Our country has so many different religions in it. Most are good religions and some do good things all over the world. But when you cling to a “doctrine” that is written by men and then the religion clings to that doctrine as if it came from God’s…then your “church” has a problem. A doctrine can cause all kinds of problems because it is written by men and many of these doctrines don’t have a foundation that comes from the Bible.
Major Historical Doctrinal Conflicts
1. The Great Schism (1054 AD) – East vs. West
Context: The early Christian church was one body for about 1,000 years, but cultural, political, and theological differences grew between the Greek-speaking East (Constantinople) and Latin-speaking West (Rome).
Key Doctrinal Disputes:
Authority: Rome claimed the Pope had universal authority, but the East emphasized a “council of bishops.”
Creed: The West added the phrase “and the Son” (the Filioque) to the Nicene Creed, which the East rejected.
Outcome: Mutual excommunications — and the permanent split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
2. The Protestant Reformation (1500s)
Context: Martin Luther and others challenged practices of the Catholic Church.
Key Doctrinal Disputes:
Salvation: Catholics taught faith + works + sacraments; Reformers insisted on “faith alone” (sola fide).
Authority: Catholics upheld Scripture + Tradition + the Pope; Protestants held to “Scripture alone” (sola scriptura).
Sacraments: Catholics had seven; most Protestants reduced this to two (baptism and communion).
Outcome: Europe fractured into competing denominations, sometimes violently (e.g., Thirty Years’ War).
3. Baptism & Communion Wars (1600s–1800s)
Even within Protestantism, differences exploded:
Baptists vs. Presbyterians over infant vs. adult baptism.
Lutherans, Calvinists, and later Evangelicals disagreed on what happens during Communion (real presence, spiritual presence, or symbolic).
These weren’t just minor quibbles — they determined who you worshiped with, married, or even trusted politically.
Modern Examples
Catholic vs. Protestant: Still divided on authority, Mary, saints, and the sacraments.
Evangelicals vs. Mainline Protestants: Clashes over biblical interpretation (literal vs. symbolic), morality, and social issues.
Pentecostals vs. Others: Disagreements over spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues.
Why Conflict Endures
1. Truth Claims: If one group is right, others must be wrong — and “wrong” can mean eternal consequences.
2. Identity & Loyalty: Belonging to a denomination often ties into family and culture, not just belief.
3. Power & Influence: Churches compete for members, resources, and legitimacy.
👉 So, doctrine causes conflict because it’s never just “intellectual.” It touches salvation, authority, community, and even politics.
How do we have freedom in Jesus Christ, when the world around us wants to silence our message? Is it possible to keep telling the world that Jesus is the Messiah and the only way to salvation in a world that is trying to bury the message and call it hate speech and lies?
The only way to keep our freedom in Jesus Christ is to spread His message and tell the world His story and our testimonies about what trusting in Him did for us. We can’t back down or back off from the message that Jesus gave us to take to the whole world, regardless of the push-back that is happening today. The world needs to hear this…NOW!!
I’m not sure when the rapture/taking up of the church and believers will happen. Some have said it might occur during the feast days in Israel but only God knows when He will send the call out. The angels don’t know, Jesus doesn’t know and nobody on Earth knows, so don’t believe any “prediction” about it.
How do we have freedom in Jesus Christ? Because of our faith in Him and His own words about coming back to take us where He is. The freedom of Heaven is like nothing any of us has ever known here on Earth. Freedom from pain and hardship. Freedom to seek and ask God questions that we’ve longed to ask and He will answer us even before the question is formed in our mind. We will have the freedom of an eternal home where there is no suffering or death. That is the hope that I am waiting for because I have read about people who have died and visited Heaven for a while before coming back. Their description of children and pets and all of the things that we will have to enjoy in eternity only makes me want to go today.
Life on Earth is only a shadow of the life in Heaven. The colors and the Presence of God’s love for each of us is so much more than anyone can describe. That is why the pale descriptions of God’s throne and heaven itself in the Bible are so limited. Our minds can’t come up with descriptions for the beauty and the majesty there because we can’t compare it to anything on Earth. I pray that anyone who reads this will seek to know Jesus as their Savior soon because this life, this existence will be ending soon. All of the prophecies in the Bible have happened except for the Church/Bride of Christ leaving to be with Him. When that happens, I pray that even more people will come to know Him as their Savior.
The thief on either side of Jesus knew that Jesus was innocent and didn’t belong there. He had done nothing that would require death by the cross. Even the priests knew that Jesus didn’t deserve the punishment that they had yelled for but that didn’t mean much to them. They just wanted Him gone because they didn’t see Him as their Messiah. They didn’t want a Savior like Him.
Even His disciples didn’t understand the type of Savior He was until He was resurrected on the third day. Some of them knew that He was the Messiah but He didn’t fit their definition of a Savior. Many of them wanted a military figure to rescue Israel from the Romans. Jesus didn’t come to bring that kind of Kingdom to Israel. That Kingdom would be later when He comes after the Tribulation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Now, go to the cross and see how the thieves looked at the Messiah. One of them berated Him and was saying the same as some of the priests, “Come down from the cross and we will believe in You”; “Save us and yourself, if you are who you say you are”. The other thief believed that Jesus was innocent and was the Messiah. He asked Jesus to “remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus told him “today you will be with Me in Paradise”.
Believe in the love of God that Jesus showed to everyone during His ministry and ask Him into your life to be your Savior. It sounds too simple, but that is the way to salvation. He is the only way to salvation, so seek Him for your eternal Life!
Have you ever thought about where you will be after you die? Some of us do but there are many who don’t think about it or they don’t believe there is a “life after death” to look forward to or dread, whichever the case may be. God provided a way for us to have salvation from the penalty of sin, which is separation from Him. The only way for us to be in His Presence is to believe in Jesus for our salvation. No work can get you into Heaven and money has no place in Heaven. God loves each of us at such a depth that we cannot know His love until we are there.
The one other emotion that we feel here but rarely acknowledge is…JOY! I have read about people who have died and gone to Heaven for a little while then they were sent back with a bigger purpose for Him. They describe the feeling in Heaven as joyous and “like being surrounded by joy”. They even describe the trees and grass of Heaven having a part in the celebration of God. Your life in Heaven will be joyous and filled with praise and worship for God and His glory and His provision of eternity for the church, the Bride of Christ.
This doesn’t refer to a church/worship service like we know here but the type of worship of all of Creation. The birds know that God will feed them. The fish of the sea know that God feeds them and they rejoice in that knowledge. God loves you and He has prepared a place for each of us. I pray that more people will come to know Jesus as their Savior because the time is drawing near that the end of the age will come to an end soon. Be ready.
The Living Message of Christ 