Forgiveness is the only thing that separates Christians from non-Christians. I described a likely conversation between me and God on Judgment Day, based on certain Scriptures, and thanks to "the F-Word," God says I don't need to worry.
But, today, I’ve been imagining they way Judgment could go for a non-believer, based once-again on Scripture along with common reasons many Atheists give for refusing Jesus:
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God: How did you spend your time on earth?
Sinner: I tried to be a good person. I stayed humble, and I didn’t judge others. Once in awhile, I told a
lie or lost my temper. But I did far more good things than bad.
God: A good judge punishes wrong-doing. Your heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Though you always preferred the term "flawed," the honest word is “sinner.” Now you must pay for the evil things you did.
Sinner: Why didn't you make yourself more obvious, God? I wasn’t even sure you were really there!
God: You suppressed the truth with your own wickedness. (Romans 1:18) There was evidence of my existence everywhere you looked—from beauty of nature, to the laws of science, from the complicated human brain, to the simple spider web. (Romans 1:19,20) Only your pride blinded you. You loved sharing your opinion but had no intention of trying to understand. (Psalm 18:2)
Sinner: But, how could I understand? I was flawed! Even when I thought You might exist, I was limited by my own untrustworthy brain. How could tiny, pathetic me have known your thoughts?
God: Out of love, I revealed myself to you! (John 3:16) First, I sent Moses, Abraham, and all the prophets. Then, my Son fulfilled their predictions—over 300 of them—down to the place He’d be born and the manner in which He would die. I said anyone who looked for Me would find Me, if they searched with their whole heart. (Jer. 29:13) And My Son echoed me, saying, “…seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened.” But your heart was calloused. You refused to believe what your eyes saw and your ears heard. (Matt. 13:13-15)
Sinner: But, Jehovah, that was the problem! There were many religions and many truths. How could I have picked which one was the right way?
God: My Son said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)
Sinner: I never thought you’d send someone to Hell for something so small. It doesn’t seem like you…
God: It should not be a surprise you don't know what I'm like. I longed to gather you in my protective arms, but you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37) Now the time for judgment has come--and I must act justly. Do you have anything else to say in your defense?
Sinner: I was blind. Your Word said so. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4) Punish Satan for this; not me!
God: My Word revealed your blindness to you, but still you didn’t open your eyes. You ignored the rest of the message, rather than examining the testimonies about how I raised Jesus from the dead, and you never declared with your mouth “Jesus is Lord.” (Romans 10:9)
Sinner: I believe it now! (*Falling to his knees*) I know that Jesus is Lord! (Romans 14:11)
Jesus: I never knew you. Away from me, evil-doer. (Matt. 7:23)
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I admit, it's a downer of a read. How can it be good news?
Simply: because it doesn't have to happen at all. There is no reason for anybody to experience a situation like the one above. It's good news because it's not Judgment Day yet.
It seems agreeable and even intellectual to say, "Whatever you believe is fine!"
We feel antagonistic and closed-minded claiming the road to Heaven is narrow (Matthew 7:14). But, One way is much better than no way. And, although no one did anything to deserve it, forgiveness is available once we admit we need Jesus' help...
There's no reason to be disheartened or offended when we read Christ's words in the Bible. Neither should Christians feel intrusive or arrogant for delivering the message. (A video by Atheist, Penn Jillette shows some will appreciate it.) If Jesus was correct, we need to talk about this, before the Good New turns bad...
There is one way to Heaven, and it's not too late to accept.
I admit, it's a downer of a read. How can it be good news?
Simply: because it doesn't have to happen at all. There is no reason for anybody to experience a situation like the one above. It's good news because it's not Judgment Day yet.
It seems agreeable and even intellectual to say, "Whatever you believe is fine!"
We feel antagonistic and closed-minded claiming the road to Heaven is narrow (Matthew 7:14). But, One way is much better than no way. And, although no one did anything to deserve it, forgiveness is available once we admit we need Jesus' help...
There's no reason to be disheartened or offended when we read Christ's words in the Bible. Neither should Christians feel intrusive or arrogant for delivering the message. (A video by Atheist, Penn Jillette shows some will appreciate it.) If Jesus was correct, we need to talk about this, before the Good New turns bad...
There is one way to Heaven, and it's not too late to accept.
This is interesting artistic license, but there are so many flaws in this conversation. Here's just one example...
ReplyDeleteFor example:
God: My Son said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)
Sinner: I never thought you’d send someone to Hell for something so small. It doesn’t seem like you…
The answer of the sinner should be: But other Gods from other religions have said the same thing! How do we differentiate one prophet from another?
It's interesting to me that you think you can make up quotes from God based on your interpretation of the Bible, but you find it outrageous that our knowledge of history is biased and limited. Isn't this the perfect example of how true stories morph?
Well, I don't know of any prophets before Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God and the only way. (I guess all the other religions were too nice and humble for that.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I didn't intend to write a literal account of Judgment Day--because each sinner will use a different excuse. By all means, when it's your turn, see how yours works...
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I don't mean this to sound condescending. This is just my way of *requiring* you to tell me one way or another. Either I'm correct in my "interpretation," or I'm not. You're literally banking your life on which.
There are many historical accounts of people from varied cultures who were very similar to Jesus (and pre-date Jesus). There are a bunch of books on the topic if you google it. Why should I believe one historian over another?
ReplyDeleteAs for the comment about being condescending: if you feel the need to write a disclaimer, it's probably because you are being condescending. Comments about how much research I have done or am willing to do, comments about whether I know what debate means, comments about how I don't know how to form an argument... these are pretty condescending. And again, it's interesting that you think you can predict what God will say on judgement day. That's pretty arrogant. This is exactly what I mean about speaking for yourself and your interpretation, instead of speaking for God. Some Christians do not even believe in hell. There is a lot of controversy surrounding translation of specific words (ex. sheol). This is what I mean by the subjectivity of language and human experience. It might be true that there is one Truth, and there is value in pursuing that, but to claim that it's black and white negates vast amounts of research and scholarship. Like you commented to me, we are not the only people to have this discussion. People have devoted their entire lives to looking at small parts of history. The results are often inconclusive or contradictory, and it's very complex work. We could spend decades discussing all the scholarship that exists. And that's exactly my point: there is no black-and-white, obvious answer here. You have come to a conclusion that you are comfortable with. But it's YOUR conclusion, not THE conclusion.
Let's get one thing straight, Nony. I'm not at all comfortable with the conclusion you're going to Hell. It terrifies me to the point (to use Penn Jillette's metaphor) I'm ready to tackle you away from the bus.
ReplyDeleteYou refuse contradict me in so many words. (That would be "arrogant.") And yet, by telling me its not black-and-white--you contradict me after all. The fact is, if I'm right about Jesus, you're going to Hell. For your sake, I wish it was easier to accept.
You're welcome to continue reading my posts. But please stop trying to sell Skepticism. Asking "How do you know?" in order to check my sources is great. But, eventually, this question leads to the belief we don't really know ANYTHING, and that's nonsensical. Just tell me I'm wrong about Jesus and I'll say "Have a nice day" and move on to the next anonymous poster. (Maybe he/she will even let me present evidence before calling it untrustworthy.) But, for now, I've had enough Evangelical Agnosticism.
Say I'm wrong.
Or, if you can't, then a good question might be, "What might be a good next-step, to try and find God's Will?"
I am simply differentiating YOUR opinion from GOD's opinion. Then I am stating that in MY opinion (not God's) the world is not black-and-white, and I list reasons why I believe that.
ReplyDeleteI am fine with dropping the topic of skepticism. I have no delusion of convincing you, I just thought you were interesting in understanding it. You keep asking about it, so I keep answering. I would be interested to hear what logic leads you to disagree with me about the world being black-and-white.
I find these discussions to be incredibly educational because it helps me figure out how other people think. I've greatly enjoyed it, and I'm sorry that you feel so frustrated by it.
You're right--I'm frustrated. But there's no need to apologize. It's not an angry frustration, as if you were teasing me. My heart breaks for you, and the frustration comes from powerlessness.
ReplyDeleteBut, my spirit still won't let me rest. So, I spent the last 6 or 7 hours on a compilation of links and basic Christian principles, to help you explore Jesus' claims. I admit, I didn't want to. I've met others who grew defensive, called me names, and generally misunderstood my motives altogether. But, then I realized it's not "wasted time" if I can contribute to your journey in even the smallest way. If love is putting selfishness aside long enough to consider others, then I am happy to make a tiny sacrifice on your behalf. You're worth it.
I only ask two things:
1. I'll need your email address, to send the compilation...
2. I prefer you don't report back about what (if anything) you find. One reason is I don't want you to feel overloaded with information, thinking I expect detailed rebuttals on everything. But, more importantly, it's none of my business whether you discover or don't discover a new truth. This is between you and God, so there is no reason to give ME "answers" as if I'm administering the test.
I only hope you are preparing to give answers to God.
Your friend, despite the frustrations.
~Amanda~
I harbor no ill will toward you, but condescending pity does not count as friendship.
ReplyDeleteI am always open to information, so feel free to send the email: rspc06@gmail.com
You should consider posting this information on your blog and notifying posters that you are not interested in dialogue unless they are of a similar belief system. I think this would save you a lot of inner turmoil.
I wish you the same hope for your relationship with God.