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To: kosta50; P-Marlowe; spunkets; xzins; betty boop; Alamo-Girl; shibumi; MHGinTN; allmendream; Quix
First, spiritual and temporal are unrelated. Spiritual and non-spiritual and temporal and non-temporal are related, so you are comparing apples and oranges.

There are different schools of thought on that. There is likely more overlap than many people realize, humans being one. We are spiritual beings in temporal bodies.

But even this is questionable, because I seriously doubt people would have faith in God if there was no promise of rewards in heaven but just plain nothing after death. So, I think the faith people have is conditional on the hope that God will deliver his promise. It's rather selfish if you think about it. It seems people don't love God for being God but for what he will do for them, sort of like "what's in it for me" thing.

I doubt there are many people who come to God just because they have the unselfish desire to do so. If that were the criteria for God accepting us, we'd all be in pretty desperate straits.

Being human, there's always going to be some amount of selfishness in coming to God. Very few people come to him when everything is all rainbows and ponies. It's during the hard times, when we see our need for Him that we do.

And Jesus Himself warned people of the consequences of ignoring Him. That's an appeal to our selfish nature in some respect.

But Ps 103:13 & 14 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

God knows our weaknesses and failings. He knows that we can't do it ourselves and even our most sincere, pure motivation to come to Him is tainted by sin. And yet, he's willing to accept that and do it for us if we stop fighting Him and allow Him to.

Just like parents are thrilled with any progress that their child makes, God is thrilled with progress we make.

487 posted on 03/27/2010 8:57:53 AM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: metmom; P-Marlowe; spunkets; xzins; betty boop; Alamo-Girl; shibumi; MHGinTN; allmendream; Quix
We are spiritual beings in temporal bodies

Prove it. I don't see any spirits.

If that were the criteria for God accepting us, we'd all be in pretty desperate straits.

Take out the promise of heaven and rewards and see how many people come to church or how many people adore God just because he is magnificent.

495 posted on 03/27/2010 9:09:12 AM PDT by kosta50 (The world is the way it is even if YOU don't understand it)
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