Posted on 03/07/2006 5:26:51 AM PST by JRochelle
She died of lung cancer. Haven't found any links yet. Heard it on WLSAM Chicago.
for the purpose of determining their heavenly rewards, privileges, positions. Some will rule and reign with Christ, while others will be established in far lesser capacities. All believers go to heaven, but there are degrees of eternal rewards in heaven, just as there are degrees of eternal punishment in hell for the damned.
Patricia, you responded:
Except for LDS I haven't read of any church that teaches this. What Scripture are you basing this belief on?
First, let me say that I am amazed (although I guess I shouldn't be in this day and age) that you have never heard this teaching in a mainline church.
Scriptures:
1 Cor 3:11-15 shows that the quality of a Christian's work and/or service to Christ will be evaluated on a day of judgement:
11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
2 Cor 5:10 and Romans 14:10 each point to the reality of the Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ, or the Bema Seat:
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Romans 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
Note, these verses pertain to Christians only, not man in general. There is a time and place of judgement for all Christians (the Bema Seat) in which the works they performed during their earthly lives will be evaluated by Jesus Himself. Works that were done for the purpose of self-promotion or drawing attention to oneself will be exposed as such, for the motives behind the deeds will be examined. Personal agendas will be exposed. These would be the "wood, hay, and stubble" deeds. They will not survive the fire of Christ's examination, and will ultimately be shown to be worthless. Deeds which were done in a spirit of selflessness, truly ministering to others, will be brought to light. Works and service that truly honored Christ will be seen for what they are. These would be the "gold, silver, precious stones" deeds. They will survive the examination intact, and thus be shown to have true eternal value. You may recall from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) that Jesus said, those who do pious things merely to be seen doing them by other men, have already received their reward (temporary earthly acknowledgement or admiration or praise from other men). On the other hand, those who "do not let their right hand know what their left hand is doing" -- in other words, who perform genuine works of service that truly minister to others without concern for public accolades or the praise of men -- these will receive a heavenly, eternal commendation from the Father, a true, lasting reward. There are several verses in the Bible which speak of "crowns" (rewards) for the Christian's earthly service/deeds. If you go to biblegateway.com and do a keyword search on "reward" or "crown" in the New Testament, you will see quite a list of verses returned.
No it's not. See my posts #386 and #402. To see things your way, I would have to accept the Bible as self-evident. Based on the several chunks I read, it is NOT - no more than any other work of fiction...or a copy of "Pro Wrestling Illustrated."
If you wish to believe that I, Dana Reeve, or anyone else is headed for an as-yet-unproven "hell" after they die for holding more proof-based standards of evidence than "the faithful," go right ahead.
I would say, you have never seriously considered the nature of the Bible, or the circumstances under which it was written, or the internal and external evidence for its authenticity as the Word of God.
That's a lot of stress to live through. Looks like it eventually got her. God bless her and those who loved her.
Not at all. My claim is that you aren't the last word on the matter. In the Gospel Jesus says he will be the judge. He also seems tolerant of skeptics who did not witness his miracles, nor hear his teachings first hand.
If Christopher Reeve had your upbringing and life experiences, he would probably be a believer. Only Jesus knows what his life was like and what God's plan was for him. Jesus will be the judge, not you and your pamphlet version of Christianity.
You are right in what you post, however most Christians are not aware of this. They don't bother to read the Bible and most clergy today are into "feel good" messages.
...I do know there are many who didn't have my upbringing or life experiences who profess a saving faith in Christ.
A wonderful fella in my church was born out of wedlock, and his mom had two more children by different fathers....
..and he always wanted to find his father...
..and when, as an adult, he finally did...the father rejected him.
But his Heavenly Father accepted him and he is a joyous man who is a blessing to all.
...I know plenty of good folk who had a lousy upbringing and terrible life experiences....
..but now know the Lord and are new people!!
So I'm not sure what this pamphlet Christian is suppose to be???
Thank you - you beat me to it. The human mind - whatever its origin - is infinitely complex. It is affected by life experience, genetics, environment, you name it. Even among believers, there are varying levels of belief and Biblical interpretations - as witnessed on this thread. Non-believers constantly accept, and believers frequently reject. Upbringing, and who knows what else, contributes to the way every individual weighs different kinds of evidence.
I would say, you have never seriously considered the nature of the Bible, or the circumstances under which it was written, or the internal and external evidence for its authenticity as the Word of God.
Yes I have. And still do on occasion. The fact that I have reached a different conclusion from yours goes to what I said in the above paragraph. I have listened, I have considered, and I have read. I'm just not convinced.
Saying this, I'm done re-living the same "existence of God" debate that I had ad-nauseum in college. Hopefully the last time I do so on an obituary thread.
This is exactly correct
and your pamphlet version of Christianity.
Everything we know about Christianity we know from the bible. Everything we can know about Christianity we will learn from the bible. So, if our points line up with the bible (and they do) then we are correct. The bible lays out in pretty clear detail how to be saved and how to recognize the wolves and the wolves in sheep's clothing. We are charged to judge them by their fruit.
It's a pretty safe bet that someone who vigorously advances murdering babies is not a Christian. How can you be a follower of Christ (Christian) and yet work for what He commands us not to do? This is not judging them, it's just recognizing that the fruit of their life is incompatible with what God told us he expects out of followers of Christ.
I have read many of your posts on this thread and am very impressed by your knowledge and correct interpretation of Scripture. You really know your stuff. What I quoted above though, is a truth that many people can't, and won't accept, and need to hear the truth about.
There is no "easy" way to Heaven that is guaranteed because someone was a "good person" and even did "good" during their lifetime. There is a Scripture (paraphrasing here) which speaks of our good works as "filthy rags." The good works mean nothing without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Hey, you're not Magalena Hagalena.
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