What constitutes the act of "Making up one's own Christianity"?

[2PhiloVoid]

The intro here is brief:

1) Everyone has to ponder over the essence of Christianity and attempt to make sense out of it.​

​

2) However, in the effort to understand the essentials of Christianity, some people have been cited by others as being "heretics."​

​

3) So, some people may be going off in directions that are too creative and too aloof from the essence of the Christian Faith.​

With the above in mind then: What constitutes the act of someone "Making Up His/Her Own Christianity"and how do we KNOW when this is actually the case?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

The intro here is brief:

1) Everyone has to ponder over the essence of Christianity and attempt to make sense out of it.​

​

2) However, in the effort to understand the essentials of Christianity, some people have been cited by others as being "heretics."​

​

3) So, some people may be going off in directions that are too creative and too aloof from the essence of the Christian Faith.​

With the above in mind then: What constitutes the act of someone "Making Up His/Her Own Christianity"and how do we KNOW when this is actually the case?

I think it is when we follow our own rules instead of following what God has instructed. God is the Creator of all things and when we depend on our own righteousness (right-doing) instead of God's righteousness- His works- Exodus 32:16 all of His commandments are righteous Psalms 119:172 and eternal Psalms 119:160 and Truth Psalm 119:151 I think it's a form of creating our own Christianity instead of following Christ. John 15:10 We cannot sanctify ourselves we do through the Truth of God's Word. John 17:17 When we choose to ignore the Truth of God's Word- we really are not following God. 1 John 2:3-5. Isaiah 8:20 2 Thessalonians 2:12 but depending on our own works and righteousness which is not saving.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I think it is when we follow our own rules instead of following what God has instructed. God is the Creator of all things and when we depend on our own righteousness (right-doing) instead of God's righteousness- His works- Exodus 32:16 all of His commandments are righteous Psalms 119:172 and eternal Psalms 119:160 and Truth Psalm 119:151 I think it's a form of creating our own Christianity instead of following Christ. John 15:10 We cannot sanctify ourselves we do through the Truth of God's Word. John 17:17 When we choose to ignore the Truth of God's Word- we really are not following God. 1 John 2:3-5. Isaiah 8:20 2 Thessalonians 2:12 but depending on our own works and righteousness which is not saving.

I think I can easily grant you agreement with the concept that righteousness is a necessary aspect of the Christian life in being responsive to God.

But you've mentioned that there are rules. Are these rules you're referring to merely "moral" rules, or are they hermeneutical rules governing our interpretations and understanding of the Bible and of the Christian faith, or rules of a certain tradition and a certain line of thinking within Christianity? Or are they something else that you think can all see clearly spelled out in the Bible?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

I think I can easily grant you agreement with the concept that righteousness is a necessary aspect of the Christian life in being responsive to God.

But you've mentioned that there are rules. Are these rules you're referring to merely "moral" rules, or are they hermeneutical rules governing our interpretations and understanding of the Bible and of the Christian faith, or rules of a certain tradition and a certain line of thinking within Christianity? Or are they something else that you think can all see clearly spelled out in the Bible?

I am referring to man-made rules that have replaced the commandments of God. Many Christians some perhaps unknowingly others knowingly have replaced God's commandments by their own version of rule-keeping i.e. commandments. All of God's commandments are moral and the right thing to do. Psalms 119:172 Most churches teach you no longer have to obey God's Ten Commandments, or we are only to keep 8 or nine out of the Ten, but God said we cannot add or subtract from His commandments Deut 4:2 God wrote His laws in our hearts and minds, which of course would include the Ten Commandments that man cannot add or subtract from. People do though and instead replace these with their own version of right-doing, but it's a man-made Christianity instead of follow God, which is exactly what Jesus warned us about. Matthew 15:3-9

 

[Jonaitis]

Recently, I was watching one part of an upcoming video series uploaded by Useful Charts on YouTube about how Christianity developed from Second Temple Judaism, and found that most of the various branches of Christianity sprang as a response to disagreeing views on Christology. I'm sure the second part of the video series will likely discuss the various branches of Chalcedonian Christianity that sprang as a response to disagreeing views on soteriology, such as the doctrinal differences between Infused Righteousness (Catholic) and Imputed Righteousness (Protestant). It seems that "making up" one's own Christianity concerns disagreements with the general traditional consensus of Christendom regarding these two issues, which is no surprise since they center around the main figure and founder of the Christian tradition.

So my answer would be: anything that departs from the generally accepted view of Jesus Christ's identity as founded in the Sacred Writings within the Christian tradition. Stating that Jesus is an alien from another planet or that he was not fully human would be considered more than heterodox, but outright heretical.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I am referring to man-made rules that have replaced the commandments of God. Many Christians some perhaps unknowingly others knowingly have replaced God's commandments by their own version of rule-keeping i.e. commandments. All of God's commandments are moral and the right thing to do. Psalms 119:172 Most churches teach you no longer have to obey God's Ten Commandments, or we are only to keep 8 or nine out of the Ten, but God said we cannot add or subtract from His commandments Deut 4:2 God wrote His laws in our hearts and minds, which of course would include the Ten Commandments that man cannot add or subtract from. People do though and instead replace these with their own version of right-doing, but it's a man-made Christianity instead of follow God, which is exactly what Jesus warned us about. Matthew 15:3-9

Ok. I suppose that if God's commandments are vastly important to our well-being and our fellowship in His Spirit, then we owe it to ourselves to be cognizant of this truth and act upon it in line with His Will.

However, I'm not clear as to what the specific man-made rules you're referring to? What are some of those rules? Do you have some examples, SB?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Ok. I suppose that if God's commandments are vastly important to our well-being and our fellowship in His Spirit, then we owe it to ourselves to be cognizant of this truth and act upon it in line with His Will.

However, I'm not clear as to what the specific man-made rules you're referring to? What are some of those rules? Do you have some examples, SB?

Here is God's Ten Commandments- personally written by God Exodus 32:16, Exodus 31:18, personally spoken by God and is kept in the Most Holy of His Temple where He dwells and is in heaven Revelation 11:19

Some churches have completely removed the 2nd commandment Exodus 20:4 and most churches have edited/delete the 4th commandment Exodus 20:8-11 which points to God as our Creator. We are warned this would happen Daniel 7:25. I think we need to be careful to obey God the way He asks, because He knows what is best for us. None of His commandments are meant to be burdensome 1 John 5:3, but instead give us peace and perfect for converting the soul Psalm 19:7


Exodus 20 And God spoke all these words, saying:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

 

[Maria Billingsley]

The intro here is brief:

1) Everyone has to ponder over the essence of Christianity and attempt to make sense out of it.​

​

2) However, in the effort to understand the essentials of Christianity, some people have been cited by others as being "heretics."​

​

3) So, some people may be going off in directions that are too creative and too aloof from the essence of the Christian Faith.​

With the above in mind then: What constitutes the act of someone "Making Up His/Her Own Christianity"and how do we KNOW when this is actually the case?

We know by their fruits. Christians must discern everything using scripture. Heretical theology has always been called out from the very beginning. And there is no need to follow works of men who add to scripture. There is only one straight and narrow path and to stay on it we must put on the " full armor of God ", His Holy Spirit. Blessings.

 

[timothyu]

Is it about us or about the Father?
Jesus was clear in His Gospel of the Kingdom it was about the return of the Father to govern mankind, where His will would finally be done in earth, not ours.
What have we made Christianity about in comparison? Him, or as usual, about ourselves? Does the controlled church narrative follow the will of God or is it more about control by the church?

 

[Soyeong]

The intro here is brief:

1) Everyone has to ponder over the essence of Christianity and attempt to make sense out of it.​

​

2) However, in the effort to understand the essentials of Christianity, some people have been cited by others as being "heretics."​

​

3) So, some people may be going off in directions that are too creative and too aloof from the essence of the Christian Faith.​

With the above in mind then: What constitutes the act of someone "Making Up His/Her Own Christianity"and how do we KNOW when this is actually the case?

A heretic is someone whose beliefs are at odds with establish religious beliefs, which makes it more likely that they are wrong or that they are making things up, but that is not necessarily the case. We can all perceive things partially or incorrectly, but as long as our position is based upon what we have perceived, then we are not making things up, whereas someone would be making things up if they held a position that was not based on what they have perceived. We can know that someone is making something up if they are unable to show how they have derived their position from Scripture.

 

[Hmm]

as long as our position is based upon what we have perceived, then we are not making things up

We can know that someone is making something up if they are unable to show how they have derived their position from Scripture.

So which is it, our perception or Scripture?

 

[Soyeong]

So which is it, our perception or Scripture?

When reading Scripture, we all have a perception or interpretation of what it is saying.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I am referring to man-made rules that have replaced the commandments of God. Many Christians some perhaps unknowingly others knowingly have replaced God's commandments by their own version of rule-keeping i.e. commandments. All of God's commandments are moral and the right thing to do. Psalms 119:172 Most churches teach you no longer have to obey God's Ten Commandments, or we are only to keep 8 or nine out of the Ten, but God said we cannot add or subtract from His commandments Deut 4:2 God wrote His laws in our hearts and minds, which of course would include the Ten Commandments that man cannot add or subtract from. People do though and instead replace these with their own version of right-doing, but it's a man-made Christianity instead of follow God, which is exactly what Jesus warned us about. Matthew 15:3-9

Ok. So if I understand you correctly, you're saying that we make-up our own Christianity if we're not following the Ten Commanments. Alright. I can understand how that could be a problem.

What about the other 603 commandments? Do you think folks need to follow those too? If not, how do we know how to read the Bible correctly so as not to make any interpretive mistakes and thereby more accurately read the Bible. Because maybe it's not clear to some us?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Recently, I was watching one part of an upcoming video series uploaded by Useful Charts on YouTube about how Christianity developed from Second Temple Judaism, and found that most of the various branches of Christianity sprang as a response to disagreeing views on Christology. I'm sure the second part of the video series will likely discuss the various branches of Chalcedonian Christianity that sprang as a response to disagreeing views on soteriology, such as the doctrinal differences between Infused Righteousness (Catholic) and Imputed Righteousness (Protestant). It seems that "making up" one's own Christianity concerns disagreements with the general traditional consensus of Christendom regarding these two issues, which is no surprise since they center around the main figure and founder of the Christian tradition.

So my answer would be: anything that departs from the generally accepted view of Jesus Christ's identity as founded in the Sacred Writings within the Christian tradition. Stating that Jesus is an alien from another planet or that he was not fully human would be considered more than heterodox, but outright heretical.

Ok. Thanks for sharing that summary of what you've been looking into recently. So, from what you're thinking at the moment, might we say that we make up or own Christianity if we play loose and fast with either Christology and Soteriology? Am I understanding you in the right way?

So, as long as we get those two things in line with Tradition, then we can still be creative in how we think about our faith, right?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

We know by their fruits. Christians must discern everything using scripture. Heretical theology has always been called out from the very beginning. And there is no need to follow works of men who add to scripture. There is only one straight and narrow path and to stay on it we must put on the " full armor of God ", His Holy Spirit. Blessings.

Alright. I suppose having the fruit of the Spirit is important and one sign that we're not making up our own Christianity. So, would you say then that as long as there are good fruits of the Spirit, then it's ok to guess and deviate from Traditional lines of theology and not be in a heterdox state of mind on our faith?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Ok. So if I understand you correctly, you're saying that we make-up our own Christianity if we're not following the Ten Commanments. Alright. I can understand how that could be a problem.

What about the other 603 commandments? Do you think folks need to follow those too? If not, how do we know how to read the Bible correctly so as not to make any interpretive mistakes and thereby more accurately read the Bible. Because maybe it's not clear to some us?

Good question and many use this as a reason- if we can't keep the 603 commandments than why do we need to keep the Ten.

Not all laws are in the same category, which is why many people get confused when reading the NT as their appears to be contradictory statements about the laws, but there isn't just misunderstanding of which law is being referred to.

We are told not all laws are the same...

Nehemiah 9:13
“You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven, And gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments.

There are the commandments of God and statues, ordinances and laws from the law of Moses.

God's Ten Commandments are on a different foundation- He didn't leave it up to anyone else to write His commandments- He personally wrote His commandments on stone for its eternal nature and only the Ten Commandments are placed inside the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy of His Temple. The earthy temple was just a miniature of Gods Heavenly Temple and God's commandments are in His heavenly Temple where He dwells. Revelation 11:19 No government can survive without laws and God's Kingdom is no exception. where there is no law there is no transgression Romans 4:15, so God's laws have always been in heaven, which is why Lucifer was thrown out.

The law of Moses was handwritten by Moses 2 Chronicles 33:8 as opposed to finger written by God Exodus 32:16, Exodus 31:18. The law of Moses was set outside the ark as a witness against us Deuteronomy 31:26 whereas the commandments are holy and righteous Romans 7:12 and are not grievous 1 John 5:3. Once we start making a distinction about the commandments and laws, we can read in context what is being referred to.

The laws that ended are the ceremonial/sacrificial ordinances that all point to Jesus. Colossians 2:14-17, Eph 2:15 these are the sacrificial laws, some called the annual sabbath(s) feast days that point to Jesus who became our Sacrificial Lamb for the forgiveness of sins when we repent and turn from sin. Sin is defined as the transgression of the law 1 John 3:4 and Paul points to the Ten to define sin when breaking Romans 7:7. We no longer sacrifice animals for the forgiveness of sins because the blood of animals made nothing perfect Hebrews 10:1-10 but the blood of Christ is perfect for cleanings us from all sin (breaking God's law) when we repent and turn from sin and walk with Jesus in obedience to Him. Jesus doesn't make us do this alone as it would be impossible to keep His commandments on our own, but He gives us His Spirit when we obey so they can be kept John 14:15-18 so we can be in harmony with God's will. Psalms 40:8, Hebrews 8:10

 

[Jonaitis]

Ok. Thanks for sharing that summary of what you've been looking into recently. So, from what you're thinking at the moment, might we say that we make up or own Christianity if we play loose and fast with either Christology and Soteriology? Am I understanding you in the right way?

So, as long as we get those two things in line with Tradition, then we can still be creative in how we think about our faith, right?

I think that Christology and Soteriology are the most distinguishing features of the Christian tradition from other religions, wouldn't you agree? I am not comfortable saying that we can "be creative in how we think about our faith" for some reason.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Alright. I suppose having the fruit of the Spirit is important and one sign that we're not making up our own Christianity. So, would you say then that as long as there are good fruits of the Spirit, then it's ok to guess and deviate from Traditional lines of theology and not be in a heterdox state of mind on our faith?

First one must define "Traditional Theology ", discern its roots and test it against "The Foundation" and no, it is not ok to deviate from truth.

Here are the fruits:
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

One of those fruits is "faithfulness " .The faithful are true witnesses to the Gospel. Traditional lines of theology may or may not be faithful to the Foundation of the Gospel laid out by the Prophets and Apostles with Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Chief Cornerstone. This is where the gifts of the Spirit help us with discernment.
The "Good News", as presented by Jesus Christ of Nazareth has never changed yet, there are those who add or take away with an agenda. It is up to each individual to navigate the path to truth and righteousness. "Seek and ye shall find", wise words form our Lord.
Blessings.

 

[eleos1954]

The intro here is brief:

1) Everyone has to ponder over the essence of Christianity and attempt to make sense out of it.​

​

2) However, in the effort to understand the essentials of Christianity, some people have been cited by others as being "heretics."​

​

3) So, some people may be going off in directions that are too creative and too aloof from the essence of the Christian Faith.​

With the above in mind then: What constitutes the act of someone "Making Up His/Her Own Christianity"and how do we KNOW when this is actually the case?

Any teaching regardless where it comes from needs to be compared with His Written word (Thy Word is Truth) .... we look for overall consistency within the entirety of His written Word and also pay attention to the context within it was written.

 

[timothyu]

The "Good News", as presented by Jesus Christ of Nazareth has never changed yet, there are those who add or take away with an agenda. It is up to each individual to navigate the path to truth and righteousness. "Seek and ye shall find", wise words form our Lord.

Precisely why denominations fight over authority, still rebellious to the idea that God will remove governance from man.

Unthwarted