“It’s called “Receiving Jesus.” The only way you’re going to make it out of here alive.”
Ahh, so you believe that the only way God will ever work is by reaching down out of heaven and picking you up? You believe that the creator of the universe, and every physical law in it, would rely entirely on supernatural rather than natural means to achieve his will? You believe it’s impossible that the creator may have fashioned this world in such a way that, if his creations followed the right path, they would help achieve his will?
Consider this - might it be possible that human beings living right, behaving morally and righteously, striving every day to more deeply understand creation, might be taking steps to bring about the kingdom of God mentioned in the bible? You know, the one without disease, or want, or aging and death? Do you think the big guy needs to come down here personally and lay every brick for the divine city, or do you think that maybe he created a world where, if we were worthy of it, we’d help build it into something really great in the end?
Heck, he may be a carpenter, but he still contracted out for the construction of the ark. Sometimes we wait for a hand from heaven, forgetting that someone gave us a pair of our own and that we can use them to help bring us to the right place.
Not trying to be confrontational, and not trying to challenge any of your beliefs or be flippant, just throwing some thoughts out for consideration.
How familiar are you, do you think, with Biblical Theology?
Technically you may be correct. God has given us the brains and the will to conquer or create almost anything, time permitting. However, the book of our history has been written already...and it looks like we fail miserably (I cheated and read ahead). I guess we do get to live in a perfect world, but it won’t be one of our doing. Hey, we’re people, we mess up. That’s what we do.
We can choose what we do now in these temporary bodies and whether we choose Jesus determines where our spirits go after our body dies. But after our bodies die we have no control over what happens to our spirit.
If "living right" could save us, then Jesus wouldn't have had to die. Jesus is the only one to have lived without sin. He's the only person who ever lived who did not deserve to die, but he died for us so that we, who deserve to die don't have to.
I have considered your argument on more than one occasion, the key component of what you are looking for is “worthy of it”. You be sure to let me know when that happens; or it looks to be even close, won’t you?
No I don’t expect God to come down here and pluck me up to eternal bliss or happiness, that is something I will have to work long and hard for with my own hands and deeds.
You are right; God does sub-contract out some of His jobs here on earth, but I think for the eternity part of the project you are going to have to go back to the “PRIME CONTRACTOR”.
This is a fallen world. Eternal life is not possible in this realm.
um... the Resurrection is Eternal Life.
No other way.
The Second Death as St. Augustine defines it, is living in an immortal passible body. Hell for short. I’m with St. Augustine on this one, avoid the Second Death, at all costs.
As my Christian brethren are pointing out here, the only way to avoid the Second Death is by accepting the redemption offered by the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. These winners will receive an immortal glorified body. No more tears, Eternal bliss with the Blessed Trinity, an endless supply of fruit, great golf courses, etc...
Mathematically, repairing the 37 trillion or so cells in the human body one by one is not feasible. However, even more dire is the fact that the microbes living in the human body outnumber the human cells 10:1. I suppose if these machines could repair 100 cells per hour, you would keep pace with the destruction over a course of 42 million years.
But it does make for great movie plots.