Replies

The Nicene/Apostles creed is certainly a great way to define the core issues of Christianity. But I'm asking a bit of a different question I guess, which is, how do we know with divine certainty which issues are "core" and which up for debate?

Any that are not necessary for salvation .

This is why Hank hedged at the RC question.

I guess, which is, how do we know with divine certainty which issues are "core" and which up for debate?

Any that are not necessary for salvation .

Forget it, Claud. It's turtles all the way down.

I'm a little confused. You began your reply to me with:

Scripture never says the Kingdom of Heaven is "the church"

As if to say that that's not what the Matt 13 parables were referring to, and then you ended with:

Those Parables are about the sorting out of the visible church at the end of time

Which is essentially what I'm saying. This parable cannot be the Kingdom *in heaven* because only the saved are in heaven. And it cannot mean a "Church of the Elect" for the same reason. On the other hand, what else besides a Church could "kingdom of heaven" mean? I do not see how "kingdom of Heaven" here can be taken in any other sense BUT the visible Church on earth. But if you have any ideas I'd like to hear them.

Christ's conception here is of a visible Church in which there are saved and unsaved. That is diametrically opposed to Ryle's vision of a Church being an invisible entity of the Saved. Ryle says: "Once enrolled in the lists of this Church, sinners are safe for eternity; they are never cast away." I cannot square that with Christ's words in the Gospel.