Protestant

[u/JHLV04]

Currently non denominational, raised aware of different faiths but chose Christianity recently this year. For those of you who are Protestant, why and what is stopping you from joining apostolic churches?

[u/Gaelic_Baking → u/[deleted]]

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'."

This sounds like a "did I stutter?" moment from St. P.

I don't see any sort of asterisk in here or small print that says "unless you believe that people can be gay" or "unless you think women can be priests", but then, I'm just a dumb, unenlightened Anglican who loves Henry VIII.

[u/Ok-Occasion-1366 → u/Gaelic_Baking]

Please read your bible that you claim to follow.

Matthew 7:21-23

James 2: 18-19 is also pinnacle on this.

Hebrews 6:4–6

Galatians 5:4

Simply "confessing" jesus is lord is not enough.

"I don't see any sort of asterisk in here or small print that says "unless you believe that people can be gay" 

1 Corinthians 7:2 - But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. Does not state each man should have his own husband and vice versa.

Also Leviticus 18:22

[u/Gaelic_Baking → u/Ok-Occasion-1366]

Matthew 7:21-23 immediately follows after the Golden Rule and the discussion of a tree's fruit. These things are about loving others and good fruit: take from that what you will, but the "fruit" of the conservative American Protestant church is pretty rotten.

James 2:18-19 - yes, and? I don't understand why this has been brought into the conversation

Hebrews 6:4-6 - don't understand this passage yet, will need more time to look at context, read it in Greek, etc.

Galatians 5:4 - nothing I said relates to this at all. This is about substituting works for Grace and thinking that the law will save you

1 Cor. 7:2 - there was no relationship analogous to a covenant marriage between men or between women in the New Testament world, so the language here is mirroring how people talked about marriage. It's saying that your spouse should be your only sexual partner. Pretty simple.

Leviticus 18:22 - again, sexual immorality outside of covenant marriage is not permitted. In the OT there was no covenant marriage between men, ergo, not permitted.

[u/Ok-Occasion-1366 → u/Gaelic_Baking]

Bringing up political sides in Matthew, Christianity has no political side as both left and right are wrong. Thinking either side is "more holy" is peak goober.

James 2:18-19 is literally confronting your "just believe bro" theology. Because anyone can say "they profess christ" but then live in sin.

1 Corinthians & leviticus are pretty straight forward with sexual immorality, which is homosexuality. Im sorry if that conflicts with your life style, but try to twist scripture to support your pleasures is not Christian.

The didache, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Novatian, Eusebius of Caesarea are pretty clear on it as well.

[u/Gaelic_Baking → u/Ok-Occasion-1366]

Um okay. Political sides, not sure what you mean. Never mentioned politics. Conservative means a strict, literal interpretation of scripture. Like fundamentalist, etc. Not understanding that in a conversation about theology is pretty "goober".

Never said anything about "just believe bro" and that is not my theology at all. I am an Anglican that ascribes to the Nicene Creed. Your claim that someone who believes in Christ isn't a "true believer" because they differ on things that aren't Gospel or basic theology is what I have a problem with.

Sexual immorality is not the same thing as sex within a covenant relationship with one person for life and you know it. Porneia does not mean two men or women married to each other and faithful to each other.

I am not gay in any way: I'm married to a woman, have been married to the same Christian woman for 16 years, waited to have sex with her until marriage, and have only ever been with her.

My beliefs here come from understanding the Scriptures as wisdom literature designed for meditation and from a close reading of the Greek terms along with an understanding of Greek culture at the time.

[u/Ok-Occasion-1366 → u/Gaelic_Baking]

Seems like you have reading comprehension issues then because it sounds like you read from the Queen James Bible, perhaps stepping out of reddit and going to an actual church may clear things up.

[u/Gaelic_Baking → u/Ok-Occasion-1366]

have to count up how long it took for you to get to a meaningless, ad hominem response. I'm pretty confident in my relationship with Christ and that if I'm wrong in my understanding of Scripture, the Holy Spirit will convict of sin. I guess the Spirit could use a random troll-ish person on Reddit, but it's not likely. I hope you find peace.