On Apr 14, 10:53=A0am, Athanasius wrote:
> On Apr 14, 10:26=A0am, wrote:
>
> > And when you say that the Protestants rebelled they protested against
> > the excesses and imposed meanings of the hierarchy at Rome.
>
> Rebellion is still rebellion Gladys. As for the Traditions of the
> Church, the Bible commands us to keep them so the problem was once
> they rebelled they of course did not know where to stop in each
> generation until now where the so called Christianity espoused by some
> is nothing like the Christianity of Christ's apostles which was given
> to the ancient Churches.
> Peace.
Are you sure that the churches in the Mediterranean area one hundred,
two hundred, five hundred years etc into the Christian era were
exactly the same as those one month, two months, five months etc,
after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples? (Acts 2)
What are the records to say that was so?
I could accept that perhaps for the first three hundred years there
was some uniformity.
But from my readings after that time heresies and traditions were
added. By 10??, was it 1025? the Eastern Churches broke from the
Western churches - so would you say that the Orthodox churches
rebelled? Are you really rebelling if you are sure that what you
believe is correct?
But, the key issue is this, if set forms of wor****pping are imposed
and the following of them, as you are saying, is necessary to
salvation, then surely they are the works, the good deeds that Paul
writing to the Ephesians in verse 8 of the second chapter in that
letter said were not necessary to salvation. You seem to be saying to
me that in following other forms, but still with Christian intent,
they are sinning and until they repent they are apart from Jesus
Christ.
We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is
the gift of God.
I can't see that the leaders of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches
can be judgemental and state that unless other congregations of
Christians follow their forms and rules they are, at least, 'far from
the fold', and, 'at most' not even in it. Not in their fold, but
certainly they can be in Christ's fold.
Gladys Swager
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