First of all I have tried not to creat a book but I hope everyone will read my reply.Quote (HarlequinCrest @ Jan 20 2011 02:39am)
For a long time I have considered myself to be an atheist. I have had no faith or belief in god at all. But I believe I am finding faith, and in turn god.
I have a few questions which go out to the beliefs of Christianity in general, and if any of you are well versed, and can help answers these, you may in turn help me find god and christianity.
Is life ultimately just a test? (ultimately our lives & actions determine our fate of heaven or hell don't they?)
I don't really think of life as being a test. Man was created for a reason. The first verse that comes to mind is Isaiah 43:7 -- "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." KJV
Also of interest is Isaiah 43:21, "This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." KJV
Here, God says that man was created for the purpose of giving God glory. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, so this is the whole duty of man.
The glory given to God by men differs from that of angels as angels are created beings who have always enjoyed the beauty of heaven and the majesty of God's presence. Man, on the other hand, glorifies God based upon faith in things not seen.
Our lives we live and actions we take most certainly do determine our fate of Heaven or Hell. Here are six steps man must take in order to be saved.
1. You must HEAR the message of the gospel (Romans 10:17).
2. You must BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 8:24 and Mark 16:16)
3. You must REPENT of your sins (Luke 13:2 and Acts 17:30).
4. You must CONFESS with your mouth your faith in Christ (Acts 8:37 and Romans 10:9-10).
5. You must be BABTIZED into Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4 and 1 Peter 3:21).
6 Finally, you must live a FAITHFUL Christian life of continuous service in the church of the Lord (Acts2:47; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 15:58; 2 Timothy 2:2; Hebrews 10:23-25 and Revalation 2:10).
Torm1,
Why do you think we were born sinners?
If life is a test, how is it that those who repeatedly commit some or not all of the seven deadly sins can be considered good people?
for instance, an extremely overweight and lazy person (gluttony and sloth) can attend church and call themselves a good person in general, not committing any of the other sins.
Are they going to heaven even though they are directly live in disobedience of the words and laws of god? Can you give me the Book Verse and chapter this is found?
If someone like the above were to be granted the gift of heaven and everlasting peace, then why would god create rules then allow those that consciously break them into heaven?
Can we really consider ourselves "true" Christians if we do not completely abide by the laws of God himself? No
If God is not really that "harsh" to put it in common terms, then why would he make rules for people to live by, only for them to willingly break them, but then ask for forgiveness
and allow his will to be bent, by giving an easement or gray area of "Well, you're sorry for doing it even though you Knew the will of God, and then went against it." It is unfortunate but some people who call themselves Christians do practice this. This is not true Repentance. These people believe in the "once saved always saved doctrine of men" If that is the case then man has no free will and we can sin willfully on Saturday night and then say we are sorry on Sunday. My friends, it does not work that way. You can and will loose your salvation. This is a huge subject that I can discuss later on if needed.
Torm1,
Do you think baptism is a work and not needed for the remission of sin?
Also, It is (sadly) proven fact that corruption has run through Christianity and religion over the years, Whether it was in the dark ages, or current scandal. How am I to know that the Bible itself
is pure and is as it was intended when it was first written? If Moses did solely write the original 5 books, how can it describe his death, and also describe him as "the most humble man who ever lived.". There are Tons of other inconsistencies in the bible. Can it not be wrong? the bible teaches that the earth is flat, and it has been amended. If it was incorrect, can it truly be the word of god, and does it truly deserve to be preached and perpetuated?
Infallible means incapable of erring, sure, certain, unerring. A close synonym for infallible is inerrant, which means free from error. The Bible as revealed by God in the original autographs (original written copies) is both infallible and inerrant. The infallible Bible does not just contain the Word of God, it IS the Word of God. Because it is infallible, it gives us all that we need for faith and practice in serving God.
The Bible claims infallibility for itself. More than 2,000 times in the Old Testament thus saith the Lord, or a similar phrase occurs. Surely the Lord was able to communicate His will accurately! Peter spoke of inspiration saying, the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). The inspired writers wrote what God revealed to them. It was not their own message but the message of God that they recorded. Jesus said the scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), meaning that it must be true. He said, Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). The jot was yodh, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the tittle was a simple pen stroke, or part of a letter. Thus Jesus asserted the infallibility of the written Word of God, even in the smallest details.
The New Testament claims the same inspired infallibility for the whole Bible. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Since all scripture is given by inspiration of God, then it must all be regarded as authoritative and infallible. If only part of it is authoritative or infallible, how will we choose what is authoritative and infallible, and what is not authoritative or without error? If we use man's subjective opinion, we will end up being mislead. How much better it is to just accept all that God has revealed, rather than choosing the opinions of men!
Skeptics have long attacked what they perceived as errors in the Bible. When all the evidence is considered, however, the Bible still stands without error. All too often, what are perceived as errors are not errors at all, but simply the expression of different points of view of biblical authors, or misinterpretations of obscure texts, or simple misunderstandings. Too often the errors come from the preconceptions of critics concerning what they think the Bible ought to say, rather than what it really says.
What is really at stake in the question of biblical infallibility is the character of God. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). He is omniscient or all knowing (Psalm 139). Since He knows all things and cannot lie, then His written Word, all of it, must be infallible. An infallible God can do no less than produce an infallible Bible. Just one error in His revealed Will would be enough to show that God is not God. Because we are limited in our understanding, we may not be able to explain every perceived error or inconsistency in the Bible, but we can accept it as the infallible Word of God because it comes from Him.
And what of the classic tales of the bible that are often told to children? Jonah and the whale, Noahs ark? These things are physically impossible, and obviously ridiculous from an outside mutual point of view.
These works of fiction truly cannot be taught as fact can they? Because Story's like that Begin to make me question the validity of the bible itself.
There are no tales in the Bible. Again, you have to choose to believe what you hear or read or not to believe. God can do anything.
I want you to keep in mind, I truly am not trying to discredit or contest christian beliefs at all. I am trying to understand them so i can embrace them. These are questions i have come across when attempting to
embrace Christianity. Please help me understand. And thank you for your time and insight.
I hope you will seek out a Church of Christ "Gods Church" in your area. I personally do not have a church, but he Lord has a church and I belong to His Church.
In Matthew 16:16-19, He said He would build His church. Acts 20:28 teaches He purchased the church with His blood. The Bible only speaks of one church. The term "church of Christ" is not an identity of ourselves as simply one denomination among the thousands now in existence. Rather, it identifies Christ's church, that is to say, the church that belongs to Christ. The one He came to build and for which He gave His life.
Acts 2:47 says the Lord adds the saved to the church. Ephesians 1:22-23 and Colossians 1:18 teach there is one head (Christ) and one body (church).
Ephesians 5:23-33 utilizes 12 nouns and pronouns referring to the church, all of them singular.
Also, in this and other passages, the church is likened to the bride or the wife of Christ (e.g., Rom 7:1-4). Therefore, to teach there is more than one church is to make Jesus a polygamist.
Please consider a few simple questions:
Can a man be saved without being reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:18-20; Eph 2:16)?
According to these verses, where is the place of reconciliation?
Is the body of Christ the church (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18)?
How many bodies does Jesus have (Eph 4:4)?
According to Ephesians 5:23, of what is Jesus the Savior?
Now, must one be a member of the church of Christ in order to be saved?