Monday, June 6, 2016

The most important misunderstandings of Christianity?

Update: I wish to question the lack of distinction in this text between the authority of Jesus's words and the authority of other words in the Bible.
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Could these be the most important misunderstandings of Christianity?


  1. God does not judge all people (including Christians) justly, by rewarding their good and bad deeds with perfect justice.* (Versus Scripture)
  2. God does not chastize (punish) Christians, with for example sickness or death, in order to prevent their eternal condemnation. (Versus Scripture)
  3. Christians’ sins cannot stop them from receiving eternal life. (Versus Scripture)
  4. Obedience to Christ—keeping Jesus’s commandments and teachings—is not necessary for Christians. (Versus Scripture)
  5. A Christian can sin intentionally and then receive forgiveness on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice (or the merits of the church). (Versus Scripture)
  6. Infants and young children should not be baptized into Christ. (Versus Scripture)
  7. A Christian is anyone who believes that Jesus died for his or her sins. (Versus Scripture)
  8. Theological statements cannot be evaluated on the basis of evidence from actual experience. (Versus Scripture)
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* The Christian Bible makes clear that God is merciful and forgiving, most especially towards sins committed prior to knowledge of God's grace through Christ's sacrificial torture and death (Romans 3:25). Even after repentance and Christian conversion there is mercy and forgiveness from God toward a Christian person, but the Bible makes clear that there are limits (see 1 John 5:16-17 for example).

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