Christianity

[Philda Tressie]

I am fine with it, as no religion has a unified faith. There are separate factions in every religion because PEOPLE can't agree on everything 100%. Too many chiefs, not enough indians.

Does that justify it? Man's Pride usurping God's will. The ONLY Chief for me, BTW.

 

[Hawkins]

Jesus was not the founder of Christianity. His quest, and that of the Apostles, was to guide both Jews and Gentiles to live a spiritual life in unity with each other and in submission to God. In fact, had all Jews accepted that He is the Messiah, there would not have been Christians at all. My question is: how do Christians view the fact that there now are hundreds of Christian denominations, and not the one unified faith that He strived for?

He however requested that 'this gospel' must be preached all over the world before His second coming. That's the source of Christianity.

It all boils down to what is the "gospel". It is actually a set of rules applied in accordance to a lawful/legal Covenant. Humans are saved through a covenant. Humans need to be qualified by the covenant in order to be saved.

So as long as humans' faith align well with what is specified by the covenant, the multiple denominations are not an issue. To be more specific, the Nicene/Apostle creed gives a good summary/definition about how a correct faith is specified by the Covenant. It is a guideline set forth for God's Church on earth. No matter how varied the denominations are, as long as the churches stick them to this creed, they will be able to qualified by the covenant.

God allows denominations because humans are a group of 60 billion unique minds. By nature they will divide, God allows such a division but only to the extent that "the gospel" will still be the same "gospel". If it's not "the same gospel" being preached, we don't call it another denomination, we call it a false doctrine.

 

[sojourner]

The purpose of Jesus' incarnation was not to establish a church or a religion, for that matter. He was only interested in man's Faith in, Obedience to and Love for the One and Only Almighty God.
The existence of a plethora of denominations is the result of man's Pride. Instead of pursuing common ground (with God's help) people broke away from groups that rightly or wrongly did not meet their expectations. A classic example = the founding of the Anglican Church. The different denominations are the products of man's focus on himself and not on God.

In fact, the many times forced unification of all churches was also the product of humanity's focus on itself, giving no credence to the Spirit moving as it would move.
FYI: The Anglican church was around far before Henry VIII. In the Council of Whitby in 664 c.e., the king of Northumbria ruled that all churches in Britain should submit to Rome, rather than continue to follow the Rule of Columba. Doesn't that forced submission represent the sort of human focus you dismiss here? If so, the "founding" of the Anglican church is not as "classic" an example as you suppose.

 

[sojourner]

I do not think that Jesus views people in terms of religion. IMO He sees ALL of mankind as God's Creation who has an obligation to LOVE their Creator "with all their heart and all their soul" and to Fear and Worship only Him.

"Obligation?" In what way is love ever an "obligation?" According to Paul, if it's obligated, it isn't love.

 

[Katzpur]

Jesus was not the founder of Christianity.

Actually, I believe He was. He told His Apostles that He was going to "build [His] Church" and I believe He did so.

His quest, and that of the Apostles, was to guide both Jews and Gentiles to live a spiritual life in unity with each other and in submission to God. In fact, had all Jews accepted that He is the Messiah, there would not have been Christians at all. My question is: how do Christians view the fact that there now are hundreds of Christian denominations, and not the one unified faith that He strived for?

I believe that Jesus Christ established a Church as part of His ministry, building it on a foundation of prophets and apostles, He being the "chief cornerstone." Paul speaks of the organization of this Church in Ephesians 4:11-14, which states, "And he gave some, apostles and some, prophets and some, evangelists and some, pastors and teachers For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive..."

Even in Old Testament times, God's prophets warned that the time would come when the word of the Lord would not be found anywhere in the world. In Amos 8:11-12, we read, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord; And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."

I contend that this prophesy did come to pass, and that shortly after the deaths of Christ's Apostles, the Church He personally established ceased to exist in its original form, resulting in, for many years, a famine in the world, "a famine of hearing the words of the Lord."

Throughout the New Testament, the Apostles also warned of an imminent apostasy. Paul, in particular, frequently expressed his concerns to the early Christians. Among his statements to them, are these:

Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition…

Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel…

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…

Paul made it absolutely clear that (1) the flock would not only be attacked, it would not be spared, (2) Christ would not return to the earth until this universal "falling away" or "apostasy" had taken place, (3) these things were already beginning to take place, and (4) the doctrines taught by the Savior would, in time, cease to endure.

I believe that during the first few centuries after the Savior and His Apostles died, Christianity began to evolve into “another gospel.” While the Apostles, who assumed leadership over Christ’s Church after His death, did everything within their power to preserve and strengthen it, there were, unfortunately, other forces at work. Within a matter of just a few years following their deaths, the simplicity and purity of Christ’s teachings had begun to undergo some rather significant changes. Greek philosophical thought corrupted such basic doctrines as the true nature of God and man’s relationship to Him, as educated but uninspired men sought to make this new religion more acceptable to the masses, especially to the non-Jewish convert. Finally, and probably most important of all, God withdrew His priesthood from the earth, leaving no one holding the authority once held by the Apostles. With Christ no longer directing His Church, man was on his own. Through debate and discussion, by vote and by compromise, what the world now knows as “Christianity” emerged.

We as Christians are less unified in our faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ than ever before in history. We all claim to worship Him and to look to Him for salvation. But beyond this, we are frequently at odds with one another over various points of doctrine. Many sincere Christians insist that the Bible is complete and inerrant, and that we have already been told all that God wishes us to know. They will explain that today, the Holy Ghost continues to guide "the Church." We would respond, "Which Church?" There are over 30,000 different Christian denominations in the world today, each one claiming to be interpreting the "complete and inerrant" Bible correctly, but no two interpreting it in exactly the same way.

I love discussing Christian theology with my fellow Christians, but over time, I have discovered how easy it is to prove pretty much any position you want to take on any given doctrine. You just need to know which passages of scripture to use and which ones to ignore. For example, is salvation by faith alone or by a combination of both faith and works? I can assure you that a case could be made for either position. But is that really what studying the scriptures is all about? Really understanding what God expects of us is so much more important than winning some debate. I've often thought how wonderful it is that God loves us enough that He gave us not only a book containing the writings of His ancient prophets and apostles, but living prophets and apostles to help us understand what they had to say. We don't need to take a position and then look for scripture to support it. We can listen to the words of His living servants and take comfort from the fact that He personally chose them to help us understand His word.

 

[james2ko]

Jesus was not the founder of Christianity. His quest, and that of the Apostles, was to guide both Jews and Gentiles to live a spiritual life in unity with each other and in submission to God. In fact, had all Jews accepted that He is the Messiah, there would not have been Christians at all.

God's plan would have been thwarted and mankind would have no savior because they would not have crucified Him. This begs the question--could it had been God's plan to purposely blind the religious leaders of Christ's day?

My question is: how do Christians view the fact that there now are hundreds of Christian denominations, and not the one unified faith that He strived for?

Perhaps God doesn't want everyone to understand and attain salvation in this age (Mar 4:11-12) thus allowing satan (Job 1:12;2:4-6) to blind (2Co 4:3-4) the masses--even those who claim to be "Christian"--from discovering the "unified faith".

 

[ChristineES]

I suppose you can call me a "separate but equal" Christian believer. I believe that all (edit- I should change that to almost all) denominations are equal, although separated by minor beliefs or a difference in interpretating certain scriptures. I say separate because everyone wants to stay in their own denominations. I believe that someday we will all be joined together by God- as only God can say who is right in certain things and who is wrong in certain things. But we are all Christians.

 

[Me Myself]

Jesus was not the founder of Christianity. His quest, and that of the Apostles, was to guide both Jews and Gentiles to live a spiritual life in unity with each other and in submission to God. In fact, had all Jews accepted that He is the Messiah, there would not have been Christians at all. My question is: how do Christians view the fact that there now are hundreds of Christian denominations, and not the one unified faith that He strived for?

Luke 9: 50 Do not stop him, for whoever is not against us is with us.

Jesus was a-okay with people outside his "main brAnch" using his name. According to Luke at least.

 

[jtartar]

Jesus was not the founder of Christianity. His quest, and that of the Apostles, was to guide both Jews and Gentiles to live a spiritual life in unity with each other and in submission to God. In fact, had all Jews accepted that He is the Messiah, there would not have been Christians at all. My question is: how do Christians view the fact that there now are hundreds of Christian denominations, and not the one unified faith that He strived for?

Philda Tressie,
Under the Mosaic Law Code any Jew who started a new religion was to be put to death. Paul did not realize that God had turned away from the Jewish system of things and had turned to Christianity.
Jesus had warned the Jews about this, Matt 21:42-46. Just before Jesus was killed by the Jews, he had told them that their HOUSE, TEMPLE was ABANDONED to them, Matt 23:37,38. God did not reject all the Jews, since many of the Jews became Christians. The Jews rejected Jesus so they rejected God also. The 11th chapter of Romans tells the way all Jews could be grafted back into the Garden Olive that portrayed the Nation of Israel. Rom 9:27, 11:5 tells us that the Jews may become as the sand of the sea, but it is only the REMNANT that will be saved, that remnant became Christians, Paul, John , James, Mark. Luke, and many others, even many of the Priests, Acts 6:7.
Jesus did not actually start Christianity, because he was a Jew, and under The Mosaic Law Covenant, but the Christians became followers of his teachings, and later started to be called Christians, Acts 11:26.
To prove to the Jews that God had turned His favor to the Christians, God poured out the powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit, which enabled the Christians to perform miracles, even bringing back the dead, and healing all sorts of enfirmities. The Jews could not do that, God gave His spirit to the Christians. This was because the Jews had been under the Mosaic Law for over 1,500 years. They needed something very powerful to show them that He had turned to the Christians.
Paul warned, and others also, that after the Apostles died there would be a great falling away from true Christianity, they acted as a restraint, because all Christians realized that they had God's blessing and they were the authority on doctrines.
After the death of the apostles syncretism took place over almost 2,000 years, until we have almost all Christendom adulterated. The fact is, there is not so much as one belief, that forms the foundation of the Churches, that id founded on truth from the Bible.
BUT, the Bible tells us there is one faith, Eph 4:3-6. It is up to all who love God to find that one faith!!! I can't mention which one it is, because a the slayer has warned me of telling the truth, without adding, I believe.

 

[sojourner]

Jesus was not the founder of Christianity. His quest, and that of the Apostles, was to guide both Jews and Gentiles to live a spiritual life in unity with each other and in submission to God. In fact, had all Jews accepted that He is the Messiah, there would not have been Christians at all. My question is: how do Christians view the fact that there now are hundreds of Christian denominations, and not the one unified faith that He strived for?

My view is that diversity is good and natural. One faith -- many expressions and manifestations.

 

[sojourner]

I strongly disagree! Scriptural proof of your view? Jesus' message was that God is Holy, therefore man should live holy lives in order to obtain the Ultimate Reward, i.e. Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God. We are not and cannot be God, yet we can become LIKE God.

Eternal life isn't a reward. That would imply that it's all up to us and that grace isn't necessary.

 

[jtartar]

Does that justify it? Man's Pride usurping God's will. The ONLY Chief for me, BTW.

Philda,
What you say is exactly what the Bible, and history has shone to be true, Matt 13:33. I bvelieve the three portions that the woman hid the leaven in, is actually the three great religions that had their start in Genesis, of the Bible, especially pertaining to the Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. All three have become completely adulterated, leavened. Paul warned that would take place after the apostles died, Acts 20:29,30, 2Thess 2:1-12.
All during the the almost 2,000 years since, the process of synthecism has been at work, until not one of the foundation beliefs of the major religions are based on Bible truth.
That does not mean that there is no religion that is pleasing to God today.
Remember that the Bible tells us that there is ONE lord, ONE faith, ONE hope, ONE baptism, ONE God the Father. This means that there is ONE religion that God blesses. I believe that it is up to everyone to search for that religion, Prov 2:1-9.
That religion must do as you said no religion does, have no divisions, and should speak in the same mind and the same line of thought, 1Cor 1:10.
Also they would have great love among themselves, John 13:34,35, even to be willing to die for each other, 1John 3:16. They should be known for their preaching work, obeying the command Jesus gave his disciples, just before he went back to heaven, Matt 28:19,20, Acts 1:8, Matt 24:14. Also Paul, 2Tim 4:2-5. Look for the religion that is hated by all nations, jut as Jesus said they would, Matt 24:9, John 15:18-20, Luke 6:22,23, 26.Seek and you shall find, Matt 7:7,8.

 

[jtartar]

The purpose of Jesus' incarnation was not to establish a church or a religion, for that matter. He was only interested in man's Faith in, Obedience to and Love for the One and Only Almighty God.
The existence of a plethora of denominations is the result of man's Pride. Instead of pursuing common ground (with God's help) people broke away from groups that rightly or wrongly did not meet their expectations. A classic example = the founding of the Anglican Church. The different denominations are the products of man's focus on himself and not on God.

Philda Tressie,
When Jesus was born on earth he was a MAN, not an incarnation, which is a spirit with a made up fleahly body. One of the main reasons for Jesus coming to earth was tosacrifice his body as a Ransom to gain back perfect human life that Adam lost for himself and for all his discendents. Jesus had to be a perfect man to offer his body as a ransom for the only other perfect man, Adam, 1Tim 2:4-6, Heb 2:9, 14.
The Bible says that Jesus was a MAN several times, Rom 5:15, 1Cor 15:21,47.
Consider what Gabreil told Mary when he anounced that she would become the mother of Jesus, Luke 1:31-35. Jesus was the son of God, but because he was the son of man, God gave him the power to do judging and to resurrect all whom he wanted, John 5:21, 22, 25-27.