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And why do you define a universal church as one that has "the same teaching throughout the world"? Such a church does not exist. The Catholic church on its own is not universal because so many Christians are outside it. All of us, Catholic and Protestant, would agree that the bread and wine of...

Good question. Orthodox Christianity is defined by the creeds. They are the only definitions agreed by the whole church. Also, who defines what is 'salvational'? The requirements for salvation, according to the New Testament, are minimal: Confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in the...

I'm sure we would agree that the truth doesn't evolve. But our understanding of it can, and does. Otherwise the doctrine of the Trinity would have been formulated long before the 4th century. And church teaching and practice can change - even within the Catholic Church. For the first thousand...

Tom, you seem to imply that 'the truth' is a complete package: it's either all, or nothing. No shades of grey, no distinction between essentials and peripherals. That's probably a more fundamental distinction between us than anything else in the discussion. Now I'm sure that the Church as a...

There is quite a jump between "the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church" and "the truth will never leave the church." How do we know that is what Jesus means? Nowhere in the NT letters do the apostles seem to believe that the church is immune from falling into error! As for false...

Is it really necessary to have 'correct' knowledge of all Christian doctrines in order to be saved? The demons know the exact truth, after all (James 219)! It is only necessary to be a disciple (follower) of Jesus to 'know the truth' (John 8:31,32). As for "allowing the Church to fall into...

(1) Strict training I Corinthians 9:24-27 It all looks so easy… but a sporting career demands enormous commitment and dedication over many years. Athletes don’t just spend many hours exercising and training, but they also have to be careful about their diet and general health. And how easy it...

That's not what amillennialism means. Christ is definitely coming back to judge the world and bring in the new age, it's just that the '1000 years' is not a literal length of time.

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'I AM' is more than a label: it is a revelation of God. “I AM” is not a complete sentence; it begs the question, what? (or who?) But God adds nothing. He is Himself – nothing more, nothing less, nothing other. 'I AM' is not a description of God, but a declaration of His self-existence...

With millions of other people to meet and get to know, I should think even 10 million years wouldn't be long enough to start getting bored. I agree - but I'm answering the spirit of the question.

Indeed - Jesus was in constant communication with His Father and did only what His Father wanted (He did not heal everyone, for example, at the Pool of Bethesda). But when He healed, He healed by His own power, whereas the most we ordinary mortals can do is ask for God to heal. Similarly, when...

Actually, this is not the case. It's true that Hebrew has only two tenses, but it has other ways of expressing related concepts. There is a specific form of the verb that expresses causation, and that is the one used here in Isaiah 53:10. "Cause him to suffer" is the correct translation.

God knew us before we knew Him. And He chose us as His people, just as He first chose the nation of Israel. The inclusion of Gentiles is no divine afterthought; it was part of God’s plan from the very beginning. The Holy Spirit is the agent who has put God’s choice into effect, by bringing us...

It is often pointed out that Jesus never stood up and said plainly, “I am God.” (But if He had, what would that prove? Nothing!) He was obviously a man: He was born, grew up, ate, slept, and felt pain, sadness and fear. Finally He died. But somehow His disciples gradually became convinced that...

These sites make the bald statement that "evolutionists lie". But in order to catch someone in a lie you have to present the truth convincingly. This they do not do. It isn't enough just to declare that evolutionists lie because their opinion conflicts with our interpretation of the Bible or our...

Stan, on the subject of "science or the Bible", the creation/evolution issue is always the first example that comes to mind. You even began your OP with reference to it. How can it be "off topic"? "Science or the Bible" would be very difficult to discuss without bringing in specific examples...

I did a post on this subject only a few weeks ago: http://www.christianityboard.com/topic/22315-the-gifts-of-the-spirit-some-principles/ As for the four questions above, here are my answers: 1) Yes. 2) I do not believe we can dictate to the Holy Spirit which gifts to give us. "He distributes...

I know you don't - but you did say that some cultures do, and you did talk about "mainstream Christians" (which would probably include people like me) having a superstitious fear of it. We know that it's just a gland that makes sleep hormone, but that was only discovered relatively recently in...

Really? What a bizarre reaction to a perfectly ordinary part of the brain. It secretes melatonin, which regulates our circadian rhythm. Every part of our brain is amazing and mysterious. Why single out the pineal body? Why revere it? God made it, it's no more sacred than anything else just...