Is it the Christian Thing to Say
I am sure most of you have hear the phrase..."You can't be a Christian if"...followed by what the religious accepted wrongs are.
You can't be a Christian if;
You don't go to Church.
You belong to that religion.
You don't believe the Bible is infallible and error-less.
You have not repeated the "sinners prayer."
You are pro-choice.
You are a homo-sexual.
You do not tithe to your Church.
You smoke cigarettes.
You are a prostitute.
You are a drug addict.
You have a glass of wine or beer.
You don't believe in the rapture.
You do not believe in the Trinity.
You do not stand for Christian causes.
YOU CAN"T BE A CHRISTIAN IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF HELL!
The predominately thought pattern of the religionist is...they have it all wrong, but we have it right.
As a Grace believer and a believer in the finished work of Christ and His ability to achieve the purpose of God...I would suggest that:
If you condemn people to suffer in hell fire forever and ever...world without end... and attribute such barbaric,
inhumane action as godly and ordained of God, that you check your heart as to see if it is the teaching of Christ and in line with the characteristics that Christ portrays of His loving Father.
Let me qualify that, if you believe...."I don’t", but most religious believers do...that Hell is a torture chamber where people suffer tortuous agony for the eons of eternity, and you believe it is justified that people DESERVE that fate and you wish that fate upon them, then you fail to understand the work of Christ on the cross and His subsequent resurrection. One thing is for certain, you have not allowed Him to change your heart neither are you aren’t aware of how depraved you were...or...understand the "Amazing Grace" and the unconditional Love God has for people. And if you would wish an eternity of torture in hell's flames on someone else, regardless of the actions a person may commit, you are probably in more in danger of some sort of Hell than any sin of the sinning sinner.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Matt. 23:15
I do not believe in the religious God that is full of hate and damnation for everyone who doesn’t hold a group’s particular denominated understanding of doctrine including the doctrine of eternal punishment in hell. I believe in the loving Father of Jesus, who looked at an unbaptized, condemned criminal on a cross next to him and said, (without him saying the "sinners prayer") “Today, you’re going to be with me in paradise.” The Jesus who told the people that the Samaritan (who believed all the wrong things) was doing a better job of following the command to love than the pious religious zealots were doing (who as far as they were concerned had “right” doctrine). The real Jesus is not a Jesus of your imagination or your own making...but, you know...the Jesus of the Bible, the one who said, "love your enemies", the one who set no limit on forgiveness.
God receives no glory in the “eye for an eye religion” of the post cross era. There is no inspiration in religious retribution and vengeance...there is only more hatred and death. As offensive a sinning-sinners actions and sins may be, it is mercy...forgiveness...grace...and love that inspires people to turn to God. People cheering the fate of the bad people's death...People crying out for the death penalty... People demanding a quick entrance of the sinner to an eternity in the torture chamber of hell...are NOT the actions of a people who forgives and loves as Jesus does. These actions are the actions of people who don’t understand the Amazing Grace of our Loving Father God or don’t remember that they have received forgiveness, grace and mercy because of God's compassion and love.
In light of the words of Jesus..."the way that you judge others will be the way you will be judged and you will be evaluated by the way you evaluate others." This should give the judgement condemning gospel hearlders, much cause for great concern.
The Gospel is good news...not bad news
You say and I quote:
ReplyDeleteI believe in the loving Father of Jesus, who looked at an unbaptized, condemned criminal on a cross next to him and said, (without him saying the "sinners prayer") “
It is true the man on cross with Christ did not pray what we call the sinners prayer but he said another prayer which was just as effective. He said Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
It is not our job to condemn people to hell. It is Christ who makes that decision at the judgement day.
He will say to those on His right hand where to go and those on His left hand where to go.
Our job is to warn the wicked and leave results to God.
Let's let the grace preacher Paul settle the matter for us. Here is Paul's warning.
Hebrews 9:27King James Version (KJV)
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Acts 18:5-6King James Version (KJV)
5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
Here Paul warns them that he is free from their blood referring to Ezekiel where it says if we fail to warn wicked their blood will be required at our hands. But Paul was saying that there was no blood on his hands because Paul warned them.
2 Peter 3:17 even warns saints about falling.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
So eventually it is Christ who decides who have given heed to the warning.
Christ is coming back to reward the righteous and destroy those that would destroy the earth.
Revelation 11:18King James Version (KJV)
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.