The Challenge of the Christian Theology and more …
/ Ewald Frank
Langue: anglais
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19. Everyone defends his or her own doctrine
- Preface
- Introduction
- Does all happen by chance?
- The time is near
- The only valid measuring rod
- The old dispute
- Self-evidence?
- The testimony of historians
- History confirms it
- God’s confession
- God manifests Himself
- In heaven and on earth
- The Lord visits His prophet
- The »I am«
- Was the Son born in heaven?
- Spirit and Truth
- Very peculiar
- Respect for the Great Mystery
- Everyone defends his or her own doctrine
- The rock
- The Great Commission
- Thou shalt have no other gods …
- Maryology
- Believe as the Scripture says
- An unbelievable tragedy
- The end-time
- A challenge to all
- No one can bypass Jesus Christ
- New creation
- The Son and the sons and daughters of God
- The two beginnings
- The course of church history
- No man’s influence
- Conclusion
It is easily understood that men defend their own doctrines. But blessed are those who can say like the Master, »My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.« (Jn. 7: 16-17).
People who are faithful to the creeds have the right to defend what church fathers have said and written in religious books. But this is not their divine right. Leaving the impression that God agrees with their doctrines. People involved with religion have the right to take their stand on whatever their respective religion believes and teaches. The question arises, What’s being taught by religious institutions and denominations, does it have anything in common with God? If they do not agree with His Word then their beliefs and creeds set them apart from the ground and foundation promoted by Paul without them even realising it. The original Church was built upon the foundation that Paul spoke of in 1 Cor. 3: 10-15. Everyone claims to be right, making others to be wrong. If this were not so then they would have forsaken their religion already. It’s always the others who teach heresy and have fallen into apostasy.
There is particularly one church claiming that salvation can only be received through her institution. This universal church teachings do of course not agree with the Holy Scripture. In the »Catechism of the Catholic Church« we find the following, »The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism explains: ›For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God.« (Pg.215). Apparently it is her present task to bring all back into the mother’s lap. The whole declaration is presumptuous and has no biblical foundation. Such belief and statement of doctrine has nothing to do with what the Holy Scripture says.
Those bound to the Word of God must reject such a decree, because it is simply untrue. The fullness of salvation does not rest in a church institution; on the contrary: salvation is only found in the Saviour. Before Constantine (306-337), there was no Catholic* uniformed, common church in existence. There were about 130 different sects of faith, which varied doctrinally. In the first centuries there were no popes, no cardinals, no monasteries, no monks, no nuns, no liturgy and so forth. Everything introduced through the state church has its origin in the heathen Cæsar Constantine and the council fathers, not with Christ or the first century church. The Bible does not speak of the church as the method of obtaining salvation. Also the statements, »The church is the universal sacrament of salvation« or »outside the church there is no salvation« do not exist in the Bible. The statement, »Only he who has the church as mother has God as Father« also is not found in the written Word of God. The notion of a successor to Peter is a dishonest invention. There is no »apostolic succession« and no hierarchy promised in the Scriptures. In reality the whole religious institution from the very beginning is outside the Gospel and not found in God’s Word.
Now the question arises, Are the dignities of today in the various Christian denominations guilty? What about the Pope, the cardinals, the bishops, the whole clergy, the pastors, the preachers, the evangelists? Are they all guilty? Since they are not founded in the Word of God, but rather remain in traditions passed down through time, it’s hard to say since they were born into and remained in these doctrinal structures. Their whole study being tainted by church statements and creeds, they never heard the real Truth. Also those churches that separated from the church of Rome, especially since the Reformation, have retained a portion of her doctrines and remain therein, taking for granted and believing everything is all right with them. But now the hour of truth has come. The comparison between true Bible doctrine and practice and the inherited traditional teachings are forcing us to make a decision. From now on no one will have an excuse. Only what the Bible teaches is correct — not how it is interpreted. With God are no extra holy traditions, verbal or written. Such tradition exists only within religious institutions, Catholic, Orthodox and others, who remain bound to them.
Are we actually dealing with a Christian church, a Christian culture, a Christian inheritance all connected to the history of papal dogmas and yet totally outside the Word? Are the Protestant churches also found in their traditions, which in reality have nothing in common with Christ?
There are many questions. Is it all well-meant religious deception? Were we misled in the name of God? How are things in reality? What is Truth, divine Truth, and how does it differ from what was established as church and religious doctrine? Why were statements of faith formulated in various councils which even bear the distinction »apostolic creed«, although the apostles had no involvement, since they were invented hundreds of years later and don’t agree with the apostles’ doctrine in the least? If the Word of God had been accepted as the rule of faith, there would have been no need for any creed to be added.
For a child of God only one thing is compulsory, namely to believe the ever valid Word of God and share it with others. Taking this stand without compromise, one has to reject everything which does not originate with God. In Christianity and other religions we are confronted with strange teachings, therefore everything must be seen and judged in the light of the Holy Scriptures. Whoever does not receive the love for the truth personally will continue in error and be called into judgement (2 Thess. 2). The time has come for a divine jurisdiction and clarification. The command of this hour is: »Return to God and His Word!«