The concept of an afterlife is inhumane and immoral. Belief in the continuation of your "soul" or consciousness after death is wishful thinking. Belief in an afterlife devalues the one life that actually exists: this one.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Our God is an Awesome God
Francois Tremblay posted a video to commemorate Easter. He also put it on YouTube, which I'm reposting here for your viewing convenience.
I actually sang this song at numerous church events back in the day.
I, too, used to sing this song, with great conviction.
But when I realized that throwing myself into prayer with a fervent faith did nothing to help my depression (much less anything else), I began to wonder, just how awesome can God be, and what kind of sick, twisted test is this, tearing me into such desperations that I wanted to kill myself?
Fortunately, I've left both depression and religion far behind.
ok - so I just want to clarify, I'm not trying to make any point here.
Is the video trying to say that there cannot be a God as Christians define Him because bad things happen?
Or is it trying to say that we should not thank God for good things because bad things happen?
Or maybe some combo, with questions about God testing us thrown in?
Sorry Aaron - I guess I get the gist of the video, but not what either you or the author of the video are trying to say *exactly* by posting this. Could you clarify?
I forgot that you are a real atheist blogger acting as if you are fake atheist blogger. I meant to say "god is awesome because he made folks like Frank and all those bloggers who are pseudonyms for Frank". Which may still be you, rational--I'm not sure.
Damn the X-File nature of this whole "who is a real atheist blogger" thing.
Yea, sorry but Ive got some Christian hecklers who have decided to take permanent troll status at my blog. The reason that I changed my comments posting options is because this Christian troll kept coming in here as anonymous and posting disgusting accusations over and over and over.
So I changed it to require only blogger accounts as commenters and then this RRS Jr. profile promptly appeared. Clearly, RRS Jr. is a Christian troll/heckler who is obsessed with 1) naked children, and 2) projecting his obsession onto me.
Maybe they arent really Christians so much as satanists? I mean, Christians like you, Wade419, are very nice and friendly people... acting more along the lines of Jesus' teachings than these Walton fanboys.
Im sorry these other Christians are embarrasing you Wade419. Im on your side on this one :)
Anyway, in regards to the video, I think that Francois Tremblay made it mostly to mock the "Our God is an Awesome God" song, and also to highlight what he (and many other atheists) see as an absurdity, which is the assertion of a perfect and loving God responsible for all of existence, while so much suffering exists in said existence, particularly the suffering of innocent children.
Now, I didnt make the video so I cant speak aquthoritatively about its message, but I think its intended as a jab at God in general, and perhaps an attempt to place responsibility for suffering in the world on His shoulders, if He did indeed exist.
Thou shalt not lie. You are a Christian and you are in here lying about being an atheist.
You are a total troll who does nothing other than annoy everyone here, EVEN MY OTHER CHRISTIAN READERS, and you repeatedly embarass yourself and your theistic worldview.
You are doing a great disservice to Christianity.
In the light of my other readers (Christian and atheist) repeated disapproval of your actions and statements, I am warning you to stop this crap once and for all.
If you are going to continue to obsess in my comments over children, and/or if you are going to continue to PRETEND to be atheist, I am going to give you a taste of your own medicine and I am going to enable comment moderation.
What this means is that I will approve/deny all comments before they are posted on the blog. And, of course, I will deny all of your comments. I may even decide to delete your previous comment if you piss me off enough.
Im sick of you. You lost, Frank lost, and its over. The fact that numerous Christians have turned on you in my very blog comments should tell you something. Now stop with your pedo-obsession and STOP WITH THE LYING because you are certainly not atheist.
I dont wanna see your fake RRS accont posting in here anymore. Stop promoting your fake miguel de alba blog in my comments as well. If you dont excercise some self-restraint on my blog, I will do it for you, and all your fun will be over.
Aaron, I feel your pain. This is exactly what happened at BSJ last year. I was getting lengthy diatribes and cut-and-paste repostings up to 4,000 words at all hours of the day and night. The guy had 11, count 'em, 11 sock-puppet Typepad accounts. I've had comment moderation on ever since.
I think it's the wave of the future, unfortunately. The days of unfettered access in the blogosphere are drawing to a close, thanks to the trolls.
Sad but predictable--religious morality doesn't extend to respecting other people's property or forums.
Yes, I remember some of that trolling/stalking nonsense you had on your site. Admittedly, you had it much, much, MUCH worse than I did, for obvious reasons somewhat beyond your control. Thanks for the support!
GodHatesWomen/Amy,
Nice to see you back and commenting :) Sorry for the commenting issues lately; you can thank you friendly neighborhood Frank Walton fan. Glad to see you worked out the blogger registration thing. Oh, and sweet profile name! :D
I Have proof! ok, I dont really but I figure, he lies, I lie! Of course for him it is a sin so he is going to hell while I am just having a little fun!
Here is something unrelated and I thought it was a good idea. I created a blog site that is a copy of Frank Waltons site. I will repost all of his blogs word for word and let everyone post thier comments in an unmoderated forum! Use this site to read Frank Walton post from now on! www.exposingfrankwalton.blogspot.com Let me know what you think of the idea!
I am not against the idea if it is a clear and obvious parody. I just dont like the idea of faking or lying or trying to deliberately deceive. If the blog is clear that its a criticism/parody made by non-Christians, then Im ok with it.
It is really not parody or criticism, it is simply a shadow site that people can use to comment on his idiocy in an unmoderated forum. Essentially it is taking control of his own blog away from him. I think it is genius.
Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, probably the most important is, Am I good enough to go to Heaven? The way to find this out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments. Most would answer the question, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc." So, let's go through them and see how you do:
1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."
Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Many years ago, I purchased a T.V. for our children, but the first evening we had it, I arrived home from work and found that they didn't even bother to greet me. They were too busy watching television. I turned it off and explained to them that if they ignored me because they preferred to watch T.V. they were setting their love on the gift rather then the giver, a wrong order of affections. In the same way, if we love anything—husband, wife, children or even our own lives—more than we love God, we are setting our affection on the gift rather than the Giver, which is a transgression of the First Commandment. In fact, the Bible says that we should so love God that our love for Mom and Dad and brother and sister should seem like hatred compared to the love we have for the God who gave those loved ones to us.
We are also commanded to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Jesus spoke of a Samaritan who found an injured stranger, bathed his wounds, carried him to an inn, gave money for his care and told the inn-keeper that he would pay for his expenses. We call him the good Samaritan, but in reality he wasn't "good" at all, he merely obeyed the basic command to love his neighbor as himself. That is a picture of how God expects us to love our fellow human beings. We should love them as much as we love ourselves...whether they be friend or foe.
Have you loved God with all your heart? Have you loved humanity as much as you love yourself? You be the judge. Will you be innocent or guilty on Judgment Day of breaking that Commandment? I'm not judging you—I'm asking you to judge yourself before the Day of Judgment. The sentence for breaking this Commandment is death.
2. "You shall not make for yourself any graven image."
This means that we shouldn't make a god to suit ourselves, either with our hands or our mind. I was guilty of this. I made a god to suit myself. My god didn't mind a "white" lie or a fib here and there—in fact, he didn't exist. He was a figment of my imagination, an "image" which I shaped to suit myself. Is your God the One revealed in Holy Scripture? If not, then you have made your own god to suit yourself—you have committed the oldest sin in the Book. Scripture warns that no idolater will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."
Have you ever taken God's name in vain—instead of using a four-letter word to express disgust, you've used His name? Hitler's name wasn't despised enough to use as a curse word. If you have used His holy name in that manner, you are a blasphemer and will not enter the Kingdom of God.
4. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."
I ignored this command for 22 years. Even though God gave me the gift of life, never once did I ask what He required of me. I was guilty of breaking this Commandment.
5. "Honor your father and your mother."
Have you always honored your parents in a way that's pleasing in the sight of God? Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth. You may have forgotten them, but God hasn't.
6. "You shall not murder."
Jesus warned that if we get angry without cause we are in danger of judgment. If we hate our brother, God calls us a murderer. We can violate God's Law by attitude and intent.
7. "You shall not commit adultery."
Who of us can say that we are pure of heart? Jesus warned, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Remember that God has seen every thought you have had and every sin you have ever committed. The day will come when you have to face His Law, and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who have sex before marriage) and adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God. Punishment for transgression of this Commandment is the death penalty.
8. "You shall not steal."
Have you ever taken something that belonged to someone else (irrespective of its value)? Then you are a thief—you cannot enter God's Kingdom.
9. "You shall not bear false witness."
Have you ever told a lie? Then you are a liar. How many lies do you have to tell to be a liar? Just one. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin. God does!
10. "You shall not covet."
That means we shouldn't desire anything that belongs to another person. The covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments? All of us have sinned, and just as with civil law, you don't have to break ten laws to be a lawbreaker, so the Bible warns, "For whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."
A little girl was once watching a sheep eat grass and thought how white it looked against the green background. But when it began to snow she thought, "That sheep now looks dirty against the white snow!" It was the same sheep, but with a different background. When we compare ourselves to man's standard we look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God's standard—His Law, we can see ourselves in truth, that we are unclean in His sight. That Law is the holy standard by which humanity will be judged on Judgment Day.
This may sound strange, but the worst thing you could do at this point of time is to try and clean up your lifestyle—you realize that you have sinned, so from now on you will keep the Ten Commandments, do good deeds, say the right things and think only pure thoughts. But should a judge let a murderer go because he says he will now live a good life? No, he's in debt to justice and therefore must be punished.
The Law of God is merely like a mirror—all a mirror does is show you the truth. If you see egg on your face, you don't try and wash yourself with the mirror, it's purpose should be to send you to water for cleansing. Neither should you try and wash yourself with the mirror of God's Law...that's not its purpose.
The sight in the mirror is not a pretty one, but if you don't face it and acknowledge that you are unclean, then all that "dirt" will be presented on Judgment Day as evidence of your guilt, and then it will be too late to be cleansed.
Perhaps you think that God is good and will therefore overlook your sins. But if you were guilty of terrible crimes in a civil court and said to the judge, "Judge, I am guilty but I believe that you are a good man and will therefore overlook my crimes," the judge would probably respond by saying, "You are right about one thing; I am a good man, and it's because of my goodness that I am going to see that justice is done, that you are punished for your crimes." The very thing that many are hoping will save them on Judgment Day, God's "goodness," will be the very thing that will condemn them. If God is good, He should punish murderers. liars, thieves, etc., and Hell will be their dreadful fate.
What a terrible place Hell must be. If you read in the newspaper that a man received a $5 fine for a crime, you could conclude that his crime was insignificant. But if a man received multiple life sentences, you could conclude that his crime was heinous. In the same way, we can catch a glimpse of how terrible sin must be in the sight of God by looking to the punishment given for it—eternal punishment. Ungrateful humanity never bothers to thank God for His wonderful blessings of color, light, food, joy, beauty, love, and laughter, so He will take those blessings away from them. Instead of proving their gratitude by obedience to His will, they use His name to curse. Their punishment will be just but severe to the uttermost. Take the time to read what Jesus said Hell was like in Mark 9:43-48. I am afraid for you...please, look honestly into the mirror of the Law, then seek the "water" that cleanses every sin. If you don't believe what I am saying about the reality of Hell, it means you think God is corrupt (that He hasn't the moral backbone to seek justice), that Jesus was a liar, that the Apostles were false witnesses, that God's promises are nothing but prefabricated lies, and there is no greater insult to God than to call Him a liar. By doing so, you are adding to your transgressions. Imagine if you reject the Savior, die in your sins and find that what I have told is the Gospel truth? Then it will be too late, you will be judged for you sins. If that happens, and your eyes meet my eyes on the Day of Judgment, I'm free from your blood. I have told you the truth, but if you choose to ignore it your blood will be upon your own head...you will have no one to blame but yourself.
Can you see your predicament? You are guilty of sinning against God Himself, and, because you have a conscience, you have sinned "with knowledge." Isn't it true that every time you lied, stole, lusted, etc., you did it with knowledge that it was wrong?
Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you? It should. You have actually angered Him by your sin. The Bible says His wrath abides on you, that you are an "enemy of God in your mind through wicked works." But let fear work for your good in the same way that a fear of jumping out of a plane at a great height would make you put on a parachute. Let your will to live open your heart to the Gospel of salvation.
I am not the only one who doesn't want you to end up in Hell. We cared enough to talk to you and risk your rejection, and God Himself is not willing that you perish. To make clear what an incredible thing He has done for you in the Gospel, let's look again to civil law: You are standing in front of a judge, guilty of very serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you haven't two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence...he lifts his gavel, when someone you don't even know steps in and pays the fine for you. The moment you accept that payment, you are free to go. Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and what's more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much he cares for you. His payment was evidence of his love.
That's what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ. you are guilty, He paid the fine 2,000 years ago. It is that simple. The Bible puts it this way: "he was bruised for our iniquities . . . Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us...God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. The only thing that would satisfy the demands of Eternal Law was the suffering death of the sinless Son of God. What love God must have for you! He suffered unspeakable agony, so that you wouldn't have to be punished for your sins. His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no longer be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you obey Him -- death no longer has a legal hold upon those who belong to Jesus Christ.
Two men were offered a parachute while seated in a plane. The first man was told it would improve his flight, but the second man was informed he had to make a 25,000 foot jump. when the flight struck severe turbulence the first man took his parachute off because as far as he was concerned it didn't improve the flight. but during the same violent turbulence, the second man clung tighter to his parachute. Each man's motive for putting the parachute on determined whether or not they would keep it on. In the same way, the reason you should "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" shouldn't be to find peace, joy, true happiness, to have your marriage healed or your problems fixed, etc. (to have your flight improved), but it should be to escape the jump to come—because of the fact that you have to pass through the door of death. Then, when the flight gets bumpy (when problems come) you won't fall away from the faith.
What should you then do? Simply repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Don't put it off until tomorrow.
Would you sell an eye for a million dollars? How about both for $20 million? No one in his right mind would. Your eyes are priceless to you, yet they are merely the windows of your soul. Your life (your soul) is of such value, Jesus said that you should despise the value of your eye compared to it. He said that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is better to enter Heaven blind than to go to Hell seeing. In other words, of all the things you should prioritize in your life, it's not your health, your vocation, etc., it's your eternal salvation.
Think of a man who has committed adultery. His faithful wife is more than willing to take him back, so what is the attitude in which he should approach her? It should be one of tremendous humility, asking for forgiveness, and determining in his heart never to even think of committing adultery again.
That's how you should approach God. If you are not sure how to pray, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. Then put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You don't just "believe" it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself to it by putting it on. Then, once you have made peace with God, read the Bible daily and obey what you read.
Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, probably the most important is, Am I good enough to go to Heaven?
No way! The most important question to ask in life is: Am I spending my time the best way that I can?
The way to find this out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments. Most would answer the question, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc." So, let's go through them and see how you do:
1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."
I smell The Way of the Master here. Did you know that Alleee, Francois, and I debated Ray Comfort on the Hellbound Alleee show? He conceded the banana argument to us.
Anyway, your spam is not appreciated. I would enjoy a dialogue with you, but this preaching ten commandments shit is just annoying.
That's how you should approach God. If you are not sure how to pray, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. Then put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You don't just "believe" it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself to it by putting it on. Then, once you have made peace with God, read the Bible daily and obey what you read.
Ive done the faith thing. It wasnt very fulfilling to be honest. Maybe you should try reality sometime. And dont bother coming back here unless you want to actually talk with me. I dont like this spamming preachy shit.
18 comments:
I, too, used to sing this song, with great conviction.
But when I realized that throwing myself into prayer with a fervent faith did nothing to help my depression (much less anything else), I began to wonder, just how awesome can God be, and what kind of sick, twisted test is this, tearing me into such desperations that I wanted to kill myself?
Fortunately, I've left both depression and religion far behind.
ok - so I just want to clarify, I'm not trying to make any point here.
Is the video trying to say that there cannot be a God as Christians define Him because bad things happen?
Or is it trying to say that we should not thank God for good things because bad things happen?
Or maybe some combo, with questions about God testing us thrown in?
Sorry Aaron - I guess I get the gist of the video, but not what either you or the author of the video are trying to say *exactly* by posting this. Could you clarify?
oh - and apparently you changed your posting mechanism a bit - I'm wade419, in case you were wondering.
Wouldn't you be happier if some of those children were naked though, Aaron? Frank want those children in burkhas! How insidious is that?
Good one, Aaron.
God is only awesome when we are willfully ignorant of the implications of his alleged awesomeness.
God is also awesome because he made folks like rational response squad jr. to try and save us from any attempts to remove our heads from our asses.
to rational response squad jr:
can you guys possibly be mature? you're an embarrasment.
Aaron, I'm sorry that these people are what some people think of when they think of Christians. I hope you have the sense to see beyond that.
Oh, wait. Sorry rational...
I forgot that you are a real atheist blogger acting as if you are fake atheist blogger. I meant to say "god is awesome because he made folks like Frank and all those bloggers who are pseudonyms for Frank". Which may still be you, rational--I'm not sure.
Damn the X-File nature of this whole "who is a real atheist blogger" thing.
Wade,
Yea, sorry but Ive got some Christian hecklers who have decided to take permanent troll status at my blog. The reason that I changed my comments posting options is because this Christian troll kept coming in here as anonymous and posting disgusting accusations over and over and over.
So I changed it to require only blogger accounts as commenters and then this RRS Jr. profile promptly appeared. Clearly, RRS Jr. is a Christian troll/heckler who is obsessed with 1) naked children, and 2) projecting his obsession onto me.
Maybe they arent really Christians so much as satanists? I mean, Christians like you, Wade419, are very nice and friendly people... acting more along the lines of Jesus' teachings than these Walton fanboys.
Im sorry these other Christians are embarrasing you Wade419. Im on your side on this one :)
Anyway, in regards to the video, I think that Francois Tremblay made it mostly to mock the "Our God is an Awesome God" song, and also to highlight what he (and many other atheists) see as an absurdity, which is the assertion of a perfect and loving God responsible for all of existence, while so much suffering exists in said existence, particularly the suffering of innocent children.
Now, I didnt make the video so I cant speak aquthoritatively about its message, but I think its intended as a jab at God in general, and perhaps an attempt to place responsibility for suffering in the world on His shoulders, if He did indeed exist.
RRS Jr,
Thou shalt not lie. You are a Christian and you are in here lying about being an atheist.
You are a total troll who does nothing other than annoy everyone here, EVEN MY OTHER CHRISTIAN READERS, and you repeatedly embarass yourself and your theistic worldview.
You are doing a great disservice to Christianity.
In the light of my other readers (Christian and atheist) repeated disapproval of your actions and statements, I am warning you to stop this crap once and for all.
If you are going to continue to obsess in my comments over children, and/or if you are going to continue to PRETEND to be atheist, I am going to give you a taste of your own medicine and I am going to enable comment moderation.
What this means is that I will approve/deny all comments before they are posted on the blog. And, of course, I will deny all of your comments. I may even decide to delete your previous comment if you piss me off enough.
Im sick of you. You lost, Frank lost, and its over. The fact that numerous Christians have turned on you in my very blog comments should tell you something. Now stop with your pedo-obsession and STOP WITH THE LYING because you are certainly not atheist.
I dont wanna see your fake RRS accont posting in here anymore. Stop promoting your fake miguel de alba blog in my comments as well. If you dont excercise some self-restraint on my blog, I will do it for you, and all your fun will be over.
Now go away.
Aaron, I feel your pain. This is exactly what happened at BSJ last year. I was getting lengthy diatribes and cut-and-paste repostings up to 4,000 words at all hours of the day and night. The guy had 11, count 'em, 11 sock-puppet Typepad accounts. I've had comment moderation on ever since.
I think it's the wave of the future, unfortunately. The days of unfettered access in the blogosphere are drawing to a close, thanks to the trolls.
Sad but predictable--religious morality doesn't extend to respecting other people's property or forums.
"By their fruits ye shall know them."
BlackSun,
Yes, I remember some of that trolling/stalking nonsense you had on your site. Admittedly, you had it much, much, MUCH worse than I did, for obvious reasons somewhat beyond your control. Thanks for the support!
GodHatesWomen/Amy,
Nice to see you back and commenting :) Sorry for the commenting issues lately; you can thank you friendly neighborhood Frank Walton fan. Glad to see you worked out the blogger registration thing. Oh, and sweet profile name! :D
FRANK WALTON BEATS HIS WIFE!!!
I Have proof! ok, I dont really but I figure, he lies, I lie! Of course for him it is a sin so he is going to hell while I am just having a little fun!
This video is awesome, not God!
Here is something unrelated and I thought it was a good idea. I created a blog site that is a copy of Frank Waltons site. I will repost all of his blogs word for word and let everyone post thier comments in an unmoderated forum! Use this site to read Frank Walton post from now on! www.exposingfrankwalton.blogspot.com Let me know what you think of the idea!
I am not against the idea if it is a clear and obvious parody. I just dont like the idea of faking or lying or trying to deliberately deceive. If the blog is clear that its a criticism/parody made by non-Christians, then Im ok with it.
It is really not parody or criticism, it is simply a shadow site that people can use to comment on his idiocy in an unmoderated forum. Essentially it is taking control of his own blog away from him. I think it is genius.
Looks like the video has been removed from YouTube.
aA
Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, probably the most
important is, Am I good enough to go to Heaven? The way to find this
out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments. Most
would answer the question, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing
too serious, like murder, etc." So, let's go through them and see how
you do:
1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."
Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Many years
ago, I purchased a T.V. for our children, but the first evening we had
it, I arrived home from work and found that they didn't even bother to
greet me. They were too busy watching television. I turned it off and
explained to them that if they ignored me because they preferred to
watch T.V. they were setting their love on the gift rather then the
giver, a wrong order of affections. In the same way, if we love
anything—husband, wife, children or even our own lives—more than we
love God, we are setting our affection on the gift rather than the
Giver, which is a transgression of the First Commandment. In fact, the
Bible says that we should so love God that our love for Mom and Dad
and brother and sister should seem like hatred compared to the love we
have for the God who gave those loved ones to us.
We are also commanded to love our neighbor as much as we love
ourselves. Jesus spoke of a Samaritan who found an injured stranger,
bathed his wounds, carried him to an inn, gave money for his care and
told the inn-keeper that he would pay for his expenses. We call him
the good Samaritan, but in reality he wasn't "good" at all, he merely
obeyed the basic command to love his neighbor as himself. That is a
picture of how God expects us to love our fellow human beings. We
should love them as much as we love ourselves...whether they be friend
or foe.
Have you loved God with all your heart? Have you loved humanity as
much as you love yourself? You be the judge. Will you be innocent or
guilty on Judgment Day of breaking that Commandment? I'm not judging
you—I'm asking you to judge yourself before the Day of Judgment. The
sentence for breaking this Commandment is death.
2. "You shall not make for yourself any graven image."
This means that we shouldn't make a god to suit ourselves, either with
our hands or our mind. I was guilty of this. I made a god to suit
myself. My god didn't mind a "white" lie or a fib here and there—in
fact, he didn't exist. He was a figment of my imagination, an "image"
which I shaped to suit myself. Is your God the One revealed in Holy
Scripture? If not, then you have made your own god to suit
yourself—you have committed the oldest sin in the Book. Scripture
warns that no idolater will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."
Have you ever taken God's name in vain—instead of using a four-letter
word to express disgust, you've used His name? Hitler's name wasn't
despised enough to use as a curse word. If you have used His holy name
in that manner, you are a blasphemer and will not enter the Kingdom of
God.
4. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."
I ignored this command for 22 years. Even though God gave me the gift
of life, never once did I ask what He required of me. I was guilty of
breaking this Commandment.
5. "Honor your father and your mother."
Have you always honored your parents in a way that's pleasing in the
sight of God? Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth. You may
have forgotten them, but God hasn't.
6. "You shall not murder."
Jesus warned that if we get angry without cause we are in danger of
judgment. If we hate our brother, God calls us a murderer. We can
violate God's Law by attitude and intent.
7. "You shall not commit adultery."
Who of us can say that we are pure of heart? Jesus warned, "You have
heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit
adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust
after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart."
Remember that God has seen every thought you have had and every sin
you have ever committed. The day will come when you have to face His
Law, and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who have sex
before marriage) and adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God.
Punishment for transgression of this Commandment is the death penalty.
8. "You shall not steal."
Have you ever taken something that belonged to someone else
(irrespective of its value)? Then you are a thief—you cannot enter
God's Kingdom.
9. "You shall not bear false witness."
Have you ever told a lie? Then you are a liar. How many lies do you
have to tell to be a liar? Just one. The Bible warns that all liars
will have their part in the Lake of Fire. You may not think
deceitfulness is a serious sin. God does!
10. "You shall not covet."
That means we shouldn't desire anything that belongs to another
person. The covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments?
All of us have sinned, and just as with civil law, you don't have to
break ten laws to be a lawbreaker, so the Bible warns, "For whoever
shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty
of all."
A little girl was once watching a sheep eat grass and thought how
white it looked against the green background. But when it began to
snow she thought, "That sheep now looks dirty against the white snow!"
It was the same sheep, but with a different background. When we
compare ourselves to man's standard we look pretty clean, but when we
compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God's
standard—His Law, we can see ourselves in truth, that we are unclean
in His sight. That Law is the holy standard by which humanity will be
judged on Judgment Day.
This may sound strange, but the worst thing you could do at this point
of time is to try and clean up your lifestyle—you realize that you
have sinned, so from now on you will keep the Ten Commandments, do
good deeds, say the right things and think only pure thoughts. But
should a judge let a murderer go because he says he will now live a
good life? No, he's in debt to justice and therefore must be punished.
The Law of God is merely like a mirror—all a mirror does is show you
the truth. If you see egg on your face, you don't try and wash
yourself with the mirror, it's purpose should be to send you to water
for cleansing. Neither should you try and wash yourself with the
mirror of God's Law...that's not its purpose.
The sight in the mirror is not a pretty one, but if you don't face it
and acknowledge that you are unclean, then all that "dirt" will be
presented on Judgment Day as evidence of your guilt, and then it will
be too late to be cleansed.
Perhaps you think that God is good and will therefore overlook your
sins. But if you were guilty of terrible crimes in a civil court and
said to the judge, "Judge, I am guilty but I believe that you are a
good man and will therefore overlook my crimes," the judge would
probably respond by saying, "You are right about one thing; I am a
good man, and it's because of my goodness that I am going to see that
justice is done, that you are punished for your crimes." The very
thing that many are hoping will save them on Judgment Day, God's
"goodness," will be the very thing that will condemn them. If God is
good, He should punish murderers. liars, thieves, etc., and Hell will
be their dreadful fate.
What a terrible place Hell must be. If you read in the newspaper that
a man received a $5 fine for a crime, you could conclude that his
crime was insignificant. But if a man received multiple life
sentences, you could conclude that his crime was heinous. In the same
way, we can catch a glimpse of how terrible sin must be in the sight
of God by looking to the punishment given for it—eternal punishment.
Ungrateful humanity never bothers to thank God for His wonderful
blessings of color, light, food, joy, beauty, love, and laughter, so
He will take those blessings away from them. Instead of proving their
gratitude by obedience to His will, they use His name to curse. Their
punishment will be just but severe to the uttermost. Take the time to
read what Jesus said Hell was like in Mark 9:43-48. I am afraid for
you...please, look honestly into the mirror of the Law, then seek the
"water" that cleanses every sin. If you don't believe what I am saying
about the reality of Hell, it means you think God is corrupt (that He
hasn't the moral backbone to seek justice), that Jesus was a liar,
that the Apostles were false witnesses, that God's promises are
nothing but prefabricated lies, and there is no greater insult to God
than to call Him a liar. By doing so, you are adding to your
transgressions. Imagine if you reject the Savior, die in your sins and
find that what I have told is the Gospel truth? Then it will be too
late, you will be judged for you sins. If that happens, and your eyes
meet my eyes on the Day of Judgment, I'm free from your blood. I have
told you the truth, but if you choose to ignore it your blood will be
upon your own head...you will have no one to blame but yourself.
Can you see your predicament? You are guilty of sinning against God
Himself, and, because you have a conscience, you have sinned "with
knowledge." Isn't it true that every time you lied, stole, lusted,
etc., you did it with knowledge that it was wrong?
Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you? It should.
You have actually angered Him by your sin. The Bible says His wrath
abides on you, that you are an "enemy of God in your mind through
wicked works." But let fear work for your good in the same way that a
fear of jumping out of a plane at a great height would make you put on
a parachute. Let your will to live open your heart to the Gospel of
salvation.
I am not the only one who doesn't want you to end up in Hell. We cared
enough to talk to you and risk your rejection, and God Himself is not
willing that you perish. To make clear what an incredible thing He has
done for you in the Gospel, let's look again to civil law: You are
standing in front of a judge, guilty of very serious crimes. All the
evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt.
The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you haven't
two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence...he
lifts his gavel, when someone you don't even know steps in and pays
the fine for you. The moment you accept that payment, you are free to
go. Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and what's
more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much he cares for
you. His payment was evidence of his love.
That's what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ. you are
guilty, He paid the fine 2,000 years ago. It is that simple. The Bible
puts it this way: "he was bruised for our iniquities . . . Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us...God
commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us."
It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. The only thing that
would satisfy the demands of Eternal Law was the suffering death of
the sinless Son of God. What love God must have for you! He suffered
unspeakable agony, so that you wouldn't have to be punished for your
sins. His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no
longer be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting
life if you obey Him -- death no longer has a legal hold upon those
who belong to Jesus Christ.
Two men were offered a parachute while seated in a plane. The first
man was told it would improve his flight, but the second man was
informed he had to make a 25,000 foot jump. when the flight struck
severe turbulence the first man took his parachute off because as far
as he was concerned it didn't improve the flight. but during the same
violent turbulence, the second man clung tighter to his parachute.
Each man's motive for putting the parachute on determined whether or
not they would keep it on. In the same way, the reason you should "put
on the Lord Jesus Christ" shouldn't be to find peace, joy, true
happiness, to have your marriage healed or your problems fixed, etc.
(to have your flight improved), but it should be to escape the jump to
come—because of the fact that you have to pass through the door of
death. Then, when the flight gets bumpy (when problems come) you won't
fall away from the faith.
What should you then do? Simply repent and put your trust in Jesus
Christ as your Savior and Lord. Don't put it off until tomorrow.
Would you sell an eye for a million dollars? How about both for $20
million? No one in his right mind would. Your eyes are priceless to
you, yet they are merely the windows of your soul. Your life (your
soul) is of such value, Jesus said that you should despise the value
of your eye compared to it. He said that if your eye causes you to
sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is better to enter
Heaven blind than to go to Hell seeing. In other words, of all the
things you should prioritize in your life, it's not your health, your
vocation, etc., it's your eternal salvation.
Think of a man who has committed adultery. His faithful wife is more
than willing to take him back, so what is the attitude in which he
should approach her? It should be one of tremendous humility, asking
for forgiveness, and determining in his heart never to even think of
committing adultery again.
That's how you should approach God. If you are not sure how to pray,
read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. Then put your faith in Jesus
Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You
don't just "believe" it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself
to it by putting it on. Then, once you have made peace with God, read
the Bible daily and obey what you read.
Anonymous,
Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, probably the most
important is, Am I good enough to go to Heaven?
No way! The most important question to ask in life is: Am I spending my time the best way that I can?
The way to find this out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments. Most would answer the question, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc." So, let's go through them and see how you do:
1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."
I smell The Way of the Master here. Did you know that Alleee, Francois, and I debated Ray Comfort on the Hellbound Alleee show? He conceded the banana argument to us.
Anyway, your spam is not appreciated. I would enjoy a dialogue with you, but this preaching ten commandments shit is just annoying.
That's how you should approach God. If you are not sure how to pray,
read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. Then put your faith in Jesus
Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You
don't just "believe" it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself
to it by putting it on. Then, once you have made peace with God, read
the Bible daily and obey what you read.
Ive done the faith thing. It wasnt very fulfilling to be honest. Maybe you should try reality sometime. And dont bother coming back here unless you want to actually talk with me. I dont like this spamming preachy shit.
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