2008年 07月 5日 土曜日 11:35

I'm reposting this because I wanted the entry to be connected, but I didn't know how to.

I can't stand it when Christians tell other Christians that they are not saved. Recently I've recently gotten into a discussion with other Christians over this. The issue was over Roman Catholics, and whether or not they can be saved.

Several people in the group said that no Roman Catholic is saved. I strongly disagreed with them.

When I was in college, some of my closest friends were Catholics, and they actually had a stronger faith in Christ than most of my Protestant Christian friends, and they also encouraged me and supported my own relationship with Christ more than my Protestant friends…

One of them…when I was upet at dinner once, called me right aftwards and asked if she could pray with me and stuff…and she did…and she read out of the Bible.

Another of my Catholic friends was my accountabilty partner…and she too encouraged me to grow in my faith

Another one was a guy who, when I was struggling with my emotional wounds from my past, comforted me and reminded me that I was bought with Jesus' blood

So I just wanted to say that not all Catholics are non-Christian or are not born again. There's also certain stuff that I totally disagree with as far as the Catholic church is concerned, but Catholics CAN still be Christian.

I admit that there are a lot of Catholics who have no clue what salvation is, but then again, neither do a lot of Protestants. I was raised in a mainline Protestant church, but I never once heard the gospel message there, and no one ever talked about a personal relationship with Christ, or anything that God had done for them in their lives. Faith was a very private thing, and no one wanted to talk about sin or grace…because they didn't want to offend anyone. They started a "contemporary" service, and decided that God shouldn't be a part of it. They covered up the cross (because they didn't want any "weird or confusing symbols that no one would understand), and the pastor just talked about himself….and didn't even mention Jesus.

Biblically, if someone declares that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, then that person is a Christian! If the person has surrendered their life to Him, asked Him into their hearts. Anyone who places their faith (trust) in Him for their salvation is saved. It doesn't matter what denomination they belong to or whether or not they are Catholic or Protestant.

Christianity is all about the personal relationship that can only come by faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace through faith….

I have been labeled a non-Christian because I believe that my Roman Catholic friends are saved. That's fine…other people can think I'm not saved if they want to, but they are not Jesus.

Honestly, we Christians get into fights over the stupidest doctrinal differences (the method of baptism, denominational beliefs, versions of the Bible that should be used, methods of worship - contempoary or hymns…..) None of that really matters. We are all one in Christ Jesus.

I'm sick of all the fighting.

Now, granted, there are heresies which go against biblical Christianity - Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Oneness Pentecostals, theologically liberal Christians….anyone who denies the Trinity, denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and Jesus' death on the cross as atonement for sin……the reason those groups are heretical is because they deny the most essential Christian beliefs.

Fighting over what version of the Bible a person uses is stupid. All versions carry the same message. Of coruse it's fine to prefer one version over another. Everyone does that…but to say that one version is the one and only version and that all other versions are corrupt….that causes an unnescessary barrier among Christians.

Also, while I believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including tongues, it upsets me when other Christians say that a person who does not speak in tongues is not saved. That's not biblical. The only thing that is required for salvation, in the Christian understanding, is faith in Jesus Christ.

It also annoys me when people who do not believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to claim that Christians who do practice the gifts are going to hell for practicing them. They're claiming that the gifts are of demonic origin…which is just as unbiblical.

I've heard both arguments from people (you must speak in tongues to be saved and you cannot use the gifts or you go to hell).

Seriously, we need to unite over the only thing that matters…the thing that we all have in common - our faith in the triune God of the Bible, in Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and all the promises that we have in Him, and in His 2nd coming…all the hope we share.

Just think how much good we could do if we all united together instead of being divided over trivial things. As it is right now, we're setting a bad example for non-Christians.

Jesus prayed that we'd be one…..and we're not doing a very good job of being one. Can't we all just get along and support and encourage one another? What happened to edifying (building one another up)?Casting CrownsChris TomlinDelirious?Jars of ClayJeremy CampJeremy RiddleMatt RedmanNewsboysNicole C. MullenPoint of GraceReuben MorganSteve FeeSteven Curtis ChapmanThird DayTony SanchezCasting CrownsSee The MorningGloRedemption SongsBeyond MeasureFull AttentionFreeFacedownGoing PublicWow Hits 2003 Disc 1Wow Hits 2003Wow Hits 2001Extravagant Worship - The Songs of Reuben MorganExtravagant Worship Passion - Sacred RevolutionAll Things NewSweetly BrokenSweetly BrokenBeautiful NewsWhat If His People PrayedIf We Are the BodyHere I Go AgainAwesome Is the Lord Most HighGod's RomanceFires BurnDid You Feel The Mountains TrembleThey'll Know We Are Christians By Our LoveTake A Little TimeGive You GloryCall To PraiseMy Love For YouGreat PraisePraise Awaits YouGifted ResponseDancing GenerationMission's FlameIf I Have Not LoveShine Talk About ItGather At the RiverHear Our PraisesYou SaidOn the Lord's DayRevolution CryTreasure of JesusCome TogetherBless His NameShineShineYes and AmenAll Over The World