How can one be considered a true Christian when they are denying the nature of God and ultimately kicking two members of the trinity out? Scripture warns us against false prophets and religions. Isnt the "Jesus-only" heresy one such example of what scripture warns us about.
2007-03-11 17:49:42 · 8 answers · asked by arikinder 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Are they Christians? NO! Absolutely not. They may be good people with good intentions but they are not Christians. The scriptures clearly teach that Christ is part of the trinity with God the Father as the head and Christ the son and the Holy Spirit being subordinate to the Father's will but not unequal to the Father. The holy scriptures clearly teach this and the apostolic fathers of the ancient church taught this as truth.
I have also run into people with odd beliefs about the trinity. One in particular that stands out is a statement by an evangelical coworker. Her preacher stated that being baptised in the name of the "Father, Son, and Holy Gost" was not good enough. You had to be baptised in the name of "Jesus Christ." Who does he think "the Son" is?
Those who teach anything other than the trinity are indeed guilty of heresy. This and other heretical teachings were settled through the ecumenical councils during the early history of the ancient church.
For other questions of this nature, I recommend www.OCA.org. It is the main website for the Orthodox Church in America.
Hope this helps.
God Bless,
Jim
2007-03-11 18:15:46 · answer #1 · answered by TCMJim 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Well, a true Christian follows Christ, not the church and not a book written by the church. You should read his teachings and learn from them. Jesus warns his people against following false teachings.
To answer this question we need to know when the Trinity arose. The answer is: not till 300-400 years after the days of Jesus and his apostles. It is a striking fact that the "early Church Fathers" -- the theologians who wrote in the period 100-300 A.D. -- knew nothing of it, and frequently uttered opinions which contradict it. For the majority of them there was no question of Jesus' being "co-equal and co-eternal with the Father". He was subordinate to God his Father, and was regarded as a "created Being". The teachings which now make up the Doctrine of the Trinity were the decisions of a number of general Church Councils. These are the most significant:
325 A.D. First General Council at Nicea, declared that the Son was from the beginning of the same nature as the Father.
381 A.D. Second General Council at Constantinople, declared that the Holy Spirit was to be worshipped with the Father and the Son.
431 A.D. Third General Council at Ephesus, decreed that Jesus had two natures, a human and a divine; also that Mary was the "mother of God", in opposition to those who maintained that she was the "mother of Christ".
451 A.D.
Fifth General Council at Chalcedon, decreed that the two natures in Christ constituted only one Person and one will.
The progressive formulation of the Doctrine of the Trinity over a considerable period of time, is clearly shown when the major creeds of the Church are compared:
2007-03-12 00:51:55 · answer #2 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'm not sure what you mean by "Jesus only". The bible teaches that we are to watch out for false prophets and false teachers. We are not to believe what man says but what God says through the bible. There are three parts The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. If thats what you mean by leaving two of the members of the trinity out and being "Jesus only". If that is what you are talking about then they are false prophets and teachers. A true christian is one who follows the bible(Gods' word.) exactly and one who tries to be like Jesus as best as they can (we are human and all have our flaws, we all sin.). READ EVERY WORD OF THE BIBLE. It has all the answers to your questions that you need to know.
2007-03-12 01:02:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Those people need to read their Bibles better, because there is a place in Scripture that states that one day " Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Also, in Matthew, it is stated that when a person baptizes someone, to do it in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Need I say more?
2007-03-12 00:55:08 · answer #4 · answered by floydbeme 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
These groups are why we killed the heretics in the old days. Without the Trinity, the possibility of Jesus being divine is impossible as he became himself through the Father. As such they are basically denying the divinity of Jesus while worshiping him as an individual. Doesn't work and reason why we need the good old inquistors of yore back. Good entertainment and kept things on the straight and narrow.
2007-03-12 00:55:04 · answer #5 · answered by Doctor Slernon 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Well is a True Christian one who even uses this trinity terminology? There is only ONE God. Not three. The trinity is no where found in Scripture. There are concepts in which trinitarian beliefs are supported in scripture but this term "trinity" and the full implications of a trinity are not completely outlined in the Bible.
2007-03-12 00:55:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 3⤋
If you have Jesus, then you have Immanuel which is God with us. Its when you have a group that has everything but Jesus, that you have the cult. Jesus is the living manifestation of the Father and his Holy ghost. They are one.
2007-03-12 00:54:06 · answer #7 · answered by bungyow 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I think its heresy. Tough to argue, in my opinion, that its Christianity.
2007-03-12 00:58:14 · answer #8 · answered by super Bobo 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋