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The Body of Christ: Difference between revisions
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#The church natural is the lukewarm church | #The church natural is the lukewarm church | ||
#The lukewarm church and the five foolish virgins are synonymous. | #The lukewarm church and the five foolish virgins are synonymous. | ||
=What does the Bible teach= | |||
William Branham appears to have confused references to the unbelievers in scripture to his strange view of the "church natural". When you look at his "types", they are clearly unbelievers (Judas, Esau, Cain, etc.) | |||
William Branham also admitted that if a person was "born again", they were in the church spiritual. | |||
==There is only one Body of Christ== | |||
''For as in '''one body''' we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are '''one body in Christ''', and individually members one of another.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ro 12:4–5.</ref> | |||
''For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit w'''e were all baptized into one body'''—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 12:12–14.</ref> | |||
'' There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eph 4:4–6.</ref> | |||
''And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in '''one body'''.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Col 3:15.</ref> | |||
==What do I have to do to get into the Body of Christ?== | |||
''...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, '''you will be saved'''. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ...For “'''everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'''.” <ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ro 10:9–11, 13</ref> | |||
''But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eph 2:4–9.</ref> | |||
''...who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel...<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 2 Ti 1:9–10.</ref> | |||
''But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Tt 3:4–7.</ref> | |||
==Conclusion== | |||
A person that is following Christ in accordance with the teachings of the New Testament is a Christian and part of the Body of Jesus Christ regardless of whether they attend a message church or not. William Branham's teachings constitute false doctrine. This was not the Gospel that Paul preached. | |||
''...but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ga 1:7–8.</ref> | |||
=Quotes by William Branham= | =Quotes by William Branham= | ||