What is the true Body of Christ?
Matt. 7:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt. 24:
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that
no man deceive you.
5
For many shall come in
my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many.
Jesus could have warned about Islam, or Atheists or heathens here, but He didn't. There is only one group of people on the planet that comes in Christ's Name, that claims that Jesus is truly the Christ. And that is Christianity. So Jesus is specifically warning about "Christians" who come to deceive. And this theme is constant throughout the Bible. Jesus was killed by the only God of Abraham preaching people on the planet. Stephen was stoned to death, not by heathens, but by those who claimed the God of Abraham as their God. This theme goes all the way back to Caleb whose religious brothers wanted to kill for telling the truth, all the way back to Abel who was killed by his "Christian" brother Cain. This Biblical truth can not be denied.
Ask yourself, everyone on this forum knows of man's sinful nature. I hear it every day. Man is so wicked they can't possibly obey God's Commandments. Yet, these same people trust preachers and web sites over the Word of God every day. They know man is deceitful and sinful, yet prefer his preaching over the Word of God.
Why is this Dan?
Jesus tells us flat out so that even a child could understand.
John 3:
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
Religious doctrines and traditions of man are preferred over the Word because we don't want our wickedness exposed to others or even our self. If you are honest with yourself you know this is true. But we know for sure that there is one MAN who "over come" His human wickedness. One God who loved us so much that He became a MAN to show us how to "Endure". How to have victory over our flesh. He is the Rock, the foundation of my Faith. Not the Pope, or Jim Bakker. But Jesus.
Heb. 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1 John 2:
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked.
Duet. 30:
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,
that I (Jesus) have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest
obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto
him:
for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
I don't know who you are and you don't know me. But we both can choose God and His Words like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Caleb, Rehab, Zechariahs, etc did. (
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,)
We can trust Him and His Body while we "Seek" the Kingdom of God.
Rom. 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what
is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.
How can I prove this if I am following the preaching of a person that Jesus warned about? How can I know the truth if I am following a church that transgresses the Commandments of God by their religious traditions?
John 14:
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And (THEN) I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17Even the Spirit of truth; whom
the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Again;
21 He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him.
Remember, Jesus said the path was narrow and few are on it. Let's find the path first.
Matt. 6:
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Then we can see who is in the Body.