Christian Living
My Bible tells me of how in the last days, there'll be prophets and teachers who'll say what our itching ears want to hear. I don't want to hear what I've already been hearing! In too many places, I'm hearing Universalist doctrine even from people claiming to be Christian, that says God's a loving God and won't let anyone go to Hell. And whether Hell is the eternal pain and torture and lake of fire, or if it's "only" eternal separation from God, it still won't be pleasant. Apparently, we are to become enlightened and accept that if we believe anyone possibly could perish –against God's Will, it makes our will stronger than God's.
To think God will save everyone makes Jesus' death on the cross and subsequent resurrection of no value whatsoever. My Bible says God doesn't change, so it must have been against His Will that any should perish even before the crucifixion. If we're saved anyway, Jesus didn't need to die at all. If any way to God works, or if not even trying any way to God works to get us there, Why did He bother with the whole Jesus and salvation thing? Why don't we all eat, drink and be merry? After all, according to those teachers, we're all going to heaven anyway.
Yes, I believe God loves us all, unconditionally. I believe He doesn't want to see any of us experience His condemnation. I believe that God does not send anyone to Hell. I also believe that we can elect to ignore Him and make the choice for ourselves. God doesn't send anyone. It's a choice on our parts.
I talked recently with the dad of a prodigal son. Dad misses his son. Dad wants to know his son's OK. Dad wants his son to come home. Dad wants his son to clean up his life. Dad loves his son, but cannot allow his son to live with him while rejecting the ways of Dad and still pursuing the illegal lifestyle. His son chose that lifestyle for himself. That son and I were peers and good friends, but we parted ways. I hurt for Dad as he choked back tears while he told me about his son.
Biblically speaking, the prodigal son left home, squandered his wealth on hedonistic living, and came home and repented. Dad accepted him back. That's often held up as evidence that God won't condemn anyone since Dad, in the parable, didn't condemn his son. What's too often overlooked is that the son came back home. Dad didn't send out a search party, nor did Dad drag him home against his son's will. Dad still loved the son, despite his behavior. It certainly wasn't Dad's will that the son should perish. It was Dad's will that his son live, BUT it was still the son's choice to come home to the Father!
I can't accept the everyone's-saved Universalist philosophy. I believe there's only one way to God the Father; there's only one God and Jesus is part of that one God; there's a Hell; there's condemnation from God; God doesn't send anyone to Hell, nor does He drag anyone to Heaven against his or her will. I guess it's true that we don't need Jesus for eternal life. It depends on where we want to spend it. And I can't change that belief as long as my Bible contains the following Scripture:
One God: Deut 4:39, Deut 32:39, Is 43:10
Jesus is God: Matt 9:2-3, Mark 2:5-7, Luke 5:21, Luke 7:49, Luke 11:31-32,John 1:1&14, John 5, John 8:58, John 12:45, John 14:7-11, John 14:20, Rom 9:5, Col 1:15, Col 2:9, 2 Pet 1:1, Heb 1:8, 1 John 5:7, Rev 1:12-18
There's only one way to God and God doesn't change: Mal 3:6, Matt 11:27, John 3:5, Rom 9:13-26
Hell is Real: Matt 5:29-30, Matt 7:13, Matt 8:12, Matt 13:29,30,42,49,50, Matt 18:8, Matt 25:46, Mark 9:43, Mark 16:16, Luke 3:17, Luke 12:5, Luke 16:23, 2 Thes 1:9, Rev 14:10-11
There are many false-claimants and teachers to "The Way" or "Ways": Judg 17:6, Ps 58, Is 30:10-11, Jer 13:10, Mal 2:17, 2 Tim 4:2-4, 2 Pet 3:16, 1 John 4:1
Please, don't teach unconditional salvation for all mankind. Please don't teach no eternal separation from God. And please don't teach any other route to salvation except through Jesus. James 3:1
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A good piece. God bless you.Amen.
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