Does God care about which denomination or church you belong to?

[BobRyan]

You said "loose their lives" - but those weren't the issues anyone lost their lives over.

True -- no one lost there lives in the dark ages over the issue of "corban" or the issue of not baptizing fingers and pots after one comes from the market place - so not over the Mark 7 issues.

In Gal 1:6-9 it is any defect at all inserted into the gospel that is condemned - and many will argue that that was an issue in the dark ages.

In 2 Cor 11 it is also the issue of someone having a "twist" on the Gospel.

2 Cor 11.
3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, this you tolerate very well!

=============

So Jesus is slamming the hammer down in Mark 7 on specific doctrinal issues that don't show up as doctrine disputed in the dark ages... but his example slam-hammering with a sola-scriptura argument against traditions and commandments of men that opposed God's commands - was a model, a method, a concept that does show up a lot during those 1260 years of dark ages.

 

[Jay Sea]

Not per se. But there are major differences in teaching and practice among at least different families of denominations (and non denominations). I believe God had preferences

I do not believe G-d has preferences. He gave us a message that we each seek to follow with the aid of our communities. there are many roads that we can travel but trsting in G-d gets us back to G-d.
In Love
Jay Sea

 

[seeking.IAM]

I believe we're all going to be proven wrong about something, and some will be more wrong than others. Nonetheless, I believe God judges people, not where one sits to worship Him.

 

[klutedavid]

In Gal 5 -- Paul addresses Christian who were being snookered by the Christian Jews referenced in Acts 15:1-2 - who argued that gentiles could not be saved unless they were circumcised like the other Christian Jews were. It is Christian-on-Christian issues just as Gal 1:6-9 says that "insider" problem had insiders distorting the Gospel

It was about the law, whether Gentile Christians needed to be under the law.

Circumcision was the outward marker that you are under the law.

Don't believe me?

Galatians 5:1-3
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.

Paul is not talking about freedom from circumcision, Paul is talking about freedom from the slavery of the law.

 

[Neogaia777]

Does God care about which denomination or church you belong to?

My thoughts on this is that God wants you belong to a church where its members take God seriously, live for Him. I don't think it matters that much whether you belong to a Catholic church, Orthodox church, Angelican church, Reformed church, Lutheran church, Pentacostal church or any other Protestant church.

What I think God is serious about is our heart, that it's of less importance our theological views. Even children or maybe I should say especially children that don't have that strong formulated theological views, but really have a heart for God truly belong to the kingdom of God, and that is what God is looking for in all of us.

What do you think?

But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
— Matthew 19:14

As for that last part, about the children, etc, I would say yes and most definitely, for as long as they can stay that way, etc...

And as for all of the rest of this post, a most definite yes and completely agree and excellent point(s)/post, etc...

Very good job, etc...

Peace

God Bless!

 

[zoidar]

... I'm not going to damn people to hell just because I disagree with their interpretation, when in practice they aren't so far from me.

I like to add to that: not only in practice but also as partakers of the promise of Christ through the Holy Spirit. If God calls them a child of God, brothers and sisters to us, who are we to go against that?

 

[Ceallaigh]

Does God care about which denomination or church you belong to?

My thoughts on this is that God wants you belong to a church where its members take God seriously, live for Him. I don't think it matters that much whether you belong to a Catholic church, Orthodox church, Angelican church, Reformed church, Lutheran church, Pentacostal church or any other Protestant church.

What I think God is serious about is our heart, that it's of less importance our theological views. Even children or maybe I should say especially children that don't have that strong formulated theological views, but really have a heart for God truly belong to the kingdom of God, and that is what God is looking for in all of us.

What do you think?

But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
— Matthew 19:14

I agree. When I move to a new city I ask God to lead me to a church that takes Christ seriously and has a loving pastor and congregation. I love my current church because those qualities are in place.

 

[zoidar]

Let's take an example in history -

Rev 12 describes 1260 years of dark ages history that happens sometime after the ascension of Christ. In those years a great many saints lost their lives over doctrine. Blood of the martyrs - seed of the saints - for centuries.

So then we all condemn the persecuting religious powers be they the centuries of Catholic rulers or the decades of protestant governments condemning and "exterminating" (Lateran IV term) the other side, that it was really a crime against humanity to persecute and exterminate like that.

But what about those saints that Rev 12 depicts as the good guys who were getting mowed down by the millions over centuries of time? Were they really being foolish to cling to what they viewed as good doctrine at the cost of their lives?? Should the protesting Catholics (and several other groups that were under persecution) simply have "Stopped" and said "wait a minute! what are we doing here - we are putting our lives at risk. Doctrine is just not worth it. We will stop here and now"???

Or would that have put them at risk of being on the short-end of the stick described by Christ in Mark 7:6-13? and by Paul in Gal 1:6-9 in your view?

They appear to view the "significance" of the issue of false doctrine - at the level we see in the Bible texts found here -- Today at 7:31 PM #17



Would you consider that the answer for the dark ages? The saints should simply have laid down their faith in doctrines as they understood them and said "well whatever! This is too hard and too risky with nothing to gain other than correct doctrine"?

Would I die for the doctrine of baptism, whether infant or believers, or for whether God is present or not in the bread and wine, I would not. Would I die as a martyr if it came to the point I had to deny Christ to save my physical life? I think I would. Let's pray we never are put in such an horrendous situation.

 

[Bobber]

I think it can very much matter to God what church/denomination you go to....but then again....it may not.

Sure sounds contradictory. Consider though, God looks at us as individuals . We're all at different levels of spiritual growth and enlightenment and maturity or lack thereof.

What I mean is are you at a level of spiritual maturity where you can be in a church which has somewhat different beliefs then you do......and still not cause a problem.....and can get along with those people disagreeing without being disagreeable and to walk in love and unity?

To illustrate and this can go either way.....you have churches which have a Calvinistic way of thinking about things or a Non-Calvinistic way of thinking. If you're one or the other can you get along without causing a problem in those churches....or would you be causing it's Pastor and people a difficult time? I think God would tell one it's better for you to go to the place where you're in total agreement with where you go. If however you being spiritually mature know how to keep the love walk not causing problem God might say it OK for you to go to that church.

So sometimes it's about YOU which determines even what God thinks. Are you mature? Or do you have a difficult time working side by side with people who might think somewhat different.

There's a variety way of answering the question. It can also be God wants one to go to a certain church or gathering of believers but that doesn't mean it has to be a forever to the day you die sort of thing. People may have experienced and went through things that he wants you around them for a period of time....maybe only so many months or years.....but then God might want you to move on to be with other brethren which can deposit into your life their wisdom and strength of other things too.

But are theological things not important? They are but in varying degrees depending on what you're talking about. Old Earth Creationism beliefs as compared to Young Earth believers...both theological positions. But that subject may not be near as important as some other theological positions about the way and manner of how to walk in spiritual liberty in freedom.

 

[Bobber]

I agree. When I move to a new city I ask God to lead me to a church that takes Christ seriously and has a loving pastor and congregation. I love my current church because those qualities are in place.

About the loving Pastor and congregation. It is good to be in such a place. I get one wanting to pray that but one might consider.....could it be God wants one to actually go to a non-loving church so that by your very presence you pull them up out of their carnality because of your maturity? Think of churches different ones like links in a chain. A few links here or there in the chain might be weak. You can understand God might want to strengthen them but he needs strong mature people to be able to do it. If all strong Christians are just among the strong...what about the weak?


Being around let's call them unlovely Christians might be like being around spiritual babies they're carnal yet God still longs for them to develop. Who can God use for these difficult assignments ? Would he have anyone willing to go to impart their strength? So I'm wondering if a better prayer is LORD where do you want me to go. And I know that might not even be my first choice but your will be done and not mine.

 

[BobRyan]

I think it can very much matter to God what church/denomination you go to....but then again....it may not.

As I pointed out earlier we had two forms of Judaism in the NT - and Christianity was called a "sect" of Judaism as Paul points out. In fact the Pharisees claim at one of Paul's trials "We find no fault in this man". So it "did matter" which group one was in.

During the dark ages - Rev 12 points to 1260 years of persecution of the saints - "did it matter" ? Or should not have stood firm for the faith - that was in opposition to false doctrine coming in to the church?

Rev 12 approves those persecuted saints.

So then to your first point "I think it can very much matter to God what church/denomination you go to"

What is the danger God is trying to spare us from - in His "Caring" about that subject?

-->the danger that scripture describes as coming from false doctrine as I noted here

False doctrine matters to God.

Mark 7:
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
7 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is certainly to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is, given to God),’ 12 you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradiGation which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

Gal 5:. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.

Gal 1:6-9
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, 7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

 

[BobRyan]

In Gal 5 -- Paul addresses Christian who were being snookered by the Christian Jews referenced in Acts 15:1-2 - who argued that gentiles could not be saved unless they were circumcised like the other Christian Jews were. It is Christian-on-Christian issues just as Gal 1:6-9 says that "insider" problem had insiders distorting the Gospel

It was about the law, whether Gentile Christians needed to be under the law.

It was about Acts 15:1 a man-made tradition that Christian Jews invented about Christian Gentiles needing to be circumcised "to be saved" -- as the Christian Jews were... It was an in-house debate between factions inside the Christian church.

IT was NOT about whether it would be a sin for gentiles to "Take God's name in vain" Ex 20:7 -- where some were arguing "yes that would still be a sin to do" and others were arguing "no we are no longer under that law".

Don't believe me? Well consider this -- in the NT "SIN IS transgression of the LAW" 1 John 3:4 in a context where Christians are commanded to "SIN not" 1 John 2:1 and the LAW includes that "unit of TEN" having "honor you father and mother" as "the first commandment with a promise" Eph 6:1-2.

For even under the NEW Covenant of Jer 31:31-34 "the LAW of God is written on heart and mind" speaks of the moral law of God known to Jeremiah and his readers. No wonder James says "to break one is to break them all" and Paul says "do we then make void the Law of God by our faith? God forbid! In fact we ESTABLISH the LAW" Rom3:31

Interesting that this last point I am making here is one that Bible scholars in almost all Christian denominations affirm

The Baptist Confession of Faith,
the Westminster Confession of Faith ,
D.L. Moody,
R.C Sproul,
Matthew Henry,
Thomas Watson
Eastern Orthodox Catechism
The Catholic Catechism
all the seventh-day keeping denominations

 

[BobRyan]

Would I die for the doctrine of baptism, whether infant or believers, or for whether God is present or not in the bread and wine, I would not. Would I die as a martyr if it came to the point I had to deny Christ to save my physical life? I think I would. Let's pray we never are put in such an horrendous situation.

In the dark ages the saints were not being put to death by atheists in Russia. .Rather it was fellow Christians who had doctrinal differences about things like praying to Mary - purgatory, veneration of saints, superiority of the Pope etc.

Roman Catholic Church Persecuting Christians
Includes an imagine of Ignatius Loyola -- " the founder of the Jesuit order. In it you can see Loyola holding the Jesuit Constitution while trampling underfoot a Christian holding a Bible. And this statue resides at the Vatican TODAY! This isn't just a statue that tells us about history. It is a statue in HONOR of what the Roman Catholic Church did" in history. The point is not "someone did something bad in the past" - the point is that those Christians who were being "Exterminated" (which is LATERAN IV terminology for it) - was not a case of telling Christians that Christ did not exist or that Christ was not the Messiah or that Christ did not die for sin or that there was no atoning sacrifice on the cross made by Christ.

A few simple examples "On August 24, 1527, Roman Catholics in France, by prearranged plan, under Jesuit influence, murdered 70,000 Protestants within the space of two months. The Pope rejoiced when he heard the news of the successful outcome." (Western Watchman, Nov.21, 1912 (Catholic)

One could point to Queen Mary in England doing the same to protestants in England and one could point to Protestant government in England doing the same to Catholics. None of it was "Christ is not the Son of God incarnate as Jesus" or something of that form.

Christians were dying over some related doctrines but not those exact ones.

 

[zoidar]

In the dark ages the saints were not being put to death by atheists in Russia. .Rather it was fellow Christians who had doctrinal differences about things like praying to Mary - purgatory, veneration of saints, superiority of the Pope etc.

Roman Catholic Church Persecuting Christians
Includes an imagine of Ignatius Loyola -- " the founder of the Jesuit order. In it you can see Loyola holding the Jesuit Constitution while trampling underfoot a Christian holding a Bible. And this statue resides at the Vatican TODAY! This isn't just a statue that tells us about history. It is a statue in HONOR of what the Roman Catholic Church did" in history. The point is not "someone did something bad in the past" - the point is that those Christians who were being "Exterminated" (which is LATERAN IV terminology for it) - was not a case of telling Christians that Christ did not exist or that Christ was not the Messiah or that Christ did not die for sin or that there was no atoning sacrifice on the cross made by Christ.

A few simple examples "On August 24, 1527, Roman Catholics in France, by prearranged plan, under Jesuit influence, murdered 70,000 Protestants within the space of two months. The Pope rejoiced when he heard the news of the successful outcome." (Western Watchman, Nov.21, 1912 (Catholic)

One could point to Queen Mary in England doing the same to protestants in England and one could point to Protestant government in England doing the same to Catholics. None of it was "Christ is not the Son of God incarnate as Jesus" or something of that form.

Christians were dying over some related doctrines but not those exact ones.

Why is that? Isn't that because man thinks doctrines are more important than Christ?

 

[BobRyan]

Why is that? Isn't that because man thinks doctrines are more important than Christ?

in the case of many of those dying for their faith in that 1260 years - it is because they felt that true doctrine was more important than life itself - even when the point being debated was not "is Jesus God" or "did Jesus die for sins"

 

[Fervent]

This question seems to come down to personal conscience. Denomination matters if we cannot in good conscience accept a given doctrine as Biblical, and so we should not simply worship with any local congregation regardless of denomination. If the denominational issues are minor in our eyes, we should freely embrace any so long as they are preaching the gospel in their gatherings. Though they do not have to accept us as they may find a doctrine of ours intolerable. So yeah, denomination matters but at the same time making too much of denominational differences can also be a problem.

 

[Blade]

Praise GOD great question.. yes He cares about everything we do. LIke one day about 7 of us were praying and I saw this square green so beautiful.. so green and the grass was going back and forth then these huge gray stones started to show up everywhere. That was the Church we were going to at the time.

Its a great question because are we willing to go where He wants us to go to? Kind of hard when we don't believe in this or that as in GIfts or the like. So yes He cares.

 

[zoidar]

This question seems to come down to personal conscience. Denomination matters if we cannot in good conscience accept a given doctrine as Biblical, and so we should not simply worship with any local congregation regardless of denomination. If the denominational issues are minor in our eyes, we should freely embrace any so long as they are preaching the gospel in their gatherings. Though they do not have to accept us as they may find a doctrine of ours intolerable. So yeah, denomination matters but at the same time making too much of denominational differences can also be a problem.

Praise GOD great question.. yes He cares about everything we do. LIke one day about 7 of us were praying and I saw this square green so beautiful.. so green and the grass was going back and forth then these huge gray stones started to show up everywhere. That was the Church we were going to at the time.

Its a great question because are we willing to go where He wants us to go to? Kind of hard when we don't believe in this or that as in GIfts or the like. So yes He cares.

Could it possibly be so that God leads us to a church where we belong, where he has a purpose for us? I would say so. Some might be led to the traditional churches, others to the more charismatic, some towards the Catholic church, others to the protestant churches etc.

 

[RDKirk]

Could it possibly be so that God leads us to a church where we belong, where he has a purpose for us? I would say so. Some might be lead to the traditional churches, others to the more charismatic, some towards the Catholic church, others to the protestant churches etc.

I would say so. It has worked out for us over the years. In one dramatic case, the Holy Spirit literally told me which church to join, saying "Tell them tomorrow you want to join"...the night before a pastor from that church just happened to pay us a visit the next morning.

 

[coffee4u]

Yes it matter, but how much does it matter? Are the doctrines I hold more important than my heart?

I think God would be concerned about incorrect doctrine because those attending it keep it going and people are being led astray particular those new to the faith. If you are sitting in a church and consistently hear incorrect doctrine believers should leave. "Come out from her my people" comes to mind.

Revelation 18:4
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “’Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

If when Kenneth Copland preached about everyone being little gods the majority of his congratulation got up and left do you think he would still have a ministry? By remaining it enables the preaching of another gospel.
2 Timothy 2:17

17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

There are numerous Bible verses on what to do if you feel you are listening to a wolf.

1 Timothy 5:19–20
19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear
Do others agree? Two or three are needed to call them out.

Should We Call Out False Teachers or Ignore Them?