Heaven

[120 Acres]

Why is he sitting on the throne?

Bowel problems?

I cleaned out the last of the deer last week, awesome chili, but yes, bowel problems.

 

[onearmedman]

Accepting Christ as your Savior is not something you want to be wrong about. The consequences are not quite as sweet.

If you are referring to eternal torment, that's not the truth.
God is the savior of all mankind,esp believers. 1 Tim 4:10

 

[onearmedman]

This type of thinking gets to one of my biggest issues with Christianity (or some Christianity). The following isn't directed at penismightier, either, but he opened the door, so quoting him is easiest.

I've never been comfortable with the idea that a person can live an equally good, just and caring life but be damned to hell for not believing in Christ. Despite what some people would tell you, an atheist, agnostic, jew, muslim (yes, even them), buddhist, doubting Christian or anything else can still lead a life that'd be considered good by the Christian standard. Yet, the notion that being a non-believer would eliminate them from Heaven makes me question the need to to lead such a life in regards to where someone would spend eternity.

Again, it's an internal issue i wrestle with, but i just can't get comfortable with the notion of needing to hedge the bet in regards to heaven vs hell for someone that by all other metrics would qualify as a good person.

It's a real game-changer when you take "hell" out of the equation. See martin zender's site for some real truth. You will sleep much better...

 

[onearmedman]

This is how I tend to think about it . . . God (if you believe in the God of the Bible) is infinitely good and holy. As is stated in 1 John (if I remember correctly) there is no darkness in him at all. Man is flawed. Every man (other than Christ) has sinned. Like it says in Romans, ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Now, let's think about it mathematically for a second. If God is INFINITELY holy and a man sins even once, then he is INFINITELY separated from God. Since all men have sinned at least once, we are all INFINITELY separated from God at the onset. The difference between those who have lived good lives and believed vs. those who have lived good lives and not believed is simple. The ones who have believed have accepted God's word as true and have recognized that they are flawed and are not worthy to stand in the presence of God. They realize that they cannot ever earn their way into the presence of an infinitely holy God and that the only way to stand in his presence is by his grace. The ones who have not accepted Christ believe that they can somehow do enough good to "earn" their way into the presence of an infinitely holy God. In effect, they are saying that they can be "like God." It's very similar to original sin.

Are you mixing law and grace? I know that issue caused me much confusion when I attended "church". Who gives us belief?

 

[onearmedman]

TWSS is right there with his comment. Keep in mind that God gave us all a free-will with the hope that we would worship Him and follow his teachings/commandments. For those that do, He has provided a reward. For those that choose not to, the reward may not be so desirous.

He knows my heart, and He knows that I sin every day, but as long as I repent and ask forgiveness, His grace is still there for me as long as I am faithful to Him. There is absolutely nothing that I can do in the way of good things that can promise me His reward. Only His grace does that, and for that reason, He sent His Son to this earth to teach and be sacrificed for us. I quite literally could be ETERNALLY grateful for that grace.

Does this mean grace is conditional? As for freewill, if our human will is supreme, then God must be hoping for a good outcome if we can overthrow his will.

 

[Street Rat]

Heaven is for those who will believe that the only Son of God was sent by God to die for their sins and who confess him as Lord and Savior and believe that he died and rose from the dead. Heaven is where God is and all of His glory can be found as it is the light. I have never been to Heaven, but it must be a wonderfully awesome place, so awesome that God would create such a place as Hell that those who have a choice while they live would choose Heaven while they are still able. To be in Heaven and in God’s presence must be a place so wonderful that He would send His only begotten Son to die for undeserving sinners such as myself and all who live as a way of escape from eternal torment. Heaven is a place God is calling us to, for all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved; Hell is for those who reject His Son whom He sent.

We cannot prove God or Heaven or Hell exist no more than anyone can prove they don’t exist. We have all made a choice; to choose is to choose, not to choose, is to choose. Those who have chosen Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior see all of the signs of the end coming together in such a way as could have never been possible, but there are those who will deny those very signs solely because living a worldly lifestyle requires no strength and is the easy way out, but our reward is not found on earth, but in Heaven, as we would believe.

 

[OKCHunter]

Heaven is for those who will believe that the only Son of God was sent by God to die for their sins and who confess him as Lord and Savior and believe that he died and rose from the dead. Heaven is where God is and all of His glory can be found as it is the light. I have never been to Heaven, but it must be a wonderfully awesome place, so awesome that God would create such a place as Hell that those who have a choice while they live would choose Heaven while they are still able. To be in Heaven and in God’s presence must be a place so wonderful that He would send His only begotten Son to die for undeserving sinners such as myself and all who live as a way of escape from eternal torment. Heaven is a place God is calling us to, for all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved; Hell is for those who reject His Son whom He sent.

We cannot prove God or Heaven or Hell exist no more than anyone can prove they don’t exist. We have all made a choice; to choose is to choose, not to choose, is to choose. Those who have chosen Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior see all of the signs of the end coming together in such a way as could have never been possible, but there are those who will deny those very signs solely because living a worldly lifestyle requires no strength and is the easy way out, but our reward is not found on earth, but in Heaven, as we would believe.

That is a great explanation. A person with faith will understand.

 

[Dave70968]

We have all made a choice; to choose is to choose, not to choose, is to choose.

What about those never exposed to the message? Did they choose? What about infants, or the mentally infirm, incapable of understanding? Did they choose?

 

[120 Acres]

 

[onearmedman]

What about those never exposed to the message? Did they choose? What about infants, or the mentally infirm, incapable of understanding? Did they choose?

Have a look at martin zenders site for answers...