Search results

I like how John the Baptist puts it John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

exactly! I don't think that as a group Samaritans, Jews, or Muslims are truly worshipping God. 19“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,c where...

do you mean that the Pope influences our behavior in the same way that our fleshly nature influences our behavior?

are you saying that you agree that up until the Protestant Reformation the truth was passed down through the succession of Bishops? this is the larger picture, as I see it: suppose the early church fathers thought that the book of Revelation talks mostly about future events (as opposed to...

please explain! (or point me to the post where you talk about this) thanks!

on the subject of salvation, the issue would be whether the person believes them or not. I don't think it would matter if they read words or heard preaching.

I hear what you're saying, then it wouldn't be Sola scriptura, it would be scripture and spirit and if a person didn't have access to the scriptures, it would be just spirit.

right! people weren't reading the Bible for themselves, and they might not have been able to understand Latin. so the idea of God revealing his truth to individual people as they read the Bible for themselves wasn't really possible until the printing press and most people learning how to read.

imo, this is the key issue as to whether a person joins/remains Protestant or joins/remains Catholic (or Orthodox). those who believe that the holy Spirit guides them personally as they read the Bible will probably be Protestant. those who believe that the holy Spirit guides the entire church...

well, if we read the context 2 Kings 17:25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. 26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and...

hi maryjohanna! I hear what you're saying. there are some Catholic practices that I find troubling, though in some cases things I previously thought unbiblical I now see as not as clear-cut as before. the Nicene Creed is often recited during Mass. "I/We believe... in one Lord, Jesus...

seriously? and I'm asking honestly, do you honestly feel enslaved under the Catholic Church? here in the USA, the Catholic church has virtually no secular power. do you mean Catholic voters? do you believe the Vatican is pulling strings that control the US Congress?

I see what you're saying. at the same time, if Roman Church isn't a negative term, and Catholic Church isn't a negative term, then it doesn't seem to me like Roman Catholic Church should be a negative term, although it might demonstrate a misunderstanding of Catholic teaching.

the quote as it reads in my browser "...which must be believed by all faithful Christians, namely that the apostolic see and the Roman pontiff hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the...

but also, just another thought, if a person is in the body of Christ, are they in the church?

I think I follow what you're saying. 1 Corinthians 12:21 The eye can't tell the hand, "I have no need for you," or again the head to the feet, "I have no need for you." 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. in your view, is Paul talking about the...

well, let's look at the background 2 Kings 17:27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. 28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried...

well, I grew up basically hearing that true believers had essentially been suppressed by the Catholic Church from sometime shortly after the death of the apostles up until the Protestant Reformation. then because we were Pentecostals, we saw a kind of second wave of enlightenment coming around...

when you talk about sects springing up that allowed people to believe according to the Bible, do you mean the Protestant Reformation? if so, then it sounds like the things irenaeus was saying about the church would have been true up until the Protestant Reformation.

that makes sense. an interesting thing that I think goes along with that, in the lxx, the Greek translation of the Old testament that the New testament often quotes from, I think the word for the Assembly of Israel was ecclesia. same word is used in the New testament for "church".