Jesus taught that you reap what you sow, when you forgive you are forgiven, and when you give you wi

"For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes." - Jesus Christ, Luke 6:44

If you want grapes, then you need to plant grape seeds. You reap what you sow. You get what you give.

Jesus taught people to forgive and they will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). He taught people to give, and they will receive (Luke 6:38). He taught people that the Merciful will be shown Mercy (Matthew 5:7).

The teachings of Christ are very clear. Jesus didn't just tell people what actions to take, he made it simple by telling them *WHY* it is important to take certain actions and not others.

God is a God of Justice, you will reap what you sow. You will be repaid for your actions, this is why Jesus felt it was very important to teach people about the 'good' tree and the 'bad' tree. This is why it was important to teach people about Forgiveness and Mercy towards others, because since God is Justice and you will reap what you sow, then it is best to sow seeds of Mercy and Forgiveness so that you can get the fruits of Forgiveness and Mercy.

a reply to: arpgme

S&F

Good point....

But how does one reconcile this with the so called "god" of the OT?

Beautiful... thanks for posting.

I'm not a religious person but if "reap what you sow" is true...I hope it applies to presidents!

Great thread, OP.

Jesus is the Lord. bless him and praise him, all of your days.

a reply to: arpgme
God is a God of Justice, you will reap what you sow. This is the golden rule. We are deserving of honor until our actions prove otherwise. God weighs our transgressions, and we are rewarded or we are punished. Nevertheless, you and I know what is righteous and what is sinful. If you and I strive to promote goodness, then we are truly holy. But then what is goodness?

a reply to: Diderot

Goodness is loving your neighbor as yourself, and this is honoring God because God is Love and he who knows love knows God (1 John 4:8)

"For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." - Romans 13:9

a reply to: Akragon

You don't, you follow what Jesus said.

a reply to: bitsforbytes

Correct...

Now try telling that to Christians... Good luck with that by the way

a reply to: Akragon

Why because most Christians have a hard time telling the old from the new?

a reply to: arpgme

Sounds like you are saying that one must WORK to obtain God's undeserved grace. You can work and work and work, all in vain, OR you can believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and exchange your faith for His grace. Now certainly a truly saved person will have good works, however those works are a result of salvation, salvation is not the result of good works.

originally posted by: OptimusSubprime
a reply to: arpgme

Sounds like you are saying that one must WORK to obtain God's undeserved grace. You can work and work and work, all in vain, OR you can believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and exchange your faith for His grace.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 7:21

"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" - Luke 6:46

originally posted by: OptimusSubprime
a reply to: arpgme
Now certainly a truly saved person will have good works, however those works are a result of salvation, salvation is not the result of good works.

That's not what these verses say:

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" - Luke 6:37

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Matthew 6:14-15

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." - Matthew 5:7

Only when you Forgive will you be forgiven, and only when you show Mercy will you receive it.

There is no forgiveness unless you forgive others. Jesus made this clear in his Unforgiving Servant parable in Matthew 18:21-35.

Here is a warning to people who try to justify evil by saying all you need to do is call Jesus "Lord":

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." - Galatians 6:7

My experience and observations have been just the opposite. I have seen hard working, generous and caring people die penniless and alone. I have seen very evil and cruel people die wealthy and happy surrounded by people who would do anything to gain the dying persons approval.

a reply to: calstorm

You can't take it with you.

a reply to: arpgme

I gave you a star and flag for the OP, it was well stated and I agree with it 100℅. Works are what really matter just as Jesus taught.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 7:21

You seem to agree that Paul spoke 100℅ truth in his letters though, am I correct? If so, how do you explain this?

Romans 10
9 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.

Seems me Paul teaches the exact opposite of what Jesus does. He also hands two people over to Satan at one point.

1 Timothy 1
18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

Sounds like he works for Satan to me,"handing" people over to him and all.

And this:

1 Corinthians 5
11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

Is disassociating yourself from sinners loving them at all? Didn't even Jesus sit and eat with sinners? If we are to live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6) then we must associate with sinners and try to help them, not abandon them as Paul teaches.

Paul mixes truth with lies, he's a con artist and only promotes ignorance in my opinion. He contradicts himself even, saying he's not worthy of being called an apostle yet he introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus having never met him while alive. Paul cannot be trusted in my opinion.

originally posted by: bitsforbytes
a reply to: Akragon

Why because most Christians have a hard time telling the old from the new?

lol well no, pretty much anyone Christian or otherwise knows the OT from the NT...

Christians can't distinguish between the Father, and what is represented in the OT which is not the Father

a reply to: OptimusSubprime

Pacifism is not a form of good works. Christians are pacified, waiting for Jesus to come back and fix everything for them not really caring whether things get better or not before that, which will be "soon".

Where have the good works been lately? We're on the brink of war... AGAIN. We all allow it in the end, but some Christians hope it happens for the sake of prophecy and Jesus coming back. Or do they not want Jesus to come back? Because war is what happens before he comes back.

Non-Catholic Christians will not let go of Martin Luther's heresy of Faith Alone even though the Old and the New
say over and over, you must be a doer (works) of righteousness to be saved.

I give you the words of Our Lord:
Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord (faith), shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth (works) the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

We are saved by faith and works with the help of God's grace.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Again I see your weak attempt to explain scriptures. Why is it that people who do not believe or "think there might be a God" are always the first to answer with explanations that have been wrongly interpreted?

I gave you a star and flag for the OP, it was well stated and I agree with it 100℅. Works are what really matter just as Jesus taught.

YOUR WORKS WILL NOT SAVE YOU - IT IS GOD'S GRACE AND ONLY HIS GRACE.

The works mentioned is how one lives his/her life not what work they did. Something the Jehovah Witnesses can not understand.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Seems me Paul teaches the exact opposite of what Jesus does. He also hands two people over to Satan at one point.

Of course you don't understand. You do not know what this means do you? So you think Paul works for Satan?

The way you think and your interpretations at times I wonder if you do this simply to stir up religious debates.

I am not going to explain to you what that meant. You already know the truth why do you deny it? Unless the Holy Spirit is not with you.

I can't wait to hear what comes next!