have considered not having all of the answers as possibly being the answer in the grand scheme of things
But i have considered not having all of the answers as possibly being the answer in the grand scheme of things
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kristina411
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So I guess it would be.... Not possible for their heart to be divided but is possible for their ideas to be divided. Maybe
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Eudaimonist
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I'll assume here that by "divided", one means "conflicted".
No, but only in the trivial sense that if you define someone in terms of a worldview, and assume that someone is perfectly representative of that view, then that person can't be divided. I could say that about anyone defined in terms of other worldview.
Is it possible for self-labelled Christians in the real world (not the clean world of philosophical concepts) to be divided? Absolutely yes, as with anyone else.
eudaimonia,
Mark
No, but only in the trivial sense that if you define someone in terms of a worldview, and assume that someone is perfectly representative of that view, then that person can't be divided. I could say that about anyone defined in terms of other worldview.
Is it possible for self-labelled Christians in the real world (not the clean world of philosophical concepts) to be divided? Absolutely yes, as with anyone else.
eudaimonia,
Mark
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There is a point at which we are all conflicted, what you say next means nothing if it does not differentiate you from other sinners above and beyond their point of reference for their sin.
In other words, you define Christians as struggling with sin and therefore neutrally good in the eyes of God along with every one else, but Christians do not judge themselves equally in the eyes of God - so either they are united around being the same as everyone else, or you are lying (to make out that they don't know the difference as to what they are united around). The problem is that you reduce people who are defined by their love for each other, by the worldview by which their love is known - as if the two are the same thing (they are not).
You can act all innocent and say "oh I thought we were discussing worldviews or something" I am not even saying that I care that you were lying any more than is absolutely necessary - the point is there is a level of transcendence that you are deliberately or perhaps inevitably passively ignoring: you may delimit the desire to welcome you into that transcendence by describing what is meaningful as purely worldly, but that does not convince someone who has known the love of God that they are confused simply because they are in the world.
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Are you asking can a christian serve two masters?
The Psalmist prayed for an "undivided heart". In older translations he prays "unite my heart".
Why would he pray this unless he was divided?
Then there is what Jesus says Matt 6:22
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (King James Version)
A related one would be can a christian sin deliberately, willfully?
I guess its to do with how one defines Christian and how one understands conversion.
Can conversion take different lengths of time?
The Psalmist prayed for an "undivided heart". In older translations he prays "unite my heart".
Why would he pray this unless he was divided?
Then there is what Jesus says Matt 6:22
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (King James Version)
A related one would be can a christian sin deliberately, willfully?
I guess its to do with how one defines Christian and how one understands conversion.
Can conversion take different lengths of time?
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Answering this is kind of pointless until the O.P. explains what he means.
Alternatively, if he is looking for silly answers: "yes, with a sword."
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I think the greatest potential for dividing a Christian's mind (which is how I would interpret the OP in hindsight) is to have a Christian believe his commitment to Christ is something that necessitates sin.
For example, if I say "you must serve" and you think "I must be the greatest servant possible", that is to free the Christian to serve and make him a slave to his own pride in the next instant - so if the Christian worries at all "am I really as great a servant as I need to be?" his mind is divided.
While I understand that it is possible to do this emotionally, with disapproval from parents or some such thing, emotional division is much less likely to affect the heart that suffers it for very long - no one entertains emotional division, at length (unless something is medically wrong).
Personally I like verbal dilemmas, like the problem of the good samaritan or some such thing, because there you create division (yes, Jesus did this) in the moment, where there is still more than enough opportunity to heal - I think we actually learn from such division (perhaps the true meaning behind Christ's claim that he came to bring a sword).
For example, if I say "you must serve" and you think "I must be the greatest servant possible", that is to free the Christian to serve and make him a slave to his own pride in the next instant - so if the Christian worries at all "am I really as great a servant as I need to be?" his mind is divided.
While I understand that it is possible to do this emotionally, with disapproval from parents or some such thing, emotional division is much less likely to affect the heart that suffers it for very long - no one entertains emotional division, at length (unless something is medically wrong).
Personally I like verbal dilemmas, like the problem of the good samaritan or some such thing, because there you create division (yes, Jesus did this) in the moment, where there is still more than enough opportunity to heal - I think we actually learn from such division (perhaps the true meaning behind Christ's claim that he came to bring a sword).
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I suppose my question is about your point of view on the subject.
Personally, I view all Christians undivided. I suppose I'm conflicted by the separations.
Personally, I view all Christians undivided. I suppose I'm conflicted by the separations.
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Yes but divided where?
Mind, heart, soul? Where?
You cannot diagnose an ailment in the body of Christ by speculating generally, unless perhaps you are God?
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With all due respect, I just don't understand the separations. Can a person be better than another person in Gods eyes, with the understanding that God does not respect one above another?
If a person that believes in God is special in Gods eyes, who are we to disagree?
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