Quote:
Originally Posted by A little brother
May be you are too deep into the Recovery Version Bible to notice the obvious difference between in and conforming to this world.
John 17:15 (RcV) I do not ask that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them out of the hands of the evil one.
Romans 12:2 (RcV) And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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I'm not sure what your point is. Those reasons are precisely the reasons why we don't participate in the religious activities of the denominations.
For example, on the one hand, we wish to save Catholics, and we may meet Catholics at any occasion, which is being "in the world", but on the other hand, that doesn't mean we should join their mass, that would be "conforming to the world". We would not wish to close the gap between our Lord's Table meeting and the Catholic mass, for example, we would want to widen that gap. We would also want to widen the gap between their practice of praying to idols.
Similarly, to save sinners, we do not participate in their sin, so as to save them, yet we happily meet with them otherwise.
In the whole history of the Reformation, Luther et al, sought to "widen the gap" with the Catholic church. So most protestant denominations today are already "gap wideners". In fact it could be said that the Lutheran and Anglican churches are closer to the Catholic than say a baptist church, because they retain the liturgical nature and structure of the Catholics. And over history, the "gap widening" has continued as more and more denominations developed, with the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the brethren, the community and house churches etc.
This is my issue with the ecumenical movement - I think it is sort of hypocritical for individuals in free groups or baptist churches who wish to "close the gap" with Catholics, when the very church they are in exists to keep that gap as wide as possible. If we want to "close the gap" with Catholics then why not just join them.