I'm wondering if you meet someone and everything is just right as far as compatability goes but you are different denominations. You are both christian of course but one is say Presbyterian and the other Pentecostal or Lutheran and Evangelical. What ever the combination.
I feel that if she believes in The Trinity...that Jesus is The Only Way to Heaven and that He Died and was Resurrected for our sins and that I Am The BOMB...then we have a very good starting point and The Holy Spirit will handle the rest.
Yup ! Agree with ya Arch/Stev-A-Reno...after all Ruth an Boaz were of completely differant cultures, up bringin an beliefs...an well...it all worked out for them...Under GOD...Everything is possible with GOD...xo
Riveroflife, I can give you what God's word says concerning denominations and what you do about from there is about to you.
1 Corinthians 1:10 ��Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Romans 16:17 ��Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 �For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Romans 12:16 �Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceit.
Romans 15:6 �That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:8 �Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 3:17 �And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
As many of us our a product of the Reformation. We should first understand what "Reformation" meant;..and what "Protestanism" means. The Church of the West(catholic priests; some; not all) was looking for "reform" because of its abuses of salvation through the selling of indulgences. Reform didn't take place; so a "protest-anism" took place to take a stand against a church gone apostate i.e the church of rome. Now with that intro; what is the foundation of the Reformation? It is the 5 solas.
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The Five solas are five Latin phrases that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers' basic theological beliefs in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church of the day. The Latin word sola means "alone" or "only" in English. The five solas articulated five fundamental beliefs of the Protestant Reformation, pillars which the Reformers believed to be essentials of the Christian life and practice. All five of the "solas" implicitly reject or counter the then prevailing status quo, the Catholic Church, which had, in the various reformers' minds, usurped divine attributes or qualities for the church, its hierarchy, and especially, its head, the Pope.
1 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
2 Sola fide ("by faith alone")
3 Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
4 Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
5 Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_solas
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There is strong debate over eternal security to which I'm an adherer to this doctrine. Many think this doctrine is a license to sin; but they will not find such a comment or explanation from the doctrine itself. It is the false professor who thinks they can do what they want and have no Holy Spirit conviction. Basically eternal security is in a brief synopsis that a "true" believer has assurance over the promises of God. Do we trust Him the first time? Or do we become reborn again and again...etc.? Are we one day written in the Book of Life; and the next not? Boy oh boy that eraser is getting some use if that is the case. What God starts my friends/and potential or realistically brothers and sisters ...He will finish. Phil. 1:6. Do we trust Him? Do we have a "fiducia" or "ascentia" faith? I hope if you haven't trust Christ alone from the get go; that you will make that decision today. Blessings
you are cessationist, your wife/husband isnt...a couple comes to you for counseling and the husband just got diagnosed with cancer. Your wife/husband wants to pray for total healing for his body and marriage...what do you do?
Oh yeah, I'm not in this predicament I was just asking a hypothetical question. We all say there should not be denominations but yet we believe differently.
I think Gary posted the most persuasive argument and that is the WORD OF GOD. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man (woman), but the end thereof are the ways of death. That could be spiritual or physical if someone makes the wrong choice just as well as God can turn a bad situation into something good.Wrong choices however comes with consequences because God does give us free will. When we want things our way, we can debate and rationalize and compromise any situation to fit OUR agenda. Jeremiah 17:9 says " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Even 2 people sharing the same denomination may not be right for each other. The ultimate guide and decider has to be God and saying I like this denomination better puts us in a place of compromise and judgement and takes God out of the equation based on our feelings. Ultimately the bible states " Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers." Even though he may be a christian and present the right arguments, he may seem to be the ideal mate. For me, I still would question God to direct me and even more so when I think this maybe the ideal one before letting my feelings open too far. Jeremiah 17:10 says I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. God is better than Intellius and it cost nothing but patience and prayer.
I belong to a non denominational church and that Jesus is the center of our faith. Without Jesus we could never bocome acceptable to God the Father for we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). For us born again Christians, Religion is not important anymore for Religion is just a man's s way to reach God but God's way to reach man is through his Son Jesus. Without Jesus we are nothing and that is the most important in two people in love to know. That Jesus is the center of their faith and love. We embrace Jesus and not religion which has man's own created doctrines .For Jesus was the one who died for our sins and not Religion which many fight for and that often times make divisions. If only people would center their faith and embrace Jesus and not their Religion I think there would always be love and unity among us for we have the same faith.
May the Holy Spirit lead us all to the right teachings of the bible. I asked this throught Christ our Lord. Everyone who reads this say..................... AMEN !!!
