Why doesn't God just tell us which denomination is right?

[faroukfarouk]

Well, I look at things as God wants me to look at them as best as I can or know how more or less taking one thing with another. I really do not know what looking at something doctrinally or spiritually means. When God speaks to me, He uses words and I do not attribute speeches to Him He never made. That is the difference, perhaps, between relationship where God speaks to a person and theology where men try to formulate what God might have said had the subject come up.

I was referring really to weighing things from the teachings of the Scriptures.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

I was referring really to weighing things from the teachings of the Scriptures.

OK, but those things I really am keen to ask God directly about.

 

[faroukfarouk]

OK, but those things I really am keen to ask God directly about.

God does speak to us though His Word; John 17.17; Psalm 119.105.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

God does speak to us though His Word; John 17.17; Psalm 119.105.

That too but not only. When God first told me, "I love you" (that is a direct word for word quote) He was not quoting the Bible and I was not reading it. I was actually at a banquet and not thinking about God at the moment. Was a moment I have remembered all my life.

 

[Nayte]

Seems like it would help us out a lot if God told everybody, "The Calvinists are right" (Or whichever denomination).

So many false teachings would be disproven in an instant, everybody would know which Church best aligns with God & His word...

So why not?

Because there really should not be any denominations. Its just division of the church, brought on by you know who.

 

[tulipbee]

how do you worship with the arminians as a Calvinist ?

not many local churches to choose from.

 

[Original Happy Camper]

I presume that you are referring to "LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER", since that is the SIGN of a follower of Christ ...

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.

Matthew 5

43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

and Jesus Said "If you love me keep my commandments" not If you love me keep nine of my commandments.

 

[tulipbee]

and Jesus Said "If you love me keep my commandments" not If you love me keep nine of my commandments.

you didn't see the 10th shadow

 

[Original Happy Camper]

you didn't see the 10th shadow

Please elaborate on this response. Thanks

 

[A_Thinker]

and Jesus Said "If you love me keep my commandments" not If you love me keep nine of my commandments.

How many commandments do you think Jesus gave ?

Examples of Jesus' commandments ...

Love your enemies

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:

Turn the other cheek

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Be Reconciled

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift”(Matthew 5:23–25).

Practice Secret Charity

“. . . When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret:

Judge Not

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Pray for Laborers

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).

Deny Yourself

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Forgive Offenders

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–22).

Bring In the Poor

“Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12–14).



How successful are you in keeping ALL of these ?

 

[BobRyan]

How many commandments do you think Jesus gave ?

Hebrews 8:6-12 claims He gave all the commandments that we find at sinai.

In Matthew 19:17 Jesus said that if you want to go to heaven "keep the Commandments" -- and then in that same chapter He is asked "which ones?"

What answer do you see Jesus giving in Matthew 19?
Did He include "Do not take God's name in vain" and "Love God with all your heart"? in his answer that quoted right out of the Ten Commandments?

(How about when Paul quotes that same list of commandments in Romans 13?)

Do you think that is because Jesus wanted people to take God's name in vain from then on?

 

[BobRyan]

Exodus 6, 7, 8 -- Moses' religion comes directly from God.
In fact Moses's writing of the books of Job and Genesis before that comes directly from God according to 2 Tim 3:16 and 2Peter 1:19-21

So then Moses' religion can be found written in Exodus, Numbers , Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

And as we saw in the texts listed above "men of old moved by the Holy Spirit - spoke from GOD"

Bible details matter.

You said that God told Moses that his religion was right.

Thanks for pointing that out - I was merely stating the obvious.

If you want to make the case that the first 5 books of the Bible do not come from God or that God thinks He is teaching false doctrine in the first 5 books - please inform us how you got to that point.

I myself would find it mystifying.

 

[BobRyan]

BobRyan said: ↑
the Question/subject in the OP is not "list all the people that are saved" or "list a denomination where every soul in it is saved and those not in it are lost".

In the debate over whose "religion" is the right one - Christ says to the Samaritan woman in John 4 "you worship what you do not know - we worship what we know -- salvation is of the Jews"

What He does not say to her is "all Jews are saved and all Samaritans are going to hell".

That was not His position.

Rather He knew full well that there were some saved Jews and some lost ones... that was also true of Samaritans. Some saved and some lost.

But the Samaritan woman - like the OP on this thread -- was not asking "who is saved" she was asking whose religion is right.

Clearly we see she was asking the wrong question.

Wrong for who?
Did Jesus also give her the "wrong answer" in our POV?

And you cannot say that He knew that some Samaritans were saved and some were not at that point in time.

On the contrary - I just did.

 

[ripple the car]

.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Wrong for who?
Did Jesus also give her the "wrong answer" in our POV?

For Jesus. He rapidly went personal so as to reach her. She was trying to be impersonal, a matter of removed theology.

[Staff edit].

 

[A_Thinker]

Hebrews 8:6-12 claims He gave all the commandments that we find at sinai.

No ... that's not there ...

In Matthew 19:17 Jesus said that if you want to go to heaven "keep the Commandments" -- and then in that same chapter He is asked "which ones?"

What answer do you see Jesus giving in Matthew 19?
Did He include "Do not take God's name in vain" and "Love God with all your heart"? in his answer that quoted right out of the Ten Commandments?

So ... is it your position that these cited commandments are the ONLY ones that matter ? These weren't even ALL of the Ten Commandments ...

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Got to thinking, any who knows how to distinguish the voice of God to them would not be asking that question. That is not a question anyone who knows His voice, that is, has relationship with Him would ask. So the problem is those who ask this question couldn't hear God's answer and those who know his voice, wouldn't ask that question.

 

[BobRyan]

How many commandments do you think Jesus gave ?

Hebrews 8:6-12 claims He gave all the commandments that we find at Sinai.

In Matthew 19:17 Jesus said that if you want to go to heaven "keep the Commandments" -- and then in that same chapter He is asked "which ones?"

What answer do you see Jesus giving in Matthew 19?
Did He include "Do not take God's name in vain" and "Love God with all your heart"? in his answer that quoted right out of the Ten Commandments?

(How about when Paul quotes that same list of commandments in Romans 13?)

Do you think that is because Jesus wanted people to take God's name in vain from then on?

so then --

Hebrews 8:6-12 claims He gave all the commandments that we find at Sinai.

No ... that's not there ...

It is in fact there - when you "read the details".

Hebrews 8
6 But now He (Christ) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He (Christ) is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

A New Covenant
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 8 For finding fault with them, He (Christ) says,

“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.

Hebrews 8 says the one speaking the NEW Covenant -- the one who claims that HE was the one speaking at Sinai -- when stating that "New Covenant" -- is in fact Christ.

Bible details matter.

 

[BobRyan]

Got to thinking, any who knows how to distinguish the voice of God to them would not be asking that question.

Christians in every denomination on the planet - will make that same claim.

Does not address the OP issue.

 

[BobRyan]

BobRyan said: ↑
the Question/subject in the OP is not "list all the people that are saved" or "list a denomination where every soul in it is saved and those not in it are lost".

In the debate over whose "religion" is the right one - Christ says to the Samaritan woman in John 4 "you worship what you do not know - we worship what we know -- salvation is of the Jews"

What He does not say to her is "all Jews are saved and all Samaritans are going to hell".

That was not His position.

Rather He knew full well that there were some saved Jews and some lost ones... that was also true of Samaritans. Some saved and some lost.

But the Samaritan woman - like the OP on this thread -- was not asking "who is saved" she was asking whose religion is right.

Clearly we see she was asking the wrong question.

Wrong for who?
Did Jesus also give her the "wrong answer" in our POV?

For Jesus. He rapidly went personal

Jesus rapidly said "you worship what you do not know - we worship what we know for salvation is of the Jews"