All religions are basically the same: Religions except for Christianity are based on the idea that man in some way works his/her way to GOD, whether by penance, good works, right living, discipline, or repeated attempts (reincarnation). The basis of Christianity is that man can never be good enough or work his/her way to GOD, but must accept by faith the salvation that GOD has provided. See here for more information.
There are several ways to GOD:
Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).
I am not good enough to come to GOD for salvation:
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of GOD, and there is nothing a man can do to save himself/herself, therefore come to GOD as you are and let GOD cleanse you of all sin. Salvation has nothing to do with what you have done or can do, but what GOD has done for you. See here for more information.
I am not going to heaven or hell, I am neutral:
Jesus said that he that is not with me is against me (Mathew 12:30). There is no neutral ground, man is born with a sinful nature and is bound for hell by default. See here for more information.
I can get saved later:
Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any man, and your life could end without warning.
I can decide when I want to get saved:
No man can come to GOD unless he/she is drawn by GOD. If you sense this drawing go here NOW, and pray the prayer shown there. As people resist the draw of GOD to salvation they become hardened, and the Spirit of GOD will not forever strive with man (in other words there is a point of no return).
My sins are not really bad ones:
As the Bible teaches one that breaks one part of GODs’ Law is guilty of all the Law. In short sin is sin.
I will make it to heaven through my connection with another person or organization that knows GOD:
You have to make the choice for yourself, another person can not put in a good word or otherwise provide your salvation for you. See here for more information.
I can buy my way to heaven through donations to the church:
That is not how it works, see here for more information.
I am right with GOD because I follow the 10 Commandments: This is one I had believed, however I now know that no man can be good enough by his/her own means, but must accept the gift of salvation provided by GOD. See here for more information.
I can cut a good deal for me with Satan:
Satan is the father of lies, don’t deal with a lier, you will lose in the long run.
There will be sinful pleasures in hell, and my friends will all be there: Sinful pleasure generally results from a perversion of the good provision of GOD, and there will be nothing good in hell, even to pervert. If your friends are in hell they won’t want you there, and given an accurate picture of hell most of us wouldn’t even want our worst enemies to go there. See here for more information.
GOD wants to ruin all my fun:
Sinful pleasure is only momentary, always has adverse consequences, and ends in death. GOD is Love and is always looking out for our best interests.
I can find a way to avoid the consequences of sin:
Judgment may be delayed, but sin will eventually be judged. As the Bible says the end of sin is death. Peoples attempts to avoid, even the short term, consequences of sin tend not to work. See here for more information.
GOD is a good GOD, and/or a GOD of Love and wouldn’t send anyone to hell:
GOD is a good GOD, but also Holy and perfect, and cannot tolerate sin. Another way to look at it is what would heaven be like if it contained evil and good. Truth is all just a matter of interpretation: You can believe what you choose to believe, but if you have experienced the real thing I don’t think you could believe it is a matter of interpretation. The truth is not an idea, but a relationship, Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
Those that have not heard the salvation message cannot be held accountable:
GOD has created man with a conscience, and the man that hasn’t heard will still be judged by that. We are all born with a fallen nature and it is a sobering thought that many that don’t deserve going to hell any more than we do are going to hell, but may not have if they had been provided a better opportunity. However if you have heard and have not accepted the gift of salvation, how much worse will it be for you.
I am going to heaven because I believe in GOD:
The demons believe in GOD and tremble, but are still going to hell.
That Adam & Eve sinned by eating an apple:
The original sin according to the Bible was that they ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
Jesus is a wimp:
Jesus worked as a carpenter in a time before power tools, that had to be tough, but seriously, for example when he turned over the tables of the money changers at the temple (Mathew 21:12) I don’t see where anyone challenged him. Try something like that and see how far you get, even if your not a wimp. My favorite, however, is to quote a bumper sticker I’ve seen “Jesus, Tougher than Nails”.
I am going to heaven because I am a good person:
No man can be good enough by his/her own means, but must accept the gift of salvation provided by GOD. See here for more information.
I can combine Jesus with other religions and have it all, or Jesus is just another prophet:
Jesus was very clear in rejecting this concept. Jesus is who he said that he is, which is GOD, or he is a lunatic and blasphemer.
People turn to religion because they need a crutch, or to cope with life:
I believe that a this perception results from the fact that there is great consolation and healing provided by GOD, and quite often people do “hit bottom” before they accept the Lord. However an honest evaluation of history will reveal that Christians have shown great courage in the face of adversity.
The beliefs expressed here are my own, and are intended to open the hearts of unbelievers to receive revelation of the truth of GOD and salvation. I do not intend to represent myself as an absolute authority or expert. I believe that the Holy Bible is the infallible word of GOD and that the information provided here is borne out by this word, but don’t take my word for it, always test everything said against the Holy Word of GOD.
Created: 2/15/2020