A new take on Christianity and the singular path to heaven

I imagine what I am about to say will sound boastful. But I believe that the bible perfectly explains all of the paths to God. I believe that anyone who comes to "spiritual rebirth" will have had to taken one of the paths below. All promised to us from the beginning.

Paths to God
1. Adam do not commit sin and I will always walk with you. Only one man did this and his name is Jesus Christ. This is why is the firstborn among the dead.

2. Noah, not so much about the path but about the process to be renewed, washed clean, rebirth, full understanding was brought through Jesus Christ. There are 3 things certain about anyone who has experienced rebirth, they all know they are different, they all know the path they took, and they will never change their mind about the path they took being a way to him.

3.Abraham - made covenant with

Faith, Faith is no longer a good translation. We have watered down the meaning of faith so much that it really has lost all meaning.

Biblical faith is knowing for certain that God is real and pursuing him as if he were the only thing that is real. Buddha and Gandhi are men who pursued God like Abraham. You can tell by what is written about both men that they had a special relationship with God. Not many are born with this kind of faith. I know I was not.

4.Moses - made covenant with

Understand the spiritual message behind the law. The profits from Moses to Christ all had the ability to understand the spiritual message behind the law. The spiritual message was and always has been love. Anyone who can look past the law and into its meaning may also become "spiritually reborn"

5.Levites - made covenant with

My favorite group. Handpicked to do the work of God and guaranteed the inheritance. I don't know if today's Christian pastors are really Levites but I pray for their sake that they are. Men doing a service for God that they were called to do. They all tell you one truth, read the bible. The rest is kind of up to you.

6.Christ - Made covenant through

Forgiveness of sin, Grace. The bridge across sin towards "spiritual rebirth", my path.

To argue about whose path is right is silly. There is only one God and we are all his children. What is more profitable is to share with those our path because it worked for us. The fruit of our path, the works of our hands and our mouths will speak to the truth.

To all the Christians who don't like what I just said, let me ask you this.

If you don't believe in the everlasting covenants made in the Old Testament how can you believe the New Testament?

Originally posted by sacgamer25
Buddha and Gandhi are men who pursued God like Abraham. You can tell by what is written about both men that they had a special relationship with God.

Someone here on ATS said that Buddha was an atheist.

A Korean Pastor has seen him in hell.

There is only one God and we are all his children.

Have you got scripture for that?

There will be a replier to your thread, coming along to probably enlighten you. He helped me out and if you will listen and research you will stare your flaws down and hopefully let em go! Good luck with this friend.

Theres only one way. I wont give his handle away as it may offend, but as far as i am concerned he/she should be the authority of these issues here. Extremely intelligent person.

reply to post by sacgamer25


John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Originally posted by Murgatroid

Originally posted by sacgamer25
Buddha and Gandhi are men who pursued God like Abraham. You can tell by what is written about both men that they had a special relationship with God.

Someone here on ATS said that Buddha was an atheist.

A Korean Pastor has seen him in hell.

There is only one God and we are all his children.

Have you got scripture for that?

I don't have Its exact words but I am pretty sure it was Jesus calling Budda an atheist/had a handshake deal with Budda to dispell something, probably with winks and grins. Not understanding the point of a sought after lackadasical perusial of God? I am an Orphan calling for my GOD Father. Where and who is my parent. Oh I see My Uncle Abraham is stepping to the fore to fill in; my own spiritual molester guide.

Originally posted by Wonders
reply to post by sacgamer25

 

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Why would you reply in that way? What have I said that is against Christ. He is the one who made the covenant with Abraham and the one who made the covenant with Moses. He is also the one who brought the new covenant of Grace. All of these covenants are everlasting.

The point is pursue God and you will find him, This is EXACTLY what Jesus said.

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Chronicles 28:9
"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

2 Chronicles 15:2
He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Ezra 8:22
I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him."

Job 8:5-6
But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place.

Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 14:2
The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Psalm 24:5-6
He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

Psalm 27:8
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 105:4
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

Psalm 119:10
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Lamentations 3:24-25
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.

Amos 5:4
This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;

Luke 11:9
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Luke 12:31
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 17:26-28
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Is that enough proof that anyone who earnestly seeks God will find him?

reply to post by Murgatroid


OP : "There is only one God and we are all his children."

Have you got scripture for that?

Have you got scripture for that?

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.
-Isaiah 45:5

Originally posted by sacgamer25
But I believe that the bible perfectly explains all of the paths to God.

Maybe so. But that doesn't mean that those paths can't be found outside the Bible.

Not every culture on earth uses the Bible. God knows that and he has not abandoned them. God gives every culture, every individual their own unique way. It's not for us to judge the ways of cultures that don't use the Bible, and its not fair to expect those cultures to suddenly start using the Bible.

Sometimes it's hard for religious people to see past the borders of their local cultural understanding. Despite their myopic vision, God can be found throughout world religion and myth.

Moses and the Shepherd

Moses heard a shepherd on the road praying,
“God,
where are you? I want to help You, to fix Your shoes
and comb your hair. I want to wash Your clothes
and pick the lice off. I want to bring You milk,
to kiss Your little hands and feet when it’s time
for You to go to bed. I want to sweep Your room
and keep it neat. God, my sheep and my goats
are Yours. All I can say, remembering You,
is ayyyyyyy and ahhhhhhhh.”

Moses could stand it no longer.
“Who are you talking to?”

“The one who made us,
and made the earth and made the sky.”

“Don’t talk about shoes and socks with God!
And what’s this with Your little hands and feet?
Such blasphemous familiarity sounds like
you’re chatting with your uncles.
Only something that grows needs milk.
Only someone with feet needs shoes. Not God!
Even if you meant God’s human representatives,
as when God said, ‘I was sick, and you did not visit me,’
even then this tone would be foolish and irreverent.

Use appropriate terms. Fatima is a fine name
for a woman, but if you call a man Fatima,
it’s an insult. Body-and-birth language
are right for us on this side of the river,
but not for addressing the Origin,
not for Allah.”

The shepherd repented and tore his clothes and sighed
and wandered out into the desert.

A sudden revelation
came then to Moses. God’s voice:
You have separated Me
from one of my own. Did you come as a prophet to unite,
or to sever?
I have given each being a separate and unique way
of seeing and knowing and saying that knowledge.
What seems wrong to you is right for him.
What is poison to one is honey to someone else.

Purity and impurity, sloth and diligence in worship,
these mean nothing to Me.
I am apart from all that.
Ways of worshipping are not to be ranked as better
or worse than one another.
Hindus do Hindu things.
The Dravidian Muslims in India do what they do.
It’s all praise, and it’s all right.

It’s not Me that’s glorified in acts of worship.
It’s the worshippers! I don’t hear the words
They say. I look inside at the humility.
That broken-open lowliness is the Reality,
not the language! Forget phraseology.
I want burning, burning.
Be friends
with your burning. Burn up your thinking
and your forms of expression!
Moses,
those who pay attention to ways of behaving
and speaking are one sort.
Lovers who burn are another.”

Don’t impose a property tax
on a burned out village. Don’t scold the Lover.
The “wrong” way he talks is better than a hundred
“right” ways of others.
Inside the Kaaba
it doesn’t matter which direction you point
your prayer rug!
The ocean diver doesn’t need snowshoes!
The Love-Religion has no code or doctrine.
Only God.
So the ruby has nothing engraved on it!
It doesn’t need markings.
God began speaking
deeper mysteries to Moses. Vision and words,
which cannot be recorded here, poured into
and through him. He left himself and came back.
He went to eternity and came back here.
Many times this happened.
It’s foolish of me
to try and say this. If I did say it,
it would uproot our human intelligences.
It would shatter all writing pens.

Moses ran after the shepherd.
He followed the bewildered footprints,
in one place moving straight like a castle
across a chessboard. In another, sideways,
like a bishop.
Now surging like a wave cresting,
now sliding down like a fish,
with always his feet
making geomancy symbols in the sand,
recording his wandering state.

Moses finally caught up with him.
“I was wrong. God has revealed to me
that there are no rules for worship.
Say whatever
and however your loving tells you to. Your sweet blasphemy
is the truest devotion.
Through you a whole world is freed.
Loosen your tongue and don’t worry what comes out.
It’s all the light of the Spirit.”

The shepherd replied,
“Moses, Moses,
I’ve gone beyond even that.
You applied the whip and my horse shied and jumped
out of itself. The Divine Nature and my human nature
came together.
Bless your scolding hand and your arm.
I can’t say what has happened.
What I’m saying now
is not my real condition. It can’t be said.”

The shepherd grew quiet.

When you look in a mirror,
you see yourself, not the state of the mirror.
The fluteplayer puts breath into a flute,
and who makes the music? Not the flute.
The Fluteplayer!

Whenever you speak praise
or thanksgiving to God, it’s always like this
dear shepherd’s simplicity.
When you eventually see
through the veils to how things really are,
you will keep saying again
and again,
“This is certainly not like
we thought it was!”

-Rumi

reply to post by sacgamer25

A new take on Christianity and the singular path to heaven

Let me ask you a question : Why do you want to redefine what the Bible teaches ?

I imagine what I am about to say will sound boastful. But I believe that the bible perfectly explains all of the paths to God.

No. You are not boastful. The way i see it you are simply trying to find a way to mix "The one path" with "Many paths".

I believe that anyone who comes to "spiritual rebirth" will have had to taken one of the paths below. All promised to us from the beginning.

No. Actually there is only one way. That way is described in John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

As you can see there is one path only. For further reading as to what promised us from the beginning see John 1.

Biblical faith is knowing for certain that God is real and pursuing him as if he were the only thing that is real.

Biblical faith is much more than a mental acceptance of something as true. It also involves a trust in or reliance on that something. Here is small article that explains it as follows :

Let us say that you are going to find and purchase a pair of shoes and that a friend has told you that the best shoes on the market are the Boing! brand. You go to the shoe store and find two pairs of shoes that look good to you. One is the Boing! brand and one is not. However, because of your friend's recommendation, you purchase the Boing! brand. Now, where are the three connections of faith mentioned above? First, you have the recommendation of your friend. Your faith is founded on his word. Second, you believe your friend. That is faith. Finally, you bought the brand of shoes recommended by your friend. That is, your faith functioned through works (you bought the shoes). This same pattern can be found in every act of faith in our Christian life. We are saved by faith; but we must also live the Christian life by faith.

Buddha and Gandhi are men who pursued God like Abraham. You can tell by what is written about both men that they had a special relationship with God. Not many are born with this kind of faith.

In a book called "A Man Called Bapu", he was asked if he was a hindu and he answered the following :

"Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew".

The Buddha taught that people do not have individual souls, for the individual self or ego is an illusion. Buddhism teaches that Nirvana is the highest state of being, a state of pure being, and it is achieved by means relative to the individual. As you can see, Ghandi and Buddha, are very different from Abraham.

If you don't believe in the everlasting covenants made in the Old Testament how can you believe the New Testament?

Because both are about the word of God. And that word is Jesus Christ.

Peace

reply to post by BlueMule


You realize that you are restating the point that I am trying to make. What I am trying to say is that it is possible for people to find God without the Bible, the bible itself lists many people who found God apart from scripture. God even made everlasting covenants with several of these people, proving through scripture that God could be found apart from scripture.

The single biggest problem with Christianity today is their understanding of the OT is almost nonexistent. The problem is they can't find the Christ they believe in, in the OT. This is the same issue from the Jews. They cannot find their messiah in the Christian interpretation of the NT. On these points both Christians and Jews are correct.

However, Christ is the messiah promised in the OT and therefore we must reconcile the OT with the NT to find out who Christ is, at least from a scriptural standpoint. The only way to truly get to know him is through a spiritual connection that one has pursued.

I still believe that the majority of people who have been "spiritually reborn", have at least read the bible and believe in the loving message of Christ. Even if they rightfully refuse Christianity. The sad thing is most people who reject Christianity reject the bible.

Most Christians believe that Jesus brought an entirely new message but this is not so. Jesus came to clarify the message so that men could pursue God in a better way. He came to promise once for all that God does forgive and does love. And that there is one God and we are all his creation. This promise is made good through the resurrection. God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. The concept of Grace is found in the OT.

Repent and return to God and he will forgive you, this is the primary message in the OT. The Jews constantly fell away and returned to God when God raised up a prophet for them. Not only is he the one who sent them a profit, thus proving that not only does he forgive them, he calls them to be forgiven.

To believe in Christ is not merely to believe he is the son of God. Faith without deeds is worthless. To believe in Christ is to do what he said. Christ teaches a man how to love in ways that were previously not disclosed through scripture. The bible even says whenever Moses is read a veil remains over the people, thus keeping them disconnected from God. It is through the message of Christ that the deeper message of the law is understood. Love. Therefore he rightfully did not abolish the law; he merely provided an unveiled path to God, which would allow one to fulfill the law perfectly.

God was not satisfied with the burnt offerings as Christ said. His son came to show the way death and resurrection. Any man who will put his own will on the cross and pick up the perfect will of God, will also experience the spiritual rebirth. Is it possible for a man to pick up the perfect will of God without Christ, in part yes, but in a larger part according to Christ no? Simply because he is with his father who resides in all men who seek God. Not because it's impossible to find him apart from the scripture about him.

Even though Paul did not start Christianity as he continues to be wrongfully accused of. The groundwork he laid for the church is nothing like the political and financial system of worship of the RCC which nearly all Christian churches are modeled after. In Paul's church there is no pastor and all men share their gifts in an open but organized conversation that each member should be a part of. Apostles were missionaries sent to spread the word; they were not Pastors who taught church each week. Elders were working men who took care of their families and needed no support from the church. They were respected men who were self controlled in everything they did. The only support provided by the church was basic necessities i.e., food, clothing and money to aid in the support of widows and Orphans.

Paul's church: Friends talking about God, sharing the Lord's Supper, and providing food and clothing to all in need, and financial aid to widows and orphans. This is the religion Paul started. Anything past this is the traditions of men.

For the Christians who read this, please understand that what I am saying is way more for Christ than the church. I am telling everyone that they have to do what he said. The only difference is I am saying that a man can do what Jesus taught without having to read or understand scripture. And I believe that anyone who does not believe in Jesus does not understand scripture, but that doesn't prevent them from doing what he said and pursuing God.

We can turn the other cheek, without scripture.
We can love our neighbor as ourselves without scripture. Just like Jonathan loved David
We can pursue God without scripture.
We can believe in love and follow it with all are hearts without scripture.

The problem is simple although we have the ability to do these things apart from scripture very few ever do. This is the why scripture is necessary to bring the lost sheep back to their Sheppard. Everyone who is caught up in sin is lost. For if anyone finds Christ he has found freedom from the sin that he was entangled in. Anyone who does what he says will find him, with scripture, or apart from scripture. They have believed the message whether it is written on their heart or found in scripture, they have believed. The OT makes it clear that this is one of the paths that men have taken to find God apart from scripture.

Originally posted by Seed76
reply to post by sacgamer25

A new take on Christianity and the singular path to heaven

Let me ask you a question : Why do you want to redefine what the Bible teaches ?

I imagine what I am about to say will sound boastful. But I believe that the bible perfectly explains all of the paths to God.

No. You are not boastful. The way i see it you are simply trying to find a way to mix "The one path" with "Many paths".

I believe that anyone who comes to "spiritual rebirth" will have had to taken one of the paths below. All promised to us from the beginning.

No. Actually there is only one way. That way is described in John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

As you can see there is one path only. For further reading as to what promised us from the beginning see John 1.

Buddha and Gandhi are men who pursued God like Abraham. You can tell by what is written about both men that they had a special relationship with God. Not many are born with this kind of faith.

Ghandi and Buddha, are very different from Abraham.

If you don't believe in the everlasting covenants made in the Old Testament how can you believe the New Testament?

Because both are about the word of God. And that word is Jesus Christ.

I am so tired of John 14:6 is the absolute most overused, out of context, and misunderstood verse in the whole bible. It is the one verse that separates Christianity from Christ, although it should be the one verse that brings all men to him.

First you need to understand he was not talking to you he was talking to his disciples; they knew he was the son of God. He was telling his disciples that no man comes to the father apart from Christ. The father and son are one. Anyone who knows the father knows the son. How can we know if someone has found the father? Anyone who loves his brother knows God.

Buddha and Gandhi were men who taught that all men should love one another. If the only place that one can receive this message is Christ than you can be sure that in their pursuit of the father they have also found Christ. If they had not found Christ they could not be spreading a word of love that so closely mirrors the words of Christ.

Satan cannot be against himself. These men told the world to love one another as they loved themselves, and if they did they would become connected to the source of that love. The source is Christ, what they teach is true. And what Christ said is also true. The only source of love is the light, Christ is the light, and any man who has found love has found that light.

There is only one God and Christians do not own him. He is the creator of ALL and Jesus is the Sheppard of ALL that is created. All things were created by him, for him.

John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him ALL things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Colossians 1:15-20
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him ALL things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; ALL things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before ALL things, and in him ALL things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself ALL things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

ALL things not some things, ALL things.

I have not come to bring a new interpretation, but rather to clarify what the bible clearly says. Jesus created more than one everlasting covenant with man. And it is through these everlasting covenants that all men can find God. Since Jesus is the author of all creation thus making him the author of the bible, thus making him the giver of each of the everlasting covenants, we know that righteousness can be found both in and apart from scripture.

Originally posted by sacgamer25
reply to post by BlueMule

 

You realize that you are restating the point that I am trying to make. What I am trying to say is that it is possible for people to find God without the Bible, the bible itself lists many people who found God apart from scripture. God even made everlasting covenants with several of these people, proving through scripture that God could be found apart from scripture.

Oh ok. I guess I'm seeing intolerant fundamentalists everywhere, lol.

reply to post by Seed76


A statement and a question.

I am a man who believes every word of the bible to be the true and inspired word of God. I believe Jesus was the firstborn of all creation mentioned in Genesis 1:3. I believe in the literal young earth creation account. I am providing you with a message about Christ that truly supports the message of one God and one way to him. I realize that some of what I say is radically different than what you have heard.

You simply cannot Google many of the things I say, proving that these concepts are truly new to us. I say new to us because I think this is the message that caused the crusades. Men like me who were given the ability to see that no religion could be the right religion. Religion separates us from the truth, that there is one God and we are all his children. The bible says walk away from anyone who does not want to accept this truth.

The bible says all men will be fooled even the elect if that was possible. The message of original sin that you are somehow bound to and therefore unable to overcome, do you really believe that is what the loving Jesus died for? Doesn't this sound more like Satan? He is the one who tempts us so it is only fitting for him to make us believe that we are powerless to resist him.

In Genesis 4:7 God tells Cain that he must overcome sin and master it. Multiple times after Jesus heals someone he tells them to go away and SIN NO MORE. Is Jesus setting them up for failure, according to Christian Dogma it is impossible for Cain to overcome sin and master it and impossible for anyone to go away and sin no more.

Who is bringing you the good news, the message that Christ died for? The pastor who tells you every time you stumble repent and God will forgive you. If you believe this than you will certainly sin again because you have not believed that you have the ability to overcome sin. Or the man who is telling you repent so that you die to sin and are raised with Christ today.

I am here to bring the message that leads to repentance and allows you to overcome and defeat sin just as we are instructed to do. You reject my message, why?

reply to post by BlueMule


Yes they are everywhere. Forgive them because the bible says that all men will be deceived by Satan who will dress himself as an angel of light.

You can know that this is true because in its current form Christianity traps the believer in their sin, and does not provide the path to become free from sin. Because the message they teach on Grace is God forgives all your sins so when you stumble keep returning back to him. This is the message, you cannot defeat sin. Does that sound like it comes from a loving God or from the evil desires in man's heart?

Jesus taught that a man may become free from sin in the process that he called being born again. If you never sin than you never leave him, thus you never have to turn back to him. However it is only through him that you may become free from sin. Since they have not believed him they cannot receive the gift of freedom that he promised to those who believe.

Originally posted by sacgamer25
reply to post by Seed76

 

A statement and a question.

I am a man who believes every word of the bible to be the true and inspired word of God. ?

which Bible?

reply to post by ChesterJohn


The version of the bible does not matter, and I will not debate that today. This conversation leads only to separation and the creation of religion, neither of which I want to be a part of.

reply to post by sacgamer25

I am here to bring the message that leads to repentance and allows you to overcome and defeat sin just as we are instructed to do. You reject my message, why?

Seed76 already told you and you missed it.

You're trying to mix many paths to create one path.

What kind of relationship did Buddha have with God? My understanding is that Buddha didn't believe in a Creator deity.

What kind of relationship did Ghandi have with God? He didn't believe that Jesus was God's only begotten son.

A lot of these religions teach people to search themselves when they should be searching for the one who is higher....God.

You're right about needing to preach the message that leads to repentance, but if you're not asking for repentance from the one true God, it's not going to get you very far. Asking for repentance from men or other Buddhists isn't going to clear you with God.

reply to post by sacgamer25

Originally posted by Sacgamer25
I am so tired of John 14:6 is the absolute most overused, out of context, and misunderstood verse in the whole bible. It is the one verse that separates Christianity from Christ, although it should be the one verse that brings all men to him.

First you need to understand he was not talking to you he was talking to his disciples; they knew he was the son of God. He was telling his disciples that no man comes to the father apart from Christ. The father and son are one. Anyone who knows the father knows the son. How can we know if someone has found the father? Anyone who loves his brother knows God.

Jesus is talking about those who come to know the Father through the Son. In that verse (John 14:6) I believe Jesus is talking about the essence and Character of himself, which is how one comes to the Father, and not through his physical name.

For example, if you prayed for a man to be injured in an accident, and used the physical name of Jesus, will it happen… of course not. It’s the same with praying for things in line with the fruits of the spirit, and what Jesus stood for etc…because if you pray for those things, and don’t actually use the physical name for Jesus, then you are IMO still praying in Jesus name. Just like if you did something in the name of democracy, and stood up for peoples freedoms etc only then would you be doing it, in the name of democracy.

So when people show love for others, they are (without realizing it) doing so, in Jesus name IMO. But there is huge difference between doing something in Jesus name, and coming to know the Father through, Jesus words and character in the Gospels.

Originally posted by Sacgamer25
We can turn the other cheek, without scripture.
We can love our neighbor as ourselves without scripture. Just like Jonathan loved David
We can pursue God without scripture.
We can believe in love and follow it with all are hearts without scripture.

I would say the above are possible, but can we find the essence and character of God, anywhere else, other than scripture?

Originally posted by Sacgamer25
The problem is simple although we have the ability to do these things apart from scripture very few ever do. This is the why scripture is necessary to bring the lost sheep back to their Sheppard. Everyone who is caught up in sin is lost. For if anyone finds Christ he has found freedom from the sin that he was entangled in. Anyone who does what he says will find him, with scripture, or apart from scripture.

I’m a little confused, first you say we can do much without scripture and then you say scripture is necessary, to bring the lost sheep back… etc…
And then you go on to say, that anyone who does what he says, will find him with scripture, or apart from scripture etc…???


- JC

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
reply to post by Murgatroid

 

OP : "There is only one God and we are all his children."

Have you got scripture for that?

Have you got scripture for that?

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.
-Isaiah 45:5

I don't think Murgatroid was looking for a scripture about the one true God. He was looking for someone to provide the scripture stating that ALL people are God's children.

Originally posted by sacgamer25
reply to post by BlueMule

 

Yes they are everywhere. Forgive them because the bible says that all men will be deceived by Satan who will dress himself as an angel of light.

Absolutely I forgive them. I believe in unconditional forgiveness, compassion, love. Even for people who never ask for it.