How can I expain this about Christianity to my brother?

Question

I always went to a baptist church, and they taught us that as long as we believe that Jesus died on the cross for us + asking God for forgiveness for our sins, we will be forgiven and get into heaven. WELL my little brother interpreted this to mean you can be as bad as you want but he will still go to heaven because he fulfills the two above criteria. I just want him to be good and have some respect for people. Any advice?

Answer 1

This is how I explain it to my son......"If Jesus wouldn't act like that then you shouldn't either." He is our example to follow. He doesn't expect perfection but he does expect us to try. Best of luck & God bless.

Answer 2

If you are a baptist then he has it correct, but if you are a sabbatarian then no! You see the problem is that if you leave out the law of god then what you have is nothing more than a works program, and no one gets to heaven that way. Study these verses and see if what I am saying is correct or not for your self. Gen 1-3; Ex 20:8-11; Lv 23:3,32; Deu 5:12-14; Ps 111:7,8; Mat 5:17,18; Mark 2:27,28; Like 4:16; Acts 13:14,27,42,44; 15:12; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4; Rom 3:20,31; 4:15,16; 5:13; 6:14,15; 7:7,13; 9:14; Gal 2:17; 3:21; Col 2:14; 1john 3:4; Rev 1:10; 14:7.

Answer 3

Takes more than just believing and asking for forgiveness. It takes repentence of your sin, a turning away from it and being baptized. No wonder your brother is going in the wrong path when he is taught all you need do is believe in Jesus dying on the cross and asking for forgiveness. It leaves out some very important steps. The bible says that even Satan believes and trembles but does that mean he will be in Heaven? Not on your life. You have to repent, turn away from your sin and do as Jesus did, walk as Jesus walked, in purity and grace. If you fall down, you need to ask for forgiveness only when you can honestly say that you resolve in your heart not to do it again as it has really hurt your Saviour, put a nail in his hand so to say or beat his back with a whip. check out the site listed for more help and some studies.

Answer 4

You would need to use an example from the Bible. Hate to use King David, but........ We can see that he was forgiven, but, we can also see he suffered great anguish from his affair with Bathsheba. His first child died and his family later were a pain in the butt. I always wonder if David ever had another happy day in his life after the affair and killing of Uriah. 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. Christians are forgiven, but, you can be assured we can be punished and suffer the consequences of our sins. The more we develop Spiritually the more we gain the Fruits of the Spirit and the Unconditional Love Jesus taught. Galatians 5:22-26.

Answer 5

You are such a nice person and brother/sister. Not so many people feel compelled to save other people's souls. Well somehow he is right because in the New Testament it says we'll not be saved by anything that we do but rather the Lord's Grace will save us. But then if he's convinced that he can do whatever he pleases as long as he believes in Jesus Christ then the Devil has decieved him.

Believing in Jesus Christ and confessing our sins is like a heading. The rest of the things like woship no idols and so forth are sub-headings. You can believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins but as long as you don't love Him with all your heart then I'm afraid you'll be judged according to that. Even the Devil believes that Jesus Christ died for our sins - the only thing that he doesn't do is OBEY. Trust and obey in God of course and if you don't do that you are not far from being used by the Devil. God doesn't ask that much of us only TRUST AND OBEY.

Answer 6

Your brother's position is nothing new: many have believed (and still believe) that God's perpetual grace gives a believer the license to sin. This could not be farther from the truth; in fact, this position comes straight from the father of lies, Satan. Jesus said "he was a murder from the beginning" and this lie certainly kills by preventing salvation.

Paul explained it rather well when he wrote in Chapter 5 of his Epistle to the Galatians: "13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

Paul writes in Galatians 6 that: "7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."

The sad fact is that one who goes on sinning egregiously has not repented of sin; this is an unsaved, Hell-bound person.

You didn't state how old your brother is, but I infer he's not a child. Lovingly suggest to him that he stop acting like one and sit down and read the Bible with him. If he goes on sinning, at least he will have no excuse to believe he's also saved. Maybe he will be eventually and maybe not. Pray for him continuously and fervently.

Peace and love to you.

p.s. -- "Julia," your comments prove you know nothing about Protestant beliefs. Is it difficult to respond with love and respect? If you believe Protestants have a faulty belief system, pose the question. By the way, I used to be a Catholic. I'm proud to say I am now Protestant, though non-denominational.

Answer 7

Strictly speaking, your brother has probably interpreted the Baptist notion of salvation correctly.

This is why the Baptist notion of salvation is inadequate.

Those of us who are Catholic, not surprisingly, understand salvation differently.

We understand it to mean that, while believing in Christ and asking God's mercy are certainly important, they are not sufficient.

In addition to that, we also must continue in God's grace. We cannot depend on a one-time declaration of Jesus as our Savior, all by itself, to save us.

The Catholic notion of salvation squares solidly with the Bible.

Philippians 2:12 -- "You have always shown yourselves obedient, and now that I am at a distance, not less but more than when I am present, you must work out your own salvation, in fear and trembling."

2 Corinthians 5:10 -- "All of us have a scrutiny to undergo before Christ's judgement seat, for each to reap what his mortal life has earned, good or ill, according to his deeds."

Romans 11:22 -- "There is graciousness, then, in God, and there is also severity. His severity is for those who have fallen away; his graciousness is for you, only so long as you continue in his grace. If not, you too shall be pruned away."

These verses -- and others -- demonstrate that a one-time act of accepting Jesus as Savior (while certainly an important first step) is not enough to save us.

These verses tell us that we must carry our faith throughout our entire lives -- and that our actions must reflect that faith as much as possible.

Answer 8

You do good not for your salvation, but you do good because you have been saved. As God's people you must keep yourself holy, but you are human, you are not an angel. You sometime do sins and the sins must be punished but you are saved. The punishment just in the 1000 but in the end you will enter the new earth and the new sky. But if you do not believe in Jesus Christ you ll be punished forever. That the difference.

Answer 9

You missed a step, I grew up baptist too, the part about making Jesus LORD of your life. He doesn't really know Jesus, or believe if he skips that part. You could also tell him that it's not about getting to heaven which really it's not, it's about experiancing God's blessing on earth. It's like when you disobey your parents, you lose out on their protection. Theres is an umbrella of God's protection that he is out from under. Im me if you want more info.

Answer 10

Well, expalin to him- when you get saved by asking Jesus into your heart. You will WANT to be good and do good things. He changes your life and you dont want to sin anymore. Depending on his age, he is not at the age of accountablity if he is under, say, age 12. So it does not matter and he probably doesnt grasp Christianity quite yet. However if he is older, keep showing him how to live right- He will take notice.

Answer 11

well, there is a difference between Salvation and serving God.
first..
Our sin will be judged by God alone, and a decision will be made regarding Salvation. Part of accepting Christ means that we accept Him as truth, and must learn to walk in this truth, otherwise we can rebuke our own salvation, by blatantly serving the enemy, (doing wrong)
God may grant you salvation, as your name is in the book, but you may also find that He is not a pushover, We should not test Him, as He is a just God, He knows our hearts, and when our hearts are wicked, or rebellious, just like any Father, I would imagine that we can expect teachings and disciplines, as we walk through life. If we are not obeying His laws, i believe it will only lead to unrest and discord. Part of serving Christ is that He blesses us on earth as in Heaven, if we are not good, how can we just "expect" HIS goodness, salvation aside.