I agree with you on the lack of unity among Christians — unfortunately it is possible to find someone taking virtually every possible position, among the 40,000+ different denominations.
Worse, this extends even to quite important doctrines impacting our basic understanding of salvation.
I realize you think you have no possibility of losing salvation, but that is not what most Christians believe, either currently nor historically.
St James’ epistle was and still is part of the canon of Gods word, and was unquestioned until Luther realized it clearly contradicted his faulty ideas regarding faith and grace.
What began during the so-called reformation were a bunch of false ideas regarding salvation, along with rejection of the teaching authority of ordained bishops united to the pope, with the dismaying result that each person becomes their own pope.
When Jesus founded His Church, he set it up to have power of the keys (binding and loosing), which included the power to authoritatively teach and interpret all teachings without mixture of error.
Rejecting that authority is precisely why we have disunity.
You mentioned the early Church fathers, and again, I agree — a way to make progress in unity is to study what the early Church taught — even before Constantine, there are Linus, Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, the didache, and other early writing which shed light on what early Christians believed.
But nowhere among the Church fathers is the idea that faith is just an abstract decision, made once, with nothing on our part required.
Jesus own words all over the Gospels make it clear we are to believe, be baptized, obey the commandments and spend the time he gives us doing good and serving others, lest at judgement he say, depart from me…. You did not give me food, nor clothing, etc. cf the beatitudes, among many other examples.
St Paul mentions making up what is lacking in Christs sufferings (!) and asks for prayers lest, having preached, etc, he might still be lost (!)
I agree with you on the lack of unity among Christians — unfortunately it is possible to find someone taking virtually every possible position, among the 40,000+ different denominations.
Worse, this extends even to quite important doctrines impacting our basic understanding of salvation.
I realize you think you have no possibility of losing salvation, but that is not what most Christians believe, either currently nor historically.
St James’ epistle was and still is part of the canon of Gods word, and was unquestioned until Luther realized it clearly contradicted his faulty ideas regarding faith and grace.
What began during the so-called reformation were a bunch of false ideas regarding salvation, along with rejection of the teaching authority of ordained bishops united to the pope, with the dismaying result that each person becomes their own pope.
When Jesus founded His Church, he set it up to have power of the keys (binding and loosing), which included the power to authoritatively teach and interpret all teachings without mixture of error.
Rejecting that authority is precisely why we have disunity.
It may be asking too much that you would see this, but a way to make progress in unity is to study what early Church taught — even before Constantine, there are Linus, Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, the didache, and other early writing which shed light on what early Christians believed.