Part I:
Theoretical Question for you aspiring or professional theologians out there:
Let's say that I believe - 100% - that GOD THE FATHER, an infinite, personal God, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
-AND-
I also believe with just as much conviction that a certain sect of immortal koala bears-
That's right - THESE guys....
- will be an integral part of God's Holy Plan and will join us in the Thousand Year reign and said koala bears will assist Christ in casting the demons and Satan into the lake of Fire, will I still go to heaven?
My point is this: if other people believe in the same principles that we as Christians (the colloquial term) do and have some beliefs that do not directly contradict the part of our faith necessary to secure salvation, are:
A) they still going to heaven? If not, why?
B) they still "saved", but are just wrong about some secondary stuff that's maybe a bigger deal to us than it is to God?
How much theological "wiggle room" does God have, and where are the lines? Who makes that decision? It's God and not us, right?
Part II:
Toni and I have had a pretty good case of the holiday blues this year. I'll be honest - for me, it's largely because the most powerful memory I have of Christmas is of my first wife leaving the day after Christmas, and taking my daughter with her. That was a really, really bad day, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Now, for the millionth time, it's over and done with, nobody's pining for lost love or any of that nonsense, but this time of year I still grieve the death of the marriage itself, and the death of that family unit in and of itself. Does that make sense? I'm over losing her - it just still hurts a bit (or maybe it's just the memory of the pain) that I lost my wife and my family. I don't know if that makes sense or not. I'd also be remiss if I denied that there's still some (OK.... an entirely different set of) memories that still sting a bit, several of which are holiday-related in one way or another. Without going into detail, I feel like I'm going through a similar ordeal with that set of memories and loss as well. I suppose when it comes to the difference between pain itself and the memory of that pain your heart doesn't always know the difference. Does that make sense?
Anyway, that's it. Tomorrow I might write about the wild mood swings I've been having as of late. Toni enjoys those, I'm sure. They're lovely.
To end on a good note, I get to see our daughter on Christmas Eve for a few hours (between jobs) and I have a few hours on Christmas Day (between jobs) as well. Our daughter will make out like a bandit again. She usually does. Toni and I are still trying to work out our Christmas, but that will be fun, too.
I shall close with this, because it's funny. I was reading a bunch or old blog entries from several months ago and I re-found this pic, which is still funny, if not still the teensiest bit relevant in some very small way.
Oh, come on - it's still a little bit funny.
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4 comments:
I am neither aspiring nor professional, but I'll take a stab at your question.
Your question is basically, "What is required for me to escape from judgment and be saved?"
While there entire courses on that one question, the answer is not overly complicated becasue God has already answered it many times over in the Bible so I'll just pick one:
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)
We are saved by grace, through faith. The grace is God's job. He's already done that. The faith is our job (although God helps there too). The important thing is the object of our faith. In your question, the immortal koalas have nothing to do with salvation. If you believed that the koalas saved you or that they koalas died on a cross or that Jesus was a koala bear, then you would be in trouble. But you are just adding something to what very little has been revealed about the eternal state, and a lot of people we will share eternity with have already done that and sold lots of books.
The lines are in the Bible, if anyone would actually study it. And God makes those lines. He decides who is saved because He is good and just and merciful and we are not. There is no wiggle room with salvation, but there is with things which are less, vital (for lack of a better word) such as your theology of the end times because God has not made everything crystal clear and He is under no obligation to do so.
But I sure hope there are koalas in eternity. God added lots of cute when he made those little guys.
Except for the mean tempers and them being riddled with syphilis, yeah they're cute. Sorta like "cute over there" or "cute in a picture", not so much "cute for a cuddle". *(;
Agreed with Brando, though he (unsurprisingly) said it better. If it was the VD-ridden marsupials that were saving you, then that would be a so-called "Christ-plus" sort of theology and thus totally wrong since it's Christ alone who saves.
I am interested in the basis of said question/topic.
Also: you never called me back. pout.
You called?
-> thinks for a full 15 seconds
-> facepalm
I remember Tim Stevenson saying that if a person believed these 3 things, you could consider them a brother/sister in Christ:
- the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
- the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God
- Jesus died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins and the only way to go to Heaven is to believe that...put your faith in that...Eph 2:8-9 like Brandon said
It's always stuck with me when I meet new people who are of another denomination, church or background...or maybe none of those!...and I find out we are in agreement on those 3 items. Kinda shocks me to think about going to Heaven with them...but it shouldn't.
Thanks for making me laugh AND think...your blog is ALWAYS entertaining = ))
word: booterf...say it out loud 5 times really fast...it's funny! hahaha
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