toldailytopic: Is attending church necessary for salvation?
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Going to church does not make you any more a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. The church is often plum chuck full of pretend Christians that act like saints on Sunday but go and fornicate, cuss the air purple and cheat their fellow employees the rest of the week. They are just as much of a devil as their un-churched friends.
What actually does save you?
Repent of your sin and turn from your evil.
Accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord of you life.
Admit that He died in your place to take away your sin.
Going to church is not a requirement for salvation.
But is a sound idea for our piece of mind. Christians need one another as our world become even darker.
Hebrews 10: 24-25
Quote:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Slogan/motto:
With Oatmeal in my bowl, is Jesus in your soul?
Reputation:
March 3rd, 2011, 03:31 AM
Catholics say we must confess before we die. But what's the point of salvation then? Church attendance is not exactly religiously required in the strictest of senses or ways. But if we are born of the spirit then we will live by the spirit. And the spirit seeks fellowship among the believers. And what the spirit wants, the spirit will get, if you truly give in to God your whole life, all up to Him. If you give it up to Him, God will never let you down, and God will keep you up.
Besides, we, as the temple, as the body, as people, are the church, regardless.
Regarding attending church service the Catholic church says.... “Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit grave sin”
What say ye?
If one is Catholic, on should follow the rules and regs of the Catholic Church. I suppose this means that Catholics who don't attend church are subject to some "grave sin" indictment. It's a church rule, nothing more.
Necessary for salvation? There is nothing in the Word of God that says this, commands it, or even implies it. John 3:16-17 (KJV) is the rule for salvation.
Personally? I'm "in church" most every day. "In church" we study and learn more about the Word of God. During the week, we gather, discuss, and pray at various unscheduled times. Matthew 18:20 (KJV)
What are steeples? What do they symbolize? What is their purpose?
Um.....they were built to hold the church bell.
The bell was rung so the people would know when to go to church
We all know how much you hate churches, and condemn people who attend local churches to worship God together, but you will have to come up with a better conspiracy theory than “steeples- phallic symbols” to get people to sit home every Sunday like you do.
If you mean to justify us in Gods sight not at all. were justified by grace through faith alone.
If you extend it wider to mean the on-going work of redemption, and sanctification of our souls. I think the body of christ has strong part to play (phallic Baal worhsipping a stepples very much optional).
Heb 10:24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Heb 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Your point is correct this time. But this verse is not about "church" on Sunday.
Christianity is a religion of community. It is meant to be lived out in relationship with God and others. That being stated, I don't think I am in a position to judge every person who is not/can not be a member of a local church or interact in the Christian community. To say that "attending" church is necessary for salvation is problematic at best. To say being part of the church is necessary is very true - and the church is not one member, but many members existing and working together.
Outside the fire the ember slowly dies - as one person once put it (paraphrase). Now, that being said, just look at all the people who do not attend regular church services but come here to post and discuss all the time. TOL may not be ideal as one's only contact with other Christians, but it is community.
I had to smile at the "outside the fire, the ember slowly dies". What ember is dying just because one does not go to church? Paul spent most of his life in Christ in prison and his "ember" was pretty fired up If one is in Christ, the "ember" never dies - the Holy Spirit is alive and well
I could respond to a quite a few posts here, but rather than single anyone out for something that is common to many I will just say this:
Pentecost ! Unity ! We can't achieve "salvation" alone. "Love your neighbor as yourself" takes more than one person to achieve. I have said for years, "Church is not some place to go to, it is something you take with you wherever you go."
To me a "church" would be a group of "like minded believers". If the attendees are not like minded they are not a church. What the world calls "church" is usually a 501c3 (non-profit) corporation and the congregations that make them up are far from being in "one accord".
So in that sense, my answer is yes.
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Slogan/motto:
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
Reputation:
March 3rd, 2011, 09:39 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by red cardinal
I had to smile at the "outside the fire, the ember slowly dies". What ember is dying just because one does not go to church? Paul spent most of his life in Christ in prison and his "ember" was pretty fired up If one is in Christ, the "ember" never dies - the Holy Spirit is alive and well
Paul also spent his life moving from church to church and living amongst believers, sharing the sacred meal.
"If a sheerly linguistic version of the gospel could be concocted, it would merely so be no longer the gospel. In the Lutheran Reformation’s understanding, which we believe in this matter to be correct, the sacraments make the inalienable externality of the gospel message and therefore are necessary to the authenticity of that message." (Christian Dogmatics [1984], II:302-303 as cited in Pontifications)
Paul also spent his life moving from church to church and living amongst believers, sharing the sacred meal.
Correctamundo, [not sure what you mean by "sacred meal"], but I was really trying to make the point that Paul did not need a church to "stir up his embers". He stirred up others with letters while in prison. In other words, you don't need a community for the Holy Spirit to keep your embers glowing
The church is often plum chuck full of pretend Christians that act like saints on Sunday but go and fornicate, cuss the air purple and cheat their fellow employees the rest of the week. They are just as much of a devil as their un-churched friends.
If one is in Christ, the "ember" never dies - the Holy Spirit is alive and well 
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