David, you are right about Christ being our Savior. But I don't think God is some bearded guy sitting on a throne in a place called 'Heaven'.
God Is. God is Truth. God is All. And the only way we can know Him is through Christ, his Chosen One. (John 14-6:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.) Jesus isn't some bearded guy either, He is the Way, the Love of Life, the Love and understanding and the connection we feel to God's creation, tot each other, to ourselves. Therefore: no Christ, no God.
Also to be clear, that's not to suggest that God sitting on his throne means that God is somehow like we humans and limited in space or time. God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Any idea that God is on a throne in heaven doesn't mean that God is not somehow interacting with his creation (the world, us, etc.) or is somehow distant.
I’m so so thankful sissy that we had a Daddy that shared Gods word with us♥️ I would not want to spend eternity without you. You are precious in His sight... never forget that
Whether God is bearded or not, I won't argue. And surely, I'm taking liberties in describing God in my posts, to better help people understand that God is a person. But the Bible is quite clear that God does sit on a throne in a place called Heaven, at least when he chooses to. See, for instance, Revelation 4:
1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
A couple of things. First, baptism does not factor into salvation. Baptism is a response to being saved. It’s how we show publicly what has gone on in our heart. It’s good for all Christians to be baptized, but it’s not going to change whether you go to heaven. Jesus will claim those that are really his. Let’s also be clear about what “belief” means. Belief doesn’t mean an intellectual belief that Jesus existed. Satan believes that. It would have to be Hitler’s sincere belief that Jesus could save him from sin. Can Jesus save Hitler? Yes. There is no crime too big that Jesus cannot save. There are many murderers that will be in heaven because of their faith (notably Moses and David). But a real believer is not one who would kill 6 million Jews. So if Hitler came to faith, it would have had to have been at the last moment. Remember that works do not save us, only faith. But once you have been saved and have a relationship with God, that relationship will cause you to do good works and “bear fruit.” I hope that helps.
BTW, I should also say that playing the “Would Jesus save this or that person?” game is probably not something you want to spend a lot of time on. The fact is that only God truly knows what is happening in someone’s heart. It’s best to focus on your own situation and then take up the work of the great commission. In the gospels, Jesus tells the story of the sheep and the goats, so we know that many otherwise religious people, even those who think they are Christians, will find that it isn’t so, with Jesus saying that he never knew them. My personal thought is that those are going to be a lot of people who grew up as “Christians” (had an intellectual knowledge of Jesus) but fell into a works-based Christianity where they believed that they were “pretty good people.”
Let's be clear, good works are very important. But they do not save. Only faith saves. But as James wrote in James 2:14-26 (NLT):
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[f] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[g] He was even called the friend of God.[h] 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath,[i] so also faith is dead without good works.
David, you are right about Christ being our Savior. But I don't think God is some bearded guy sitting on a throne in a place called 'Heaven'.
God Is. God is Truth. God is All. And the only way we can know Him is through Christ, his Chosen One. (John 14-6:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.) Jesus isn't some bearded guy either, He is the Way, the Love of Life, the Love and understanding and the connection we feel to God's creation, tot each other, to ourselves. Therefore: no Christ, no God.
Also to be clear, that's not to suggest that God sitting on his throne means that God is somehow like we humans and limited in space or time. God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Any idea that God is on a throne in heaven doesn't mean that God is not somehow interacting with his creation (the world, us, etc.) or is somehow distant.
“God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. “
My dear Daddy taught me those words when I was an adolescent. I’ve never forgotten them over 50 years later.
I’m so so thankful sissy that we had a Daddy that shared Gods word with us♥️ I would not want to spend eternity without you. You are precious in His sight... never forget that
What a gift God gave us - each other. My wombmate 🥰
Whether God is bearded or not, I won't argue. And surely, I'm taking liberties in describing God in my posts, to better help people understand that God is a person. But the Bible is quite clear that God does sit on a throne in a place called Heaven, at least when he chooses to. See, for instance, Revelation 4:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%204&version=NLT
Revelation, Chapter 4 (NLT):
1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Know Christ, Know God.
A couple of things. First, baptism does not factor into salvation. Baptism is a response to being saved. It’s how we show publicly what has gone on in our heart. It’s good for all Christians to be baptized, but it’s not going to change whether you go to heaven. Jesus will claim those that are really his. Let’s also be clear about what “belief” means. Belief doesn’t mean an intellectual belief that Jesus existed. Satan believes that. It would have to be Hitler’s sincere belief that Jesus could save him from sin. Can Jesus save Hitler? Yes. There is no crime too big that Jesus cannot save. There are many murderers that will be in heaven because of their faith (notably Moses and David). But a real believer is not one who would kill 6 million Jews. So if Hitler came to faith, it would have had to have been at the last moment. Remember that works do not save us, only faith. But once you have been saved and have a relationship with God, that relationship will cause you to do good works and “bear fruit.” I hope that helps.
BTW, I should also say that playing the “Would Jesus save this or that person?” game is probably not something you want to spend a lot of time on. The fact is that only God truly knows what is happening in someone’s heart. It’s best to focus on your own situation and then take up the work of the great commission. In the gospels, Jesus tells the story of the sheep and the goats, so we know that many otherwise religious people, even those who think they are Christians, will find that it isn’t so, with Jesus saying that he never knew them. My personal thought is that those are going to be a lot of people who grew up as “Christians” (had an intellectual knowledge of Jesus) but fell into a works-based Christianity where they believed that they were “pretty good people.”
Similarly, Ephesians 2:10: "10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Let's be clear, good works are very important. But they do not save. Only faith saves. But as James wrote in James 2:14-26 (NLT):
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[f] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[g] He was even called the friend of God.[h] 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath,[i] so also faith is dead without good works.