Talking about salvation, especially from a Christian viewpoint is just not good manners these days. By mentioning salvation we are, by inference somehow judging all of those people who do not agree with the biblical path to heaven. Let me be as frank as is possible, without going through the process of accepting the sacrifice of Jesus there is no heaven. I do not judge anyone’s worthiness, but it is also incumbent on every believer to not shy away from talking about what Jesus did and why.
The first thing a person who denies the deity of Jesus does is accuse the Christian of stupidity, especially if that Christian also has a philosophy of being socially and fiscally conservative. That accusation is a way of protecting themselves. The accuser more than likely knows nothing in the way of intimate details about the believer and quite probably could not care any less about that ignorance, making the unfounded accusation is enough. It creates a philosophical bandage the non-Christian can use to prevent any politically incorrect feelings of guilt they may come across. The second thing is to usually insist that the proof of stupidity is that there is no proof that there is a God.
The New Testament has a rather profound section in the Book of Romans, verses 1-23:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”
God, in essence says that there is more than enough evidence to prove he is and no manmade excuse will be accepted. Again, do not shoot the messenger, God says so in the bible and if one professes to be Christian, than to be one you must choose the reality of what God says.
Many Churches who claim the mantle of Christianity seem far more interested in the form of religion than the reality of Christ. Some claim that the use of musical instruments is blasphemy, even though God chose a harp player to be King of Israel and there is more than one mention of musical instruments being used in heaven. Some insist that the believer must work their way into glory through deeds, even though the thief on the cross had no time whatsoever to earn a seat at the table. We simply cannot trust the dictates of any sect of Christianity to be the axiom because more than likely they have chosen to edit the biblical lexicon to suit their needs. By all means, worship where you feel comfortable, just don’t rely on the preacher for what the bible says, read it for yourself.
Now here is the part where some folks become all squirrelly, the process of salvation. The following verses are from the King James Bible, but regardless of what modern translation you are comfortable with, as long as the verses contain the same meaning regardless of the grammar used, it’s all good.
John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Acts 26:18, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
1st Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
You do not have to be sprinkled, dunked, dribbled or washed to be given the gift of eternal life. Let’s go back to that thief on the cross. He had a cohort hanging there on the other side of Jesus, remember? That one did little more than add to the verbal abuse Jesus had suffered that day. It was the thief on Jesus’ other side who reminded the abuser that they were the guilty ones, not Jesus and then he said this, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus promised him entrance into Paradise that day. There was no ceremony, no baptism and certainly no logbook of dues to add up to see if the thief passed muster, just a simple declaration of faith and a request for forgiveness was all it took.
Some will complain that it just cannot be that simple. Sorry, we are the creatures who mess things up with complications. The devil knew who Jesus was and what he would become. Remember the forty days and forty nights? Jesus fasted for that time and then the passage reads, “…and then he hungered…” The human body can go without food, but not water for a good month if you have any kind of stored fat in your system. After a while the hunger pains go away and food may even be a bit distasteful for you to consider, but when you begin feeling hunger again it means that your reserves are gone and you have entered the process of starvation. That is where Jesus was when the devil chided him to, “turn these stones in bread…” The Devil is not going to tempt a generic preacher that way. He knew Jesus for what he was, the Son of God and as Jesus proclaimed, the I Am, God the Son. That is why the sacrifice the way it was done was so important.
When Jesus died on the cross he did so as a pure innocent. He had broken no Roman law, no Jewish law and not a single one of God’s commandments. That is why he is called the Lamb of God. In Jewish ritual the sacrificial lamb must be utterly without blemish. That was how Jesus was spiritually. It would not have worked any other way and the Devil was tricked into taking Jesus’ soul straight to hell…unlawfully. That act by the Devil broke the contract covering humanity and a pathway to heaven was opened allowing any who accepted that act of sacrifice as payment for their crimes against God a seat at the table.
Sure, many will scoff and some will claim this entry is pure drivel showing an utter lack of intellect, but where eternity is concerned their opinion means nothing. I happen to be a man old enough that I can see my own horizon and the only opinion I care about is God’s.
The first thing a person who denies the deity of Jesus does is accuse the Christian of stupidity, especially if that Christian also has a philosophy of being socially and fiscally conservative. That accusation is a way of protecting themselves. The accuser more than likely knows nothing in the way of intimate details about the believer and quite probably could not care any less about that ignorance, making the unfounded accusation is enough. It creates a philosophical bandage the non-Christian can use to prevent any politically incorrect feelings of guilt they may come across. The second thing is to usually insist that the proof of stupidity is that there is no proof that there is a God.
The New Testament has a rather profound section in the Book of Romans, verses 1-23:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”
God, in essence says that there is more than enough evidence to prove he is and no manmade excuse will be accepted. Again, do not shoot the messenger, God says so in the bible and if one professes to be Christian, than to be one you must choose the reality of what God says.
Many Churches who claim the mantle of Christianity seem far more interested in the form of religion than the reality of Christ. Some claim that the use of musical instruments is blasphemy, even though God chose a harp player to be King of Israel and there is more than one mention of musical instruments being used in heaven. Some insist that the believer must work their way into glory through deeds, even though the thief on the cross had no time whatsoever to earn a seat at the table. We simply cannot trust the dictates of any sect of Christianity to be the axiom because more than likely they have chosen to edit the biblical lexicon to suit their needs. By all means, worship where you feel comfortable, just don’t rely on the preacher for what the bible says, read it for yourself.
Now here is the part where some folks become all squirrelly, the process of salvation. The following verses are from the King James Bible, but regardless of what modern translation you are comfortable with, as long as the verses contain the same meaning regardless of the grammar used, it’s all good.
John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Acts 26:18, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
1st Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
You do not have to be sprinkled, dunked, dribbled or washed to be given the gift of eternal life. Let’s go back to that thief on the cross. He had a cohort hanging there on the other side of Jesus, remember? That one did little more than add to the verbal abuse Jesus had suffered that day. It was the thief on Jesus’ other side who reminded the abuser that they were the guilty ones, not Jesus and then he said this, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus promised him entrance into Paradise that day. There was no ceremony, no baptism and certainly no logbook of dues to add up to see if the thief passed muster, just a simple declaration of faith and a request for forgiveness was all it took.
Some will complain that it just cannot be that simple. Sorry, we are the creatures who mess things up with complications. The devil knew who Jesus was and what he would become. Remember the forty days and forty nights? Jesus fasted for that time and then the passage reads, “…and then he hungered…” The human body can go without food, but not water for a good month if you have any kind of stored fat in your system. After a while the hunger pains go away and food may even be a bit distasteful for you to consider, but when you begin feeling hunger again it means that your reserves are gone and you have entered the process of starvation. That is where Jesus was when the devil chided him to, “turn these stones in bread…” The Devil is not going to tempt a generic preacher that way. He knew Jesus for what he was, the Son of God and as Jesus proclaimed, the I Am, God the Son. That is why the sacrifice the way it was done was so important.
When Jesus died on the cross he did so as a pure innocent. He had broken no Roman law, no Jewish law and not a single one of God’s commandments. That is why he is called the Lamb of God. In Jewish ritual the sacrificial lamb must be utterly without blemish. That was how Jesus was spiritually. It would not have worked any other way and the Devil was tricked into taking Jesus’ soul straight to hell…unlawfully. That act by the Devil broke the contract covering humanity and a pathway to heaven was opened allowing any who accepted that act of sacrifice as payment for their crimes against God a seat at the table.
Sure, many will scoff and some will claim this entry is pure drivel showing an utter lack of intellect, but where eternity is concerned their opinion means nothing. I happen to be a man old enough that I can see my own horizon and the only opinion I care about is God’s.
Awesome!
