Can I be saved? At all?

[Kyphon]

I've become a christian, what, four times now? It was the idea of Hell that drove me away, every time. I've come across the idea of Universal Reconciliation, so Chrsitanity isn't such a terrible idea to me now. but then there's the problem of the Eternal Sin, blasphemy against the holy spirit (Mark 3:28-29, Matthew 12:30-32). How does this mesh with Universal Reconciliation, or the idea that I can be saved at all? (I've spoken blasphemies against God, several times) Did John write that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life except those who have speaken mean things against Him?

I have read interpretations of these passages, and few seem to take it literally, simply because it's such a terrible idea that a person could be cut off from salvation without hope. That it means one cannot be saved if they never accept the Holy Spirit. That it was a dispensational sin that cannot be commited today. That it only applies if someone speaks a word against someone who is channeling the Holy Spirit. That it only lasts for this age and the age to come, then they may come to God. But I really don't see much room for such interpretations.

 

[jolson]

Dear Kyphon,

May I commend to you "Hope Beyond Hell" (Google: hopebeyondhell)?

The real Gospel is expressed by Paul in 2Cor 5:19 -21:

how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation. For Christ, then, are we ambassadors, as of God entreating through us. We are beseeching for Christ's sake, "Be conciliated to God!" For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him.(CLV)

The Gospel is an announcement about God's reconciling us to Himself through Jesus. Your sins and mine have been dealt with.

God Bless you

Joel

 

[LilLamb219]

Objectively, the man has been reconciled with the Lord our God...but not all believe it, so subjectively, those who believe will reap the rewards and be saved.

In scriptures there is the Law and Gospel...now, the Law isn't just stating the 10 Commandments, but the Law is a part of God's character and it is good and holy. It shows us what we are to do and not do. It always accuses us and will never, ever save us! The Gospel doesn't deal with what we do or don't do...it deals with what God has done for us and will do for us when He returns for Judgment Day. The Gospel transforms us and brings us comfort...and it trumps the Law.

You are worried about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It shows that you are repentant (repentance is a gift from God!) but you are still burdened by the Law thinking you might not have salvation because of something you might or might not have done. But that's what the Law does...it always accuses us. Like I said though, the Gospel trumps the Law. The Gospel says...YOU ARE FORGIVEN. Know that on the cross that the things you've said were even nailed there and you are redeemed.

What damns man is rejecting Christ. It doesn't sound like you reject Him at all.

 

[OneThingOnly]

Greetings in the Name of Jesus....

You statement about becoming a Christian 4 times is interesting. It seems that therein lies the barrier to your entering and staying in the faith.

The term "Christian" was a nickname that was given to disciples, those who followed Jesus. In Acts the scripture says "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioc". The emphasis is on being a disciple and follower of Christ - that your life so looks like His, that you earn the nickname "Christian"

You don't become Christian and then live Christian. You live Christian, and then you are accepted as Christian. Very different. When you are born again (a supernatural experience, not an intellectual experience) you become a new creation. The incoming life of the Son of God into you changes you and you become a new creation. You can now live Christian.

If you are to live Christian you must now submit to that new life that is in you. You must stop submitting to the sin nature that still resides in you and wants to continue to dominate your life. When you are truly born again of the Spirit, you now have the possiblity of living a holy and blameless life which the bible says is living Christian.

Spiritual transformation can only come through obedience - submitting to and obeying the Holy Spirit that is now in you. There are many who have been born again and have not submitted through obedience to the new nature in them. You end up with a goofed up perspective on the Christian life and you continue to carry around the burden of sin and condemnation.

So, having said all that (thanks for bearing with me), if you have supernaturally been born again of the spirit, surrender and submit to Him - every day. Start living according to the teachings of Jesus. Start reading a chapter every day in the Gospels (the life and teachings of Jesus). Stop being disobedient and living your life according to the sin nature. If you do sin, whatever sin that might be, the bible says "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins..." Keep a continual clean slate with God.

If you have not been born again, you need to resolve that first. Blessings.

 

[keonakana]

hey! Kyphon!
You seriouse? "It was the idea of Hell that drove me away"
now... what is the idea of hell? - its all just what they tell you man!...
don't tell me: you believe that "GOD" made the earth in 6 days? Or maby that dinasaurs lived at the same time as humans..? or why not that some dude could walk on water! haha, "Think outside the box!" Think realistically!
I feel sorry for all of you guys! You guys need ! And not from some random guy.... ....
YOU:
SOME GUY WHO HAS IT ALL WRONG:
ME: // (if I was listening to him)

(In case you get angry or something at me, and think that I dont have any points, you got it all wrong... Ive been trying to make people think for many years, but you guys never listen, and at the moment Im just to angry and tired to help you out)

...


Good luck!

(bet you that you'll answer really angrilly at me, or that youll try to make me think like you.. but, Im not that dumb )

 

[alan650]

Here's some food for thought about you worrying you can't be forgiven cause you blasphemed God before: Paul used to make his life's goal mocking Christians and "campaigning" against their belief in Christ. Until that fateful day in Damascus, Paul was probably the biggest blasphemer one could be! God redeemed him and showed him the error of his ways and most importantly FORGAVE him!

 

[JPPT1974]

Well Saul before he became Paul
People can change thanks to the Lord!

 

[chuff]

(bet you that you'll answer really angrilly at me, or that youll try to make me think like you.. but, Im not that dumb )

Try to make you think like me? That's not what being a Christian is about.
It's not a matter of force or violence or even persuading.

And, forgive me friend, but all your post was about was trying to get Kyphon to think like you.

Since allowing Jesus to have my life, I've been happier and more excited than ever about being alive.

Nothing is worth abandoning life in Christ.

The fact is, I am open to listen to what you have to say. I have probably heard more of what you have been told than you have.
But it just doesn't measure up to the joy I have in following Jesus. And that's not a bargaining chip, it's the truth. I am delighted to be alive while I'm serving my God.

Not only can I not be plucked from His hand, I don't want to be.

I pray God gives grace to me and you.

 

[silverlining*]

You sound exactly like me a couple of years ago. I can totally understand why you might take that passage literally, and it's not always much help people telling you that you've interpreted it wrongly, and that you are still saved, when they don't explain why.

It took me forever to realise the importance of context in reading the Bible. There's no way you can just pick out any quote at random and ascribe meaning to it, without understanding the situation in which it was said. Think of TV documentaries: a person's character can be grossly misrepresented through editing. For example, I was watching a show where they were trying to portay this group of kids as classical music geeks, and fair enough, some of them were, but in a couple of cases you could tell it was just (not so) clever editing - one boy said something like 'I don't really like Rock music at all', but it sounded very much like he was about to say another type of music that he did like, maybe R&B or something. But obviously they cut that bit (and it didn't follow from anything he said on camera that he was particularly into classical music). Not a great example, but you get my point.

I used to have major problems understanding how the 'blasphemy against the Holy Spirit' could be interpreted in any way other than completely literally. But the one thing that got through to me was remembering that Jesus spoke in parables: he often didn't say things just as they were. (Bit basic I know, but everything made more sense to me after that.) He used parables, symbolization and metaphors to in order communicate his ideas in a way that would have been familiar to the people in that culture at that time. Jesus was a Jew, and Jewish people like stories, right? So, 'blasphemy against the Holy Spirit' is a metaphor for someone eternally separating themselves from God, not blasphemous thoughts or sayings.

In this situation, it's not even necessarily true that Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they had committed the unforgivable sin. I think he was just warning them about the direction they seemed to be heading in, that if they continued for the rest of their lives to reject God in ways such as this then they wouldn't be able to receive His forgiveness, because they wouldn't realise their sinfulness and so wouldn't ask for it.

Hope that helps a bit, feel free to PM me if you want