re: Christians who somehow thought it wasn’t Christianlike to vote for Trump

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Faith without works is dead.

The grace of Christ is what redeems us, but don’t kid yourself, works are necessary and a byproduct of faith.

By their fruits you shall know them.

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I agree. Good works of obedience are a necessary byproduct of saving faith. Saving faith will produce good works. A good tree will produce good fruit.

There’s a fine line between toxic empathy and Christian compassion.

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There’s never been a more Christian president than Trump. He puts God above all else.

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This is obviously completely untrue but more to the point the Christianity and trad-style movement happening is part of the dialectic and long-play agenda.

The Charlie Kirk’s and Tucker Carlsons and this entire movement promoting Christianity seems like no-contest, an automatic great thing.

It surely is not, it’s a big trick.

This is false Christianity.

A lot of the hate and focus on Israeli right now, and the perceptions of the Muslim religion as terrorist focused is almost assuredly being used in a way to push us into a (fake) Christian dominant reality as we will need ‘moral’ structure built into the emerging technocratic kingdom.

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Unfortunately, watered down Christianity is more prominent than ever.

That doesn’t mean there are not good churches in America though.

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It’s not so much a matter of water downed Christianity that’s the issue.

I mean, yes, that’s maybe a symptom of this but I plan to do some threads on this in the future.

Sat night, not gonna roll up the sleeves on this rn.

I bet this retard gave money to Jimmy Swaggart.

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I’m saying that people judge Christianity by those who do it poorly. It shouldn’t be that hard to understand.

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We judge Christianity by the actions and the things Christians support. Most Christian’s support trump’s policies that go against the teachings of Christ. Seems like that’s an issue with Christianity. Pretty sure Jesus would reject most things the Christians on this board and in the country support.

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We judge Christianity

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Who is we?

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by the actions and the things Christians support.

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Right. Because Christians are a monolithic group.

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Most Christian’s support trump’s policies that go against the teachings of Christ.

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Provide some examples and let’s discuss.

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Pretty sure Jesus would reject most things the Christians on this board and in the country support.

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Well I agree. Which speaks to my original analogy about basketball.

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There’s never been a more Christian president than Trump. He puts God above all else.

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Holy shite you really believe this, don’t you?!

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Interesting. I just all myself a Christian. I follow Jesus Christ- not men. I might as well go ahead and upset the entire apple cart. I see the “reformed tradition” as the new gnostics, and the “Roman” Catholics as the new Pharisees. Yall both over complicate Gods grace and mercy. Jesus came to fulfill the law and set us free. All in perfect timing. Love God and love your neighbor. That’s it. It’s hard enough to do. There’s nothing to add.

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I understand the sentiment you're expressing, and it can seem that the distinctions may be divisive. I see them as helpful clarifications. The concern reminds me of those who say "no creed but Christ" (which is a creed of sorts, in itself). There are differences of opinions and beliefs about the Christian faith so I find it helpful to use labels to differentiate. It's one reason why I find non-denominational churches with very generic statements of faith on their websites or elsewhere so frustrating. I don't know what they believe, and they could be believing error or even heresy without letting others know upfront.

Saying I'm "Reformed" doesn't mean I'm following men rather than Christ. It just provides clarity of my particular views of Scripture and how I follow Christ. That clarity comes in handy in the face of error, even if it seems to be overcomplicated or unhelpful at times. It speaks to my view of Scripture's teaching on salvation and worship, in particular.

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as in the case of infants of at least one Christian parent

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Can you explain this to me? It sounds like you’re saying God only saves infants who have at least one already Christian parent. Please tell me I’m reading this wrong.

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My comment was based on 1 Cor. 7:14, which states: "For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."

I don't believe that all who die as children go to Heaven, or else it would be cruel to let children live, grow up, and potentially reject Christ and go to Hell. However, I believe that the children of believing parents (or at least one believing parent) is "holy" unto God (which I interpret as being set apart as a covenant child), and there can be a confidence and consolation to a believing parent that if their child dies young, that they will see them again in Heaven, like David expected (2 Sam. 12:23).

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I agree. But God judges the heart. We can’t see that. The outward appearance does not always and/or necessarily reflect the heart.

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I agree. However, Jesus told us that we can judge a tree by its fruit for a reason. If someone is regenerated by the Spirit of God, they will show fruits of such regeneration, even if those fruits are small. I'm not sitting in judgement of Trump's soul, as only God can do that, but I'm using the same standard to judge that will be used against me: God's word.

Trump shows no signs of a regenerate Christian. There is no outward love for Christ. He speaks his mind and shares his convictions without apology, so if he had a love for Christ, one would think he would be open about it and quick to discuss it. When given opportunities to talk about his faith, he does so in generic terms, if at all, and usually deflects to something else. He speaks of "God" frequently in stump speeches, but rarely uses the name of Jesus. I've talked about other concerns I have, but if a sign of fidelity to Christ in the first few centuries was the phrase "Christ is Lord" (as opposed to Caesar being Lord), one would think that a devout Christian would be open about such a sentiment.

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Do you, but remember that you will be judged by the same measure with which you judge. You seem to lack grace in your own judgment. We all answer to the same Master. Perhaps you require less grace than Trump. Perhaps not. I tend to err on the side of caution- and grace.

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I'm sorry if it seems like I'm lacking in grace here. I've actually tried to hedge my comments by stating that I don't know his heart and that he could very well be one of God's elect.

However, you should remember that the context of my comments here is a thread where someone foolishly said that Trump is the most Christian President. I think it's fair to discuss Trump's profession and his actions contrasted with that profession in light of that backdrop.

As I said, I will be judged by God's word, and God's word is the standard by which I'm "judging" Trump. Again, I don't know his heart, but his actions do not betray evidence of salvation, which is why I continue to pray for his salvation. If he's saved, all the better.

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That’s not the impression I got from your original post. You speak with confidence and authority. As one that has it all figured out. I say this as one of your biggest fans on this site. I admire your conviction, your consistency, and your dedication to Christ.

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I appreciate the kind words, and the feeling is mutual.

I'll say again that my statements should be taken within the context of what I was responding to, which I mentioned above.

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I love all my brothers and sisters in the Lord. As an attempt to extend the olive branch to those who I’ve offended, I want to share this blessing:
Holy Groove
I am not affiliated with this guy. I just happened upon this channel, and it has been a tremendous blessing to me. I look for people to share it with. It’s so good! It’s anlso on Spotify Enjoy!

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Thank you for sharing this. I'll try to make some time to listen to some of that.

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A couple of weeks ago, Trump said he wanted to save thousands of lives so that he could earn his spot in Heaven (paraphrase). That is a works-based salvation, and not a Christ-based salvation.

Jesus alone paid the price of our sin-debt against God, and we receive forgiveness when we trust in Jesus alone by faith. If we try to add anything to our salvation, we say what Jesus did wasn’t enough, and we do not have the gospel.

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You're why I'm Orthodox.