We all know Christians who have thoughtlessly accepted their parents religion as gospel truth, and hoisted the same age-old personal opinions and lifeless traditions on their backs as their parents bore. Not that everything our forefathers believed and practiced is wrong, but anything that effects our eternal salvation should be accepted only after thorough investigation in the light of God's word.Each of us will stand or fall before God's judgement alone; it will do us absolutely no good to point our bony fingers at some other person blaming them for our failures. Being a Christian is not a robotic existence where we follow blindly the teachings of men, rather an active participation in following Jesus wherever He leads.
Strolling through life haphazardly without sensing God's presence, and doing His work out of habit rather than love can be lethal to the soul. Everyday (24/7) we are in the presence of our Creator as His angels minister in our behalf, and we are beneficiaries of His eternal promises; surely this should inspire us to live vibrant and gracious lives before Him, not following by habit, but by faith and love.
While spiritual perfection will always elude us, we acknowledge the sacrificial blood of Jesus, and our confessed faith in Him certainly gives us abundant hope. Mimicking Christianity as a lifeless robot is not cool, but living a spirit filled life is the answer. There is great news though:
He saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ESV Titus 3: 5-7We are blessed; God loves us beyond measure.
11 comments:
Great stuff here!
Yes we all know those who testify to their forefathers lives instead of their own. I wrote an article way back when on this same subject. Titled; "Zombie Christians The living dead"
good post.
Good post, Larry.
Ya' know? In a warped way I am glad I was raised as an atheist. At least I was able to come to my own conclusions when I decided to seek out the Lord.
HOWEVER...
I may be hypocritical in saying this, but I am glad I am not raising my children as atheists and instead am able to have an impact on their view of God.
It may sound duplicitous. But that's the way it be.
DK it is good that you have influence in every way in your children's life, but are you going to tell them they are going to hell if they don't do exactly as you do?
Danny...
Being raised as an atheist is a rough start for any person. Being raised in a perfect church (COC) by lots of legalistic relatives is tough too. :)
We are to raise our children in the love of the Lord...I think they have a much better chance with this option.
l.e.,
No. Of course I'm not going to tell them that. I don't believe that our actions cause us to go to hell. I believe that the only thing that keeps us out of Heaven is if we don't love our Father and put our faith in Jesus.
If I can teach them to love the Lord, I'll not worry about their actions as far as salvation is concerned.
Danny I can tell by your answer you were not raised in the same CoC as Larry and myself. because they knew the only way, and exactly how to get there. the only way to get there.
Well, L.E.
If you are refering to my doctrinal beliefs regarding salvation, then you should know that they fall strongly in line with what the CoC teaches. Baptism...Baptism...Baptism.
But baptism without love and faith in the Lord is useless according to Mark 16:16, right?
And besides. How COULD I have been brought up in the same CoC as you and Larry. That CoC existed "before the Dead Sea was even sick" as Larry says.
(heh-heh)
Danny nothing bad at all intended toward you or your belief. I was just saying Both of us were in a congregation which said if you don't do it this way you can expect your reward in a place other than heaven. I hope my inability to express myself didn't cause any hurt. May God Bless
Oh goodness no. I didn't take it in any way other than the way you intended it to be taken.
Now worries, mate.
I feel very blessed to have been able to make the choice on how I believe. My brother and sister had more of an influence from the early years CoC. I have family members who are sure some of the non CoCs aren’t going to Heaven.
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