When you die or when you live?

[iremembertherain]

The head of the church camp I went to this summer said something that really shocked me. He said that he believed that in order to get into heaven, you had to have believed in Christ at one point in your life. Not when you die, persay, but at some point. I have never heard something like that before. Yet, isn't it kind of like playing Russian roulet with people who switch faiths to say that you have to believe when you die? So what do you think? Do you have to believe when you die or is it okay so long as you believed at one point? Or do you have a completely different theory I haven't thought of?  

[dirtdevilgrunt13]

Well... If you kill yourself your not going to heaven period... That's one of the deadly sins I believe.

But, if I am Christian and tommorow I became Satanist; Theres not way i am going to heavens. God knows if you are truly asking for forgivness. An example...

I was Christian, but than I became Wiccan. I became possessed and I switched back to Christianity and when I was saved, I stood before God and I said, "Father, will you truly forgive me, I want to be your child, please forgive me" and he did.

Now, heres another example; and this one is very said, and I regret not helping this person. I had a friend a few years back, and he was very very depressed, I toke a walk with him for 3 hours and tried to calm him down, didn't work. Two days later he commited sucided... I went to his funeral and just stood in the back. Later when the church cleared out I asked God if he was in heaven and God said no.. He isnt because he killed himself.

I hope that helps alot...  

[iremembertherain]

Actually, it's kind of funny because all of the 7 deadly sins aren't deadly at all. They're all forgivable. Wrath, gluttony, pride, greed- they're all forgivable. That's why it's so strange that suicide isn't on the list when it IS deadly. But I agree with you. We have to ask to be forgiven or want to be forgiven to go to heaven. So even if at one point you asked, if you don't care anymore, it doesn't apply. So, yah, I guess that clears things up.  

[dirtdevilgrunt13]

I am glad i could be an asistance my sister!  

[Mjolnir The Hammer]

I definitely agree with both of you, but I beg to differ about people with different religions. What about all those other people-

Buddhists,
Muslims,
Jews

-just to name a few; how do you think they would fare? question
Thats what really confuses me these days. If Christ is the only way, why should they all go to Hell if they don't believe when they probably deserve to go to Heaven just as much as any of us do? This truly troubles me... sad

 

[trinity343]

maplestoryjunky

I definitely agree with both of you, but I beg to differ about people with different religions. What about all those other people-

Buddhists,
Muslims,
Jews

-just to name a few; how do you think they would fare? question
Thats what really confuses me these days. If Christ is the only way, why should they all go to Hell if they don't believe when they probably deserve to go to Heaven just as much as any of us do? This truly troubles me... sad

b/c they are not believers in christ they cannot get into heaven. it doesn't matter if they were "good" or not. no body is able to be perfect and that is the only way to get into heaven without the aid of God's mercy and forgiveness through Christ. no one deserves to get into heaven...not even us who do Believe in Christ as Messiah. we have broken the law that God gave to us through moses so we to are just as guilty as everyone else and are deserving of death and punishment in hell. our difference is that we've accepted Christ and have been forgiven and pardoned. that's why it's our job to go out and tell the world about who Jesus is and to shoe God's love to them that way they too may have the chance to be in heaven. but have to many lazy Christians in the church who just sit on there butts.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Galatians 2:16a

Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 14:6

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

There is not a righteous mn on earth who does what is right and never sins.

it clear in the Bible that those who do not follow God and have not come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as messiah are not destined for hell. it is also not us who decides in the end we much each come before God with an account of our life here on earth (romans 14:12). i hate knowing that there are those who will not be with God for eternity but in the long run it was their own choice that sent them there.

i'm Glad though that it troubles you. do you think it doesn't troube God as well? he hates seeing his creation abandon him. that's why he gave us a way back. but it saddens him that most do not come. keep that heart, use it to feed a fire and desire to see ppl come to Christ, maybe you can help make a difference in the ppl you come across. maybe something you do can help bring them to Christ. you jut have to let God work through you and work in them, since it is nothing that we do that can actually turn a persons heart anyway. they can only turn to God when he reveals himself to them...they just have to make the choice to accept.

pray for them...

as for the being saved if you believed at some point...that hard to say. while yes Paul wrote that nothing can take us away from God, i have trouble believing that if a person turns away from Christ that they were ever saved in the first place. now i can understand backsliding a little and needing a swift kick in the pants to get you back on tract (i've been there, i know) but completely turning from God...that's where it gets tricky. again in the end it comes down to them and God and how their relationship is. only the two of them can truelly know.

another thing...i don't believe that b/c a person who is a Christian...a true Christian...commits suicide will not make it to heaven. when we accept Christ into our life we are forgiven of all sin: past, present and future. including suicide. the only reason a person won't be in heaven is if they never truelly accepted God's forgiveness through Jesus  

[SinfulGuillotine]

Deciding which beliefs get you to heaven and which condemn you to hell is a little dangerous, it seems to me. God is the only one who gets to make that decision, and I refuse to speculate on how people of other faiths will spend eternity, because that's not my job.

However, I did have a conversation about this with my priest, and I think he came up with a good answer. He said that we can't really know who gets to heaven and who doesn't, and that there could be many different paths to get there, but that Christianity is simply the safest path there.  

[trinity343]

then i'm afraid your priest is wrong. Jesus said he is the only way. there is not other way possible. only through him. there is no room for interpretation on that it is clear and to the point and cannot be argued. Christianity isn't the 'safest path' it is the ONLY path.  

[sunshinehearttrob]

i mean what if you believed at one point of your life, but then you came to some difficulty and you lose your faith and never came back to it ??? what happens then ???

i think to get to heaven you have to believe in the Father. and be able to show it. to yourself, to the Lord, whoever. just to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly and love him and just worship him the rest of your days. smile  

[SinfulGuillotine]

trinity343

then i'm afraid your priest is wrong. Jesus said he is the only way. there is not other way possible. only through him. there is no room for interpretation on that it is clear and to the point and cannot be argued. Christianity isn't the 'safest path' it is the ONLY path.

Absolutes are dangerous, and as such, I avoid them.

I refuse to be so arrogant as to presume who does or doesn't get into heaven.  

[lordstar]

iremembertherain

The head of the church camp I went to this summer said something that really shocked me. He said that he believed that in order to get into heaven, you had to have believed in Christ at one point in your life. Not when you die, persay, but at some point. I have never heard something like that before. Yet, isn't it kind of like playing Russian roulet with people who switch faiths to say that you have to believe when you die? So what do you think? Do you have to believe when you die or is it okay so long as you believed at one point? Or do you have a completely different theory I haven't thought of?

a good man who lived a good life is disserving of a good afterlife

religion has nothing to do with it

on a side note
good is a relative term  

[trinity343]

SinfulGuillotine

trinity343

then i'm afraid your priest is wrong. Jesus said he is the only way. there is not other way possible. only through him. there is no room for interpretation on that it is clear and to the point and cannot be argued. Christianity isn't the 'safest path' it is the ONLY path.

Absolutes are dangerous, and as such, I avoid them.

I refuse to be so arrogant as to presume who does or doesn't get into heaven.

so with that statement you show that you don't believe anything from the Bible b/c it's all in Absolutes. Jesus was completely absolute about what he said. the apostles were all absolute in what they said. your just calling them liars, which makes you one who is blaspheming. i'm afraid that is what most of our generation seems to be doing now days not believing in absolutes. it saddens me to see them thinking that way when the Bible, God's Holy word, clearly teaches there are.

i never showed arrogance as to say i know who goes to heaven or not. that comes down to the relationship of the person and God...but one can only have a relationship with God through Christ. not through some other arbitrary/imaginary source  

[iremembertherain]

STOP! We're all just trying to get along. It was a simple question, ment to be answered with nice opinions. Don't be nasty to eachother.  

[lordstar]

trinity343

SinfulGuillotine

trinity343

then i'm afraid your priest is wrong. Jesus said he is the only way. there is not other way possible. only through him. there is no room for interpretation on that it is clear and to the point and cannot be argued. Christianity isn't the 'safest path' it is the ONLY path.

Absolutes are dangerous, and as such, I avoid them.

I refuse to be so arrogant as to presume who does or doesn't get into heaven.

so with that statement you show that you don't believe anything from the Bible b/c it's all in Absolutes. Jesus was completely absolute about what he said. the apostles were all absolute in what they said. your just calling them liars, which makes you one who is blaspheming. i'm afraid that is what most of our generation seems to be doing now days not believing in absolutes. it saddens me to see them thinking that way when the Bible, God's Holy word, clearly teaches there are.

i never showed arrogance as to say i know who goes to heaven or not. that comes down to the relationship of the person and God...but one can only have a relationship with God through Christ. not through some other arbitrary/imaginary source

i expected more from you trinity
there is more to the word of God than the words in king james tells
take a look at older text and see the difference  

[dirtdevilgrunt13]

trinity343

then i'm afraid your priest is wrong. Jesus said he is the only way. there is not other way possible. only through him. there is no room for interpretation on that it is clear and to the point and cannot be argued. Christianity isn't the 'safest path' it is the ONLY path.

And your wrong. Jesus isn't the only way. Jesus Christ is God. (Hints the Trinity sp?) There for if your faithful to God, than you can get into heaven...