Confused which is the true church

Afra said:

The supposed distinctions you raise are irrelevant.

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Albion said:

On the contrary, to interpret "build my church" as a command to rule the whole Christian world as a pope is to turn the actual meaning on its head. Build and govern do not have the same meaning at all.

That cannot be irrelevant. And to interpret the POLITICAL position referred to in the Old Testament as the equivocal of the RELIGIOUS position of bishop of Rome in the New is obviously wrong.

Both of those theories--Papal Supremacy and the meaning of the keys--are refuted by the plain wording of Scripture itself.

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Afra said:

And for the record, I did not state that "build my church" is a "command to rule the whole Christian world as a pope".

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And nobody is equating "a political position" to "a religious position". I told you that keys sythmbolize authority, and that is certainly the case, whether you like it or not.

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Athanasius377 said:

There are serious issues with the Roman Church to be sure but I would advise against the temptation of being a Lone Ranger christian as the Bible knows nothing of a believer of this sort. I am a confessional Lutheran and of course I will recommend the same church. I believe the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania may fit the bill. I know they are part of a communion that I am not all that familiar with though they have declared themselves in communion the my church body. If your are curious read the Augsburg confession as an introduction to what we believe Scripture teaches.

All I can say is that I will pray for you and others like you in your country. And I would agree that it is a problem when one needs to explain whole sections of scripture to fit a tradition no matter how ancient. Just make sure that you still attend a church as church is not a building rather it where God's people to gather to hear God's Word and receive His Sacraments. Life is hard, you NEED Jesus!

God Bless,

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