Sect - A dissenting or schismatic religious body. Schismatic describes some "religious" bodies that formally divide or separate from a church or religious body.
The Church of Christ falls into this category - so does Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons and even the Seventh Day Adventists. Some may even think the Catholic Church is part of this category.
No, the Church of God, AKA, the Body of Christ, is made up of Faithful believers who have, as Paul teaches, "Yielded themselves" servants to obey God, and their members (actions, walk, thoughts) as instruments of righteousness unto God. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Caleb, Shadrack, Zacharias, Cornelious, Paul and James are just a few of the members of the Church of God.
This world's religious system is made up of religious sects and philosophies that cause men who adopt them to "Transgress God's commandments". These Philosophies include, OSAS, "TULIP", manmade high days, rejection of God's Judgments and Statutes, images of God in the likeness of long haired, handsome men, etc. They are too many to list here.
The religious philosophy that Paul knew the Gospel of Christ, without obedience to the heavenly vision to go to Damascus, without the Holy Spirit, without the "3 days" in Damascus, without Spiritual sight, is foolishness and not supported anywhere in Scriptures.
And the teaching that Paul was OSAS the moment he called Jesus Lord, Lord, is also foolishness.
Nevertheless, it is the mission of some to convince others of this very thing. It seemed prudent to point them out in case someone else might also question the difference between what you preach, and what the Scriptures actually say when they all are considered.
Having done that, and seen your response, there is no longer any need to continue.
The truth is, Studyman, I have NOT adopted a religious philosophy, nor have I adopted a religious sect. Just because I disagree with you on Paul's salvation, this does not mean I have adopted a religious sect or a religious philosophy.
I have been reading your posts for almost a year now. I disagree with your popular religious philosophy concerning OSAS, and your attempt to use Paul's conversion to promote your adopted philosophy concerning Salvation.
Perhaps you don't realize that you are still promoting the religious philosophies of this world you said you left. It took many years to identify lingering doctrines taught to me since my youth. I can imagine it was difficult for Paul as well in the beginning. I would say impossible without the Spirit of Truth passed onto him by Ananias, because Paul was obedient to the heavenly vision and let the men lead him there in obedience to the sayings of the Christ.
But I strongly suspect that you have done both of those. Please prove me wrong. What church are you part of? What religious philosophy have you adopted from your religious sect?
I have adopted the teaching of the Church of God, having joined along with Caleb, David, Rehab, Meshak, Cornelious, Peter and other members of the Church of God. Like Paul, we "Press Towards the High calling of God, which was in Christ Jesus", we "Yield ourselves" servants to obey God, and have become servants of God's Righteousness, as Paul teaches, and we strive to "Live by" the Words of God, not this world's religions.
We trust the Holy scriptures "
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works".
We strive to be "Doers" of the Christ's Sayings, not just hearers only, as this world's religious system who call Jesus Lord, Lord, but do not what HE says, do. This means living by Every Word of God, as Jesus did, in faith that God knows what HE is talking about.
In this world's religious system, it is widely taught that God created Laws impossible to follow, lied to men by telling them they could follow them, and that they were for their own wellbeing, then slaughtered them by the thousands when thy rejected His Judgments, Commandments and Statutes. So Jesus had to come and save us from God's Laws. I have long since proven this popular teaching, a falsehood.
As prophesied, "
they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
OSAS in just one of many deceptions they promote, as well as the insidious lie that Jesus has already "Fulfilled" all that HE was Prophesied to do.
I regularly attend a homechurch and have for 23 years now. Our leader is a man who has taught the Bible, I would guess, for over 30 years. He did not break away from some mainline church, but felt led to start a homechurch. He continually urges us to read our Bibles daily and to meditate on the word of God, which I am committed to doing. We believe that love is the mark of a true Christian and I must admit that sometimes I fall short of that mark, but I strive to love and to be pleasing to the Lord.
What religious sect of this world, that comes in Christ's Name, doesn't urge men to read the Bible and ponder on it? Can you name even ONE? The Pharisees read the Holy Scriptures on God's Holy Sabbath for centuries. What was the difference between Zacharias and the Pharisees? Why did Zacharias know the Messiah, before HE was even born, but the Pharisees didn't know HIM even when HE did miracles in front of their face.
I'm glad you read the bible, but if you hear an instruction from Jesus, and don't "Do them", what makes you any different than a JW, or a Morman or a Pharisee?
I have read your posts for a long time. I thought, by the contents of your post, that you were a Baptist, even a Calvinist. This is based on the contents of your posts.
In Paul's conversion, you seem hell-bent on erasing Paul's obedience to the Instruction given. Without obedience, there is NO "Holy Spirit" given. Without the Holy Spirit there is no understanding of Scriptures, or of the Gospel of Christ. This is the very reason why there are hundreds of different religious sects and philosophies. And why Jesus said to "come out of them". I don't think HE means stop going to the manmade shrines of worship but keep living by their religious philosophies.
This "anti-obedient" theme has been promoted by the "other voice" in the garden since the serpent, who also professed to know God, convinced Eve to eat that which God forbid her to eat, convincing her that she was OSAS in that she shall surely not die for living by the doctrines and traditions of another voice than Gods.
This is as detailed, honest and thorough explanation why I replied to your post.
So you don't have to place words in my mouth, you don't have to call me a cult, you can simply say that you disagree with my understanding of Scripture. And we can move on.
