The "church" is any man, woman or child who keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. (per Revelation 14:12)
Not a building. Not a committee. Not a tradition. Christs people are the church.
When the teachings of the papacy/orthodox or any denomination are opposite to that of the plain language of scripture, the dichotomy is there.
Scripture says in plain language, that all scripture is given by God. Scriptures trump "the church".
Yes, we have been through all this before. It is a tale as old as time. That is why "the church" has shed so much christian blood.
Darkness hates light and there will be conflict between the two until Christ stands up.
Not a building. Not a committee. Not a tradition. Christs people are the church.
This always cracks me up. No-one on any side claims that “buildings” are the Church. But then they go on to say “committees” and “traditions” are not the Church.
So what, pray tell, are you really saying? “Real” Christians don’t use buildings, form committees, or follow traditions ?
Sounds to me like you’re saying homeless vagrants who know nothing of history and avoid each other at all costs are the “real Christians”.
I’m sorry, but that’s just ludicrous. But it’s basically what you’re saying.
Your idea of "the church" is this massive orthodox system of priests, bishops, cathedrals, traditions, ceremonies, teachings and every other pomp that defines "the church".
Christs church is the poor dirty farmer, the scared little child, the ill and sad widowed woman. That is the church of Jesus Christ.
Not men playing dressing up like devil worshipers of the past in fancy buildings calling themselves the authority of Christs church.
When any man or woman speaks against the plain teachings of the scriptures, they are to be corrected. With scripture.
Not defended with "tradition".
So what you’re saying is that the Church consists in only those people who believe the Bible means what you say it does.
If that’s the Truth, where’s the evidence of that? Why isn’t there some singular “Biblical Church” that lives according to this “plain meaning of Scripture?
What specifically are you objecting to about the Orthodox Church ?
Christians were all pretty unanimous for the first 1500 years that these houses and buildings and these committees and these traditions were pretty darn important to Christendom. They may not have agreed exactly which ones constituted the True Church, but everybody basically agreed that they were part of the whole package.
You’re arguing they were all full of shit. I’m sorry, that just strikes me as obviously false.
I don’t see any reason to believe they were the ones full of shit.
(post is archived)