Anglican church in Australia No Longer Has The Seal of Confession

[EvangelCatholic]

My point is that some posters regularly state that other Christians/ entire church bodies are not Christian. There are Lutherans on CAF who regularly express the opinion that most Lutherans are not really Lutheran or even Christian because they have female pastors/ bishops or allow gay priests.

It seems to me that the emphasis is on condemning other Christians rather than rejoicing in our common faith in Christ. I can only imagine a non-Christian reading these comments and concluding that Christians aren’t very loving.

So who is the real Christian? One who believes a prescribed set of dogmas or one who seeks God and strives to live as Christ has taught us?

 

[Indifferently]

My point is that some posters regularly state that other Christians/ entire church bodies are not Christian. There are Lutherans on CAF who regularly express the opinion that most Lutherans are not really Lutheran or even Christian because they have female pastors/ bishops or allow gay priests.

It seems to me that the emphasis is on condemning other Christians rather than rejoicing in our common faith in Christ. I can only imagine a non-Christian reading these comments and concluding that Christians aren’t very loving.

So who is the real Christian? One who believes a prescribed set of dogmas or one who seeks God and strives to live as Christ has taught us?

The real Christian is the one who has a true and lively faith. That faith is ‘knowledge (grasping the facts of the gospel), assent (being convinced that they are true) and trust (entrusting the soul’s safety to Christ on the basis of knowledge and assent).’ (Horton, 2012: Putting Amazing Back into Grace).

Without a grasp of the Christian gospel, there can be no faith. If there is no faith, there is no Christian. I completely agree with you that we identify fellow Christians by our common faith in Christ, but the fact is that there are other people who call themselves Christians who believe in a different Christ from the historical Jesus of the Bible, who preach another gospel, and the Apostle Paul, far from tolerating them, places them under the anathema (curse of eternal damnation) of God (Gal. 1:8-9).

 

[benjohnson]

It seems to me that the emphasis is on condemning other Christians rather than rejoicing in our common faith in Christ.

Christ calls the sinner to repent (Luke 5:32) - if you find me going contrary to God’s law or gospel - then feel free to correct me.

So who is the real Christian? One who believes a prescribed set of dogmas or one who seeks God and strives to live as Christ has taught us?

If a Christian lives the life that Christ has taught us, they will find their conscience bound to those doctrines laid down by the Church.

Loving sinners is part of that calling - but we are there to help the sinner repent, not to affirm their sin.