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How To Get To Heaven When You Die
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Last: 5 hrs ago by BusyTarpDuster2017
xfrodobagginsx said:
.
That time of the month?
It happens that I spent the last three days being ill, and that gave me some time to think on certain matters of importance.
Reading through this thread, I find myself compelled to address what I see as three critical points: The Salvation of the Soul, the Split between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, and the promise to us offered by Christ.
There have been a lot of posts arguing points regarding whether and how our souls are saved, but few seem to focus on what the soul is, in that respect. I mention this because I see a lot of posts about our minds and our arguments, but pretty much no posts addressing the spiritual character of the soul. This is, to me, an essential consideration of the matter. Our intellect and physical attributes change over time for everyone, but some people are essentially the same moral person their whole lives, while others change as they mature and grow as people. This matters because as God is omniscient, He knows what we will choose in regard to our souls' destiny.
I base my opinion on God and His Judgment according to Scripture. This is because human opinion is so inconstant and arbitrary, while Scripture can be trusted. Throughout Scripture, God reveals His earnest desire that we should be reconciled to Him as a wayward child returning home. The messages we see over and over are plain:
Next is the matter of the Schism between Roman Catholics (and to a lesser degree, the Orthodox Church) and the Protestant Reformation. A bit of that comes from strident claims that brook no doubt or consideration of 'the other side'.
I suppose I differ a bit from other Protestants, in that I accept and respect the contributions of the early Church leaders and believe that there are many Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians who serve Christ as faithful believers, and whose understanding of the Gospel is well worth consideration and discussion.
I differ from our Roman Catholic and Orthodox brothers in their presumption that the earlier sects are somehow right with Christ, while the Protestants are heretical and offensive to Christ. Some of this comes from the refusal by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians to accept the sins of their Popes and Patriarchs.
Certainly the Protestant denominations have their own share of false leaders, but this does not make any of the denominations heretical; only that the leaders of any of these groups are fallible and flawed. In my opinion, each denomination should learn from each others, with respect and in alignment with Scripture. I would also observe that if long tradition and history were the signs of primacy, the Jewish tradition would have prevailed against Christ's new teachings, even though those were consistent with Scripture. Scripture is the essence, not Tradition.
I might also argue that I disagree somewhat with the notion of Sola Scriptura. I would prefer the term Scriptura Suprema, because Scripture itself teaches lessons from human examples, or else we should not have so many dozens of books in Scripture. That said, Jesus' rebuke of human tradition makes plain that God wants us to focus on His words more than the variance of men.
Finally, I come back to the title of this thread. Certainly we all hope to go to Heaven after we finish this life, but I see blessings offered to anyone who accepts Christ which are immediate. It's great to dream of Heaven, but commitment to Christ means we have access to a direct relationship with our Lord. The command to 'pray without ceasing' is not meant to coerce us into reporting to God, but instead provides us an unbreakable link to our Lord, with promise of a friendship greater than anything offered by any human.
Stop for a moment and consider that Jesus Christ wants to know how you are doing, what you are thinking, what you need. He wants you to tell Him, for the same reason your best friend hopes you will open up to him about your hopes, fears and plans.
He's just waiting for you to reach out to Him.
I am sure many will find fault with my thoughts here. But I felt they might be worth discussion, and if nothing else they illustrate my heart and hopes.
Thank you for reading.
Reading through this thread, I find myself compelled to address what I see as three critical points: The Salvation of the Soul, the Split between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, and the promise to us offered by Christ.
There have been a lot of posts arguing points regarding whether and how our souls are saved, but few seem to focus on what the soul is, in that respect. I mention this because I see a lot of posts about our minds and our arguments, but pretty much no posts addressing the spiritual character of the soul. This is, to me, an essential consideration of the matter. Our intellect and physical attributes change over time for everyone, but some people are essentially the same moral person their whole lives, while others change as they mature and grow as people. This matters because as God is omniscient, He knows what we will choose in regard to our souls' destiny.
I base my opinion on God and His Judgment according to Scripture. This is because human opinion is so inconstant and arbitrary, while Scripture can be trusted. Throughout Scripture, God reveals His earnest desire that we should be reconciled to Him as a wayward child returning home. The messages we see over and over are plain:
- We make choices which have permanent and serious consequences. Hell is real and to be greatly feared;
- God offers a way to avoid this destruction, but warns that only a few find it;
- Nonetheless, God continues to provide opportunity for us to turn back from calamity;
- Even after we are saved, Satan attacks believers relentlessly, using any means possible including temptation, persecution and death;
- Believers should regularly search their heart and confess sin, and redouble efforts to follow Christ's example in our own lives
Next is the matter of the Schism between Roman Catholics (and to a lesser degree, the Orthodox Church) and the Protestant Reformation. A bit of that comes from strident claims that brook no doubt or consideration of 'the other side'.
I suppose I differ a bit from other Protestants, in that I accept and respect the contributions of the early Church leaders and believe that there are many Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians who serve Christ as faithful believers, and whose understanding of the Gospel is well worth consideration and discussion.
I differ from our Roman Catholic and Orthodox brothers in their presumption that the earlier sects are somehow right with Christ, while the Protestants are heretical and offensive to Christ. Some of this comes from the refusal by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians to accept the sins of their Popes and Patriarchs.
Certainly the Protestant denominations have their own share of false leaders, but this does not make any of the denominations heretical; only that the leaders of any of these groups are fallible and flawed. In my opinion, each denomination should learn from each others, with respect and in alignment with Scripture. I would also observe that if long tradition and history were the signs of primacy, the Jewish tradition would have prevailed against Christ's new teachings, even though those were consistent with Scripture. Scripture is the essence, not Tradition.
I might also argue that I disagree somewhat with the notion of Sola Scriptura. I would prefer the term Scriptura Suprema, because Scripture itself teaches lessons from human examples, or else we should not have so many dozens of books in Scripture. That said, Jesus' rebuke of human tradition makes plain that God wants us to focus on His words more than the variance of men.
Finally, I come back to the title of this thread. Certainly we all hope to go to Heaven after we finish this life, but I see blessings offered to anyone who accepts Christ which are immediate. It's great to dream of Heaven, but commitment to Christ means we have access to a direct relationship with our Lord. The command to 'pray without ceasing' is not meant to coerce us into reporting to God, but instead provides us an unbreakable link to our Lord, with promise of a friendship greater than anything offered by any human.
Stop for a moment and consider that Jesus Christ wants to know how you are doing, what you are thinking, what you need. He wants you to tell Him, for the same reason your best friend hopes you will open up to him about your hopes, fears and plans.
He's just waiting for you to reach out to Him.
I am sure many will find fault with my thoughts here. But I felt they might be worth discussion, and if nothing else they illustrate my heart and hopes.
Thank you for reading.
Oldbear83 said:
I might also argue that I disagree somewhat with the notion of Sola Scriptura. I would prefer the term Scriptura Suprema, because Scripture itself teaches lessons from human examples, or else we should not have so many dozens of books in Scripture. That said, Jesus' rebuke of human tradition makes plain that God wants us to focus on His words more than the variance of men.
Explain why this is a "somewhat" disagreement with sola scriptura. You seem to be disagreeing with something else, NOT sola scriptura.
BusyTarpDuster2017 said:Oldbear83 said:
I might also argue that I disagree somewhat with the notion of Sola Scriptura. I would prefer the term Scriptura Suprema, because Scripture itself teaches lessons from human examples, or else we should not have so many dozens of books in Scripture. That said, Jesus' rebuke of human tradition makes plain that God wants us to focus on His words more than the variance of men.
Explain why this is a "somewhat" disagreement with sola scriptura. You seem to be disagreeing with something else, NOT sola scriptura.
It's an attempt to get the discussion moving. And I submit that the Sola part causes our Roman Catholic friends to stall on that point.
Oldbear83 said:BusyTarpDuster2017 said:Oldbear83 said:
I might also argue that I disagree somewhat with the notion of Sola Scriptura. I would prefer the term Scriptura Suprema, because Scripture itself teaches lessons from human examples, or else we should not have so many dozens of books in Scripture. That said, Jesus' rebuke of human tradition makes plain that God wants us to focus on His words more than the variance of men.
Explain why this is a "somewhat" disagreement with sola scriptura. You seem to be disagreeing with something else, NOT sola scriptura.
It's an attempt to get the discussion moving. And I submit that the Sola part causes our Roman Catholic friends to stall on that point.
But what is YOUR specific disagreement with sola scriptura? How is it different from your concept of "sola suprema"?