truthseeker....you have very interesting points, but to be honest I am unsure of your "unsureness" about your salvation...can you elaborate, like your profile states spiritual status as unsure and you don't identify yourself as being Christian.
1) Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords?
2) Do you believe that He was sent from YHWH God to be sacrificed for mankind's sin, died and was resurrected the third day, ascended to Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of YHWH God interceding for those who believe and follow His commandments?
I'll try to clear it up for you. I don't call myself a christian because christianity as a whole is polluted with the doctrine of men. It's not that I'm unsure of my salvation, I just don't believe that anyone is saved in the way christians use the sense of the word. To 1 and 2 I DO WHOLEHEARTEDLY BELIEVE THOSE STATEMENTS TO BE TRUE! I just desire more than the "cliches" of Christianity. I prefer to call myself a bible believer.... Let me give you and example. I say I don't believe that anyone is saved right now. You, being a christian, would reply with the typical christian cliche of Romans 10:9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. To most christians, that's pretty clear cut. But for me I ask is it really that simple? What does that statement mean in the context of the Bible. Christians tend to take a verse out of context then lay it bare to naked interpretation without the verses of the chapter it came clothed with. So when you read on later in the chapter starting at vs 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. So now I ask who are preachers that sent? Ecc.12.9-10
9And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth., and bring glad tidings of good things! Jer.3:14-15: Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. Ps.111: 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. Now I understand how to discern a preacher who is sent. but what commandments of Jesus should I follow? Matt.14:35-40: Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Now I ask what is love? Is it that warm fuzzy feeling you get towards someone or is it something more? John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. Is this commandment different from the old testament? Deut10:12-13: And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Jn.15:1-10: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Now that clears up alot but let's back up. Jn.13:33: Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. Paul talks about love in Romans 13:8:
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. But did they Not hear this in the old testament? Lev 19:18:
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. 1Jn 2:1-10 expands further about love in the bible: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.... So to Know him is to keep his comandments. To keep his commandments is to abide in His love! Now I see WHICH
Jesus to call upon to be saved! But what happens to those who DON'T use this method to call on the name of the Lord. Proverb 28: 4-9:
They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
5Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
6Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
7Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.
8He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
9He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Now be honest with yourself. How many christians you know that really understand how to call on the name of the Lord?
