I do believe in a literal heaven and a literal hell though it might not look exactly like this...
All i can assume about heaven is that it is going to be nothing like what i think it is going to be. I think it will have streets of gold, because it says that in the Bible, and i know there will be no pain, but all i know is of earthly things and i think heaven is much more than i can comprehend now.
On the flip side, Hell seems to be a very real place as well. All i know about Hell is that it is a total separation from God, which means a total separation from anything good.
I have heard some views on Hell, that there is literally a lot of fire and hurt, or that it is personalized to fit your every torment. Either of those sounds really bad and i think that once again, Hell is much more than I can comprehend.
When i person dies without the saving knowledge of Jesus and what God has done for us, the Bible makes it very clear that a person in that boat goes to Hell. One thing i'm still wrestling a lot with is how far will God's grace extend? I thought a lot about this over the summer with some people. I'm sure there is so much i dont understand about God, i mean i can never fully grasp who he is on this earth but his grace extends to cover that. Does all it take is a willingness to serve God? Does it matter how much you know God or how far along you are on your spiritual journey? Is it just a simple prayer or a change of heart? How much of a change of heart? These are all questions that plague me sometimes.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
How come nobody wants to be a Christian?
If you read my last post, i concluded with my logic (which may be far from correct) that sanctification is our responsibility. So is that why we don't see that many Christians around?
Yes.
Being a Christian is hard. Lets look at what Jesus said to some people:
1. Sell your things and give them to the poor
2. If you want to live, you must die
3. You must hate your family (or just love them less than you love me).
Those are tough words to swallow, and to be completely honest, they scare the crap out of me because i don't always live up to them. On the flip side though, he had said some pretty optimistic things as well:
1. God loves you more than anything!
2. God will provide for you.
3. You are not alone in this life. I am with you always.
Dang.
So, a christian life is bent around denying your own selfishness, and living in God's ways, letting him tell his story through us. One reason that is so hard, is because we all love to be selfish. We would rather pick than let someone else pick. We would rather be comfortable, instead of giving it up so someone else can be comfortable.
As humans, i feel like it is so hard to look at the bigger picture. All i can see is the small picture sometimes. The fact that i will be uncomfortable, or that i dont get to choose where we eat for dinner even though i really want Culver's. I forget those three quotes from Jesus up top. I forget that God's ways are better than mine.
Yes.
Being a Christian is hard. Lets look at what Jesus said to some people:
1. Sell your things and give them to the poor
2. If you want to live, you must die
3. You must hate your family (or just love them less than you love me).
Those are tough words to swallow, and to be completely honest, they scare the crap out of me because i don't always live up to them. On the flip side though, he had said some pretty optimistic things as well:
1. God loves you more than anything!
2. God will provide for you.
3. You are not alone in this life. I am with you always.
Dang.
So, a christian life is bent around denying your own selfishness, and living in God's ways, letting him tell his story through us. One reason that is so hard, is because we all love to be selfish. We would rather pick than let someone else pick. We would rather be comfortable, instead of giving it up so someone else can be comfortable.
As humans, i feel like it is so hard to look at the bigger picture. All i can see is the small picture sometimes. The fact that i will be uncomfortable, or that i dont get to choose where we eat for dinner even though i really want Culver's. I forget those three quotes from Jesus up top. I forget that God's ways are better than mine.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Lets talk about...Sanctification
We all got asked the question, "Is sanctification our responsibility or Gods?" and though i probably don't understand all of the implications of this question, heres my two cents.
My definition of sanctification is as follows: a person becoming who they were truly meant to be through the sweet actions of God. It seems to me like there are two actions that take place when someone gets sanctified. God gives us the chance and we get to take part in.
I don't like to look at God's part of the process as a responsibility. Indeed, he chose to create a way for us to get sanctified, but i think he did that because he couldn't see it any other way. The guy loves us like crazy.
Now i suppose we have the choice to receive the sanctification process God has given to us. Merriam-Webster defines responsibility as: able to answer for one's conduct and obligations. Based on that definition, I think sanctification is our resposibility. Jesus tells Paul in Acts 27:18 that he is sending him to the Gentiles so they may join "among those who are sanctified by faith in me." We are sanctified by our faith, and our faith is our choice.
I might have it wrong, but from my current understanding, that seems to sum up a little about what i think.
My definition of sanctification is as follows: a person becoming who they were truly meant to be through the sweet actions of God. It seems to me like there are two actions that take place when someone gets sanctified. God gives us the chance and we get to take part in.
I don't like to look at God's part of the process as a responsibility. Indeed, he chose to create a way for us to get sanctified, but i think he did that because he couldn't see it any other way. The guy loves us like crazy.
Now i suppose we have the choice to receive the sanctification process God has given to us. Merriam-Webster defines responsibility as: able to answer for one's conduct and obligations. Based on that definition, I think sanctification is our resposibility. Jesus tells Paul in Acts 27:18 that he is sending him to the Gentiles so they may join "among those who are sanctified by faith in me." We are sanctified by our faith, and our faith is our choice.
I might have it wrong, but from my current understanding, that seems to sum up a little about what i think.
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