Posted by Simus on February 23, 2004, at 1:47:33
In reply to religious abuse, posted by jdgjdg on February 19, 2004, at 22:13:05
It's sad, but true, that there have been many abuses throughout the history of the Church. Many leaders, who don't seem to experience the love of God for themselves, have misrepresented Him to their flocks. How sad that they grow up believing that God wants to merely point out their sinfulness & leave them there, feeling condemned! That is NOT the message of Christianity.
This is the message of God, also called the Gospel (or Good News), as understood by the Christian Church for over 2,000 years [NOTE: No one, not even God, forces anyone to believe or accept this message. Everyone is free to accept or reject this message. But this is the message of the Christian Church, & it's being stated here to contrast the condemning message that some "Christians" have falsely given.]:
First, that there is a heaven; it's a real place. And it's a free gift. Heaven can't be earned, & it's not something we deserve, because...
Man (meaning mankind) is a sinner. Not just because of the wrong things we do, but because we're born in a sinful state. We inherit this sinfulness from our parents, & it goes all the way back to the beginning of mankind. We're born being separated from God. (Ever notice how you never have to teach a child to say "no" or to be selfish? It comes very naturally.)
And here's the problem: You see, God is a merciful God; He loves us. He doesn't want to punish us. But... God is also a just God, & He must punish our sin.
And here's the solution: Jesus Christ is the infinite God-Man. He's 100% God, while also being 100% man. He was sent by the Father for two things: to live the perfect life, & to die on our behalf. He died on the cross, paid the penalty of our sins, & purchased a place in heaven for us.
Here's how to apply it to our life: by Faith. Not mere head knowledge. It's not enough to "know" that Jesus is the Son of God; even the demons know this, & they tremble, but they're not in heaven. Saving Faith is also not temporal faith; it's not the kind of faith we can store away "in the closet" until we experience a crisis & have to pull it out. Saving faith is trusting in Jesus alone to restore us to a relationship with God.
This is the message of the Gospel, the Good News. It's not "you're a sinner & God hates you & wants to send you to hell." That's condemnation; God doesn't condemn, but the enemy does. It's "yes, you're a sinner, but God loves you so much He sent His Son to take your punishment so that you can be with Him forever." This is what the followers of Jesus have believed since He walked this earth. This is what He commanded that we tell the world: that there is hope.
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. Hebrews 4:16 (amp)
God bless, we are praying for you.
poster:Simus
thread:315917
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20040113/msgs/316745.html