MartyS

For me, this is a powerful statement. With my finite mind, I know I cannot prove this. But I am equally certain I cannot disprove it. I know that I exist--for 66 years now. From my own personal experience, this I know. And from a personal experience with "God" in 1976--44 years ago--that changed my very nature, from darkness to light, from spiritual death to spiritual life, I believe God exists. I have been exposed to the Bible for all of my conscious life. I have found it reliable because it begins, "In the beginning," with an account of the first created human beings and ends in the culmination of human history, and I have never found anything false within it, I have chosen it as my source of truth. In the Bible, which I believe is God's revelation of Himself to humankind, He actually states why we should believe He exists and the penalty for not believing: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. - Romans 1:18-32

I do find it interesting that while Jesus' body lie in the tomb for three days, He went in the Spirit to preach the gospel (good news) to the "spirits in prison" who drowned in the flood during Noah's time. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. - 1 Peter 3:18-20

I agree! Just as sin entered the world of mankind through Adam in the Garden of Eden, sin was excluded when Jesus, who being God, perfect and sinless, became a man and crucified sin on behalf of all mankind who would believe in Him! To assure us that sin was defeated, and mankind was restored to right relationship with God (righteousness), God the Father raised Jesus, God the Son, from the dead, so we can know we will be raised from the dead, also!

So going back to the original post, as Abraham was counted righteous by faith in God, not by works done in his flesh; so, too, we are counted as righteous, having right-standing with God, forgiven of all our filthy sins, not by any good works, but by our faith in Jesus, the one God sent to make an end of sins. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. - Romans 3:21-26

I completely agree. Before I became a Christian, when I relied on my good works to make me righteous before God, I was without hope. But as Isaiah prophesied, concerning Jesus, in Isaiah 53:11... Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. - Isaiah 53:11 And as Peter quoted Isaiah 53:5, he said... He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

If I were a sheet of paper, living in my two-dimension world, I would not understand your three-dimension world. Similarly, as a created three-dimension being, I cannot understand God, how He can be predestinating and a giver of free-will; all good and all just; needing nothing and desiring fellowship with mankind. But those limitations on my part do not keep me from trusting God, even with my eternal soul, and believing everything about Him that He has chosen to reveal in His Word and through His Son, Jesus. (Obviously, these are my Christian beliefs! ) Here are some of the understandings I have gleaned... #1. God does desire to rehabilitate all His creation: The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9 #2. In His omnisciece, God does foreknow our destiny and even records our days before there are any of them in His Book of Life: 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Matthew 25:31-46 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. - Ephesians 1:3-14 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:15

Actually, in the beginning, there was no original sin. Adam and Eve were without sin until they disobeyed God and sin spread to all mankind. Our Bible tells us that ... 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned- 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 5:12-21

Greetings, my friend. The perspective I have to share is that of "the Church." I am not a direct descendant of Abraham that I know of. So I have no inheritance to God's favor, entitling me to spend eternity with God, that I can claim. I grew up in one of the so-called Christian denominations that I now believe teaches much heresy and, if they do not repent, are in grave danger of God's judgment that is coming on the earth soon. Fortunately, in 1976, I had a personal encounter with Jesus, who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me." Jesus didn't expect me to be good enough to be accepted by God, because He fully intended to pardon all my sins when I put my faith in Him, and give me His own perfect sinless righteousness in which I stand before God now and in eternity. My guilt and shame and fear are gone. I have God's Spirit living inside of me, helping me live according to His Spirit and not according to my old sinful flesh nature. I have a new nature as a child of God. It's who I am. Many blessings!

This is going to sound crazy, because I never thought I could even remotely believe that my beloved country, the United States of America, could have been involved in originating or spreading this deadly plague. And I would have been horrified to think it was motivated by hatred for any of God's people, especially my dearly loved Muslim brothers and sisters. However, I now believe it did come from the heart of Satan, through an American channel. But the object is not Iran. The objects, I now believe, are we, the believers in Jesus, who will never accept the Mark of The Beast, that will be forced on all the world out of fear of Covid-19, through the "life-saving" vaccine... including a micro-chip implanted in the forehead or right hand, prophesied in the book of Revelation, chapter 13.

This is so interesting to me as a Christian. I was pleased, and not surprised, to hear my Christian brother on this video say that we share this view with Shia Muslims. Blessings from God!

In fact, Jesus already died for your sin.

Just as Abraham believed God, and his belief was counted to him as righteousness, for the forgiveness of sin, I have believed God, that He sent His Son into the world to conquer and destroy sin and death and the one who through the fear of death holds all men captive to sin, Satan. And I believe the descendants of Ishmael are chosen by God to receive salvation through Jesus, also.

Dear EThErEaL, Respectfully, I cannot disagree with you more. For the Bible tells me we have all fallen short of the glory of God, who is perfect. And in order to be accepted by Him, reconciled to Him, we must become perfect like Him. But the problem is sin. It afflicts us all equally. Some of us are just more aware of the damning evidence and consequences, like you. But the sobering truth is none of us is able to stop sinning on our own. God knows this. He has always known this. Which is why He promised to send a Savior, One who would save mankind from their sins. But not all mankind will believe God, like Abraham did. Ever since Abraham, whoever, by faith, accepts God's plan, will be saved--that is, changed from filthy and damned, to righteous and holy.

Yes. It does seem that Satan is winning by accusing us in our struggle against sin. But we believe Satan is like a toothless lion with no power any longer to condemn us, because when Jesus died in our place on the cross... He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. - Colossians 2:15 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. - John 16:11 And when Jesus returns... 1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. - Revelation 20:1-3 7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the Earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the Earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false Prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. - Revelation 20:7-10 I enjoy our discussion, Ashvazdanghe.