What are the essentials of the genuine Christian faith?

[Truthseeker]

But they do exact a heavy toll on the Christian experience.

I guessed what that may mean . . . "But they do make the Christian experience less so." I think that's probably wrong. I remain puzzled what it means.

[tabibito]

I guessed what that may mean . . . "But they do make the Christian experience less so." I think that's probably wrong. I remain puzzled what it means.

You guessed right.

Matthew 6:33]

Seek first the kingdom of Heaven and HIS righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

James 4:3

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

[Paula]

Romans 8:13

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Colossians 3:5

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ₆ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ₇ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

Ephesians 5:5

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Ezekiel 18:4

Ezekiel 18:21

Ezekiel 18:26

Where does that leave the one who intends to sin? Or the one who does not commit to doing all that God requires?

Matthew 7:21

Luke 6:46

So to return to your earlier question - outcomes hinge on the firm commitment to turn away from self and toward God. Temporary failures to hold to that commitment may occur from time to time (and with decreasing frequency), but are not a determining factor - provided that they are indeed temporary and no more than failures. But they do exact a heavy toll on the Christian experience.

Do you mean that if someone struggles (meaning they are basically continually trying to resist) with sin their entire life and they never fully defeat it they would be rejected because of a lack of success? There are plenty of examples of Christians who continue sinning for decades after conversion and probably in at least some cases these sins aren't the sins of someone who is wallowing in sin (defiantly rejecting God) but rather someone who is simply failing to live up to the standards of Christ. I guess to use the parlance of the Old Testament (like in Leviticus 4) they are plagued by unintentional sins.

So for the Christian who is earnestly and anxiously trying to do good but continually failing what should they do? Should they keep trying regardless of success? And if temporary failures don't count against a Christian, what happens if they die while struggling with something that is a temporary failure?

[tabibito]

We are dependent on God keeping faith, being true to his word, at all times. The "what would happen ifs" posit that God will find it convenient to not keep his word in certain circumstances. Were God willing that some should die, maybe that kind of hypothetical issue could be addressed.

[Paula]

We are dependent on God keeping faith, being true to his word, at all times. The "what would happen ifs" posit that God will find it convenient to not keep his word in certain circumstances. Were God willing that some should die, maybe that kind of hypothetical issue could be addressed.

And I certainly agree that God is faithful. Nevertheless, Christians still seem to commit sins throughout their lives. So it doesn't necessarily follow that God being faithful entails moral perfection before death because if it did then it would likely be normative.

[tabibito]

The Biblical declaration is: with due diligence, under the auspices of the Holy Spirit, the Christian will achieve the ability to live without sinning. The question may arise whether the scriptures are fallible, but there is no question about what they actually declare. The essential teaching is summed up in the beatitudes - particularly:

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God

Compare

1 John 3:6

Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

and further to that, the command

Matthew 6:33

SEEK (BDAG)

to look for someth. with a view to securing it, desire, seek to get (1 Macc 7:12) ἐ. τι ἐκ τ. χειρῶν τινος B 2:5 (Is 1:12).

And I certainly agree that God is faithful. Nevertheless, Christians still seem to commit sins throughout their lives. So it doesn't necessarily follow that God being faithful entails moral perfection before death because if it did then it would likely be normative.

Yes, it would be normative, and with it the conferred authority to perform miracles. Though to be sure, miracles are more dependent on the promotion of the true gospel than on the believer's not sinning.

[Paula]

Yes, it would be normative, and with it the conferred authority to perform miracles. Though to be sure, miracles are more dependent on the promotion of the true gospel than on the believer's not sinning.

If it is normative why do Christians still sin throughout their lives? There doesn't seem to be any support in life for this interpretation of scripture.

I may have misunderstood but are you also saying that performing miracles (i.e. healing, prophecy, etc) is also normative?

[flowers92]

I'm missing the context of the OP so at the risk of being totally off base, I'll respond...

What I view as the essentials are:

• God exists as a Trinity
• He is Creator and Sustainer of all that is seen and unseen.
• Jesus Christ was incarnate as fully God and fully man.
• Jesus Christ paid for my sins by His sacrifice on the cross (aka Substitutionary Atonement)
• On the third day, He was bodily Resurrected from grave. He later ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God.
• The Bible is God's revelation to man. It is inerrant in the original manuscripts. It is His only written revelation and needs no addition.

I think that's all I would consider essential.

Just explain what sin is & demonstrate why it is so problematic.... & then I would say perfect list

[flowers92]

That would be on the lines of heresy. Jesus was only deity before incarnation & put on flesh when he came to earth at the moment of conception.

[Leonhard]

[One Bad Pig]

[Leonhard]

I pray that the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic will become one again someday. Though I have no idea how to pull it off... I feel that mystically we already are somehow.

As for the filioque that is not for me to do anything about.

[One Bad Pig]

I pray that the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic will become one again someday. Though I have no idea how to pull it off... I feel that mystically we already are somehow.

The Protestant idea of the invisible church isn't wholly inaccurate - it's just not what is meant by the Creed. I pray that all churches would become one, but it's not an easy thing to do without reducing everything to the lowest common denominator, which is unacceptable.

As for the filioque that is not for me to do anything about.

It's a thorny problem alright. Though the motive for adding it wasn't wrong, it was IMO not necessary (it was intended to combat Arianism, which the Creed already did adequately), was done non-canonically, and introduces unintended ambiguity.

[flowers92]

EO will probably unite with the catholic church soon....

Unfortunately the catholic church has changed so radically & has gone to the point where its systematically entrapping its members evangelicals can't join. The counter reformation proved that the RCC would never reform, so evangelicals,protestants, & reformers will never unite with the RCC.

[One Bad Pig]

EO will probably unite with the catholic church soon....

Doubtful. EO uniting with OO (Copts and possibly Ethiopians) is a rather more likely prospect. Even so, getting the Orthodox to agree on something is like herding cats. There is no Orthodox pope with the ability to more or less dictate direction.

Unfortunately the catholic church has changed so radically & has gone to the point where its systematically entrapping its members evangelicals can't join. The counter reformation proved that the RCC would never reform, so evangelicals,protestants, & reformers will never unite with the RCC.

The counter reformation was a genuine reformation. I agree that it is unlikely that Protestants would be willing to reunite with Rome any time soon; the gulf is vast.