Asking the tough question

[visionary]

If you were given a choice between following Christ or the church, which would you choose..

 

[brinny]

Christ!

Cuz of course, the Church, is His Bride

 

[Yarddog]

Christ

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

If you were given a choice between following Christ or the church, which would you choose..

Doesn't the Church follow Christ?
Not sure I understand the question, but I have been known to be dense sometimes.

I would vote both ehehe....

 

[archierieus]

Well, this is kinda rhetorical question, it seems. Of course, the answer is Christ. BUT I have run into a good number of people who like their church and will stay with it even over what the Bible says! Maybe not so rhetorical after all.

 

[brinny]

Well, this is kinda rhetorical question, it seems. Of course, the answer is Christ. BUT I have run into a good number of people who like their church and will stay with it even over what the Bible says! Maybe not so rhetorical after all.

that thought did run through my mind. Good thread. Good question to examine ourselves and our hearts about.

 

[Mankin]

Christ, no doubt about it.

 

[SGM4HIM]

When following Christ one should strive for corporate worship even if the Church doesn't have 100% match of one's current beliefs. However, if you have big belief differences, that's another story

 

[PilgrimToChrist]

Well, the obvious answer is "Christ" but it is also clear that obedience is the best way to follow Christ. If someone tells you to do something that you believe is a sin, you must not do it. But anything other than that, following the Church is the best.

I told my friends that I could not, in good conscience, be in communion in the Episcopal church primarily because of their official support for abortion and euthanasia/assisted suicide. She believes that it's okay to be pro-life but commune with a pro-abort church but I don't. This was a matter of conscience.

But on the other hand, we have a large majority of Catholics who use birth control claiming that their consciences say they don't have to follow Humanae Vitae. So does Jesus tell them to have pre-marital sex, gay sex, abortions, use birth control (there's a lot of focus on sex isn't there?), well, obviously not. So we must be careful when we say that we don't have to follow the Church but just Jesus. The Church is the Body of Christ and His Bride.

It must depend on the situation and the issue. Obedience is a virtue.

 

[visionary]

How big must the belief difference be before you obey the call out.

 

[BRISH]

I would follow the Holy spirit. One in the same. I know, but still different.

I will not vow my loyalty to any church.
There are things in the bible that I cant explain nor comprehend. If I say I follow Christ, then I will be following how I can percieve/define things from the text and whoever translated it at whichever time. I'm not comfortable with that. The spirit though, is different. I have no control over it. It just is, and hopefully I can stay on path as I should to be able to feel it's leading.

I know that wasnt an option, but I couldn't really say one answer or another without explaining.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I would follow the Holy spirit. One in the same. I know, but still different.

I will not vow my loyalty to any church.
There are things in the bible that I cant explain nor comprehend. If I say I follow Christ, then I will be following how I can percieve/define things from the text and whoever translated it at whichever time. I'm not comfortable with that. The spirit though, is different. I have no control over it. It just is, and hopefully I can stay on path as I should to be able to feel it's leading.

I know that wasnt an option, but I couldn't really say one answer or another without explaining.

Interesting post!

 

[visionary]

I would follow the Holy spirit. One in the same. I know, but still different.

I will not vow my loyalty to any church.
There are things in the bible that I cant explain nor comprehend. If I say I follow Christ, then I will be following how I can percieve/define things from the text and whoever translated it at whichever time. I'm not comfortable with that. The spirit though, is different. I have no control over it. It just is, and hopefully I can stay on path as I should to be able to feel it's leading.

I know that wasnt an option, but I couldn't really say one answer or another without explaining.

Maybe I should have asked .. how many have vowed loyalty to the church at all costs.

 

[Secundulus]

If you were given a choice between following Christ or the church, which would you choose..

Christ = the Church.

NASB95, Acts 9:3-6
As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do."​

 

[visionary]

What is comming forth from the different posts is that if you see the church as Christ, or the bride then you have no problem following its dictates. But if you see the church not following the truth, then you may or may not wish to continue to follow it but instead are more willing to follow Christ where ever He leads.

 

[E.C.]

There's a difference?

 

[visionary]

What.. you do not see the difference between the Judaism of Yeshua and the christianity of Roman

 

[archierieus]

How big must the belief difference be before you obey the call out.

If the church I belonged to strayed from following the Bible in any area, that would be it. But not abruptly. First, I would bring the concern to the attention of the leadership. A process would occur, study, seeking counsel, decision making on the part of the church. If after that process, the church were to choose to hang on to the Scriptural error, I would be outta there in a heartbeat.

In these last days, God has a faithful remnant, who 'keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.' God's remnant will be undefiled by false doctrine, uncorrupted by worldly policies. That is where I would want to fellowship. And God DOES have a faithful remnant, He told Elijah that.

 

[LiturgyInDMinor]

I follow Christ, the churches I attend follow Christ(if they do not I don't attend said church!)....weird question but a good one!

 

[PilgrimToChrist]

Since I am converting to the Catholic Church, it's obvious that I trust that the Catholic Church is the "one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church". But if something major happened, would it shake my belief in the Catholic Church? There are breakaway Catholic groups that left because of Vatican II. They perceived that it was a heretical council so they left. The biggest of these is the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) but they are working on rejoining with Rome, after there is discussion of certain points discussed at Vatican II.

But if I am to trust that the Catholic Church is the Church of Christ and that the gates of hell will not overcome Her, at one point would I decide that the majority in the Church is not orthodox? When is it Athanasius against the world? Would I decide to cling to the Eastern Orthodox Church's claim to be the orthodox catholic Church instead? What would it take for me to lose faith in the Catholic Church as the entire institution instead of just in a priest or a bishop or even the pope?


If I answer "Christ", how do I know the will of Christ except through the Church?
If I answer "Church", how do I have confidence in which Church's claim to orthodoxy?

How much confidence do you put in your own conscience or even personal revelation to be right? How much confidence do you put in your Church's claim to be right? What is the balance?