Quote:
Originally Posted by WV6Z
Thanks for sharing MAC40, ya know, if everyone were to just pick ONE item off of that list, like 'A', it's, shall we say, 'non denominational', just for example, wouldn't the world be a beautiful place?  |
Well yes, it would certainly make things go much more smoothly in this world. The problem with it is when we go to the NEXT world. God is rather adamant about His criteria for salvation. If we look at the prophets in the Old Testament, they made no compromise in God’s program in order to appease the world. Actually, the people were so angered by God’s prophets that they killed them.
Judaism was the only method by which a man could be saved in the O.T. and the only way to salvation was either by obedience to the Law of Moses as a Jew or by obedience to the Law of Moses as a Jewish Proselyte.
Acts 3:25
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Judaism was fully in effect all the way up through Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. It was a performance / reward based system. (IF you keep My commandments – THEN you will be My people and I will be your God – ELSE you will receive curses and condemnation)
Christ Jesus revealed a new salvation system to Saul on the road to Damascus that is fully in effect today (we call it Christianity). God tells us under the rules of Christianity that nobody can be saved by obedience. So choice “
A. Be a nice person.” Doesn’t work for salvation. God says you’re NOT a nice person. He says I am NOT a nice person and even though I’d like to think of myself as such, God says NOBODY is a nice person.
On being nice, we’d probably give Hitler an “F” and we’d maybe give Billy Graham an “A-.” Under Christianity, God doesn’t grade on the curve however. Based on their performance and obedience they would both be destined for the BAD PLACE. They both would be lacking spiritual LIFE because they cannot create RIGHTEOUSNESS (a right standing before the eyes of God). Only by accepting Christ’s own righteousness can we be justified and receive eternal LIFE.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
So while a good many of the choices on that list may sound pretty good to us, we have to compare each one with God’s Word to see if it will buy us a ticket to heaven – (salvation) according to the criteria that He proclaims. By narrowing those options down to one, we will be making a lot of people angry and our path in this world will not be smooth. If you stand for God, you will receive much of what the prophets and the disciples received. (Rocks!) That is why religion is quick to accept all faiths and all denominations in the name of Unity. Do not be deceived for Christ is our righteousness unto life.