Someone asked about confession:
I realize most Christians do not have confession the way Catholics do, confessing sins to a cleric etc.. Is there a process for confession or penance?
Yes. The Bible says to "confess your trespasses to one another." i The trouble is finding people who really believe; most churches lead to hell. Perhaps you can just confess in public, ii but I strongly advise against doing so in a false church.
Wow, you were perfectly accurate until the sentence starting with "the trouble." Then you went full heretic. Never go full heretic.
What I have said is backed up by scripture. You need to repent!
Some of it was. Your notion that most churches are false churches is patently wrong and wholly unsupported.
Most churches teach destructive heresies that lead to hell. I know this because I compare what they say to what the Bible says.
To put it politely, your conclusion leads me to believe that you haven't actually read the Bible. Neither you nor your linked site are accurate to the Word. You are in heresy.
Can you be more specific. What claim have we gotten wrong?
Very simply, your statement that "most churches lead to hell." Most don't.
We call out specific churches with fine detail on our site. Additionally, the Bible says most people who call themselves christian are not saved, and that very few will believe. iii
That verse doesn't exclusively refer to those who claim to be Christian. Correctly interpreting it to be of all people wouldn't support your claim of most Christians, and most churches, being in error.
Yes it does. Read the whole chapter and see. It's about brothers and sisters in Christ hypocritically judging each other. iv It goes on to warn us about false teachers who will appear to be preaching the Word, but who are actually teaching lies. v It even explicitly says what I have claimed; that not all who claim to be Christian are saved. vi This chapter is clearly not talking about the people of the world who don't call themselves christian.
You misinterpret the language ("she'ol" is decidedly not a term for hell, as an example) and pull verses out of context to try to support a warped and twisted false religion of your own apparent creation. You honor neither Jesus nor His word, to say nothing of your treatment for His church. You are worse than the Pharisees, for at least they started from a good intent. May the Lord condemn you. vii
Are you getting this from our article on hell? viii I'm not sure what your point is. Are you saying there is no hell?
You try to do language studies to back your point, but the understanding of the language that you push is inaccurate. An accurate understanding would, again, undercut your whole Highlander ix Church bit. I'm not saying [there is no hell] at all. I'm saying that you don't seem to have even a basic grasp of what the Scriptures actually say. That, or you are intentionally misleading people. Either way, you are in error. I would not want to face the Lord's judgement having pushed the heresy you push.
We do not claim to be the only true church. That is why we use the indefinite article 'a' so as to leave it open to the possibility that there are others.
He never got back to me on this thread, but had some things to say when I published a different conversation:
You start off saying most churches don't preach the Bible, which is patently false unless you only accept the Bible as written in its original language, which is a ridiculous proposition that would invalidate any church that preached in a useful way. Your acceptance of the KJV as a suitable translation also eliminates that possibility.
No scripture sited on any of these claims....
Salvation is by faith, not works. You are wrong. x
Faith without works is dead. xi
Your attempt at defending polygamy involves such mental gymnastics as should be expected in the physical only at worldwide competitions. It also ignores all verses suggesting the proper plan for marriage.
Back to no scripture to defend your lies.
You didn't establish that, but you did establish yourself as contentious. xii
I am not being contentious with my brothers and sisters. I am contending earnestly for the faith with people who are not in the truth to begin with. xiii
You back this up with a verse, but the verse refers to the law as reason.
I don't understand what you mean. All I have done is take it for exactly what it says.
This is all I have to say on the matter
May God save you.
- James 5:
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
- Matthew 10:
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
- Matthew 7:
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
- Matthew 7:
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
- Matthew 7:
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Matthew 7:
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
- Way to love your enemy!
Matthew 5:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
In the Old Testament, the most common word for hell is she'ol (e.g. Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 9:17; 55:15; Proverbs 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:24; 23:14; Isaiah 5:14). Note in particular Isaiah 14:9-11; Ezekiel 32:18-21, 24-25, and 30. Yet, this word can also mean grave (e.g. Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 14:13; Psalm 6:5; 88:3; 89:48; 141:7; Ecclesiastes 9:10), and, at times, it appears to have both the grave and hell in view (e.g. Job 24:19; Psalm 49:15; 86:13).
- A movie reference. "There can be only one!" ^
- citing Ephesians 2:
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
- James 2:
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. - citing 1 Corinthians 11:
16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
and Romans 2:
8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,
- Jude 1:
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
[...] I am contending for the faith. [...]
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