God and religion

[Deniz]

as for the tsunami, hurricane, I could go on....that was just a test...how we take that, that'll reflect our belief....

When God created the earth & gave man & woman dominion over it, He created everything to be good in perfect working order in perfect harmony.

It is revealed in allegorical terms the state of the world is caused by human sin.

God is cut off from people because of sin. (Jesus later fixed this)
People are cut off from each other because of sin. (This can be fixed if we live according to God's will)
The world is no longer the way it was created because of sin. (This will be fixed in the new creation as promised by God)

As for God testing us with hurricanes etc there is no Biblical evidence to this. I personally think seeing a hurricane wipe out entire villages would be absolutely devastating to watch from God's perspective. As for those who died, it is up to God what He will do with them so don't think too much about how God should judge them... You'll get wrinkles.

Worry about yourself & God instead, where do you stand?

[mrRee]

When God created the earth & gave man & woman dominion over it, He created everything to be good in perfect working order in perfect harmony.

so, why the volcanos erupted?...sweeping all inhabitants on its path(trees, dinos and all that)...this had occured even before man domination....not arguing, just looking for an asnwer....

Worry about yourself & God instead, where do you stand?

I stand for Antartican....
ok...I'm trying here to make a better relation with God nowadays....but I think it's not good enough....but I'm still trying.....

[Deniz]

so, why the volcanos erupted?...sweeping all inhabitants on its path(trees, dinos and all that)...this had occured even before man domination....not arguing, just looking for an asnwer....

That is part of creation, IMHO but creation theory is a point of debate amongst Christian scholars.

The point is, God created the world in a way that the earth was to be subdued by man. But after the curse of sin things changed a bit.

Genesis 3:17-19
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

I stand for Antartican....
ok...I'm trying here to make a better relation with God nowadays....but I think it's not good enough....but I'm still trying.....

You will never be good enough for God. No one can

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

The way the world is going everyone will end up eternally cut off from God but God has provided a way for us to inherit eternal life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God didn't wait for us to be good to make us His children, He loves us just the way we are & wants us to live in a relationship with him.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God has made this promise to us, that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is the Son of God and believe he was raised from the dead (and there are very good reasons to believe so) we will inherit eternal life & live with God in His new creation void of sin.

Romans 10:13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

[Rigel]

As for God testing us with hurricanes etc there is no Biblical evidence to this.

This can be a debatable topic but I'd tend to agree with what MrRee said. Take a look at the book of Job where God allowed things to happen to Job. Yet throughout Job's turmoil he never sinned and cursed God. God did reward Job in the end so that Job had twice as much as he had before.

Sometimes the harsh circumstances of life can bring out the best and worst in human nature. It can be used to help us and strengthen us in many ways. It helps build character, perseverence and for Christians it helps us to depend upon God's strength and helps us to learn to trust on Him.

However, despite what I have said what did Jesus say?

Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Regardless of natural disasters and calamities unless we repent we too will likewise perish. And when Jesus talks about perishing he's not talking about perishing through a natural disaster!

Repentence means to turn away from our sins and it is a very large part of our Christian walk.

Colossians 2:11 "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,"

Romans 2:28-29 "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

True circumcision is one that occurs within our very hearts. It means to cleanse ourselves from our sinful behavior and our sinful ways. We need to cleanse our thoughts and our actions. This is the very nature of repentence.

Genesis 17:11-14 "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Repentence is the very evidence that we have become a born again believer in Jesus Christ. Whoever was not circumcised was cut off from Israel. Likewise whoever is not circumcised in their hearts will be cut off from the Israel of God, the body of Christ.

We need to turn away from our sins and put the deeds of our sinful nature to death.

[Rigel]

I stand for Antartican....
ok...I'm trying here to make a better relation with God nowadays....but I think it's not good enough....but I'm still trying.....

Keep on going! Let me encourage you to keep reading the scriptures and keep searching for God. You may feel it's not good enough but God knows you are trying. I will keep you in prayer today.

[Deniz]

This can be a debatable topic but I'd tend to agree with what MrRee said. Take a look at the book of Job where God allowed things to happen to Job. Yet throughout Job's turmoil he never sinned and cursed God. God did reward Job in the end so that Job had twice as much as he had before.

We don't know if Job was a real story or an extended psalm but again, we are delving into the raw meat. The fact is we don't know who is watching or what is going on behind the scenes. But it is also important to point out that God isn't a God who sits on a high throne pointing a finger here & pointing a finger there sending hurricanes & tsunamis.

John 9:1-3
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Things don't always happen as a result of sin nor do they always happen to test us. Sometimes it is purely human sin related reasons and other times it's just the result of living in a fallen world.

Justice is near, God's judgement is coming. Question is, will you be saved from that judgement or will you join the rest of the world in rebellion against God and ultimately get what's coming your way?

[mrRee]

You will never be good enough for God. No one can

of course I aware of that...thanks for reminding me...
what I meant was, maybe I'm not doing good enough in repentance...

I will keep you in prayer today.

thanks brother Rigel...that'll means a lot to me ...

[Rigel]

Justice is near, God's judgement is coming. Question is, will you be saved from that judgement or will you join the rest of the world in rebellion against God and ultimately get what's coming your way?

Yes, it is very very near. One day God will balance the books of time.
All the evil sinful things of the world will be judged. Every action thought and deed will be judged by our Holy God. There is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that shall not be made known. - Luke 12:2

Our eternal destination is sealed the moment we die or Christ returns.
After that it is too late and there no longer exists the opportunity to get into the kingdom of God.

There is no mercy in eternal damnation. It is everlasting destruction and torment with no escape.

[Deniz]

of course I aware of that...thanks for reminding me...
what I meant was, maybe I'm not doing good enough in repentance...

I think you're heart is in the right place.

I don't think there is a single Christian in the world who thinks "I'm doing great, I'm a great Christian".

Even the apostle Paul often mentioned in his letters what a sinful man he was at heart. Did this mean Paul was a bad man? No, it meant that he was aware of his sinful side. All of us have a sinful side, its a fact of life.

Recognising our sinful desires is the first step, turning our back on the sinful desires is the next step. Ask Jesus for help, trust me he will help you change, he is in the business of changing people. None of us can become the sort of person God wants us to be on our own. Prayer is the vital key. Reading the Bible is also important but the Bible can be a trap if you try to chew on the meat before growing with the milk. Debatable doctrinal points are a stumbling block for many. For example, reading into the book of Revelation or the first 12 chapters of the book of Genesis is probably not the best place to start reading. A better option would be reading the 4 Gospels and then something along the lines of Ephesians and maybe even Romans after that if you're up for it.

Reading some good books, finding a good Bible teaching Church where you can find someone to help you grow, these are also important.

Ultimately its up to you.

PS: Rigel you are right, we only get the one shot. Another thing I hear is a 'planned repentance' i.e. planning to repent on your death bed or when we get older is not a good idea (in my opinion) because who's to say our pride & arrogance won't stop us at that crucial moment?

[mrRee]

thanks for your advice, Deniz...

[Deniz]

thanks for your advice, Deniz...

You're welcome. That'll be $129.95 you can paypal direct to me.


/just kidding

[mrRee]

You're welcome. That'll be $129.95 you can paypal direct to me.


/just kidding

hey, you said that willl be 70% plus 30% less for paypal card holder

[Deniz]

hey, you said that willl be 70% plus 30% less for paypal card holder

MrRee

here are the usual prices I charge for services from "Advise from Deniz Inc."

Relationship Advice.............................$229.95
Religious Advice..................................$129.95
Medical Advice.....................................$129.95 + Signed legal rights waiver forms
Parenting Advice..................................$59.95
Legal Advice.........................................$259.95

You won't beat those prices ANYWHERE!


We have other services but these are the most popular ones, the prices are not negotiable.

/not kidding, I want my money.

//yea ok I'm kidding

[Zeb]

I'm confused Deniz - are you a scientologist or a christian?

[Deniz]

I'm confused Deniz - are you a scientologist or a christian?

I'm a Christian with a sense of humour Zeb.

That question falls under "Religious Advice", $129.95. I'll PM you my paypal account details.