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God=Love
Dante:
I will try to make this short.
But, by now, you know me. I am very long winded!
LOL!
If the very essence of God is Love, which I believe him to be.’
Then I also must believe that the very essence of Satan is FEAR.
Perfect Love casts out all Fear.
You may say that Satan is a lot of things. Like Satan is deception, and this would be true.
But, doesn’t deception only have a purpose and is not purposeful to ITSELF?
If Satan can confuse us into believing that God will throw most of the world’s population into a PAGAN HELL, then doesn’t that ONLY CREATE FEAR??
Isn’t Fear the one thing that corrupts our PEACE, Joy and LOVE?
Well, I surprise myself, that was short.
Hehehe. :D
Dante
hillsbororiver:
--- Quote from: Dante on March 28, 2008, 09:09:51 AM ---
Please don't get me wrong. I do NOT MEAN that it is a WORKS Program, But that we wish in our HEARTS, and that we agree with the Law of God and that we DESIRE TO DO GOOD (To LOVE),...and that is our Prerequisite for Salvation. And NOT the exact knowledge of EVERY facet of the Living God. We MAY not even have to know his name, but to know HIS ESSENCE, is what is of EXTREME VALUE! I cannot even explain all I feel on this subject, But I FEEL that I MAY be correct. I feel it in my Heart.
--- End quote ---
Hi Dante,
Please do not take offense with my reply but I do feel it is necessary to address the point made above. My question to you is what difference does this issue make in regard to your and my salvation how the Lord might deal with others? Remember when Peter questioned what was to become of John?
Joh 21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Joh 21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Perhaps the Lord will deal with some in a way we are not aware of or can perceive at this time but all through scripture it is made very clear that once He draws us we are to follow Him, His Word, His commandments and definitely not our own instincts and heart.
Pro 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
You stated above that "I do NOT MEAN that it is a WORKS Program" without faith in Christ everything is a works program.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
If people can rely on their own goodness driven by their own hearts then the above verses do not make any sense, or they are lies.
Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
We are not only to believe on His name, but we must suffer for His sake. How does one do that with no knowledge of Him, how is someone separated from family and friends due to belief in Christ when they don't believe in Christ? How is one persecuted for their faith in Christ when they do not have faith in Christ?
Please take this in the spirit it is given, once we attempt to take the knowledge of Christ out of the equation I firmly believe that the result will be as Peter taking his eyes off of Jesus when he attempted to walk on water.
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
Dante:
I am not saying that it is by works.
The exact opposite is what I am stating.
In the same way that you think the name Jesus saves,...that is to say the FAITH in Jesus saves,...
,....I am asserting that LOVE is Jesus' name.
Sorry if you misunderstood me, I am not saying that there is anything a man can do to save himself.
BUT, that the man that is imputed (BY GOD) righteousness, is being inputed LOVE.
Because God himself IS LOVE.
GOD=LOVE
JESUS=LOVE
God gives a man LOVE IE,....Jesus, the Holy Spirit etc.
YET,...it may appear to an observer that the man is a heathen, because he knows NOT OF GOD.
But on the inside he is a Christian, by virtue of GOD.
This may be WHY he has such LOVE in him.
Like say Ghandi (Or however you spell his name). He seemed FULL OF LOVE. How do we know he was not of God??
He surly LOVED his fellow man. If this LOVE was not of him and not of Satan, since a house divided by itself cannot stand, then it COULD be FROM GOD.
How much technical knowledge of God does ONE NEED to be a Christian??
Maybe it is JUST THE LOVE that we need, since God himself said that ANYONE WHO LOVES HIS BROTHER, is of GOD.
Hope this helps you understand my thoughts.
Peace and Love.
Dante ;D
Dante:
Joe you say: We are not only to believe on His name, but we must suffer for His sake. How does one do that with no knowledge of Him, how is someone separated from family and friends due to belief in Christ when they don't believe in Christ? How is one persecuted for their faith in Christ when they do not have faith in Christ?
Please take this in the spirit it is given, once we attempt to take the knowledge of Christ out of the equation I firmly believe that the result will be as Peter taking his eyes off of Jesus when he attempted to walk on water.
Dante says: Maybe we suffer for LOVE. Which is the exact representation of GOD and Jesus.
If we leave our families to suffer for the sake of the LOVE OF MANKIND. Is that and was that not Jesus' quest also??
To suffer for ALL MANKIND out of LOVE?
The bottom line is this.
How much working knowledge does a man have to have to be considered a Christian??
The name of Christ? All his workings? The Whole of the Word of God?
How much did the thief on the cross know?? Yet, he was saved was he not?
This is the Enigma that I ask myself.
Dante
PS. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I think you are a nice guy with a heart for God. I don't think you are going to say anything to be mean.
hillsbororiver:
Hi again Dante,
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Peace,
Joe
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