Posted on 01/12/2014 5:53:46 AM PST by knarf
You don't need a priest, or sacraments, or a "church", or a denomination, or charismatic 'gifts' or baptism or hierarchal permission, sanction nor absolution ...
“Jesus, I believe you died so I could rape and murder all those women, and get “saved” right before the state fries me”.
Signed: Ted Bundy
Your snarkiness aside, yes, even you, too can be saved throught the redemption offered by Jesus. And Jesus Christ offers his saving grace to all, including the Ted Bundy’s of the world. Dude, if the likes of a Ted Bundy can be saved, through the grace of Jesus Christ, then surely He can welcome you, too, through the narrow gate. God’s grace is beyond human comprehension. Just go with it and believe.
“Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?”
He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve.” [John 6: 49-71]
I think they KEY phrase in your statement is 'call on HIM'. How one defines that phrase makes all the difference.
Ted Bundy fried like a crispy critter and his soul continues to fry in hell . Same thing with Jeffrey Dalhmer, John Wayne Gacy, and the rest of the death row conversions. Christ is a just God, but stupid he’s not. Different story for Karla Faye Tucker. She turned his life over to God and was indeed a different person when she left this world. Her actions years before her death attest to his faith and saving grace from God.
Several years ago at a “International Association of Near Death Studies” (IANDS) conference in Durham NC a retired military guy told his story of dying on the operating table at Duke Medical Center. He was having a lung removed due to cancer.
It really freaked out the Dr’s as this man was talking while he was flatlined. Ends up that at the moment of his death, he turned to Jesus and asked forgiveness for all the mistakes he had made during his life. His prayers were answered and he was healed. He was told that he had ten more years to live.
He had the letters with him from the surgeons who were working on him at the time of his death.
It moved me so much I think I will go back and get a video of his presentation.
So ... yeah.
How much love does your god have ?
And ... when does He stop loving you enough to save you ?
Repentance is optional?
We may not be in basic disagreement. While being crucified, Jesus turned to the thief next to him and said he would join Him in heaven. Even at the moment of one’s last breath, it is possible for the mercy of God to prevail over our sinful heart and sin filled past. God bless you and your family.
In Deuteronomy 4:19 and Malachi 1:11 God claims everyone can be saved.
“He who has believed and been baptized shall be saved; but he who has not believed shall be condemned.” - Mark 16:16
“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:21
If I am a theif and I like to steal, I feel no compunction nor academic reason to stop
Repentence is coming to the realization I'm wrong to steal (a change of mind .. direction)
Repentence alone does no good unless you direct your repentent heart and desire(s) towards someone that can help you FROM where you are.
“and moments before he died, he got saved.”
The story is absolutely true - and far less clear than you make it sound. “Paradise” is not necessarily Heaven, and Christ wasn’t going to Heaven on Good Friday. He only went to Heaven (as far as we know) at the Ascension. The Good Thief, known to tradition as St. Dismas, may have gone to a natural paradise rather than the abode of God. He was saved from hell fire - of that there can be no doubt - but exactly where he ended up is unclear.
http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/dismissing-the-dismas-case
“even you, too can be saved throught the redemption offered by Jesus.”
That’s what makes the Catholic religion so convent. Do
whatever you want. Kill, drink, have extramarital affairs,
steal, rape and plunder. As long as you make it to
confession your forgiven. /src./.
You can even openly practice homosexuality and the church
will embrace you and forgive you and let you continue to
be a priest. /nonsarc/.
” Jesus turned to the thief next to him and said he would join Him in heaven.”
No, Jesus said “Paradise”. He did not say Heaven and Jesus did not go to Heaven that day. And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, TODAY you will be with me in PARADISE’” (Luke 23:32-43).
Words are important. ALL mankind has been redeemed through Christ taking on the punishment for the sins of the world. Salvation is the gift offered that people can choose to accept, or not.
Redemption <> salvation.
“You don’t need a priest, or sacraments, or a “church”, or a denomination, or charismatic ‘gifts’ or baptism or hierarchal permission, sanction nor absolution ...”
“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
.....John 20:21-23
The question is not “why do Catholics confess to priests”? The question is why do non Catholics NOT confess to priests.
“the thief on the cross did SOMEthing to get capital punishment”
You have no idea why he was hanging on that cross. Could have been for stealing a piece of bread.
Someone wrote to me at FR once and asked 'if he/she names this Jesus as his/her savior, will the God of Jesus have his her back?' Sadly, the reason for being born again is still not understood, for someone to ask such a question. God is not a man's/woman's servant that He should 'have your back'. If this were the meaning of Salvation, God would be reduced to countering the evil, making God reactive, not Creative. God has a plan to continue His Creation through The Grace of God in Christ. 'Having your back' would halt His creating and render God an assistant. THAT is not the nature of God.
The Grace of God in Christ makes one a new creation in a 'place/way' where satan cannot destroy you and God does not have to 'have your back'. If you meet a professing Christian who is caught in a 'sin-spiral' you may conclude one of two things: either the person is not faithing (action word, daily walk) in Christ, or satan sees that one as a mighty enemy in the making and is trying to blunt the God-use of that one ahead.
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