The bible..
Out of context: Reply #233
- Started
- Last post
- 571 Responses
- gramme0
Point5,
Yes, if you pick the wrong religion, you will go straight to hell.
If you pick the wrong branch of the right religion, you will go straight to hell.
If you make mistakes in the practice of the correct religion, you will go to hell.
If your belief in the correct religion ever wavers, you will go to hell.
So, chances are, you're going to hell. But you knew that, or why would you be asking about religion?
:lol
AndyRoss
(Oct 15 07, 02:52)Wrong on all counts except the first, and even that is a watered-down description you are offering. The only thing that matters is recognizing our unsalvageable corruption, that none of us deserve to go to heaven in the first place, that we need divine help to avoid the fate you state above, and that the only person/entity that can help in that regard is God through the sacrifice of Christ his son.
That is all that matters. Everything else is relatively superfluous in the grand scheme of things. It ultimately does not matter if you are Catholic or Protestant.
Making mistakes is something I do every day. Because of the cross, I do not have to go to hell in spite of the fact that I will not be sinless in this life. There has only been one person in all of history who lived a flawless life. It's only through Christ living in me that I am capable of doing anything that is truly good, selfless and loving. He has and will continue to transform me into a better person. Everything good that I do is motivated out of gratitude. He perfects his salvation in us, not the other way around. Salvation comes first, good deeds second. Good deeds are a result of salvation, never an aid in the saving of my soul. The salvation part was taken care of once and for all, some two thousand years ago. All biblical teaching flows from this one command: love God and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.
Making rules above and beyond what I stated above is legalism and will not help anyone get within a billion light years of heaven.