The only qualifying criteria is that “no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual”. Luke/Acts form one literary unit. The burden is light. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. You don’t become a Christian by “acting” like one. I believe that I do understand your question. Professional athletes, don’t just decide over night they want to be good at what they do, and through some sort of magic are now good at it, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams as examples, were playing and training as Children, decades before they were able to pick up, what was placed in front of them.. This is ridiculous. What does it mean to “know” something? Perhaps if you help me understand exactly what points you take issue with, I might be able to “explain further and back it up with bible verses”. Don’t know about any of you but this is not something my god asks of me. God is with us all and to be honest, a lot of us are going to hell because no one truly sees the light. I don’t ‘Bible Bash’ them or try to indoctrinate them but at the same time just living my life doesn’t seem to be influencing them any closer to Christ either, at least not yet. What many Christians and philosophers forget, Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another which makes any sin impossible, and to love your enemies, Jesus told them not to lie their treasures were they could be corrupted – in the world which is under Satan’s dominion. We exist to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever in whatever way He deems we can do that the best. It is only Jesus, the God-man, who can step in between you and God and pay this penalty. It turns out that, once you really look this, not all religions can be correct. That’s the oldest lie in the book (remember the serpent’s lie to Adam and Eve, Gen 3:4-5). Many of these differences are about concepts about God and how He works that are very difficult for us humans to understand (such as the role of human free will in relationship to the sovereignty of God). Jesus ask just much to accept him as he for us to do religious things. We see the first glimpse of this glorified body in the resurrected Jesus. Actually, this falls completely in line with the Christian doctrine of the Trinity; that God is one being composed of three distinct persons. Sometimes, there are even fans who root for the other team there! 84% of the world’s population identify themselves as being religious. He died the death and took all my sin upon Him. Here they are . Thanks for your reply. Christians don’t believe Jesus was God because he was a good man and stood up for what he thought was right. The prophecies were written down hundreds of years before his birth (as proven by the Dead Sea Scrolls). God steps in and removes our guilt (by placing it on Jesus at the cross) and we are washed clean. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. If he was truly the Son of God then all this about Judaism coming before Christianity is irrelevant. He wants to show his love to you and He wants you to love Him. It seems you still haven’t read my comments 22, 41, 50, 61, 99, 139 and 162 above, like I asked you to. The OT is filled with examples of very real human people who make mistakes and sin just like us. God dying for human beings? Why point out forever? The definition you used is: Religion is a system of beliefs or a code of moral conduct that judges (qualifies or disqualifies) She was struggling with some of the same things you are. That is called “soul sleep” theology. “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. If you had, I think you would realize that we both agree that believing and trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord is the only way anyone will be saved. Found insideReading this book, one wonders if the evangelical movement has pandered so much to American culture and tried to be so popular only to lose not only it's mind but it's soul as well. “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. Mary Magdalene. Everyone who seeks, finds. As verses have been made obsolete in time you guys choose to ignore them, so how can you have a true relationship with God when you don’t follow the words that are in the bible and I am not saying his words because there is no proof that anything in the bible is his word, it was written by humans who fear the unknown and and were scared of anything that was different from them. Even skeptics concede this point. . Religion is about what man has to DO to be right with God. . As Mark Twain (Samuel Clemons) once said, “It’s not the parts of the bible I don’t understand that bother me…it’s the parts I do understand.”. However, these things are not central to what it means to be Christian. You also need to remember that we are commanded to be part of the Church. I got so much other revelation & understanding from your detail post. I have actually already responded regarding this claim in a previous comments. It is truly the main reason we need to go to church. Follow this god, or burn in hell forever. […]. I enjoy dialoging with people on these issues. If this event is true, then we must look at what Jesus claimed and take him seriously. Welcome to the blog. He still desires the best for the child. According to my theodicy, what God created was a world in which it was possible for his creations to freely choose to reject His light and heat; to reject His holiness and righteousness. I don’t care what bologna this guy is preaching. Sorry, but if you think this is true you are deluded. It starts when you are saved (John 5:24, 1 Peter 1:23). Id’e just like to say thank you so much to philippians1v21’s response to Marion as it was exactly what I needed to hear at the right time to give me that boost and clear my own mind, I believe God did really inspire you to write it, Jesus paid our sins and full and Christianity is a gift not a religion, bang on wish I noticed that earlier, Thank you and God bless. They learn that when they obey, they are at peace with a free conscience, not weighed down by guilt, have an unexplainable joy, and harmony in their relationships. Religion is the creation of man and is not the intention or design of God.”. I use the example: I have said, rather, that our salvation is NOT conditional upon our performance of these tasks. It’s not about rejecting God, or being angry at God, or just needing to hear the heartfelt story of a believer like yourself. It is certainly true that there are many Christian denominations. Anatole, So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:7-11). I think one day when we fully understand how ugly our sin is, we will start to grasp how we have wronged God. Many doubts are rooted in emotional woundedness. God said if you seek first The Kingdom of God and his Righteousness all else shall be added to you. Yes, we may not all be murderers, but we all chose everyday to go our way and not God’s. God will write his commands on the hearts of those who follow Him (Heb 8:10). The Christian church was the first to established homes to care for orphans and currently operates the world’s largest orphanage system. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. We can’t understand the love of God without understanding his wrath. This is why relationship is more powerful than religion. My attempt to reproduce the original is not the standard. He was either is who he claimed to be (the Son of God), an imposter (a liar) or he was completely crazy. Therefore you are asserting an exclusive claim about what is true about God. • Jer 9:24 quoted in 1 Cor 1:31 That is better testimony then we have for virtually any ancient event! . What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” ~ 1 Cor 3:4-7. Thank you for the comment. It’s a proven condition of the human psyche. This is one of the factors which However, that is NOT what happened with the bible. In despair, we give up on our relationship to God and let it go. Let us not think, though, that this makes God unjust. The creation myth, garden of Eden, global flood myth etc are all in the Enuma Elish which predates the Bible by millenia. Thank you so much for having the courage to write me and be so honest about your feelings. Consider these examples: • Deuteronomy 32:22 – “For a fire is kindled in my anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.” However, I admit I find it rather comical that you claim you base your beliefs strictly on facts and not faith and yet one of the main reasons you give for why you reject all religions is because there are “countless other aliens out there” and “we know there’s over a billion planets orbiting similar habitat zones”. You seem to conclude this from the fact that “he couldn’t save his own life”. Some of the arguments about the Fall of Rome focus on the geographic diversity and the territorial expanse that Roman emperors and their legions had to control.. That doesn’t mean I always agree or that I always obey. I am just taking the ideas written in the bible and passing them on to others in a way that I hope is easy to understand. The ability to practically apply truth. That’s right, Christianity is anti-religion. Satan wanted to have that glory for himself. A modern day example (taken from the movie “Footloose”, starring Kevin Bacon) is a preacher who believes that dancing leads to promiscuity and destructive behavior (the Bible does not speak against dancing). The Doctor’s office? These are the experts. Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. I have certainly looked a great deal at the many and diverse dictionary definitions for the word religion. If the Christian who repetitively gets drunk is unrepentant then what more can you do other than mop up their mess and help those they hurt. 4. It is the claim of Christianity that the bible is the words of God conveyed in the language and writing style of the human writers. It is something he needs to go in knowing is a real possibility. Pradeepa the various different denominations to my understanding have come about much in the same way that cultural differences come about. You must not steal. I do them because I love God as a father and want to please Him. He died in your place. rather than pushing the message of Love and not fear. God had established His design with the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden. He needed the help of the Archangel Michael. It is true that in America fewer people call themselves Christians. Washing the car may have come first, but it doesn’t necessitate the washing was a causal factor in the rain coming. The rest of His created universe is lower than Him, obviously. The phrase "the Fall of Rome" suggests that some cataclysmic event ended the Roman Empire, which stretched from the British Isles to Egypt and Iraq. He gives me new desires and I find that I no longer want to go my way. So, unless Paul got it wrong, your friend is adding something. They are paid for working and the pay is the rapture. If you do this, you can approach God with no fear. Until recently, Moore was the … To prefer a theory with no cause to one with a sufficient cause is the definition of irrationality and reveals that there is more behind the rejection than objective evaluation of evidence. His existence is historical fact. In fact I have repeatedly sated this (see my comment #s 22, 41, 50, 61, 99, 139, and 148 above). It proves God’s faithfulness to us. Christianity is about what God has already DONE to provide us the opportunity to be right with Him. . The original intention, the heart of the law, is established in our lives. He must be timeless, space-less, immaterial and not bound by the laws of nature (since all of these things were created by him when the universe began). Also, people can believe in the existence of a god but not be religious and not belong to any religion. They are creatures that were created without a sinful nature, but with the ability to conceptualize and freely choose sinful actions (just like Adam and Eve). Thank you for the comment and opportunity to dialog on this issue. Thank you for your essay. You cannot be a Muslim and believe that Jesus is God. Some see the rise of Christianity as putting an end to the Romans; those who disagree with that find the rise of Islam a more fitting bookend to the end of the empire—but that would put the Fall of Rome at Constantinople in 1453! In the end, the arrival of Odoacer was but one of many barbarian incursions into the empire. God Bless You! If you really believe I have said something that I haven’t supported with scripture here, please tell me what so I can correct that. I am assuming you are referring to John 19:34, where it says that blood and water flowed out of Jesus when the Roman soldier stabbed Jesus with a spear to make sure he was dead? We are forgiven from all sin; past and future. It is a state of being. I don’t think you actually read what I wrote here. Probably the best place to start with demonstrating this point is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They disagree on the most all essential issues. Again, thats my pridefulness and maybe lack of faith in God that is really giving me trouble but i dont know how to fix it. hard-liners who thought once you handed over scripture, recanted the faith, I talk a lot about this on my page called “Why Christianity is NOT a Religion”. into the church. I will pray that you will see Jesus’ hand extended to you, offering you salvation. Many people claim to be all kinds of things. I do stand by my remarks regarding the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) not existing prior to the Council of Nicaea. Recent excavation of early Muslim mosques from about 670 AD shows that prayer was not towards Mecca as the modern Quran text states. I think the martyrdom stories that got circulated were very important It’s all about the cross and what Jesus did on your behalf there. He does not lead to sex and drunkenness. We can dispute His wisdom if we want, but that just revels our egocentric view and our inherent belief that it is really all about us and not Him. Hi there. (Mark 10:18, John 20:17) I believe that there is no Trinitiy, no 3 God in 1. How can you be so certain? This is precisely where Christianity is DIFFERENT than other faiths. Your comment sounds as if you see yourself as some sort of spiritual elitist who needs to educate everyone else on what the “truth about the gospel” is, and that the rest of us can’t seem to get it. appears in Christianity, which strengthens the the church, which feeds on If I jump off a building, I will fall and die regardless of what I believe. But as for Cain and Seth and all the other sons of Adam who married, they must have chosen their sisters as wives. Trust God in the valley of death. ], Here is an article that expands on the word Catholic: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/catholic. There are countless others in the rest of the New Testament. Paganism is defined by being anti-Christian (and anti other major religions). Even in in this crying out, Jesus still acknowledged the very existence & authority of God. But i have no idea what true FAITH is. ( Log Out / All of the genealogies in Genesis and elsewhere in the Old Testament show this. Hell fire was not believed or taught in the Old Testament by the Jews then. If it did it would be a work and you would be earning it. No, I do not know that. You are here presuming that “earthly bodies” are inferior to a disembodied, spiritual form. They are the natural result, not the cause. Or us 4 and no more. .“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. in fact they had not. All I ask that that you recognize my right to use the definition I have chosen here. The same is true of what God promises us. Many people will say, “God is love”. It’s really easy to understand & believe Adam’s fall as Devil was already there & free WILL etc but I have difficulty to understand the first SIN of Lucifer. We do not attack people or belittle them for their beliefs. admired but not necessarily emulated. There isn’t enough vocabulary because once you describe your feelings, measure them weigh them with words that substitute for your feelings, something Jesus came at a time when historians were beginning to record events that occurred and could document the miracles and the resurrection, so that there would be impartial and unbiased historical conformation of these facts. Therefore it has absolutely NOTHING to do with their own effort and work. 2:8-9). In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” ~ 1 John 4:9-10. The article outlines some of the same religious dogma spiritual Christians avoid. He simply didn’t leave that option open to you. They also reject His work on the cross as sufficient to save them. time? It doesn’t say anything about your salvation requiring you to do so. I can’t believe you said the Bible is all facts — although they are but only after being spirit taught (Isaiah 28:9-10) how to put them together — in the sense that one can just read it and understand it, but that’s not the topic so I will not go into that. He came to clear up the confusion about God’s nature AND to be the initiator of the relationship with all who are willing to believe (Matthew 22:3). The life or condition of a person in a religious order. Jesus did not come to remove hurt and pain from your life. 2. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. Additionally, what about the story of the Rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31? But the one that your salvation hangs on, the one that if you don’t have it brings condemnation, is belief. . You have the burden of proof here in claiming that the New Testament has been corrupted in this way. 1. 5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith. My relationship with Him is undeniably real. I could keep going. Mike Stair, There are many problems with this argument. So do I. I believe God had those put in His word so that we can be comforted, knowing that it is not uncommon for us to wonder God, where are you? Contrast these with the teachings of Mohammad, for example. I certainly don’t hate you or wish you ill will. Paul says that love for others fulfills the law (Rom 13:8-10). Jacob’s well. To know what God wants from Us. We choose darkness instead of light (John 3:19). The lifeguard’s hand is still extended to you and he is still pleading for you to accept his free offer of salvation. The bible tells us that God has ordained that there will be representation in heaven from every single tribe and nation on the earth, and that we will all praise Him as one! However this doesn’t at all imply that your serving of God is what earns you salvation. It is nearly impossible to truly prove anything (to 100% certainty). What evidence can you provide to support your claim? 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