I had an interesting conversation Wednesday with a kind and gentle man who happened to be a part time Christian minister. His full time job was as a health insurance salesman, and I had invited him over to the house to discuss Long Term Health Care.
In our courtesy exchange prior to getting down to business he asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I did not have "a proper job", but that I was "an author instead."
We chuckled and he asked me if I'd been published, and I chucked again. "Yes," I said, "here and there."
Finally it came out that I had written Conversations with God and What God Wants and Happier Than God and a few other books, and then the conversation got started in earnest...
We noticed immediately, of course, that we had a gentleman's disagreement about what God wants. (To put it mildly.) And here is what I found to be interesting. My new friend genuinely cared for me as a person -- I could feel that -- and, from that place of real concern, he asked me, "But what if you are wrong?"
You see, I had said, "I don't embrace a God who says that there is only one path to Heaven, only one road back to God, and that everyone who takes a different road is going straight to hell."
And he replied, "But what if you are wrong?" He was very compassionate in asking me. Yet the approach was the same as that which I have experienced with some other born-again or fundamentalist Christians:
F-E-A-R.
We should love God and love Jesus, and come to God through Jesus, and only through Jesus, out of love and devotion and deep belief...but if we can't do it that way, at the very least we should do it out of fear. Our eternal life is at stake. We are bringing on eternal damnation if we don't.
Accept Jesus or accept everlasting damnation and torture in the fires of hell. That's the choice. That's What God Wants.
It does not matter how good a person you have been, it does not matter how earnestly or purely you have yearned for God, it does not matter how deeply connected to God and devoted to Godf you feel (and are)...if you do not come to God through Jesus, you will be rejected.
More than rejected. You will be judged, condemned, and punished.
My few friend urgently pressed on me what he said were the words of Christ himself: "No one cometh to the Father except through me." (I don't know if I have that quote exactly correct, but that is the essence of it.)
"What about that?" my friend asked.
"I don't believe it as literally true," I replied.
"But what if it is?" my friend asked. "What if you are wrong about that?"
The implication was clear. I would then be going to hell.
So now, let me ask you...do you believe all human beings who do not accept Christ as their personal savior -- that means all Jews, all Muslims, all Buddhists, all members of any faith tradition other than Christianity -- are going to hell and damnation? Let's take a survey. Let's discuss this. I need to look at this again. Do I need to be saved?
(I'm going to leave this entry up here for the long Holiday Weekend because I want to get plenty of answers here. Even if you've never posted in the Comment Section before, I'd love to hear from you on this. Thanks.)
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Tax,
You started out as a quite reasonable fellow, but your statements have become more caustic as time has gone on. This will be my last reply to you, for Jesus said, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not cast your pearls before swine". I have spoken not my own words, but the words of the Living God. Your "god" of oneness is a myth, and even Einstein, although he was not a Christian persay, spoke of the existence of a divine creator as a fact.
You have a problem with Jesus being the only way to redemption. Well, know this, and know you it well! Scripture is very clear that "there is no other name under heaven given to men by which men shall be saved". Those are not my words, but the words of Him who is holy and true. If you have a problem with this, if it seems to narrow to you, then your argument is with God, not me. But you can turn off your computer to shut me out, Tax. Or you can refuse to acknowledge me in your posts. You can't do that to God, "for nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight". He has revealed Himself to you, in creation, in the Bible, and through His Son. If you reject that, then God loves you enough to respect your choice and honor your rejection. You and you alone will bear the responsibility of it.
Jesus Christ was a real person, not a story or a myth. His death and the actions of His followers in the months following the resurrection were recorded not only in Scripture but by the Jewish historian Josephus and by several Roman historians. Over 500 people witnessed the resurrected Christ before He ascended into heaven. History records that the disciples scattered the night Jesus was arrested, and only John was present at the crucifixion. They met in secret, locking doors and windows because they were afraid they were next to be arrested and executed. And yet, shortly after the resurrection, these 11 men came out of hiding and boldly went up and down the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming Jesus and Him crucified. What changed their minds? Only the fact that they KNEW Christ had risen from the dead explains their behavior, because every one of them except for John died martyrs deaths (they were stoned, beheaded, crucified, speared, and run through with swords). If the resurrection is a lie, there is no way they would have preached it even unto their own deaths, because only an insane person would die for what he knew was a lie. No, Tax, Jesus' life is a historical FACT. His death is a historical FACT, witnessed by thousands of people. His resurrection is also a FACT, witnessed again by hundreds and attested to by the Holy Spirit, who comes to live within the heart of every believer who accepts Christ as Lord.
Peter said this about Jesus in his serman on the day of Pentecost - ""Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '
36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Indeed, let all of the world be assured of this: God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ!
Am I trying to scare you, Tax? Not really. But fear of God brings wisdom and understanding to who He is and what He has done for us. In Revelation 15 the saints sing -
"Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages.
4Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."
Amen! God has revealed His righteous acts, and they are in plain sight for everyone to see. It says, Tax, that in heaven there will be people of every nation, every tribe, every kindred. So you see, wherever people live on earth, they are not excluded from the heavenly realms nor robbed of the fellowship of God. Did you know that the Christian church in China numbers over 100 million, and that in the face of intense persecution? Or that there is an underground revival going on in a number of Muslim countries like Indonesia, Turkey, Yemen, and several North African nations? That India has a growing church that is showing God's love and mercy to the Hindus? Wherever people regard the gospel of Christ with open hearts and a teachable spirit, there are souls being won and names being written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Tax, my first remarks may have been harsh, and I am sorry for that. But the reality is that many people just want to mock and scoff, and have hardened their hearts to the presentation of the Gospel. My heart breaks for them, and I pray for them, but they are the ones that make the choice and then have to live with it. God reaches out to them again and again, because another trustworthy saying is that God does not want anyone to perish, but to come to the knowledge of the truth. That is why I post on here like I do.
Peace to you, my friend.
Chief1989
Chief, I don't mean to piggyback on what you said, but here is an article that might clarify the subject for Tax:
Question: "Is Jesus the only way to Heaven?"
Answer: "I'm basically a good person, so I'll go to heaven." "OK, so I do some bad things, but I do more good things, so I'll go to heaven." "God won't send me to hell just because I don't live by the Bible. Times have changed!" "Only really bad people like child molesters and murderers go to hell."
These are all common rationales among most people, but the truth is, they are all lies. Satan, the ruler of the world, plants these thoughts in our heads. He, and anyone who follows his ways, is an enemy to God (1Pet 5:8). Satan always disguises himself as good (2 Corinthians 11:14), but he has control over all the minds that do not belong to God. "Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
It is a lie to believe that God doesn't care about small sins, and that hell is reserved for "bad people." All sin separates us from God, even a “little white lie”. Everyone has sinned, and no one is good enough to get to heaven on their own (Romans 3:23). Getting into heaven is not based on whether our good outweighs our bad; we will all lose out if that is the case. "And if they are saved by God's kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's wonderful kindness would not be what it really is - free and undeserved" (Romans 11:6). We can do nothing good to earn our way to heaven (Titus 3:5).
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way" (Matthew 7:13). Even if everyone is living a life of sin, and trusting in God is not popular, God will not excuse it. "You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God" (Ephesians 2:2).
When God created the world, it was perfect. Everything was good. Then he made Adam and Eve, and gave them their own free will, so they would have a choice whether to follow and obey God or not. But Adam and Eve, the very first people God made, were tempted by Satan to disobey God, and they sinned. This separated them (and everyone that came after them, including us) from being able to have a close relationship with God. He is perfect, and holy, and must judge sin. As sinners, we couldn't make it there on our own. So, God made a way that we could be united with Him in heaven. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus was born so that He could teach us the way and die for our sins so that we would not have to. Three days after His death, He rose from the grave (Romans 4:25), proving Himself victorious over death. He bridged the gap between God and man so that we may have a personal relationship with Him if we would only believe.
"And this is the way to have eternal life - to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth" (John 17:3). Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this way, no matter who we are or what we have done" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
Jesus is the only way of salvation because He is the only One who can pay our sin penalty (Romans 6:23). No other religion teaches the depth or seriousness of sin and its consequences. No other religion offers the infinite payment of sin that only Jesus Christ could provide. No other “religious founder” was God become man (John 1:1,14) – the only way an infinite debt could be paid. Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ! “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Amen and amen...Robert
Will Jesus condemn us? Will God?
To a buddhist, No..
To a Taoist..definte no, because Jesus was not even born yet.
To a Muslim, NO..
To all other faiths and religion - No.
But to christians - the FEAR lingers, could be a yes could be a no.
My answers will make me very unpopular with the fundamentalist but I have no other ways to put it until you are willing to see thru' the veil of FEAR of your own thinking to seek the truth of what you read.
Due to the diversified upbringing of human kind we have to move up to a level of understanding to seek why my answers are as above.
It is not a right or a wrong but it is what I am exposed to or experienced as GOD intended in my personal journey to seek.
God bless everyone here.. :)
just plain observation
May God bless us all....
Where there is ignorance of God, The human ego runs wild. We are all gods... you all just dont know it yet. Jesus came to show you how to get back to God, how to accept who you are in God...did he not say beware of those Religious leaders that love to pray in public, those that bind up the kingdom and hide knowledge for themselves, and those that seek the scripture think there is salvation in it? No matter what you think, there is nothing to be saved from, except maybe yourself and your ways of thinking that are contrary to finding the kingdom of God inside you. Jesus was God, you are god too..Why do you think he said take up your cross daily(you have to be willing to die to who you think you are)and follow him(become god) He took the sin of not knowing God away by living the life that was totally devoted to becoming God...why is blaspheme against the holy spirit the only unforgivable sin? Thats because you are denying the god that is in you...be taught by the Spirit of God(isnt that what Jesus said? Call no one your father on earth for their is only one father. People will worship God in Spirit and truth. I know it sounds weird at first but this is the good news, that you are god.
Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Now sin does have a price, so if you dont accept Jesus payment for it, you will have to pay for it, with death in hell and eventually in the lake of fire. It doesnt matter what your opinion is the bible is right.(King James bible)
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