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I don't get the bolded part from a logical POV. That's like saying, "If you love her in your heart" and we all know love cannot be forced. One can show outward feelings of love toward a person without actually loving them "with all your heart". In the same way, one can profess to believe and even want to believe but being able to do so in one's heart is a product of conditioning over a lifetime and things like evaluating the research that says "Yea or Nay". How about saying, "Sure, I believe" without actually believing in my heart because I am incapable of doing it?
I used to believe in my heart once that God raised Jesus. I suppose I never really stopped to think about it. This was before the Internet when all the writings and research by skeptical scholars became available.
After reading what they had to say I had to admit to myself that while anything is possible, "Sure it's possible God raised Jesus" it was the lack of concrete evidence and not the words of anonymous writers 50-100 years later who weren't even there to see it, that just made it impossible for me to believe "in my heart" that Jesus actually raised bodily from the dead. "Possible, but not probable", being a deist who believes that God respects natural law and allows it to operate fully. I think it's equally probable that the disciples believed they saw Christ, but again the belief will always be a matter of faith and not any hard evidence.
So am I damned because I would acknowledge Jesus and say "Yes, it's possible God raised him, but I have to go with the evidence that indicates He did not"?
No... you are "damned" because you were never "regenerated".
Keep in mind that DEMONS understand Jesus is the Messiah and was Resurrected...
but none of the demons are "regenerated"...
"believe in your heart" indicates the FAITH OF CHRIST and not some intellectual knowledge...
remember, "regeneration" is not the result of either knowledge or repentance,
instead, (true) knowledge and (true) repentance is the RESULT
of having already been "regenerated".
Your "fruit" exposes you as an (unsaved) "tare/goat" within the "Kingdom of Heaven"
(Christian Kingdom) or worse - as someone OUTSIDE of the "Kingdom of Heaven"...
your "fruit" demonstrates you are not a (saved) "wheat/sheep"...
It's really as simple as that:
Remember, the bible is clear that MOST of the people claiming to be Christian
are really (unsaved) "tares/goats"... and there are only FEW that are real Saints,
there are FEW who are (saved) "wheat/sheep".
No... you are "damned" because you were never "regenerated".
Keep in mind that DEMONS understand Jesus is the Messiah and was Resurrected...
but none of the demons are "regenerated"...
"believe in your heart" indicates the FAITH OF CHRIST and not some intellectual knowledge...
remember, "regeneration" is not the result of either knowledge or repentance,
instead, (true) knowledge and (true) repentance is the RESULT
of having already been "regenerated".
Your "fruit" exposes you as an (unsaved) "tare/goat" within the "Kingdom of Heaven"
(Christian Kingdom) or worse - as someone OUTSIDE of the "Kingdom of Heaven"...
your "fruit" demonstrates you are not a (saved) "wheat/sheep"...
It's really as simple as that:
Remember, the bible is clear that MOST of the people claiming to be Christian
are really (unsaved) "tares/goats"... and there are only FEW that are real Saints,
there are FEW who are (saved) "wheat/sheep".
So you believe that of the 7 billion people in the world, roughly 95% of them are headed for eternal torment in the fires of hell because the are unsaved/unregenerated?
So you believe that of the 7 billion people in the world, roughly 95% of them are headed for eternal torment in the fires of hell because the are unsaved/unregenerated?
LOL... you are hilarious.
I believe what the BIBLE clearly teaches:
There is ONE WAY to be saved and within the "Kingdom of Heaven" (Christian Kingdom)
the vast majority of those calling themselves "Christian" are really unsaved "tares/goats"...
they are really a "child of Satan".
Moreover, those OUTSIDE of the "Kingdom of Heaven" have no hope of salvation...
that includes modern Jews, and Moslems, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and Secular Humanists,
and Atheists, and Pagans, etc. etc. etc.
----
Again... there is ONE WAY to God... and it is the SAME WAY for all 7 billion people on earth.
There is ONE WAY to be saved and within the "Kingdom of Heaven" (Christian Kingdom)
the vast majority of those calling themselves "Christian" are really unsaved "tares/goats"...
they are really a "child of Satan".
Moreover, those OUTSIDE of the "Kingdom of Heaven" have no hope of salvation...
that includes modern Jews, and Moslems, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and Secular Humanists,
and Atheists, and Pagans, etc. etc. etc.
----
Again... there is ONE WAY to God... and it is the SAME WAY for all 7 billion people on earth.
But I am curious as to WHY that surprises you?
The devil is more merciful than this hateful warlord god you believe in.
This god who hates folk even before they are born and then throws 95% of folk into a lake of fire for not believing what you do. Even the pagans love their own and this despicable god you believe in can't better that ?.
There is ONE WAY to be saved and within the "Kingdom of Heaven" (Christian Kingdom)
the vast majority of those calling themselves "Christian" are really unsaved "tares/goats"...
they are really a "child of Satan".
Moreover, those OUTSIDE of the "Kingdom of Heaven" have no hope of salvation...
that includes modern Jews, and Moslems, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and Secular Humanists,
and Atheists, and Pagans, etc. etc. etc.
----
Again... there is ONE WAY to God... and it is the SAME WAY for all 7 billion people on earth.
But I am curious as to WHY that surprises you?
Well, my first reaction when I read a few of your posts was, "We have a live one here, folks---a dyed-in-the-wool, fire-breathing fundamentalist". Sounded like fun at first. But then I "was grieved in my spirit" (to use Biblease) because I saw you are a newbie and didn't have the benefit of all the terrific discussions we've had in here over the last few millennia. So it's like starting over from scratch.
>>>>>>>>>>LOL... you are hilarious.
Oh, I'm a riot. You'll see as time progresses.
>>>>>>>>>>But I am curious as to WHY that surprises you?
Well because I find it humorous and surprising and well....downright revolting all at the same time that a person with no more love for humanity in them than a fencepost could actually believe God is going to fry 6.9 billion people just because they don't conform to your idea of how they should behave.
Ever hear that expression, "There's nothing wrong with me. It's the rest of the world that's condemned!" ? Very apropos.
I have the sneaking suspicion you're an undercover atheist out to have some fun, but we'll see.
Your assertion that there is no hard evidence as a basis for the disciples belief that they saw the risen Jesus is not valid. There has been an abundance of scholarly resurrection studies regarding the historical evidence for the resurrection. I'll post some of them. Whether you choose to read them or not is up to you.
These can be found at Gary Habermases website. Dr. Habermas is distinguished professor and chair of the department of philosophy and theology at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Va., and a recognized authority on the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection studies have been and are conducted by scholars both Christian and secular.
It would be to your benefit to seriously read and digest the information in the articles and in the video's I posted.
The Resurrection of Jesus: a Clinical Review of Psychiatric Hypotheses for the Biblical Story of Easter by Joseph W. Bergeron, M.D. and Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D. Irish Theological Quarterly
The Minimal Facts Approach to the Resurrection of Jesus: The Role of Methodology as a Crucial Component
in Establishing Historicity - Southeastern Theological Review
If you really want to examine the historical evidence for Jesus' resurrection, now's your opportunity. If you don't, then just ignore this post.
Rather than waiting time listening to what Christians declare to be true about Christianity, why not simply turn to the new testament?
[64] Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
The sepulchre proved to be empty, and the disciples began declaring that Jesus had risen from the dead. Who saw the "risen" Jesus? His disciples and only his disciples. So where was this "risen" dead man now? He flew off up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. Who saw the risen dead man fly off up into the sky and disappear into the clouds? His disciples and only his disciples. The first few chapters of Acts in fact is a record of the disciples of Jesus doing EXACTLY what the Jewish priests had supposed they intended to do. They spread the rumor that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. This completely explains the origins of Christianity. Is it a believable story? Well no, of course not. But then what religion is based on a believable story?
Rather than waiting time listening to what Christians declare to be true about Christianity, why not simply turn to the new testament?
[64] Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
The sepulchre proved to be empty, and the disciples began declaring that Jesus had risen from the dead. Who saw the "risen" Jesus? His disciples and only his disciples. So where was this "risen" dead man now? He flew off up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. Who saw the risen dead man fly off up into the sky and disappear into the clouds? His disciples and only his disciples. The first few chapters of Acts in fact is a record of the disciples of Jesus doing EXACTLY what the Jewish priests had supposed they intended to do. They spread the rumor that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. This completely explains the origins of Christianity. Is it a believable story? Well no, of course not. But then what religion is based on a believable story?
The disciples did not steal Jesus' body and then spend the rest of their lives being willing to suffer and even go to their deaths, which at least some of them did, including Jesus' own brother, James who had not believed that Jesus was the Messiah during His ministry, for what they knew to be a lie. Liars make poor martyrs. Nor would a stolen body explain why Paul, who had persecuted the Christians, suddenly became a believer himself.
The idea that the disciples stole the body is one of the proposed naturalistic explanations for the empty tomb which most serious scholars, even agnostic scholars, have never taken seriously. Most scholars who are involved in resurrection studies believe that the disciples had an actual experience of some kind which led them to believe that they had seen the risen Jesus. The question is then, what was that experience? None of the naturalistic explanations work, including the hallucination hypothesis.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 Paul relates what scholars recognize as a pre-Pauline creed or tradition which was circulating orally from the beginning of the church. Most scholars who have studied in this area believe that Paul received this tradition from Peter and James when he met with them three years after his conversion. This means that the tradition itself goes back even earlier. Paul states that on one occasion Jesus appeared to over five hundred people, most of whom were still alive. This means that what Paul had said could be verified by those witnesses to Jesus' resurrection.
But since you regard listening to scholars who are involved in resurrection studies concerning Jesus to be a waste of time, you aren't in a position to offer an informed opinion. All you have are uninformed, subjective feelings on the matter. But the information is there if you change your mind. And if you continue in the mindset that it is a waste of time to listen to what the scholars have to say, then I'll not waste my time trying to convince you.
Rather than waiting time listening to what Christians declare to be true about Christianity, why not simply turn to the new testament?
[64] Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
The sepulchre proved to be empty, and the disciples began declaring that Jesus had risen from the dead. Who saw the "risen" Jesus? His disciples and only his disciples. So where was this "risen" dead man now? He flew off up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. Who saw the risen dead man fly off up into the sky and disappear into the clouds? His disciples and only his disciples. The first few chapters of Acts in fact is a record of the disciples of Jesus doing EXACTLY what the Jewish priests had supposed they intended to do. They spread the rumor that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. This completely explains the origins of Christianity. Is it a believable story? Well no, of course not. But then what religion is based on a believable story?
He was seen by over 500 people after he was roused from the dead. And the apostle Paul met Him on the road to Damascus as well.
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