NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
FIFY
how can anyone say that God is their Lord, and not follow His teachings to the best of their ability?
Jesus said that no one can serve 2 masters. Truer words were never spoken
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- Thread starter oldfella1962
- Start date
how can anyone say that God is their Lord, and not follow His teachings to the best of their ability?
Jesus said that no one can serve 2 masters. Truer words were never spoken
Couldn’t be more wrong. Nothing like a “club” very personal and humility and faith is a large part of it.
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
I respect you if you are answering from a personal level but if you can look around your church pews, step back and listen to what other believers say and do outside of those pews and honestly tell me that everyone who thinks they are chosen follow the same path then you will know why I am not wrong.
Faith certainly plays the largest part but you cannot honestly tell me that the people who do not act Christian all week except an hour on Sunday also do not have the same Faith that they believe just as hard and will be rewarded just as much as someone who tows the line a little more tightly.
Those people will tell you and I that they are just as chosen, just as qualified, just as deserving and know God just as well. Everyone thinks that their sandals don't stink as much as yours do.
The only way I could be more wrong is if these pews are filled with Mother Theresa clones and not people who THINK they are Mother Theresa clones which is what they've convinced themselves of.
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
Here is the bottom line. We as individuals give ourselves a little more credit and a lot more bias then we deserve.
If getting into Heaven has a cut-off line that is anything above "accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior" then Heaven is sparsely populated.
If Heaven is full of people who do as they want whenever they want and to or with with whoever they want but qualified because they believe then I don't want to be anywhere near those people for eternity and is the reason why I interact as little as possible with them now.
If a God is truly capable of knowing what is in a man's heart and judges a person by their actions but will exclude a better person because that person isn't carrying some sort of loyalty rewards program card that says I
Jesus then again it is a club I don't want to belong to.
I am not conceited enough to think that I am a 1st Round pick on draft day but I am biased enough to know that I am better than all the wanna be walk-ons.
If getting into Heaven has a cut-off line that is anything above "accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior" then Heaven is sparsely populated.
If Heaven is full of people who do as they want whenever they want and to or with with whoever they want but qualified because they believe then I don't want to be anywhere near those people for eternity and is the reason why I interact as little as possible with them now.
If a God is truly capable of knowing what is in a man's heart and judges a person by their actions but will exclude a better person because that person isn't carrying some sort of loyalty rewards program card that says I
Jesus then again it is a club I don't want to belong to. I am not conceited enough to think that I am a 1st Round pick on draft day but I am biased enough to know that I am better than all the wanna be walk-ons.
brutally honest
Senior Member
… because that person isn't carrying some sort of loyalty rewards program card that says I
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
Even Lucifer was made in God's image
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
The problem with that line of thinking is the belief that you can do something, anything to deserve getting into heaven. You can't.
It really doesn't matter how hard you try to be good, how well meaning you are, or if you were better than the guy who sat on the back pew and cheated on his wife 10 times a month. None of that is what saves you. You have to have that personal relationship with Christ. Period. It is the only way to make it into heaven
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
According to whoever wrote the writings that Christianity considers the New Testament, yes you are correct that is the citeria.
Where you might not be clear is that I am not trying to get into whatever Christians call Heaven. I don't want any parts of it.
What I am saying is that IF such a thing as an all knowing God exists and can discern what a person does, has done and what is in a person's heart and judges them on it then I will be alright if some sort of afterlife also exists and I am judged by my deeds here and now.
If such a God exists I don't know it.
I don't know anything about it.
It has not revealed itself to me in any way, shape or form.
I do not believe that any religion practiced by man is any more accurate or truthful than the next.
When I speak of "God" I don't specifically mean the God of Abraham or Jesus.
Too many people assume that I live my life the way I do because I am trying to impress my way into a place that I don't think exists (their version of a Heaven) run by their version of a God that I don't believe in and that I am somehow trying to circumvent rules written thousands of years ago by a culture that borrowed stories from other cultures and religions.
I live as I do because that is the way that I feel is best for me here and now. There are too many bases to cover if I have to consider all of the man made, man written religions. I don't know of any God that has given or shown mankind it's own work.
I am not worried about what I will be doing even one second after I am dead, there is too much to concern myself with while alive.
But I am fascinated by all those who seem to think that they have everything figured out about their next life and cannot provide a shred of evidence that any part of their beliefs exist in this life.
livinoutdoors
Goatherding Non-socialist Bohemian Luddite
A bunch of folks do just that
livinoutdoors
Goatherding Non-socialist Bohemian Luddite
Thats what i was tryin to get at in my first post. You can do whatever as long as you accept christ, but the guy who says i dunno what happens after death and does countless good deeds in life is out? I cant for one second believe thats how it all works.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
If Jesus is your Lord and Christ, then your actions will change. I am not perfect by any means, but I am not who I was. The reason you can't believe that all those good deeds don't amount to a hill of beans is because you believe you can somehow, someway earn your way into heaven.
You can't. Salvation is not by works, so that no man can boast. It is thru faith, and that faith is not even something we did right. It is a gift from God. ( Pappy version)
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
Statements like "if Jesus is your Lord and Christ your actions will change" is just not even remotely accurate unless you include negative actions also. Christians have absolutely no advantage in the most well behaved category. In fact Christians have no advantage in any category. Clergy, who should be as close to representatives of Jesus as possible, have been shown to not exactly be the examples of good actions.
The God of Abraham and especially Jesus are late comers to revealing themselves to man. Maybe they have their own Heaven but not the only Heaven as there seems to be a lot of Heavens mentioned in many religions......if the writings of man actually mean anything.
livinoutdoors
Goatherding Non-socialist Bohemian Luddite
But see? The non believer in my example isnt tryin to earn his way into heaven, he is just doing his best to live a good life. Imho the other feller is the one trying to do that.
Preach it, brother. The roast in He11 forever default position no matter what, while the worst hypocrites and sinners who do horrible things I would never think of doing get a free ride to heaven because they went to church and accepted Jesus was one major thing that ran me away from the loving church.
“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
I’m not trying to change anyone. If we’re around each other you’ll only hear this topic if you ask about it. Likewise, I’ll defend my faith when ridiculed.
If your doing horrible things your likely a sham. God knows one’s heart. Just saying the words won’t cut it.
I’m not trying to change anyone. If we’re around each other you’ll only hear this topic if you ask about it. Likewise, I’ll defend my faith when ridiculed.
If your doing horrible things your likely a sham. God knows one’s heart. Just saying the words won’t cut it.
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
What is the "horrible things" line in the sand?
Does a person get credit for trying?
What can and cannot be forgiven?
I mean honestly enough vague suggestions what are the rules?
brutally honest
Senior Member
A bunch of folks are deceived.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." - Matt. 7:21
bullethead
Of the hard cast variety
Do you doeth the will of his Father?
If so, what do you do?
What IS the will of his Father?
livinoutdoors
Goatherding Non-socialist Bohemian Luddite
I get that but we were just debating the idea of a non christian gettin shut out even while doing the will as it were. Like i said before, whats in your heart matters most.
NE GA Pappy
Mr. Pappy
how do you know that they accepted Christ? Did they say so? If they are a hypocrite, isn't it possible that they are a liar as well? Saying they are one thing, when in truth they are the opposite?
It pains me to hear people say they left the church because of the way people treated them or acted.
