Christianity is not just another religion propagating an ideology. Christianity is not just another religion remembering the teaching of its founder. Christianity is not just another religion reiterating the propositional tenets of its founder's teaching, and calling such "truth." Christianity is not just another religion demanding conformity to a particular "belief-system" or data-base of doctrine.
The essence of Christianity is Jesus Christ. All of Christianity is inherent in Jesus, His Person and His continuing activity. Christianity functions only by the dynamic of the risen and living Lord Jesus. Christianity is the function of the Spirit of Christ as He continues to live in Christians.
It is a sad state of affairs in what is passed off as "Christian religion" today. There is almost total failure to discern that the essence of Christianity is Jesus Christ Himself. The essence of Christianity is not a standardized belief-system. The essence of Christianity is not a consensus of doctrine. The essence of Christianity is not commonality of creeds. Jesus Christ is the essence of Christianity.
Where did "Christian religion" go off track into thinking that consenting to, confessing and conforming to doctrinal data was what Christianity was all about? When did this "Christian religion" develop the idea that Christianity is the acceptance of a correct and orthodox belief-system?
Christians today seem to be abysmally ignorant of church history. A quick review of church history will assist in answering the questions just asked:
Jesus did not come to bring new information about God, about salvation, about love, about eternal life. Christ came to be Life to all mankind. He came as God, as salvation, as love. He came to restore mankind to what God intended in creation, and that by functioning as God in man, the spiritual dynamic of life.
Every Blessing
John
what is christianity?
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_Aussie Pentecostal
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what is christianity?
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Christianity is not a belief system, but a living dynamic of Christ
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_Anonymous
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what is christianity?
HI
Can you pls explain what you mean by Christianity is not a belief system but a living dynamic of CHRIST?
Thanks
Can you pls explain what you mean by Christianity is not a belief system but a living dynamic of CHRIST?
Thanks
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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_Aussie Pentecostal
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Major I Thomas
Obviously there was not any recovery of the dynamic understanding of Christianity in the Protestant Reformation. Gene Edwards concludes, "The Reformation was neither revival nor restoration. The Reformation was an intellectual brawl."
The Christian life is divine life supernatural life Christ life "Christ in us the hope of Glory" No longer I that lives (said Paul) but Christ that lives in me"
Will explain later thank you for your reply
Every Blessing
John
The birth of Protestantism did not restore the centrality of the spiritual dynamic of Jesus Christ. "Christian religion" was still regarded as essentially a "belief-system," but instead of a singular formulated and fixated belief-system in the Roman Church, it became multiple factious and fractious belief-systems competing with one another and beating on one another (both verbally and physically.) Disagreeing on every minute point of theology conceivable, they began to divide and sub-divide into denominationalized belief-system organizations, each believing that they had formulated and fixated their belief-system in accord with God's thinking. There were Lutherans, Calvinists, Anabaptists and many others, all claiming to have the orthodox belief-system; all claiming to have figured-out what God, the "Great Theologue," believes, and supposedly demands that all His adherents likewise believe.What is eternal life? Is it a place that you are going to when you are dead? Is it a peculiar feeling inside? If you were to ask a normal congregation, or any sort of Bible class or Sunday school in an evangelical church to define eternal life, you would be amazed at the strange answers you would get!
What is eternal life? When does it begin? I noticed just the other day, in a hospital chapel where I was speaking, a tablet on the wall in memory of one of the previous chaplains, and in giving the date of his death it said, "He entered into eternal life." Is that true if he was a Christian? Is it right to imply, as did that tablet on the wall, that eternal life begins when a man is physically dead? No, indeed!
"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (I John 5:11,12)
Jesus Christ and eternal life are synonymous terms, and eternal life is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, of whom it is written in John 1:4 "In Him was life; and this life was the light of men." "If you have eternal life at all, it simply means that you have the Son, Jesus Christ now! Jesus said, "I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am the Life" (John 14:6)
Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now, at this very moment, in your own physical body, with your own two feet on the ground, and in the world TODAYI And where does this life come from? Of Him! He is that Life!
So if you have eternal life, it means that you have Somebody, Jesus Christ, and the life that you possess is of Him.
From: The Saving Life of Christ.
Obviously there was not any recovery of the dynamic understanding of Christianity in the Protestant Reformation. Gene Edwards concludes, "The Reformation was neither revival nor restoration. The Reformation was an intellectual brawl."
The Christian life is divine life supernatural life Christ life "Christ in us the hope of Glory" No longer I that lives (said Paul) but Christ that lives in me"
Will explain later thank you for your reply
Every Blessing
John
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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Christianity is not a belief system, but a living dynamic of Christ
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_love the logos
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If we do not establish doctrine then we will slip into an inadequate worship of God. we will begin to worship an imaginary God.
The bible makes it clear to TEST the spirits to TEST people to TEST sheperds to TEST who is talking.
basically we are supposed to tell if this is the true God if this is not from God. You can't just say "Well i believe in Jesus Christ, and he cannot be put in a belief system"
Well.. what do you Believe about him?
Do you believe he physically resurrected or only in spirit? do you believe he was on a cross, was he on a stake, was he never burried, did he have 3 wives? Was his father elohim from the planet of Kolob? Was he the brother of Satan? Is the the archangel transformed?
You understand what I mean?
2 Timothy 4
2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
We cannot step away from doctrine.
Salvation is found in Christ alone but if you wish to establish who this christ is and you must establish doctrine.
Of course some call this a "belief system"
I hope to have been of some help John.
In Christ,
Steven.
The bible makes it clear to TEST the spirits to TEST people to TEST sheperds to TEST who is talking.
basically we are supposed to tell if this is the true God if this is not from God. You can't just say "Well i believe in Jesus Christ, and he cannot be put in a belief system"
Well.. what do you Believe about him?
Do you believe he physically resurrected or only in spirit? do you believe he was on a cross, was he on a stake, was he never burried, did he have 3 wives? Was his father elohim from the planet of Kolob? Was he the brother of Satan? Is the the archangel transformed?
You understand what I mean?
2 Timothy 4
2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
We cannot step away from doctrine.
Salvation is found in Christ alone but if you wish to establish who this christ is and you must establish doctrine.
Of course some call this a "belief system"
I hope to have been of some help John.
In Christ,
Steven.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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Reason:
2 john 1:12
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_Aussie Pentecostal
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The fundamentalist "Christian religion" in general has allowed doctrine, their belief-system, to become the supreme issue. "Doctrine" becomes their basis of fellowship, acceptance, security, bonding, etc. It is a tragic misrepresentation of the Church when the basis of our commonality is calculated by doctrinal agreement, rather than the indwelling Lord Jesus Christ; when uniformity of doctrine is the primary issue instead of unity in Christ. How sad when much of what is called "Christian preaching" is but tirades against so-called "heretics" who do not stack the doctrinal fundamentals of their belief-system just like we do!
Doctrine has been deified in "Christian religion" today. Doctrine has become their "god." It is a gross form of idolatry when one's properly-aligned stack of doctrinal ideas is elevated and revered to the extent that it must be defended at all costs, even to the point of terrorism, even to the point of dying for it.
God alone is absolute and immutable. His attributes are exclusive to Himself. What God is, only God is. To attribute God's attributes to our doctrine and determine that our doctrine is absolute and unchangeable is to deify doctrine, and to engage in the absolutism that is indicative of fundamentalistic religion around the world.
The Scottish preacher and teacher, James S. Stewart, wrote these words: "Those who have succeeded in defining doctrine most closely, have lost Christ most completely."
Doctrines, belief-systems, will always be the focus of religion, but not of Christianity. Christianity is Christ! Jesus' teaching was about Himself. He is the essence of Christian teaching, contrary to what Buddha said about his religion.
In Christianity, TRUTH is a Person, Jesus Christ. "Truth" is not just propositional truth statements within a belief-system of doctrinal theology by which orthodoxy is rationalistically determined. Jesus Christ is Truth! Jesus Christ is our Life! He is so exclusively; there is no other Way! John 14:6 - "I AM the way, the truth and the life."
Doctrine has been deified in "Christian religion" today. Doctrine has become their "god." It is a gross form of idolatry when one's properly-aligned stack of doctrinal ideas is elevated and revered to the extent that it must be defended at all costs, even to the point of terrorism, even to the point of dying for it.
God alone is absolute and immutable. His attributes are exclusive to Himself. What God is, only God is. To attribute God's attributes to our doctrine and determine that our doctrine is absolute and unchangeable is to deify doctrine, and to engage in the absolutism that is indicative of fundamentalistic religion around the world.
The Scottish preacher and teacher, James S. Stewart, wrote these words: "Those who have succeeded in defining doctrine most closely, have lost Christ most completely."
Doctrines, belief-systems, will always be the focus of religion, but not of Christianity. Christianity is Christ! Jesus' teaching was about Himself. He is the essence of Christian teaching, contrary to what Buddha said about his religion.
In Christianity, TRUTH is a Person, Jesus Christ. "Truth" is not just propositional truth statements within a belief-system of doctrinal theology by which orthodoxy is rationalistically determined. Jesus Christ is Truth! Jesus Christ is our Life! He is so exclusively; there is no other Way! John 14:6 - "I AM the way, the truth and the life."
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
Reason:
Christianity is not a belief system, but a living dynamic of Christ
Belief and Doctrine
My Bible tells me something other that your "tag" line.
John 20:30-31 NASB Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
True Christianity is, among other things, a belief system.
1 Timothy 4:6 NASB In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
Sound doctrine is extremely important.
Blessings,
-larry
John 20:30-31 NASB Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
True Christianity is, among other things, a belief system.
1 Timothy 4:6 NASB In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
Sound doctrine is extremely important.
Blessings,
-larry
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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