Learning about Orthodoxy

[Lizbeth]

Interesting . . .

So, if the Early Church got their doctrines from God’s Word – WHY is it that Protestants don’t?
The Early Church believed in Baptismal Regeneration and Infant Baptism.
(Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Justin Martyr, Clement, Origen, Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine)

The Early Church believed in the Real Presence (i.e., the Eucharist).
(Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus, Cyril of Jerusalem, Theodore, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine)

I agree with the first part in RED.
The second part is a LOT more squishy . . .

Your use of “extra biblical” implies that it is not explicitly stated in Scripture. First of all - NOT everything is found explicitly in the Bible. Sola Scriptura is a 16th century, man-made invention. This is what Jesus told the future leaders of His Church:

Matt 16:19, Matt. 18:18
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. WHATEVER YOU BIND on earth shall be bound in heaven; and WHATEVER YOU LOOSE on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

John 16:12-15
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to ALL truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to YOU the things that are coming.
He will glorify me, because he will TAKE from what is MINE and declare it to YOU.
Everything that the Father has is MINE; for this reason I told you that he will TAKE from what is MINE and declare it to YOU.

He gave His Church supreme earthly Authority to speak on His behalf.

As I’ve shown - that mirror needs to be turned toward yourself and ALL non-Catholics and non-Orthodox . . .

By my reckoning, and I think most born again believers, the "early church" was the church under the apostles......everything that came after that is suspect and requires much sifting and testing, because Paul prophesied that after he departed wolves would come into the church, not sparing the flock. We need to believe him and accept this as truth. If even in the time of the original apostles they were having to constantly battle and warn against false teachers/preachers and false doctrines, and antichrists, then we have to know a downward slide began in earnest after they died.

Wolves are a picture of the hungry fleshly carnal nature of man.....as opposed to the life of the Spirit. But Jesus knew this was going to happen, because as He said, He was sending us out as sheep among wolves....it is something we have to overcome.....this is part of spiritual growth and the Lord sifting and testing us. The church of Jesus Christ is in a spiritual war and we need to learn and take to heart the teachings of Jesus and the original apostles really well to discern between what is true and what is false and thus overcome the wiles and onslaught of the enemy of our souls.

 

[Big Boy Johnson]

WHY is it that Protestants don’t?

Because they were greatly influenced by catholics seeing they came out of the catholic church and brought most of the false doctrines they learned from the catholic church with them when they left.

The Early Church believed in Baptismal Regeneration and Infant Baptism.

Those believing such are heretics as these doctrines were not taught by Jesus and His Apostles.

The Early Church believed in the Real Presence (i.e., the Eucharist).

Those believing such are heretics as these doctrines were not taught by Jesus and His Apostles.

I agree with the first part in RED.

If you actually did you would leave the catholic church and quit following heresy

The second part is a LOT more squishy . . .

This is why you don't leave the catholic church and continue walking in heresy

As I’ve shown...

All you showed was heresy and commitment to continue in heresy which we already knew.

Thank you for those uninformed responses, we really didn't appreciate any of them

 

[Lizbeth]

I want to state the current appeal of Orthodoxy for my husband and I.

--- We don't believe the terms "faith alone" and "salvation by faith alone" from Martin Luther's reformation are biblical. So we essentially got alienated from Protestantism.

---Corruption, greed, and greasy grace in our experience with various protestant churches.

---The Orthodox Church stands out for consistency whereas modern Protestant churches are always changing and splitting.

---Scripture and the tradition of the saints seems to lend itself to more consistency in the Orthodox Church.

---Modern churches have let in a lot of feminist ideology that we don't agree with.

Protestantism in general is in a state of apostasy these days. It can be hard to go it alone, without fellowship and some kind of structure that we know of as "church life". But if we obey the Lord to come out of the harlot Mystery Babylon in all it's forms, that is where most of us will be...alone. When I complained to the Lord about needing fellowship He promptly showed me the scripture that says "When I called Abraham I called him alone....." That's not what I wanted to hear sister, it wasn't and still isn't an easy pill to swallow. (And temptations to look to men and their "churches" and veer out of God's will for me come along from time to time.) But this is an opportunity and time of putting down deeper roots in the Lord and drawing from His well of sustenance, and no other well...because truth be told only HIS well is pure and untainted. He knows the way that we take, we are not really alone.

Scripture says that at the time of Jesus' coming it was a dark time and the sheep were scattered......Judaism at the time had long departed the purity and simplicity of biblical belief....they were similarly in a state of apostasy and hypocrisy and many Jews knew it and couldn't subscribe to it any longer and left off from the Mystery Babylon harlot of their time, and thus were scattered. I believe that is a pattern for the time of His second coming. And when He comes in a personal way by His Spirit, He will strengthen and confirm the sheep. God will not fail us. So I just want to encourage you to encourage your husband to really seek the Lord and HIS will in this...to be led and guided by Him.