Is the idea of "One True Church" Biblical? (Jesus, gospel)

[uss_bigd]

Originally Posted by Poshrocker

The idea of the "one true church is biblical"

Paul told the Romans (12:9)

" Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." The word Cleave is defined in the mirriam webster dictionary as "to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly."

Can we actually see this "good" where Paul commanded the early christians to cleave too? Matthew said (5:14-16)

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.


Matthew was giving us hope, A city that is set on a hill will give light where their good works will be seen. so? what city and house was matthew talking about? Paul told Timothy: (first letter 3:15)

"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth"

There is a church in the bible, That is why John said in his first letter 1:3-4

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

nice ....

[sojourner]

Originally Posted by uss_bigd

You don't like the biblical reference ... or you do? I can't tell what you mean by the smileys.

Not just based on my opinion. Based upon my experience, as corroborated by the experience of countless thousands of contemplatives over the past 2000 years. Take the time to read up on at least a few of the many noteworthy contemplatives of the Church, and you'll see. The theme of God being found in silence is ubiquitous to spiritual praxis, not only in Xy, but in other major religions, as well.

[uss_bigd]

Originally Posted by sojourner

Not just based on my opinion. Based upon my experience, as corroborated by the experience of countless thousands of contemplatives over the past 2000 years. Take the time to read up on at least a few of the many noteworthy contemplatives of the Church, and you'll see. The theme of God being found in silence is ubiquitous to spiritual praxis, not only in Xy, but in other major religions, as well.

Your jargons make you sound like a genius. I would be carefull not to fall under this verse;

2 Timothy 3:7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.


besides Jeremiah said:

Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Another thing is what type of people constitute God's people?

1 Corinthians 1:27
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Which means you can say i am foolish anytime. furthermore, God's justice works this way:

Job 9:11
To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

Do you not understand? did this come true to you?

Matthew 13:14
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:


To God be the Glory!!!

[sojourner]

Originally Posted by uss_bigd

Your jargons make you sound like a genius. I would be carefull not to fall under this verse;

2 Timothy 3:7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.


besides Jeremiah said:

Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Another thing is what type of people constitute God's people?

1 Corinthians 1:27
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Which means you can say i am foolish anytime. furthermore, God's justice works this way:

Job 9:11
To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

Do you not understand? did this come true to you?

Matthew 13:14
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:


To God be the Glory!!!

You should be careful not to fall under that verse.
The passages you cite have nothing to do with correct language usage. Just because I refuse to "dumb down" my arguments so that you can be comfortable with them, choosing, instead, to use my God-given intellect, does not mean that I'm a genius. It means I have been exposed to higher education -- which has nothing to do with the passages you cite.

[pray4me]

Originally Posted by uss_bigd

Your jargons make you sound like a genius. I would be carefull not to fall under this verse;

2 Timothy 3:7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.


besides Jeremiah said:

Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Another thing is what type of people constitute God's people?

1 Corinthians 1:27
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Which means you can say i am foolish anytime. furthermore, God's justice works this way:

Job 9:11
To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

Do you not understand? did this come true to you?

Matthew 13:14
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:


To God be the Glory!!!

I agree this is ridiculous. These passages talk about people who think they are smart but do not understand the truth. There is nothing wrong with using your vocabulary. If it makes other people feel stupid it is only because they have not taken the time to learn it. Someone "ever learning but never increasing in knowledge" does not define a smart person but a dumb one. The other verses speak of might being humbled. Power is the ultimate might and all those in power who abuse it will be humbled and forced to serve. There is a difference between being smart and being haughty I don't think anything in the post you quoted indicates the original poster was being haughty.

If his post falls under this catagory then yours must as well. Intelligence is no more a curse than ignorance is a blessing. Sorry if I misread the spirit of your post, this is just my honest opinion.

[logician]

"It's better to die beleiving in God and never wake up than to die not believing in God and wake up in Hell."

Except there is no god, heaven, or hell, so your point is moot.

[pray4me]

My point is only moot to you because you think there is no God. I however believe there is a God and a heaven. There may possibily be a hell as well but I'm not sure it's the same as is taught in most religions.

[Scuba Pete]

While scoffers go on scoffing and try to pull this thread off topic, I would like to make a few on topic salient points.

Is there one true church? The scriptures indicate that all Christians are part of the body of Christ, his church (or ecclesia: the called out).

Can we "identify" the one true church here on earth? Yes, by it's love for one another. That includes how Jesus loved us: tolerance, forbearance, patience and the list goes on. I would suggest to you that as the only way to know a Christian is by their love, so the only way to know the body is through it's collective love. Not much of a stretch really.

The bigger problem is the attitude that any church can "claim" that authority to be the "only one". It's like the sons of Thunder debating who is going to sit on Jesus' right side: it's UN HOLY! Completely un-holy and it shows a certain lack of tolerance, forbearance, patience and the list that simply goes on.

I would also point out that the scriptures indicate that while there is one body, there are many PARTS. This would seem to not only apply to individuals but also to denominations. Some excel at giving, while others at preaching. Is God pleased with this? Paul seems to think so.

However, I don't think God is pleased with the smug pettiness I see from some of those who claim to be Christian. Rather than trying to prove you are the only chosen one around, why don't you try loving your brothers and sisters instead. Instead of drawing spiritual lines in the sand that God never intended to be drawn, whey don't you try your hand at being a source of unification? Do this one for the Kingdom!

Originally Posted by pray4me

My point is only moot to you because you think there is no God. I however believe there is a God and a heaven. There may possibily be a hell as well but I'm not sure it's the same as is taught in most religions.

Please do not feed the trolls. He is off topic and it appears that his intent is to disrupt the discussion.

[uss_bigd]

Originally Posted by pray4me