First of all, one
would never say that Baptists, Methodists,
Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Lutherans,
et al., are all saved. There are many unsaved
in the average church congregation. Many
Protestant churches have unsaved pastors and
few if any real believers as members. This
would be true among many churches, even among
those that once preached the gospel.
So even if their Church were biblical,
Roman Catholics would need to be
evangelized. But the situation is far worse.
That church not only has not preached the
true gospel but has actively and often
violently opposed it for more than 1,500
years! Some apostate Protestant churches and
denominations still have statements of faith
that include the true gospel--but not the
Roman Catholic Church. Its doctrines, as
stated irrevocably by Church Councils and
catechisms, plainly deny the true gospel and
teach a false gospel instead.
Yes, Rome does officially teach that
Jesus Christ is God, that He came to earth
through a virgin birth, that He died for our
sins on the Cross, rose from the dead the
third day, and is coming again. But each of
these statements carries an unbiblical
meaning according to their beliefs: Mary is
still a virgin; Jesus is still a babe or
hanging on the Cross; forgiveness of sins
through Christ's death and resurrection
comes only through the Church, its priests,
its sacraments (beginning with infant
baptism for salvation), and through Mary,
the "saints," and good works. The sacrifice
of the Mass is essential, during which bread
and wine are allegedly transformed into the
literal body and blood of Christ to be
ingested by the faithful for forgiveness of
sins.
Though I agree with what
Dave Hunt Writes here, Which in essense is
that few in the mainstream churches are
saved. I also believe that the Lord has
many "sleepers" in all the churches as
well, that are his, and that he loves and
protects by his sovereign will. (That is
where I disagree with him on)
I do know that when Jesus
called his followers his "Church", he was
not referring to buildings or
denomiantions, but the people. I think we
can all agree on this? This is the TRUE
church.
The Churches(buildings and
denomiantions) are institutions built by
man. Societies built around a common set
of beliefs and practices. The
worldly manifestation of the church.
Not the True church, though individuals
may be of the true church within them.
I believe HIS
church consists of members of all the
denominations listed above including the
Catholics, But all those who are his true
church do not identify themselves as
Catholic, Baptist(which is what I was
Baptised(Immersion)into and raised
in), Lutheran(which I was born and
baptized as an infant into), or Methodist,
etc.
It is my belief, and
I Know I will take heat for this, That
part of being "Set apart" or Holy is to
remove oneself from the worldly
institution that is the church, and to be
united in following Jesus, and him alone.
So I no longer consider myself a Baptist
or Lutheran, though I agree with many of
their doctrines, I am now a Christ
follower, and not a man follower.
The Lord is Patient
regarding those sleepers in the churches,
that they should "reach repentance", and
be set apart from the things of this
world. I believe it is far more difficult
for catholics to do this because of the
control the church has over them, but
those that do manage this are far more
"faithful". This does not mean we stop
attending the churches, or "walk out the
door" as you say, but that we no longer
are beholden to man. That was one of the
points of my letter. Every church/man is
error prone. There is a certain amount of
error that we tolerate, but then there is
that which we must stand up to and
condemn. That was the point of my brothers
question, "where is that line?" That line
is when the church gets between the
believer and Jesus himself and hinders
them from being set apart. When
True, Godly repentance is not allowed to
occur. When the church becomes more
important than the will of God in the life
of the believer.
These are not easy topics
to deal with. Human pride, is what keeps
us clinging to the things of this world.
They offer security, comfort, a place and
meaning. But being with Jesus offers
far more. To take that step away from a
place that has provided so much meaning
and community in our lives is difficult to
say the least. But in taking that step, we
are stepping into the arms of Jesus,
and it is glorious to Know him and his
Love for us on this personal level. The
Institution of the church is merely that
stepping stone to Jesus. Most people would
rather sit there on that stone than take
that step and follow him.
You wrote:
"We really need the Lord,
don't we, David? We need Him to come
and put His arms around all of His
children."