Now, my audience here is mostly questioning Christians. If you're atheist or anything, or not one for Christianity, I suggest you leave. Or not. This is mostly for myself to strengthen my own faith, but also to maybe spread the truth to those yet to be saved.
But what does it mean to be "saved"? A lot of people have a lot of explanations. Some say you have no choice, whether or not you go to heaven or hell has been predetermined. From an omnipresent and omniscient perspective, yes that is true; but in our dimension, our perspective: the scales are constantly tipping one way or another. On that note: some say you have to live a life of good deeds, helping the poor, avoiding sin (and that can be defined as ANYTHING against the rules given in particularly the New Testament—though some have lost significance) and loving thy neighbor, yada yada. Well here's the truth, or as I like to call it, the Truth. "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10 NIV). Faith is what gets you Grace. But what are those two?
To understand Grace, you need to understand mercy and justice. When you commit a crime, you go to court and face trial. If all goes as it should, you face punishment. Justice. Now... What if the judge said something along the lines of "Well, this is your first offense, I'll let you off this time." That's mercy. Now you commit crime after crime, you can't stop yourself, but you're never throne into jail to deserve the punishment you deserve. Grace.
We're only human. We will mess up in life. One of the turn-offs of Christianity is all the impossible to follow rules. You see, the thing is, God is perfect, and in the beginning, he created us in his image and likeness. We were replicas of a perfect deity. When we (Adam and Eve) disobeyed, they were made imperfect. These "impossible rules" of Christianity are only possible for God. A Christian's job is to their best to act and live in God's image and likeness. Though it's beyond difficult for a human to be like a God that is holy—separate from their known world. That's why God gave us a guideline. His Son. Christ. Jesus of Nazareth.
Christ was God made flesh. He came to teach people of His Father and His plan's for His people, His Kingdom to come. He told stories that helped put this paradise into perspective, but warned of damnation to those who resented Him and His Father. Many people, Christiana and otherwise, fear a tortuous death. This is commonly known as Hell.
We are imperfect, sinful human beings. We have shamed God and deserve damnation. He have commit crime after crime and can't stop ourselves, but where is the Judge's—God's—verdict, retribution. We have commit crime after crime and deserve the strictest of punishment, a single man stepped in. He accepted everyone's punishment. He had done absolutely nothing wrong, but he chose to be punished in our place. Even the people who nailed him so painfully to that cross, he held nothing against them. He accepted our punishment. That is Grace. We don't deserve it. It is a gift that we must accept. But how?
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
Belief. That is faith. Belief with no concrete, real assurance that all will go well. You have faith in the bed you sleep in that it won't collapse beneath you, don't you? Have faith.
Remember all those bothersome rules? Look back to Christ. He was such an awesome dude who loved everyone, and hated or resented no one. If you look up to him, you'll want to mimic him. Then all those rules sort of come naturally. Just have faith.
You want Grace?
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Now, my audience here is mostly questioning Christians. If you're atheist or anything, or not one for Christianity, I suggest you leave. Or not. This is mostly for myself to strengthen my own faith, but also to maybe spread the truth to those yet to be saved.
But what does it mean to be "saved"? A lot of people have a lot of explanations. Some say you have no choice, whether or not you go to heaven or hell has been predetermined. From an omnipresent and omniscient perspective, yes that is true; but in our dimension, our perspective: the scales are constantly tipping one way or another. On that note: some say you have to live a life of good deeds, helping the poor, avoiding sin (and that can be defined as ANYTHING against the rules given in particularly the New Testament—though some have lost significance) and loving thy neighbor, yada yada. Well here's the truth, or as I like to call it, the Truth. "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10 NIV). Faith is what gets you Grace. But what are those two?
To understand Grace, you need to understand mercy and justice. When you commit a crime, you go to court and face trial. If all goes as it should, you face punishment. Justice. Now... What if the judge said something along the lines of "Well, this is your first offense, I'll let you off this time." That's mercy. Now you commit crime after crime, you can't stop yourself, but you're never throne into jail to deserve the punishment you deserve. Grace.
We're only human. We will mess up in life. One of the turn-offs of Christianity is all the impossible to follow rules. You see, the thing is, God is perfect, and in the beginning, he created us in his image and likeness. We were replicas of a perfect deity. When we (Adam and Eve) disobeyed, they were made imperfect. These "impossible rules" of Christianity are only possible for God. A Christian's job is to their best to act and live in God's image and likeness. Though it's beyond difficult for a human to be like a God that is holy—separate from their known world. That's why God gave us a guideline. His Son. Christ. Jesus of Nazareth.
Christ was God made flesh. He came to teach people of His Father and His plan's for His people, His Kingdom to come. He told stories that helped put this paradise into perspective, but warned of damnation to those who resented Him and His Father. Many people, Christiana and otherwise, fear a tortuous death. This is commonly known as Hell.
We are imperfect, sinful human beings. We have shamed God and deserve damnation. He have commit crime after crime and can't stop ourselves, but where is the Judge's—God's—verdict, retribution. We have commit crime after crime and deserve the strictest of punishment, a single man stepped in. He accepted everyone's punishment. He had done absolutely nothing wrong, but he chose to be punished in our place. Even the people who nailed him so painfully to that cross, he held nothing against them. He accepted our punishment. That is Grace. We don't deserve it. It is a gift that we must accept. But how?
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
Belief. That is faith. Belief with no concrete, real assurance that all will go well. You have faith in the bed you sleep in that it won't collapse beneath you, don't you? Have faith.
Remember all those bothersome rules? Look back to Christ. He was such an awesome dude who loved everyone, and hated or resented no one. If you look up to him, you'll want to mimic him. Then all those rules sort of come naturally. Just have faith.
You want Grace?
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Grace.