Can Protestants explain these contradictions?

Question

• The Lutheran Church believes in baptismal regeneration, the Baptist church does not.
• The Lutheran Church believes that worship should be liturgical, the Assembly of God church does not.
• Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopalians and Methodists (to varying degrees) believe that Christ is present in the Eucharist. Other Protestants believe the Eucharist is just a symbol or that Christ presence is only spiritual
• The Assembly of God denomination uses instrumental music during worship, the Church of Christ denomination believes instrumental music to be unbiblical.
• Presbyterians believe in unconditional atonement and irresistible grace, Methodists reject the two beliefs.
• The Church of Christ denomination believes that baptism is necessary for salvation, the Baptist Church does not.
• The Church of Christ denomination believes that baptism should be administered by complete immersion only, Presbyterians believe pouring is acceptable.
• Methodists believe in the Trinity, Oneness Pentecostals do not.
• Lutherans affirm the fact that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life, Baptists reject this belief and say that Mary had other children.
• The Methodist church accepts female ministers, while the Baptist church rejects female ministers as unbiblical.
• Anglican, Episcopalians, Lutherans and Methodists baptize infants, Pentecostals and Baptists believe infant baptism to be invalid
• The Baptist Church teaches that once a person is saved, he is always saved and can not fall from grace. The Church of Christ rejects this teaching as unscriptural

Regarding EVERLASTING:
Jn. 3:16 - .... so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life. - The greek is conditional in this sentence ( ína pás o pisteuos eis autós mi apóletai all éki zois aionios = so-much for loved [the] God the world that the Son the only-begotten he-gave that everyone the believe to/unto him not should/might/may-die but should/might/may-have life eternal. These two words are in subjunctive (conditional) mode.

REMEMBER:
1 Cor. 14:33 - he is not the God of disorder

Even if SCRIPTURE were our only source (which it isn´t, but the Church- see 1 Tim. 3:15), the problem is that all denominations believe that they can interpret it correctly, and arrive to different conclusions.
But there must be an authority that can tell us what the Bible really means, since Christ told THE APOSTLES (not the crowd), that the Spirit would guide them to ALL TRUTH.
There is only one truth, and the truth is Jesus Christ .
If one argues that the Spirit leads all these denomination to different conclusions that would make Jesus a liar, and I do not buy that.

To Martin Ch.:
You are totally off the mark when you say that the Catholic Church has the same problem when the Pope and the Vatican issue doctrines and the lay people or priests and (I admit) even some bishops do not follow them and believe different. You are off the mark because that does not charge Catholic doctrine or creates a new Church, just one (or more) unfaithful catholic(s).
A similar example: the Baptist and Methodist Churches condemn abortion, but Bill and Hillary Clinton ( a Baptist and a Methodist resp.) approve abortion. Does that make the Baptist or Methodist doctrine contradictory or changes their church teaching?. No. It just makes the Clintons bad representatives of their faiths

Answer 1

That's why they are considered protestant churches. They all broke off for different reasons and beliefs.

Answer 2

What do you want people (Protestants) to explain? The fact that some systematic theological systems inside Protestantism draw their doctrinal views from sources other than the bible (like Humanism and the Renaissance) and create an apparent contradiction with scriptural views? Or the fact that there isn’t unity between any of the denominations in Christianity and there really never has been? We only need to look to the book of Romans and to see the problem Paul had in dealing with the Jewish converts and the Gentile converts of that Church. A prime modern example of this is the Roman Catholic Church. You have the Pope and the College in Vatican City formulating, teaching and confessing one set of dogmas and then you have tons of lay and sometimes other church groups contradicting everything that the Vatican is teaching. I don’t know how JPII put up with it being a devout Roman Catholic and trying to keep the peace. Sometimes with people that really should be excommunicated.
I think part of your problem is that you view Protestants as being a unified denomination. They are no different than the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholics.

***********Update***************
You do realize that Baptist, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist Pentecostals are different denominations. Protestantism is a division of Christendom, just as Catholicism and Orthodoxy is. To be honest, the contradictions between the churches in Eastern Orthodoxy are a classic example that Christendom has never been unified. For that matter is the Latin Rite and the Uniate churches haven't been unified in doctrine and practice like you like to believe. What I find further puzzling is the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has fellowship and joint statements of faith with Lutherans and other Protestant denominations. So apparently the College and the Pope don't seem to share the same view that you do, on the apparent problem with contradictions in Protestantism.

Answer 3

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

The Bible does not contradict itself, but you have shown examples where churches contradict each other. If two doctrines contradict, then at least one (maybe both) is wrong, contradicting the Bible. The exception to this rule is on things the Bible does not address, matters of opinion. But, we should not treat opinion as law. Most of the things you mentioned, however, are addressed in the Bible!

We have so much religious division and confusion. The Bible says "God is not the author of confusion." (1 Cor. 14:33) Since God is not responsible for this confusion, it must come from the devil.

The Bible teaches Christians should "all speak the same thing" and have "no divisions". (1 Cor. 1:10) Jesus prayed for such unity! (John 17:20-21) Such unity was demonstrated by the earliest Christians (Acts 2:41-47).

Men today are not content to follow only what the Bible says. Men are not content to speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where the Bible is silent, to do Bible things in Bible ways, and to call Bible things by Bible names. If we did this, we would all speak the same thing.

If we teach as doctrine the commandments of men, this makes our worship vain or useless in God's eyes. (Matthew 15:9) We should recieve religious teaching eagerly, and then search the Scriptures daily to see if it is true! (Acts 17:11) If a doctrine is taught in the Bible, accept it! If not, reject it.

Study the Scriptures and handle them correctly! (2 Timothy 2:15) Do not twist the message to fit your own desires! (2 Peter 3:16)

Answer 4

Jesus didn't come to build denominations, but A CHURCH. SCRIPTURE is our ONLY source for information about what God wants and expects.

I think you have an error in your declaration. You write: "Presbyterians believe in unconditional atonement and irresistible grace, Methodists reject the two beliefs." CONDITIONAL or "limited" atonement is one of Calvin's cornerstone teachings. (L of TULIP) This is the teaching that Jesus' sacrifice was ONLY sufficient for those "preordained" to be saved. Several scriptures teach something different:

2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. He is patient with you. He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. Instead, he wants ALL PEOPLE to turn away from their sins.

1Timothy 2:3 That is good. It pleases God our Savior. 4 He wants everyone to be saved. He wants them to come to know the truth.

Both passages clearly teach that God WANTS everyone to be saved. If that is true, then God would not CHOOSE anyone to be lost. The same passages also debunk Cavin's teaching of "unconditional election" and "irresistible grace" for the same grounds.

MANY of today's churches are more interested in their own codes or the ideas of different theologians than they are in scripture. Our ONLY authority or teaching should be that of scripture.

2Timothy 3:16 God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. 17 By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing.

Answer 5

The mainstream protestant solutions could in all probability be some thing like this: a million. It grow to be necessary using fact the catholic church had grow to be corrupt and proper new testomony Christianity mandatory to be restored. 2. that would not count number. 3. the recent testomony grow to be written in the process the 1st century, in general from 50-a hundred advert. Which books made it into the bible grow to be desperate later, agreed. 4. Evolution isn't proved, that's purely a scientific theory. some protestants settle for it, others do no longer.

Answer 6

Some Biblical issues, some man made, and some just kind of fun to watch. Either way, I think everybody on your list will agree with the 'Apostles Creed', except for the 'Oneness Pentecostals'.

Any inter-denominational activity is PROOF God can do miracles!

Answer 7

I can only speak on the Baptist side. We believe in once saved always saved because the Bible says that if we believe on the name of Jesus we receive ETERNAL life. And it says that nothing / no one can pluck us out of his hand.

God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

What does the word "EVERLASTING" mean to you?

He that hearth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hat everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24)

Answer 8

Yes I can explain it. Its a difference of opinion, ever had one? The one thing that we all agree on is that you need Jesus to be saved and isn't that the main point? Baptist here by the way.

Answer 9

I can only suggest that you attend the denomination that is correct. This will require study on your behalf and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Do this and you will end up in the correct church.

Answer 10

Yes, it's called LIBERAL or REFORMIST interpretation.

The right of Protestants.

We may not agree with each other, but we do have the right to view things as we choose.

Free will, you know.

Catholics don't get that right. They have to follow the Pope just like Muslims have to follow the Quran. Total submission.

Answer 11

Look at the Catholics.
http://www.bible.ca/cath-overview-false-teaching.htm