Fiosh

Hi, Re: "Trinity" That's not tough at all. The doctrine of the Trinity is found throughout Scripture, just not the term. For example, when Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended "as a dove" and the Father spoke from heaven. So, the Trinity IS a Truth taught in Scripture. And, yes, it is also a "great mystery" that God exists as one God in three Persons. Our minds cannot take in that wonderful mystery So, I stand by my statement. RE: "Unfortunately, lots of us would be like the early apostles, if we could, forbidding others, because they don't follow us. Jesus did not advocate that." I'm not sure what you mean by "forbid" others. But, it is clear that we cannot accept false teachings for ourselves. The challenge is to find the Truth. Peace, Fiosh

I hope to find my time here edifying as I live a very long way from my church and I need all the fellowship I can get. I hope you can feel comfortable here as well. Isn't that what communiyies are all about? I am having fun though. Thanks for the kind words. A Bible study I've been part of for about 5 years just ended, temporarily I hope. I miss it. And, I'm looking for some good Christian discussion. But, I can't find anyone to show me the ropes, so I feel like a fish out of water. Fiosh

Please pardon my clumsiness as I try to find my way in this new fellowship opportunity. Fiosh

RE: " Well, that's a whole new can of worms and is a topic worth it's own thread. Discussing and debating that in here will make things too messy." This is actually my first attempt at participating in a chat room....of any kind. Can you explain the above? I'm not sure of all the chat room protocol. What's a "thread"? Thanks, Fiosh

I'll just say this . . . it's a long story! To truly understand, you have to get a book on church history. The Apostles and the first Christians (although not called "Christians" yet) were Jews and viewed Yeshua as their Messiah and the fulfillment of the Torah. When the Gospel spread to Gentiles who were not grounded in the Torah, things got muddied. It went from there. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi again, I once heard the quote, "the trouble with the church is that it's made up of people". You must admit that the Jews didn't do all that well with the Truth---they crucified Him. There were forces at work against the Truth from the very beginning. Even the original "church" hand picked by Christ Himself was imperfect. I'm no expert, but I have read a bit of church history. There were indeed many attacks on the church thru the ages. The Arian Heresy, for example, attacked the belief in the full Divinity of Jesus. But, despite having to fend off the powers of hell, the church prevailed. I believe that we humans do a great job of screwing things up. I also believe in spiritual warfare. The devil hates unity among believers. So........as Pilate asked...."what is truth?" Peace, Fiosh

Hi Nebula, Re: "We are the Church . . . not any of the denominations." I asked the question, "Who are 'we' ", because often we assume that we all understand and share the same definition of words we use. Does "we" include those who believe in polygamy? abortion? euthanasia? witchcraft? astrology? ...but say that they are Christians. Does "we" include those who deny the existence of the Trinity, those who follow the Pope, those who allow homosexual bishops, those who believe in a "Christ energy" but maybe not the God/man in history? Who are "we"? And what do "we" believe? The peace of Christ be with you, Fiosh

Re: "By the fruit of the Spirit and obedience to the command of spreading the good news of salvation by grace through faith. The sincerity of their faith can be judged by their works." Hi , Thanks for your input. I understand your answer but it still confuses me. There are so many sincere Christians who are working to spread the good news and are doing good works. However, many disagree on basics beliefs. For example, some deny the Trinity, some believe in the Trinity. Some believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, some don't. Some believe Jesus is fully God and fully man, some don't. Some believe that you can not lose your salvation, some believe you can. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead His Church to all truth. How do you reconcile that? A sister in Christ, Fiosh

Who are "we"?

Scripture makes it clear that there can be only 1 Church, whose foundation is Christ and which is protected and guided by the Holy Spirit so that even "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". This Church would be able to trace it's roots back through history to Christ, the Apostles, and those they appointed. This Church would have maintained all the teachings and doctrintes of the New Testament Church. There are many Christian denominations which teach opposing "truths". They can not ALL be right. There is only one absolute Truth --- Jesus Christ. How can one tell which Church is the one true Church?