Why I don't trust the bible, can any persuade me to?

[Abbadon]

Let’s say there’s an undiscovered thermodynamic law which “resets” the universe after entropy has “grayed it out”.

This would solve the “problem” of eternity, as there really would be no reason to consider a “start” or an “end” of the universe (the ALL containing universe and not our “local” universe).

So, go find that law, or assume that others are working on finding it.

But, your choice remains to believe BY FAITH that the universe is “physically” eternal, or to believe BY FAITH that the there is no “physical” eternity to the universe.

In either case you MUST rely on faith.

To bring this back to the purpose of this thread, Since ONLY faith can be the basis of any “ultimate” question, where do you put your faith and why? The answers to those questions inform EVERY behavior that you do as a human being!

Actually its not by faith its more by logical deduction. If matter in our universe never ceases to exist and the same amount of matter has always existed therefore it is highly likely that the universe has always existed. No faith needed just logical probability…

Or how about niether? since the answer doesn’t affect the way i behave, unless the answer is god i guess…

BUT you know i realised something. All this lets prove god is real defies the purpose of god. If anyone did prove god does exist there would be no need of faith and there would be no real free will. So the existance of god is unprovable, therefore gods existance relies purely on faith. SO every argument we have on these forums about the existance of god, the creation of the universe its all pointless.

There is or isnt a god, you can never prove he exists if you do you defy a great part in beliving his existance. Therefor none of this matters.

As usefull as these responses are it will never change my faith, as hardly anyone changes the faith they have instilled in them as a child.

As i child i put faith in my mother, my father, and my self. I cared more about remebering the perodic table and every species of dinosaur than i did about anything to do with god. It was only as i grew up that relegion started effecting my life, mainly as the first love of my life turned out to be a witch.

So to end it off, i belive in something greater than my self just not in the relegions/cult of today. And i have faith in the things i was brought up to have faith in just like most people everywhere…

 

[Joe_5859]

BUT you know i realised something. All this lets prove god is real defies the purpose of god. If anyone did prove god does exist there would be no need of faith and there would be no real free will. So the existance of god is unprovable, therefore gods existance relies purely on faith. SO every argument we have on these forums about the existance of god, the creation of the universe its all pointless.

Actually, there are proofs of God’s existence. St. Thomas Aquinas gives several proofs for the existence of God. It is true that you cannot give SCIENTIFIC proof for God’s existence, but there are other ways of coming to know things (even coming to know things with certainty) besides the scientific method.

Contemporary Philosopher Peter Kreeft also answers the question: Can you prove God exists? He gives 6 such proofs on his website (and even more in some of his books):

• Argument From Design
• Argument From First Cause
• Argument From Conscience
• Argument From History
• Argument From Pascal’s Wager
• Argument From Desire

Faith is NOT blindly following something you really can’t know for sure whether or not it is true. Faith is not blind, but is eminently reasonable and rational. Faith is a theological virtue (CCC 1814-1816). I would recommend Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on Faith & Reason for an in depth explanation of all this.

Also, it does not follow that proof would automatically compel people to believe. There is a lot of proof that the historical events described in “The Da Vinci Code” are laughably inaccurate, but there are still people out there who believe the novel is true. People can always rationalize their way out of believing any sort of proof, even scientific proof.

As usefull as these responses are it will never change my faith, as hardly anyone changes the faith they have instilled in them as a child.

If that is what you believe, then you are correct, nothing anyone says will make a difference. If you’re not open to being changed, then you will not change. I would disagree, however, that “hardly anyone changes the faith they have instilled in them as a child”. I know many people who had faith as a child who have lost it, as well as those who had no faith (or a different faith) that changed as adults. In fact, I’d have a much more difficult time making a list of the people I know whose faith has NOT changed now that they are adults.

 

[Joe_5859]

Abbadon,

In regards to the original question that serves as the title of the thread, I discovered on Peter Kreeft’s website the chapter in “Yes or No: Straight Answers to Tough Questions on Christianity” that deals specifically with the Bible. Here it is if you’re interested:

peterkreeft.com/topics-more/bible_myth-history.htm

Perhaps this might be of help in your search for answers.

 

[bill210]

If I were you I wouldn,t trust the bible either! You see there are literally tens of thousands of churches interpreting scripture for themselves and all claim to be the true church. No scripture is for private interpretation. That is why Jesus told the Apostles, the seed of the Chruch, that the Holy Spirit would lead them to all truth and that the gates of hell would not prevail aginst the church.You see the Church is the interpreter of scripture guided by the Holy Spirit and that is how we Catholics know the inerrancy of the bible. It is the guarantee of the holynSpirit. In reading scripture, if we are in some way troubled by a question ,we look to see how the Church interprets this and at times we must concede that our understanding has been at fault. 2Peter:16 speaks of the danger and even the catastrophe of private inetepretation.
Love in Jesus name.
Bill

It is not that i don’t trust god, i do so with all my heart, i just don’t trust mankind, for mankind they have to earn my trust, as does the authors of the bible. I see far to many flaws in it for me to take it that it was written through the inspiration of the holy spirit.

If I could put this at peace i think i would truly become a catholic, instead of simply going to church on Sundays and being apart of youth groups and catholic activities. Okay anyway here it goes

The Bible

…glorifies a mass murdering sexual fiend (David).
Records several events that don’t match with historical, archaeological, scientific data and logical common sense.
Noahs Ark, Creation, Jesus causing a riot in the temple (I don’t remember who said this but “Early century Palastine is one of the most well documented time periods, a man starts a riot in the main temple and he doesn’t even get a mention but several other prohets and son of god wannabes do”). Jesus birth story, the killing of the babies don’t match the sensus time but something like 50 years.
I realised saying all this i should link to the supports but its been a while since i read these books. Maybe someone else knows? The king david one is in the bible or if you prefer
Oh i forgot to mention approves of slavery. According to the bible i can keep a slave from a neighboring country (New Zealand perhaps?)

The book was compiled by Rome and some texts were kept, others that they didn’t want, like say a woman writing and keeping a record were stricken only to be found again today.
The books were written by hand, then over time copies were written again and again, things could have changed mistakes could have been made. Perhaps they changed details on purpose. How would anyone really know? Perhaps during the compilation any parts that were far to outlandish like jesus using his powers as a child to play pranks on people like turning them into a goat would have been left out. I honestly don’t trust the Roman Empire at all…

Then comes all the tradition. There are more saints and specific gaurdian angels than i can count. A saint for healing a saint for study a saint for this an angel for that. And people pray to specific saints for things instead of god, for me this is just like praying to Baset instead of praying to Isis. I mean who needs more gods and demi gods when you have saints.

All the stolen dates and rituals from other religions predating Christianity.

Son of god born December 25th died was buried and on the third day rose again, Mithrias.

Imagery and ideal of Isis is what we invisage mary as, have you seen Isis holding baby hourus then compared it to mary holding baby jesus?

The Godess Oester, aka Easter, that is actually her holiday. She represents new life with an egg that was colored, hidden and found. She also turned a small bird into a rabbit to entratain little children, an easter rabbit.

Zoroastrians had the concept of a single god Mazda (zoom zoom), far before the single god Yhawey

The code of hamarabi predate the old testemant ten comandments.

Then comes the things that the church did that i can’t forgive and i think they should apologise for.

The crusades, the witch burning (trial by water and by fire which was ridiculous) and also the land stealing during the "apocolypse 1000 A.D

If most of that could be rectified i think i could finaly truely become a catholic.

 

[Abbadon]

Actually, there are proofs of God’s existence. St. Thomas Aquinas gives several proofs for the existence of God. It is true that you cannot give SCIENTIFIC proof for God’s existence, but there are other ways of coming to know things (even coming to know things with certainty) besides the scientific method.

Contemporary Philosopher Peter Kreeft also answers the question: Can you prove God exists? He gives 6 such proofs on his website (and even more in some of his books):

• Argument From Design
• Argument From First Cause
• Argument From Conscience
• Argument From History
• Argument From Pascal’s Wager
• Argument From Desire

Faith is NOT blindly following something you really can’t know for sure whether or not it is true. Faith is not blind, but is eminently reasonable and rational. Faith is a theological virtue (CCC 1814-1816). I would recommend Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on Faith & Reason for an in depth explanation of all this.

Also, it does not follow that proof would automatically compel people to believe. There is a lot of proof that the historical events described in “The Da Vinci Code” are laughably inaccurate, but there are still people out there who believe the novel is true. People can always rationalize their way out of believing any sort of proof, even scientific proof.

If that is what you believe, then you are correct, nothing anyone says will make a difference. If you’re not open to being changed, then you will not change. I would disagree, however, that “hardly anyone changes the faith they have instilled in them as a child”. I know many people who had faith as a child who have lost it, as well as those who had no faith (or a different faith) that changed as adults. In fact, I’d have a much more difficult time making a list of the people I know whose faith has NOT changed now that they are adults.

I’m open to new ideas and concepts, and i’m completely open to the possibilty of any truth as thier is equal chance that catholisisum is as right as hinduisum or any long dead relegion. But right now i don’t see any of it as true…

And i’m the opposite, i can count the number of people on one hand who have changed thier faith and beliefs since they were young. Even my Athiest (towards all concepts of god) and Agnostic (towards the knowlage of knowing any god) friends were brought up in a non relegious centered household…

I guess it just comes down to who you know and who your freinds and aquaintences are…

You say there are “proofs” that god exists but if there really was 100% evidence that a god (any god) exists, then we loose the capacity of free will and are slaves to the will of god. For we will 100% go to hell if we do not. So to defy god is to go to eternal damnation.

Actually i’ve seen and heard of all those proofs before and theres good response to it.

“that no more proves god than it prove the flying Spegehti monster did it”

 

[Abbadon]

Also this was exactly what was spoken about on a nightline debate. The prrof that god exists. And the same responses i would give were given and thier arguments just crumbled to the ground.

youtube.com/watch?v=sh3oIo6pvLM

If anyone would like a look

 

[Mijoy2]

You say there are “proofs” that god exists but if there really was 100% evidence that a god (any god) exists, then we loose the capacity of free will and are slaves to the will of god. For we will 100% go to hell if we do not. So to defy god is to go to eternal damnation.

Actually i’ve seen and heard of all those proofs before and theres good response to it.

“that no more proves god than it prove the flying Spegehti monster did it”

This isn’t true. This isn’t the teaching of the Chruch. To defy God does not conclusively determine anything. To judge the eternal destiny of any soul is contrary to Catholic dogma.

Further, If God desired to conclusively, undesputably, reveal Himself to you, isn’t it possible that it just might go against His desire to allow yourself to come to know Him (who is Love) by way of your own journey? If He gave you all you need on a silver platter you might not get to experience and enjoy what He wishes you to come to know on your own.

Have you ever experienced a situation where you wanted someone to learn (possibly a child) something on thier own because you knew that that way, they’d find a greater apprecaition and deeper knowledge of what it was you wished them to learn?

If God so desired to reveal Himself to us in a manner that we’d be convinced of His existance and have no direction of our own, then it may follow that this life is without meaning.

 

[showtime1019]

To judge the eternal destiny of any soul is contrary to Catholic dogma.

Further, If God desired to conclusively, undesputably, reveal Himself to you, isn’t it possible that it just might go against His desire to allow yourself to come to know Him (who is Love) by way of your own journey? If He gave you all you need on a silver platter you might not get to experience and enjoy what He wishes you to come to know on your own.

If God so desired to reveal Himself to us in a manner that we’d be convinced of His existance and have no direction of our own, then it may follow that this life is without meaning.

Ok the first sentence is true. The rest is error. God does give us conclusive evidence that He does exist. That is why the bible does not try and prove the existance of God, because we can already know that from philosophy/reason. The bible tells us those things about God which we don’t know, that He is love etc. If a reasonable person does not exist in God it is because He has convinced himself or at least tried to. After all “THE FOOL says that their is no God.” What happens is that some people can’t give up or won’t give up sin and so they find it easier to get rid of the law by getting rid of the law maker. Like G.K. said “There are a thousand reasons to be Catholic and they all amount to one, because it is true.”

 

[Joe_5859]

I’m open to new ideas and concepts, and i’m completely open to the possibilty of any truth as thier is equal chance that catholisisum is as right as hinduisum or any long dead relegion. But right now i don’t see any of it as true…

If you are sincerely searching for truth and open to it whereever you find it, I have no doubt that you’ll find it in its fullness in the Catholic Church.

And i’m the opposite, i can count the number of people on one hand who have changed thier faith and beliefs since they were young. Even my Athiest (towards all concepts of god) and Agnostic (towards the knowlage of knowing any god) friends were brought up in a non relegious centered household…

I guess it just comes down to who you know and who your freinds and aquaintences are…

You’re right, I guess it comes down to who you know. Perhaps we both need to get out and meet more people!

You say there are “proofs” that god exists but if there really was 100% evidence that a god (any god) exists, then we loose the capacity of free will and are slaves to the will of god. For we will 100% go to hell if we do not. So to defy god is to go to eternal damnation.

I believe this is the point of confusion. Proof or evidence for something has no bearing whatsoever on free will. Look at St. Augustine. As a youth, he lived a promiscuous, hedonistic lifestyle. He began to realize that Christianity was in fact true. However, he would pray, “Lord, make me chaste…but not yet.” He was convinced of the truth of Christianity and everything that goes along with it, but that is a different thing from choosing to live that out. Eventually, of course, St. Augustine came around and became a great saint.

Even so, it is also not true that proof, even scientific proof, automatically compels people to believe. In my previous post, I gave the example of the historical inaccuracies found in “The Da Vinci Code”. It is easy to prove them false, but there are many people who refuse to believe that proof. Another example is the Flat Earth Society who believes that the world is really flat. It doesn’t matter what mountain of evidence you have for anything. There will always be people who either refuse to believe or refuse to let that truth transform their behavior.

Actually i’ve seen and heard of all those proofs before and theres good response to it.

“that no more proves god than it prove the flying Spegehti monster did it”

Is that the good response? That’s not a good response at all! One cannot refute a lengthy logical argument with a one-sentence clever anecdote. It proves nothing. If you want to address any of the actual arguments, I’d be happy to participate in such a discussion.

I think that people who come up with arguments like that are coming at it from the wrong angle. In their mind, a proof for God’s existence is equated with a proof of Christianity. They are compatible and connected, but not equivalent. Try thinking of the proofs on their own as though you were coming at them with no prior knowledge. Do they prove something?

Another proof for God’s existence that illustrates this point is St. Anselm’s ontological argument (See Chapters II & III of his Proslogion). He starts out with thinking of “that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought”, then he moves to calling this God.

To put it simply, the concept of God comes first, the name/title “God” comes second.

In other words, the “argument” you used about the “flying spaghetti monster” does not work to refute these arguments. The concepts are still valid. Whether you choose to call this “First Cause” (or “that-than-which-a-grater-cannot-be-thought”) God or The Flying Spaghetti Monster has no bearing on the truth of the arguments. Either way, they still stand as proof of this reality that most people refer to as God.

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

Actually its not by faith its more by logical deduction. If matter in our universe never ceases to exist and the same amount of matter has always existed therefore it is highly likely that the universe has always existed. No faith needed just logical probability…

Then why do you so easily overlook the fact that all matter and energy tends to “run down” (entropy) such that while the total AMOUNT of matter/energy doesn’t change with time, the distribution of it tends to “go to gray” (homogeneity)?

If the universe is ETERNAL (endless and beginningless time) why is it not already “gray”? Your FAITH is there is SOMETHING that keeps the “gray” away! You don’t have ANY evidence that such a force exists, so all you are left with is FAITH that it does exist.

Or how about niether? since the answer doesn’t affect the way i behave, unless the answer is god i guess…

I’m of the opinion that EVERY BELIEF that we have effects all other beliefs that we have, and we behave according to our beliefs. Therefore, this belief of yours does color your other beliefs on which you act.

BUT you know i realised something. All this lets prove god is real defies the purpose of god. If anyone did prove god does exist there would be no need of faith and there would be no real free will. So the existance of god is unprovable, therefore gods existance relies purely on faith. SO every argument we have on these forums about the existance of god, the creation of the universe its all pointless.

I agree that one person can’t prove the existence of God to another person! But I disagree that it’s impossible for one to have proven to them that God exists. God proves He exists only to each of us individually, and ONLY with our cooperation (aka faith).

This ceaseless arguing about the existence of God serves ONLY to bring people to realize the silliness of demanding PROOF of God from any quarter than FROM God Himself by willfull cooperation WITH God in faith.

All else is vanity!

There is or isnt a god, you can never prove he exists if you do you defy a great part in beliving his existance. Therefore none of this matters.

That is the “despair” of those who demand external proof. That is the one thing that gains you hell. If you KNOW that there IS a possibility of God existing and you don’t come to a decision based on actively finding out, which means “giving up in despair” before having “done your best”, then that time between “life” and “nothing” (which to me means the nonexistent “after heaven” time and to the materialist means “at oblivious death”) you will suffer “interminally” in the torturous agony of “not knowing”.

As usefull as these responses are it will never change my faith, as hardly anyone changes the faith they have instilled in them as a child.

Not true, but since that’s another aricle of faith of yours, it’s not my job to “change you”, only to bring you the good news that there is a better way.

As i child i put faith in my mother, my father, and my self. I cared more about remebering the perodic table and every species of dinosaur than i did about anything to do with god. It was only as i grew up that relegion started effecting my life, mainly as the first love of my life turned out to be a witch.

So to end it off, i belive in something greater than my self just not in the relegions/cult of today. And i have faith in the things i was brought up to have faith in just like most people everywhere…

Best of luck to you! We’ll be praying for you, and here’s hoping you’ll pray for us as well! Love 'ya.

 

[marty30]

I once heard a saying that for those who belive no explanation is needed and for those who don’t none can be found.

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

I once heard a saying that for those who belive no explanation is needed and for those who don’t none can be found.

Well, persuasion is a funny thing. It assumes that there’s a predisposition to want the thing being “persuaded toward”, which means that there’s some “barrier” that is begging to be overcome.

That internal battle of “habit” against “predispositional want” is entirely on one side of the argument (persuasion attempt). It’s with the “persuadee” (!?).

So, the “persuader” is in the weird position of enforcing one part of the other person while battering another part of the same person!

No wonder it’s a pain-in-the-youknowwhere to argue about religion.

No one who absolutely CAN’T be persuaded even thinks about talking with you, so if their talking, they want it but they don’t know if they can get over their habits.

 

[Mijoy2]

Ok the first sentence is true. The rest is error. God does give us conclusive evidence that He does exist. That is why the bible does not try and prove the existance of God, because we can already know that from philosophy/reason. The bible tells us those things about God which we don’t know, that He is love etc. If a reasonable person does not exist in God it is because He has convinced himself or at least tried to. After all “THE FOOL says that their is no God.” What happens is that some people can’t give up or won’t give up sin and so they find it easier to get rid of the law by getting rid of the law maker. Like G.K. said “There are a thousand reasons to be Catholic and they all amount to one, because it is true.”

I see your point however this is wordplay. My reference of God “conclusively” revealing himself assumes the person reading my post understands that I mean in a natural way such that any secularist woud agree. Such as turning a persons car into a pink elephant in thier garage.

I wasn’t attempting to get into a discussion on whether or not God reveals himslef to us or not. Given the audience (the poster I was addressing), that would be a futile effort leading nowhere. The faithful say He reveals himself in everything, the non-believer would say he does not reveal Himself at all. I was simply trying to address why He may chose to not reveal Himself in a manner such as the pink elephant example.

To shout from the rooftops that a non-believer is wrong and state as your reason that you feel differently, gets nowhere. But thank you for the correction just the same.

 

[DLC]

Have you read the Bible?

 

[agangbern]

I will never dare persuade you!

 

[Newbie2]

You say there are “proofs” that god exists but if there really was 100% evidence that a god (any god) exists, then we loose the capacity of free will and are slaves to the will of god.

If God exists then there’s no free will? This is a non sequitur

For we will 100% go to hell if we do not. So to defy god is to go to eternal damnation.

While this may be true in other religions, it is not consistant with the opportunity of forgiveness and redemption offered in Catholicism.

Actually i’ve seen and heard of all those proofs before and theres good response to it.

And you can believe what you’d like. Free will. Just because you don’t accept them or that there are arguments against such proofs doesn’t mean the proofs aren’t valid.

It all comes down to faith; there’s simply no way to rationalize or intellectually understand God or, back to the OP, his inspired writings without it.

 

[Abbadon]

If you are sincerely searching for truth and open to it whereever you find it, I have no doubt that you’ll find it in its fullness in the Catholic Church.

I’m sincere in seeking the truth. As far as “spirituality” goes, i don’t have any precedence on anything. I have not made up my mind on anything. Maybe i don’t find answers in the catholic faith because i don’t want to find answers in them. Or maybe it’s nto for me, there are countless others who have found peace in other relegions or philosipies of life

I believe this is the point of confusion. Proof or evidence for something has no bearing whatsoever on free will. Look at St. Augustine.

No what i mean is that. IF god is definate, everybody could plainly see that he exists. Then why was thier polythiesim? Why is Islam such a prevalent force in the world? Why do we all bicker and talk about this if the proof is so their?

There will always be people who either refuse to believe or refuse to let that truth transform their behavior.

That is very true but then whose truth? Some say Islam is the truth and they would say the same to you about the same things you are saying to me. I only use Islam as an example because it is easy

Is that the good response? That’s not a good response at all! One cannot refute a lengthy logical argument with a one-sentence clever anecdote. It proves nothing. If you want to address any of the actual arguments, I’d be happy to participate in such a discussion.

Well that was a summry, and a single sentence that was really good, but there is much more most of which was discussed in the debate which you can look at on the youtube link.

I’d rather not debate it becuase i’d just be repeating alot of what i say to alot of other people. And i’m so tired now, i grow so tired.
ng?

People can continue to discuss whatever that needs to be discussed. But i grow weary, i will seak out my own way, but i don’t think there is any need to discuss any more. From now on i
shall only ask question, but no more responses to the answer…

 

[Tah_Dah_Man]

:bible1:
1 John 5:10-15. John.
“He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God: has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us everlasting life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have everlasting life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have everlasting life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Paul, in Romans 1:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,…

In the Gospel of John, chapter 17, Jesus prays to the Father for us.
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me; that they be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 Father, I desire that they also whom you gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world…”

John 10:27-30. Jesus.
27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one…”

I believe that I am in good hands!
Believe, and pray with me.

Romans 10:9-13. Paul.
“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.”
13 For, “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” -Joel 2:32.

Believe: The Promise.

          Dear Jesus,

I know that I am a sinner, and so undeserving of Your mercy.
But I call upon You now with all conviction, and I ask You now to please forgive me all of my sins, for You know them all.
You are the only One who can forgive me, and take away my sins.
You are the only One that can save me from sin, death, Hell, and the wrath of God (by that one and only historic Sacrifice You made for us, in Your Body and Blood, while on the cross).
And, I thank You now for bearing the cross for us, paying the ransom in full, and setting us free from Satan’s lies and strongholds.
Thank You for forgiving me, redeeming me, saving me, and granting me everlasting life, as You have promised.
Only You can save us from our sin’s penalty.
(We cannot save ourselves, and, there is no Church or religious work of ours that can save us.)
I give thanks, and all the glory to You Jesus, Your Father, and the Holy Spirit!
Use me to reach others with Your Gospel!
In Your Name Jesus, I will pray, and praise You! Amen.

“…that through death He [Jesus] might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” –Hebrews 2:14-15.

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” –Jesus. John 8:36.

 

[Tah_Dah_Man]

The Greek word “Gospel” does mean: “Good News!”

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23.

“Repent, and thou shalt be saved.” “Alrighty then!” -Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.

“…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” -John 3:15.

“…that through death He [Jesus] might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” –Hebrews 2:14-15.

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” –Jesus. John 8:36.

Paul and Barnabus preach the Gospel. Acts 13:48:
“Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord.
And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”
(This calls for a celebration!)

We are made blameless and worthy by our faith in the historic shed Blood of Jesus, and the continual sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:4-8. Paul.
4 “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared:
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”

Our “works of righteousness” follow us after Jesus saves us.

We do not do works of righteousness (in order) to get saved.

Ephesians 2:8-10. Paul.
8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Romans 4:5-8. Paul. (Romans, chapter 4)
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies [redeems] the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” -Psalm 32.
(Apart from works, and prescribed penances.)

In the New Testament, Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts bears out the fact that Paul (Saul) was an adamant fanatical Jew of Jews, who persecuted the first Christians; but then had a miraculous conversion to Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 1:8-11. Paul.
8 “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”
(A “Gentile” is any non-Jew.)

2 Corinthians 5:17-18. Paul.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…”

:bowdown: :bowdown2:

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

…
“Repent, and thou shalt be saved.” “Alrighty then!” -Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.
…

AMEN!

Are you sure that wasn’t. “Reptile! And thou shalt be salved!”

…just checking.