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Yes. For knowledge and accountability.But as someone fresh to religion, I feel like I need to be guided by someone with greater knowledge and understanding than myself.
I could always pray at home and not go to church.
But as someone fresh to religion, I feel like I need to be guided by someone with greater knowledge and understanding than myself.
Now, I understand you do need to accept Jesus and believe in him but I don't think that's all you need. E.g. I can't get baptised and then go out the next day and commit acts of paedophilia or attack a blind man and steal his stick.
There are people in this thread who are saying that salvation is all you need....I'm not aware of anybody who teaches this.
There are people in this thread who are saying that salvation is all you need....
here should be actions that I take and paths that I walk which make me a good Christian, right? If I believe in Jesus, obviously I should also want to sin as little as possible. I don't know where to look for guidance
So far I have been to born again churches who tell me that all I need to do is believe in Jesus and get baptised and boom bam, I'm going to heaven no questions asked and I'll be Jesus' best buddy.
Now, I understand you do need to accept Jesus and believe in him but I don't think that's all you need. E.g. I can't get baptised and then go out the next day and commit acts of paedophilia or attack a blind man and steal his stick.
Am I wrong here? There should be actions that I take and paths that I walk which make me a good Christian, right? If I believe in Jesus, obviously I should also want to sin as little as possible. I don't know where to look for guidance when the people who have been lifelong Christians are just saying that you only need to do one single thing in order to live my life within the lines of God's will.
Very well put.To put this in perspective, from a Lutheran POV... If you really understood the price that Jesus payed for the salvation of a sinful world, why would you want to go and do something heinous and hard hearted like hurting children or innocent people? It's like crucifying Christ all over again. After all, Jesus came to end oppression and exploitation. To have faith in Christ means to have at least a little bit of loyalty to Christ and the things he loves, and it's difficult I think for most Lutherans to reconcile heinous criminal acts with the Holy Spirit working in someone's life. That doesn't mean it is impossible, but we would definitely encourage somebody like that to do some soul searching.
Good deeds are important... for the sake of our neighbor. But no good deeds pleasing to God are possible without in some way being illumined by the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, Christians understand that as being a consequence of having faith. Martin Luther said the faith that justifies us is a lively faith that does not cease doing good. hHat doesn't mean we live sinless lives, but it means we at least are oriented towards being something other than a horrible person. To quote a Buddhist proverb, once you have the antidote, you no longer need to drink more poison.
There are two parts to salvation...any church will teach you this.There are people in this thread who are saying that salvation is all you need....
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