Can there be Christian Unity?

[rturner76]

I have been going through these threads looking for fellowship and finding so much debate.....

Arminian/Calvinian Believer's Baptism/Infant Baptism Some have 5 sacraments some 2 Real presence/symbolic presence.

All these issues and many others divide us, Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant. So much so that some would say to the other that their's is a heretical brand of Christianity and even an invalid or unsupported view of Christianity.

Is there nothing we can do about this? Is there a way a group of Christians can decide to agree on a group of teachings or "doctrines" that we ALL may follow?

As Christians, under what banner may we unify to say "We are all Christians and we ALL stand for.....

I grew up a Methodist, it was what I was taught, it's what I know, it "feels" right to me. SO many would have a problem with what that stands for but I love it. What do you love and what can we all unite under? Anything? Anybody? Let's talk, not debate, but TALK about it

 

[rturner76]

Sometimes I see such outrageous hurtful things being said about hell and such that it would seem that people are not even both on the side of Christianity but who is to blame? The individual or the denomination? Where does the division lie? In the denomination or the people within the denomination? I really don't know....Please help me understand this tragedy

 

[3rdHeaven]

There will always be battle lines drawn on some issues,

Free Will
Trinity
Salvation

unavoidable. It's like abortion debates in political forums.

 

[rturner76]

I'm sure you're right. Is it sad or just life and I need to deal with it and move on? In the beginning there was 1 church and 1 way to interpret things. What happened?

 

[3rdHeaven]

I'm sure you're right. Is it sad or just life and I need to deal with it and move on? In the beginning there was 1 church and 1 way to interpret things. What happened?

Don't change! We all need to be more sensitive towards each other. We get lost in theology and forget the real message some times.

 

[fhansen]

I have been going through these threads looking for fellowship and finding so much debate.....

Arminian/Calvinian Believer's Baptism/Infant Baptism Some have 5 sacraments some 2 Real presence/symbolic presence.

All these issues and many others divide us, Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant. So much so that some would say to the other that their's is a heretical brand of Christianity and even an invalid or unsupported view of Christianity.

Is there nothing we can do about this? Is there a way a group of Christians can decide to agree on a group of teachings or "doctrines" that we ALL may follow?

As Christians, under what banner may we unify to say "We are all Christians and we ALL stand for.....

I grew up a Methodist, it was what I was taught, it's what I know, it "feels" right to me. SO many would have a problem with what that stands for but I love it. What do you love and what can we all unite under? Anything? Anybody? Let's talk, not debate, but TALK about it

For one thing there can never be unity if Scripture, alone, is the authority in defining/understanding the faith.

 

[Bubblies]

As Christians, under what banner may we unify to say "We are all Christians and we ALL stand for.....

Love

 

[wayseer]

I grew up a Methodist, it was what I was taught, it's what I know, it "feels" right to me.

Many 'grow up' a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Buddhist, or a .... and it 'feels' right for them too.

Much of our religion is cultural constructed and we had no say say in the matter.

Now we are left with the memories and fight to retain them.

Perhaps we should all recognize that we are not the great independent thinkers we thing we are.

 

[fhansen]

Love

Hard to argue with that. If we could unify under the banner of love, by actually loving God and neighbor, we'd have it made!

 

[brightmorningstar]

Who says there isn't Christian unity, there is, Jesus ordained it. John 17
so that they may be one as we are one.

For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

The word also says there are disputable matters. It is these that cause different churches/ministries/denominations, and sadly they do fall out in history.

But I see Christian unity, many churches/ministries and denominations get together for worship, social actions and ministry. I meet with Roman Catholics, Baptists, and all kinds of non-demoninational Christians.

Its the same Jesus and the same faith, at least where it is, the truth of the scripture says there are also false teachers and those who turn to a different Jesus.. which can usually be identified by the disputing and denying of scripture for an opposite view. But the scripture warns believers those views come from within the church by those who consider themselves believers.

One of the biggest deceptions is love. God is love, not 'love is god'. If it is of God it is love, if it isnt of God it is not real love. Many of the world's ideas of love are contrary to God's word.

 

[Emmy]

Dear rturner76. Christ is our Saviour, He is our Leader and our Friend. God gave us His 10 Commandments, ( loving advice) and Jesus gave us 2 Commandments." The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. The second is: Love our neighbour as ourselves." Then Jesus states this fact: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Straightforward and easy to understand. God is Love, and Love is a Christians great and only weapon, Love freely given and absolutely selfless. Love changes all enmity and division, Love is also a " doing-word," and love changes men and women, too. God gave us free will to follow Him or go our own way, WE can decide whether to follow our Lord and Leader, be loving and forgiving, or let any disunity spoil our love to our neighbour. God will see our sincere efforts, and God will approve and bless us, or we can let any disunity spoil the Love we have for God, and for our neighbour. I say this with love, rturner. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ. P.S. Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will give us His Love, also. Jesus told us to "ask and ye will receive," and then we thank God and share all Love and Joy with all around us; friends and no friends.

 

[brightmorningstar]

Dear rturner76. Christ is our Saviour, He is our Leader and our Friend. God gave us His 10 Commandments, ( loving advice) and Jesus gave us 2 Commandments." The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. The second is: Love our neighbour as ourselves." Then Jesus states this fact: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Straightforward and easy to understand. God is Love, and Love is a Christians great and only weapon, Love freely given and absolutely selfless. Love changes all enmity and division, Love is also a " doing-word," and love changes men and women, too. God gave us free will to follow Him or go our own way, WE can decide whether to follow our Lord and Leader, be loving and forgiving, or let any disunity spoil our love to our neighbour. God will see our sincere efforts, and God will approve and bless us, or we can let any disunity spoil the Love we have for God, and for our neighbour. I say this with love, rturner. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ. P.S. Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will give us His Love, also. Jesus told us to "ask and ye will receive," and then we thank God and share all Love and Joy with all around us; friends and no friends.

 

[rturner76]

Very good. I think I have been spending too much time in these forums. I will go to a forum to support someone with their issue or talk to them about their thought and some people will come attacking and I get my feelings hurt sometimes.

 

[dayhiker]

I experience unity that Christianity all the time. I've gone to many different churches in my life and had good fellowship with all of them. They were Brethren, Baptist, AG, Nazarene, independent, Episcopal, charismatic and Methodist. We all loved Jesus. So I hear talk about division but I don't see it.

 

[brightmorningstar]

I experience unity that Christianity all the time. I've gone to many different churches in my life and had good fellowship with all of them. They were Brethren, Baptist, AG, Nazarene, independent, Episcopal, charismatic and Methodist. We all loved Jesus. So I hear talk about division but I don't see it.

Me neither except on forums, but its not usually anything to do with different denominations/ministries/churches, its almost always to do with people denying what the Biblical testimony says, the very same one which records Jesus Christ teaching about unity in the faith.

 

[parad0xical]

Love

Aye. We can tend to forget 1 John 4...

[sup]7[/sup] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. [sup]8[/sup] Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. [sup]9[/sup] This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. [sup]10[/sup] This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. [sup]11[/sup] Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [sup]12[/sup] No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
[sup]13[/sup] This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. [sup]14[/sup] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [sup]15[/sup] If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. [sup]16[/sup] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. [sup]17[/sup] This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. [sup]18[/sup] There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

[sup]19[/sup] We love because he first loved us. [sup]20[/sup] Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. [sup]21[/sup] And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. [sub](NIV)[/sub]

 

[1Mind1Spirit]

I experience unity that Christianity all the time. I've gone to many different churches in my life and had good fellowship with all of them. They were Brethren, Baptist, AG, Nazarene, independent, Episcopal, charismatic and Methodist. We all loved Jesus. So I hear talk about division but I don't see it.

If they're all gettin' along so good why aren't they assembling themselves together?
Bunch of nurseries with Satan's demons as the nannies.
Satan knows that a kingdom divided cannot stand.
Why do you not believe Paul?
He said as long as there are divisions among you, ( which IS what denominations are) that you are carnal.
The carnal mind is the enemy of God.
The carnal mind cannot understand the things of God.
Talk love all you want, but if you are carnal you cannot understand God's love, simply lip service.

 

[brightmorningstar]

That is right, the scripture does say that the carnal mind is the enemy of God, and indeed I would suggest that is where there is division, siding with the world's views rather than God's.
The denominations/ministries/church don't meet together on the grounds of disagreement over interpretation of scripture over church practice.
NB But it is almost always over interpretation of scripture, not disbelief of scripture wrapped up as 'interpretation'.

 

[drjean]

We will always have those who only know how to fight against and not for....

There IS Christian unity through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, and in His Words of salvation. Anything that disputes this is not Christian.

There are various beliefs of ways to worship and believe the aspects of living and worshipping, and thus people form groups to fellowship with like believers. But if all you care to sense is the Work of Christ on the cross etc, you can feel at home in any Christian church.

There is no problem with discussing the differences... the problem occurs when someone enters into such a discussion declaring that anyone who doesn't believe exactly as they do is "stupid" or not really a Christian. The attitudes that some display should tell you that they are "sharks"... sometimes Jesus confronted the little sharks, but the larger ones He walked away from and urged his disciples to do the same. Sharks aren't there to agree, but to destroy. Christ said not to throw your pearls before swine. Pick your discussions wisely, and you'll actually enjoy the area of apologetics. (And don't be afraid to walk away even when in the midst of one... ego will make you want to always have the last word. What good is that?)

 

[1Mind1Spirit]

That is right, the scripture does say that the carnal mind is the enemy of God, and indeed I would suggest that is where there is division, siding with the world's views rather than God's.
The denominations/ministries/church don't meet together on the grounds of disagreement over interpretation of scripture over church practice.
NB But it is almost always over interpretation of scripture, not disbelief of scripture wrapped up as 'interpretation'.

Paul was speaking to the Corinthians about saying I am of Apollos, I am of Peter, I am of Paul. Not anything to do with, the worlds view vs. God's view. After this letter, the Corinthians, dropped to thier knees and fervently repented.
Why would you try to make excuses to hold on to your denomination, rather than repent?