One can be an apologist for anythingmaking a case for something isnt a religious endeavor. Verse 8: false teachers do not have the authority that comes from God, where whats being taught matches the gospel as it was initially taught by Jesus and His disciples. The best place for that is the Bible. Christianity teaches that its the other way around: we are never alone. Neither you nor I know what that woman looks like, but if you cooperate with Him you will be amazed at how youve changed. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Youre communicating with God, telling Him what you think and feel and hope for. In Matthew 15, Jesus explains that it isnt what goes into a person that defiles them. Thank you very much for your input. But coupled with that question filled with heart wrenching anguish begs the question who we think God is. For me, this is another red flag. those of us who came later and inherited this world were born into sin and our heritage is the unforgiven disobedience and sins of our ancestors. If youre confident that the chair will support your weight, thats belief, not trust. For most of my life I believed in a higher power and that person to me is God. Does that make sense? These are very personal decisions. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. Music is good. We read a number of times in the Bible that Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Im scared, my anxiety is bad, and Im scared ill never see my grandma or my Lord ever in the afterlife, and I wonder. Not some other person than God. I do indeed accept donations. waynehastings Original sin is a very corrosive doctrine and I reject the idea that anyone is born guilty of sin. Cornelius family was filled with the Holy Spirit before they were baptized in water. He left the conclusions up to you and me. You may feel false guilt from time to time, but thats just a matter of reminding yourself that Jesus died to pay for your sins. I thought I needed to hear from Him. This is about one death every 11 minutes. Ive felt the same way. 3. What happens to unbaptized babies when they die? I realize that this might be an old thread but after reading through all of these answers and your post there was something that struck me. Think about Love Wins. A lot of people, not understanding the trinity, have a hard time understanding the Holy Spirit. Be patient, little sister. What happens to unbaptized babies when they die? Can i have a Private Baptism at Home in my pool with a Pastor where its only with some Relatives and Friends. Jesus said that He came to give you and me abundant life. (Note the King James version which while written in an English format, also allowed Divorce, which wasnt legal at the time. One kind of baptism was to publicly show that you had converted to Judaism. True story. Christians arent to run around pointing out how other people are messing up were to run around and tell people that God has removed every obstacle that has kept them from Him. I can tell you whether youll make it to Heaven. Put your Trust into God! Any local congregation of people can SAY theyre Christian, but Christians are simply all of the people, throughout history, who have been born again. He is the perfect, loving Father, and we are the little children who think we can do things on our own. Its my position that Jesus was tempted that is, He was enticed by sin. He says he is a Christian and i believe him. As for tongues, youre simply wrong. It took some time for me to grow into the realization that God is everything my father could have been, but wasnt and more. This one is pretty easy. I hope to make it clearer for you. Baptism is our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. That has nothing to do with reciting a particular prayer, or with being baptized. Instead of pretending that your life belongs to you, and that you can do whatever you want with it, decide that your life belongs to God and is HIS to do with as He pleases. In Matthew 25 we read that Jesus speaks of the resurrection of the dead: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. I dont know if Rob Bell is a Christian. Then their corpses rot and fertilize the ground. Keep in mind that listening a lot will often bring you information that you dont need, or that is incorrect. If it worked that way, Jesus would have simply taught us to be good right? We all learn as we go. Would you agree? So, in our quest to keep learning, we need to listen. I hope to answer you as simply as I can, without leaving out any important parts. I mean that you should read the WHOLE New Testament on your own. Do you love Him? I wonder, though: what sign would you give to your faith community by defying your parents? He has revealed Himself to us in many ways. Theres a significant difference between a false teacher and just having a different opinion. In the meantime, Im praying for youasking God to make Himself clear to you. But this is really bugging me now. They should teach the Bible all the time, rather than other things. Does that make sense? I say once you spend time in prayer and have an encounter with Jesus you cant shut up about Him and what He is doing in your life. Heres the video: Daniel Wallace, one of the foremost experts on the Bible, has a full session on the reliability of the Bible. Jesus had disciples, and He taught His disciples to make more disciples. When you die as a Reborn Christian, where does your spirit go then? And God is helping me. We do have some clues about our next life, though. Thats not what the Bible tells us. Yes, the Bible tells of a number of times that angels appear as human beings. Question answered: What happens to unbaptized babies? First, we should ask what is Heaven?. Salvation is both a here and now and a not yet kind of thing. In short, they will be a lot like Jesus. They dont love me. Do not receive Gods grace in vain. 1 Timothy says it like this I Timothy 3:16 God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. Heres one: The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. Its important to have support in the tough times, and Christians are supposed to support and encourage each other to follow Jesus. Im praying for you, Jasmine. THAT is the baptism of the Spirit, by the way. Id be thrilled to help. Maybe YOUR church sucks. As dying progresses the heart beats less strongly, blood pressure falls, skin cools down and nails become dusky. Youre borrowing ideas from the Bible, but pretending that they mean whatever you want them to mean. Jesus knew the Father, obeyed the Father, and died to show us how much God truly loves you and me. Every scripture, in every major religion was chosen by man. If you werent, you would have to work incredibly hard to get on His good side. That is, I read in the Bible that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is Godand that there is only ONE God. Are you as familiar with verse 17 as well? It basically was chosen for me by my parents. The truth is that some people wont be in Heaven. Its important to separate what we know from whats just traditional. As for whether the will of man was involved, it seems clear that it wasbut what is your concern? 1% good? The simple answer is that He doessort of. I think theyre being silly, and given the right opportunity I might actually tell them so. The important question is whether youve been born again, Deborah. First, we know that the molecules in our bodies will end up somewhere else, regardless of how our corpses are handled. He was suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts because he had thought he failed God somehow. We must have faith and follow the rules that of which God has put forth and listed. If Jesus the man was ignorant of the time of His return (Matthew 24:36), then He could also be tempted as a man. Thank you that you help many who has questions, keep up the good work and may God use you mightily. Christians use the verse in mark ( I forget which chapter) to defend their view. The bible speaks of being asleep unconscience not knowing of anything at all until jesus returns and calls you up. Take the time to visit another church or two, to see how they feel to you. Its trusting God: Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Tell her that youre worried about her, and that you want to be together forever. He said that we must be born again. Dont spread your dreams, which might be only for you. Oh another occasion, I was watching my Television that was on the Wall and Light off , sitting on the edge of my Couch and a Figure appeared to me I seen something that looked like a Robe but the face and arms didnt show , my immediate response was Lord why did you scare me! We shouldnt be directly by our feelings alone, but asking God to help you will pay off. Youve mentioned two specific questions: whether we can believe the Bible, and whether its reasonable to believe in miracles. Theres no magic involved. Cornelius and his whole household werent baptized, yet they were saved. How that all works, exactly, is still unknown. Jesus DID endure a horrible beating and death on our behalf. He really does. Did you know that JESUS will be judging us? Thats awesome! Yes, Hes meek and mild and compassionate and loving. Faith, in the Bible, isnt anything like just believing. Its. Both Jews and Christians are monotheists that is, we believe in ONE God, not two or three or four hundred. Do it in front of your Christian brothers and sisters as a sign of your faith and your decision to serve God with your life. First, I appreciate you being honest with me. For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Theres a lot of garbage out there with Jesus name attached to it. So its not sin that sends people to Hell, since Jesus paid for all sin. I would caution you on this. Let God decide which prayers to answer, and trust that He knows best. I applaud you for choosing to be baptized, of course. Wouldnt you want to learn from their wisdom? We feel satisfied, but still feel incomplete. The only decision to make here is whether to look for, and live by, the truth. >> people on here are not wrong they view things different to you. Im so very confused and worried. Why do you and I rebel against God? Nobody should be manipulated into being baptized but, to be baptized as we see in the New Testament, new converts need to understand the nature of the commitment theyve made. As for baptism, thats basically just getting wet. If life is getting tough to manage, youre probably doing it wrong. Thats knowledge, not trust. Trust that Jesus knows best, and avoid the idea that your dreams are what people need. They love you, or they wouldnt be concerned about the messages your music might be sending you. Demonstrably false, and dangerous. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. We must use ALL of Scripture, and not only the parts we like. His book love wins caused many people who were attending his church at the time he was pastoring mars hill to leave which probably led to his departure on 2012 after pastoring the church he found in 1999. Think about it, though: Jesus died to pay for our sins. Trust Gods plan. The issue of a person's fate after physical death falls within the competence of God, not man. You choose your own path in life. Youre right: theres much, much more to being a Christian than just having Jesus in your heart. The same thing that happens to baptized infants. Sometimes we see what we want to see, and our feelings will often confirm our hopes. I have a question. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I didnt go to church this morning because Ive been exposed to sick people. If God couldnt win, I would try to find out how to avoid making the devil mad. I appreciate it. The Bible teaches that if we trust God to guide us, He will help us become what we should be. Gods love and grace and mercy is all over the place. What do I mean by that? You ask good questions! A Mikveh was so important to social life in Israel that it was the first thing built in a new community. Jesus talked about that in John 3. We dont often appreciate the fact that God that is, Father and Son and Spirit share all of the same attributes. You seem confused, Roger. Does that make sense? Why are so many concerned about it? We end up being obedient because were grateful, and because He helps us grow into the people we should be. I am worried about the end of times. Heaven isnt like a retirement village, or like a vacation destination. If someone ends up in Hell, it wont be by accident. Let me know if theres more I can do for you. However: one of the things that young people struggle with is patience. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. So if everybody has sinned (we all have), and if all sins are already forgiven (they are), why does anybody go to Hell? Its usually easiest to find people like that in local congregations, so start there but you found me, right? go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life, Dont let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. This baptism means nothing without the other, spiritual baptism: the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I said ok, if he signed carpenter (because thats what he does for a living) would they cash it.? Cats have kittens, dogs have puppies, and Gods Son is God. With all due respect to Gina, dont listen to her. Really! This world is pretty awesome. There are some things about Jesus that im confused about. I dont want to miss out on the good things in life, like having kids and living a long time and enjoying this world.. And suddenly it doesnt seem like its a showstopper for going into heaven either. They were able to speak in tongues at Pentecost because the Holy Spirit enabled them to do it. Im not sure I agree with your opinion in this article either. Romans 3:20. Sorry if this is a bit all over the place, Im just confused and never really learned about religion that much and Im a teen. Sometimes a visitor might happen or a medicine might be due during that sleep. I get what you mean when you said that they didnt want God in their life, so they didnt have Him in their afterlife either, but doesnt that sound wrong for them to end up with Lucifer in Hell? I will do anything I can to help you be less confusedall you have to do is ask. Ive been saved since i was 5 and Ive been having a lot of troubles in my live so far and all of these things happening have been taking my mind off of what truly matters. They cease all life functions, end of story. You see, the Father is just like Jesus, and Jesus is just like the Father. Were not perfect, but Gods children will naturally mature and look for ways to please Him. i am really confused help me out. Does God know all those that will God to heaven? Were told to not stop meeting together. I remember the moral stories of Cain being punished for murdering Abel, Adam and Eve being cast out for disobeying god, and much more, so its left to ponder What defines an action as wrong in the eyes of god? I hope youll join me there. Let me know if you have any more questions! The Holy Spirit will do a lot of that on the inside of us, and you should always listen to Him. In traditional Christian theology, Limbo is the place where the souls of unbaptized babies, young children and virtuous individuals who lived prior to the coming of Jesus Christ will reside until the resurrection. That means they learn what Jesus said and did, and that is how they choose to live. No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Christians begin this process before they die. I found it difficult at times to trust God, because I was afraid of my own father. Im a Christian. You say youve been baptized, which says a bit morebut many are baptized who dont live for Jesus. Youre now part of the discussion. A careful examination of the Scriptures is required, and THAT is what I recommend on GodWords, again and again and again and again. Ask any question about God, the Bible, or Christianity. Trust Gods plan for you, and your life will be good. That means that our worship must come from the heart (not just going through the motions) and that our worship must be based on what God is really like. You speak of Rob Bell. Let me share with you a passage from the Bible: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. How can I get to know who he truly is and fully trust him? We should not place our hope in our feelings, which may changewe should place our hope in Gods character, which He has revealed to us. We see that God is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness not once, but in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Nehemiah, Psalms, and Joel! It could happen to all of us. https://bethelgrace.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/are-you-lukewarm. Baptism is what we do AFTER we believe not to have our sins forgiven, but to demonstrate to the community of faith that we have joined them by trusting God. Thats life. Dont even worry about tomorrow, let alone worry about the rapture. Christianity teaches that its the other way around: God isnt interested in sacrifices and offerings, but simply wants a good relationship with uslike any good father wants a good relationship with his children. When you responded by seeking more information about Him, that changed the nature of your relationship. Its about hearing the gospel and believing God. You dont appear to have read what I wrote very carefully. If you havent already, I hope that youll make the decision to place your full faith and confidence in Him right now. With respect, falling in love isnt really a thing. They wont look down on others, but be filled with love and compassion. While the Bible teaches that homosexual activity is a sin, so are gluttony and pride and, as youve pointed out, fornication and a whole bunch of other things. He said that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born againso our family history, church attendance, and baptism are irrelevant if we havent been born again. Its nice to meet you! Your question isnt really about baptism, but about salvation. Who was in the world.? Jesus died to demonstrate Gods love for us. When you visited my website, you began a relationship with me but it was pretty much one-sided: you read what I wrote. Jesus paid for all the sins of the world, but u have to accept his payment. I started to see more posts about people should be looking towards God during these end times. So, by that thought process you only have to believe on and be saved/go to heaven; then satan and his minions are going to heaven also because the Bible clearly states they believe too. Faith. Who was the flesh that dwelt among us.? It hardly ever happens, and I wish it would happen more often. The story isnt about him and his mistakes, thoughits about the loving father who watched the road, waiting for his son to come home. Thanks for asking! And a subsequent attempted Confession, in such a case, would also not be valid, since Confession is only valid after the valid reception of Baptism. I would also seek to honor your grandmother by making sure you know what you believe. Also, what if youre not baptized nor have any religion, but still believe in a higher power, just not part of Christianity or anything specific; does that mean youre going to hell? =), Do you believe in trinity? I recommend it for every believer in fact, the Bible teaches that believers are expected to do this. See how He lived, so you can begin to be like that. Throughout the whole Bible, we see this kind of thing in the Old Testament there is no God except me and in the New Testament there is one God. Are you suggesting that you and I should be buried like Jesus in this way? It seems unfair. The question of purgatory is entirely illogical to me, having read the Bible. If you belong to God, judgement day will be pretty cool. Thats an admirable concern, but think about it for a while: if God is just (and I believe that He is), why would He hold you morally accountable for information you didnt have access to? 3 The number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher. Please answer me im scared.. And tell me how to change myself to be a good chrstian.. And please tell me that youre not going to say that i cant idolized them cause theyre my inspiration? I will do whatever I can to help you trust God more and more. Please let me know. Unbaptized infants go to heaven. We wont go to church together, but we can support each other all the time. In the Bible, God says that Jesus died to pay the price for your sins (and mine). Im going to tell you something that may be hard to hear, Hannah. Simple: because they refuse to be reconciled to God. Thats not at issue. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. I keep getting mixed answers but I believe that you would solidify the answer. Heaven is for those who choose to submit to God and do things His waythat is, its for people who want to be with God. Clearly, God decides. Scrutiny Rites. Those who are reconciled to God (as we read in 2 Corinthians 5) can be with Him forever, and those who are not reconciled cannot. There are consequences, to be surebut I wouldnt suggest that God would punish financial excess by taking out a loan in someone elses name. The entire point is a public declaration that you believe as they do, that Jesus is God in flesh, that you cant be saved without Him, and that you desire to serve Him with your whole heart for the rest of your life. It is certain that the kingdom of heaven belongs To children such as you were in age, purpose and father, like our own boy who was summoned the moment he was bestowed. Bell spent a whole book talking about this subject, but didnt draw any solid conclusions in the end. A teacher teaches, right? The only way to actually trust the chair is to sit on it. You should now be baptized and take part in the community of faith. He wrote a book called love wins in which he questioned some of the views of hell and critics have just basically tore him apart for it and in some cases they have discouraged people from reading the book. I dont pray a lot but I do believe in him. Spending quality time with other people who follow Jesus will help you trust God better. I have a question for you, Jen. Youre not alonemany have the same questions. Im a Christian apologist. So you want to grow in Christ, yes? It also doesnt say to not be baptized in the blood of an anteater, or that you should (or shouldnt) have your pets baptized. If theres some way I can help, I will help. No, I am not a Messianic Jew but there is a lot of their teachings which is very informative. Where do they fit into the world God has created? Can saying the prayer of repentance take a person to heaven without being baptised? Theres nothing wrong with being young! Heres the bottom line: Jesus died to pay the penalty for all sin, for all people, for all time. The idea is that youre showing them that you believe like they do: that God loves you, and that youve chosen to live the way God wants us to live. I wish no parent had to suffer in this way. As this was happening, others heard and were marveled after Peter spoke unto them about the occurence and in Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethern, what shall we do.? Holy Spirit baptism is something Jesus does. I hope that youve already trusted God with your life, and that we are already brother and sister in Christ. We can learn all kinds of things about Him, but thats only knowledge. Ancient Jewish converts and early Christians were baptized for the same reason: to tell the faith community that they a) have come to share their faith, and b) wish to join their community and live out their faith together. Isnt it paradoxical, for example. He was talking about surrendering to God and trusting Him, rather than trusting that our own efforts might save us. The Father and Son are mentioned as distinct over 200 times. You cant, but youre welcome to try. Christian baptism is exactly the same thing: a convert telling the community of faith that they have been saved, and that they wish to join that community. It sounds like you really want your sins to be washed away. If you want a printed Bible, Im sure your church can get you one. This is the Life of a Lukewarm Christian that believes living a simple ordinary life will get them to Heaven without being Water Baptized, sadly my Parents with some of my Family and Friends fall in that category. As you said in your response to Kal, So, the caring person who wants nothing to do with God gets their wish, what does that mean exactly? what happens to unbaptized babies. Again, Im afraid that someone (or many someones) has led you astray. Regardless of your personality or field of study, theres probably an apologetics ministry thats a good fit for you. Check it out: Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. And where Im at everything is closed because the virus. Thats a horrific tragedy. Nobody can go to Heaven unless theyre born of the Spirit that is, unless theyre baptized in the Holy Spirit. For now, what we have isnt quite what it should be. The thief on the cross proves that one does not need to be water baptized in order to be saved. He died to save us from sin, and was resurrected. The word is used (historically, not in the Bible) to describe the moon, the planet Venus, John the Baptist, and even Jesus. Both have probably forgotten more about the Bible than you or I have learned so far. 2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us this very clearly: Because #1 is true, and because #2 is true, then #3 is equally true: were you to sin by never being baptized, that would not send you to Hell. Theres a HUGE difference between mentally agreeing with the general explanation of the gospel and believing the gospel. I appreciate hearing from you. There is no qoincidence with God.have your own personal relationship with God and you will see that if you draw nigh to him, he will draw nigh to you. But that is debatable as well, which many scholars does. Heaven isnt a place you earn the right to live in. What were left with is a difficult idea to grasp, as theres nothing else in the universe like Him. In the minds of most in our culture, sex is virtually as important as having shared values. Baptism is kind of like making a speech. So I said ok, just as you have your father, who is also a carpenter, and a son, three distinct things but only ONE person and his name James. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. If you see a chair, you know that its something used for sitting. What I dont like is music that makes me feel bad, and some songs do that to me.