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Which Denomination Follows the Bible the Closest?
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Newtheran
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I suggest that you do an in depth study of church history. I think that you'll find your best move after that is to remain Russian Orthodox.
In the end, you want a church that attempts to follow the faith once delivered to the saints as closely as possible...not some 20th century interpretation of the Bible unmoored from the history of the church.
After all, it's Jesus you are trying to follow, not Jim.
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Albion
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RSM, I always try to answer these questions without making a pitch for my own church regardless of whether it fits what was asked or not, but the way you have worded your question, I have to think that the only possible answer is...Protestantism.
You asked about a branch of Christianity, so that suggests a category rather than the name of any particular denomination. OK, Protestantism then.
Then the question becomes "Why so?"
Well, Protestants define essential doctrine by the Bible alone. The various Catholic churches--Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Armenian, etc.--ALSO use tradition, considering it to be a second revelation from God, in addition to the Bible. So this (Bible Alone) meets your requirement, I believe.
But which of them? Your friend is correct about SDA, in my opinion, and I do not know which other Protestant churches are available to you where you live. Lutheran? Presbyterian? I don't know, but you probably do.
You asked about a branch of Christianity, so that suggests a category rather than the name of any particular denomination. OK, Protestantism then.
Then the question becomes "Why so?"
Well, Protestants define essential doctrine by the Bible alone. The various Catholic churches--Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Armenian, etc.--ALSO use tradition, considering it to be a second revelation from God, in addition to the Bible. So this (Bible Alone) meets your requirement, I believe.
But which of them? Your friend is correct about SDA, in my opinion, and I do not know which other Protestant churches are available to you where you live. Lutheran? Presbyterian? I don't know, but you probably do.
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@Albion, not really, my friend. Just because you follow the Bible alone doesn't mean you follow it correctly. You can take any passage out of context-you can say Jesus didn't really mean his words exactly, or you can interpret to death.
And no, tradition is not a second revelation from God. tradition (small t) is a practice, such as singing a hymn or praying a prayer, or color of vestments (if any are worn) or the recipe for communion. Tradition (Capital T) is not the same thing. Tradition gives us context to know how to interpret Scripture, and it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Without Tradition, you don't really know what Jesus meant in Matthew 16:18 or John chapter 6. With Holy Tradition, you do. Holy Tradition also gives us a good idea what Revelation means. Holy Tradition also gives us the Deuterocanonical books.
I am not going to do a 'my church is better than your' spiel here, I just want to get the understanding of what is and isn't Sacred (Holy) Tradition right.
And no, tradition is not a second revelation from God. tradition (small t) is a practice, such as singing a hymn or praying a prayer, or color of vestments (if any are worn) or the recipe for communion. Tradition (Capital T) is not the same thing. Tradition gives us context to know how to interpret Scripture, and it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Without Tradition, you don't really know what Jesus meant in Matthew 16:18 or John chapter 6. With Holy Tradition, you do. Holy Tradition also gives us a good idea what Revelation means. Holy Tradition also gives us the Deuterocanonical books.
I am not going to do a 'my church is better than your' spiel here, I just want to get the understanding of what is and isn't Sacred (Holy) Tradition right.
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Albion
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But that is an entirely separate issue. We first have to know what it is that informs us of Gods will for us, what is the real source of guidance for doctrine-setting. THEN comes understanding it properly. Yes indeed.
Obviously, we might understand some other system of belief quite well--the Book of Mormon or the insights of Ellen G. White, the Tibetan Book of the Dead , or opinions expressed by four or five church leaders during the first 500 years of church history. You might, but if these or other non-Biblical sources are superfluous, invalid, incorrect, or worse, it doesn't matter how well you understand them or follow them.
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There’s a difference where brotherly love (and with it understanding) supersedes that of the mass opinion. From Philadelphia to Laodocia.
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TonyRodolaky
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SinceTheThouTheMeThePostTheThisChangeLettingNotArtTheThenITheSiteTheThisLeavingAm
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marineimaging
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All members of all the churches that follow Christ as Lord and Savior are the Church. WE are Christianity. The problem we all will face is that the brokenness of people and the presence of sin in this world will always translate to appear as the brokenness of the Church. You appear to be looking for perfection where it does not exist. The only one who can follow "Christianity" the closest is YOU. Our knowledge of how to be a Christian comes from the Bible, however, the Bible does not explain everything in detail. That does not make it in error. What you need is not a church that follows closest, but a heart inside you to follow closest in the form of a personal trust in Jesus, the love of your fellow man, and to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, and soul. The church will then reveal itself to you and it will be within your reach. Christ is not in tradition nor is He in song and dance. He exists inside you and is manifested in your behavior toward others.
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All branches are grafted-in, so the answer should be none are closer, yet all are close.
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Albion
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The question of the thread is, however, asking which branch follows the Bible the closest. It's not asking which is the true church or what determines who is a genuine Christian or any related issues such as those.
Logically speaking, the answer would seem to point to one of the Protestant churches since they are Sola Scriptura whereas the various Catholic and Orthodox churches admit of tradition also being divine revelation and authoritative, plus some of the faiths commonly called "cults" have their own sacred writings in addition to the Bible.
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coffee4u
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I attend the Church of Christ and the Baptist church (Australian may be different form US) I attend these local churches because I agree with what I hear taught from the pulpit. Is it perfect? No, because fallible people run it. There is an old saying"If you find the perfect church do not join it -for it will no longer be perfect"
Read your Bible and know what you believe then you will be in a position when you hear a sermon to say yes this agrees with the Bible, or this deserves further study, or no, this does not agree with the Bible and leave.
PS. The baptist church is a Protestant church and most Protestant churches do not rely on tradition. I may be wrong but I think the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran have tradition.
I am an evangelical Christian (although again this seems different in the US?)
Evangelical Beliefs
Some questions I would ask upfront of a church would be their stance on creation, global flood, the origin of sin, salvation and communion.
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~Anastasia~
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Since you mention Tradition, it might be worth knowing that it doesn’t mean the same thing to every group. Even Baptists do have traditions.
I think you are referring to “Holy Tradition” which yes, Catholics and Orthodox hold to - but I think perhaps a bit differently. Catholics have the magisterium which greatly influences their interpretation, hence their acceptance of development of doctrine. Orthodoxy holds it as something that cannot be changed (what was handed down by the Apostles, including Holy Scripture, which is the central part of Holy Tradition), so we reject any development. I can’t speak well enough for Lutherans or Anglicans, though they came out of Catholicism so retain some of that flavor, yet reject the magisterium so to a degree interpret for themselves.
Not saying any of this to argue. Most every Christian I meet is seeking and doing the best according to their own conscience, and that’s very important before God, so I respect that.
I miss discussion, I think, having been almost two months under quarantine/isolation. And your statement caught my attention.
God be with you.
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If you are talking about Biblical following, then its Jewish, and preferably Yeshua's style Judaism.
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coffee4u
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Since you mention Tradition, it might be worth knowing that it doesn’t mean the same thing to every group. Even Baptists do have traditions.
I think you are referring to “Holy Tradition” which yes, Catholics and Orthodox hold to - but I think perhaps a bit differently. Catholics have the magisterium which greatly influences their interpretation, hence their acceptance of development of doctrine. Orthodoxy holds it as something that cannot be changed (what was handed down by the Apostles, including Holy Scripture, which is the central part of Holy Tradition), so we reject any development. I can’t speak well enough for Lutherans or Anglicans, though they came out of Catholicism so retain some of that flavor, yet reject the magisterium so to a degree interpret for themselves.
Not saying any of this to argue. Most every Christian I meet is seeking and doing the best according to their own conscience, and that’s very important before God, so I respect that.
I miss discussion, I think, having been almost two months under quarantine/isolation. And your statement caught my attention.
God be with you.
Thank you for the explanation, I was referring to "Holy Tradition"
Wiki (not the best source I know) says Sacred tradition, or holy tradition, is a theological term used in the major Christian traditions, primarily those claiming apostolic succession, such as the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian, and Anglican traditions. So it seems Lutherans do not use this.
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~Anastasia~
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If they do, they would have a different understanding from Catholic and from Orthodox. What I mean is that in many ways you can break down Catholic as opposed to Orthodox as opposed to Protestant - three different spheres. Of course we all have overlaps with and differences between each other. (And of course Protestants run a very wide range, not being a “single thing”.)
There are some Lutherans about the forums that are especially good at explaining what they believe, so I would defer to them.
I generally appreciate those things we have in common, since we all look toward the same Lord Jesus.
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~Anastasia~
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True. Different forums have different general environments though, and it does change over time too.So do I
There are areas I used to post in that I don’t anymore, because I know people will probably want to argue what I say. I doubt we are very likely to change each other’s minds, and it’s spiritually unprofitable for me.
Better we should try to be more like Christ than beating people over the head with facts - even if we are right. And in many cases we would have to acknowledge there’s a chance we could be wrong, making it even worse.
God be with you.
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Ieuan Sant
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I believe you are honest in your question and that you therefore deserve an honest answer. Perhaps you could read 'Biblehub.com' and read the Interlinear Bible with some of the commentaries. Then you could arrive at a conclusion which is best for you. Reading a transliteration may be difficult, but it may influence your thinking. Best wishes in your search for the perfect theology.
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Soyeong
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I think pretty much everyone thinks that their branch of Christianity follows the Bible the closest, otherwise they wouldn't still be part of it. However, if you consider the Mosaic Law to be part of the Bible, then it become clear that the branch of Christianity that obeys the Mosaic Law is following the Bible closer than the branches that do not. Jesus set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, he did not hypocritically preach something other than what he practiced, and Christians are those who seek by faith to follow what Jesus taught by word and by example.
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