Posted on 06/16/2013 6:39:19 AM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
What are the churches teaching?
I do not think he accepts that at all. I surely do not.
Gullible. Yep.......that’s me. Gullible. Have a nice day.
Rather, God gives DIRECTIVES, which is another word for COMMANDS, which is ONE AND THE SAME.
Paul talks about believers falling away. He even speaks of the inability for Christ to be crucified again.
There will be no atheists in Heaven, even if they did walk the aisle as a teen.
It doesn’t even matter if someone altogether abandons their Christian faith.
Many of us may pay penalty’s in this life for our actions or our words.
Some of those penalty’s may be brought about by our own actions, some by God or some by the devil.
John 6:40
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
God is the only one who knows who believes in him with the exceptions of those we know died for him.
The Bible can be used to teach and justify all kinds of beliefs. Just because something sounds good to us, doesn’t make it sound doctrine.
Yes it can, and rightly so...
Just because something sounds good to us, doesn’t make it sound doctrine.
And that's just exactly what you are doing...
No, there is critical and salvific difference btwn having to become good enough for heaven thru purifying torments commencing at death, and the necessity to have true faith which manifests "things which accompany salvation," 'fruits meet [fitting] fort repentance." (Acts 26:20)
Purgatory is based on salvation by grace thru merit, in which certain souls are good enough to go to be with the Lord at death, while others go to purgatory to atone for sins and become perfect enough to see God.
Scripturally, one is justified by faith, which will effect obedience towards its Object, and is exhorted to abide in Christ, and warned against casting away this faith and drawing back unto perdition, making Christ of none effect. (Heb. 3:14; 10:16-39; Gal. 5:1-4) One either has saving faith at death and thus goes to be with the Lord at death or they do not and go to Hell.
Nowhere does Scripture tell of believers being in a place of suffering for a time commencing at death, but while the tormented postmortem state of the lost is clear, in accordance with accountability, and relevant to grace given, (Lk. 10:12-14; 12:48; Rv. 20:11-15) the only clear references to the postmortem place the elect souls refer to them being with the Lord. Not only would the penitent criminal go to "paradise" (Lk. 23:43; cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7) as well as Paul and be with the Lord upon their passing, (Phil 1:23; 2Cor. 5:8: “we”) but so would every resurrected/raptured Corinthian (1Cor. 15:51ff) or Thessalonian, “to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1Thess. 4:17) even though the former in particular were in need of greater purification, (2Cor. 7:1) though not all were believers. (2Cor. 13:5)
Expressed more fully, The apostle Paul, while he told the Philippians that was he not “already perfect,” (Phil. 3:12) was yet torn by two desires, “to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better ,or to abide in the flesh to minister to the saints. (Phil. 1:23,24) Likewise he stated to the Corinthians, "We [plural] are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) In addition, the Thessalonians, which were still undergoing growth in grace toward perfection, were assured that if the Lord returned, which they expected in their lifetime, so would they “ever be with the Lord.” (1Thes. 4:17) To which is added the contrite confessing criminal on the cross who went to be with the Lord upon his physical death, (Lk. 23:43; cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7) as did Stephen. (Acts 7:59) And we may be certain that the contrite confessing criminal had not yet attained moral perfection, which is one reason given for purgatory, the other being the need to atone for sins which the believer was not sufficiently chastised for in this life in compensating for them, and thus Rome teaches that such must atone for “in the life beyond through fire and torments or purifying' punishments.” (Indulgentiarum Doctrina; cp. 1. 1967) In addition, Paul describes the passing from this life as being “clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,” to be with the Lord, which is something to earnestly be desired, and is in contrast to our groaning on earth. (2Cor. 5:1-4) Furthermore, Scripture only reveals growth in grace and overcoming as being realized in this world, with its temptations and trials, (1 Peter 1:6-7; 1Jn.2:14; 5:4,5; Rv. 2.7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21) where alternatives to submitting to God can be made (suffering itself does not make one mature) and thus it was here that the Lord Himself was made “perfect,” (Heb. 2:10) as in being “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15) Thus what Scripture teaches is that it is on earth that testing and overcoming takes place, and that the elect go to be with the Lord upon death, or at His return, whichever comes first, and then they are judged as to the manner of works, reflecting their faith, and rewarded or suffer loss of rewards. . That is only because it recognizes that
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