My view is that I’ll accept you as a fellow member of Christ’s church because we are both followers of Christ, even though we have different views on some doctrinal issues. You don’t need to agree with me on every doctrinal point. Therefore, we have unity in Christ.
I don’t think that this question gives a fair assessment of what Lek is proposing.
This is a nice thought, but I don’t think that all Protestants would agree with you. Some Protestants say that Roman Catholics are not Christians. For example, there is a fundamentalist Protestant writer, Mr. Jack T. Chick who publishes a lot of fire and brimstone comic books denouncing Roman Catholicism as a non-Christian pagan cult.
This one should be enough. If you truly believe this you will be led by the Holy Spirit. God has already decided on these points.
For what it’s worth; I agree. Love is the tie that binds, and was supposed to be a sign to all that we are Jesus’ disciples. Jesus talked about loving one another, and unity in the same breath; as God is Love and united in love. I’ve noticed something; when we talk about Jesus, we agree. When we talk about God, we agree. Those of us who all agree on Who God is, and Who Jesus is and His life, death and resurrection…
Ah…the lowest common denominator approach. Is this enough? What does the Bible say about Church Unity?
But what about John 6:52-58?
How can there be unity when so many follow the example of the disciples and walk away from teachings like this on the Eucharist or even reject basic beliefs about sin and grace?
And what of the verse I quoted? The Lord did not force a believer to follow the Apostles, and stopped the Apostles from interfering from another of His believers. We all recognize Jesus as the head of the church. Love between brethren is a sign that people are truly the disciples of Christ, and love between brethren is not restricted to the RCC, the last I checked, nor the fruits of the Spirit. There are Catholics who sit in judgment on protestants, and protestants on Catholics. Brothers and sisters spitting on each other.
Can’t we all just get along? Can’t we all just enjoy the love of God (whatever your conception of him, her, it or us may be)?So the point of unity is our disunity? Can you explain this further? This is rationalizing disunity.
Unfortunately, one can’t love another truly without really knowing him/her. You say love God - who is God? Is the Mormon religions conception of God to be loved, what about the Islamic conception, or Hindu? Also – who is a neighbor? Jesus explained who a neighbor is, I believe Him because He is my God; would a Muslim, a Mormon, a Hindu?
No, I’m not talking about them, Syro’, I’m talking about us. You and me. We believe in the exact same God, the exact same Jesus, and the exact same Spirit. We proclaim the the truth of Christ; Who He is, His death, and His physical resurrection.
We don’t all agree on what Jesus accomplished, how He remains with us, what our relationship is to the Father via Christ and the Spirit, and how Christ impacted our relationship with those within His Body.
That would be me, I suppose.
Yes, Christ did not forbid those who did good in His name, but that does not mean they were united with Him either or received the bread of everlasting life. I do not say that non-Catholic can’t follow Christ, but rejecting His teachings is also not a sign of unity.
Greetings Lek, The usage of “should” above does not make this very definitive? If the above verse were all it took to define unity, the early church heresy’s would not have been heresies. Do you believe Arianism, Docetism, or Macedonians were NOT heresies?