Yooper
Up. Identified. Lase. Fire. On the way.
The first in a series (maybe?) of occasional thoughts, ramblings, and musings.
I was watching an online service this a.m. and the pastor made the comment that heaven is where forgiven people will spend eternity. I get what he was saying, but it struck me as a bit "wrong." Or at least, incomplete (though, for evangelistic purposes, I get why he and others say this).
My take is this: heaven isn't the place where forgiven people will spend eternity it's the place where people who accept the forgiveness on offer (by accepting Jesus as Messiah) will spend eternity.
Yes, I get it that my assertion seems to run contrary to Matthew 6:14-15. But it really doesn't conflict. Matthew 6:14-15 are verses best understood in light of Revelation 20:12-15 (especially v. 13: "each person was judged according to what they had done"). Matthew's meaning then becomes quite clear: those who fail to forgive (others) have demonstrated they haven't accepted the forgiveness God offers (i.e., forgiveness of others should be the result of accepting that we aren't deserving of forgiveness ourselves but are thankful God does anyway and as such we live so!). Anyway, back to Revelation: in a nutshell, God makes the "rules." Since these "unforgiving" people do not want to play by God's rules God graciously allows them to be judged by their own rules. Why? Because "god makes the rules" and these people are their own gods; you reap what you sow.... Btw, Luke 6:46 comes into play here (I think it is relatively clear why...).
Bottom line, in God's plan everyone has already been "forgiven." That was what happened as a result of Christ's death on the cross. This is the exact message of John 3:16-21. Since that day on the cross the issue isn't whether one is "forgiven," it's whether one accepts the forgiveness on offer by taking a "loyalty oath" to have no other god/gods than the one revealed in the OT/NT: the trinitarian God that is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).* That some will choose to opt out of God's plan is certainly their choice, but it means they will be judged by "other" rules (i.e., their own).
To sum up, "Believing Loyalty" from "this"** point forward (2 Tim 4:7). That, in a nutshell, is how one is saved. One shows "believing loyalty" when one accepts the forgiveness on offer and lives life in response to that remarkable gift (again, see Luke 6:46).
So it is these people who will be spending eternity in heaven: the ones who have signed up "for God" by accepting His offered (thru Christ) forgiveness and living a loyal (to God) life in response to that offer by gratefully and graciously "doing" what Gods asks.
FWIW
Blessings on/to you and yours! Peace, as well.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* See also (i.e., why the first couple of the "Ten Commandments" matter):
** See Hebrews 3:15.
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I was watching an online service this a.m. and the pastor made the comment that heaven is where forgiven people will spend eternity. I get what he was saying, but it struck me as a bit "wrong." Or at least, incomplete (though, for evangelistic purposes, I get why he and others say this).
My take is this: heaven isn't the place where forgiven people will spend eternity it's the place where people who accept the forgiveness on offer (by accepting Jesus as Messiah) will spend eternity.
Yes, I get it that my assertion seems to run contrary to Matthew 6:14-15. But it really doesn't conflict. Matthew 6:14-15 are verses best understood in light of Revelation 20:12-15 (especially v. 13: "each person was judged according to what they had done"). Matthew's meaning then becomes quite clear: those who fail to forgive (others) have demonstrated they haven't accepted the forgiveness God offers (i.e., forgiveness of others should be the result of accepting that we aren't deserving of forgiveness ourselves but are thankful God does anyway and as such we live so!). Anyway, back to Revelation: in a nutshell, God makes the "rules." Since these "unforgiving" people do not want to play by God's rules God graciously allows them to be judged by their own rules. Why? Because "god makes the rules" and these people are their own gods; you reap what you sow.... Btw, Luke 6:46 comes into play here (I think it is relatively clear why...).
Bottom line, in God's plan everyone has already been "forgiven." That was what happened as a result of Christ's death on the cross. This is the exact message of John 3:16-21. Since that day on the cross the issue isn't whether one is "forgiven," it's whether one accepts the forgiveness on offer by taking a "loyalty oath" to have no other god/gods than the one revealed in the OT/NT: the trinitarian God that is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).* That some will choose to opt out of God's plan is certainly their choice, but it means they will be judged by "other" rules (i.e., their own).
To sum up, "Believing Loyalty" from "this"** point forward (2 Tim 4:7). That, in a nutshell, is how one is saved. One shows "believing loyalty" when one accepts the forgiveness on offer and lives life in response to that remarkable gift (again, see Luke 6:46).
So it is these people who will be spending eternity in heaven: the ones who have signed up "for God" by accepting His offered (thru Christ) forgiveness and living a loyal (to God) life in response to that offer by gratefully and graciously "doing" what Gods asks.
FWIW
Blessings on/to you and yours! Peace, as well.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* See also (i.e., why the first couple of the "Ten Commandments" matter):
Random (Theology-Oriented) Book Recommendations
I wanted to start a thread for books in the religion category that I have found interesting and thus, worth - to me - recommending. I'll kick it off with two. First, the "Faithlife Study Bible." While the NIV translation is third or fourth on my list of preferred translations* I love the notes...
forums.somd.com
** See Hebrews 3:15.
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