Why is my faith not enough?

[soldier of light]

Let me end this thread by answering my OP. My faith is enough and i don't need anything else. People don't know my situation so they can't judge. Me and Jesus have it worked out.

 

[timothyu]

SOL.. consider that these manmade churches, even if not built upon truth from God alone, serve a purpose in not only forwarding the knowledge of Jesus (or unfortunately more Paul in most cases), but also moving scripture forward through the centuries. Scripture is where the truth lies and Jesus' Gospel of the Kingdom lies practically unnoticed. Consider churches as a stepping stone, where people seeking God may come to realize that human truths are not God's truths, and that they are free at anytime to transcend human institutions and meet God face to face, understanding we are not separate but one with Him. This is why we are to love each other and act in servitude to all as God is in everyone. if you love all as self then you are loving God. Ignore any or criticize any and you are ignoring or criticizing God. Think of how healing that may be to a fractured vision of oneself. If you love all, you cannot help but love yourself.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Im not here to bash anyone. But i have a question. Why do I need Catholicism, EO, or any church who claims to be the true church? I know the Lord's commands and i dont need the doctrines of catholicism or other churches. So why does anyone need it? Doesn’t it only divide us? Shouldn't we take a more simplistic approach in order to have one mind in Christ?

You can't speak of the problem of division with one side of your mouth, while also being an agent of division and being divisive with the other side of your mouth.

Being part of God's family isn't division.
Separating oneself from the rest of God's family is division.

Notice that when St. Paul rebukes the factionalism in Corinth in his first letter to the Corinthians, and offers the examples of "I am of Paul" or "I am of Cephas" or "I am of Apollos" he also includes those who said "I am of Christ". The "I am of Christ" (as opposed to Paul, Cephas, or Apollos) crowd were doing the same thing.

"I'm not part of any church, I'm just following Jesus" is just another form of factionalism, another form of divisiveness.

"I just read the Bible" "I just follow Jesus" are excuses which some use to justify their refusal to come and partake in the unity of Christ.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

Me and Jesus have it worked out.

St. Paul warned of the danger of following false and non-real Jesuses (2 Corinthians 11:1-4).

If your "Jesus" isn't the same Jesus of the whole Christian Church throughout history and throughout the world, if your "Jesus" exists only to justify your own opinions, and comfort you that you always make the right decisions; if your "Jesus" does not challenge you, make you uncomfortable, or command that you take up your cross, that you come to the Altar, that you come to the Table, that you come to your knees before the Cross and cry out that you are a sinner--then you don't have the real Jesus.

Then that's not "you and Jesus" having worked anything out.
That's you and yourself having chosen to walk your own path, and turn aside and away from the Way of Jesus Christ.

If you do not see your need to repent. Then you are dying in your sins. You collaborate with death, through the full indulgence of your flesh, and grieve the Spirit; and your faith may be shipwrecked and your heart becomes hard as granite.

Pray that this never happens.
Run, do not walk, to the Altar and plead before God, and be reconciled, restored, and experience again the Water of Life which alone can satisfy.

Flee whatever diseased devil is lying to you.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

But I'm the church.

No. No you are not.

If I cut off my foot, my foot is not my whole body. My foot is only part of me, and my foot needs to be connected to the whole in order to live. If you amputate a part, it withers and dies without the life that sustains it from the rest of the Body.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

I read it. I just read it again to see if I missed anything. Please answer the question. Why isn't my faith enough? Are you saying that my faith is ineffective?

For one, if your faith tells you to jump from the ship into the shark-infested waters, then it's not faith.

Faith is found, and sustained, in the ship.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[soldier of light]

Flee whatever diseased devil is lying to you.

-CryptoLutheran

I'll flee alright. From this forum

 

[concretecamper]

Im not here to bash anyone. But i have a question. Why do I need Catholicism, EO, or any church who claims to be the true church? I know the Lord's commands and i dont need the doctrines of catholicism or other churches. So why does anyone need it? Doesn’t it only divide us? Shouldn't we take a more simplistic approach in order to have one mind in Christ?

Jesus told us He will build His Church. Jesus told us His Church is Visible, One, Authoritative.

So, go find His Church.

 

[soldier of light]

Jesus told us He will build His Church. Jesus told us His Church is Visible, One, Authoritative.

So, go find His Church.

I built my house on a rock. Matthew 5-7

Isaiah 66:1
Thus says the Lord:

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I'm just telling people the only way to unity.

The problem with the church, and people in general, is that sin allows for error. Many people in churches, now and in the past have given into sin, thus taught error, to justify their sins.

2Ti 3:13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. ​

There is also the point that some of the Bible is difficult to understand. Even a well-meaning person, who may not be in sin, does not have a grasp of the full nature of God, so can teach error.

2Pe 3:14-16 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. ​

I could just have taught you error. For I am human.

It is impossible to unify humanity around faith.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I built my house on a rock. Matthew 5-7

Isaiah 66:1
Thus says the Lord:

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.

It is important to find a church.

Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

When I went looking for churches, I would visit them all for a few weeks, and just see which one felt "right". Or you could write a list of the key doctrines you believe, and send it to churches asking what they think of it, and see if you can find one that fits you. Find the one that is the closest fit.

 

[soldier of light]

It is important to find a church.

Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

When I went looking for churches, I would visit them all for a few weeks, and just see which one felt "right". Or you could write a list of the key doctrines you believe, and send it to churches asking what they think of it, and see if you can find one that fits you. Find the one that is the closest fit.

Why would I want to join a church that fits my needs? Everyone just chooses their own church? Everyone is divided but that's ok? So the church becomes like us instead of us being like the church?

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Why would I want to join a church that fits my needs? Everyone just chooses their own church? Everyone is divided but that's ok? So the church becomes like us instead of us being like the church?

No church is 100% perfect. Is there such a thing as a perfect human? Our job is obedience. God commands us to have fellowship with one another.

 

[soldier of light]

No church is 100% perfect. Is there such a thing as a perfect human? Our job is obedience. God commands us to have fellowship with one another.

So I'm supposed to learn from imperfect teacher's? Why? I have a Bible. God commanded us to stay away from people who dont follow the truth. If I'm supposed to not sin how is joining an imperfect church going to help?

 

[soldier of light]

No church is 100% perfect. Is there such a thing as a perfect human? Our job is obedience. God commands us to have fellowship with one another.

God commanded us to follow Christ not imperfect churchs

 

[JEBofChristTheLord]

No church is 100% perfect. Is there such a thing as a perfect human? Our job is obedience. God commands us to have fellowship with one another.

Our job is obedience to Christ the Lord. The Romans swear to obey each other, but this is not that which Christ the Lord has asked of us. Happily, God has weakened the power of that swearing, and that weakening has accelerated over the last centuries.

 

[Clare73]

Jesus told us He will build His Church. Jesus told us His Church is Visible, One, Authoritative.

So, go find His Church.

According to the apostolic teaching (Eph 5:29-32) of Jesus Christ (Lk 10:16), his church is the body of Christ, composed of all the born again.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I built my house on a rock. Matthew 5-7

Isaiah 66:1
Thus says the Lord:

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.

Might I suggest living in the house Christ built, where He is the rock?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[concretecamper]

According to the apostolic teaching (Eph 5:29-32) of Jesus Christ (Lk 10:16), his church is the body of Christ, composed of all the born again.

Correct. All that are Baptized are members of His Body, which is the Church.

 

[Clare73]

Correct. All that are Baptized are members of His Body, which is the Church.

Only the sovereignly (Jn 3:6-8) born again of the Holy Spirit are in the kingdom of God (Jn 3:3-5).