RSF
I was raised internationally and my father had dealings at the United Nations and I have respect for all people and for different belief systems. But I have not found truth or power to change lives anywhere other than in Jesus his death and his resurrection.
Within the Christian Church it becomes difficult because sometimes Christians are immature and an apple seed does not look like an apple tree and it is not yet bearing fruit. Other times there are things that call themselves Christians that simply are not following Jesus Christ and could care less, they’re just holding the title, so that causes some confusion as to the truth of the message of the Gospel.
So I don’t necessarily wish to defend Christianity, because people have different views of that. But I would defend Christ and those who follow Him and worship God in Spirit in and Truth, adhering to His commands of Truth, Justice, Grace, Mercy and Love.
One thing that I believe has been an error Within the church for many generations is what I would call spiritual Pride. Certainly the Jewish people according to the Old Testament feel guilty of it and Christians do today. God chose Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and they were called to live a very strict life as were their children to be very different from the world around them worshiped idols even sacrificing babies on the altars to these gods.
You mentioned the Hindu Faith; the Hindu Faith considered it in honor for girls to be taken from their parents to be brought to worship the gods in those temples as Temple prostitutes. A horror that remained until true Christianity came in.
However it gets complicated because you see things like the Crusades and other things at times in Christianity that are contrary to what Jesus teaches.
The beautiful thing is that all people will be judged with God’s justice when we stand before him and there will be no more lies when we stand before truth incarnate. L
But the one thing because yes certainly there are other relations that have over time developed various Concepts, but there was a huge breakthrough on things that we consider normal today such as not killing babies if we don’t want them after they’re born, abortion also was considered something to be avoided by the early Christians, so the individual had great value in the Christian faith if it was being lived out in its fullness, but as these articles show there are many gods that we humans seem to turn to and certainly that is true of Christians too.
The Apostle Paul makes that clear as he says greed is as the sin of idolatry. Do we know any greedy Christians in America? I leave my case. So all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The difference between true Christianity if it is lived in its fullness and people are obedient to Christ and speaking the truth is that God himself steps down to rescue us.
Every other religion the humans are the ones that have to somehow do their good Works to be able to achieve nirvana, or a good life down here – which is not the goal of biblical Christianity, so it is hard when Christians muddy the waters so that is hard for others to drink and I am truly sorry for that and ask God to forgive us for that because I personally believe there is no greater sin or blaspheme than when Christians do not fully and truly represent the love and grace and truth and Justice of Jesus Christ.
But again we can be at peace because Christ himself will judge every human perfectly with True Justice. And the beauty of the Bible is it admits how warped and Fallen we truly are as humans. I don’t know if it’s true of other spiritual writings, but the Bible God is very very blunt and honest about the people he’s called. Just look at the humanity of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, King David. You can go through the list there are people who walked Godly lives but usually those people were ones that were killed by the other people of God. God constantly was calling these Wicked people back to himself. I don’t see that in any other belief system. Love that just keeps on loving, keeps on rescuing.
In true Christianity according to the Bible it is God himself that receives 100% of the glory because he alone is the savior. Which is completely contrary to our natural Pride that wants to do apart and prove that we are somehow good. But the Bible States otherwise. Jesus Christ says in a few places there is no one good but God Alone. In another place if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children — he calls Humanity evil. And there is a combination of allowing ourselves to die as we accept his gift that is given in love freely to us. It is a real death and it’s huge and from my perception some Christians still fail to comprehend and fall short of the understanding of this, we are saved by grace alone, through faith not by works so no one can boast.
Pride is an Abomination to God it’s despicable. It is based on lies. And is contrary to love that lifts up those we deem less than ourselves because in God’s eyes there is real equality. The infant has infinite value in the eyes of God and is to be nurtured and cared for. The pedophile, yes God hates sin, no God does not want those sins continuing, but he equally despises our abomination of Pride and our lies, about him and his love. His love is so powerful it does not deny the wickedness.
It refuses to accept it he will never say murder is okay and neither will he ever say agreed or our pride is okay it is disgusting. But his love is so great that he needs us where we are and little by little raises us up. He gives us the new birth freely. I have never seen in all of my years and my Christianity was in the minority a good portion of my life, I have never seen anything that has come close to the power of Jesus Christ and the love of God. And I would think that most Christians at least in this modern day are living proof of it.
The fact that he saves us does that not Boggle your brain? It does mine. I know the person in the mirror too well. We love to put on our masks and pretend like we are good but if we are honest at the core we are rotten and evil and desperate need of the savior. I have never understood the concept of Karma because of karma was true and there were no Grace the world would have self-destructed the first century it existed after the fall. There’s no us doing good works to you even out the bad Works we’ve done not if we’re speaking the truth. And certainly not if we are judging ourselves through God’s lens. People love to make their own judgments and their own laws that fit them. But it will not be like that when we stand before Jesus Christ. We will answer to God’s laws.
Whether somebody is a Christian or not. I will confess I am not looking forward to the day of judgment. It sounds absolutely Beyond scary and horrific. I don’t think there is anything we can go through on this Earth that would be more scared and standing before a holy God. And that fear would overcome me and I would not want to live if I did not know what was given us, his son, his son’s blood not just for the sins of Christians, that is not what the Bible teaches, he is the savior of the world, but especially of those who believe. What he will do and how he will do it I do not know but I have trust in his love that he will make it beautiful.
I also know that all of the word is true and there is a place of Destruction and burning because God is love and he will force no one into heaven. He will die for you, he will give you all good things in this planet, every breath we breathe comes intentionally from God that we might seek him and find the power in him and the rescue that he offers, every good DNA every Sunrise every sunset Cries Out that God loves us. And when that was not enough he sent his son to suffer to cry with us to Be A Man of Sorrows in acquainted with grief, and then eventually to be tortured and killed. Where would such powerful love come from any other place? Because in other stories yes people might die for the Beloved. A soldier might give his life for a friend. But who goes through that for the pedophile, the idolatrous, the murderer, the ones that hate him? I have never seen that kind of love anywhere outside of the cross.
And not even death and all of our hatred could keep his love, yes there will be a judgment if we continue to deny him. He will honor people with their choice if we continue to want nothing to do with him. But his love is understanding and he understands the hurts mankind has gone through. He Is compassionate toward the atheist and every other human of every other belief system, I’ve had friends that were satanists, though I don’t agree with that religion, because he sees the mess and the lies and the pain and the suffering. And he loves each individual deeply even if we refuse him and hate him. He still loves us. But there will be a day, because when people refuse to love God, there is great suffering that comes and God does not want the suffering to continue.
He is making a beautiful new place a new heavens and a new Earth. There will be a New Jerusalem where everything will be perfect and today you and all humans are invited to believe in Jesus Christ to live for him die for him if necessary and to receive the gift that he freely gives of eternal life so that we can live in the Jerusalem and in that place there will never be any more pain or suffering or sorrow. It will be as he intended originally before Adam and Eve chose to believe a lie instead of his truth. And then there will be the world under the rule of Jesus Christ. There are many things I do not understand. But not everything will have Perfection because it is written of the increase of his righteousness and peace there will be no end.
How long for the day when he comes it is written that Wars will cease to the ends of the Earth. People will beat their swords into plow shears people will be caring for the Earth which is what we were given to do to begin with and it’s amazing to see the love of God on people who do not know Jesus Christ. In this generation the pagans and those in the Hebrew again and others who do not believe in Jesus Christ, the grace of God is upon them and the love of God still prevails and they are learning to care for this Earth and Christians would do well to be a tad embarrassed and come alongside them because man was put into the Earth to care for it. He was also put into the Earth to take Dominion because there were things that needed taken Dominion of.
And if we are listening to God and loving God we will not allow the spirits of the air that have refused to serve him to influence our actions or thoughts, but in this Fallen World We All Fall short of the glory of God and we send daily thank God we are Justified freely through his grace! I have had friends in every belief imaginable, but I’m telling you there is nothing that compares to the living Christ. But again it’s hard and I pray that the Christian church in the western world might finally decide to lay down and destroy our idols and to be the hands and feet of Jesus and not to lie or blaspheme God with our mouths or our texts or actions.
God’s kingdom number one worships him alone. Number two God’s kingdom cares about the poor and the oppressed and is busy with the care of the Earth and with true government that does not allow us to be greedy with our time or energy or money but to live simple lives yes with some things to enjoy but not making it our worship and spending all of our time on our pleasures, but rather to have a balanced life spending our time and energy on the things needed for life and when we have found we have enough the Kingdom of Heaven moves forward to the next person who needs that love and help. It would be wise if the Christian Church would wake up and begin to be the living body we are called to be. Because were there is a dead body there the vultures will gather.
Every belief system must have something that is good within it because it is impossible for humans to live without some bit of goodness of God. Even in satanism it’s understanding of power, though it twists and deceives those who come into it, because the power belongs to God alone and it is a stronger power that loves the murderer then that kills the innocent. But every belief system must have some ounce of Truth in it. It must have some form of goodness in it to think about caring for the poor. And Christianity if it just a mental knowledge of rules is no different than any other belief system if it is void of Christ. But where Jesus Christ comes in, there is so much power and love to transform even Christians. Nothing is impossible with God.
But if people, of any belief, including Christianity, continue to reject God’s loving authority, God is Love. He will not force us to love Him or to be with Him. He loves us dearly, but love does not demand its own way. God will honor our choices if we persist in rebellion against Him. But God alone is good and it is only in the shadows light and darkness can coexist. When we pass through the veil, darkness and light will be separated, so those who received His rescue and love no longer have to suffer the results of sin. But there is torment, suffering and fear for those who reject His Truth and Grace. Not because that was what God desired for anyone, for God is love and does not desire anyone to perish, but because they chose to refuse that love, for He will not force anyone to receive it. God is Judge of the whole earth and spirits and humans, all will most certainly stand before Him. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Read Romans chapter 1 – 3 if you get a chance.
Blessings and God’s Peace.
Letters to a Friend 