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NASB | Ephesians 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. |
Subject: catholic and protestant salvation view |
Bible Note: The Restoration of First-Century Christianity by Wayne Jackson Article Description Should we try to restore the New Testament pattern of Christianity? When Martin Luther visited Rome in the fall of 1510, he was appalled by the spiritual laxity he observed – even in the priesthood. His dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church would eventually lead to his challenge of that system, which was culminated when he nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. But Luther simply wanted to reform the church of his day; he had no vision of leaving it. Professor Harold O.J. Brown has written: “[I]t was not Luther’s intention to found a new church, but simply to purify the old one...from the time of the Reformation there were new churches – first the Lutheran, then the Reformed, and finally the Anglican. From its beginning, the Reformation created new churches as no other movement had suceeded in doing” (Heresies, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998, p. 311). The church of the Middle Ages, however, was far too corrupt to yield to any “band-aid” reformatory process. Though men like Luther, Calvin, Wesley and others were, perhaps moved by noble motives, they erred by thinking they bettered religious conditions by establishing new religious movements. These movements carried much of Rome’s theological baggage. |