The entire Jewish faith, out of which Christianity came, and IN which Jesus was fully steeped, is about DOING good.
Anyone who proposes different is simply ignoring a HUGE portion of scripture, both Old and New Testaments.
Here is another of the "faith only" posts of a "christian" evangelical:
Quote:
|
Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter.
|
That was in the online journal of "christian" George Sodini shortly before he walked into a fitness center in a Pittsburgh suburb, shot three women to death, wounded six others, and then killed himself.
Is there any difference between him and a brainwashed Muslim who will kill himself for paradise with his God? It seems like you have to be mentally unstable to believe that, too. Sodini carried our his plan because his pastor told him no matter what he did, he was going to heaven because he had "believed."
Some people need religion to be moral, but does that really make up for all the evil people do in the name of religion?
The very CONCEPT of Heaven without the expression of works in the life of a believer leads to horrible consequences in society.
Quote:
“This guy teaches (and convinced me) you can commit mass murder, then still go to heaven,” Mr. Sodini wrote. “Guilt and fear,” he continued, kept him in the church “for 13 long years until Nov. 2006.”
In his first interview since the shootings, the Rev. Knapp said he is struggling to understand how Mr. Sodini distorted his messages — as well as God’s.
|
Pastor denies Tetelestai Church to blame for killings at fitness center
In other words, the concept appeals to mentally ill people--which Sodini certainly was. While the pastor now states Sodini misunderstood, at least one of the deacons in the church Sodini attended for 13 years claims Sodini is headed to heaven:
George Sodini rests in heaven now because he professed a faith in Jesus years before his shooting rampage, a Tetelestai Christian Church leader said.
Quote:
Jack Rickard, a deacon at the Plum church Sodini attended for years, said the Bible makes it clear that “professing a faith in Jesus as savior means you will have complete eternal salvation.” Rickard, 80, of Indiana, Pa., said Tetelestai members “are firm believers in ‘once-saved, always-saved.'” He said the church, which is in process of moving to New Kensington, focuses on the intense study of Scripture.
Rickard conveyed his belief that Sodini attained eternal life.
|
(same source)
The foolishness of "bible-believers" is that they teach "believe once and forget about it." But Scripture is chock full, literally overflowing, particularly from the words and actions of Jesus that salvation is about both faith AND works. For the first should result in the second or the first NEVER took place.
It is simply irresponsible in the current time frame that people would continue to teach a simply STUPID doctrine without all the ramifications. Further,
it is a doctrine arrived at only by ignoring the totality of Scripture. I suspect there are at least ten or more verses about DOING right for every verse isolated about "faith only."
Only people with an extreme inability to synthesize scripture arrive at such an idiotic notion.
Of course, we've all seen that when it comes to ANY religion, there are plenty of people with idiotic notions--"cause god said it."
I recommend the book
Salvation Is More Complicated Than You Think, by Australian pastor Dr, Alan Stanley, PhD graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary in 2003. The back of the book describes the content as
Quote:
|
an important resource for any Christian seeking to understand what God requires of those on the narrow road to heaven. Pastors and teachers, too, will benefit from a comprehensive biblical theology on salvation in the gospels. If you want to know what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross, to lose your life to follow Jesus, this book is for you.
|
This book originated as Dr. Stanley's doctoral thesis.
Paul, John, and other NT authors did not support the interpretation that a godly lifestyle is an optional response to salvation accomplished.
James: "A person is justified by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:24)
Luke: The Gentiles "should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance." (Acts 26:20)
Hebrews: "You need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." (Hebrews 10:36)
Peter: "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue.....for if you do this....there will be richly provided for you an entrace into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2nd Peter 1:5, 10:11)
John: Those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." (John 3:21)
Further Paul states "the doers of the law will be justified." (Romans 2:13)
Not all works are the same, but not all are opposed to faith. Some works express and COMPLETE faith. Nothing has spiritual value that does not flow ultimately from God as its origin. But the fruit of the Spirit is quite clear: "He who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:8)
But be sure of this, "faith-only" denies the cross Christ called us to pick up. "Faith-only" does not lead to Golgotha. "Faith-only" is the choice of those who do not wish to pay the Cost of Discipleship.
My preaching is done.
My warning is--keep preaching "faith-only" and there will be more George Sodini's arising in the wake. Sodini was not the first, and in 2011, there was a horrible mass murder by a right wing christian--not here in America, but in Norway.
Quote:
The details of the tragic massacre in Norway are shocking beyond words. At least 92 fatalities. Scores of young people gunned down in cold blood. Others seriously injured or missing. Body parts still to be recovered in the bombed out buildings. A nation traumatized and in mourning.
Were these horrific acts the result of an outside terrorist attack? No. Was this the work of Muslim extremists living in Norway? No again. Rather, the bomber and shooter was a native-born Norwegian, a blue-eyed and blond haired vegetable farmer, Anders Breivik, with no prior history of violence. And he has been described as a “right-wing, fundamentalist Christian.” But of course! How long will it be before ominous new warnings are sounded throughout America reminding us of the dangers of “right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity”?
|
Read more at
A Right-Wing, Fundamentalist Christian, Mass Murderer?
Faith not accompanied by deeds is no faith at all.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
