Follow-up With the Gospel

Ramani,

I'm sorry about the delay in getting back to you. My mind has been on other things, and the subject of religion and spirituality can get very deep, and take a lot of mind-power.

I believe you are right about those who follow their religion in truth being able to stay content no matter what comes in their way. And I also believe that if everyone (with the exception of those that command people to believe by force) were to follow their religion exactly how it was meant to be followed, there would a be peace in the world.

However, it is apparent that man is not capable of following any divine set of rules without fail. Just reading the Old Testament in the Bible makes it clear that the Israelites failed miserably at keeping the laws God had given them. God had visibly manifested Himself in their presence and given them the 10 Commandments (along with a few hundred other food, clothing, and familial laws). If everyone kept the 10 Commandments, there would no doubt be peace and love abounding on this earth. But we know that man fails miserably every day at keeping even these basic laws.

"Fundamental Christians," like myself, are merely Christians who filter their world-view through a literal interpretation of the Bible, and try to follow the fundamental teachings of it. Keeping this in mind, we also believe that man is incapable of doing good apart from divine intervention, since we take the Bible literally:

Mark 10:18 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. "

Psalms 53:3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

Romans 3:10 - 12 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

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

(Also see Matthew 19:17; Psalms 14:3; James 2:10)

Taking a close look at the Ten Commandments, we can see that it truly is impossible for anyone to keep them:

Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me."

Has God always been first in your life? I am certainly guilty of breaking this commandment.

Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. "

Have you ever used God's name in a way that would be less than honoring to Him? I have also broken this commandment. We use the name of God and Jesus Christ so carelessly these days, but the consequences are very serious.

Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. "

Have you always done everything your parents have asked you to do without fail? Have you ever disrespected your parents? I am guilty of breaking this commandment also.

Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.

Most people think they are innocent of breaking this law, but let's see what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:21 - 22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."

And the Bible also says in 1 John 3:15 "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."

Have you ever hated anyone? Or have you ever called someone "stupid" or "fool"? I am also guilty of breaking this commandment.

Exodus 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery."

Most people think they are innocent regarding this commandment, too. But again, Jesus made it harder:

Matthew 5:27 - 28 "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 for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "

Have you ever looked at another person and had a sexual thought about them? I am guilty of this, too.

Exodus 20:15 "You shall not steal."

Have you ever taken anything that didn't belong to you? Even something small, like a pen or fruit from someone else's tree? The value is not what matters, it's the intentions of the heart. I have broken this commandment.

Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. "

Have you ever lied, or told a half truth? There is no-one who can say they are innocent of this. I am guilty.

Those were 7 of the commandments (the commandments I didn’t mention can be found here: Exodus 20:4 -5; Exodus 20:8 - 10; Exodus 20:17). I know I have broken all of them. Everyone has. But even if you break only one, you are guilty of breaking them all:

James 2:10 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

The point is that, while it's true that if everyone were perfect in keeping the laws of their religions the world would be at peace, it's obvious that man is not capable of doing that. So, according to my beliefs and the Bible, all would be destined for hell:

Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 - 10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

This should be very concerning to you and me. If the Bible is true, everyone will end up being punished for their transgression of the law in a lake of fire! That is not what I want for you, or me, or anyone.

It's not what God wants, either.

1 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Since we have all broken God's law, and since God knows everything, we will have to be brought to justice. We can't get ourselves out of it. It's similar to breaking the law on earth; if you were brought to court because you had broken 10 serious laws, and had a huge fine that needed to be paid or else you would have to go to prison, what could you do or say to the judge for him to let you go? There would be nothing you could do to bribe the judge out of serving justice. But, if a friend came in and told the judge he had sold his house, his car, and everything he had to pay your debt to the law, and gave the judge the money, then you would be free to go.

So, how does this apply to God's law? We have all broken God's law, and one day we will all die and be brought into God's courtroom. What will we have to say for ourselves when it is brought out that we have broken His Ten Commandments? Nothing we have done ourselves can get us into heaven. Only the payment that God's Son, Jesus Christ made for us on a cross 2,000 years ago can help us.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "

All we have to do is believe that God has done this for us, and then repent of our sins, of breaking God's laws. And then we must trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation. Not any of our good works. Only in Jesus Christ.

I believe that you can compare Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and all the other faiths except Biblical Christianity, and each of them will give you the same basic rules for gaining peace and eternal life.

But the religion that Jesus taught says: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

This is what my faith is according to the Bible. I don't want anyone to take me at my word, though. Read the Bible for yourself, letting it stand on it's own, not comparing it to any other writings. I pray that the truth of God's Word will become clear to you. I speak to you out of love and concern for your soul, I am not trying to convert you. Only God can do that.

Sincerely,
-Kristina