Why is entering heaven dependent on what you believe rather than your character and deeds on earth?
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John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
THE BATTLE AXE: Weed and Godly Wisdom (09/15/2013)—(4.) In their confusion, many young people believe that they cannot experience adulthood, freedom and full maturity without alcohol and drugs. Some even insist they can not and do not want to live without them. Yet, GOD has not gone about to poison created beings and living creatures. Also, it is the mercy, reconciliation to mankind, and righteousness of GOD that no one is condemned for sin and sent to hell without thorough investigation, fair hearing, and trial. While the law describes offenses as actions and deeds, the judgment of our behavior and conduct is not separate from the assessment of our private motives and unspoken purposes. Most of us agree that two men may carry out the same behavior having very different intentions, and very different outcomes in mind. Casual use of alcohol and drugs to enable fornication, sexual exploitation and prostitution are not the same as wellness and medicinal use where frequency, dosage and potency are carefully monitored. The sacred dimensions for divine judgment focus upon being, substance and transformation (we say, change), such that, what one does also displays what one contains, and (in that sense) what one was, what one is, and what one may yet become once being sealed of GOD. Every believer receives and should regularly display such inseparable sacred content as faith, holiness, longsuffering, love, righteousness, truthfulness, wisdom, wrath against sin, and zeal. In final judgment that occurs following Satan being cast into the Lake of Fire, there is no devil or person who acts as an accuser. A person only has to answer to the record of their own deeds that are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (5.) Where a person wants to repeatedly “blame” alcohol or a drug for causing their behavior, in fact, they worship and attribute power to a false god, and idol. Rather than having experiences of ecstasy, joy, pleasures, and “getting high,” the priorities for Christian life are sacrificial and unselfish service to spread the Gospel. Believers count themselves privileged to receive the duty (i.e., things that must be done despite any cost or loss, like it, don’t like) of proclaiming the Son of GOD, and ministering to others from their own anointing and endowment received through the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Once baptized and reborn, a believer must learn, grow up, and mature again as one who follows the Lord. There will be many challenges to continue or resume habits, practices and preferences that are not in agreement with the divine nature that has been imparted from GOD. Thus, all believers experience some doubts and uncertainty as “growing pains” in their journey to full understanding despite their having many shared experiences of fellowship with other believers, answered prayer, and insights through study of the holy writings. (6.) The issues of communication, performance, sobriety, and trust that surround use of alcohol and drugs make them controversial, dangerous and divisive to Christian communities. Like athletics, clothes and fashion, consumerism and shopping, death and pain, diet and food, disease and sickness, alcohol and drugs continue exaggerated focus upon our flesh that may delay development and growth of ones Holy Spirit. As such they are unnecessary, useless, and vain (i.e., empty; lacking spirit substance from GOD). Many hold that the effects of such substances are through devils. Unlike curative and medicinal herbs, drugs are understood to shock and alter ones metabolism and body process, where various herbs only foster natural functioning. Given the threat of addiction, progressive and subtle (i.e., barely visible) development of dependency, recreational use of alcohol and drugs should be limited, with two or three uses of marijuana being ones maximum. The bottom line for the believer addresses their effectiveness in spreading the Gospel as well as the fineness, readiness and sharpness of the believer’s ability to discern sacred truth. See how the same spiritual laws and principles are involved as you consider again the attitudes and instruction shown the early church on the eating of foods that are shared as part of worship to idols (Romans 14: 1-23, 1st Corinthians 8: 1-13 and 1st Corinthians 10: 13-33 and Revelation 2: 18-29, KJV).
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6: 47-63, KVJ)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: A Relationship not Just Knowledge? (06/25/2013); Lost Without GOD? (06/26/2013); Struggling? (05/11/2013); Through Much Tribulation (05/12/2013); Life Given By Knowledge? (04/03/2013); A Spirit Church? (04/04/2013)
“GodIsTheWay”, here are a few points shared among many Christian believers that you may find helpful:
(1.) From Creation, humanity was to develop a potential to commune with and display the nature of divine person. Thus, the many aspects of full and right relationship for mankind that have been established by the operation of Almighty GOD include divine law, forbearance, forgiveness, glorification, justification, redemption, repentance, salvation and sanctification that are made available as awareness, inner change, growth, and spiritual endowment. We say, by the grace (initiative, prerogative, will of GOD) created beings and living creatures are drawn and led into fellowship, new life, and service to the Creator.
(2.) In seeking a correct and full experience of divine truth for mankind, a Christian believer responds to multiple levels of ministry from GOD through Jesus Christ. Included are Incarnation, obedience, prayer, rebirth (from imparted, divine DNA, so to speak), death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and presiding over final judgment. Because human actions, behavior and conduct are visible displays generated from ones spirit content (not just emotion, imagination and intelligence), GOD has established through Christ that righteousness consists in more than simply blindly carrying out the sacred law as ceremony, custom, ritual and tradition.
There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually understood. For example, (3.) Where believing is an act of self-will, rather than an act of faith, believing is carnal, material, social, temporal, and after the flesh, rather than after the Spirit of GOD. Ones spirit content is the basis of final determination of ones acceptance with GOD. Such inseparable substance from the makeup of divinity must appear as faith, holiness, longsuffering, patience, truthfulness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith. Love has spoken.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
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