Solus Christus

Because Jesus is God in the flesh who instituted The New Covenant in His Blood and so His words are paramount in importance. There are cases where Jesus and the apostles differ: “But you are not to be called rabbi (teacher), for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. [9] And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. [10] Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. [11] The greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23:8-11) ”[2] And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. [3] Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. [4] But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:2-4) Jesus said to be servants, when you look that word up it is like a waiter who tends to your every need. Here in Acts 6 the apostles choose to separate serving from preaching, creating the cast of minister and deacon, when servant according to Jesus was a combo of both, James rebuked this in his epistle, James Chapter 2, when he says “if you say to your brother I’ll pray for you and be well fed, and do nothing for his needs, what good is that? Faith without works is dead.” Jesus knew teaching without serving leads to corruption. He even washed the feet of His disciples and told them to follow His example in addition to preaching. Red Letterist Christians because of this choose to place the red letter words of Jesus as first, then epistles and etc second to those.

I am Biblical Literalist, so… unless its explicitly symbolism, I take it as literal. I believe most of the Bible is literal and is what is says (doesn’t need a scholar to grasp it), unless its symbolic like The Red Dragon who is Satan (Revelation 12, though even in that symbolism its explained in the passage).

Really? We all “sin and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The reason Jesus died was we cannot stop sinning, David even mentions hidden sins we so we are not aware of (Psalm 19:12-14) I am thankful my sins are forgiven by Jesus and I do not have to try and be good enough, “I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die,” (Galatians 2:21) and that if I confess my sins Jesus forgives them, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Sure we do not have license to be wicked (Romans 6), but you either believe Jesus is the Savior and He alone cleanses you of sin or you don’t. I am thankful for God’s grace, because I know I can never be good enough.

Suffering for Christ is an honor, “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13), and “And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ--if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him,” (Romans 8:17).

The Apostle Paul has interesting passage on sin is sinning in us: “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. [3] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:17-25)

Actually Origen believed a heresy that God The Father was greatest, Son was lesser, and Holy Spirit was least in the Godhead (Eusebius, The History of The Church). This was confronted at The Council of Nicea where the Bishops agreed God The Father and God The Son :are Co-Equal: “Earlier, local councils provided a model for resolving divisions within the Church, but Constantine planned something much grander. The twenty disciplinary laws (canons) agreed at Nicaea were intended to legislate for the entire Christian world. Similarly, the council’s decision on the views of Arius –who claimed that Jesus, the Son of God, must be subordinate to God the Father and could not be of the same substance –would be universally applied [Arius’s views beinf rejected by the council]. After discussions, the council (of Nicea) defined the Son as consubstantial (homoousios) and co-eternal with the Father, sharing the same divine nature. This was vital, because if Christ was not the Incarnate Logos (Word of God) with the same fully divine nature, mere humans could not hope to share in eternal life through salvation. The writings of Arius were condemned and he was exiled. Finally, the council issued a dogmatic definition of Christian belief, the creed, and decided on a method of calculating the date of Easter (to be celebrated on the Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox). All but two of the bishops present are reported to have signed their agreement." (from "Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire" by Judith Herrin, Chapter 4: Greek Orthodoxy, Pg 35-36). Thus Origen was rebuked.

James says that true religion is helping widows, orphans, and being unstained by the world. However Jesus warns, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22-23), and “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Know here is Ginosko, to know in an intimate relationship. Pious works like James mentions are good, but they must stem first from Christ, a deep relationship with The Holy Trinity. For the greatest commandment is, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-39). Helping your neighbor like the widow and orphan comes second to loving God and knowing Him.

Actually, At The Council of Nicea Origen’s heresy was addressed and the Orthodox Faith prevailed against gnosticism. Constantine called for The Council of Nicea. Origen’s taint is not found in any Bible.

I worry about classifying “pure religion” versus “worldly religion.” The Puritans got so staunch on purity they banned Christmas in England.

When I have more time I shall study this in more depth. For me its crucial that “a day is a thousand and thousand a day to the Lord,” to support that God is eternal and lives outside time, and that by coming into time as Jesus Christ our Lord, He was able to pay for our sins for all time (Hebrews 9). That is the crux for me, that it supports Jesus was able to cover all years because a day is a thousand years and a thousand years a day, substantiating that God became a Man and as The God Man only could He the eternal God pay for sins for eternity and yet be in time as a Man and become the sacrificial lamb.

I have changed it indeed.

Jesus certainly felt His teachings were diluted, “[6] And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; [7] in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[8] You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”[9] And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! [10] For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ [11] But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—[12] then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, [13] thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:6-13)

Lol IHOP: International House of Prayer.

My point was old ways of saying things do not need to be dismissed. I prefer Shall in “Shall not perish,” (John 3:16) Over “Should not perish,” in our day and age should is “I should do it,” but its not absolute. Same with “May be saved,” well in our day and age “may” can be may or may not. “Will be saved,” is better, but I like Shall because it means “I most definitely will,” guaranteed. As for superiority, my aim was to defend older speech, why it has value like “Shall.” As for atonement and propitiation I clarified they differ from forgiveness. Propitiation means to “take the place of.”

I got into the whole Constantine corrupted the Church trend, but upon more research he called for The Council of Nicea in the wake of heresies, and I think an Imperial Church was needed during Fall of the Western Roman Empire to deal with an age of iron. That said I am thankful Luther and others reformed The Church, getting us “Back to The Sources.”(Ad Fontes, Scripture). But in these dangerous times I think the current set up of churches is safer. I mean with the world in chaos and craziness would you prefer moving to a town or city and going to someone’s house for church when you have no idea who they are, no way to substantiate if they are safe and upstanding? Or would you rather go to a church building and find out that home groups and cell groups are lead by credible and upstanding people? I was in The Acts Church is best movement. But we arn’t agrarian anymore, and we do not know our neighbor like they did. So there is the issue of trust and safety that did not exist in The Early Church in the sense of Paul knew Peter, their churches knew each other and so forth. It was more small town then, now we move far say and have to introduce ourselves to a congregation that doesn’t know us, nor us them. I admire and emulate Early Church models, I love iHOPs. But I have cooled on hating institutional set ups, I see now its about safety and building trust and establishing credibility.

The Jewish Calendar says we are in the year 5783, is that a date from Creation? Or a different event?

A noble warning. Well said. “Train up children in the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

I prefer the Medieval style of living in the woods.

Yeah The Nones (no religion) are large group of the newer generations. The Dones (those done with organized religion) is growing too as evidenced in the UK: churches and cathedrals turned into pubs and yoga studios.

I wonder if Canada burning has anything to do with passing the C-4 law? (https://www.christianpost.com/voices/canadas-crackdown-on-religious-freedom-is-a-wake-up-call.html) I mean it is one thing to disagree, but to ban people from teaching Biblical marriage and sexuality (C-4) is absurd. Do they hold the same strictures on Muslims and their views on marriage and sexuality?

Vocabulary wise. Instead of saying “I am annoyed,” you say “I am sorely vexed.” Instead of “come from or sent from” you say “begotten” Instead of “passion” there is “vehemence.” Instead of “hit” you say “smite.” Instead of just forgiveness there is the words “atonement” and “propitiation” which are greater in detail about that Jesus not only forgave our sins but bore the wrath for them. It is said most people can barely read the dumbed down agrarian version of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, not to mention the original in its Old English. From 16th to 19th centuries people knew Latin, and Greek. Queen Elizabeth I Tudor knew Greek so well she read The New Testament in the original Koine Greek!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7, NIV)

Darby’s Dispensationalism has done great harm. His duo-covenant theology is a scourge. There is only One Way, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

Exactly, I am reminded of God responding to Job who had judged God, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions?Surely you know!” (Job 38:4-5)

Interesting note, Exorcists cast demons into people and are conjurers, “ἐξορκιστῶν, exorkistes, one that binds by oath (spell), by implication, an exorcist (conjurer), exorcist comes from the word exorkizo to conjure and abjure," (The Key Word Study Bible, 1977 NASB, Greek 1844-45, pg 2166). This is in contrast to Jesus who caste demons out, that is delivered people, He did not conjure demons. We see the folly of exorcism in Scripture, “exorcists took in hand to name over them which had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth. (And there were certain sons of Sceva a Jew, the Priest, about seven which did this.)And the evil spirit answered, and said, Jesus I acknowledge, and Paul I know: but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was, ran on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house, naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:13-16) Jesus “came to set captives free,” those who caste out demons do the same, but there are conjurers masquerading as deliverance ministers, who like the Sons of Sceva make profit and a spectacle playing with demons. Real deliverance is like the Man with Legion, after Jesus delivered him, “When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.” (Mark 5:15) If that is not the immediate result of deliverance then you have ended up with a conjurer, an exorcist.