Your belief

juantoo3 said:
We are born innocent. What we do with our lives after the age of accountability adds up. If we conduct our affairs towards others in a righteous manner it doesn't matter if one is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or otherwise - G!d sees our hearts.
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Just because you would like this to be true, the Bible says differently. But you have the right to believe what you want. Have you ever watched a group of 2 year olds fighting over a toy? No evil there?

Yes, I don’t have a clear picture on all of this “age of accountability” stuff. So when is a person held accountable by God. I know what the Jews believed and what the law says. So if it’s 12 and I murder someone when I am 11, that doesn’t count. This concept is much like the; angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder and if one outweighs the other that determines heaven or hell.

Sorry but the Scriptures do not support your view.

John 14:6 (NASB95): Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

There is no getting around Jesus. We can not get rid of our sin, only the death of Jesus does this. I am made righteous by His death. I can never get to God without Him.
 
juantoo3 said:
Someone who thinks there is only one path, and that they are on that sole and only path, are in for a rude surprise.
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Here is the problem to me with your statement. One thing is that you state that this person is in for a surprise. Has anyone died and returned to tell us this? No. This is your belief, and that is fine.

What am I to do? God gave me a brain, the ability to reason and now you are pushing me deeper. I have looked at and research most of the major Abrahamic religions. Those that use the God of the Jews for the foundation of their beleifs.

Most of those, if not all, have one book and one author to base all their beliefs on. The Bible is a complication of books, historic, legal, poetic, prophetic. The books all seem to compliment each other even though they were penned by many different people over a course of some @1500 years in 3 different languages on 3 different continents. There is a creator laid out in the beginning. The He removes millions of people and saves only 8 to start over again, the He sets up a favored Nation, not because they are any better than anyone else, but because He wants to. Then He puts these few in Egypt and they go into slavery for the next 400 years. God shows favortism to only this Nation. And on it goes. So what am I suppose to believe, which book, because every Abramhamic religion states that it is exclusive and is the only way to God. And then there is the anything goes belief. Since I chose the Bible or I could say that it chose me, then as I have research, I can find very little fault in it compared to other books that are supposed to be followed.

I have to believe what the Bible says about itself, it is the Word of the Creator. I can not pick and chose what I like or dislike. It all makes perfect sense to me. It’s God’s world, not mine. He created it, He created humanity and therefore understands mankind perfectly. Is there good that people do? Yes, Would most people like to live peacefully and happy? Yes. The problem is, given the right circumstances, anyone can do evil. Look at wars, some leader want to run the world, and got good people to go out and kill other people, millions of people and these were “good” people. The war between the states (civil war) here is America was brother killing brother. Good men killing good men.

So, I will believe the Bible or will I just believe whatever my imagination comes up with. I have to choose the Bible.
 
Thinking required said:
Sorry about the double insert, I am still learning. Jesus acknowledging what Pilate states about being a king. But what does He mean, ”my kingdom is not of this world”. There was to be two comings of the Messiah, one peaceful and one as ruler. The Jews only got it as one, the ruler who would deliver them.
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Disclaimer: I'm not a Christian. I'm answering your question from my understanding, knowing that believers have a completely different interpretation.

Jesus may have believed that there were armies of angels waiting in the wings, as it were, to come to his aid at some point. He is quoted to this effect in the gospels, at the time of his arrest. Heavenly legions are not of this world.

Again, my reading of he gospels. I'm not trying to convince you, just responding to your question as to what he may have meant by "not of this world".
 
Thinking required said:
Here is the problem to me with your statement. One thing is that you state that this person is in for a surprise. Has anyone died and returned to tell us this? No. This is your belief, and that is fine.
What am I to do? God gave me a brain, the ability to reason and now you are pushing me deeper. I have looked at and research most of the major Abrahamic religions. Those that use the God of the Jews for the foundation of their beleifs.
Most of those, if not all, have one book and one author to base all their beliefs on. The Bible is a complication of books, historic, legal, poetic, prophetic. The books all seem to compliment each other even though they were penned by many different people over a course of some @1500 years in 3 different languages on 3 different continents. There is a creator laid out in the beginning. The He removes millions of people and saves only 8 to start over again, the He sets up a favored Nation, not because they are any better than anyone else, but because He wants to. Then He puts these few in Egypt and they go into slavery for the next 400 years. God shows favortism to only this Nation. And on it goes. So what am I suppose to believe, which book, because every Abramhamic religion states that it is exclusive and is the only way to God. And then there is the anything goes belief. Since I chose the Bible or I could say that it chose me, then as I have research, I can find very little fault in it compared to other books that are supposed to be followed. I have to believe what the Bible says about itself, it is the Word of the Creator. I can not pick and chose what I like or dislike. It all makes perfect sense to me. It’s God’s world, not mine. He created it, He created humanity and therefore understands mankind perfectly. Is there good that people do? Yes, Would most people like to live peacefully and happy? Yes. The problem is, given the right circumstances, anyone can do evil. Look at wars, some leader want to run the world, and got good people to go out and kill other people, millions of people and these were “good” people. The war between the states (civil war) here is America was brother killing brother. Good men killing good men.
So, I will believe the Bible or will I just believe whatever my imagination comes up with. I have to choose the Bible.
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As you wish.

I've been studying the Bible as well, perhaps longer than you, a solid 40 years.

We came to different conclusions. It is what it is.

I wish you peace.
 
Cino said:
Again, my reading of he gospels. I'm not trying to convince you, just responding to your question as to what he may have meant by "not of this world".
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I always find it interesting that people who do not claim a Christian belief will read the Bible. You have a good grasp of it. It’s very interesting how differently a person who is “born again” will see the texts verses how one who is not will see the text. There is a super natural quality to the texts. The Bible can just be read as a historic book and good will come from it. Take the Proverbs for example. I look through the lens of miracles, all of this is some sort of miracle. Look into the night sky, for all we know there is no end. It’s beyond comprehensen. For my mind to be changed, There would have to be some very factual proof. I listen to Jordon Peterson for a while, don’t know if you know who he is, very smart man. He was amazed by the Bible, but could never see what it was really trying to say. Malcolm Muggeridge was another brilliant man who worked for the BBC and played around with the Bible for years, finally coming to believe the truth of it in his later years. I have nothing to lose by following it, since it teaches us to love one another. And if it is the truth, then I am in a good spot.
 
juantoo3 said:
I've been studying the Bible as well, perhaps longer than you, a solid 40 years.

We came to different conclusions. It is what it is.

I wish you peace
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As long as your are reading the Bible, there is always hope. I hit my 40th year in October. You must find something interesting about it if you have spent this much time reading it.
”you search the scriptures, but they speak of Me (Jesus)” my paraphrase.

Blessings, we will chat again
 
Thinking required said:
I always find it interesting that people who do not claim a Christian belief will read the Bible. You have a good grasp of it. It’s very interesting how differently a person who is “born again” will see the texts verses how one who is not will see the text.
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Most of the Bible, by volume, is not Christian ;)
 
Cino said:
Most of the Bible, by volume, is not Christian
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Most would not be correct. It takes about 25 hours to read the NT, what you would call the Christian scriptures and it takes about 45 hours to read the OT, what you would call the Jewish Scriptures. So the Christian Scriptures would be about 1/3 of the Bible. But since the OT texts speak about Jesus, then that could even change things a little.

What are you trying to imply? The Jewish Scriptures are also important to a Christian. Especially the first 3 chapters of Genesis, the Book of Job and the major Prophets
 
Thinking required said:
The Jewish Scriptures are also important to a Christian. Especially the first 3 chapters of Genesis, the Book of Job and the major Prophets
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I would say a lot more than just those books are important to a Christian.

I would say all of the Old Testament is important to Christians.

However, few bother. Most Christians dismiss the Old Testament as unimportant and irrelevant, since they are no longer under the Law and don't have to worry about their behavior...I mean, works.
 
Cino said:
was gently poking fun at your amazement that non-Christians read the Bible, too, by pointing out that most of the Bible predates Christianity.
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But it does not predate God or Jesus, Jesus is all through the Jewish Scriptures. Adam starts the sin and Jesus finishers the sin.
 
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