CoreIssue
02-19-2006, 11:57 AM
Christianity teaches a lot about a lot of subjects. And there is some wide ranges of views on a number of these issues.
But regardless of what many who call themselves Christians say there are certain foundational basics that are musts to be a Christian.
Surprisingly, they are not many or difficult to understand. The reason being Christ knows what is in the truth in ones heart so even if one is foggy and far from clear he knows their reality and if they are really seeking him.
So, the absolute basics are:
1. God is a just God. He does not overlook what deserves punishment or what deserves
reward.
2. We are sinners, thus we deserve punishment. God cannot overlook our sins.
3. We cannot do anything to earn God's forgiveness for our sins. We cannot get to Heaven
by the good we do outweighing the evil. The evil must be paid for in God's Law.
4. While God is uncompromisingly just he is also full of mercy and love.
5. To give us a way to have our sins forgiven God took on human flesh to live the perfect life
we cannot. He set aside his Godly powers and lived as one of us and succeeded where
Adam in the Garden failed. He did this as Jesus Christ, God the Son.
6. Having lived that perfect that merited no punishment Christ willingly took all our sins onto
himself to die in our place to pay our punishments. His sacrifice totally outweighed our sins
to the point God, the Father, accepted his death as payment in full for the sins of those who
would repent.
7. To take part in this forgiveness one must recognize all the above are true and call upon God and Christ in repentance (recognizing one's sins and truly regretting them) asking their sins be totally forgiven believing such forgiveness to be by grace (total gift) based on their faith (trust) in God and Christ to forgive them.
That is it. The sum total of what is need to enter Heaven. What even the foulest person on the earth can do on their death bed and thus enter Heaven.
But understand here, this action must be genuine. Not partial.
And after one will, not might, be convicted of the fullness of their sins they have been forgiven of, feel the absolute need to change from their sinful ways and will gain a peace of heart even when their minds and flesh are still trapped in turmoil.
A process of change begins in the persons life. It is called sanctification.
If no such changes occur then the person needs to examine themselves to see if their repentance was in earnest. Not just in some of the moment of "weakness" that past and they returned to their normal lives.
Unfortunately there are a lot of false doctrines and religions out there that lead people to think they are seeking the Biblical Christ and repenting in truth but are not. They are doing so under false thinking.
One must surrender their lives directly and totally to Christ. Not retaining anything in any way to themselves.
But regardless of what many who call themselves Christians say there are certain foundational basics that are musts to be a Christian.
Surprisingly, they are not many or difficult to understand. The reason being Christ knows what is in the truth in ones heart so even if one is foggy and far from clear he knows their reality and if they are really seeking him.
So, the absolute basics are:
1. God is a just God. He does not overlook what deserves punishment or what deserves
reward.
2. We are sinners, thus we deserve punishment. God cannot overlook our sins.
3. We cannot do anything to earn God's forgiveness for our sins. We cannot get to Heaven
by the good we do outweighing the evil. The evil must be paid for in God's Law.
4. While God is uncompromisingly just he is also full of mercy and love.
5. To give us a way to have our sins forgiven God took on human flesh to live the perfect life
we cannot. He set aside his Godly powers and lived as one of us and succeeded where
Adam in the Garden failed. He did this as Jesus Christ, God the Son.
6. Having lived that perfect that merited no punishment Christ willingly took all our sins onto
himself to die in our place to pay our punishments. His sacrifice totally outweighed our sins
to the point God, the Father, accepted his death as payment in full for the sins of those who
would repent.
7. To take part in this forgiveness one must recognize all the above are true and call upon God and Christ in repentance (recognizing one's sins and truly regretting them) asking their sins be totally forgiven believing such forgiveness to be by grace (total gift) based on their faith (trust) in God and Christ to forgive them.
That is it. The sum total of what is need to enter Heaven. What even the foulest person on the earth can do on their death bed and thus enter Heaven.
But understand here, this action must be genuine. Not partial.
And after one will, not might, be convicted of the fullness of their sins they have been forgiven of, feel the absolute need to change from their sinful ways and will gain a peace of heart even when their minds and flesh are still trapped in turmoil.
A process of change begins in the persons life. It is called sanctification.
If no such changes occur then the person needs to examine themselves to see if their repentance was in earnest. Not just in some of the moment of "weakness" that past and they returned to their normal lives.
Unfortunately there are a lot of false doctrines and religions out there that lead people to think they are seeking the Biblical Christ and repenting in truth but are not. They are doing so under false thinking.
One must surrender their lives directly and totally to Christ. Not retaining anything in any way to themselves.