Could someone in the christian community please explain salvation to me, I still don't understand?

Question

How does "Believe that jesus is the son of god or BURN IN HELL" come from a "loving god."

We have no evidence that jesus was a living god, how can someone be punisyhed for all eternity for not believing it?

And if there is no hell, or more than one way to heaven, where does jesus come in?

I know a great many peoplewho believe in god and think that jesus was a great teacher, but don't think he was a prophet or messiah. Will they still get into heaven?

How does a loving, just god take a "my way or the highway" approach with his own flawed creations?

I also don't get this idea of original sin, what if Genesis isn't interpretted literally? No Adam and Eve means no original sin and therefore no inherieted sin.

I keep hearing that god can only forgive sin if you accept jesus, but he's god right? He can do anything?

I have also been told on here that all sins are equal, that being a child molester is no worst than saying "god damn it" or coveting your neighbor's wife

The answers I'm getting revolve around the premise that

Humans are all terrible
God is in charge so he makes the rules
God doesn't have to be fair

Answer 1

Rev,

You raise many questions. Let me touch on a couple of them.

First of all, there are some bad assumptions behind them.
Bad assumptions skew the questions. And leads to answers assumed.

Second, the word "believe" in the bible meanst "trust", "commit to", not just mental assent to certain statements.

The point is, God wants YOU, not just "a nod of the head".

You want to know how a "loving" God can insist on "My way, or the highway" approach. The human race is completely mixed up on what "love" is. Or how serious "sin" is.

A person who takes sin lightly will ALWAYS think of God as being unfair or unloving. We are not just "His flawed creation".
We are persons in complete rebellion to our Creator.

God is Love. (but "love" is not God). God shows His love by being willing to take what He dishes out. He didnt have to.

We may not fully, (or ever) understand what Jesus went through on the cross. We do not know what it must have been like for the Son, who NEVER knowing a moment of seperation from the Father in all of eternity, to be completely cut off from Him, when the sins of the world was laid on Him. (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?).

But it was Love that caused Him to do it.

Now, could He have done it another way? So a person could be "redeemed" without "accepting" Jesus and His work on the cross?. Who knows?

But I can guarantee you, if He DID provide a different way, then people would be whineing and complaining about THAT way to.

You say that you dont understand the idea of "original sin". Well, welcome to the club. You dont have to understand it. I dont either. The point is, you KNOW, and I know, that you ARE a sinner. (and so am I). At this point in history, does it really matter HOW it came to be that way?

We might think its unfair of God to hold something against US that Adam and Eve did. The problem with that kind of thinking is, you know, and I know, that there is really NO way God can ever be unfair. If we THINK He is, then the problem MUST be with OUR thinking. A person does not have to be an Einstein to come to that conclusion. Its "clear thinking 101".

As far as all sins being "equal". They ARE all equal in the sense that ANY one sin will keep a person from the presence of God for all eternity. But Jesus did say that some sins ARE worse than others. So, I assume their is SOME degree of difference of punishments.

Now how one place in hell can be "hotter" than another, I have no idea. I leave it up to God to be perfectly fair about the whole thing.

Last point. People who believe that Jesus was a "great teacher" or something else, do not really believe that Jesus was a great "anything". You cant call someone a "great" teacher and then reject what He taught.

He said He was GOD. Nobody is doing Him any favors by being condensending to Him. You either agree with Him and give Him your LIFE and YOURSELF, or you are in fact rejecting Him altogether.

There is no middle ground.

And lets not worry about "the natives in africa who never heard of Him".

That problem does not EVER pertain to the person raising that point. Lets let God handle that.

The bottom line is:

Man is a sinner. God sent His son to deal with mans sin. It is the method that He has decreed. One either accepts Gods pardon, or one doesnt.

Really, there is no GOOD reason NOT to.



....theBerean

Answer 2

Ill try to take your questions one at at time.

1. God never said that, sounds like it comes from someone who doesnt understand the Bible.

2. Jesus exercised power over nature, and power over physical death. Sounds God like to me. The evidence is there you simply choose not to look, or to ignore it.

3.There is a hell, there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus. You understand that 5+5=10 right. There is only one correct answer in math. In many phases of science there is "only one correct answer". Why do you think it is diffent in Theology?

4.Jesus doesnt leave us the opption of believing he is just a great teacher. He claimed to be equal with God, He is either a liar, a lunatic or He is Lord. A liar and a lunatic dont make a great teacher.

5.God created us and ultimately gives us what we want, a relationship with Him here now and for eternity, or if we choose to reject Him in this life and a life without Him it continues after death.

6. Adam and Eve were the first created Humans, they disobeyed God, that is sin. Since sin entered a perfect world and brought in imperfections, we need a way to become perfect in Gods eyes once again. He has provided a way through Jesus, this is the way He has chosen that suits His need for absolute justice.

7. I believe that sin is sin, period. That murder is no worse in Gods eyes than my pride or selfishness.

Not trying to be blunt or untactfull in my responses, but to answer all completely would take more time than I have.
These dont even begin to scratch the surface of your questions, I understand that. The thing is though my friend, the Bible says that there are "none that are righteous" and "no one seeks after God". Is it possible that you are asking all these questions because you really want to know if God is real? Its quite simple. Ask Him.

Answer 3

He is the Almighty, so He has the power. He is also loving and merciful, and will do the most generous thing He can (limited only by His sense of Justice--He can't just give everyone a free pass--) Once mankind chose to disobey, they separated from the source of life. That is a fact. Parents can't pass to children something they don't have. Therefore each of us is born without eternal life. The way to get it is like a marriage. Take YHVH's name, follow His rules, and you become His "bride" and He will give you life in the end. If you choose not to--- if you choose to remain separate, then you choose to remain in your sins, and sins and sinners will be burned in the purifying fire that cleans this earth so the Messiah can make all things new, and very good.

Answer 4

Dear Rev.C:

Sorry, I'm not one of the C'tians you addressed your question to but it was interesting so I took a peek at the answers. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of slander of Jewish belief in the responses you received that I'd like to set straight for you.

First, the C'tian perception of salvation only through a particular individual, the concept of hell, the belief that mankind is essentially evil, the concept of original sin being inherited, the concept that you won't have a nice reward in the next life if you belong to another religion, (etc.) are all NOT based in Jewish belief. These may have originated in paganism, Zoroastrianism, Roman Mythology or who knows what else but they are not the beliefs of "good" or "knowledgable" Jews of any generation in our entire history.

The other points of illogic in some of the responses you received, such as that the gospels have to be true because some people were very committed to them, I'm sure I don't need to point out to you. They're too obvious to merit the time.

-Glenn O.

Answer 5

1. God knows best, but lets you choose where you belong.
2. Jesus is the key to heaven, reject temptation.
3. No, Jesus would explain it best, read the Bible carefully.
4. Free will the choice of right and wrong. Follow your heart.
5. The only Genesis I know is from the Sega company.
5. Adam and Eve sinned, thus impure and so are we.
6. Religion is confusing, confusion is of Satan. Seek the light.
7. All sin is equal to death; nothing more.

My motto is live by your nature do as God made you. You can't go wrong if you do what you were born to do and think how you were born to think.

God bless and all that cal.

Answer 6

Wow. So much anger.

Jesus says that the "Only way to the Father is through (by) Me."

I participated in prision ministry for several years, and one member gave a quote I love: "I think we'll all be surprised at who makes it into Heaven."

Study the background of Christianity, and you realize Jesus and His followers were giving their lives for something that must be true. After all, Jesus' apostles were devoted, dedicated Jews. To admit that they knew the Messiah was definite damnation, if they were lying, based on their own Jewis beliefs. Something worth considering, and a great consequence, and a serious one, to them.

I can't say for certain who will not get into heaven, but because I've given my life to Jesus - and my actions to try to live accordingly - I'll be in heaven some day.

I hope you'll be there with me.

Answer 7

Sin is much more serious than our culture expects. It is a serious offense against a Holy God. So, God sent Jesus to be our sacrifice for sin....................isn't that loving enough for you? Jesus offers a pardon because he became the living sacrifice for sin. No one has to go to hell.

We don't need Jesus if there is another way to heaven. We do need Him.

We are all sinners. We can all see that in ourselves. No one thinks they are perfect.

All sins are not equal. They are equal only in that any sin will separate you from God..................but some sins are very damaging (incest, murder, etc.) and some are not (white lie, cheating on a test). When people say they are equal, they only mean that any sin will separate you from a Holy God.

Answer 8

God ordained for believers in Christ to be in Heaven,those that choose not to believe to be separated from Him(Hell).And Hell is exact oppisite of Heaven,thus that means instead of peace,there will be torment,suffering,agony,whaling and gnashing of teeth.

In other words, based on what we believed in life and how we led our lives go God will distribute just reward or punisment.


There's only one way to Heaven,through the Father,and the father will only let you in if you believe in Christ.

The Muslims and the Jews primarily fit into that category;and no they wont.

Becuase He's the boss and the boss makes the decision;you can like and be with Him or not like it and take the treturrous road less traveled.God has emotions like we do.He does care what we believe and do.

"Study to shew thyself approved,a workman that hath not to be ashamed"
You have to study and learn what is meant literally and what is meant figuratively.

Whoever told you that lied.Some sins are worse than others.From my understanding there's three different levels of sin:General:such as lieing, Abomination:Homosexuality for example, and unforgivable:Blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Answer 9

Christian Universalism does not teach the existence of an eternal hell. Jesus' sacrifice is meant to save us from death and is for all. Here are some resources for anyone interested in Christian Universalism:

Online resources:

http://www.christianuniversalist.org/

http://www.christian-universalism.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalism

All of the following links are for discussion forums that are Christian Universalist in orientation:

Emergent Universalism Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/emerging-universalist/

Christian Universalism Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christian-universalism/

Apokatastasis Discussion Forum
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/apokatastasis/

The Church of Interfaith Christians Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thechu...ithchristians/

Wider Universalist Fellowship Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WiderUniversalist/

Fundie Universalist Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fundieuniversalist/

Reconciliation Fellowship Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reconciliation-fellowship/

Answer 10

Aw, I was just about to get stuck in with some really meaningful answers to all your meaningful questions when I saw theBerean had gone and beat me to it. Just give him best answer, will you?

My two cents' worth is simply to ask you what YOU think you need saving from - 'cause if there is no God, no hell fire, no heaven, no nothing after you die, then what are you worried about? If there IS a God and he's offering salvation, then why not check it out direct with the CEO? By-pass the vice-presidents, the senior managers and the hangers-on. Just send out your heartfelt, sincere questions to God himself and keep on bothering him till you get a heartfelt, sincere answer in response. Keep on knocking (and the door will be opened). Ask and you will be answered (just keep on asking). Don't quit!

P.S. Just be careful what you ask for in case you get it.