LA-girl said:
The bible also tells us that meeting w/ the fellowship is important.
Important, but not necessary! For me, I know that I would be less faithful if I had to go to meetings, in church etc. For most people maybe the opposite is right, but for me it is important to have my own personal relationship with Jesus. Every christian needs to find out for himself what is most beneficial for his/her belief!
And your other separate post I read that said you don't have to like other ppl
Also you said I had claimed that I do not like most Christians. What I meant was, I don’t feel I fit in with these people, also I find a lot being judgemental. I am not saying that all Christians are the same, but for the most part this is how I feel. I
do not have anything against them, I just don’t feel welcome or feel that I fit in. The only way for me to be a Christian is to look at God and Jesus and realize how much he cares about me and all people for that matter. Like cutefluffykitten says:
God is my judge, not you or any other christian.
I don’t think that you should not try to do your best in the world. I think when you become a christian your heart change and you want to do good things and you will automatically feel bad when you sin. It would not hurt to ask God for forgiveness, but I do not think you will be doomed if you don’t.
If a person is truly saved, he will turn from his sins. I believe that even if a person is saved, he will sin and still be saved. I don't believe that a person can lose their salvation once they have it. Unless they loose their faith and turn against God.
I know many Christians will have contradictions here. But I have been convinced that
it is as simple as this. You have the right to think otherwise…
Actually I'm not sure whether it said it was important or necessary as I would have to re-read it even though I recall it meant important/necessary and I know certain scriptures in memory and they're very meaningful. You're right that personal relationship is important/necessary too and I understand that even Christians can be sinful and you might not like certain ones though their sin is not God's fault and it's their choice. God made us w/ a decision to have the power to change ourselves. I didn't say you won't sin after but you have to put the effort and repent of your sins, there's a scripture that specifically and clearly says 'Repent (that's action, not only believing) and be baptised'. -You can't only believe and that's it. You keep saying it is so simple and what I was trying to make clear to correct is that being a Christian is a constant, very difficult, battle! It's hard to be a disciple of God or God-like, to imitate and continue to be on track, that's why I fear going to hell- it's not easy.
You quoted 1 to 3 scriptures and said like 'That's it, so simple, that's all you have to do'- That is Wrong, it is not the only scripture, it's one of the scriptures, there are many others altogether as well that apply and it looks like you disregarded those, and I told you certain specific ones in the previous message- it quotes that faith alone is dead. You have to put action too and like Mary posted in another separate thread, if he sees your true effort, even if you sinned he will forgive but YOU HAVE TO live by God's WordS, not only 1 or 2 of the scriptures but in all-- living by the Word, teachings of the correct way and not turning to your Old ways so you can't only quote a scripture and tell everyone, look- that is ALL there is to it, it's not. Therefore it didn't only suggest that if you believe you will automatically turn from your sins, it quoted it directly. I didn't intend to continuously tell you you're wrong, sorry if I did that, I was only telling you.
And for others who claim that God would not punish if God is so loving, yes he will like in a discipline way, out of love to lead you to repentence and change and to Learn he will, as it also tells us like a parent would punish to teach you a lesson for the better since they care about you. If God has to, he will, out of love, hit you hard if he has to so that you will change as he finds sin disgusting though there are lots of things we don't know about God as he could be beyond our understanding. So for a lot of us if we listen to the gospel to those who preach through their knowledge and experience of the word, you will learn so much in your arguments on God. Punishment/discipline for good cause He will do. It could be cruel to you but you should take thought into it if it actually is true.
I also realize a person said they get annoyed hearing only Christianity when speaking of God. I guess it's that he's the only one who claimed he is the One and Only God. I'd choose that one, it's very interesting and also mysterious and makes a lot of sense although maybe the old testament can really bore you in a lot of parts of it but not the new testament. And many these days are turned away out of religion in how it evolved to not look into it further and they'd rather not, as the views are common now to dismiss that there's any God and that blinds us or they don't want to or never thought to consider it on a deeper level, for example, you will hear others tell you mental illness is nothing other than out of the physical, the world just only happened but that is short-sighted which at times we are.
however even I don't understand God that well so I won't be talking about anything much and I wonder things too though it doesn't mean God isn't there. I believe God is and for thought-out reasons that's obvious to point in that direction of the way things are in the universe and the truth of it but sometimes it seems like it's sort of unfair and unwise that it told us he loved us so greatly that he died for us and out of love he is giving us a 2nd chance. I thought that he made the world to be able to have sin or left it like that when it was ruined and disobeyed and he should've destroyed us then already and that would be love as sin is genetic now and will continue to go on to the next generation even though I guess that my judgment isn't better than God the Almighty! And he doesn't expect us to be perfect, and only to be his disciple and to genuinly try anyway. The bible also said others will reject their word and choose to live however they want and that they'll be going to hell and I don't see why others would even do that if what it teaches is all righteous but also they could like to be in sin which ruins the world as well.
-wups I keep adding things as I do this at times...
TLZ: Yeh I'm fine when there's opinions that oppose mine in what you said in general on others being disrespected if you don't agree, and it's ok to have your opinion even if you disagree, usually most of us will be alright with it, it's nothing to get angry of like who does a person think they are if you had to go along w/ their view, everyone should see for themselves at their own pace and can't force anyone to view it in a way they don't, we're all entitled to our mistakes and stuff.
And about different interpretations of the bible, they are more or less the same, there's only one that I know of it's the King James version in old english and NIV-new international version in modern day english. Of course there are those who will cut off portions of it which God cautioned you will pay for that, or add false information, and they're called s.th like Mormans who do that, cutting off some of God's word claiming you don't have to do that part etc.
Is hell real? I mean, doesn't the Bible talk about it? If God's going to destroy any of his creatures, I know that it will include me, because I am too anxious to keep believing that it is true. Listening to Bible teaching terrifies me, so I stay very far away and try my best to disbelieve. But I am still so scared. 
