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wheredowego said in post 1:
I am only searching for the truth. Something that I can hold on to, the faith, the hope that there is the kingdom - heaven. I hope I can be there.
The person of Jesus Christ himself is the only truth and the only way by which people can get to God the Father in heaven (John 14:6, John 3:36, Acts 4:12; 2 John 1:9).
If people haven't become Christians yet, all they need to do in order to become Christians is believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and the human/divine Son of God (John 20:31, John 3:36; 1 John 2:23), and that he died on the Cross for their sins and rose from the dead on the 3rd day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Luke 24:46-47, Matthew 20:19, Matthew 26:28).
After people become Christians, to help develop and keep up their relationship with God, they should pray to him every day, such as with the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), praising and worshipping him, confessing their sins to him, asking him for what they need today, and thanking him for all that he has given them (Philippians 4:6). And throughout the day, they should immediately bring to him in prayer anything that they become worried about at anytime (Philippians 4:6-7).
They should also fellowship with other Christians every day (Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:25), at least in some fashion (Matthew 18:20), such as on this forum, being exhorted by them and exhorting them in turn (Hebrews 3:13).
They also need to examine themselves to make sure that they're truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5, Proverbs 28:26, Proverbs 14:12). The way to do this is to read every word of the Bible (Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 4:4) and see if they accept everything it teaches as having come from God (John 8:47; 2 Timothy 3:16). For just as a true faith will initially come from reading (or hearing) what the Bible teaches (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:15), so people can know that they're remaining in the true faith if they continue to believe that everything the Bible teaches came from God (John 8:31b; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; 1 Timothy 4:1, Mark 8:35-38).
In order to have any real relationship with Jesus, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), most importantly people must believe the right things about Jesus (John 14:6-7): that he's God the Word made flesh (John 1:1,14), that he's the Christ (1 John 5:1; 1 John 2:22), and that he's the only begotten (only born) Son of God (John 3:16,36; 1 John 2:23), meaning that he's the only person ever born without any human father (Luke 1:34-35). And people must believe that Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21) and so he could die on the Cross for people's sins and rise from the dead on the 3rd day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). He rose and will remain forever in an immortal, flesh and bones human body (Luke 24:39; 2 John 1:7) as saved people's eternally-human high priest/mediator (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 2:16-17, Hebrews 7:24-26).
Once people come into faith in Jesus, they must obey him, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, by repenting from all their sins and getting water-immersion (burial) baptized into Jesus (Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-5, Galatians 3:27). And they must partake of the divine flesh and blood of the bread and wine of communion (John 6:53, Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:27-30). And they can get hands laid on them to receive Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 8:17) and one or more of the Holy Spirit's wonderful Spiritual gifts (Acts 19:6; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Then, washed from their sins by water baptism (Acts 22:16) and empowered by the Holy Spirit within them (Acts 1:8, Ephesians 3:16), they must each and every day for the rest of their lives deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23; 2 Corinthians 5:15), by continuing in the faith to the end (Hebrews 3:6,12,14, Hebrews 6:4-8, John 15:6; 2 Timothy 2:12), by repenting to the end from every sin that they might commit (Hebrews 10:26-29; 1 Corinthians 9:27, Luke 12:45-46), and by doing to the end the particular spiritual works which he has given them as individuals to do (Mark 13:34, Romans 12:6-8, Titus 3:8).
But if they as believers wrongly employ their free will to refuse to do these things, then they can't expect to have any continued real relationship with Jesus, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. For a continued real relationship with them requires that people not only continue to believe in them, but also continue to obey them (John 15:10, John 14:21,23). Faith without works is dead (James 2:20) and can't ultimately save people (James 2:14-26, Romans 2:6-8, Matthew 7:21, Hebrews 5:9).
wheredowego said in post 1:
Why before Jesus was born, God commanded people to kill other people? Though the other people were against god, shouldn't we all forgive each other? Isn't it in the 10 commandments that thou shall not kill?
In Deuteronomy 5:17, "kill" meant murder (Matthew 19:18), not capital punishment (Deuteronomy 17:5-7, Romans 13:4).
In the Old Testament, when God commanded people to kill other people, that wasn't murder on his or their part, but capital punishment (cf. Romans 13:4). "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But God can also show great mercy toward us sinners (Romans 5:8-11, Luke 18:9-14).
Under the New Covenant, which Christians are under (Matthew 26:28, Jeremiah 31:31), Christians are commanded never to harm anyone, even in self-defense (Matthew 5:39,44, Matthew 26:52; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Believers don't employ physical weapons or any other violence against people (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:12-18). Instead, Jesus at his first coming set the example for believers of what they're to do when they're physically attacked by people (1 Peter 2:19-23). Believers are to go meekly like sheep to the slaughter (Romans 8:36), just like Jesus did (Isaiah 53:7). Obedient believers know that death is no loss for them, but gain (Philippians 1:21), as it brings their souls into heaven to be with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8), which is far better than remaining in this world (Philippians 1:23). During the future tribulation, believers will have to face martyrdom with patience and faith to the end (Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4, Matthew 24:9-13), just as believers have always had to spiritually overcome in the face of martyrdom (e.g. Revelation 2:10-11). Obedient believers shouldn't fear death (Hebrews 2:15), and shouldn't love their lives unto death (Revelation 12:11b), but should hate their lives in this world if they're to retain eternal life (John 12:25, Mark 8:34-38).
Also, Christians are commanded to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44), and that means they must do them no harm (Romans 13:10a, Matthew 7:12).
wheredowego said in post 1:
I can understand why there are so many Christian denominations, but there are just too many controversies? Some says Jesus wasn't even the Messiah? Praying to Mary? Who and what should I stick with? Where should my faith goes to? What is for sure? If nothing is for sure, how can I have faith?
1 Corinthians 1:10 commands believers to close their divisions now, because it's possible to do so, if every believer is willing to take into account every word of the Bible (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16) when interpreting any one verse (Isaiah 28:9-10; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
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