Do you belong to "the [true] Church" (1 Tim 3:15)?, if so, how do you prove it?

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Dcopymope

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You didn't answer my question - which Scripture says the Church can't add traditions?

None that I can recall off the top of my head. As long as those traditions don't add or take away from what is written in scripture, you shouldn't have to be concerned about God hitting you with a plague or having your name erased out of the book of life.

(Revelation 22:18-19) "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: {19} And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

This is of course in reference to the book of revelation, but I think the point still stands, if a tradition appears to take away or add onto what is written, where I am told to perform a ritual that God does not require.
 
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mjrhealth

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You didn't answer my question - which Scripture says the Church can't add traditions?
I didnt say your church couldnt you obiously do, so whats teh problem

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye
 

ReChoired

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which Scripture says the Church can't add traditions?
Deu_4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Act_7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
 

Taken

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Do you belong to "the [true] Church" (1 Tim 3:15)?, if so, how do you prove it?

This is the theme for this Thread.

What are the clear identifying marks of the true church as they are found in scripture?

The TRUE Church IS:
Christ Jesus' Church.

Matt 16
[18] ...
upon this rock;

"Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God"

Matt: 16
[18]
I will build my church;


Christ Jesus is the Head of His Church:
Eph 5:
[23] ...Christ is the head of the church:...


Christ Jesus is the Rock.
1 Cor 10:
[4] ... they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Christ is the cornerstone foundation of His Church.
Eph 2:
[20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chiefcorner stone;

Forming the BODY of Christ's Church...
Are the Apostles and Prophets...
As "Living Stones.

Christ Jesus is Head of the Body (joining MEMBERS), also called "living stones", who become the Building of Christ Jesus' Spiritual Church.

1 Pet 2:
4] ... as unto a living stone...

Every man added to Christ's Church, is as unto "living stones", and the Body of Christ's Church.

Col 1
[18] And he is the head of the body, the church: ...

Proof of a person claiming they are part of the Body of Christ's Church?

The ONLY "proof " a man can offer another man;
Is his word..."claiming Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God".

God can "HEAR" the same Confession...
And "believe" the Sinful man's word...full well knowing men ARE Liars...
But God has all KNOWING Knowledge of all things...And Knows IF a mans Confession is a man's TRUE heartfelt Confession "or not".

Men can hear another's Confession, and believe it or be fooled.
Men typically will Observe the Others BEHAVIOR, AND Listen to things the man SAYS...

A man Having IN Truth Confessed...will Never Speak Againt or Reject;
The Lord God Almighty.

Glory to God,
Taken
 
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Dave M

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to see if you belong to the church, one would need to see if they are truly born again,,, 1John has the test of faith.

here is a good start to test yourself

1 John 2:4-6
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
 

mjrhealth

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I am a Bible-believing Creationist Christian and that makes me a part of the true church.
Actually it doesnt,

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

these are those who belong to His church, they follow only Him alone.
 
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Paul Christensen

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Actually it doesnt,

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

these are those who belong to His church, they follow only Him alone.
The bottom line is that we are all going to die. It is an appointment we all have to keep. Then another appointment we have to keep is the judgment.

We are not going to be judged on our theology, whether we are creationists or evolutionists. When we stand before the great white throne of judgment, there won't be an earth of heaven, because it will all have been swept away, and only the great throne of judgment will be left.

We won't be judged on what we believe. We will be judged on what we have done in our lives that is, our compliance with the Ten Commandments. Because we have all broken most if not all the Commandments at some stage in our lives, from our youth up, we will be found guilty as charged.

Then "the sheep" and "the goats" will be separated from each other. It won't be the creationists and the evolutionists. It will be those who have put their faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary, and those who have rejected Christ and lived an "anything goes" lifestyle.

Trusting in Christ means love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, goodness and self-control, which make up the foundation of holiness of life.

Rejection of Christ means support for homosexuality, abortion, pornography, pedaphilia, lawlessness, murder, rape, theft, blasphemy, adultery and such-like, because there is no foundation of authority and people choose their own way of life without interference. The death of Jesus on the cross with the removal of God's wrath for sin, and the penalty of it removed, will have no effect for these people, because they are rejecting the only Person who can save them. They are like people jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
 

Dave M

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1 John 3:9
Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God's seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.


1 John 5:5
Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:18
We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him.

John 3:3
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

I know a lot of people who call themselves Christians and go to church and do not even know what being born again means, you must be born again. most all Christians think they are going to heaven yet Jesus tells us few are actually going time is short and we all better closely examine ourselfs.

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

just believing is not enough, you must be born again, I never new I was lost until I got born-again, about 5 years ago, and I believed all my life.







 
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mjrhealth

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The bottom line is that we are all going to die. It is an appointment we all have to keep. Then another appointment we have to keep is the judgment.

We are not going to be judged on our theology, whether we are creationists or evolutionists. When we stand before the great white throne of judgment, there won't be an earth of heaven, because it will all have been swept away, and only the great throne of judgment will be left.

We won't be judged on what we believe. We will be judged on what we have done in our lives that is, our compliance with the Ten Commandments. Because we have all broken most if not all the Commandments at some stage in our lives, from our youth up, we will be found guilty as charged.

Then "the sheep" and "the goats" will be separated from each other. It won't be the creationists and the evolutionists. It will be those who have put their faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary, and those who have rejected Christ and lived an "anything goes" lifestyle.

Trusting in Christ means love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, goodness and self-control, which make up the foundation of holiness of life.

Rejection of Christ means support for homosexuality, abortion, pornography, pedaphilia, lawlessness, murder, rape, theft, blasphemy, adultery and such-like, because there is no foundation of authority and people choose their own way of life without interference. The death of Jesus on the cross with the removal of God's wrath for sin, and the penalty of it removed, will have no effect for these people, because they are rejecting the only Person who can save them. They are like people jumping out of a plane without a parachute.

You left out religion, even those who have Christ will fall into those categories, the only diff, is they believe in the works that Christ is done, and there sins are forgive, once and forever, and there righteousness is found in Him, and God sees them through His son, and there works they know are worthless.

It os finished, what part of finished do christians not understand.
 

Paul Christensen

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You left out religion, even those who have Christ will fall into those categories, the only diff, is they believe in the works that Christ is done, and there sins are forgive, once and forever, and there righteousness is found in Him, and God sees them through His son, and there works they know are worthless.

It os finished, what part of finished do christians not understand.
The problem here is that, by your own admission, you don't believe in the Jesus of the Bible, but are worshiping a mental image of a jesus apart from the Bible. So maybe your view of Christ's atonement is limited.
 

quietthinker

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1 John 3:9
Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God's seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1 John 5:5
Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:18
We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him.

John 3:3
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

I know a lot of people who call themselves Christians and go to church and do not even know what being born again means, you must be born again. most all Christians think they are going to heaven yet Jesus tells us few are actually going time is short and we all better closely examine ourselfs.

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

just believing is not enough, you must be born again, I never new I was lost until I got born-again, about 5 years ago, and I believed all my life.
Few have any idea of the beauty and liberation of righteousness or even what that means.
Information from God is dealt with as just another intellectual exercise and they wrestle with the scriptures to their disadvantage.

When the word goes out God's Spirit is present for he desires that all would come to repentance.
When men enamour themselves with pride and self sufficiency they set themselves up in opposition to his Kingdom even while they consider themselves to be its heralds.
 
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mjrhealth

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The problem here is that, by your own admission, you don't believe in the Jesus of the Bible, but are worshiping a mental image of a jesus apart from the Bible. So maybe your view of Christ's atonement is limited.
This one

Joh 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

ye Jesus isnt in the bible HE was sitting at teh right hand of God, now getting ready for His wedding and return.
 

Cooper

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We won't be judged on what we believe. We will be judged on what we have done in our lives that is, our compliance with the Ten Commandments. Because we have all broken most if not all the Commandments at some stage in our lives, from our youth up, we will be found guilty as charged.

Then "the sheep" and "the goats" will be separated from each other. It won't be the creationists and the evolutionists. It will be those who have put their faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary, and those who have rejected Christ and lived an "anything goes" lifestyle.

Trusting in Christ means love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, goodness and self-control, which make up the foundation of holiness of life.

Rejection of Christ means support for homosexuality, abortion, pornography, pedaphilia, lawlessness, murder, rape, theft, blasphemy, adultery and such-like, because there is no foundation of authority and people choose their own way of life without interference. The death of Jesus on the cross with the removal of God's wrath for sin, and the penalty of it removed, will have no effect for these people, because they are rejecting the only Person who can save them. They are like people jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
Even the wicked and the Godless can do their 'good works' but it is what motivates them and us to do these things that is important. Outward show is of no avail, but helping the widow and the fatherless in love for others, even if it leaves us in a difficult situation is the outward evidence of a heart filled with Christian love and such a person as this will do whatever is necessary in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
.
 
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Paul Christensen

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This one

Joh 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

ye Jesus isnt in the bible HE was sitting at teh right hand of God, now getting ready for His wedding and return.
The Bible is the only document that describes who Jesus, and how we come to Him for salvation. It is God's personal word to us. God and the Bible are inseparately linked. If you don't believe the Bible, you don't believe God, because you are not believe what He said to holy men who recorded in writing what He said.

The Bible is the record of God's ultimate authority over our lives. If we reject the Bible as our standard and authority, then we are rejecting the authority of God and His right to dictate how we should live. All we do then is to construct an image of a god that we feel comfortable with. A god who will give us everything we want and require nothing in return.

We wouldn't even know that we are sinners, deserving of the wrath of God, and of hell, if we didn't have the Ten Commandments in the Bible to show us how far we are coming short of God's holy and righteous standards. Paul said that he didn't know sin until he came into contact with the Law.

If we had no road rules and were able to drive at any speed or on any part of the road we choose, it would result in chaos. If football was without rules, there would be disorder and chaos.

In the same way, disregarding the Bible as the foundational authority of God causes lawlessness in the form of rape, incest, abortion, child pornography, murder, theft. Who's to say that those things are wrong if we don't have a moral foundation of authority to tell us they are wrong.

If you are rejecting the foundation of authority then I wouldn't want to be near you because you might decide you don't like me and decide to get a gun and shoot me. Who's to say you are wrong? "Oh," you might say, "It's against the law". But where do our laws come from?

What's the point of even quoting the Bible to me, if you don't believe its authority for yourself?
 

mjrhealth

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In the same way, disregarding the Bible as the foundational authority of God causes lawlessness in the form of rape, incest, abortion, child pornography, murder, theft. Who's to say that those things are wrong if we don't have a moral foundation of authority to tell us they are wrong.
Ye and the catholics took that very same book and murdered millions of christians and Jews based on there understanding and corrupt doctrines, and millions of peope lin this world are slaveds to religions all based on that very same book, because they refuse to, will not go to Christ.

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

and that is why so few christians have any life and why so few will be at His wedding feast.
 

Paul Christensen

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Even the wicked and the Godless can do their 'good works' but it is what motivates them and us to do these things that is important. Outward show is of no avail, but helping the widow and the fatherless in love for others, even if it leaves us in a difficult situation is the outward evidence of a heart filled with Christian love and such a person as this will do whatever is necessary in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
.
But if a person is not genuinely converted to Christ, then they are still in their sins regardless of all their good deeds.

Therefore, if a person is a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart, which we all are without exception (if we are really honest with ourselves) then we are going to be judged on those things, not on our good deeds.

The only way we are going to escape the lake of fire, is our trust in the promises of God, that Jesus came and died on the cross to pay our sin debt to God, take God's wrath for sin upon Himself, and pay the penalty for our sins.

Our good deeds will never save us, because our sins exposes us to the justice of God, and there is only one Saviour, Jesus Christ.
 

Cooper

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But if a person is not genuinely converted to Christ, then they are still in their sins regardless of all their good deeds.

Therefore, if a person is a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart, which we all are without exception (if we are really honest with ourselves) then we are going to be judged on those things, not on our good deeds.

The only way we are going to escape the lake of fire, is our trust in the promises of God, that Jesus came and died on the cross to pay our sin debt to God, take God's wrath for sin upon Himself, and pay the penalty for our sins.

Our good deeds will never save us, because our sins exposes us to the justice of God, and there is only one Saviour, Jesus Christ.
You missed the point.