One Church?

[MarysRoses]

One Church?

Or an evolution of various churches, cast off by God as they strayed from him…

I’m posting this from another thread, as the original discussion of the thread has continued get off topic.

Good morning, MarysRoses,

I surely am learning a lot more about your religion, and thank you for that. I take it in a nutshell you are saying: God only has one church, YOUR church, which has all the right doctrines, traditions etc. directly from God. The rest of us are heretics, doomed to burn in an everlasting hell unless we repent of our ways …?

You would do well to read the entire thread, and respond to what has been said, rather than your ideas of what you think we are saying. The chief suffering of hell is separation. Yet you cling to the idea of eternal burning as the only definition of an eternal hell.
It is also true that the Catholic Church has never declared anyone to be in hell. Not Judas. Not Martin Luther. No one. That does not mean that hell is empty, but that only God knows what is in someone’s heart.

Jesus established a Church. The Church is His Body. The Church is His bride. The Church Jesus established has the fullness of Truth. Jesus promised the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church. There is no salvation outside of what He has given us. Does that mean only Catholics are saved? No. It does mean that there are some, who although they are outside the visible Church, are in union (although imperfectly) because of their faith in Jesus, in spite of their imperfect knowledge.

If anyone differs from you, then we are proselytizing etc. and not sharing the `gospel’… You are welcome to believe this, God bless your soul.
A brief response – 1) Church – The church at the time of Jesus’ birth was the Jewish nation. They were so way off track that they didn’t even expect/know that their Messiah was born. Who came looking for Jesus?.. GENTILES, DESPISED HEATHEN from the East, bringing precious gifts that helped Joseph and Mary to survive during their exile in Egypt.

I know Adventists teach that the Jewish Nation was a Church, and that there would then be a long string of ‘Churches’ who have God’s favor for a time then fall away, to be replaced by new ‘Churches’ . Adventists believe that they are the last in this string, the 'Remant Church", charged with carrying the special message for the last days. How Biblical is that? Jesus didn’t say he had come to reform an existing church, or that he would found many churches. He said:

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

One Church. And hell will not overcome it. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism.

I don’t belive that God deserts His church. The opposite is true – God’s Church strays from Him – witness Jesus weeping over Jerusalem before proclaiming: Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.'' Mat 21:43. The same is true for all churches, witnessed in Rev.3:16 about Laodicea (which we as Adventists believe has special bearing ons US today): So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth’’!!

God’s Church does not stray from him. Jesus promised hell would not overcome it. People do stray. Groups of people stray. The Church is made up of believers. The believers at laodicea fell into error, but even if they failed to repent, the Church as Christ’s Body did not cease to exist. Local congregations are referred to as local churches. Buildings are referred to as churches. None of that has any bearing on the one Church founded by Jesus.

People in the Church make mistakes. Sometimes bad ones. But unless Jesus didn’t keep his promise, the Church will prevail.

MarysRoses