One of the many blessings and challenges I have received during my time at university is meeting Christians from other denominations. I would describe myself as a 'non-denominational' Christian, but I do fall roughly within a Protestant framework. Often when talking with someone about a doctrinal matter, one easily forgets the things both people have in common. While I am skeptical of the Ecumenical Movement, and don't believe one can cover up major differences between the denominations, I do believe it is important for all Christians to remember the things we have in common, especially at this time when there are so many religious, philosophical, and moral challenges to our faith.
Below is a list of things I believe my Catholic and Orthodox friends would share in common with me, a Protestant:
-Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man - fully human and fully God - He was crucified to reconcile us to God and He was raised from the dead three days later as a sign of His victory and His promise to give everlasting life to all who believe in Him (John 3:16)
-the importance of the Bible in discovering who God is, what He has done in history, and what His will for our lives is
-the importance of confession to God when our conscience and the Holy Spirit prompts us concerning sin
-the need to exercise our free will in our relationship with God; He won't make our choices for us
-the sanctity of the Eucharist
-the love of God for all people and the desire of God for all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)
-the need for a Christian to frequently meet with other Christians for prayer, encouragement and correction, and worship (Hebrews 10:24-25)
-Christ has promised to come again and will - at that time the dead will be raised to life, and He will judge the nations (Matthew 24-25)
-the importance of prayer in the life of the Christian
-the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit in the personal and corporate lives of Christians (John 3, 15-17; 1 Corinthians 12-14)
-the need to share the Gospel of Jesus' Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension with all people, regardless of background
-the need to avoid and expose syncretism and compromise in the presentation of the Gospel
-the need to show love to others and respect their free will
More could be said here, but I hope I have shown that the Holy Spirit's work in all true believers has not fallen by the wayside - he is bringing us to the 'unity of the Faith' longed for by the Apostle Paul - but what that unity looks like does not always conform to our expectations.
God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment