Do you care more about helping others in life, or the prize of everlasting life? Isn't the prize greedy?

Question

I asked a question in here previously about following Jesus's example without actually reading the bible and being a christian and I was immediately attacked. I was told 'no, you cannot, because you have to know he died for your sins so you can know him personally'......yea? really? So Jesus only died to remind us forever that he died for us and that he needs to be glorified? Following his example, helping people comes second? Am I missing something here?

I feel it's more or less that these people's personal feelings overstretching their boundaries. In their minds, 'hey, I don't get to do what i want to do because the bible is my guide, no way you get to get away with stuff and get into heaven'. Its rather obvious human nature in my opinion. "If I have to live uncomfortably to get into heaven, so will you." People don't want to watch someone freely and enjoyably do what they are restricted from get into heaven with them, they feel they should be rewarded for their loyalty.

Answer 1

I believe you are correct.

For Christians Jesus taught that the two “first and foremost commandments” are: to love God… and to love our neighbour – even if that neighbour is your enemy! Those two are the basis for ALL OTHER laws. Any interpretations deviating from those two are invalid.

Our WILLINGNESS to obey those TWO laws will give us eternal life. We cannot "BUY" it with "good deeds" but with outgoing compassion and forgiveness toward others, which comes from God who loved us first.

We cannot ask forgiveness or be forgiven if we don't willingly live by those two "first and foremost" commandments.

Answer 2

Well I think perhaps you glossed over the "He died for you" aspect of it. What if a friend saved you from being shot by throwing his body accross yours, taking the bullets intended for you? Would you not feel grateful to that friend? Jesus died for you. That means something. If you refuse to acknowledge that, it doesn't change the fact that He did and just shows a lack of gratitude on your part.

I think I understand what your saying though, if you don't beleive Jesus died for you or that you didn't need saving I could understand where your coming from. But as a christian, how can I have any other view? I DO believe He died for you and I DO believe you need saving. I cannot be less than I am.

To address your second portion....God saying sin is wrong is not just for His benefit.....actually there is no direct benefit to Him at all in that He doesn't "need" us to be happy. He was not incomplete and had divine lonliness only fulfillable by making humans. He was complete and whole without us. But He did choose to make us and He chose to make us with a free will capable of sin. We exercised that free will in a sinful way and paid the price. Death. Separate from God. It is not being "a good person" that gets you to heaven or "being bad" that keeps you out of heaven. You are dead spiritually. What is the cure for a dead man? Being good? No the cure is life. Spiritual life. God cannot give permanent life to a human and ignore His own "just" side. The payment for sin (any sin in thought or deed and only ONE) is death. If God gives life to the dead person who's a sinner, the sinful side of the man will kill the life 5 seconds later. Sin needed to be dealt with first. That's the cross. Sin forgiven. And why was this done? So that God could give you life.

Jesus is the way the truth and the LIFE.

Jesus said, He who has me has LIFE.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not PERISH but have everlasting LIFE.

It's not about the goodies and the baddies. It's about the have's and the have not's. He who has LIFE has it abundantly. So in that, what will keep you out of heaven? Death. What will get you into heaven? LIFE. Where does that life come from ? Christ Jesus.

Answer 3

Dear squid,

There are alot of people who claim that they have the "truth" or the "gospel" but actually have been deceived. The Lord tells us in Galatians 1 to beware of thse who will come with "another" (false) gospel. Satan himself (the father of lies) comes as "an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). To further expound on this point, let us turn to Matthew 7:21-23. God tells us here that many people who BELIEVED they were children of God will actually end up in hell because they never were saved! So you may ask, "What is going on here?"
First, if a person is saved, it is completely the work of God. A person CANNOT DO ANYTHING to earn or merit eternal life. We are ALL rebellious, rotten sinners worthy of hell. However, the Lord in His great mercy determined to save some of these rebels and make them His children. God is no respector of persons. He chose those whom He would save before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-5). Man is spiritually DEAD and cannot hear, let alone obey God's commands. The Lord has to give them a new resurrected heart and ears to hear His word for a person to do God's will. In John 11 and Ezekiel 37:1-14, the Lord shows us that we are DEAD and that He does the whole work of salvation!
After a person is saved, he/she has an overwhelming desire to be obedient to God and His commandments (Pslams 119). This born-again individual (John 3) has a great desire to give the Good News to others. This desire is love for others. This "love" is not like boyfriend-girlfriend love. This love wants the highest good for the other person. The highest good that someone can have is to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Because when a person is saved, regardless of how the rest of his/her life proceeds, they will be in heaven for ever with the Lord Jesus. But as I said before, a person cannot get themselves saved or anyone else. Oh, Christ did not pay for everyone's sins! He only paid for the "elect's" sins (Romans 9).

Answer 4

it particularly isn't any longer how God is in any respect! God is a loving discern. think of approximately it. in case you have a newborn, you place regulations for the youngster. If the youngster breaks the regulations, you punish the youngster, yet whilst the youngster repents, you forgive the youngster. additionally, you do no longer rigidity the youngster to love you or to stay with you at abode. often times, the youngster breaks your heart. often times, your newborn rejects you altogether. It makes you unhappy, yet you nonetheless love your newborn, no rely how plenty the youngster would declare to hate you or reject you. you have an unconditional love to your newborn. God rejects no person. it particularly is the youngster that rejects the loving discern, no longer any different way around. and frequently times the youngster rejects the make certain of lack of understanding, and for this reason there is Purgatory, so as that people who rejected God out of lack of understanding, or who dedicated purely minor sins, or perhaps substantial sins with lack of understanding of their outcomes, would be purified and subsequently attain Heaven. needless to say, confident, all of us have flaws. So does the lump of metallic previously it particularly is examined interior the hearth. confident, we make errors, and we go through for them. The metallic warps interior the hearth and is going the incorrect way, and it could be pounded lower back into shape. whilst the sword smith is done, the metallic is alluring and polished and perfected. whilst God is done with us, we are alluring and polished and perfected. The metallic that refuses stubbornly to yield is tossed into the scrap pile to be thrown away. the guy that refuses stubbornly to yield, knowingly rejecting God, is often separated from Him in Hell.

Answer 5

We don't obey God because we feel like we have to. We enjoy pleasing the most high and holy! God wants us to come to him by ourself making our own desicion that we want to fallow him. If you just don't like living the way christians do, that is fine. But i seriously think that you picture God as a negative person who wants to ruin our lifes, and suck the fun out of everything. And that is the exact opposite of what is true. God loves to see us happy and joyful and dancing. If you don't like my answer, your question is answered in the bible. Look it up.

Answer 6

Jesus made it clear that there are TWO commandments which cover the whole Law of Moses.

The First says "Love God ABOVE all"

The Second says "Love your neighbor as your self".

The First does not exclude the Second.

1 John 4:19-21

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
(from New International Version)

That's a pretty clear statement for Christians.

It is also saying that "loving your neighbor" must include loving God FIRST, since the kind of love we are to have (agape-sacrificial not emotional love )comes from God and can't be practiced without God and the knowledge of His love for us.

Answer 7

Be careful not to set up these two ideas as if they are mutually exclusive. The same God who offers eternal life tells us to love our neighbor. There is no necessary contradiction here. I want eternal life, and I naturally love my neighbor. Is it really "greedy" when we want what is in our best interest? What is the alternative: to want what is worst for us?

Answer 8

its not a prize, it's a gift from god.

helping others is what God's will is, just as Jesus did. It "builds up a heavenly treasure".

The "prize" is not eternal life, it's how good heaven will be for you