It's quite obvious, people are the same now, as they were back then. After reading all these answers, I can only shake my head in disbelief.
"What I do see is God working to save mankind from his own self. Meaning man, not God." Very true. Jesus said it would be this way in the end times. Spiritual blindness abounds. Jesus is coming soon. Then let's see who calls Him "It", "her" or the "invisible sky fairy" to His face. As it is written in His Word, "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. Man really should get over himself, with all his arrogant, prideful attitude. Thinking he is so much smarter and wiser than God. Let's see him get to heaven on his own accord. He cannot even get past the moon, let alone reach the 3rd heaven, where God and His kingdom reside. When people have no spiritual understanding, nor want to have, of the things of God, or God Himself, they mock. All the "intellectual talk" may sound good, yet there's no understanding whatsoever of the spiritual realm... which amounts to nothing but their guessing.
God knows each and every heart. Jesus said, "The fool says in his heart, there is no God." Yet one day very soon, they'll "see" He is real, but it'll be too late. We see God everywhere. One can't miss His beautiful handiwork. We don't need proof. God already gave it. We need FAITH...that Jesus can save us from the condemnation sin brought to mankind and eternal separation from God, until we turn to Jesus, our Savior.
The one and only thing that keeps us from heaven, are our sins.
It's just the opposite. Jesus never came to condemn anyone. He came to save and He proved that on the cross. He didn't HAVE to suffer and die to pay for our sins, for you or I, so we might have heaven, but He loves us so much, [i]He volunteered.[/i] That's not someone to be afraid of. That's someone whose love for you is so deep, it can't be measured. He went all the way, to suffer even to the point of death, to prove His love for you, and so you could have eternal life in heaven one day, if you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. He wants to. His sinless pure blood, washes all your sins away. God loves ALL of us. He always has and He always will. Even those who don't love Him back. He knew that would happen, and it breaks His heart that some will never come to salvation, out of pure stubbornness and pride, yet He died for them, anyway. Even for them. This is not a mean God. This is a merciful God. There's not one, mean or evil thing IN Him. HE IS WITHOUT SIN and incapable of lying. That makes Him trust-WORTHY. He turns no one away. I believe Jesus is coming very soon. I hope you'll be ready. He's only a prayer away. And He didn't leave us guessing. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can go to the Father, but by Me." And whom better to trust?!! He LIVES in the spiritual world. He would KNOW, not those who claim you can get to heaven by being a good person or earning your way. Or by thinking good thoughts and thinking you are your own god. Are you suddenly going to sprout wings and fly to heaven? How will you resurrect yourself??? You're smarter than that! You know it can't be done, but by the power of Jesus.
Jesus is real, he's coming soon, and he told us point blank, how to have eternal life with Him in heaven. He didn't leave us to GUESS. If you believe, you'll receive forgiveness (you can't drag your sins into heaven) and all the good things of God has prepared for you and an eternity in heaven. Turn down your one free chance to get to heaven, and your own sins will keep you separated from God.
Jesus did all the hard work of paying for your sins. All you have to do, is pray and receive Him into your heart and life as your personal Savior.
Your last reply, appears to be filled with nothing but negative, presumptive, and critical reasoning. Indicating premature conclusions with no desire to further learn nor explore. If that's the way you communicate with people, I'll not be taking part in this exchange.
Healthy skepticism is when you're not doubting something just for the sake of it, but questioning things to discover if there is a truth that will help you arrive at a logical decision. Unhealthy skepticism eventually breeds paranoia. Everyone should acquire healthy skepticism, so they won't simply assume that whatever is told to them, is true. For example, that Jimmy Jones cult. Those people actually believed and placed all there faith in a man who was a cult leader and false teacher, the bible warns people to watch out for today. Following Jones blindly, without question or concern, they were very sincere, but sincerely lead astray.
If a person doesn't know what they believe or why, they'll fall for anything, then accuse another of being a liar. Yet they are the ones who Jesus said are spiritually blind, as they didn't care to seek God's truths, but believe Satan's lies. Just because some ministers are phonies, doesn't mean all the rest are, too. If someone commits a crime and goes to prison, is it fair he blames you, when you are totally innocent? Thats limited, judgmental thinking, when only God, knows our hearts.
Don't worry...God can't be fooled by those you mentioned who kill people, then try to play the "Repentive Card" with God, expecting they'll have a free ticket to heaven. He knows each and every one of our hearts.He knows everything there is to know about us. He can't be surprised.
Without proper study and research, where there lies division in thought about a specific subject each have agreed upon to discuss, the purpose becomes quickly defeated. I know what Jesus said in His Word. Not once did He say all children go to hell. Thats just another lie Satan tells us, and many believe. In fact, in God's Word, he said he DEARLY LOVES ALL children, and for us not to forbid them to come to Him... [u]"for of such, is the Kingdom of Heaven[/u]. Things can be terribly misconstrued, if we don't know the facts.
Same with the accusation about God killing children, when the facts about God, aren't known due to lack of study. If your refrigerator needed fixing, you wouldn't trust an auto repair shop to fix it, anymore than you'd entrust your soul to just anyone, for salvation. Common sense.
Now, we can see, that when it comes to which path we'll take, and the choices we'll make regarding the destiny of our souls final resting place, CAREFUL CHOICE [b]DOES[/b] MATTER. It makes all the difference in the world!!... so we need to listen to someone who knows what He's talking about...Jesus!...who's BEEN here, and back again, to His Father in heaven.
Salvation, has absolutely [b]nothing[/b] to do with man-made religion. I don't make the rules. You don't make the rules. What arrogance to think we do. It is God that SET the standard for salvation, long ago. And when He did, read John 3:14 and 15 again, more carefully. He didn't come to CONDEMN the world. SIN [b]already[/b] did THAT. Jesus' sole reason for coming was to SAVE THE WORLD...[b]from the condemnation SIN put on us, and keeps on us, until we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins.
And no...He is incapable of being fooled, and He won't be TREATED as a fool. Again, I didn't make the rules. God the Father set the standard for receiving eternal life in heaven. I just share His message. No one has to listen to me, but without our sins forgiven, Jesus said we cannot drag our sins into the perfect and Holy Kingdom of God.[/b]
Jesus is coming sooner than we think. Yet, many are tragically leaving the destination of their own precious soul, to CHANCE! Still neglecting to hear the [u]one thing[/u], that [u]Jesus[/u] said can save our souls: Jesus' cleansing blood, which washes away our sins, and prepares us to enter a Holy Heaven, and since [b][c=BF0000]no one on earth[/c][/b] has the [b]DIVINE POWER[/b] needed to take us to heaven, that means WE NEED HIM! Jesus said, "NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER, EXCEPT BY ME!" Not one of us.
God's escape plan to save us from hell, was NOT a SUGGESTION. IT IS A PROMISE of eternal life in heaven! Jesus is coming back, regardless of who believes Him, and nothing shall change His plan to save us! He doesnt want us to miss this mind-blowing Kingdom Celebration, when we finally go to our Heavenly Home. We'll live with Him, his legions of beautiful angels, to be surrounded by nothing but unspeakable peace, love, joy and harmony, forevermore.
This is NOT a "dress rehearsal" for the Afterlife. It's soon to be the MAIN AND FINAL EVENT! Something we can't afford to MISS, just because we're skeptical or don't understand every little detail about the spiritual realm. It's all ENOUGH...just knowing how to GET there! I already accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I know I can trust Him to take care of all the many details. He certainly doesn't need OUR help. WE, need HIS, if we plan on seeing heaven.
If any would like to discuss this subject [u]without[/u] all the childish nonsense I see in some forums with an agenda to do nothing but disrupt the conversation, criticize another person, or to troll, drop me a PM. Otherwise, I won't acknowledge nor waste my time replying to those who don't know how to treat others kindly. We need to get it straight, that even though some may not like a certain post or person, everyone deserves and reserves the right for their individual voices to be heard...UNLESS they cease to show the same courtesy and regard, [u]they[/u] would want from others. You treat [i]me[/i] with respect and I'll return the courtesy. No cursing, please. It's just not necessary.
@GodSpeed63 [quote]If you want you claim to be true, then show it to be true.[/quote] That's rich coming from you. You've never shown any of your ridiculous claims to be true therefore, by your own standards, we all know they're false.
Why doesn't god show us all unequivocally that he exists? That's a question that i have asked and i was genuinely interested in what this man's answer might be.
I was disappointed but not surprised to find that he does not answer it at all.
The fact that god showing himself does not necessarily mean we would all love him is not a good reason for him not to show himself because [i]inarguably[/i] fewer people would believe in and submit to him if he [i]doesn't[/i] prove he's real.
@BlueSkyKing Why, if the evidence is found you'll allow that He [b]may[/b] exist, yet is no evidence is found, it is being any doubt the He does not exist? Isn't this inconsistent?
@daydeeo Look at the entire argument not just part. [b]Objective evidence[/b] meaning detectable, measurable, and testable is wanted. Not say so anecdotes. Got some way to test nothing?
@canusernamebemyusername [quote]So God doesn't show up because he is afraid we will kill him. [/quote]
🤦♀️ Of course not. You can't kill God. If God did show up, People will treat Him now as they did back then. It only proves that mankind hasn't changed a bit since when Jesus walked the earth. Are you going to answer the question or not?
@Nanori Why would He want to do that, when many make no bones about judging a God who is sinless, perfect, and incapable of lying? A God so many don't understand, yet won't take the time to learn of him. He is cursed, mocked, laughed at, denied, ignored...the list goes on. I think it's more every one of us, who need to show up. Maybe we'd learn from our mistakes. God is already there. Even though he's not wanted by many, He still died for all, to save them from the condemnation sin brought on us all, not God. Sin keeps us separated from God, until we admit them and ask Jesus to forgive them. That's why we need Jesus to cleanse us and make us fit for heaven. John 3:16 and 17 says it all. A man who volunteered to suffer the agony of the cross, so through his payment for sins he didn't even commit, but were ours to pay, is [u]not[/u] a person who is out to condemn or hurt anyone. He was proving his love for us. That He would go to any length or measure, to see that we could be saved and prepared for heaven. He didn't have to do that. But he did. I'm very thankful for his gift of salvation. It's for anyone who wants it. What many aren't understanding, is that if we do nothing about our sins, their sins .... not God....will KEEP them seperate from God. Just what satan is hoping for.
@bugeye [quote]to start with either he acknowledges the bible as accurate in which case there's a lot to unpack there, or dismisses it and it becomes pointless.[/quote]
He's already done that.
[quote]then there's his apparent absence up until now.[/quote]
20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20
[quote]but for him the be just and fair then the bible would need to be very inaccurate in his portrayal.[/quote]
16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16
20knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20
It's the Word of God and not of man. It is accurate and it is the Truth.
@bugeye It is Gods world. He made it and he owns it! He can do whatever with it whether you like it or not. He has told us that he will burn it up because peoples sins, and he will make a new heaven and a new world. He visited us and took all your sins on his shoulders because he loves you! [b]"How can you escape if you neglect such a great salvation"[/b]
@bugeye "any god that wouldn't would be unworthy of love and praise and would get neither from me."
So in other words, you want God to love you, no matter what you do, or what you HAVE done, right? You want him to love you unconditionally. Yet you will not reciprocate His love.
We don't set the standards for God. He is not accountable to us. We are accountable to him. He ALREADY loves you unconditionally. He's always there, but you turn him away. You're saying he has to earn your love, YET he doesn't make you earn His. Sound fair to you? Love is not a one-way street. We are selfish, God is not. It is we, who are Unworthy of HIS love.
@GodSpeed63 [quote]Like it or not, Doc, you still have gods that you worship and put your faith in.[/quote] You couldn'rt be more wrong if you tried. Why are you so determined to prove yourself an even bigger fool than you initially appear?
@GodSpeed63 No I don’t. I have confidence in things that have a on going record of being true, or working. But gods do not fit into that category. You’re just making things up now.
@GodSpeed63 ( Spoiler Alert ) at one time people believed in Santa and the Easter bunny, but they out grew the fables. Atheist did the same with god. They were raised to believe in something that wasn’t true. But when they got older and wiser, they realized it was just another fable. They stopped believing, and they are still very much alive and above ground. You may not have out grown it, but you do not speak for the rest of us. Get used to it.
@LordShadowfire [quote]It would be nice if God answered my prayers for actual evidence. [/quote] It can't because it doesn't exist outside the imaginations of those who can't face reality.
lol! You invariably squeal in fear and promptly run away when presented with the evidence from which the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection is drawn.
Such behaviour is pathetic, predictable, and beneath contempt.
On the other hand, it gives a clear picture of the creationist mindset 😀
A person who desires not to believe God will not change their stance even if God comes and meets them.. They will reason it away by thinking they had a mental episode and their mind was playing tricks on them.. If someone is dead set in rejecting God they will use their intellect to think up some reason to reject any vision or dream they receive from God..
@DocSavage 4 replies ???? That looks like you are triggered and yeah it looks like you are Worried.. As the old saying goes ""Me thinks you protest too much""..
@LadyGrace so if there's no sin in heaven technically wouldn't that make us completely soulless? Free will would be meaningless if our only objective is to not sin.
@Mistakesmakeus Honey, I know what I sent is long, but if you've got time, read it all, so you can get a better picture of how spiritual things work.
No. Because our Spirit never dies. Our body does, and goes to the grave, but the minute our body dies, our eternal spirit leaves our body, to either go to heaven or hell, depending on whether or not we've had our sins forgiven, so we can go to heaven, without dragging our sins in. We'll be VERY MUCH ALIVE. And then later, Jesus said he will resurrect our bodies from the grave and transform them into spiritual bodies and then it will join our spirit in heaven on Resurrection Day. But we'll know our friends, relatives, and loved ones up there, unless they neglected to let Jesus forgive their sins. If any neglect that, they won't be able to drag their sins in with them. If we're in heaven, for example, and any didn't make it because they neglected to prepare, we'll not know it. There's no pain, sorrow, sadness, diseases or anything like that in heaven. Here's an example of how to ask Jesus for forgiveness. It's very simple.
@Mistakesmakeus Why do you equate having a soul to sinning? Or to free will? If someone's will is to not sin then they have demonstrated that they have the free will to desire not to sin..
And yeah God foreknows where you and i will end up in eternity..
I think it's laughable to conclude that an omniscient, omnipotent creator god could not prove his existence to every person on earth.
The topic of authority is a valid one. If God proved himself to me right now, I would not respect him or his authority over me IF he was the Abrahamic god as holy books describe him. I expect a being with so much power to have a better moral system than I do as a starting point. And the being described in the bible is neither benevolent nor good.
The evidence of God being plentiful and all around us is also laughable. The existence of reality being proof of the existence of a god is backwards and idiotic. Assertions of adequate evidence are absurd. These people don't understand how evidence works.
The question assumes knowledge of God. In fact, it assumes thatnGod can be known, which might be fallacious. That which can be known aka knowledge belongs to the realm of humans but there are things that are beyond knowledge such as friendship and love. No one can know them. They can only be experienced by falling into them.
If you are hypothesize God to be like that ,your question would become invalid. If you don't, you would end up making your own God, which is nothing but your own knowledge of what you conceptualize as God
You probably have never loved anyone, which won't surprise me. I went to college in the south. Most Christians had no real friends. They had 0 social skills. Most were depressed and suicidal as a result.
The worst: they had no humility so I couldn't teach them anything. I was able to help only one guy, who eventually started distancing himself from the cult he was a part of
