A to Q
A to Q is Answers to Questions
Heaven Coach is all about answering questions about life, about God and of course about heaven. That happens on every page. Certain pages/posts have been created to answer specific questions you have asked.
One example is “Answering Questions About God.” The questions answered here are generally very broad and I understand that has been helpful. On this page, I will drill down a little deeper on specific questions while also trying to be brief – seems unlikely. However, there are so many reference pages to support the answer that it may work for most people. The questions usually come from people who respond on the comment section of the page/post they have read, but wish to remain anonymous so I answer those privately and their question never appears publicly. Yet, if their question is generic and common to many others, I rephrase it and include it on one of the Q and A pages.
There is a good chance that your question may be answered in some way on the page suggested above.
Of course, there are no bad questions as long as there is sincerity. In the process of better understanding God the questions have greater maturity.
For example, you may wonder if this certain sin is worse than some other sin. As you understand God you will know that all sin is bad and dying with any sin will be a personal disaster. This is not the way men and women reason and rejecting or accepting God’s solution for sin respectively displays your pride or your humility. A wise person does not filter God’s word, but accepts it. Filtering can mean different things, but an example would be abortion. Abortion goes against God’s purpose to be fruitful and multiply, it goes against God’s law in relation to murder, against taking innocent life, against God’s knowledge of a soul from conception and so it is clearly wrong. However, a person begins filtering God’s word and creates exceptions, that is more acceptable conclusions. God wants you to take Him at His word. This is how you achieve heaven, do not try to invent another way! So your questions get better with knowledge, but again every question is important and the fact you ask shows maturity in and of itself.
Here are some pages directed to helping you understand God.
Underestimating God
Fear and Understand God
Understand God, Astonishing Differences From Your Current Thinking
Begin To Understand God
God Is Selective
Clarity From God
When You Really Understand God
A To Q: Answers to Questions
Question 1
I understand what I see, I believe what I see and I can’t see God, so I do not believe in Him. Is this not the way it really is with most people?
Answer 1
I think you are right that many people who cannot see God do not believe in Him.
Your choice of words is exactly what Jesus referred to in Matthew.
Matthew 13:13,14
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul by inspiration writes the following:
2 Corinthians 4.16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
It would appear that God wants you to see what you cannot see physically and you can do this and be confident only if you become devoted to the truth – you will accept nothing less than the truth. Essentially, you are beginning to live for more than this life and interestingly you begin to see more. Every single thing you see is temporary and the things that matter are all unseen and eternal. We are talking about spiritual things – your soul, God, heaven and these you should covet. So, unfortunately God’s way for those who only believe what they see is eternally problematic. God tells us that He can be “seen” in what is created.
Romans 1.18-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse
Yes, man will be without excuse in their failure to get onto the road to heaven and the person who decides they have to see God to believe God fails due to pride. This is not the kind of person God wants for eternity with Him and He wants you to know this so you can change.
Question 2
I greatly love my family and friends and yet the scriptures indicate there may be a separation and I do not see how I could possibly be happy without those people I love. Can you clarify this for me?
Answer 2
This question requires a deeper understanding of God in order to believe the answer. God could not be clearer in the scriptures in His requirement that He must be first in your life. First places Him before your family and friends. Seeking God and His kingdom must be first in your life.
Matthew 6.33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 12:30
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.
The life we have is from God, those who are your family are from God. God is behind everything you see and actually behind everything you do not see. Your family could have been a different set of people as could your friends. The fact that you have others you love and who love you is something to be thankful. These relationships were not designed by God to be eternal, but each person lives their life and makes their choices. Husbands and wife’s may have a wonderful relationship and each may feel that they could not live without the other. As great as this is, one may be lost and the other saved or both could be saved or both lost. Life is not about this life, but about the next life with this life serving as the test. We want the best for our children, for our friends and if we think the best is to be successful in this life in terms of earthly riches, pleasure, power and prestige then we are mistaken. The thing we should want for our loved ones is to achieve heaven.
Jesus really answers this question very directly in Matthew.
Matthew 10.34-38
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
How clear God makes everything, the problem is believing God in view of what we want to believe.
You may say, I certainly love my family and friends more than God and that is probably true. However, if you want to go to heaven then you need to rethink your view. Ask yourself how can I come to love God who I cannot see more than those who I know and see and interact? Throughout the scriptures and to some extent on the pages of Heaven Coach you can come to a correct understanding of God and His purpose and your place in the picture.
God expects you to love others more than self, to be unselfish and do what you can to help others. Nonetheless, you must put God first. You can do this, because ultimately it is the one valuable thing you can do to help those you love. God so strongly expects you to love others that he makes the following statement in first John.
1 John 4.20,21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The love people share is quite different than the love God provides for His creation. The love of humankind for His creation is great and God even shows humankind how great in the sacrifice of His Son. Humankind’s love is full of expectations and often the love begins out of attraction. It is lasting in some cases, sacrificial and forgiving to some extent – it is not perfect. We often grow dependent on the ones we love and seem to love them even more. In the midst of human love there are various problems and continually these must be overcome to sustain the love. In other words, human love is very conditional and can be very on-off.
There is only one way for humankind to demonstrate their love for God and that is to keep His commandments. God wants none to perish and leaves the success of each person in the hands of their personal choices.
2 Peter 3.8,9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
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.
God provides His love even when there is God-defined sin and this is because during each lifetime there is the opportunity to have sin completely forgiven. That was made possible in Christ and obedience to the gospel. Typically the choices people make take them down a path toward God or away from God. The thing that differentiates people is their love of the truth. In order to obey God and thus love God, one must know the truth to obey. As a person selects their beliefs and makes their choices in terms of living in humility or pride, unforgiving or forgiving, compassionate or cruel, open or closed minded, loving or hateful, kind or unkind they are setting a course toward or against God. The latter alienates a person and with support from the world they remain deluded until death. God is in some way responsible for the delusion for those who are rejecting His Son during their life’s.
2 Thessalonians 2.10-12
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Nonetheless, God’s love is there until your end, because Christ is there. It would be a mistake to think you can go through life without a love of the truth and suddenly change and be successful. As the scriptures teach what a person sows, he will reap.
Galatians 6.7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We try so hard to believe our life’s, our loves can be forever as can our possessions, our wonderful times and yet death approaches each person and reality should “set in.” It is impossible for human love to be eternal at least not in the same way it did in our physical existence. The love of God is eternal for those who love Him, meaning they live their life in obedience to God. You can never get around the fact that life is a test and it is a test of individuals. Be thankful for your those in your life that you love and who love you. Once you understand that love is temporary you can place God above all others. It is possible that there may be some loving relationships where both parties are successful in life. In some way they could know each other in heaven and that may be possible, we just do not know. However, if both are successful it means both during their lifetime would have placed God first.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
Question 3
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
For example, you may wonder if this certain sin is worse than some other sin. As you understand God you will know that all sin is bad and dying with any sin will be a personal disaster. This is not the way men and women reason and rejecting or accepting God’s solution for sin respectively displays your pride or your humility. A wise person does not filter God’s word, but accepts it. Filtering can mean different things, but an example would be abortion. Abortion goes against God’s purpose to be fruitful and multiply, it goes against God’s law in relation to murder, against taking innocent life, against God’s knowledge of a soul from conception and so it is clearly wrong. However, a person begins filtering God’s word and creates exceptions, that is more acceptable conclusions. God wants you to take Him at His word. This is how you achieve heaven, do not try to invent another way! So your questions get better with knowledge, but again every question is important and the fact you ask shows maturity in and of itself.
Underestimating God
Fear and Understand God
Understand God, Astonishing Differences From Your Current Thinking
Begin To Understand God
God Is Selective
Clarity From God
When You Really Understand God
Answer 1
I think you are right that many people who cannot see God do not believe in Him.
Your choice of words is exactly what Jesus referred to in Matthew.
Matthew 13:13,14
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul by inspiration writes the following:
2 Corinthians 4.16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
It would appear that God wants you to see what you cannot see physically and you can do this and be confident only if you become devoted to the truth – you will accept nothing less than the truth. Essentially, you are beginning to live for more than this life and interestingly you begin to see more. Every single thing you see is temporary and the things that matter are all unseen and eternal. We are talking about spiritual things – your soul, God, heaven and these you should covet. So, unfortunately God’s way for those who only believe what they see is eternally problematic. God tells us that He can be “seen” in what is created.
Romans 1.18-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse
Yes, man will be without excuse in their failure to get onto the road to heaven and the person who decides they have to see God to believe God fails due to pride. This is not the kind of person God wants for eternity with Him and He wants you to know this so you can change.
Question 2
I greatly love my family and friends and yet the scriptures indicate there may be a separation and I do not see how I could possibly be happy without those people I love. Can you clarify this for me?
Answer 2
This question requires a deeper understanding of God in order to believe the answer. God could not be clearer in the scriptures in His requirement that He must be first in your life. First places Him before your family and friends. Seeking God and His kingdom must be first in your life.
Matthew 6.33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 12:30
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.
The life we have is from God, those who are your family are from God. God is behind everything you see and actually behind everything you do not see. Your family could have been a different set of people as could your friends. The fact that you have others you love and who love you is something to be thankful. These relationships were not designed by God to be eternal, but each person lives their life and makes their choices. Husbands and wife’s may have a wonderful relationship and each may feel that they could not live without the other. As great as this is, one may be lost and the other saved or both could be saved or both lost. Life is not about this life, but about the next life with this life serving as the test. We want the best for our children, for our friends and if we think the best is to be successful in this life in terms of earthly riches, pleasure, power and prestige then we are mistaken. The thing we should want for our loved ones is to achieve heaven.
Jesus really answers this question very directly in Matthew.
Matthew 10.34-38
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
How clear God makes everything, the problem is believing God in view of what we want to believe.
You may say, I certainly love my family and friends more than God and that is probably true. However, if you want to go to heaven then you need to rethink your view. Ask yourself how can I come to love God who I cannot see more than those who I know and see and interact? Throughout the scriptures and to some extent on the pages of Heaven Coach you can come to a correct understanding of God and His purpose and your place in the picture.
God expects you to love others more than self, to be unselfish and do what you can to help others. Nonetheless, you must put God first. You can do this, because ultimately it is the one valuable thing you can do to help those you love. God so strongly expects you to love others that he makes the following statement in first John.
1 John 4.20,21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The love people share is quite different than the love God provides for His creation. The love of humankind for His creation is great and God even shows humankind how great in the sacrifice of His Son. Humankind’s love is full of expectations and often the love begins out of attraction. It is lasting in some cases, sacrificial and forgiving to some extent – it is not perfect. We often grow dependent on the ones we love and seem to love them even more. In the midst of human love there are various problems and continually these must be overcome to sustain the love. In other words, human love is very conditional and can be very on-off.
There is only one way for humankind to demonstrate their love for God and that is to keep His commandments. God wants none to perish and leaves the success of each person in the hands of their personal choices.
2 Peter 3.8,9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
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.
God provides His love even when there is God-defined sin and this is because during each lifetime there is the opportunity to have sin completely forgiven. That was made possible in Christ and obedience to the gospel. Typically the choices people make take them down a path toward God or away from God. The thing that differentiates people is their love of the truth. In order to obey God and thus love God, one must know the truth to obey. As a person selects their beliefs and makes their choices in terms of living in humility or pride, unforgiving or forgiving, compassionate or cruel, open or closed minded, loving or hateful, kind or unkind they are setting a course toward or against God. The latter alienates a person and with support from the world they remain deluded until death. God is in some way responsible for the delusion for those who are rejecting His Son during their life’s.
2 Thessalonians 2.10-12
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Nonetheless, God’s love is there until your end, because Christ is there. It would be a mistake to think you can go through life without a love of the truth and suddenly change and be successful. As the scriptures teach what a person sows, he will reap.
Galatians 6.7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We try so hard to believe our life’s, our loves can be forever as can our possessions, our wonderful times and yet death approaches each person and reality should “set in.” It is impossible for human love to be eternal at least not in the same way it did in our physical existence. The love of God is eternal for those who love Him, meaning they live their life in obedience to God. You can never get around the fact that life is a test and it is a test of individuals. Be thankful for your those in your life that you love and who love you. Once you understand that love is temporary you can place God above all others. It is possible that there may be some loving relationships where both parties are successful in life. In some way they could know each other in heaven and that may be possible, we just do not know. However, if both are successful it means both during their lifetime would have placed God first.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
Question 3
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul by inspiration writes the following:
2 Corinthians 4.16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
It would appear that God wants you to see what you cannot see physically and you can do this and be confident only if you become devoted to the truth – you will accept nothing less than the truth. Essentially, you are beginning to live for more than this life and interestingly you begin to see more. Every single thing you see is temporary and the things that matter are all unseen and eternal. We are talking about spiritual things – your soul, God, heaven and these you should covet. So, unfortunately God’s way for those who only believe what they see is eternally problematic. God tells us that He can be “seen” in what is created.
Romans 1.18-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse
Yes, man will be without excuse in their failure to get onto the road to heaven and the person who decides they have to see God to believe God fails due to pride. This is not the kind of person God wants for eternity with Him and He wants you to know this so you can change.
Question 2
I greatly love my family and friends and yet the scriptures indicate there may be a separation and I do not see how I could possibly be happy without those people I love. Can you clarify this for me?
Answer 2
This question requires a deeper understanding of God in order to believe the answer. God could not be clearer in the scriptures in His requirement that He must be first in your life. First places Him before your family and friends. Seeking God and His kingdom must be first in your life.
Matthew 6.33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 12:30
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.
The life we have is from God, those who are your family are from God. God is behind everything you see and actually behind everything you do not see. Your family could have been a different set of people as could your friends. The fact that you have others you love and who love you is something to be thankful. These relationships were not designed by God to be eternal, but each person lives their life and makes their choices. Husbands and wife’s may have a wonderful relationship and each may feel that they could not live without the other. As great as this is, one may be lost and the other saved or both could be saved or both lost. Life is not about this life, but about the next life with this life serving as the test. We want the best for our children, for our friends and if we think the best is to be successful in this life in terms of earthly riches, pleasure, power and prestige then we are mistaken. The thing we should want for our loved ones is to achieve heaven.
Jesus really answers this question very directly in Matthew.
Matthew 10.34-38
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
How clear God makes everything, the problem is believing God in view of what we want to believe.
You may say, I certainly love my family and friends more than God and that is probably true. However, if you want to go to heaven then you need to rethink your view. Ask yourself how can I come to love God who I cannot see more than those who I know and see and interact? Throughout the scriptures and to some extent on the pages of Heaven Coach you can come to a correct understanding of God and His purpose and your place in the picture.
God expects you to love others more than self, to be unselfish and do what you can to help others. Nonetheless, you must put God first. You can do this, because ultimately it is the one valuable thing you can do to help those you love. God so strongly expects you to love others that he makes the following statement in first John.
1 John 4.20,21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The love people share is quite different than the love God provides for His creation. The love of humankind for His creation is great and God even shows humankind how great in the sacrifice of His Son. Humankind’s love is full of expectations and often the love begins out of attraction. It is lasting in some cases, sacrificial and forgiving to some extent – it is not perfect. We often grow dependent on the ones we love and seem to love them even more. In the midst of human love there are various problems and continually these must be overcome to sustain the love. In other words, human love is very conditional and can be very on-off.
There is only one way for humankind to demonstrate their love for God and that is to keep His commandments. God wants none to perish and leaves the success of each person in the hands of their personal choices.
2 Peter 3.8,9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
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.
God provides His love even when there is God-defined sin and this is because during each lifetime there is the opportunity to have sin completely forgiven. That was made possible in Christ and obedience to the gospel. Typically the choices people make take them down a path toward God or away from God. The thing that differentiates people is their love of the truth. In order to obey God and thus love God, one must know the truth to obey. As a person selects their beliefs and makes their choices in terms of living in humility or pride, unforgiving or forgiving, compassionate or cruel, open or closed minded, loving or hateful, kind or unkind they are setting a course toward or against God. The latter alienates a person and with support from the world they remain deluded until death. God is in some way responsible for the delusion for those who are rejecting His Son during their life’s.
2 Thessalonians 2.10-12
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Nonetheless, God’s love is there until your end, because Christ is there. It would be a mistake to think you can go through life without a love of the truth and suddenly change and be successful. As the scriptures teach what a person sows, he will reap.
Galatians 6.7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We try so hard to believe our life’s, our loves can be forever as can our possessions, our wonderful times and yet death approaches each person and reality should “set in.” It is impossible for human love to be eternal at least not in the same way it did in our physical existence. The love of God is eternal for those who love Him, meaning they live their life in obedience to God. You can never get around the fact that life is a test and it is a test of individuals. Be thankful for your those in your life that you love and who love you. Once you understand that love is temporary you can place God above all others. It is possible that there may be some loving relationships where both parties are successful in life. In some way they could know each other in heaven and that may be possible, we just do not know. However, if both are successful it means both during their lifetime would have placed God first.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
Question 3
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse
Answer 2
This question requires a deeper understanding of God in order to believe the answer. God could not be clearer in the scriptures in His requirement that He must be first in your life. First places Him before your family and friends. Seeking God and His kingdom must be first in your life.
Matthew 6.33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 12:30
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.
The life we have is from God, those who are your family are from God. God is behind everything you see and actually behind everything you do not see. Your family could have been a different set of people as could your friends. The fact that you have others you love and who love you is something to be thankful. These relationships were not designed by God to be eternal, but each person lives their life and makes their choices. Husbands and wife’s may have a wonderful relationship and each may feel that they could not live without the other. As great as this is, one may be lost and the other saved or both could be saved or both lost. Life is not about this life, but about the next life with this life serving as the test. We want the best for our children, for our friends and if we think the best is to be successful in this life in terms of earthly riches, pleasure, power and prestige then we are mistaken. The thing we should want for our loved ones is to achieve heaven.
Jesus really answers this question very directly in Matthew.
Matthew 10.34-38
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
How clear God makes everything, the problem is believing God in view of what we want to believe.
You may say, I certainly love my family and friends more than God and that is probably true. However, if you want to go to heaven then you need to rethink your view. Ask yourself how can I come to love God who I cannot see more than those who I know and see and interact? Throughout the scriptures and to some extent on the pages of Heaven Coach you can come to a correct understanding of God and His purpose and your place in the picture.
God expects you to love others more than self, to be unselfish and do what you can to help others. Nonetheless, you must put God first. You can do this, because ultimately it is the one valuable thing you can do to help those you love. God so strongly expects you to love others that he makes the following statement in first John.
1 John 4.20,21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The love people share is quite different than the love God provides for His creation. The love of humankind for His creation is great and God even shows humankind how great in the sacrifice of His Son. Humankind’s love is full of expectations and often the love begins out of attraction. It is lasting in some cases, sacrificial and forgiving to some extent – it is not perfect. We often grow dependent on the ones we love and seem to love them even more. In the midst of human love there are various problems and continually these must be overcome to sustain the love. In other words, human love is very conditional and can be very on-off.
There is only one way for humankind to demonstrate their love for God and that is to keep His commandments. God wants none to perish and leaves the success of each person in the hands of their personal choices.
2 Peter 3.8,9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
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.
God provides His love even when there is God-defined sin and this is because during each lifetime there is the opportunity to have sin completely forgiven. That was made possible in Christ and obedience to the gospel. Typically the choices people make take them down a path toward God or away from God. The thing that differentiates people is their love of the truth. In order to obey God and thus love God, one must know the truth to obey. As a person selects their beliefs and makes their choices in terms of living in humility or pride, unforgiving or forgiving, compassionate or cruel, open or closed minded, loving or hateful, kind or unkind they are setting a course toward or against God. The latter alienates a person and with support from the world they remain deluded until death. God is in some way responsible for the delusion for those who are rejecting His Son during their life’s.
2 Thessalonians 2.10-12
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Nonetheless, God’s love is there until your end, because Christ is there. It would be a mistake to think you can go through life without a love of the truth and suddenly change and be successful. As the scriptures teach what a person sows, he will reap.
Galatians 6.7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We try so hard to believe our life’s, our loves can be forever as can our possessions, our wonderful times and yet death approaches each person and reality should “set in.” It is impossible for human love to be eternal at least not in the same way it did in our physical existence. The love of God is eternal for those who love Him, meaning they live their life in obedience to God. You can never get around the fact that life is a test and it is a test of individuals. Be thankful for your those in your life that you love and who love you. Once you understand that love is temporary you can place God above all others. It is possible that there may be some loving relationships where both parties are successful in life. In some way they could know each other in heaven and that may be possible, we just do not know. However, if both are successful it means both during their lifetime would have placed God first.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
Question 3
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
The life we have is from God, those who are your family are from God. God is behind everything you see and actually behind everything you do not see. Your family could have been a different set of people as could your friends. The fact that you have others you love and who love you is something to be thankful. These relationships were not designed by God to be eternal, but each person lives their life and makes their choices. Husbands and wife’s may have a wonderful relationship and each may feel that they could not live without the other. As great as this is, one may be lost and the other saved or both could be saved or both lost. Life is not about this life, but about the next life with this life serving as the test. We want the best for our children, for our friends and if we think the best is to be successful in this life in terms of earthly riches, pleasure, power and prestige then we are mistaken. The thing we should want for our loved ones is to achieve heaven.
Jesus really answers this question very directly in Matthew.
Matthew 10.34-38
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
How clear God makes everything, the problem is believing God in view of what we want to believe.
You may say, I certainly love my family and friends more than God and that is probably true. However, if you want to go to heaven then you need to rethink your view. Ask yourself how can I come to love God who I cannot see more than those who I know and see and interact? Throughout the scriptures and to some extent on the pages of Heaven Coach you can come to a correct understanding of God and His purpose and your place in the picture.
God expects you to love others more than self, to be unselfish and do what you can to help others. Nonetheless, you must put God first. You can do this, because ultimately it is the one valuable thing you can do to help those you love. God so strongly expects you to love others that he makes the following statement in first John.
1 John 4.20,21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The love people share is quite different than the love God provides for His creation. The love of humankind for His creation is great and God even shows humankind how great in the sacrifice of His Son. Humankind’s love is full of expectations and often the love begins out of attraction. It is lasting in some cases, sacrificial and forgiving to some extent – it is not perfect. We often grow dependent on the ones we love and seem to love them even more. In the midst of human love there are various problems and continually these must be overcome to sustain the love. In other words, human love is very conditional and can be very on-off.
There is only one way for humankind to demonstrate their love for God and that is to keep His commandments. God wants none to perish and leaves the success of each person in the hands of their personal choices.
2 Peter 3.8,9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
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.
God provides His love even when there is God-defined sin and this is because during each lifetime there is the opportunity to have sin completely forgiven. That was made possible in Christ and obedience to the gospel. Typically the choices people make take them down a path toward God or away from God. The thing that differentiates people is their love of the truth. In order to obey God and thus love God, one must know the truth to obey. As a person selects their beliefs and makes their choices in terms of living in humility or pride, unforgiving or forgiving, compassionate or cruel, open or closed minded, loving or hateful, kind or unkind they are setting a course toward or against God. The latter alienates a person and with support from the world they remain deluded until death. God is in some way responsible for the delusion for those who are rejecting His Son during their life’s.
2 Thessalonians 2.10-12
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Nonetheless, God’s love is there until your end, because Christ is there. It would be a mistake to think you can go through life without a love of the truth and suddenly change and be successful. As the scriptures teach what a person sows, he will reap.
Galatians 6.7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We try so hard to believe our life’s, our loves can be forever as can our possessions, our wonderful times and yet death approaches each person and reality should “set in.” It is impossible for human love to be eternal at least not in the same way it did in our physical existence. The love of God is eternal for those who love Him, meaning they live their life in obedience to God. You can never get around the fact that life is a test and it is a test of individuals. Be thankful for your those in your life that you love and who love you. Once you understand that love is temporary you can place God above all others. It is possible that there may be some loving relationships where both parties are successful in life. In some way they could know each other in heaven and that may be possible, we just do not know. However, if both are successful it means both during their lifetime would have placed God first.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
Question 3
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
You may say, I certainly love my family and friends more than God and that is probably true. However, if you want to go to heaven then you need to rethink your view. Ask yourself how can I come to love God who I cannot see more than those who I know and see and interact? Throughout the scriptures and to some extent on the pages of Heaven Coach you can come to a correct understanding of God and His purpose and your place in the picture.
God expects you to love others more than self, to be unselfish and do what you can to help others. Nonetheless, you must put God first. You can do this, because ultimately it is the one valuable thing you can do to help those you love. God so strongly expects you to love others that he makes the following statement in first John.
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
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.
God provides His love even when there is God-defined sin and this is because during each lifetime there is the opportunity to have sin completely forgiven. That was made possible in Christ and obedience to the gospel. Typically the choices people make take them down a path toward God or away from God. The thing that differentiates people is their love of the truth. In order to obey God and thus love God, one must know the truth to obey. As a person selects their beliefs and makes their choices in terms of living in humility or pride, unforgiving or forgiving, compassionate or cruel, open or closed minded, loving or hateful, kind or unkind they are setting a course toward or against God. The latter alienates a person and with support from the world they remain deluded until death. God is in some way responsible for the delusion for those who are rejecting His Son during their life’s.
2 Thessalonians 2.10-12
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Nonetheless, God’s love is there until your end, because Christ is there. It would be a mistake to think you can go through life without a love of the truth and suddenly change and be successful. As the scriptures teach what a person sows, he will reap.
Galatians 6.7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We try so hard to believe our life’s, our loves can be forever as can our possessions, our wonderful times and yet death approaches each person and reality should “set in.” It is impossible for human love to be eternal at least not in the same way it did in our physical existence. The love of God is eternal for those who love Him, meaning they live their life in obedience to God. You can never get around the fact that life is a test and it is a test of individuals. Be thankful for your those in your life that you love and who love you. Once you understand that love is temporary you can place God above all others. It is possible that there may be some loving relationships where both parties are successful in life. In some way they could know each other in heaven and that may be possible, we just do not know. However, if both are successful it means both during their lifetime would have placed God first.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
Question 3
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Perhaps, the most basic thing to understand in order to answer the question of being separated from loved ones (and still be happy) is simply that life is not about this life. It is about how you live this life in preparation for the next life. Life is about the soul and nothing else. When all is over for you this is the understanding you will have. You need this understanding now, so you can do something about your life leading to heaven. You do not want at the end of your life to say, “I did not see that coming.”
I have always been “turned off” from most religions, actually away from bible beliefs, because of the threat of hell, of punishment. The God I envision is one of love and not the one who eternally condemns people. I conclude that the bible was written by humankind. This is unfortunate, since most of the bible is full of great wisdom. My question is, “have I missed something in coming to my conclusion about the bible?”
Answer 3
Let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of choices and you do not like the concept of punishment for certain actions, even the hell talked about in the bible. Could it be true, yes it could be true. You will not be changing whether it is true or not by your rejection of it. You might believe your life will be more pleasant by rejecting hell. So the real question in all kindness is, “is the bible, the truth from God?” If it is the truth, then there is retribution, there is justice. Where is the love of God to be found? The scriptures are clear, God’s love for humankind is all on the cross of Christ. Throughout the scriptures we see the consequences of opposing God. Your question indicates you have an understanding about God and the separation of people along the lines of sin forgiven and sin not forgiven. It has never been a case of the bible being hard to understand (although there are some scriptures more difficult for those with little understanding), but a question of disapproving of the content. That disapproval is due to disbelief. You need to grow into the knowledge of God with a consistent pattern of diligence, study. One of the early things a person who loves the truth realizes is God’s purpose and that life is a test. Many people who place themselves and the wisdom of humankind in high esteem cannot accept that they are being tested and with a set of rules they have not approved. The most fundamental issue is in relation to the creator and the created – humankind has been given freedom to make choices during their lifetime. Each person had no choice about their birth and they will have no choice about their eternity. Their life choices, their test result will determine their eternal fate.
If you fail to believe that God is the God of the bible it demonstrates to God your complete dependence on yourself – it is the pride of life. Success in the life test “comes down to” those who will humble themselves to God and follow His ways versus those who live in pride trusting humankind. The test of God is perfect in separating those for Him and those who fail. We remove God’s existence from our minds and our short life can SEEM to be without consequences. The problem: life is short and then the judgment.
It may help to resolve a fundamental issue to look at, “Why Does God Exist.”
Question 4
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
I am a lifelong student of the bible and church-going family person. I was saved when I was 18 years old and I am now 45 years old. All these years I have been confident in my faith, but I have always struggled with certain verses, but ignored them. Those around me have all kinds of explanations for my concerns – none of them satisfy me. Essentially, I have come to doubt that my mental acceptance of Jesus as my personal savior is the answer to salvation. In appears to be essential, but there are many verses that indicate there is much more required to achieve heaven. Once saved, always saved appears to be totally wrong. I am terrified that my soul is in danger – help!
Answer 4
The so-called Christian world almost universally falls under this dilemma. It is a belief in people like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others. It has been perpetuated by many “Christian” preachers to this day. It is defended with every ounce of energy by preachers and by those duped into this belief system. There is no merit in the teaching, but opposes God in every way. Heaven coach easily unravels the deceit in order to help those who love the truth. However, you need to do no more than open the bible without prejudice and determine truth from error.
Look at the conversions of the new testament and begin to understand the problem.
Conversions of the New Testament
Whenever you have such basic error, you will find many other errors, because the scriptures will be disrespected in similar ways throughout.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
Thus the gospel message is not understood, see below:
The Gospel Message
Thus the seriousness of life is not understood, see below:
The Eyes of God
Thus, the church is not understood, see below:
The Church Understood Correctly
More on the church:
The Church Is The Kingdom
In the Protestant movement with their hundred’s of different groups, there is seldom any truth. Sounds amazing, but when you miss out on the plan of salvation, as mentioned there are many other errors that will follow. This could take a while to explain and within the pages of Heaven Coach many false doctrines are revealed. A more in-depth study is given in, “What Is Life All About?”
At a high level, these are the characteristics needed to find the truth:
> Loves the truth
> Understands the word of God was delivered by inspiration of God and God assured the truth would come down correctly to humankind – Does not filter God’s word, but takes God for what He says
> God defines the meaning of words within the context of the bible
I will give two examples of how God defines, clarifies meanings:
The word believe could mean a mental acceptance of an idea and that could could be at different levels. It might mean that I believe everything a person says or will say. It might mean, I will go cautiously and make decisions based on what happens, what is said and determine to what degree I believe this person or doctrine. Belief is thus conditional on other factors, maybe yet in the future. So as the questioner mentioned, he received Christ as his savior. Is this a one time thing and will not change regardless of conditions, circumstances. The scriptures provide a variety of things associated with salvation. Things such as repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ and Baptism and then goes further to require faithfulness until death.
The following verses and there are hundreds, helps one to understand that salvation is more than a mental acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 7.21
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
2 John 1.9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5.8,9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Galatians 3.26,27
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Revelation 2.10
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
If you take the effort to understand God as He has revealed Himself, you could better understand His word and correctly interpret the scriptures. Everything God has delivered fits perfectly together and this will greatly increase your confidence in God’s word. The word that God delivered has always required obedience and to indicate that a mere mental acceptance of Christ assures salvation is extreme cruelty to those who are taught and likewise condemnation to those teaching. I do not know of anything more serious in the eyes of God than to teach accurately. It ought to terrify those teaching to be exceedingly careful, accurate in all they say in relation to God’s word. It certainly terrifies me.
Question 5
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
Is anyone really enjoying life or is everybody just trying to minimize the damages?
Even the “happiest people” I know have a long list of concerns. Some seem to be doing really well, but then tragedy strikes. Since everyone dies, it seems that life itself is a tragedy sooner or later. The process of aging is not pleasant. I do not know if this is pulling me towards God or away from God. There are so many heart-wrenching events in the world that even when things are going well for me, the suffering around me quenches my happiness. What is the best view of life from the perspective of the word of God?
Answer 5
Seldom, do I say this is a really good question, but this is really quite a thoughtful question and I believe the answer can greatly help.
Life is indeed difficult and as we observe others we may think we are less fortunate, perhaps even “unlucky.” Invariably, those who we see as fortunate also have their problems and often much more serious than we could imagine. God’s plan includes many difficulties in the test of life. Most of the things we endure did not originate with God, but humankind brings much pain on themselves. God has placed a finite time for people, our lifetime and that is a dread for humankind. Even physical death came as a result of sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. You will get no disagreement about the difficulty of life and the apparent drudgery of some and the apparent ease of life for others. Nonetheless, as just suggested all people will deal with the pains of life – sooner or later.
Life, correctly understood will help immensely in terms of viewing life in the best possible way. The realization that life is not about this life, but life is about the soul is a powerful first step to bring meaning to your life no matter what your condition. Humankind has been given a window (a lifetime) to act as they wish, but God is in control. You can move from, “life is overwhelming” to “life has a real purpose” and I can make a difference. I can serve the creator, please the creator. There is something much greater than all the problems of life. You begin to see the problems as the test and then it is up to you respond in a way that pleases or displeases God. Of course, you can do none of this without the truth and I mean THE TRUTH. The difficulty you see in being happy is dealt with in great detail in, “BE HAPPY.” That page answers the question of happiness from God’s point of view. If you believe God, you will have the answer to your question and although the problems, concerns will remain you will be able to handle them because your sight is on heaven, your confidence is in God.
Question 6
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
God in scripture represents a harsh God. Time and time again He is without mercy on many different individuals and groups. Some of those appear to be innocent. In most cases, God appears to be justified. I once knew the way of truth, but forsook it much like Demas. I then went on to support doctrines, which I always knew were totally against God. Along the way I brought down others including family and even brief acquaintances. I always blamed someone else for my actions, but that will not work with God. It is too bad, I know enough to suffer now for my certain coming fate. God will be harsh with me and unfortunately I do not even appear to be innocent. There are religions who would say I will be fine, pray God and ask for forgiveness and He will forgive. As much as I wish that were true, I know it is not. My question is, is there any hope, any scriptural road I can pursue to be back in the graces of God?
Answer 6
It is good you recognize the dilemma, it is a start. You are alive and thus there is hope. All sin is against God and although you have hurt others, the sin must be forgiven by God. Repentance is the problem you face and just like stealing money, you must return it; so in your case you need to correct many wrongs. You apparently have a long trail of sin to be corrected, but therein lies your only hope. To clarify for the readers, this person was once a child of God and had all their past sins forgiven and part of that forgiveness included repentance. Now, you have apparently brought shame on the body of Christ and seek forgiveness. Simon the sorcerer, who had his sins forgiven in obedience to the gospel, shortly thereafter had a sin problem relative to a single issue and was told to repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. You are a rare person, inasmuch as you realize your condition as well as your certain disastrous end. Achan (Joshua 7.19-26) came forward confessing his disobedience to God, but nonetheless his end was swift as was his family and all he had possessed. God is harsh you say, but is it harshness or God’s perfection in justice. Does God’s harshness point out the seriousness of disobedience for all generations of humankind? You will find people that will have empathy for you, but this is a matter between you and God. At the time of the sins, there was apparently no regret and no consideration for the body of Christ. There was no consideration for the pain and suffering you brought to others. A child of God is one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and as the scriptures teach your body is not your own. You made a decision to obey God and leave sin. People stumble, I think all of God’s children stumble from time to time, given enough time. You must know this, but your stumble as you defined it affected others – you sinned with some and others you misled. You need to find a way to do works of repentance. I would not be honest if I did tell you it will be a daunting task, but nonetheless one you should pursue at all costs. The question for you is simply how badly do you want heaven?
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Harshness of God
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
Actually the above will provide little comfort, but only confirm your fears. The scriptures indicate there is one hope of our calling and like all the seven ONE’s of God, there is just one hope. A number of chapters of, “What Is Life All About?” provide some help to get back on the right track.
This question begs to know if there is any hope of heaven for this person, who has gone from the graces of God in obedience to His will to not only sinning, but involving others. Then to also continue down the road in support of false doctrine, misleading others. I do not know the heart of this person or their will to recover, but many people in this condition are looking for an instant answer to get themselves back on the road to success, to heaven. This idea of instant answers to solve my serious sin problem is not God’s way. The religions of the world, such as the Christian so-called religions provide such an answer in their doctrine of accepting Jesus as their personal savior. All will now be well and you are guaranteed heaven. Do you think this doctrine would have great appeal? Of course, it has great appeal. So we have millions, really billions of people who have “liked” this teaching. The gospel message for initial obedience and then a life filled with faithfulness to God is required for heaven. When, as a Christian you stumble you can do as discussed in the case of Simon the sorcerer above. Repenting not only means leaving the sin you committed behind – sin no more, but you need to amend the problems you created. You stole certain monies, steal no more and return the monies. You hurt other people and their life’s, you need to determine what you need to do that indeed God will find acceptable. Again, as Simon the sorcerer was told, “repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” These works of repentance are done so that God, who knows your heart MAY accept your prayer and forgive you. This is of course, different than initial obedience as you are not baptized again, but even in that case repentance was necessary. God cannot be fooled and your intentions in this matter are clearly known to Him. We get ourselves into awful sin situations and as in this case involve others and there may be no instant solution associated with your repentance. No one is more vulnerable to this than those who preach “another gospel” and thus mislead others. This is so damaging, that doing works of repentance might include talking to all those who were converted to your teaching. In fact, the end of those people is simply stated in Galatians.
Galatians 1.6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
Matthew 18.6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Those who select to obey the gospel and then turn back are in dire straits and referred to by God as not worthy of the kingdom of God.
Luke 9.62
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
Hebrews 6.4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
So even though some would like to sugar-coat the answer to this person and give them a quick fix back to the road to heaven, the scriptures point to the difficulty and in some cases the impossibility of forgiveness for those who have fallen away. The impossibility is because they have embraced error and now perpetuate it. The very fact that a person in the rare case of this question even asks such a question would seem to mean that the falling away was not completed and as mentioned there is still hope. The difficulty in repentance remains a challenge that the person must reconcile. Again, if their heart, their sorrow in this matter is pure, is godly it will lead them to repentance.
2 Cor 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
2 Peter 1.5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
2 Peter 2.20,21
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
1 Peter 4.17,18
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
1 John 1.8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
The following may help:
Understand the harshness and severity of God
Understand the excuses, the blame which you hid behind are invalid – your sin is yours.
Severity of God
Blaming and Excuses
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
In the case of those who mislead one of these little ones, the result is severe for that person. God is severe in terms of persons who damage the minds and hearts of children and this is often in relation to their instruction in terms of God and sin.
God even calls it impossible to be renewed again to repentance for those who fall away and we are not talking about sin in the normal sense, but turning their backs on the gospel, turning to another doctrine much like Galatians 1.6-9 above.
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
An example of the sorrow of the world would be, being caught in a crime. They are sorry they were caught and now outwardly give the appearance of regret for the crime, when they are just trying to make the best of their situation.
A child of God should not be going down the path of opposing God. God has left the saving message in the hands of those who obeyed the gospel. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s Son and not go the way of perdition. The scriptures tell us how it should be:
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
I do not know if the warning could be any stronger to God’s people than in 2 Peter 2.20,21.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
There is a companion warning to the above verse in relation to the judgment. God points out how the righteous are scarcely saved and the certain failure of those who never obeyed the gospel.
18 Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Finally, by way of clarification we are talking about a person falling away from the truth of the gospel and even going as far as to support error, perhaps even teach error. God’s children will sin from time to time and this is should not be. It may cost them their soul, but because they are children of God they can pray to God for forgiveness as did Simon the sorcerer.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
As a child of God, having obeyed the gospel you have Jesus as your advocate and thus 1 John 1.9 applies. Hebrews 6.4-6 and Luke 9.62 and Matthew 18.6 and Galatians 1.6-9 also applies as does 2 Corinthians 7.10 which implies that Godly sorrow will lead you to repent. If you want forgiveness and you are not willing to do works of repentance, then you should not expect forgiveness. We get ourselves into many difficult situations in relation to destroying our eternity, because of what we want and what we are willing to do to get it.
The bottom line (and you may not like it) is that, life is serious business and the ways of God are not aligned with WHAT WE WANT or WHAT WE THINK. Humankind in their wisdom rationalizes that many will be saved, maybe most everyone, except maybe for a few really “bad” people. A person may try to be average in world’s morality and ethics and thereby work towards being average and achieve heaven. God requires much more and wants those special persons with certain characteristics such as humility, selflessness, a forgiving spirit, courageous, seekers of truth who think more highly of others than self. These are the few who obey and live the gospel, the few Jesus mentioned in Matthew. We need to align with the ways of God. Of course, this will only be necessary if we want heaven to be our home.
