No Denominations?

[grandfather]

[quote=Ron Layton;9289765]

I am a committed Protestant Christian.
I believe strongly that many reject Christianity or leave the Christian faith because of divisions in the church and claims by denominations to have a monopoly on knowledge, wisdom and truth.

Ron,
There are two parts to the above statement. The first part is certainly true and affirmed by scripture. The second part denies scripture. Jesus promised that His Church would be led into all truth for all time and commanded us to teach it to all nations. If His promises are true then there has to be a Church somewhere in the world whose doctrines are all true.

Therefore, as Christian, provided we can accept the Nicean creed, we should respect members of other denominations.

I respect you and all Protestants. I also respect Jews and Muslims. Individual souls are all to be loved whatever the person believes. This does not mean we should look the other way and allow a person to believe what is false. That is not how we love people.

Micah 6:8 And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
In particular the level of enmity between Catholics and Protestants does great damage and in my opinion is "un-Christian"

AMEN!

I don't have an emnity meter that measures levels, but however great or little the enmity is it is evil. It is the power of love that conquers hearts and establishes Christ's kingdom in souls and the world. Enmity destroys it. Suppose we are enemies. What does Jesus command us to do to our enemies? We are all sinful. Sinners, those who do evil are the enemies of God. What did Jesus do for us, His enemies? He tells us to do the same thing. Take up your cross and follow me (give your very lives for others so they can know Him who is Love).

None of us know the "Mind of God" and so we must focus on a "Personal relationship" with the Lord.

We can not know what is infinite, because our minds are finite. Jesus says there is much I would like to tell you, but you can not bear it yet. He is saying you do not have the capacity to unterstand all He wants us to know. This does not mean we can not know anything about Truth. It means we can not know everything. He came and taught something and what He taught is true and we can know it and be right about what we know.

You can not have a relationship with someone you do not know, or someone you know nothing about. Where is the terminology "personal relationship" found in the Bible, or that having a personal relationship with Jesus is the formula for salvation. The Bible tells us we are to love one another and God. Why don't we just stick to the terminology the Bible uses?

Certainly we must be guided by the knowledge and wisdom of others but at the end of the day it is what is in our hearts that counts rather than the dogmas and doctrines of any particular denomination

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This is true. And what is in our hearts must be love. Jesus says He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. If we open to Him He will come in with the Father. Notice He did not say I stand at the door of your mind. If He says He is going to enter our hearts then it must mean that our hearts have the capacity to contain Him there. Actually they don't. They spill over. But the point is that this things that happens between us and God is beyond the intellect's ability to comprehend. It is something we experience with our hearts. The Latin word for heart is cor. We know God in the core of our being, the center, the heart.

When Peter asked Jesus about John in John 21:22 Jesus said to him, “ what is that to you? You must follow me.”
We are not called upon to spend our time criticising other people's faith. We are called upon to follow Jesus.

Would you say that the apostles followed Jesus? What did they do when heresies arose, and disputes and false teaching? They condemned them.