Ecumenism: "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

[frienduff thaylorde]

14 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:

FIEDIE , they have been at work on this FOR DECADES .    ITS JUST BLOWN UP NOW .     GET OUT OF IT .    JUST Start over .   DO IT FIDIE .    DO IT PLEEEEASSE .     PLEASE .

IF I were fighting , NEIGHBOR , why does it sound more like PLEADING .     I am pleading with fidie .    but its time to let it go for a bit .    

[Fidei Defensor]

47 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:

“My recommendation instead, however, is that we do not surrender questions of value, whether absolute matters of truth, goodness, and beauty or relative judgment of more or less truth, goodness, and beauty. With those questions to the fore, in fact, we can interrogate various other traditions and truly learn something that can improve our own. Perhaps the Presbyterians really do know more than we do about due process in church government. Perhaps the Orthodox really do know some things we do not about iconography. Perhaps the Mennonites really can teach us the meaning of 'enough.' Perhaps the Pentecostals can help liberate us from dull and disembodied worship. Baptists who have learned to improve their procedures from Presbyterians, their art from the Orthodox, their finances from the Mennonites, and their worship from the Pentecostals do not therefore become worse Baptists but better ones. And so around the ecumenical circle, no?”

YOU MEAN THESE SCRIPS RIGHT FIDIE .   THEN you try like heck to BACK UP your version , WITH THE SCRIPS , ONLY its all taken out of text.

DONT ya know  this is all off now   .     Bring something in , learn something from them .     YEAH they did this with PRAYERS and mysticism too .  THAT DID NOT WORK OUT EITHER .

FIEDIE this is all bad news its the wrong way to approach UNITY   .     Fidie ,    MY SOUL IS SO BURDNED FOR YOU  .     ITS JUST HEAVY HEAVY FOR YOU .   YOU GOT TO cease this .

ITS a danger to YOU and TO OTHERS .   AS much as I love you fidie ,   I GOT to look out for the others too .    NOW leave this mindset behind .

YOUR SEEING the unity backwards .      OUR UNTIY IS IN CHRIST .     FROM that we gather WITH THOSE WHO LOVE TRUTH , not fables  , not other gosples IN HIS NAME .
BUT THOSE WHO LOVE HIM .  FIDIE ,    HIM  .   Gather with bethel ,   RIGHT ,   gather with prosperity , RIGHT

gather with faiths , JUST CAUSE THEY SAY JESUS NAME ,    RIGHT .    THIS IS ALL OFF FIDIE .   WE expose the deeds,  DOCTRINE IS < JESUS IS the number one focus .

IF our hearts ARE ON HIM , then we see clearly .    Most those faiths you wanna find a way to learn something from .   THEY OFF .   

WE need to learn that bible FIRST and FOREMOST .     GUESS many have forgot , how specially near the end , JESUS WARNED BE NOT DECIEVED < BE NOT DECIEVED

many will come .    OR as paul said and MANY SHALL FOLLOW their pernicious ways .     FOLKS this is a monster delusion and we need no part of it , we need not to gather with it ,

we need to expose it and reprove its evil .    WE need to FOCUS ON CHRIST and not these men of today who can allure through their books and writings and make an agenda for ROME

seem as though its not .     YALL many are getting duped .     FIDIE may be in the minority here .   BUT NOT in most places .     Guess a more conservative evangelical

BIBLE FOCUSED GROUP ,  WHO FOLLOW JESUS , don't buy the unity ecumuncal lie as so many others do .      YEP .  LOVE THAT BIBLE FOLKS , LOVE CHRIST and one another .

AND expose error.

I mean these Scriptures: 

Divisions are a work of the flesh, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.“ (Galtians 5:19-21). If divisons are the work of the flesh, then unity or ecumenism is of the Spirit of God, hence: 

“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:3), 

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Ephensians 4:13)

”As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth,” (Ephensians 1:10)

”There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28-29)

”From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephensians 4:16)

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions (schisms) among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”13 Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). 

“And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:11)

“That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:25)

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—,” (Ephensians 4:4)

” Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:24)

”Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind,” (1 Peter 3:8)

”For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ,” (1 Corinthians 12:12)

”For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5)

”Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

”Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:16)

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor,” (Romans 12:10)

”So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19)

”For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned,” (Romans 12:3)

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephensians 2:19-22)

”If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

”For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:23)

[Fidei Defensor]

47 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Can anyone share the gospel of Jesus? Like right now! Quick tell me what is this gospel of Jesus?

“Anyone who confesses Jesus is Son of God, God loves in them and they live in God.” (1 John 4:15)

[Fidei Defensor]

1 hour ago, frienduff thaylorde said:

THEY KNOW HOW TO DECIEVE .    GOOD NIGHT wake up , oh dear wake up .      THEY KNOW HOW to bring it into each group .    I KEEP TELLING YOU THIS FIDEI .

but you GOT THEM EARS SWELLED SHUT NOW .      Your lifes love IS NOW THIS UNITY .       BUT I WILL PRAY FOR YOU . 

I am thankful you are following in footsteps of Ecumenical Nicen Council that exposed the heretical and false Christianities of Nestorianism, Arianism, and Origenism. 

 I will say the ecumenism I am for is friendship and relationship with different denominations (the individuals): see my first post, it’s in red letters. 

I am well aware of the corruptions that have infected various denominations such as Evagelical Lutheran Church of America which compromises Scripture, however there are still 2 Million Lutherans who have stuck with the Bible and are called  Lutheran Missouri Synod. The same has happened in Presbyterian circles: The Presbyterian U.S.A. has compromised Scripture, but the PCA Presbyterian Church America at 374,000 members stand with Scripture. So when I speak of unity I mean those who have in their denomination stood firm and not compromised Scripture.  

[Mike Mclees]

1 hour ago, Fidei Defensor said:

I am thankful you are following in footsteps of Ecumenical Nicen Council that exposed the heretical and false Christianities of Nestorianism, Arianism, and Origenism. 

 I will say the ecumenism I am for is friendship and relationship with different denominations (the individuals): see my first post, it’s in red letters. 

I am well aware of the corruptions that have infected various denominations such as Evagelical Lutheran Church of America which compromises Scripture, however there are still 2 Million Lutherans who have stuck with the Bible and are called  Lutheran Missouri Synod. The same has happened in Presbyterian circles: The Presbyterian U.S.A. has compromised Scripture, but the PCA Presbyterian Church America at 374,000 members stand with Scripture. So when I speak of unity I mean those who have in their denomination stood firm and not compromised Scripture.  

 

[Fidei Defensor]

On 8/29/2018 at 5:48 PM, Davida said:

All of the churches that are associated with my church are in unity & even more than that meet at yearly conferences , women's  & men's conferences.  Are we in unity with the Roman Catholic Church's dogama -  no , neither are we in agreement with the kingdom now people, or the ones that are enemies of Israel & think the church received Israels blessings, neither are we in agreement or unity with the New Apostolic Reformation, or with various Pastors & their mega churches etc.....  

You are misinterpreting scripture and taking it out of context. 

 

I am compelled by my conscious; that readers of this thread know what I believe, for silence is a sin of omission. 

 

Dual-Covenant Theology is a lie. Dual-Covenant Theology teaches  Jews will be saved by the law, and still has an active Old Covenant with the Lord, and Christians like us are saved by grace and the New Covenant. Dual-Covenant Theology is false and is not Christianity! Christians (I am one) believe Salvation is only in Jesus Christ (John 14:6, John 3:16-18). Everyone who is Jew and Gentile that believes in Jesus the Son of David and Son of God (Romans 1:1-5) is a True Son of Abraham (Galatians 3:28-29, John 8 Whole Chapter). Jesus Christ alone saves and He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), eternal life (John 3:16-18), and who makes us holy (Hebrews 10:10). Fulfillment Theology (Supersessionism) is True Theology, that the New Covenant makes the old one obsolete (Hebrews 8:13), and no one can go to heaven or be children of God and be the true Israel except through faith in Jesus Christ who is the Lord God Incarnate that created Jews and Gentiles (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16), and is One with the Father and Holy Spirit. Paul was a Jew of Jews and Pharisee and he caste it all aside that he may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8-10). If anyone would have held on to the Law it would have been Paul, but he didn’t, he saw the truth, the New Covenant has replaced the old (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Jesus Christ created Jew and Gentile (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16), and He came as Hebrew (Matthew 1:1-25, Luke 3:21-38), but He said true sons of Israel and Abraham believe in Him (John ? because Jesus  is the God of Israel made flesh (Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:4-11, Hebrews 1:1-23, 1 John 4:1-3). 

 

The Holy Scriptures testify to Fulfillment Theology:

 

“28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” (Galatians 3:28-29) 

 

“And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9)

 

“but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24) 

 

“For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:18)

 

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

 

“For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18) 

 

“By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13)

 

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace.” (Galatians 5:4)

 

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Galatians 2:21) 

 

“8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[c] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. A mature Christian will adopt this view.” (Phillippians 3:8-9, 15). 

 

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 

 

“2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:2-6) 

 

“But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3:14-16) 

 

“God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." Galatians 6:14-16.

 

“But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.” (Galatians 3:9-12)

 

“But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[h] Holy Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14)

 

“Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,[k]” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.

21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 3:15-22)

 

“23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” (Galatians 3:23-29)

 

“This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Jesus Like Melchizedek

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,

    in the order of Melchizedek.”

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn

    and will not change his mind:

    ‘You are a priest forever.’”

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely[c] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” (Hebrews 7: 1-28)

 

“Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,

    when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

    and with the people of Judah.

9 

It will not be like the covenant

    I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

    to lead them out of Egypt,

because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,

    and I turned away from them,

declares the Lord.

10 

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel

    after that time, declares the Lord.

I will put my laws in their minds

    and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.

11 

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

    from the least of them to the greatest.

12 

For I will forgive their wickedness

    and will remember their sins no more.”

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8: 1-13)

 

“Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

The Blood of Christ

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:1-28)

 

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

    but a body you prepared for me;

6 

with burnt offerings and sin offerings

    you were not pleased.

7 

Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—

    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

16 

“This is the covenant I will make with them

    after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

    and I will write them on their minds.”

17 Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

    I will remember no more.”

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.” (Hebrews 10:1-18)

 

“31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

 

“let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12)

 

“15 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.[a] 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

16 

“‘After this I will return,

and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;

I will rebuild its ruins,

     and I will restore it,

17 

that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,

    and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,

     says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” (Acts 15:1-21)

 

“but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would[c] do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” (John 8:1-58), Another Translates: “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

13 The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. 15 You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. 16 And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father[a] who sent me is with me. 17 Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. 18 I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”

19 “Where is your father?” they asked.

Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” 20 Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time[c] had not yet come.

The Unbelieving People Warned

21 Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”

22 The people[d] asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”

23 Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. 24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be,[e] you will die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they demanded.

Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be.[f] 26 I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.” 27 But they still didn’t understand that he was talking about his Father.

28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am he.[g] I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me. 29 And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” 30 Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.

Jesus and Abraham

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”

39 “Our father is Abraham!” they declared.

“No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example.40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.”

They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! 46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”

48 The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?”

49 “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father—and you dishonor me. 50 And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge. 51 I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”

52 The people said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say, ‘Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ 55 but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”

57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”

58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am![k]” 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.” (John 8:13-59) 

 

“but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24) 

 

“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

 

“8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Galatians 2:21) 

 

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace.” (Galatians 5:4)

 

“5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[c] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! All who are mature in the faith adopt this attitude.” (Philippians 3:1-11, 15)

 

“9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

 

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

 

“16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

 

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.” (1 John 4:15) 

 

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” (Hebrews 10:19) 

 

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 

Though he was God,[a]

    he did not think of equality with God

    as something to cling to.

7 

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

    he took the humble position of a slave[c]

    and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,[d]

8 

    he humbled himself in obedience to God

    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor

    and gave him the name above all other names,

10 

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 

and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:4-11)

 

“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

The Son Is Greater Than the Angels

5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:

“You are my Son.

    Today I have become your Father.[a]”

God also said,

“I will be his Father,

    and he will be my Son.”

6 And when he brought his supreme[c] Son into the world, God said,[d]

“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”[e]

7 Regarding the angels, he says,

“He sends his angels like the winds,

    his servants like flames of fire.”[f]

8 But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

    You rule with a scepter of justice.

9 

You love justice and hate evil.

    Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,

    pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”[g]

10 He also says to the Son,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth

    and made the heavens with your hands.

11 

They will perish, but you remain forever.

    They will wear out like old clothing.

12 

You will fold them up like a cloak

    and discard them like old clothing.

But you are always the same;

    you will live forever.”[h]

13 And God never said to any of the angels,

“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

    until I humble your enemies,

    making them a footstool under your feet.”

14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:1-14) 

 

“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

Jesus, the Man

5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,

    or a son of man[a] that you should care for him?

7 

Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels

    and crowned them with glory and honor.

8 

You gave them authority over all things.”

Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.12 For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

    I will praise you among your assembled people.”

13 He also said,

“I will put my trust in him,”

    that is, “I and the children God has given me.”

14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:1-18)

 

“The Preeminence of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:15-23) 

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[e] 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:1-17). 

 

Jesus Christ is the only way, the only road to heaven. Nothing can let us enter eternal life but Christ and Him crucified for our sins. He is the door, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9). Jesus Christ alone is our Savior and God who is One with the Father God and Holy Spirit God (John 10:30, John 15:26, John 20:20-22, Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:13-17, 2 Peter 1:1, Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 18:1-11, Colossians 2:9): One God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity. Amen.

[Neighbor]

2 hours ago, Davida said:

Quick !!!    Neighbor tell us what the Ecumenical movement is in 20 words or less ? & list 3 issues both for and against it. 

Sure,

Jesus lead an ecumenical movement of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

Salvation is simple  for those that are to be saved. For all has been done by God.

The three issues for the ecumemical movement of the Triune God are; life eternal with God the Father, life eternal with God the Holy Spirit and, and life eternal with God the son Jesus, all at a place of no tears.

There are no valid issues against the Holy Trinity; God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the son Jesus. 

 Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. It is by Jesus alone that many are saved to eternal life with God the Father and not by any worksn or proclamations of superiority by any saint in Christ Jesus.

Heed the call to  enlightenment by the Holy Spirit to repent of railing against God. Turn completely around from railing against the mercy of God,.Submit to God, and be blessed  in seeing Jesus revealed via the Holy Spirit's enabling  understanding of the Bible.  Salvation gained is all at the blessing and mercy from God. 

Salvation is awesome, it is simple too. 

Praise God, His mercy and grace are awesome things to receive. It is indeed a free gift to be recieved by all that do trun about receiving and honoring Jesus as Lord God and savior.

 

[Christine]

The Church which is the Body of Christ, is united in Christ.  There is no division there.  Each individual is known of God, if not to each other. Their fellowship is with the Father and with the Son by the Spirit, and with each other as His opportunity affords.  The unity that they 'keep' is that which the Holy Spirit has already instituted, which is seven-fold and found in Ephesians chapter four. 

There are no buildings, no creeds, just a oneness in Christ which unites them, in spirit.  When their lives cross, the love of Christ is manifest, and their mutual joy in Him edifies and builds them up.  Their  testimony is of being 'complete' in Christ, 'accepted in the beloved', and of having been 'made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light'.  

They carry on with the lives that they have, living for God's glory, testifying to the power of God which keeps them in His love. Following the ministry that has been allotted to them, in whatever field, even if it is simply to be a wife and mother, or a husband, father and bread winner.  Living for the glory of God where they are.  

All is of Christ and for Christ. Ecumenialism? What's that? Did God institute it? Then it doesn't exist.

In Christ Jesus

Chris

 

[frienduff thaylorde]

9 hours ago, Davida said:

Thanks, I see you do not have the slightest idea what the ecumenical movement is. 

BUT DAVIDA as you can see by what neighbor said ,    THIS IS HOW THEY SELLING IT TO THE CHURCHES .  THEY MAKE this idea of UNITY sound biblical and

all CHRIST centered .    ITS sold as something that sounds good and wholesome .     ITS n more churches than we realize

Notice its also peppered with talks like , OH we can learn something from them .   Not at all like the letters I seen to the churches from those apostles .

While its sprinkled with here a truth there a truth the whole concept of it is all off.    They bring it in under the guise that it is all about BEING CHRIST FOCUSED and CENTERED

but its really Humantiy centered just sprinkled with words LIKE unity of the SPIRIT or Christ .    Folks know how to deceive , the thing is

this seems to work on those whose focus has become FIRST and foremost RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS , INSTEAD of FIRST and FOREMOST with GOD .

FOR IF OUR HEART is truly ON GOD FIRST and CHRIST is loved ABOVE ALL, it is ONLY THEN we can truly see by HIS grace HOW to reach out .

FOR our LOVE IS ON CHRIST before anything .  Before mother , father , ANYTHING .   THEN we do have the eyes and ears to see HOW to truly love the other .

TILL THEN it will always be the wrong type of unity built on the wrong type of relationships .     FOR if one has their heart above it has truly been the work of Grace .

And they will not compromise any doctrine for the sake of unity .    YOU Said it well, when you spoke about your church .  SEE it already HAS UNITY

YET ,  I bet yalls preahers are not focusing on this ecumunial type of unity .    But rather focusing ON CHRIST and sound doctrine by which we have unity with those WHO DO SO .

I warn us all this unity agenda getting sold is all off .    But folks , many of them and more and more are not seeing this for what it is .  

[frienduff thaylorde]

What the ecumenical unity is doing is painting a path with so many narrow paint brushes ,  that while the paint brush is narrow , ITS MADE THE PATH EVER SO BROAD AND LARGE .

And once its sold ,   here comes another stroke of another paint brush to add something new , and then another , and then another , and then another ,  TILL in

time its just one big group with numbers so large yet no resemblance TO THE VERY CHURCH JESUS WHO IS THE STONE , HIS SAYINGS and the APOSTELS ever began .

Some of us already have true unity of the SPIRIT and are with others who are like minded .   These are being called out , while those in darkness are being ever called in .

OH yes the greatest division IS OCCURING .   AND ITS THE DIVISION that goes like this .    DO YOU THINK I came TO BRING PEACE ON EARTH

I tell you NO < NAY , but rather division for from now on a mans enemies shall be those of his own household .

JESUS did not come to set up world peace  ,  but rather division . AND THIS DIVISION does not keep the company with THOSE who keep not HIS SAYINGS and the Apostels .

WE don't keep company with any brother or sister who is a ......................we separate ,   TILL or IF they repent .

But this call , is having us set aside DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES .     But its slick .   For while it says partial truths , it does so in a way that clouds the PURE WAY .

Edited August 31, 2018 by frienduff thaylorde