Flaws found in Windows-based media players

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Hey, not bad yourself

Yes, this is one of those (many) areas where my lack of knowledge on the subject might show, but i'll try because you hit on the most important point of all.

The point is, is that faith is what actually saves you not your "works". Works (fruits) are the way it used to be in the old testament, this was referred to as "living under the law". God's law, or laws were for example, the ten commandments, animal sacrifice, cleansing rituals, tything(pay a percentage of income to the church, which in those days was a real center of the community), among others. This was done because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and keeping the law was sort of "paying your sin debt" by having enough faith to believe God and do as he asks (like a parent child relationship)

And the "sin debt" that I referred to was the original sin of Adam and Eve. The sin commited by them was because they believed the serpent (satan) over God and their punishment was a curse by God on them and their seed. I know you've referred to God as a loving God, and he is, the bible also gives a more encompassing view of God. He is also a jealous God, and a vengful God, and he is literally "judge, jury and executioner"

Old testament (jewish law) requires the believers to show that they had/have faith in God by keeping his laws, and performing all the required rituals. This was a covenant between God and Israel and later to the gentile also (us) which is covered in the Old Testament. There are even passages in the Bile that explain that if the jewish priests didn't do their rituals correctly they would instantly DIE! Keeping the law is obviously very hard to do, if not impossible, these days. Of course the way people got/get worse and worse over generations, eventually no one would be able to do this (spirit is willing but flesh is weak) so God sent his son into the world as a final sacrifice to pay for the sin debt of anyone who believed in his son Jesus.

Now the whole concept of Christianity is explained in the New Testament, or a new covenant with God. We are no longer required to keep the law because that debt has been paid. All that is required now is the faith, or basically to accept that gift from God. This is back to where we started, if you have the faith in God it will be evident by the fruit of your labor (you call it good works) but the works are not required to get you to heaven.

The bible says "you are saved by faith and not by your works, lest any man brag". So to answer one of your questions, "good works" doesn't get you to heaven.

I believe the bible suggests that our labor on earth is a purifying or cleansing experience where, if we ask Jesus to come into our lives, we are molded and shaped for his purpose and glory. After all God created us out of clay, or earth and to the earth our bodies will return, but our soul lives on.

I don't know if I explain it very well, I have paraphrased the bible a lot, but to me it all makes perfect sense if it is explained in simple english instead of simply quoting all of the "thee" "thou" "hast" and some of the other King James English words in the bible.

Hey, let's face it, if you believe that there was a man named Jesus, and that he claimed to be the son of God, then there are only 2 conclusions you can come to. 1) He was a liar, in which case you can consider him rather crazy and discount much if not all of what he said. Or 2) that he really was the son of God and offered you salvation, in which case you have everything to gain by believing him.

You asked another question earlier about "if God is all powerful why would he let those children be murdered?" God doesn't want "zombies" apparently, so he has given man free will to chose his own destiny. The sin in the world is the reason those children were killed, not because God "allowed" it. God has set a season for many things, remember that song by "The Byrds"(I think)? Some of those lyrics were from the bible. Some of the seasons have already happened, we are in one season now, and there will be another season. Now we are in the devils(satans) season, and "he (satan) is angry for he knows he has but a short time."

My fingers are tired, and I bet your head hurts if you have read this post, so I'll shut up for a "season".

Hope this doesn't come off as preaching, cause I'm not a preacher. (Unlike some clerics I know who were former Reverands) ;)

Posted by: Spoon Jabber   Posted on: 11/01/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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