[QUOTE="Plzhelpmelearn"]
BlackRegiment:
While I understand your point on salvation and God's work to bring about salvation for all humanity. I think you need to be very careful about answering questions about who is and is not ultimately going to heaven and hell. The apostles preached the gospel but i can't recall a specific occasion where they condemned a specific individual to hell. Jesus especially made it a point to say that we are not to judge. There are also controversial scriptures like Matthew 25:31–46 that seem to point to salvation for others who do not know Jesus. Preach what you believe is the truth, but I don't think you have biblical authority to make definite statements about who will and will not be in hell. Maybe you are not doing this, and please correct me if I am misunderstanding you. Thanks!
blackregiment
That's a pretty fancy straw man you have created. I do find it ironic that is crafting that straw man regarding "judging individuals" your must resort to "judging what I have written" to attempt to accuse me of something I have not done. Often the old, "judge not defense" can backfire. That is why it is so vital to undersand the doctrine of Biblical judgement. I have not made any statement regarding "who is and who is not ultimately going to Heaven or hell". I have not "condemned a specific individual to hell". Please refrain from accusing me of doing things I have not done. I have simply presented what God's Word reveals on the matter. By the way, they are God's Words, not mine. As far as individuals, no one can know the heart of another person or their personal relationship with Jesus Christ, only the Lord knows this. Are you suggesting that the Word of God does not plainly reveal His plan of salvation?
Sharing what God has revealed regarding His plan of salvation in Christ is not "judging", it is sharing the Gospel of salvation in Christ as Christians are commanded to do.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 25:31-46 is not controversial at all. Scripture is very clear regarding the distinction between who are sheep and who are goats when one studies them in light of the whole councel of the Word of God, in the proper context, rather that taken out of context of the whole counsel of God's Word. A basic principle of Biblical interpretation is that when we encounter verses that are difficult or that appear to teach something other that the whole counsel of God's Word, we must interpret them in light of the whole counsel of God's Word. We must let Scripture interpret Scripture, not let our feelings and desires interpret Scripture.
Act 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Scripture is very clear on who are God's sheep, His adopted children, His body of true believers that will have eternal fellowship with Him. We many not like it but we cannot change it and impose our own desires on the Lord. Our beliefs do not determine reality, rather we must insure that our beliefs conform to the reality of God's revealed truth.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Act 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11 This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
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.
Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
okay a couple things...I was not trying to create any kind of straw man, if you were not intending to judge then so be it. The question of salvation is not just a question of the means of salvation (which is obviously Jesus Christ) but also how one is able to achieve that salvation on a personal basis. While the Bible certainly lays out things that can bring about salvation it never explicitly claims those things as the only way to achieve salvation.
I disagree with your view of Biblical interpretation. You claim that I let my feelings and desire interpret scripture, I'm accusing you of letting your bias and previous understanding of scripture interpret the rest of scripture for you. A scriptures interpretation is based on its given context. It is not based on the "whole counsel of God's Word" as you claim. To me that means nothing more than "I have already decided God's view (or counsel) on certain topics so I will interpret all of scripture to confirm all my current biases."
If you lay down your view of the "whole counsel of God's word" and look at the passage in Matthew 25 in its own context you will see that it explicitly states "all nations" as being gathered together. It goes on to to claims that the only distinction made between the sheep and the goats is the sheep have helped "the least of these" and thus their works have been accounted as being done for Jesus. Even more interesting is that the sheep have no idea that they have been working for Jesus, which lends to the fact that they were probably not Christians. You can try and interpret Matthew by using verses in Romans all day long, but ultimately that is not respecting the fact that they are completely different pieces of literature written for different purposes. You will probably claim that God is the author, but that is still no excuse to be an ignorant interpreter connecting dots all over different passages of scripture that were written at different times to different people for different purposes.
I can do it all day long. Watch me.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..
Baptism must be being born of the water. Receiving the holy spirit is being born of the spirit. Thus everyone who is not baptized in Jesus name and has not spoken in tongues (as in Acts 2) will BURN.
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