In a recent Facebook post regarding Illegal
Immigration I began by declaring:
And that post evolved into an interesting dialogue with a long time Friend who believes God is real and believes in the power of prayer - and with her atheist husband. I will call them Jack and Jill for sake of privacy.
Jack the atheist tells me, "You 'Christians' who support Trump, a man who has been divorced twice, cheated on the first two wives, and has admitted to being a skirt chaser, are nothing but hypocrites. Divorce is a sin. Adultery is a sin. Lying is a sin according to your holy book. Yet, you support this man who has cheated employees, contractors, and the like."
And Jill chimes in with, "Therein lies the problem with most Christians. They feel they can do anything unholy and then just before they die they can ask forgiveness. I wonder if Bundy, Dahmer, and Speck are among the chosen. Child molesters and rapists as well. So you mean I might see Charles Manson?"
Jill, my Friend, you ask, "So you mean I might see Charles Manson?" I am presuming you are really asking, "So you mean I might see Charles Manson in heaven?" Your question would not make sense otherwise. And, I guess I would have to advise you to make sure YOU will be in heaven first - and then wonder about who you might meet there.
Jill, let me ask you a very serious and personal question, not in derision, but in sincerity - "Are you a Christian believer? And,do you know for sure that you will be in heaven when you die?" If you know, beyond any doubt, that you have a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ - then you can know for sure that you will be in heaven when you die. If you are not certain, you might want to work on that first.
Then you tell me, "They (Christians) feel they can do anything unholy and then just before they die they can ask forgiveness." Actually there are two problems with that statement.
First, a person who chooses to continue doing "things unholy" is not a Christian believer - for a major part of becoming a believer is turning away from the sinful lifestyles and turning toward following Jesus Christ. That is called repentance and is the first step toward "regeneration." When we are regenerated, i.e., born again, we become a new spiritual being, having a new spiritual life.
When we sin, and, yes, everyone, including Christians, does sin (Romans 3:23) - we must go to Him in humility and sincerity, seeking forgiveness. We Christians are not perfect, we are only "forgiven sinners." Yet, when we do sin we can go to God in prayer, owning our sin and asking His forgiveness - and He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Second, any person who will put off becoming a Christian believer, wanting to enjoy the secular lifestyle as long as possible - is playing a dangerous game of spiritual Russian Roulette. Why? Because none of us knows when we will die. You may be in the best of health - and die in an unforeseen accident. Or, how many folks with no history of heart problems - suddenly die of a massive heart attack? Why gamble?
We are warned in both the Old and New Testaments (Ezekiel 38:7, Matthew 24:44), "Be ready! Be prepared!" In other words, don't wait until you have satisfied all your human fleshly desires - for you never know when your next breath will be your last breath in this mortal body. And without warning your next breath will be in eternity, in one of two places: heaven or hades/hell. Only a total nutcase would purposely choose hell over heaven.
Jack, you list all the sins of President Trump - which is funny. Why? Because "sin" only exists if God exists. The definition of sin is disobedience to God, i.e., Adam disobeyed God when he chose to follow Eve's lead and give in to Satan's temptation to partake of the The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - which God had forbidden. That disobedience brought sin and death, physical and spiritual death, into all the Creation. So, if there is no God, which is what you as an atheist believe - there can be no sin. And that makes YOU the hypocrite because you accuse folks of sin - when there is no sin, according to your beliefs.
But, in actuality God does exist and sin does exist. However there is ONLY one sin which will keep a person out of heaven (Mark 3:28-30). What is that great unpardonable sin? Simple, it is dying without having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. When Christ died on the cross and rose again - all the sins of everyone who will believe in Him were forgiven - past, present, and future. Any person dumb enough to leave this mortal life without having a believing relationship with Jesus Christ - will NEVER be forgiven.
Notice that I say, "all the sins of everyone who will believe in Him were forgiven." What does it mean to “believe” in Christ?
And,
A saving faith, i.e., full saving belief in Jesus Christ, means that one no longer is in total control of his/her life - but has turned that control over to Jesus Christ. That would be analogous to being in a ship lost at sea, wandering aimlessly, and you cannot get your true bearing. But, when you turn control of your ship over to the Master Navigator who can and will guide your ship safely to shore, you will be saved. Jesus Christ is that Master Navigator, the only Master Navigator, and the only One who can navigate you into an eternity of joy and happiness in the eternal presence of God.
So, back to "what is the unpardonable sin" question. Even you, Jack, while still being an atheist have not yet committed that unpardonable sin. There is still time for you - and for all non-believers who are still living - to have eternal life in Christ. All one has to do is to believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior (John 1:12), let Him be your Master Navigator and you will receive eternal life (Ephesians 1:13, 2:8-9). Are YOU ready to make that commitment?
Jack responded earlier, "So, according to your mythology, I could be a serial rapist and murderer and as long as I accept the corpse on a stick as my Savior (Christ on the cross), I will go to heaven. Your thought train has derailed."
Yes, Jack, that is true. It does not matter what sins, or crimes, you have committed - or how many. When and IF you repent, i.e., stop doing those sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior - those sins (crimes) are fully forgiven. All of them.
Let's look back at Jill's earlier comment, "Therein lies the problem with most Christians. They feel they can do anything unholy and then just before they die they can ask forgiveness. I wonder if Bundy, Dahmer, and Speck are among the chosen. Child molesters and rapists as well. So you mean I might see Manson."
Jill, my Friend, I sense that you are saying that a person who truly believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - yet still lives his/her sin lifestyle - is forgiven and, to you, that is baloney. I agree with you, that is baloney. For that is the greatest oxymoron - that a person can be a true believer and still want to live a sin lifestyle.
A person who has truly believed and received Jesus Christ as Savior - will not want to commit those sins. Does this mean that a believer will not sin? No, absolutely not!
What is this telling us? It tells us that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary one time, for all people. And when He went to the cross, He accepted all the sins of all people, from all times, to be put upon Him. In other words, ALL the sins ever committed my man - past, present, and future - were charged against Jesus Christ in the absolute Highest Court, the courtroom of God Himself. And Christ had to pay the death penalty for all those sins.
Imagine the total isolation and darkness of spirit which would come upon you if you had to accept and pay the death penalty for all the sins of others. That is why we are told that when Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, the entire land went dark for three hours and Jesus Christ felt that the Father had forsaken Him:
He died a cruel death on the Roman cross of Calvary. In other words, He accepted the death penalty due all of us - that we might choose to live eternally with Him. That is how much He loves all people (John 3:16).
In the Old Testament the Israelites who were living under the Law of Moses had to offer sacrifices of animals to appease the wrath of God. Because these animal sacrifices were not of perfect animals, they had to continually make sacrifices. Yet, those sacrifices, although they temporarily appeased the wrath of God - could not offer eternal forgiveness.
Only the perfect Lamb of God could do that - and the perfect Lamb of God was His Son, Jesus Christ. When He died on the cross - all the sin debts of all mankind were "paid in full." That was His free gift to you and to me - a "paid in full" pardon from the death penalty. Yet, like any gift - we have to receive and accept that pardon before it will remove our death penalty.
If you are homeless, living on the streets and Bill Gates offers you a check for one billion dollars - what would you do? If you reject his gift to you - you will still be a homeless person living on the streets. Yet, the moment you accept his gift - you become extremely wealthy and will live in a mansion.
That is also true of the free gift of eternal life which Christ has purchased for you on the cross. If you choose to reject His free gift, you are still lost and destined to live eternally in hell. Yet, the moment you accept His gift of eternal life - you can know, beyond all doubt, that you have a mansion waiting for you in the eternal presence of God (John 14:1-3).
So, do you want to have His rock solid promise of eternal life? Or do you want to reject His gift of eternal life and face the eternal consequences?
I ask that question of my long time dear Friend, Jill, her husband, Jack, and all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) who may not be absolutely sure of your eternal spiritual position in Christ, or who have just not yet made a commitment to follow Him - why are you waiting? Make that eternal decision right now - to follow Him into an eternity of joy and happiness, in the presence of God.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
The Liberal Socialist press tells us, "The Trump administration is ripping families apart." Baloney! The man and his wife, who have been in America illegally - which makes them CRIMINALS - are the ones ripping their family apart. They are the guilty ones - not the people who are enforcing the laws of America.
If a person purposely robs a bank, is caught, and sent to prison - is that the fault of the law enforcement officers who captured him and the judge which sentenced him? NO! It is the fault of the criminal who chose to rob a bank. That person has ripped his family apart - by committing a criminal act. And, the same is true of all who choose to enter America illegally - no matter how long they have evaded punishment - they are still committing a criminal act being in America.
Also, on this subject - America's lawmakers should "IMMEDIATELY" revoke the Anchor Baby law. No one should be able to enter America illegally just to have a baby - FREE - a baby which will then be an American citizen, automatically. Thus giving mom and dad an "anchor" in America, promising them a path to amnesty.
And that post evolved into an interesting dialogue with a long time Friend who believes God is real and believes in the power of prayer - and with her atheist husband. I will call them Jack and Jill for sake of privacy.
Jack the atheist tells me, "You 'Christians' who support Trump, a man who has been divorced twice, cheated on the first two wives, and has admitted to being a skirt chaser, are nothing but hypocrites. Divorce is a sin. Adultery is a sin. Lying is a sin according to your holy book. Yet, you support this man who has cheated employees, contractors, and the like."
And Jill chimes in with, "Therein lies the problem with most Christians. They feel they can do anything unholy and then just before they die they can ask forgiveness. I wonder if Bundy, Dahmer, and Speck are among the chosen. Child molesters and rapists as well. So you mean I might see Charles Manson?"
Jill, my Friend, you ask, "So you mean I might see Charles Manson?" I am presuming you are really asking, "So you mean I might see Charles Manson in heaven?" Your question would not make sense otherwise. And, I guess I would have to advise you to make sure YOU will be in heaven first - and then wonder about who you might meet there.
Jill, let me ask you a very serious and personal question, not in derision, but in sincerity - "Are you a Christian believer? And,do you know for sure that you will be in heaven when you die?" If you know, beyond any doubt, that you have a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ - then you can know for sure that you will be in heaven when you die. If you are not certain, you might want to work on that first.
Then you tell me, "They (Christians) feel they can do anything unholy and then just before they die they can ask forgiveness." Actually there are two problems with that statement.
First, a person who chooses to continue doing "things unholy" is not a Christian believer - for a major part of becoming a believer is turning away from the sinful lifestyles and turning toward following Jesus Christ. That is called repentance and is the first step toward "regeneration." When we are regenerated, i.e., born again, we become a new spiritual being, having a new spiritual life.
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
1 John 3:9, "No one who is born of God practices sin (lives a sin lifestyle), because His (Jesus Christ) seed abides in him (the new believer); and he cannot sin (cannot live a sin lifestyle), because he is born of God."
When we sin, and, yes, everyone, including Christians, does sin (Romans 3:23) - we must go to Him in humility and sincerity, seeking forgiveness. We Christians are not perfect, we are only "forgiven sinners." Yet, when we do sin we can go to God in prayer, owning our sin and asking His forgiveness - and He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Second, any person who will put off becoming a Christian believer, wanting to enjoy the secular lifestyle as long as possible - is playing a dangerous game of spiritual Russian Roulette. Why? Because none of us knows when we will die. You may be in the best of health - and die in an unforeseen accident. Or, how many folks with no history of heart problems - suddenly die of a massive heart attack? Why gamble?
We are warned in both the Old and New Testaments (Ezekiel 38:7, Matthew 24:44), "Be ready! Be prepared!" In other words, don't wait until you have satisfied all your human fleshly desires - for you never know when your next breath will be your last breath in this mortal body. And without warning your next breath will be in eternity, in one of two places: heaven or hades/hell. Only a total nutcase would purposely choose hell over heaven.
Jack, you list all the sins of President Trump - which is funny. Why? Because "sin" only exists if God exists. The definition of sin is disobedience to God, i.e., Adam disobeyed God when he chose to follow Eve's lead and give in to Satan's temptation to partake of the The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - which God had forbidden. That disobedience brought sin and death, physical and spiritual death, into all the Creation. So, if there is no God, which is what you as an atheist believe - there can be no sin. And that makes YOU the hypocrite because you accuse folks of sin - when there is no sin, according to your beliefs.
But, in actuality God does exist and sin does exist. However there is ONLY one sin which will keep a person out of heaven (Mark 3:28-30). What is that great unpardonable sin? Simple, it is dying without having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. When Christ died on the cross and rose again - all the sins of everyone who will believe in Him were forgiven - past, present, and future. Any person dumb enough to leave this mortal life without having a believing relationship with Jesus Christ - will NEVER be forgiven.
Notice that I say, "all the sins of everyone who will believe in Him were forgiven." What does it mean to “believe” in Christ?
The word “believe” in the Bible means more than simply agreeing in our minds that something might be true. It means “trust” - that we believe so strongly in God that we are willing to commit our lives to Him and live the way we know He wants us to live. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association - www.billygraham.org/answer/what-does-it-mean-to-believe-in-christ/).
And,
But the question, “Do you believe in Jesus?” - is asking far more than, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ exists?” The true meaning of the question is: “Do you believe Jesus Christ is who the Bible says He is - and are YOU trusting Him as your Savior?”
So, do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus is God in human form (John 1:1, 14)? - Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21), for which you deserve eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23)? - Do you believe that the sacrifice of Jesus, God incarnate, is the only adequate payment for your sins (1 John 2:2; John 14:6; Acts 4:12)?
Do you believe these things? If so, that is great. But believing those facts about Jesus is only part of the equation. Biblical faith, i.e., belief, is far more than believing certain things to be true. Biblical saving faith is also trusting/relying upon those facts. (www.gotquestions.org/believe-in-Jesus.html)
A saving faith, i.e., full saving belief in Jesus Christ, means that one no longer is in total control of his/her life - but has turned that control over to Jesus Christ. That would be analogous to being in a ship lost at sea, wandering aimlessly, and you cannot get your true bearing. But, when you turn control of your ship over to the Master Navigator who can and will guide your ship safely to shore, you will be saved. Jesus Christ is that Master Navigator, the only Master Navigator, and the only One who can navigate you into an eternity of joy and happiness in the eternal presence of God.
So, back to "what is the unpardonable sin" question. Even you, Jack, while still being an atheist have not yet committed that unpardonable sin. There is still time for you - and for all non-believers who are still living - to have eternal life in Christ. All one has to do is to believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior (John 1:12), let Him be your Master Navigator and you will receive eternal life (Ephesians 1:13, 2:8-9). Are YOU ready to make that commitment?
Jack responded earlier, "So, according to your mythology, I could be a serial rapist and murderer and as long as I accept the corpse on a stick as my Savior (Christ on the cross), I will go to heaven. Your thought train has derailed."
Yes, Jack, that is true. It does not matter what sins, or crimes, you have committed - or how many. When and IF you repent, i.e., stop doing those sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior - those sins (crimes) are fully forgiven. All of them.
Let's look back at Jill's earlier comment, "Therein lies the problem with most Christians. They feel they can do anything unholy and then just before they die they can ask forgiveness. I wonder if Bundy, Dahmer, and Speck are among the chosen. Child molesters and rapists as well. So you mean I might see Manson."
Jill, my Friend, I sense that you are saying that a person who truly believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - yet still lives his/her sin lifestyle - is forgiven and, to you, that is baloney. I agree with you, that is baloney. For that is the greatest oxymoron - that a person can be a true believer and still want to live a sin lifestyle.
A person who has truly believed and received Jesus Christ as Savior - will not want to commit those sins. Does this mean that a believer will not sin? No, absolutely not!
Romans 3:23 tells us that we all sin, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
And 1 John 1:8, 10 tells all believers, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. . . If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
Yet, 1 John 1:9 Jesus shows His love for us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
What is this telling us? It tells us that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary one time, for all people. And when He went to the cross, He accepted all the sins of all people, from all times, to be put upon Him. In other words, ALL the sins ever committed my man - past, present, and future - were charged against Jesus Christ in the absolute Highest Court, the courtroom of God Himself. And Christ had to pay the death penalty for all those sins.
Imagine the total isolation and darkness of spirit which would come upon you if you had to accept and pay the death penalty for all the sins of others. That is why we are told that when Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, the entire land went dark for three hours and Jesus Christ felt that the Father had forsaken Him:
Matthew 27:45-46, "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?'- that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'"
He died a cruel death on the Roman cross of Calvary. In other words, He accepted the death penalty due all of us - that we might choose to live eternally with Him. That is how much He loves all people (John 3:16).
In the Old Testament the Israelites who were living under the Law of Moses had to offer sacrifices of animals to appease the wrath of God. Because these animal sacrifices were not of perfect animals, they had to continually make sacrifices. Yet, those sacrifices, although they temporarily appeased the wrath of God - could not offer eternal forgiveness.
Only the perfect Lamb of God could do that - and the perfect Lamb of God was His Son, Jesus Christ. When He died on the cross - all the sin debts of all mankind were "paid in full." That was His free gift to you and to me - a "paid in full" pardon from the death penalty. Yet, like any gift - we have to receive and accept that pardon before it will remove our death penalty.
If you are homeless, living on the streets and Bill Gates offers you a check for one billion dollars - what would you do? If you reject his gift to you - you will still be a homeless person living on the streets. Yet, the moment you accept his gift - you become extremely wealthy and will live in a mansion.
That is also true of the free gift of eternal life which Christ has purchased for you on the cross. If you choose to reject His free gift, you are still lost and destined to live eternally in hell. Yet, the moment you accept His gift of eternal life - you can know, beyond all doubt, that you have a mansion waiting for you in the eternal presence of God (John 14:1-3).
So, do you want to have His rock solid promise of eternal life? Or do you want to reject His gift of eternal life and face the eternal consequences?
I ask that question of my long time dear Friend, Jill, her husband, Jack, and all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) who may not be absolutely sure of your eternal spiritual position in Christ, or who have just not yet made a commitment to follow Him - why are you waiting? Make that eternal decision right now - to follow Him into an eternity of joy and happiness, in the presence of God.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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