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I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 6:16:18 AM
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CommonSense549
Posts: 96
Joined: 9/28/2009
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If I accept Jesus and join Christianity, how do I know that I'm really saving myself from eternal torture in the afterlife? What if another religion ends up truly being the right path, and I'm making a mistake in not following it? It's really a roll of the dice. It seems like there's so many religions out there teaching that I'll experience eternal suffering if I don't follow them. What if one of them is right and I end up choosing the wrong one? How do I proceed?
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 7:01:40 AM
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deermousie
Posts: 2220
Joined: 9/26/2007
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It's only rolling of dice if you have no information and are shooting blind.
Fortunately for all of us, that's not the case. Go get a copy of "More Than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell for a better explanation than I can give. Interlibrary loan should find it for you; ask your local librarian.
Basically, we have three sources of information that we can start with:
what the Bible says about itself, what is said about the Bible from the outside, and the dying testimony of huge numbers of Christians (a dying testimony is accepted as a fact in a court of law because the person has nothing to gain by lying).
The Bible says it is God's Word to us, inspired by God and true in what it says. It says God became a man and died innocently on a cross 2000 years ago to pay for sin so you and I could have peace and relationship with God. It's free for us; it cost God a lot.
The Bible does not contradict itself, inspite of being written in a 4000 year period by over 25 people of differing livelihoods (shepherds to kings) - just try to get 5 people to agree on lunch!  It's supernatural.
People have died by the thousands rather than recant their faith. They accepted loss of property, torture, death of themselves and family. Why would anyone do that except there was something more valuable than life at stake?
Every other religion is based man on being good enough to reach up to a "god;" Christianity acknowledges we're a mess and God reached down to us with forgiveness for free.
It's the greatest deal in the universe. It's also the only real deal. Start reading a Bible of known scholarship, like the New King James or the New International (avoid the Inspired Version and New World Translation), and start reading it for yourself. Start with Matthew first in the New Testament because the NT explains the Old Testament. Ask God to show you who He is - that's the whole reason the Bible exists, so you are asking according to His will.
And may you be blessed and assured. It's waiting for you. 
_____________________________
"Through Gates of Splendor" by Elizabeth Elliot
"Federal Husband" by Doug Wilson
www.biblegateway.com for online concordance (I use it daily)
"Passion and Purity" by Elizabeth Elliot
And I think chickens are really funny
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 8:34:16 AM
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CommonSense549
Posts: 96
Joined: 9/28/2009
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Deermousie, here's my main concern. Islam. If Islam is true, and I instead choose to become christian, that means that I go to the Islamic hell. Is there reason to believe that Christianity is any more true than Islam is?
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 10:50:27 AM
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butterfly616
Posts: 300
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From: California
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I recommend that you read the Gospel of John. Ask Jesus to reveal himself to you as you read this book of the New Testament.
_____________________________
For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust. Psalm 33:4
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 12:47:36 PM
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Prophetictime
Posts: 63
Joined: 1/10/2009
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CommonSense549
If I accept Jesus and join Christianity, how do I know that I'm really saving myself from eternal torture in the afterlife? What if another religion ends up truly being the right path, and I'm making a mistake in not following it? It's really a roll of the dice. It seems like there's so many religions out there teaching that I'll experience eternal suffering if I don't follow them. What if one of them is right and I end up choosing the wrong one? How do I proceed?
Jesus Christ is the truth and his Word properly understood is truth but Jesus warned about false teachers and false Christianity during his ministry on earth. So your question is a very valid one.
Jesus said the Father would send his Holy Spirit in Jesus's name to verify his Word. This verification happens before you attend a church, so read the new Testament for yourself and ask God the Father in Jesus's name to send the Holy Spirit to teach you and confirm to you where to attend church.
Lastly even when Jesus confirms to you where to go to church remember the church has people like me and you that are imperfect. The church will always disapoint you but Jesus never will. So seek him first to teach and anoint you with his Holy Spirit.
Jesus cannot roll dice, he always now how they will come out. FEAR NOT
http://sites.google.com/site/pointprophetic/Home
< Message edited by Prophetictime -- 10/4/2009 1:51:16 PM >
_____________________________
In the end only kindness matters. Praise to Jesus Christ in the Highest.
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Uncovering the Antichrist and 666 - Click Here
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 6:38:54 PM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1826
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CommonSense549
If I accept Jesus and join Christianity, how do I know that I'm really saving myself from eternal torture in the afterlife? What if another religion ends up truly being the right path, and I'm making a mistake in not following it? It's really a roll of the dice. It seems like there's so many religions out there teaching that I'll experience eternal suffering if I don't follow them. What if one of them is right and I end up choosing the wrong one? How do I proceed?
Hey, CommonSense! Welcome to the forum.
First, Jesus is not someone you accept and Christianity is not something you join. I'm sure you've heard that terminology and been told that's what you are to do, but it's not so.
And I'm curious, why are you concerned about eternal torture? I mean, if life's a game, just a roll of the dice, what difference does it make?
_____________________________
Liveloved
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Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 6:47:10 PM
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CommonSense549
Posts: 96
Joined: 9/28/2009
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quote:
I mean, if life's a game, just a roll of the dice, what difference does it make?
Haha Not even remotely close to what I said, meant, or alluded in any sense whatsoever.
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 7:04:59 PM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1826
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CommonSense549
quote:
I mean, if life's a game, just a roll of the dice, what difference does it make?
Haha Not even remotely close to what I said, meant, or alluded in any sense whatsoever.
Hey, I was listening and I thought you said you feel like you're rolling a dice? A roll of the dice is a chance thing, a game. So, obviously, you don't really see it that way. You think it matters. Why?
_____________________________
Liveloved
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 7:35:26 PM
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deermousie
Posts: 2220
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I hear you, CommonSense, and remember the pain.
A couple of things that might help:
A lot of what nonChristians think is true of Christianity isn't. There's a lot of misinformation out there. If you post on the list what you think is true, people will tell you if it isn't. Probably. Sometimes Christians disagree with each other like brothers and sisters and it's okay; God doesn't grade on a curve but accepts all who come to Him. We all agree that Jesus is God in the flesh and died so our sin could be forgiven; everything else we can bicker about if we want to.
If Jesus died to save you from going to hell, it's okay to come to Him to avoid going to hell. You're on the same page. But there are more good things besides that; the pinata has more than one piece of candy in it.
I think hell is a fearful place; I wouldn't want to send my worst enemy there . That is, if I had an enemy. It's that bad.
I'm glad you're thinking about what you're thinking about. Fear can bring you to the right place; the fear can be replaced with relief and then when you see who God is, with love. Because He already loves you and will cause you to become the full person you are meant to be and want to be. Real Christianity is not for weak, saccarine old ladies but red-blooded warriors who discover there's another battle field, and with God they will fight and win.
Here's a better picture of what God's deal is about:
God created the universe in moral, spiritual (they can talk to God) and physical perfection. Somehow evil gets in and the first people disobey God (sin is an archery term that means to miss the bull's eye) and fall morally, spiritually and with some physical problems (like death).
Then God introduces the sacrifice system where the Jews sacrificed cows and lambs, and God says only blood/death forgives sin, but just for a year. The cow or lamb has to be physically perfect or it doesn't count. People are given the Ten Commandments and God says you have to act right or you're guilty of them all. Salvation comes by works.
Then God becomes a man and is born in a dirty stable 2000 years ago, grows up morally perfect, and then allows Himself to become the Lamb of God and be sacrificed. His blood/death forgives your sin, not for a year but forever. Salvation is no longer by works but is a done deal, all done for you. It's a free gift.
If you think Jesus' death forgave your sin and you no longer have to work to be good enough to go to heaven, then you got it, and God has given you salvation. If you try to come to God any other way, He'll point you back to the cross and empty tomb (because sin was forgiven, death no longer could keep Jesus dead).
We never were good enough. We sin all the time and God knows we were helpless. He pitied us and wanted to be in a loving relationship with us, so He did the work. For us, it's free (it hurt Him pretty bad, but not for long).
So we come to God, covered with dirt and guilt, and we have nothing to give Him. All we can do is say, "Thanks for paying for me. Here I am; I have empty hands and I need You so bad. Thank You that now I have you and You have me. Please help me learn to love You and live like You want me to."
And you find out that He created you to want to love Him, and He already loves you. It's the loving Father everyone wishes they had had. And we find out the world God created only works when it's moral, so we learn the morals and our lives start working.
It's about love, it's about making other people's interests as important as your own, it's about getting to know God better (He wrote us a whole Book about it! ), it's about living right and sacrificing ourselves sometimes for others.
It's the father who plays with his kid when he'd rather watch the game, it's the mother who makes dinner when she'd rather play a video game, it's the kid who helps the little kid swing the baseball bat level when the other kids are making fun of him. The world gets better and better and people grow up loved. It's about thanking God for the new job or not taking vengence when someone hurts you because God said He'd do it for you.
It's about the half-baked people who sing off-key in a little church who try to love each other and God is glorified - we'll see the special effects on the home movies in heaven.
And when we die (I can tell you stories about Christians dying - they were peaceful... or excited. Not afraid) we get to go live with God forever. His love, His healing of our lives: no more disease, no more tears (He wipes them away personally), no more wrong, no more desire to do wrong. What will we be doing in heaven? I don't know; the Bible hints we'll be doing something on a new, unwrecked earth, but doesn't spell it out.
Well, that's more than a couple. I hope it helps. Go find a decent Bible and start reading in Matthew, and let it blow your mind.
BTW, there are spiritual bad guys: the number one is Satan, and he's just a fallen angel and a created being, not a god. He lies and he murders, but he can't touch a Christian, just whisper lies in their ears. If you resist him, he has to run away. If you think he's bugging you, tell him to get lost in Jesus' name.
So go put your fears up on the list and let the good folk there give you a hand. We're a band of brothers and sisters who sometimes disagree on details but have the main points down pretty pat, and we're usually pretty civil to each other (even affectionate at times, when we have our acts together ). And remember if God accepts us motely crew, He'd be happy to accept you, too. I think that's why you're here.
God bless and help you, CommonSense.
_____________________________
"Through Gates of Splendor" by Elizabeth Elliot
"Federal Husband" by Doug Wilson
www.biblegateway.com for online concordance (I use it daily)
"Passion and Purity" by Elizabeth Elliot
And I think chickens are really funny
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/4/2009 9:16:15 PM
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bondserv65
Posts: 317
Joined: 5/1/2009
From: Chicago
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CommonSense549
Deermousie, here's my main concern. Islam. If Islam is true, and I instead choose to become christian, that means that I go to the Islamic hell. Is there reason to believe that Christianity is any more true than Islam is?
Really CommonSense549,
you bring up a good point when one looks at the issue from an objective standpoint. The way we make informed decisions is to gather all the info possible and then decide. If you honestly feel as though you are rolling the dice, get a copy of the Koran and a copy of the Bible. Ask "God" (at this point you do not need to direct that at either God) to guide you and make Himself real to you. If you are honestly seeking and He will be faithful to reveal Himself to you through those books....
You may find, once He is real to you that you will choose neither islam or christianity. You may choose to just be with Him. If you do choose that, please realize that it is ok. The labels really are not that important
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/5/2009 1:10:26 AM
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WildByNature
Posts: 622
Joined: 3/17/2006
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CommonSense549
If I accept Jesus and join Christianity, how do I know that I'm really saving myself from eternal torture in the afterlife? What if another religion ends up truly being the right path, and I'm making a mistake in not following it? It's really a roll of the dice.
It's really a matter of faith. You cannot "accept Christ" and "join Christianity" without first having faith (believing) in who Jesus is and what He did for you. If you believe this you have "accepted Christ" and become a Christian. If your faith is in Him, it's because you know He is the way -- and that following Him is the "right path".
In Christianity, we don't choose God, God chooses us. In Islam, you must choose Allah, Allah doesn't choose you.
quote:
It seems like there's so many religions out there teaching that I'll experience eternal suffering if I don't follow them. What if one of them is right and I end up choosing the wrong one? How do I proceed?
With prayer. Pray God will reveal the truth to you.
quote:
ORIGINAL: CommonSense549
If Islam is true, and I instead choose to become christian, that means that I go to the Islamic hell.
Why would you be more fearful of the Islamic hell than of the hell of the Bible?
quote:
Is there reason to believe that Christianity is any more true than Islam is?
Yes. For starters, the truth is Muhammad is still dead and Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. Who do you trust is telling you the truth that they will raise you from the dead -- one who is still dead or one who has conquered death?
_____________________________
Wild by nature; grafted by Grace
(Rom 11:13-25)
<><
FYI: According to US Code, flying the flag upside-down is a recognized signal that our nation is in distress or crisis.
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/5/2009 6:50:10 AM
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wilsonbob
Posts: 56
Joined: 7/29/2008
Status: offline
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I would have to say that with me it wasn't so much like standing in a bakery and choosing the "Christian" pie out of a line of delicious options sitting on the shelf, it was more like I was drowning and His was The Hand that reached into the water to save me.
wb
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/5/2009 8:05:05 AM
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leftwing
Posts: 213
Joined: 5/25/2009
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Butterfly616 I think you nailed it with your response. John is my favorite reading in the New Testament and Jesus' love, life and personality are beautifully revealed there.
Great response to this post..
If I may add in response to the original post: I've never read the Quran and don't plan to, but I ask you the question: Did Mohammad say he was the messiah?
Jesus did. And I believe He was exactly who he said was.. period
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RE: I feel like I'm rolling a dice - 10/5/2009 9:48:24 AM
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jn1010lf
Posts: 497
Joined: 4/20/2005
Status: offline
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Hello,
Many people that are involved in religion are genuinely searching for God. Christ is appearing to those that are serious about wanting to find truth. So, I would advise anyone to get into a closet of prayer and ask God to reveal himself. It's like, "God if you are real, reveal yourself to me." In addition one can read the Bible in search for truth and find Him, as well.
It's been my experience that studying different religions is counterproductive in finding truth. God is personal and speaks to the heart of man. It's quite difficult to find Him in the studies of comparative religion.
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