The Church
Many people interpreted the scriptures to have different meanings. This is why there are so many different church denominations and doctrines.
Is Christ divided? NO. Is the "SPIRITUAL CHURCH" divided? NO.
Is man's understanding divided? YES. Are church denominations, organized by men, divided? YES.
What is Religion? It is organized groups of people professing certain religious beliefs and having a hierarchy of leadership. The leadership determines their religious beliefs based upon their interpretation of their reference book writings (the Bible or similar book) and doctrine studies.
The Jewish religion consisted of ceremonies and rituals that people performed. The people had faith (trust) that by performing these ceremonies and rituals they were doing what God wanted them to do.
But there was/is a problem with this; ** ANYONE COULD (CAN) DO THEM **. They don't require a personal commitment of the heart. They don't require a repentant, humble heart. In fact, if you think about it, most all religions in the world teach ceremonies and rituals that people must perform in order to be right with God.
Jesus taught us that God is not pleased with ceremonies and rituals.
(Ps 40:6, Ps 51:16-17, Heb 10:5-6, Heb 10:10-12) God is pleased with a humble, repentant, trusting heart (like a child). Jesus taught us that He, Jesus, wants us to know that He is alive and sits at the right hand of God ready and wanting to hear our prayers (our conversation with Him in our hearts). We must come to Him in a spirit of humility, repentance, and faith (trust), in His love and His promises. He taught us that we must worship Him in the spirit (from the heart). He taught us that if we worship in the spirit He is faithful and will hear and keep us.
There are still those that teach ceremonies and rituals and there are still those that trust in them. However, people must have a personal relationship with Jesus so that, in the Day of Judgment, Jesus will not say depart from me, I never knew you. (John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own, NKJ). He will say this if they trusted in what they thought they could do in ceremonies and rituals to save them instead of going to Jesus in a personal relationship so that He can know and save them. But there are those that think a person can trust in both God and in what they can do. The Jewish nation was carried off into captivity because of this idea.
What is a Christian? A person who is personally trusting that God loves him and sent his son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on a cross for his sins. A person that trusts God to save and keep him just as Abraham did. (Read Romans 4:1-8) A Christian is a person that has been reborn (filled) with God's Spirit "by God."
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Many people interpreted the scriptures to have different meanings. This is why there are so many different church denominations and doctrines.
Is Christ divided? NO. Is the "SPIRITUAL CHURCH" divided? NO.
Is man's understanding divided? YES. Are church denominations, organized by men, divided? YES.
What is Religion? It is organized groups of people professing certain religious beliefs and having a hierarchy of leadership. The leadership determines their religious beliefs based upon their interpretation of their reference book writings (the Bible or similar book) and doctrine studies.
The Jewish religion consisted of ceremonies and rituals that people performed. The people had faith (trust) that by performing these ceremonies and rituals they were doing what God wanted them to do.
But there was/is a problem with this; ** ANYONE COULD (CAN) DO THEM **. They don't require a personal commitment of the heart. They don't require a repentant, humble heart. In fact, if you think about it, most all religions in the world teach ceremonies and rituals that people must perform in order to be right with God.
Jesus taught us that God is not pleased with ceremonies and rituals.
(Ps 40:6, Ps 51:16-17, Heb 10:5-6, Heb 10:10-12) God is pleased with a humble, repentant, trusting heart (like a child). Jesus taught us that He, Jesus, wants us to know that He is alive and sits at the right hand of God ready and wanting to hear our prayers (our conversation with Him in our hearts). We must come to Him in a spirit of humility, repentance, and faith (trust), in His love and His promises. He taught us that we must worship Him in the spirit (from the heart). He taught us that if we worship in the spirit He is faithful and will hear and keep us.
There are still those that teach ceremonies and rituals and there are still those that trust in them. However, people must have a personal relationship with Jesus so that, in the Day of Judgment, Jesus will not say depart from me, I never knew you. (John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own, NKJ). He will say this if they trusted in what they thought they could do in ceremonies and rituals to save them instead of going to Jesus in a personal relationship so that He can know and save them. But there are those that think a person can trust in both God and in what they can do. The Jewish nation was carried off into captivity because of this idea.
What is a Christian? A person who is personally trusting that God loves him and sent his son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on a cross for his sins. A person that trusts God to save and keep him just as Abraham did. (Read Romans 4:1-8) A Christian is a person that has been reborn (filled) with God's Spirit "by God."
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