As a Christian, do you believe.....

[Bonzi]

1. You HAVE to be baptized to go to Heaven?
2. Before time, God already decided (chose) you to either go to Heaven or Hell?
3. That you will never regularly willingly sin if you are a TRUE Christian?

Any beliefs/opinions on one or all 3 of the above?

 

[Caroljo]

1. No. The criminal on the cross next to Jesus went to heaven. I doubt he'd been Baptised. Jesus never said you had to be Baptised to make it into Heaven.
2. No. He gave us free will. That includes the choice to believe in him or not. He lets US make that choice.
3. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Just my opinion

 

[Bonzi]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

 

[Bonzi]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

It's an expression.... using the Lord's name in vain... using God or Jesus as a "curse word"

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

It's an expression.... using the Lord's name in vain... using God or Jesus as a "curse word"

Well, to do something in vain means to act with characteristics of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. It would seem to me by definition that "taking the Lord's name in vain" does not mean simply to say "godammit" or "Jesus H. Christ" or some such thing, but in the sense of claiming God is on "your side", as with the use of such phrases as "Gott mit uns" which Wehrmacht soldiers wore on their belt buckles during the Second World War. There are many similar phrases used throughout history by various military and royal entities claiming divine partnership.

I really doubt the creator of the Universe cares if the little humans utter a common English noun in anger now and then.

 

[Bonzi]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

It's an expression.... using the Lord's name in vain... using God or Jesus as a "curse word"

Well, to do something in vain means to act with characteristics of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. It would seem to me by definition that "taking the Lord's name in vain" does not mean simply to say "godammit" or "Jesus H. Christ" or some such thing, but in the sense of claiming God is on "your side", as with the use of such phrases as "Gott mit uns" which Wehrmacht soldiers wore on their belt buckles during the Second World War. There are many similar phrases used throughout history by various military and royal entities claiming divine partnership.

I really doubt the creator of the Universe cares if the little humans utter a common English noun in anger now and then.

I see what you are saying... I suppose a better wording of it would have been to us God's name in a way which is dishonoring to him. Using it as a term of anger, I personally feel, is disrespectful to him. Actually, any word I feel construes something unlovely or hateful I believe is dishonoring and disrespectful to God.

I think he wants us to be filled with thoughts of Him and His love at all times.

 

[Moonglow]

Old testament love or New Testament love?

 

[Bonzi]

Old testament love or New Testament love?

God is the same.
Our view and definition of love is not (necessarily) what His is.
You can't put God in a box.

 

[Moonglow]

Old testament love or New Testament love?

God is the same.
Our view and definition of love is not (necessarily) what His is.
You can't put God in a box.

Just wondering since he confused us with a rainbow showing the humans love....

 

[Caroljo]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

Ya...I agree too. I think if you're truly a believer that when you say something you shouldn't ( taking the Lords name in vain) or having an addiction, or anything you know isn't the right thing in God's eye's, that you will be convicted of it. Like, if I might think a really bad thought about someone (and that can happen out of the blue at times!) that you correct yourself and ask for forgiveness for the things you thought. Or asking for forgiveness for something you did wrong to someone (but you have to truly be sorry for it, God knows what's in your heart).

 

[Bonzi]

Old testament love or New Testament love?

God is the same.
Our view and definition of love is not (necessarily) what His is.
You can't put God in a box.

Just wondering since he confused us with a rainbow showing the humans love....

I guess I'm a bit slow.... if you feel up to it, explain a little more for me... thx.

 

[Caroljo]

Old testament love or New Testament love?

God is the same.
Our view and definition of love is not (necessarily) what His is.
You can't put God in a box.

Just wondering since he confused us with a rainbow showing the humans love....

What does the rainbow have to do with it? The rainbow is a sign of Him keeping his covenant with us when He said He would never again flood the earth.

Genesis 9:12-14New International Version (NIV)
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life."
Genesis 9 15 NIV - I will remember my covenant between me - Bible Gateway

 

[BluePhantom]

1. You HAVE to be baptized to go to Heaven?
2. Before time, God already decided (chose) you to either go to Heaven or Hell?
3. That you will never regularly willingly sin if you are a TRUE Christian?

Any beliefs/opinions on one or all 3 of the above?

Interesting questions...I doubt you will like my answers.

1) I don't think God cares if we got water in our nose in His name. That is a symbolic ritual about acceptance. It's not the ritual that is important, it's the acceptance that is important.

2) Satan and hell were human creation s that were developed by the ancient Jews and later Christians as a way to explain suffering. Prior to the Babylonian Exile there is little (if any) evidence that either of them existed in Jewish thought. So it's hard for me to imagine that God pre-determined that someone would go to hell before time began, since the concept of hell didn't exist until the 6th century BCE (or thereabouts).

3) I think you will never willingly sin once you have achieved the state of perfection that Jesus did. Until then we all do what we do and it has nothing to do with our love of God or status as Christians. It has a lot to do with the strengths and weaknesses of human character.

 

[BluePhantom]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

Well the theory is that once you accept Grace (accept the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf) and allow the Holy Spirit to craft your character you will stop "sinning" (I am not fan of that word) as a matter of natural consequence because the Holy Spirit has re-crafted you into someone who has no more natural inclination toward sin. How well that works in actual practice depends on the person

 

[BluePhantom]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

It's an expression.... using the Lord's name in vain... using God or Jesus as a "curse word"

Well, to do something in vain means to act with characteristics of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. It would seem to me by definition that "taking the Lord's name in vain" does not mean simply to say "godammit" or "Jesus H. Christ" or some such thing, but in the sense of claiming God is on "your side", as with the use of such phrases as "Gott mit uns" which Wehrmacht soldiers wore on their belt buckles during the Second World War. There are many similar phrases used throughout history by various military and royal entities claiming divine partnership.

I really doubt the creator of the Universe cares if the little humans utter a common English noun in anger now and then.

Well that's close but if you examine the Hebrew what it means is that you shall not invoke the name of God for selfish or futile purposes. The world used is "l'shua" which means 'for futility'. It's not a terribly clean translation. The word doesn't translate precisely into English but it's pretty close. In other words...it has nothing to do with saying "oh God damn it" and has more to do with stuff like praying "I call down the power of God and the Lord Jesus to give me the winning powerball numbers this week. I call forth the name of God so that I will win the lottery!"

It's basically God saying "don't use Me for your own selfish impossible desires that exist on a worldly level"

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

. Depends on what you mean by sinning. For me it's breaking a commandment. I don't think that's something that most believers do regularly, but they do do it. Nobody is without sin. It's not sinning to swear, or drink alcohol, or many other things...these are things he warned that isn't good for us & should be careful about doing, but never said it was a sin.

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

It's an expression.... using the Lord's name in vain... using God or Jesus as a "curse word"

Well, to do something in vain means to act with characteristics of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. It would seem to me by definition that "taking the Lord's name in vain" does not mean simply to say "godammit" or "Jesus H. Christ" or some such thing, but in the sense of claiming God is on "your side", as with the use of such phrases as "Gott mit uns" which Wehrmacht soldiers wore on their belt buckles during the Second World War. There are many similar phrases used throughout history by various military and royal entities claiming divine partnership.

I really doubt the creator of the Universe cares if the little humans utter a common English noun in anger now and then.

Well that's close but if you examine the Hebrew what it means is that you shall not invoke the name of God for selfish or futile purposes. The world used is "l'shua" which means 'for futility'. It's not a terribly clean translation. The word doesn't translate precisely into English but it's pretty close. In other words...it has nothing to do with saying "oh God damn it" and has more to do with stuff like praying "I call down the power of God and the Lord Jesus to give me the winning powerball numbers this week. I call forth the name of God so that I will win the lottery!"

It's basically God saying "don't use Me for your own selfish impossible desires that exist on a worldly level"

Okay.

What is the name of God?

 

[BluePhantom]

Thanks Caroljo, I agree/believe as you do on 1. and 2.

3. is a bit trickier. I know someone that will use the Lord's name in vain (when they are SUPER angry) - however, they are angry person, so it's not a rare thing. You can use addictions and habits in the same argument, you turn your life over God as an addict, but, maybe your addiction is not "immediately" taken away. HOWEVER, in the Bible it says you are changed - perhaps as long as your desire is to change and become more like Christ, that is enough....?

What is the Lord's name?

It's an expression.... using the Lord's name in vain... using God or Jesus as a "curse word"

Well, to do something in vain means to act with characteristics of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. It would seem to me by definition that "taking the Lord's name in vain" does not mean simply to say "godammit" or "Jesus H. Christ" or some such thing, but in the sense of claiming God is on "your side", as with the use of such phrases as "Gott mit uns" which Wehrmacht soldiers wore on their belt buckles during the Second World War. There are many similar phrases used throughout history by various military and royal entities claiming divine partnership.

I really doubt the creator of the Universe cares if the little humans utter a common English noun in anger now and then.

Well that's close but if you examine the Hebrew what it means is that you shall not invoke the name of God for selfish or futile purposes. The world used is "l'shua" which means 'for futility'. It's not a terribly clean translation. The word doesn't translate precisely into English but it's pretty close. In other words...it has nothing to do with saying "oh God damn it" and has more to do with stuff like praying "I call down the power of God and the Lord Jesus to give me the winning powerball numbers this week. I call forth the name of God so that I will win the lottery!"

It's basically God saying "don't use Me for your own selfish impossible desires that exist on a worldly level"

Okay.

What is the name of God?

According to whom? Could be "God", could be "Allah", could be "Elohim", could be "Jehovah", could be "YHWH", could be "Adonai"...could even be "The Name". "Christ" "Vishnu", "Buddha", "Govindam", "Bismillah".....You will have to be more specific. What is the name of God according to who and when?

 

[Gracie]

1. You HAVE to be baptized to go to Heaven?
2. Before time, God already decided (chose) you to either go to Heaven or Hell?
3. That you will never regularly willingly sin if you are a TRUE Christian?

I'll answer your questions, but I have a few of my own.

1. No.
2. No.
3. No.

Now here are my questions for YOU:

1. Are you a TRUE christian if you get drunk and tell a man on the internet that you want to lick his butthole and flirt with men online even though you are married?

2. If nobody can "know" God, how do you presume to dictate to others YOUR beliefs on what YOU think He thinks?

 

[Gracie]

Our view and definition of love is not (necessarily) what His is.
You can't put God in a box.

Are these not your words?