toldailytopic: Does one need a religion to know God?

Lovejoy said:

I have been trying to rehabilitate that particular word for some time. No dice! People seem to like it as a perjorative.

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Indeed. When one looks deep enough, the underlying attitude against claiming Christianity as a religion is quite often more about false piety than anything else.

James wrote to the church scattered, the Israel of God, that was fractioning. Believers at the time of his epistle were being persecuted, not being martryed, but nevertheless suffering economic persecution and oppression. There were those within the church that thought "getting ahead", socially and economically, was more important to obedience to God's commands. Hence, his admonition in 1:27 along with others, such as knowing a true believer by their lifestyle, and not becoming polluted by the world. If one's religion was true, the fruits would be in evidence. Some quickly pounce on the fruits to mean works-based salvation. James intended nothing of the sort. In fact, James' epistle, page by page, contains more indirect and direct quotes of the teaching of Christ, Who certainly did not preach works-based salvation, than any other books of the Bible outside of the four Gospels.

AMR

Ask Mr. Religion said:

James' epistle, page by page, contains more indirect and direct quotes of the teaching of Christ, Who certainly did not preach works-based salvation, than any other books of the Bible outside of the four Gospels.

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Wrong again...

"Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"

Knight said:

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for July 29th, 2010 11:09 AM

toldailytopic: Does one need a religion to know God?

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.

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Religion is only the good works. There is nothing spiritual about a religion.

The worship of God is supposed to be in Spirit / Spiritual. - Good works come natural to the worshiper of God. It’s the nature of the Christian to do good works, not for any glory, but by the nature of the Christian. It’s his nature to do good. It’s not any part of the worship of God.

There is nothing that is said in the Word, that anyone can turn a religion into any part of the Worship of the Father.

Paul – 072910

madman said:

Wrong again...

"Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"

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Please stop. You are embarrassing yourself. Read on in the chapter. It was clear the rich man was not following all God's commandments, it was impossible, as the point of Christ's teachings. But what is impossible with men is possible for God. Salvation is the work of God, not man.

Now below the fold you go for me, as I don't have the time to waste even skimming past your erroneous content. I'd rather just not even see it.

AMR

To a degree. But what you need most of all to know God is the sweet, sweet release of death. :cloud9:

Aimiel said:

No. God can manifest as He wills, to whomsoever He wills. My uncle, who never heard the gospel, was convicted by The Spirit of The Lord, and came into a relationship with God, without any denomination or minister ever speaking to him. It isn't the norm, but it is possible. Adam, Moses, Abraham and many others in The Bible, knew God, without ever once being religious.

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Scripture says faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

I can imagine a person coming to faith apart from church affiliations or persons ministering, but how can a person be saved apart from reading or hearing the Holy Scriptures which contains the gospel message?

Adam, Moses, and Abraham were all given the Word of God through Covenant promises (God's word).

If you do not mind me asking more detail, how exactly did the Holy Spirit convict you uncle of his sins and gift him with faith?

Nang

Nang said:

Adam, Moses, and Abraham were all given the Word of God through Covenant promises (God's word).

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And all of them enjoyed the sweet, sweet release of death. :cloud9:

Ask Mr. Religion said:

Please stop. You are embarrassing yourself.

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No, I'm embarrassing you and YOUR religion.

You just called Jesus a liar when he told the man if he kept the commandments he could inherit eternal life. It is true that it is impossible for anyone to keep the commandments, and that is why the Law brings us to the end of self. Jesus exposed our inability and His ability.

Your misguided views about religion being "possible" has you in a contradiction. It is no more possible for someone who is lost to keep the commandments by his works, than it is for someone who is saved. Not only is salvation the work of God, but so is the Christian life.

Traditio said:

And all of them enjoyed the sweet, sweet release of death. :cloud9:

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Some people prefer the slightly bitter, darker taste of prolonged suffering. :chew: I find it a bit..chalky.

It is a better source of antioxidants though. lain:

Town Heretic said:

Some people prefer the slightly bitter, darker taste of prolonged suffering. :chew: I find it a bit..chalky.

It is a better source of antioxidants though. lain:

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The sad truth is that, when you get right down to it, those are the only options. :sigh:

Persephone66 said:

I would say so. There has to be a myth to tell you about a mythical creature.

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Says the man that wears a bra.

Nang said:

Scripture says faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

I can imagine a person coming to faith apart from church affiliations or persons ministering, but how can a person be saved apart from reading or hearing the Holy Scriptures which contains the gospel message?

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He heard The Living Word of God, in his heart. At the time, he didn't know how to discern it, but he said that all he knew, as he fell to his knees, was that he needed to ask Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart. He did and He did. He now lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where he rents five bedrooms in his home to college students, studying at Rhema Bible Training Center or Oral Roberts University. It was over 35 years ago that he was miraculously saved. He was a drunken womanizer, and had never heard the gospel.

Adam, Moses, and Abraham were all given the Word of God through Covenant promises (God's word).

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So, you're saying they bought a copy of a book?!?

If you do not mind me asking more detail, how exactly did the Holy Spirit convict you uncle of his sins and gift him with faith?

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It was immediate and miraculous. The Holy Spirit convicted him. He began attending church, but spent his free time studying scripture, reading and engaging anyone who was Christian, to gain their understandings. It was over a year before his wife and daughter believed that what he had was real and became saved themselves. He asked at the church he attended about tongues and Holy Spirit baptism, but they told him they didn't believe in all that nonsense. He said, "It's in The Bible, so I believe it." He later became spirit-filled and joined the Assembly of God in Fairfield. My family and I attended there with them for several years, even helped paint the new building. Pastor was Hugh Rosenberg.

Aimiel said:

He heard The Living Word of God, in his heart. At the time, he didn't know how to discern it, but he said that all he knew, as he fell to his knees, was that he needed to ask Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart. He did and He did. He now lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where he rents five bedrooms in his home to college students, studying at Rhema Bible Training Center or Oral Roberts University. It was over 35 years ago that he was miraculously saved. He was a drunken womanizer, and had never heard the gospel. So, you're saying they bought a copy of a book?!?It was immediate and miraculous. The Holy Spirit convicted him. He began attending church, but spent his free time studying scripture, reading and engaging anyone who was Christian, to gain their understandings. It was over a year before his wife and daughter believed that what he had was real and became saved themselves. He asked at the church he attended about tongues and Holy Spirit baptism, but they told him they didn't believe in all that nonsense. He said, "It's in The Bible, so I believe it." He later became spirit-filled and joined the Assembly of God in Fairfield. My family and I attended there with them for several years, even helped paint the new building. Pastor was Hugh Rosenberg.

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With all due respect, and to be theologically precise, your uncle experienced regeneration of heart, and then came to faith as he began to study Scripture . . . for apart from faith in the Word of God, profession of "belief" has no foundation or power to change one's hopes of eternal life.

Nang

Nang said:

With all due respect, and to be theologically precise, your uncle experienced regeneration of heart, and then came to faith as he began to study Scripture . . . for apart from faith in the Word of God, profession of "belief" has no foundation or power to change one's hopes of eternal life.

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No, he came to have faith in Christ, The Living Word of God, before he could stop crying in repentance, on his face in the floor. His knowledge that he had eternal life came the moment he was saved, but his faith in Christ grew, as he came to know God's forgiveness of his sins, through Jesus' Blood, crying in a heap. He was a man's man. Never cried. When he shot himself in the leg, pulling his Colt 45 out of it's holster, during practice for fastdraw competition, at Blue Ash Police's shooting range, he didn't cry, he just said, "That was stupid." He was the toughest man that I knew, growing up. In fact: I thought he was too rough, so I hung out with another uncle, who had been in the Navy, who wasn't nearly as criminal. There truly is no limit to what God can do. I've seen lives changed, the same way that it happened to him, and often it takes long hours of crying and fellowshipping with The Spirit of The Lord before anyone can even convince them to get up off of the floor.

madman said:

No one will argue that it hasn't worked for you.

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Are you saying that I'm lying to myself about something? If so then what am I lying about?

alwight said:

If I ever hear cows talking then the first thing I'd be wondering would be just how deluded am I? :think:

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Yeah that.

Nick M said:

Says the man that wears a bra.

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Yes, I do wear a bra. My breasts tend to look better pushed up rather than sagging. Keeps them from bouncing around too.

Were you trying to insult me there or something? You epic failed, but that's normal for you.