Could Christians please respond; Is there a penalty for rejecting Jesus?

by nicolaou 109 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  tec

  Ixthis, that was a great article! So much food for thought. Got to mull it over, but I have long believed that God did not want a blood sacrifice to himself. That something was missing out of what we've been taught. I trust why Christ came to us, to show us the way, to free us from the bondage of sin... to 'heal' us.

  The article makes a good point about ransom. If you are kidnapped, your parents don't demand a ransom. They're the ones who pay the ransom to get you back from your kidnapper.

  Great article.

  Peace,

  Tammy

  Oops... article got deleted. But it was good!
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  ixthis

  Hi tec, yes .. I removed it since I felt that many on this board would not appreciate its length. The article is called Sin and Theodocy by Frederika Matthewes-Green e.

  I appreciate how your upbrining may have taught fire and brimstone etc, however, if we refer our attention to the parable of the Prodigal Son this is the perfect story that illustrates precisely who the Father is and summarises the Bible in a nutshell.

  The parable shows that the prodigal is already forgiven. The reason he may never have been saved is because he may never have "come to his senses", "risen up" and returned to the Father. It is Christ Who enables us to do all three of these things: He is the Light Who brings us to our sense; the One Who raises up Himself and others from the grave; and He is the Way Who guides us home to the Father.

  So in this way I can, too, say that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus; yet the manner and nature of this gift, and how it is received "in Christ Jesus" is quite different.

  ... and that is the penalty, rejecting the gift of God. Rejecting eternal life in Christ Jesus. So, yes there is a penalty for rejecting Jesus.
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  tec

  It was well worth the read, if anyone is curious.
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  PSacramento

  Very interesting article.
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  designs

  Revisionism and multiple versions of stories. A confused Holy Spirit.
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  tec

  A confused Holy Spirit.

  A confused (and sometimes self-serving) people.

  The Holy Spirit is not divided.

  Tammy
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  designs

  tec-

  The Holy Spirit does a poor job of communication. Just look at the completely different takes from people swearing up and down that the Holy Spirit is talking to them.

  The Holy Spirit does a generally poor job at anything it claims to do. It makes the Christian Faith and the Christian claims pretty meaningless.
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  tec

  Then those people are more likely not listening to the Holy Spirit, but rather to themselves. That seems pretty evident to me.

  Tammy
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  cofty

  mercy and justice are the same thing

  This is self-contradictory. I understand why christians do mental gymnastics in an effort to avoid admitting god is angry and capricious but it is just not honest.
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  cofty

  Then those people are more likely not listening to the Holy Spirit, but rather to themselves. That seems pretty evident to me. - Tammy

  The thing is every christian (and muslim and Jew) is convinced that god thinks the way they do. Take any controversial subject and you can find sincere christians on all sides who are convinced that their view is solidly based on the leading of the holy spirit.

  There was a paper published in 2009 called "Believers' estimates of God's beliefs are more egocentric than estimates of other people's beliefs" Using MRI imaging the researchers presented fascinating evidence that god is effectively the ultimate sockpuppet.

  Its a bit technical but every beleiver should read it before they ever claim to be listening to any supernatural leading.