I heard a joke somewhere recently about some fellows that died and met at the "pearly gates"where St. Peter asked them each questions to see if they could get into heaven. Just a joke with a really "fictional" situation. But it got me thinking. Some people on this board (and elsewhere) seem to spend a good deal of there time and energy searching through scripture for little details and proof that "something" is good or bad, right or wrong. It seems to me they cannot see the forest cause they are too busy inspecting the bark on the trees.
If there was a test to get into heaven I don't think there would be any questions like "How many loaves and how many fishes?" Or "How many animals did Noah take in the ark?" or "If you look at a woman have you already sinned?"
I would think there would be two essay questions. 1. "How did you love and serve GOD?" 2. "How did you love and serve your brothers and sisters?"
If you cannot do well on those questions, knowing "how many days did it take to create the world?" will not do you much good.
I heard a joke somewhere recently about some fellows that died and met at the "pearly gates"where St. Peter asked them each questions to see if they could get into heaven. Just a joke with a really "fictional" situation. But it got me thinking. Some people on this board (and elsewhere) seem to spend a good deal of there time and energy searching through scripture for little details and proof that "something" is good or bad, right or wrong. It seems to me they cannot see the forest cause they are too busy inspecting the bark on the trees.
If there was a test to get into heaven I don't think there would be any questions like "How many loaves and how many fishes?" Or "How many animals did Noah take in the ark?" or "If you look at a woman have you already sinned?"
I would think there would be two essay questions. 1. "How did you love and serve GOD?" 2. "How did you love and serve your brothers and sisters?"
If you cannot do well on those questions, knowing "how many days did it take to create the world?" will not do you much good.
Robin down under
excellent...but actually # 2 would fall under #1 category... "what you have done to the least of these"......
I heard a joke somewhere recently about some fellows that died and met at the "pearly gates"where St. Peter asked them each questions to see if they could get into heaven. Just a joke with a really "fictional" situation. But it got me thinking. Some people on this board (and elsewhere) seem to spend a good deal of there time and energy searching through scripture for little details and proof that "something" is good or bad, right or wrong. It seems to me they cannot see the forest cause they are too busy inspecting the bark on the trees.
If there was a test to get into heaven I don't think there would be any questions like "How many loaves and how many fishes?" Or "How many animals did Noah take in the ark?" or "If you look at a woman have you already sinned?"
I would think there would be two essay questions. 1. "How did you love and serve GOD?" 2. "How did you love and serve your brothers and sisters?"
If you cannot do well on those questions, knowing "how many days did it take to create the world?" will not do you much good.
Robin down under
There will be only one question,and it won't be an essay. Jesus said that these 2 commandments sum up all of the law and prophets, another way,of saying the entire scripture. What He also let the rich young ruler know,when he was attempting to be justified by these laws, was that he had failed in keeping them ,as we all have.That is why Christ came to die, and not to give moral lessons.The law sets the standard. The fact that we don't and can't keep the standard, because of our sin nature, leads us to a point of decision--if I can't and don't, yet God sets this standard, what am I to do? That is what the questionis that God will be asking us all--what did we d at that point? Did we hide behind self righteousness, self justification, like th erich young ruler who proudly claimed--'I have kept these laws from my youth!'--only to walk away sadly when Christ exposed that he actually had failed when Jesus responded, 'Go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor.' The rich young ruler failed at the firs test, because he loved riches more than man and God, exposing his sin, again,which we all have.Jesus was leading him to admit that he hadn't and couldn't keep these laws, and if he had admitted it to Him, then He would have surely explained to HIm how He was the Messiah that had come tosave His people fromtheir sins.
Secondly, the ability to be able to give an answer for the reason for the hope within us is a comand of the scripture. The word in the Greek is apologeia, from which we get the English word, apologetics, which means a defense.When you or others raise questions that have implications and ramificationsconcerning the origin of the earth, eitherbeing by a personal, intelligent, purposeful, meaningful, organized, synchronized, Creator and the exact opposite theory which is one of random chance, purposelessness, meaninglessness, impersonal, chaos resulting in 'life'as you are referring to here, and since it is the origin or beginning, which as I'm sure you already know is what Genesis means, then why I think it is obvious why anyone would spend time defending the origins. If there is no creation, no Creator, why would anyone concern themselves with any such notions as loving Him or your fellow man? Why bother? If you are wrong in your original premise, why keep building? But, if what you and I do in this life IS important, and we do have a Creator to answer to, then it is of utmost importance to be able to present the reasons why this is valid. That is why I spend time on this subject, to answer your indirect question. To destroy the validity of Genesis,is to destroy the validity of God, Christ, and the scripturesand it would completely undermine the foundation of our faith.
That is exactly why I ask Doc and any others who claim to truly believe in evolution where and how that they derive such notions of morals, good, bad, evil, love, etc. How do you get to these well defined and meaningful terms ,when the origin is meaningless? These terms are direct results and based totally on the concept that there is purpose their is value, that there is meaning,and that lives and people matter. How do you derive such meaning from the 'survival of the fittest'? Darwinism is one of the motivating factors behind Hitler's being able to justifyextinguishing lives that were, after all, valueless and in the way of his goal of developing a super race.If you want to be consistent, and to be directly in line with the evolutionary world view, and follow it through to its logical conclusion, none of these things could matter, because they have zero basis or origin for any meaning,other than what they derive from our world view. That is hypocritical and antitheoretical. On one hand, one says that the world and people came about randomly, chaotically, without rhyme nor reason. Then they turn around and want to cite ethics, morals,values, right and wrong when they have no backdrop or standard to derive any basis for these terms.And then you want to imply that to spend time on establishing a historical and factual basis for the biblical record is a waste of time? That implies a compromise to the seeming contradiction between the science 'crowd' and the faith 'crowd'. One is supposedly based on knowledge,and the other an 'faith',meaning no rational or factual basis, just something that one 'believes' for comforts sake.Everyone has faith in something. It may be unfounded and it may be real. You can even be totally convinced in your mind of the truthfulness and validity of something without ever having faith in it.I'm here to tell you that that is a wrong assumption. You believe in God and want to resolve the conflict with a 'blending' of the 2 views, which can't be done. And, you don't need to. The Christian faith is not baseless, or irrational,or indefensible. It is historically acurate, consistent with the facts of science,(regardless of the agenda of the evolutionary worldview)and it has been tried and tested for centuries without being scathed.There are challenges and there are conflicts, none of which can't be resolved.
If their is no God of creation, then why ask about a test to enter His heaven? The same Jesus who asks us, believed in the Genesis account. If He was wrong about this,then why bother about anything else he was comcerned with?
The fact that we don't and can't keep the standard, because of our sin nature, leads us to a point of decision--if I can't and don't, yet God sets this standard, what am I to do? That is what the questionis that God will be asking us all--what did we d at that point?
The above comment represents the decieved state of many people today. Sadly, many have been mislead by false teachers, false pastors, who head the dead churches, to believe that their Salvation, or entrance into heaven is based upon their will, or actions, or behavior. Notice in the above quote that the writer asks
Quote:
"what am I to do"
, totally ignoring that the Salvation of Gods People is based 100% upon the Work of Jesus Christ, and setting himself up as the key agent of his Salvation.
While the writer in the above post professes to know Jesus, and to do deeds to keep himself in favor with Christ; his doctrine, and practice of it, renders him as close to Jesus as the people he points to in his post, iethe evolutionists, and the rich young man.
Like them, he has been deluded into thinking that his actions dicatate his destiny. It has always been the desire of satan to convince man that his good deeds will gain him favor with God. While this is a lie, it is a very easy lie to teach, because man has always sought for a way to be his own god. By making a righteous check-list, the man who is seperated from Christ {by evidence of making the list in the first place} can delude himself, and those around him that he is indeed "going to heaven"
Even the most ardent Christ haters can do "good deeds" . Many Muslims life a more "righteous" life than so called Christians, yet it will gain them nothing. In the same way, declaring ones self a "Christian" gains nothing either. A man can say the "sinners prayer", claim to "accept Jesus", attend a "church", take part in a water "baptism", take part in rituals, or confessions, yet it brings him no closer the the Knowledge of Jesus, than a man who publicly denounces Jesus.
Salvation is based 100% on the Work of Jesus Christ. Man brings nothing to salvation. Nothing man says, or does will gain him favor with God. The convicted Murder who is Chosen by God, will see the Kingdom of Heaven, long before the religous church person who "accepted" Jesus ever will.
God is no respector of persons. He could care less about our made up church rituals, and doctrines. Salvation is only based upon Gods Good Will, and Purpose. Any "good" that a True Child of God does, is simply fruit ofhis Salvation. However, the unsaved can appear to produce the same fruit. What seperates the True Child of God from the imposter is that the True Child is an object of God's Mercy, Purchased by God, simply to please God. Theimposter on the other hand was never Chosen by God. The imposter claims to be the one who chooses.
The Good Child gives the credit to God, while the bad child claims it for himself. That is the difference.
1. "How did you love and serve GOD?" 2. "How did you love and serve your brothers and sisters?"
If you are not Chosen by God, you cannot love God, nor anyone else. It is Gods revelation through the Holy Ghost that makes a chosen vessel a natural lover of God, and man.
If you have to "try" to love God, or your neighbor, you are lacking the Holy Spirit to do soo. Such Spiritual power cannot be accomplished by man.
Do you believe Jesus Christ is God and came to earth to suffer and die to pay the price for your sin and that He is your Saviour and your belief in Him the only reason you should be let in?
Funny , when I died for several minutes in the operating table in 1983, no one asked me anything when I got to that huge place, but I saw the Lord and he was Just one big smile when He looked at me.
Seems for some reason He knowswho his sheep are and who belongs where .He He he
The test is here while you are alive.
Shalom
__________________
"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
A test to enter heaven.
.He He he
. . .but I did catch him on the first post I saw.
