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Hebrews 10:11
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."
2 Thessalonians 2
"who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God."
The evidence of repentance and a changed life were always the true mark of salvation, shown by our love for our neighbor. But many Christian preachers say that salvation is achieved through saying a Magic Prayer once and for all. These same preachers don't even serve their fellow men, and at least the Hebrew priests were standing and serving in that small way, and the people they were serving had hopefully repented. But all that some Christian preachers today do is simply tell you to say this special prayer and you too will be saved. Then, your next command is to send them a part of your income so that they can continue taking this message out to others. The message of the Magic Prayer.
The evidence of repentance and a changed life were always the true mark of salvation, shown by our love for our neighbor. But many Christian preachers say that salvation is achieved through saying a Magic Prayer once and for all.
Teachings about a once and for all conversion experience are usually more nuanced than that and include the idea that the evidence that the experience is genuine will in fact be a "changed life". The problem is that it's basically impossible to prove that any believer would have been morally inferior without god, or that any unbeliever would be morally better with god.
Moral judgments are subjective in the first place, and in the second place, most theists and many atheists were as they are from birth and it's unclear whether their goodness is innate or externally bestowed.
Meanwhile, for every late convert that religion can claim where the person disavowed a life of crime and debauchery for a moral existence, irreligion can claim a deconvert whose morality remained unchanged or improved from their days as a theist. And unbelievers can legitimately point out all the evils that have been done in the name of religion over the ages (think: The Inquisition, the excommunication of Galileo, etc.) with far more justification than theists can connect, e.g., Stalin's purges to atheism.
Plus, theists will be hard pressed to find actual examples of people who turned to debauchery and crime when leaving theism, although, even when they do, one has to wonder if theism merely suppressed a fundamentally blighted personality rather than actually providing or sustaining a positive nature. Which begs the question of whether repression of immoral impulses is all that's going on. Repression and suppression are very different from actually bestowing a new nature or making a person a "new creation". Even Paul admits this alleged new nature does not naturally flow, but that there is an unending struggle between one's will and one's impulses. Sounds like he's describing the human condition that we all participate in, with or without theism in the picture.
Hebrews 10:11
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."
2 Thessalonians 2
"who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God."
The evidence of repentance and a changed life were always the true mark of salvation, shown by our love for our neighbor. But many Christian preachers say that salvation is achieved through saying a Magic Prayer once and for all. These same preachers don't even serve their fellow men, and at least the Hebrew priests were standing and serving in that small way, and the people they were serving had hopefully repented. But all that some Christian preachers today do is simply tell you to say this special prayer and you too will be saved. Then, your next command is to send them a part of your income so that they can continue taking this message out to others. The message of the Magic Prayer.
You confuse televangelists with the local pastor/priest. I suspect, purposely.
You confuse televangelists with the local pastor/priest. I suspect, purposely.
I guess my question is, what is the purpose of this type of religion? Does "spreading the gospel" really just mean telling others about the 4 spiritual laws? So that they can go out and tell their friends? And so on. And so on.
I think there has got to be more to the faith than this. Maybe "spread the gospel" just means to obey Jesus's commands. It is an act of worship, since we find God in other people. That is essentially how Jesus has defined humanity, as being children of God. Does that not make sense?
I guess my question is, what is the purpose of this type of religion? Does "spreading the gospel" really just mean telling others about the 4 spiritual laws? So that they can go out and tell their friends? And so on. And so on.
I think there has got to be more to the faith than this. Maybe "spread the gospel" just means to obey Jesus's commands. It is an act of worship, since we find God in other people. That is essentially how Jesus has defined humanity, as being children of God. Does that not make sense?
Mankind is made in God's image, but through sin Man has marred that image. We are now a fallen race naturally enemies of God and children of Wrath. Once one "calls upon the name of the Lord to be saved" out of their heart (not with their lips; God knows the heart) one is "made alive" through the new birth receiving Christ's Holy Spirit being "born again".
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our manner of living in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
One must be made a child of God through the new birth. If one has not come to Jesus Christ for salvation receiving His Spirit, they are children of the Devil fulfilling the desires as their Father. Everyone, including true Christians at one point in their life, are/were of their father the Devil. Therefore we all deserve God's Justice. Those Saved by Jesus Christ simply have received what they do not deserve. This is God's Grace.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
1 John 3:9-11
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not practice sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot continue in sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
When one comes to the Person of Jesus Christ (not the religious system of Christianity), the individual is given God's unmerited forgiveness through His Grace giving the person what they don't deserve, life and reconciled fellowship with Him (the source of all life). The new Man gets a new heart. One that desires to obey the will of God. The heart of a born-again Christian is manifest in repentance and faith as God conforms the individual in time to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The only thing Christians will be boasting about in Heaven is God's kindness shown toward them through Christ Jesus through His sacrifice. The only merit the Saved have before God's throne is the righteous blood of Jesus Christ poured out for their sins. As all good lies, there is a lot of good truth being told as well. It is as easy as truly asking Jesus Christ for forgiveness, BUT the Scriptures are clear if there is a true conversion through His Spirit there will be evidence of a changed life as one is saved "unto obedience". What saves an individual is being clothed in His righteousness through the blood of Jesus Christ by faith in His atoning sacrifice.
Because even if someone accepts Jesus in that way, but there is no change, then his "faith" is actually worthless. Even the demons believe in Jesus.
Love is greater than faith.
Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Galatians 5:19-23 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love boasts not itself, is not puffed up, Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Only through Faith can one receive God's Spirit, and the Fruit (singular in the Greek referring to God's work in the believer) of that faith is Love.
So according to the Bible, true Faith is demonstrated through love.
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