it reminds me of what Derek Webb said at that concert. "this is not the job of the government. they should be getting in line behind the church to help." so much need, so little help
Jesus says we shouldn't care about them. For example, in Matthew 11:20 and immediately following, Jesus condemns entire cities because they did not repent. Mark 16:16 says that unbelievers will be damned. John 3:36 says that the wrath of God is on all unbelievers. John 15:22 says that unbelievers have no excuse for not believing in him.
So, Christians shouldn't be "asking those questions," because God has already pronounced judgement. Or do you doubt what the Bible - the word of God - says?
I do believe that God will eventually punish sinners who have not trusted in Christ's sacrifice for their sins. He will do this because He is holy and just. I would not want to believe in a God who would not have consequences for sin. Everyone has sinned at some point and therefore is deserving of this punishment. However God is not only just, He is loving. This is why He sent Christ to pay the price of death for our sins. This sacrifice was is a free gift to anyone who would accept it. But like any gift it can be rejected, and those who reject it will have to face the judgement of God on their own, without Christ to stand in between them and the just wrath of God.
But getting back to your question, believers are not to be concerned with pronouncing judgement on believers, that is God's job not ours (I Cor 5:12).
Believers are however commanded to show love to the world. This love includes both sharing the truth of Jesus Christ and the salvation through His blood and resurection and showing His love in us through the practical meeting of needs. I fear that too often Christians are ready to share Christ in words but fail to share Him in actions. Christ even commands His believers to love their enemies(Matt 5:38-48) something I think we Christians often fail at, especially in America.
One other note: The picture we get of God in the scriptures is not one of an angry God who takes pleasure in punishing sin (II Pet 3:9; Ezekiel 18:23; 18:32) True He hates sin but this is because it is the perversion of good and since God is the perfect embodiment of goodness all sin is a personal attack on His character.
I'm sure I havent answered all of your questions and you probably dont believe what I am saying. Please dont feel like I am trying to foist my belief system on you. But this what I understand the Scriptures to teach and if you are not trusting in Christ for salvation from your sins then you will one day have to face God on your own. Since I believe this, the most loving thing I could do would be to share this with you just as if I saw your apartment building on fire and you were sleeping, it would be loving of me to knock your door down and wake you up, whether or not you were thankful that I did.
humbly, jrf
p.s. I doubt you do, but please dont take "maureen's" views as reflective of normative Christianity. I do not know here, but from here posts and comments it is clear that she hold some seriously erroneous views and possibly has some mental issues.
I have, unfortunately, interacted online with too many Christians who are closer in temperament to Maureen than they are to you, so it is a genuine pleasure to meet you.
I promise that I will not be "troll" on your blog, but I can't promise that I won't ask a question every once in a while.
BTW, for those looking to make contributions to Pakistan earthquake relief, I recommend AmeriCares (www.americares.org), a 4-star Charity Navigator site which has an excellent record of spending as little as possible on administrative costs (0.4%) and getting the bulk of your contributions (98.9%) to actual assistance for the needy. And their CEO, Curtis Welling takes a much smaller salary ($275,000) than heads of other similar charities such as the American Red Cross (Marcia Welling, $450,000; 5.4% on administrative expenses, 91.1% on program expenses).
6 comments:
it reminds me of what Derek Webb said at that concert. "this is not the job of the government. they should be getting in line behind the church to help." so much need, so little help
Jesus says we shouldn't care about them. For example, in Matthew 11:20 and immediately following, Jesus condemns entire cities because they did not repent. Mark 16:16 says that unbelievers will be damned. John 3:36 says that the wrath of God is on all unbelievers. John 15:22 says that unbelievers have no excuse for not believing in him.
So, Christians shouldn't be "asking those questions," because God has already pronounced judgement. Or do you doubt what the Bible - the word of God - says?
Thanks for your questions einzige.
Here's my understanding:
I do believe that God will eventually punish sinners who have not trusted in Christ's sacrifice for their sins. He will do this because He is holy and just. I would not want to believe in a God who would not have consequences for sin. Everyone has sinned at some point and therefore is deserving of this punishment. However God is not only just, He is loving. This is why He sent Christ to pay the price of death for our sins. This sacrifice was is a free gift to anyone who would accept it. But like any gift it can be rejected, and those who reject it will have to face the judgement of God on their own, without Christ to stand in between them and the just wrath of God.
But getting back to your question, believers are not to be concerned with pronouncing judgement on believers, that is God's job not ours (I Cor 5:12).
Believers are however commanded to show love to the world. This love includes both sharing the truth of Jesus Christ and the salvation through His blood and resurection and showing His love in us through the practical meeting of needs. I fear that too often Christians are ready to share Christ in words but fail to share Him in actions. Christ even commands His believers to love their enemies(Matt 5:38-48) something I think we Christians often fail at, especially in America.
One other note: The picture we get of God in the scriptures is not one of an angry God who takes pleasure in punishing sin (II Pet 3:9; Ezekiel 18:23; 18:32) True He hates sin but this is because it is the perversion of good and since God is the perfect embodiment of goodness all sin is a personal attack on His character.
I'm sure I havent answered all of your questions and you probably dont believe what I am saying. Please dont feel like I am trying to foist my belief system on you. But this what I understand the Scriptures to teach and if you are not trusting in Christ for salvation from your sins then you will one day have to face God on your own. Since I believe this, the most loving thing I could do would be to share this with you just as if I saw your apartment building on fire and you were sleeping, it would be loving of me to knock your door down and wake you up, whether or not you were thankful that I did.
humbly,
jrf
p.s. I doubt you do, but please dont take "maureen's" views as reflective of normative Christianity. I do not know here, but from here posts and comments it is clear that she hold some seriously erroneous views and possibly has some mental issues.
Mr. Freiberg,
Thank you for your thoughtful and direct answer!
I have, unfortunately, interacted online with too many Christians who are closer in temperament to Maureen than they are to you, so it is a genuine pleasure to meet you.
I promise that I will not be "troll" on your blog, but I can't promise that I won't ask a question every once in a while.
I hope you won't mind! :)
glad to meet you einzige
by the way I do know how to spell "her"
dont know why I mispelled it twice earlier. sorry bout that
BTW, for those looking to make contributions to Pakistan earthquake relief, I recommend AmeriCares (www.americares.org), a 4-star Charity Navigator site which has an excellent record of spending as little as possible on administrative costs (0.4%) and getting the bulk of your contributions (98.9%) to actual assistance for the needy. And their CEO, Curtis Welling takes a much smaller salary ($275,000) than heads of other similar charities such as the American Red Cross (Marcia Welling, $450,000; 5.4% on administrative expenses, 91.1% on program expenses).
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