Does trying to live by God’s standards & trying to follow in Christ’s ways play no part in salvation? So can man or woman do as they wish throughout their life being wicked & evil but still expect to be saved??
If this was the case & ALL get saved no matter what then why would our Father in Heaven & His Son give us instruction how to try & live our lives?
John 3:18-20, Jesus says,”He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
Matthew 10:22, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Jesus said, ” 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
The wa I see it is that Jesus makes it clear that there are some that He may not accept, ones He calls “workers of iniquity ” – “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” – Matthew 7:23.
I am not referring to those who are ignorant through no fault of their own, ones that have not had the chance to learn about Jesus, I know Jehovah & Christ are just, loving & merciful.
Let’s be honest, most people pretty much know right from wrong, we learn from children. If we break the disobey break the law we get punished by the law put in place whilst we live in this current system. We all have our own consciences.
Jesus has been given all authority & justly judges all, why would he have been given this task if there is no reason for judging anyone?
The following scriptures give examples & are self explanatory:
2 Thessalonians 1:6; Matthew 12:36; Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1. God holds everyone accountable for their decision/choices they make.
Acts 17:30; Romans 2:12-16, 3:20.
If we have a one way tunnel vision like most religions have today, then this tends to prevent the learning process beyond a certain point. I too constantly search for truth, thirst for truth & I let God & Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit direct me, I put no trust in men, I trust in God Almighty & His Son above all else.
I have learned much since my departure from the Watchtower organization & I am still learning. I still have friends there, well at least I hope I can still call them friends as they have not made any real contact with me in quite a while but I try not to judge these ones as it is not my place.
I respect all that have faith in the one true God & His Son Jesus Christ but this doesn’t mean that I accept all of what they try & teach or preach. Make sure of all things, test out everything scripturally.
1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21, “but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.”
Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
1 Peter 4:11, “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
As I said I let Jehovah guide & teach me, I have had much revealed to me through the scriptures & been tested & I expected I will still continue to face tests & trials & makes my faith grow stronger.
Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
2 Corinthians 12:9, “And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me.”
James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.”
Another scripture that I think is appropriate:
Mark 13:35-37, “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back–whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
Here Mark is clearly explaining that Jesus wasn’t just telling His Chosen ones/Apostles to keep on the watch for him but He is addressing everyone! So here it makes it clear that yes "everyone" needs to be aware of this fact & try to live their lives in the ways of Christ Jesus, surely He wouldn’t be making a point of addressing "everyone" to keep watch if it wasn’t important for ALL mankind!
I do not oppose the fact that the wicked get a resurrection & will be given a chance via their judgement to repent & follow God's instruction. I am referring to the wicked alive now. What if the day of Jehovah God comes tomorrow, what of those who profess to be teachers of God's word but whose teachings are misleading, teaching false doctrine? What of those in the world who are murdering & abusing innocent people/children? What of those waging mindless wars & causing mass destruction? what of those who speak against God Almighty & His Son? Does none of this really matter NOW?
2 Peter 2:1, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves."
2 Peter 2:12, "But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed."
Philippians 3:18-19, "For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."
Galatians 5:21, "envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God."
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
1 Corinthians 10:7-11, "Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY." Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come."
Matthew 7:13, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."
My understanding is that we, as in those who have got to know Almighty God & Christ Jesus, or those getting to know them, we know the examples we are to try & set, the life we must try to lead to be in harmony with God’s instruction, our conscience because of this fact manifests itself to us much more with regards to how we behave in our every day lives. I am not saying that those who do not follow God, those who are ignorant to with regards to God don’t have a consciences but obviously they will not understand what would be in line with God’s ways.
Yes I believe in the resurrection to life for all those who over the centuries have fallen asleep in death as in death they have paid for their sins. It doesn’t make sense to me that those living today in this day & age will all die at Armageddon/the day of God Amighty & then get resurrected to a judgement, doesn’t it make more sense for the judgement to commence whilst they are still alive?
I do not believe that God will destroy all those who do know Him, yes I believe that Jesus’ ransom sacrifice covers all sinners as we are all born into sin but those that commit evil acts willingly, knowingly will face consequences. We are not the judges, Jesus’ commences the judgement as all authority has been given to Him by His Father, what ever the judgements are we can be reassured they will be just & righteous.
Matthew 7:21 – 23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
Matthew 12:35-37, “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Luke 13:25-27, “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.”
1John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with [him]: if we deny [him], he also will deny us.”
Romans 10:9,10, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Revelation 21:6-8, “Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. ″He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

No Daz, life through the ransom is totally dependent on a person's heartfelt repentence for their past actions that violated God's Will and a testimony to their newly attained faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ that made their salvation possible. The thing is some people repent easily and often, while others will take a very long time to reach that same conclusion. But Jehovah and Jesus are as patient as they are Loving and Merciful, so all will be saved (since Jesus name means "Jehovah is Salvation") but many will have to be coaxed along and disciplined in righteousness before their stubborness is removed from their personalities.

 

There are some who believe the old saying of; “Once saved, always saved”. And, again, “if you just believe, you will be saved.” Paul continued to say to the Corinthians, “Now, brothers, these things I have applied to myself and Apollos for your good, that through us you may learn the rule: ‘Do not go beyond the things that are written,’ so that you may not be puffed up with pride, favoring one against the other. For who makes you different from another? Indeed, what do you have that you did not receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?” (1 Co 4:6-7 NWT)

This thought is continued in his second letter. “For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved, but the one whom Jehovah recommends.” (2 C0 10:18 NWT) In his first letter to Timothy he said; “The sins of some men are publicly known, leading directly to judgment, but those of other men become evident later. In the same way also, the fine works are publicly known and those that are otherwise cannot be kept hidden.” (2 Tim 5:24-25 NWT)

Paul likened this life, to the Hebrews, as being in a race. “So, then, because we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also throw off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, as we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus.” (Heb 12:1-2 NWT) It’s a marathon, long distance, and you don’t receive the reward unless you finish the race. If you break the rules along the way, you will be judged at the conclusion, good or bad.

Thin Lizzy - Holy War

 

Being saved is like a pretrial intervention program the judge agrees to drop all charges and your expected to work the program.


Woe to the person that gets such a program and skips out on it!

When he gets back in court he gets the maximum sentance for his crime.


Salvations the same Jesus pays your bill and you join his program and agree to get better!


If you fake it and go back to sin eventually
Sin catch's up and you find yourself in front of Jehovah who won't be very happy that you stomped all over the program of tender mercy!

I've heard you get a shovel and get to dig yourself out of a hole full of fire

 

But you don't have to win the race to gain the real prize, you simply must finish the race according to the rules.

 

And that's the key here he who endures to the end! You can't just have an emotional 2 hours were you say the sinners prayer in church.

Then the next day be right back in sins arms and say oh I got saved yesterday no matter what happens I'm still saved!

Do you know there are people that actually believe such a thing?