need answer

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trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#61
Hi all,

I recently joined the forum. I am not christian. Someone here told me only Christians will go to heaven. Why is that so? I believe Jews(not all) and Muslims also believe in heaven. Why only Christians will go to Paradise?

Because it is not about the faith in the existence of God or in the existence of heaven,
Salvation lies in the forgiveness of sins.
Forgiveness of sins can be received by the faith in the death of Christ on the cross and in his ressurection.
Why? Because it was the cross where Christ paid for our sins.
 
Mar 27, 2016
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#62
Full version.

God is perfect, and therefore, righteously demands perfect from his creation.

He gave us a set of laws (more than the Ten Commandments, but the rest are mostly case studies for the Ten Commandments) that defines perfect. And then Jesus (who is God) gave the shortened condensed version of those laws.

Mark 12:
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

That's the whole shebang of what God righteously wants from us.

Can't do it or won't do it? It's a won't with a certain amount of can't involved.

Now if you can't help but steal something from a store, do you think you deserve to be let go? Or do you think you deserve your punishment? How about if you hurt someone? The laws are established already and if you break them, you deserve the punishment.

Same deal with God. Break his law (and notice the laws I mentioned are always in civic/criminal law and God's law, because it's just not right), and you deserve punishment. Any law, even once. You have. We all have. The punishment is separation from God, death, and hell. Every single one of us deserves just that.

BUT, God is also gracious, loving, and compassionate. So, in his same law he made a law that no one ever does. If you rob a bank, and I never have, I can take your punishment for you. Robbing a bank would cost you ten years, but I can take on your ten years for you. You know that part of Gods law when you hear the words "scapegoat."

Real thing, really is part of God's law, except not one of us merely broke one law, and there aren't many who haven't broken any of the laws we broke right down the list. As for not breaking all the laws? Only one came to earth to do that. His name is Jesus.

One better -- he became the scapegoat for some who don't deserve it.

So God in full righteousness, full glory, full graciousness, and full love died that whosoever will believe will live, come back to God, and avoid hell.

No one -- not one single person other than Christ ever in the entire race of men -- can do that for others but Christ.

Unfair? It seems unfair to Christ but he's the one who wrote that law, so even that's not unfair. And the only price we pay is to trust God. (He's trustworthy, so worth it.)

So, yeah, only believers in that God (the only God) go to heaven and get to spend eternity with God.

So, want that? He's offering. He's offering a whole bunch more than that, since once saved from what we rightfully deserve we honestly are no longer separated from God. If you don't accept that and trust him, sure, you, along with everyone else who refuses to trust him, get what you deserve -- separation from God, death and hell. It's got nothing to do with believing in heaven. Anyone who doesn't want to imagine becoming worm food after death tends to believe in a heaven.

Besides, what do you imagine heaven is other than eternity with the God you're not happy with simply because he doesn't accept everyone into the place he lives?

To think heaven is anything but eternity with God is something like being handed over a huge magnificent estate complete with original owner being the prime occupant and rule maker. You want the estate, but minus the occupant, his rules, the ground, the buildings, the air, the furniture, and everything else on that estate. You're offered a grand slab of real estate occupied by the Creator of the Universe. If you don't want the Creator, why would you want the real estate? That's who's there -- GOD! It doesn't become whatever you imagine. It's a real place and it's all about God.

(My dad has this strange concept that heaven is his eternal vacation plan where he spends eternity visiting every planet in the universe. I told him that's not it. He spends eternity with God. That reality changed his mind on wanting heaven. Scary thought. Dad really is the smartest of us and yet can't catch this basic idea! It's certainly not brains that saves.)
Then we are the one who must suffer right? Why someone else is punished for out faults!! Judge can either give punishment or forgive the accused. Where does he bring an innocent and punish him for crime he never committed ??
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#63
There is no more 'logical reason'. That is what Christians believe and why we believe it. The wages of sin is death. The Truth is that Jesus Christ is the only Way because He is the only One who has the Life you need
There is no more logical answer, but one of the things that bothers me, (a lot more often lately, but related to people in the medical field), is when people give out a well-known idiom for a special-interest group that no one outside of that special-interest group understands.

We understand Jesus is the way, but how does someone who doesn't know Jesus understand that yet?

Kind of like hubby's doctor telling me, "His blood test came back. He has 700."

700 what? (I still don't know 700 what. I just know what numbers he's supposed to have.) She knows what 700 means. All the nurses, staff, and I think their Uncle Louie knows what 700 means. We don't! So telling me he has 700 isn't helpful or means anything to me, just like Jesus is the way doesn't mean anything to nonbelievers.

Sometimes we have to remember what it was like before we believed, and talk like that. Both ways are logical, but we have to make sense to the hearer.
 

Budman

Senior Member
Mar 9, 2014
4,153
1,998
113
#64
Then we are the one who must suffer right? Why someone else is punished for out faults!! Judge can either give punishment or forgive the accused. Where does he bring an innocent and punish him for crime he never committed ??

God's standard for salvation is absolute perfection - in thought, word, and deed. To be as perfect as He is.

We can never reach that mark on our own. We would have to have never sinned.

God is willing to forgive, bur not at the expense of His righteousness. He's not just going to "wink" at sin. The punishment for sin is death. Physical, and spiritual. Our own physical deaths are proof positive we are all sinners. But the far worse of the two is spiritual death; eternal separation from God in hell.

Jesus satisfied God's justice by taking our sins upon Himself, and paying the penalty for us, so that we could be reconciled.

I think Ray Comfort said it best when he said it's like we were in court, the judge pronounces us guilty, and levels a fine on us we cannot pay. Jesus walks in, pays our fine for us, so now we can walk out of court free people.
 
D

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Guest
#65
I think most people don’t understand what heaven is. I believe heaven is what our lives turn into when we repent of our sin. Here are two scriptures that evidence that:

[19] Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
[20] This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it. Psalm 118:19-20 RSV

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt 4:17 RSV

Therefore, anybody can go to heaven. All they have to do is repent of their sin.
And again, my husband has 700! Since there is so much more to what you wrote that even I, (who am a part of the special-interest group/Christians), don't understand this. If a believer can't understand it, what was the purpose in telling a nonbeliever this? It means nothing to anyone but you. (And I strongly suspect had you filled this out more, it would have made sense, but explanatory steps were missed.)
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,782
2,952
113
#66
I know the Muslims believe people will be raised from death on Judgement day. And they also believe in Jesus. We can't verify the history but now we can analyse the teachings and logic !!
Yiou can talk about "logic" all you want. But in the end, believing in Jesus Christ is a "heart" matter, not a head one.

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

I studied all the religions of the world before I was saved. I read the "holy" books, I meditated with Buddhists, I danced with Sufis, I studied with Bahai's. I ate with and took courses from Hindus. Then I started reading the Bible, because my grandmother was a Christian.

I studied Science in University by day, drank in the bars at night. When I got home I would read the Bible, and put circles and question marks all over the margins and the pages.

Then Jesus spoke to me one night, when my future husband was telling me my big issue was I needed to repent of my sins. Jesus said, "I am God, and you will serve me and worship me. And I am your Saviour." This was the kind of voice you just obeyed! I repented of my drinking, I have never had another drop in 35 years. I also realized Jesus was the Saviour of the whole world, to those who believe and repent of their sins.

When I went home after that night that Jesus spoke to me, I picked up that Bible I had been reading, and I had the answer to all my questions - it was because I had met the author of the book!

So now I am a pastor, I study the Bible in the original languages, and I read it in English daily, too! I proclaim loudly that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour. I realized one day, that what God said to me that night, was John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life."

You are stumbling on the block about the deity of Christ. Jesus is God's only begotten Son, and he was the sacrifice for sin. You say you know Jews - but do they know the Bible? Do they know how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled, and that the chance of anyone else fulfiiling them is none? Because the Messiah must be of the line of David. Because the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 AD, and all the genealogical records, the Messiah had to come before that time. That is why both Matthew and Luke lay out the lineage of Jesus - Luke is for Mary's line, and Matthew for Joseph's line. Why Joseph? Because he was Jesus earthly father.

Here is something for you to read . It says there are 353 prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Jesus. I have heard there are more, but this is a good list to start with. Maybe more logical for you?

AccordingtotheScriptures.org :: 353 Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#67
Bingo.

We have a winner.

Without the ingredient of Adam,the second Adam makes no "sense"

I never lead someone to Jesus without the Adam dimension.

Religions have no remedy for Adam's fall and curse.

Muhammed,budda,and all the rest,have no remedy,and no living savior.

They all with out fail require "do"

Christianity requires faith in a living God,and no works for the new birth.

Christianity is a person.

That person says, DONE !!!

RELIGION ALWAYS EQUALS DO.
JESUS EQUALS...DONE

So awesome!!

None other comes close by a million miles.

Jesus is the genuine. The champion.

All others are cheap worthless fakes. So sad man is so duped.
Not really. "freewill" has nothing to do with the gospel message.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#68
You really asked the wrong question. Why would a God of justice allow anyone to go to heaven?
DanishDenmark, I've been reading all the answer you have been given on this is as far as I've gotten so far.

Got to be truthful here -- you're getting a lot of crappy answers mixed in with true answers. But, up until here, even the true answers won't help you, because you don't know our lingo yet. (I am going with you're not a troll, so you are sincere.)

But Chuck here? He's right on. He is asking the better question. Why does God let anyone in his heaven? None of us deserve it.
 
D

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Guest
#69
The first part i agree with you. Only one religion is right. That is why i am here to know of Christianity is right or any other religion !! Lets see how it goes :)
Pfft, not for nothing. But to figure out what religion is right is like trying to figure out which politician is right. I start with the assumption that all of them have some right and some wrong in them. So, isn't it easier to figure out what is right, rather than who represents right the best?

Start with what you know is right -- God. Then all you have to figure out who he is, instead of which religion represents him best.
 
Mar 27, 2016
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#70
Yiou can talk about "logic" all you want. But in the end, believing in Jesus Christ is a "heart" matter, not a head one.

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

I studied all the religions of the world before I was saved. I read the "holy" books, I meditated with Buddhists, I danced with Sufis, I studied with Bahai's. I ate with and took courses from Hindus. Then I started reading the Bible, because my grandmother was a Christian.

I studied Science in University by day, drank in the bars at night. When I got home I would read the Bible, and put circles and question marks all over the margins and the pages.

Then Jesus spoke to me one night, when my future husband was telling me my big issue was I needed to repent of my sins. Jesus said, "I am God, and you will serve me and worship me. And I am your Saviour." This was the kind of voice you just obeyed! I repented of my drinking, I have never had another drop in 35 years. I also realized Jesus was the Saviour of the whole world, to those who believe and repent of their sins.

When I went home after that night that Jesus spoke to me, I picked up that Bible I had been reading, and I had the answer to all my questions - it was because I had met the author of the book!

So now I am a pastor, I study the Bible in the original languages, and I read it in English daily, too! I proclaim loudly that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour. I realized one day, that what God said to me that night, was John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life."

You are stumbling on the block about the deity of Christ. Jesus is God's only begotten Son, and he was the sacrifice for sin. You say you know Jews - but do they know the Bible? Do they know how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled, and that the chance of anyone else fulfiiling them is none? Because the Messiah must be of the line of David. Because the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 AD, and all the genealogical records, the Messiah had to come before that time. That is why both Matthew and Luke lay out the lineage of Jesus - Luke is for Mary's line, and Matthew for Joseph's line. Why Joseph? Because he was Jesus earthly father.

Here is something for you to read . It says there are 353 prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Jesus. I have heard there are more, but this is a good list to start with. Maybe more logical for you?

AccordingtotheScriptures.org :: 353 Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
JesusJesus spoke to you literally?

If you studied all religions, tell me what do Muslims believe about Jesus, how many gods are there in Hindu religion, is Buddha god according to Buddhists?
 
Mar 27, 2016
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#71
Pfft, not for nothing. But to figure out what religion is right is like trying to figure out which politician is right. I start with the assumption that all of them have some right and some wrong in them. So, isn't it easier to figure out what is right, rather than who represents right the best?

Start with what you know is right -- God. Then all you have to figure out who he is, instead of which religion represents him best.
True that. Its simple to know what is right. Only One religion is true because all religions contradict !! One religion from God, rest is man made !
 
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Guest
#72
I believe no living saviour is needed, God himself can forgive if he wants right?
So it's okay if I rob you of everything you own and everyone you love? You can forgive me, right? (Why does everyone want God to do it their way when even they aren't willing to do it their way?)
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#73
No doubt history can be changed. There is enough account of Muhammad being prophet of God, so do i believe that ? Best approach is to analyse the teachings of all religions and choose the best & most logical !!
And then the best way to define "sitting" is to research every single chair that exists now and ever existed, then every living thing to determine how they'd sit in each of those chairs, and all in the aim to define sitting? You aren't big on analyzing, are you? Because you picked an impossible task and just told us it's the best approach.
 
Mar 27, 2016
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#74
So it's okay if I rob you of everything you own and everyone you love? You can forgive me, right? (Why does everyone want God to do it their way when even they aren't willing to do it their way?)
Yes, it's up to me to decide if I want to forgive you or not ! If u wrong any person, then you need pardon from both the victim & God. If victim forgives, so will God I think !
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#75
If that makes more sense, why not ??
Ut oh. I just got the first definitive whiff of deceit.

If you aren't even willing to be honest about what you believe, I just became suspicious of your motives for being here.
 
Mar 27, 2016
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#76
And then the best way to define "sitting" is to research every single chair that exists now and ever existed, then every living thing to determine how they'd sit in each of those chairs, and all in the aim to define sitting? You aren't big on analyzing, are you? Because you picked an impossible task and just told us it's the best approach.
There are no millions of religions !! That's irrelevant comparison !
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#78
And again, my husband has 700! Since there is so much more to what you wrote that even I, (who am a part of the special-interest group/Christians), don't understand this. If a believer can't understand it, what was the purpose in telling a nonbeliever this? It means nothing to anyone but you. (And I strongly suspect had you filled this out more, it would have made sense, but explanatory steps were missed.)
I quoted two Bible verses that back up what I say. It isn’t a secret. I appreciate the fact that you give me some credit, though.
 
Mar 27, 2016
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#79
Ut oh. I just got the first definitive whiff of deceit.

If you aren't even willing to be honest about what you believe, I just became suspicious of your motives for being here.
Choosing what's right is deciet? It's a simple question ! I go with what makes most sense be it Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism etc. I am not a blind follower !!
 

trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#80
Yes, it's up to me to decide if I want to forgive you or not ! If u wrong any person, then you need pardon from both the victim & God. If victim forgives, so will God I think !

Christianity teaches, that all sins will be forgiven except the one - unbelief in the Son of God. That is the "decisive" sin. Because it defines your place before God