What's your Religion?

i understand where you're coming from. i look at it this way: you have two "sorries". one "sorry" you might say just to get someone off of your back. and the other "sorry" is the one that you truly mean. you cannot have salvation without being under "conviction." anyone can say a couple of words and say that they're saved or say " i believe in Jesus", and they leave it at that.. but without truly meaning those words you cannot have salvation and that comes when the Holy Spirit shows you that you need to repent.

 

This part confuses me... Whats the point of heaven and hell or even having a choice if you can live the life of a sinner and be forgiven in death if you ask for forgiveness? As in, you could commit all the sins in the world, be the biggest asshole to everyone around, ask for forgiveness in the end and be in heaven right next to a saint.

 

Yes, before Jesus Christ, all of the OT saints who died went to "Abraham's Bosom", which was a part of Hades, but separated by a "huge gulf" and was not a place of torments. Once Christ was crucified, he led "captivity captive", that is He led all of those dead saints out of Abraham's Bosom and into heaven. Some people still believe that those who die and are saved still go to Abraham's Bosom and there's no one actually in Heaven yet, but i disagree.

 

Ahhh, and we finally agree on something. This has opened my I eyes and I feel enlightened. A lot of what I said came from last week's sunday school lesson.

 

Once you die, there is no choice to be made. You can only make this choice while you are alive and on this earth. Thus, no one should ever think they have "tomorrow" to make this decision. Tomorrow may be too late!

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by piercedtiger
This part confuses me... Whats the point of heaven and hell or even having a choice if you can live the life of a sinner and be forgiven in death if you ask for forgiveness? As in, you could commit all the sins in the world, be the biggest asshole to everyone around, ask for forgiveness in the end and be in heaven right next to a saint.
Once you die, there is no choice to be made. You can only make this choice while you are alive and on this earth. Thus, no one should ever think they have "tomorrow" to make this decision. Tomorrow may be to late!




And in addition:
We don't know when God's second coming is. It's close but that's all we know for now so if you are a big time sinner and plan to repent at a later time, what if God comes tomorrow? What are you gonna say? "um, I was gonna repent in two weeks." It'll be too late. It's better to be prepared now.

 

Saul who later became Paul became the one of the greatest apostles to ever live. BUT, he was killing Christians before he became a Christian as well. He wrote most of the New Testament. He wasn't trying to "clean up his life" before his transformation. The Holy Spirit came on him and he was shown that he needed to change his life. Not everyone is given a chance on their deathbed to become saved. I would not take the risk and say that i'll wait until i'm about to die before i become a christian. Your last breath can come too quickly to take that chance.

 

"Don't leave for tomorrow what can be done today"

 

it states that not everyone who's says Father, Father didn't we do works in your name will be saved. those are the ones who thought that works would get them into Heaven instead of reprenting/faith.

 

Yeah i see. I should probably get reading more.lol
btw, what church are you a part of?

 

i attend ridgeway baptist. my preacher always says: you must be born again, not a baptist to enter into Heaven.

 

oh, do you know where the baptist church originated by any chance?

 

But being a Baptist is a first step in the right direction!

I'm a Southern Baptist (deacon and sunday school teacher as well)

 

never really looked into where/how it was started. that's the reason people need to look in their bibles and see if what others are saying is true. it is faith/repentance in Jesus, not the church that saves you. a church can be corrupted, but not the Bible.

 

I go to East Valley Apostolic Church. (Bass player and sound tech sometimes.)

 

i will back any church that believes in being born again gets you into heaven, not works or any other crazy stuff that is made up.

 

do they believe in being born again?

 

Raised Catholic but just do things for greater good now.

 

Yeah you're right but I was wondering of your organization was one that branched out of Azusa street in Los Angeles. that's where my church's organization came from.

 

Unlike many of today's denominations which were started by a man, the Baptist church traces it's roots back to the original New Testament churches in the days of the apostles. There is a book, "The Trail of Blood" that goes into the details of it...