He asked me how I knew God made the world, I said logic. If I throw a bunch of lego pieces together what do I get? Do I get a cool building or a mess? Although the way the pieces go together is science, it still needs a force to put the pieces in the right place
LOVE that answer Shannon!!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/heart.gif" alt="" /> That's great!
I was raised Nazerine and they believe you CAN fall from Grace.. I thing it is Baptist that believe once saved always saved. Thats a big big difference. so where does that leave us?
OK, I'm Baptist, so I'll explain why we believe "once saved always saved" (it's actually part of a book I'm working on about Christianity and Depression). Here's an excerpt of what i've written (red is from the Bible)
Redemption Through the Blood of Christ
[color:"red"]Hebrews 9
11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies� for the purification of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our� conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20saying, �This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.� 21And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
23Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. [/color]
Jesus sacrificed himself for us. If we accept Him as our Lord and Savior then our sins are forgiven, forever. That is what His blood was spilt for. It is necessary for us to come to Him the first time admitting we are sinners, because how can we correct what is wrong in our lives if we do not first recognize it? And then to repent those sins, with His help. Forever after our sins are already forgiven us. In Jeremiah 31:30- 34 God tells his nation of the new Covenant that will come with Christ. He says, �For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.� Confessing our sins is good for us however. It helps keep us on the straight and narrow. It reminds us to to mold ourselves in Jesus� image.
Other verses that have led me to this same conclusion are Isaiah 54:10 & Romans 8:35- 39. And there are still others (but hopefully one day I'll actually finish this book, and maybe you'll read it then!) <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
But I do feel that we still need to confess our sins to keep
us on the narrow path and striving to be like Jesus. If we in our human nature felt we were "getting away" with our sins, then we would be less inclined to feel bad about them and more liekly to repeat them. Confessing them and asking forgivesness brings them to the front of our minds. I believe the Catholic penances are not a bad thing- in that they helpe keep people humble and make them think about what they have done. But I don't believe God has ever set these penances down anywhere.
I also think that sometimes confession and penance can backfire in that some people feel all they have to do is confess a crime, say a few rote prayers, do a penance and then they are absolved. Most of our sins, while hurting God, have more to do with our fellow man and the exmaple we set. Soemtimes an easy penance is just a way for a person to feel "unguilty" and go out and commit the same sin again.
But in the end- we will come before God for final judgement. And although as Christians we are assured a place in heaven - we will still have to look at Him and explain why we did or didn't do certain things. I know how badly I used to feel as a child when I disappointed my grandfather. I dread to think that this is going to make me feel so much tinier. But then the joy afterwards to know that I will be forgiven and will get a big hug! (and maybe some chocolate milk.) <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
