If you are a non-believer in Jesus and HAVE heard the gospel, could you please?

Question

speak up here and say so? what is your understanding of it? (there's a method to my madness, I promise)

I'm sorry that happened to you, Sho. I promise you'll see in my next question what I am attempting here. It'll be worth it.

Ok to be more specific, what is the salvation message?

Answer 1

Basically the salvation message is simple.

Supposedly there is a god that wants you to acknowledge and serve it.

However because of original sin humans are not worthy to be subservient to god. Therefore if things remain unchanged god will torture you forever.

In order to fix this problem god decided to torture his son for a few hours by arranging to have him killed by crucifixion.

Since god has had his bloodlust sated he is now willing to not torture you forever provided you recognize that Jesus was tortured in your place. If you do this you get to spend all eternity bowed down groveling before this supposed god.

Nice guy eh?

Answer 2

I have heard it. I do not have a full understanding of it, but I do not believe what I do understand.

*I do not believe that the Earth and the Heavens were created in seven days.
*I do not believe man was formed from clay and the breath of God.
*I do not believe that Adam and Eve were real. Thus I do not believe in the original sin, thus I do not believe Jesus is the savior.


There are a lot of things I do not believe that are in the Bible. Although honestly there is also a lot that I do not understand. Unlike a lot of Atheists I do not know the Bible very well. The Bible is very difficult for me to understand, and I get frustrated when I read it because it makes no sense to me. Every time I ask a question regarding a passage people tell me I read it in the wrong context, or a word means something other than what is written. They just need to make a Bible that is in context with the correct translation and something that everyone agrees with then I would be much happier to try to learn from it. I do not like cross referencing for hours.

Answer 3

Once again, you need to be more specific about the understanding of it. My understanding of it is that it is fiction.

If you are looking for what I think it means, or what I think salvation is as laid out in the gospels, that is another subject entirely.



Okey dokey... the salvation message is an area of great debate among Christians.

The Bible says that you must believe Jesus is who he says he is. John 3:16 and all that.

Some Christians believe in "Once saved, always saved," but this is not biblical. Some think that all you have to do is accept Jesus as your Savior, and this is likewise not biblical.

Jesus talks to a rich man (don't know the verse) about salvation. He tells him in so many words that following the Ten Commandments is not enough, that he must give up his riches and follow him.

So, for salvation, a person must give up all they own over to the use of God - everything they have, everything they are.

Then, the gospels talk about forgiveness. If you don't forgive, you won't be forgiven.

Therefore, accept Jesus all you want - if you die having not forgiven someone, you're screwed. Matt 18:23-25

Then, Jesus talks about feeding him when he is hungry, giving him drink when he is thirsty, taking him in though he was a stranger, clothing him when he was naked, visiting him when he was sick, coming to see him when he was in prison. Matt 25:31-44

He says that what you have done to the least of these, you have done it to him. He then says that if you have not done these things for others, "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

So, if you have ever seen a hungry person and not fed them, a thirsty person and not given them something to drink, etc etc etc, you have lost your salvation, and must repent and start over.

So, basically - believe and accept Jesus, forgive, and give to others what they need every time they need something, and regardless of the danger it might involve - because after all, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?"

But, like I said - fiction, so it's a moot point.

Answer 4

Hi Kallan!

I'm a non-believer, or really I'm more of a skeptic. I grew up as a Southern Baptist, was baptised, and attended church regularly until I was about 10 years old. I remember being 5 and asking to get "saved" again because I wasn't sure if I got saved ENOUGH the first time and I didn't want to go to hell. I was told that I had to accept Jesus as my saviour, and that I had to believe and even at 5 I was asking "how do I know if I believe? and how can I love Jesus? I never even knew him?" lol I was just skeptical from the get go. It's a part of who I am and believe me, I've TRIED to believe, but I just don't. Conversely, I don't absolutely DENY the existance of God either. I just don't know, and I'm fine with that. You're classic Agnostic. My boyfriend though is staunchly Catholic, and I'm happy that he is strong in his faith and it makes him happy. He wishes I was more faithful, but if figure that if there is a God, she made me the way I am for a reason, so I'll just keep being who I am and believing the way I do until something changes.

Answer 5

I got the Catholic version, which was more centered around *behavior* than belief. They really didn't care whether or not you believed what they taught you, as long as you played by the rules and respected the authority of the clergy. Basically, it said that we were all born with original sin, but baptism washed it away. Much was made of Jesus' crucifixion (the Stations of the Cross), which was described in minute detail to us (first graders). You were supposed to feel sorry for Jesus and grateful that he died for your sins. If you had lived a sin-free life (which shouldn't have been necessary if Jesus died for my sins), obeyed the rules, and died with a clean slate (confession, last rites, etc.) or had recently confessed your sins, you'd go to Heaven. If not, you went to purgatory, where you wait to be judged. If you a baby died and wasn't baptised, it went to limbo; otherwise, it went to heaven, which is why my mother didn't take me out of the house until I had been baptised.

Evidently, there's a big book outside the gates and St. Peter is the doorman. If you're not on the list, you don't get in. It's kind of like Studio 54 (although Studio 54 didn't have a list, Steve Rubell just decided arbitrarily who got in and who didn't). So anyway, if you don't get in, down to hell you go. Hell, of course, involves the "wailing and gnashing of teeth", which is all I heard about for several years while I went through Catholic school.

What I derived from this is the understanding that there is a big book somewhere, where all of my actions and sins and good deeds are written down to be used as evidence in the big afterlife gate trial. Why? If "believing" is enough to get you into Heaven, why the book? Why the waiting room? Why the Rapture? Why the need to judge anyone? Hmmm.

I decided that it was all a big, fat lie, although I still like the concept of that big book. If that book exists, I've got a lot of good stuff written about me in there, and I'm proud to say that. If Heaven exists, and I'm not "saved" because I was an atheist, I don't want to be saved.

Answer 6

I believe that Jesus was a good man. He was a teacher. He taught about enlightenment, NOT salvation. Many theologians believe that he must have studied with the Buddha because their teachings are so similar.

I believe that most souls cross over. Religion has nothing to do with it.

I believe the bible is hate filled fiction. Men wrote that book and more men altered it to instill fear in the weak minded. They desired to control the masses and collect their money.

Paul was a homophobe. The catholic church, most specifically Pope Gregory is responsible for the lies that are in the bible. There are many paths to God. He does not care which path you take, or if you take no path, to Him.

I believe that god does not care about a person's sexuality. He is not the jealous monster depicted in the bible.

Answer 7

I have heard of Jesus, and the "Good news".

I find that the more I learn about it, the more the Gospel sounds like mind control for wayward shepherds.

To me, the salvation message is this: There is only one way, and it's never crystal clear exactly what that way is, something about accepting Jesus, and then some other things that are up for argument and interpretation.

Answer 8

The gospels are anecdotes and parables told centuries ago to illustrate a point or teach a lesson. Anyone that believes that Jesus literally cured the blind with a touch, fed thousands with 5 loaves of bread, or was born to a virgin (at least our idea of a virgin) should keep in mind these are stories told by ordinary men prone to exaggeration and grand-standing just like you or I. You may write in your blog that your friend ate a ton of shrimp at the Red Lobster last night or drove a 1000mph in a blizzard on the way home, that does not make him a miracle-worker.

Answer 9

The story just has to many holes in it to be true and factual, I am a catholic and I understand the Gospels vary well, in fact it reminds me of the stock market brokers, they say the same thing trust in it but it always crashes, the Gospels are only hear say to, man has always been from his creation able to talk with God, and he never needed the Gospels to do so, we have always been spiritual beings having a human experience, it's never had anything to do with Jesus or the bible that was written for mans need to control, God never put man on earth to control him, he simply gave him life to experience, and that's the true Gospel.

Answer 10

have faith it or no longer, it rather is obtainable to have study the Gospels and not 'have faith' that Jesus is the Messiah. i've got study the full Bible, yet that does no longer mean i've got faith each understand it rather is a fact. I study the newspaper and books each and all of the time, and that i do no longer think each little thing I study, the two. that is impossible to interpret the full Bible as fact - it contradicts itself consistently! the topic that's no longer clever it rather is why do you think of that folk won't be able to admire and understand the training of Jesus till they have faith he's Messiah? maybe you're able to open your heart to the thought that there is extra advantageous than one thank you to be a solid individual, and you do no longer could be a follower of Jesus to be one.