tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420620042349177974.post5922641018796709373..comments2014-05-30T02:50:31.751-07:00Comments on Thru Faith: Theological Differences Among ChristiansTrueHopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468797209411273315noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420620042349177974.post-11257290943227254942010-07-12T09:40:03.373-07:002010-07-12T09:40:03.373-07:00It is true that the apostles did not disagree abou...It is true that the apostles did not disagree about anything major. I would definitely consent to that. But I think that if we had someone who we could rightly call an apostle, we would still have some major differences because sometimes it is incredibly difficult to distinguish a mature Christian from an immature one.<br /><br />I have a saying: Never doubt the creativity of the aptly self-deceived mind. If a person wants to believe in something they will, and they'll take a lot with them. Marcion himself rose up one generation away from the apostles, and John and Paul were already dealing with the Proto-gnostics in Colossians and 1 John. <br /><br />I agree that there would be less division if there were someone that could be objectively classified as an apostle, I think you would be surprised at the amount of division there would be.Jc_Freak:https://www.blogger.com/profile/14780031497091443526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420620042349177974.post-82963610126909384062010-07-11T00:20:03.504-07:002010-07-11T00:20:03.504-07:00The apostles had disagreements in methodology and ...The apostles had disagreements in methodology and emphasis. For example, Paul and Barnabas disagreed whether to take John Mark with them in their second missionary journey. Paul emphasized the necessity of faithfulness in ministry, while Barnabas emphasized forgiveness and grace.<br /><br />However, by the end of Acts, I believe the apostles had fewer disagreements in doctrine than modern evangelical Christians, especially in soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. I cannot imagine one apostle being a paedobaptist while another apostle a credobaptist. Likewise, it is unlikely that one apostle believed in Limited Atonement while another believed in Unlimited Atonement.<br />Not so with believers today. Godly theologians who believe in the infallibility of Scripture can devote their entire lives studying Scripture, and still end up with different interpretations of what an apostle meant when he wrote what he wrote. Two theologians may earnestly seek the truth, end up with different conclusions, and believe that their understanding of doctrine is what the Bible teaches.<br /><br />Immature Christians and non-Christians of all generations may have bad doctrine whether an apostle is alive or not. Even if an apostle were alive today, many Christians would probably not cherish the opportunity to improve their theological understanding by asking him questions. However, Christians who yearn for the truth can benefit greatly from an apostle.TrueHopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08468797209411273315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420620042349177974.post-79259760512629284412010-07-10T19:15:59.580-07:002010-07-10T19:15:59.580-07:00Actually, I disagree a bit here. They absolutely d...Actually, I disagree a bit here. They absolutely <i>did</i> have that problem back then. For instance, there was the debate in Corinth over whether to follow Paul or Apollos, and even Peter and Paul were shown to disagree. I am sure there were other areas in which the apostles disagreed. Paul even had to prove that he was worthy of the title. <br /><br />The same is true in the Old Testament. We read that there were many prophets besides the famous ones that made it into the Bible, and they even at times disagreed. Also, many times the true prophets were ignored. No one in the time of Jeremiah went to him to solve theological dilemma. Indeed, most who cared about such things hated Jeremiah. <br /><br />Essentially, there is nothing new under the sun, and humans will be humans.Jc_Freak:https://www.blogger.com/profile/14780031497091443526noreply@blogger.com