another question i thought about this week that goes with my previous question is:
“how does God decide who goes to heaven, and who goes to hell?”
i think its unfair that certain people have their lives set to go to heaven, while others are destined to hell. yeah, i know that life is unfair, and if it were fair we would all go to hell for sure. but what is it about a person that decides their salvation? (to be honest, i actually dont have assurance in my own salvation)
what i dont understand is how some random guy could be saved and go to church every sunday while another guy gives everything he has to the poor but doesnt have a clue who Jesus is? i would think that God would be more pleased in the giver if he would give in Jesus’ name. i also sometimes wish i could transfer my little faith i have to a non-believer who is capable of better glorifying God.
i know i probably have alot of things wrong but, im sure i would understand God more if my first question were answered (PLEASE HELP ME!)
…i have so many questions.
alot of times i wonder why God only gave us one way to eternity, but why should He have ever given us one way in the first place?
what a gracious God…
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December 12, 2009 at 5:50 pm
susannoh
Hey Paul
You’ve got some serious questions on your mind don’t you? Well I’ll try to help the best that I can!
In your 2nd blog, you asked “why does God allow me to sin?”
Well first of all, every living person has their own free will. God designed us to be able to use our minds to make our own decisions. So when we live our lives, the decisions that we make are ultimately decided by us. But a lot of the times, our decisions cause us to sin. The reason that this happens is because we didn’t ask God for guidance. It’s so easy to fall astray and do whatever we want so that we can please our own desires.
Well, because we have our own free will, that’s why we accept Christ as our Savior. We accept him because we BELIEVE that God sent his Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we will be saved, and one day will be able to enter into the gates of Heaven. But the decision to follow Him is an action/decision that WE make. So in our physical lives, we have to seek after him.
But then you asked “what is the point of fighting sin at all when i already know that God’s plan will go perfectly whether i fall into the temptations or not?”
YES, God already KNOWS who is going to follow him and who isn’t. God already KNOWS who is going to sin, when, where, and how. But having the mind set of “oh I don’t have to fight sin” isn’t the right one to have. You ALWAYS have to continue to fight sin. That’s part of living the life of a follower of Christ. Temptations are going to be thrown your way and trials are going to knock you down. But you have to keep in mind that this life is simply temporary. As Christians, everything that we do and say should reflect Jesus. So you have to fight sin because we have to take action.
And yes, ultimately “God’s Will will be done.” But who are we to assume that we know what God’s Will even is? As Christians, our duty is to have FAITH in the Lord. And that means completely trusting in Him, even though we don’t understand. Because you see? We can’t even come close to understand what God plans for us. I mean, who are we to think that we know what the almighty God has in mind? We don’t. And we can’t. But that’s where our Faith comes in. Without Faith, there is nothing.
And so that all ties up to your last question of: “how does God decide who goes to heaven, and who goes to hell?”
Everything that will come to pass, God already knows. He has already decided. But you see? I bet it breaks God’s heart to know that so many people of this world will turn their backs on Him. I don’t think that He wants to chose who goes to heaven or hell, but because of the free will that He has given all of us, and from our decision to follow Him or not, what God says will happen is what’s going to happen. [I hope that makes sense...]
You were also saying that God would be pleased with the actions of a non-believer more that those of a static Christian.
Well first off, you CANNOT possible know or assume that, as I explained before. And secondly, as Christians, we are called to spread the good news and grace of God, so no Christian should be simply doing nothing. Plus, you were saying “some random guy.” No. Everyone called to the Lord isn’t chosen in random. We were called upon due to God’s will.
And this is what I wanted to address last: “(to be honest, i actually dont have assurance in my own salvation)”
Well Paul, I hope that this helps. I know some of it might be confusing, so if you’re confused, just ask me. Okay?
If you are saved, you are saved because of one thing, and one thing alone. Because of your faith that God is Lord, and that He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins as our Savior so that after our physical life, we will go to heaven, ONLY THEN is someone saved. You aren’t saved because of good actions. You aren’t saved because you understand the Bible and know all the right things to say. You are saved only when you have COMPLETE and utter Faith in the Lord. I think that that alone should be assurance of your salvation.
God Bless,
Susan
December 12, 2009 at 7:33 pm
paulkim95
“And this is what I wanted to address last: “(to be honest, i actually dont have assurance in my own salvation)”
If you are saved, you are saved because of one thing, and one thing alone. Because of your faith that God is Lord, and that He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins as our Savior so that after our physical life, we will go to heaven, ONLY THEN is someone saved. You aren’t saved because of good actions. You aren’t saved because you understand the Bible and know all the right things to say. You are saved only when you have COMPLETE and utter Faith in the Lord. I think that that alone should be assurance of your salvation.”
i said i wasnt sure about my salvation because my lack of good deeds.
maybe im using this verse out of context but james also says even the demons believe that there is one God.
and if youre truly a Christian, shouldnt that mean you have deeds because of your faith? i forgot where but it says good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. nate fheil (i think thats his name) also says that you CAN judge a book by its cover and says you should be able to tell if someone believes in Christ by looking at the “fruits” they produce. francis chan says “…As i see it, a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there’s no such thing. To put it plainly, churchgoers who are “lukewarm” are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven.” that was why i said i dont have assurance in my salvation, just because im neither hot nor cold about Jesus but just lukewarm.
thanks for replying!
it really helped. i definitely have more questions in mind that i’ll probably be posting later.
thanks, Paul
December 13, 2009 at 1:27 am
susannoh
Ahh, I see what you’re asking.
Okay. First and foremost, we attain our salvation due to our faith in Jesus. But as Christians, we ARE called to spread His word, which is often seen as good deeds. And as a follower of Christ, you SHOULD be doing good deeds. It is one of our responsibilities to do good deeds. Because as you wrote, “faith without deeds is dead.” That is completely true, but the deeds that are being referred to don’t necessarily only mean “good” deeds, it also refers to spreading the gospel.
So you asked, “if you’re truly a Christian, shouldnt that mean you have deeds because of your faith?” [I'm guessing you mean "do" deeds not "have"] And the answer is YES. Because of your faith, the actions that you take should reflect it, which also includes doing good deeds. But you should know that your “assurance” in your salvation shouldn’t come from you doing good deeds. It should come from your faith that Christ is your Savior. THAT’S where your assurance should come from, not from your own deeds.
So I guess you have to come to understand that.
Well, I hope that that was help too. And yeah, if you have more questions, I’ll try to help