7 deadly sins front and center Tritorch. I also noticed, there is so much greed and avarice and self advancement , many are not interested in laying their life down for another . John 15:17 . We live in very evil times .
Most people just hang out. What is important in this is what you do and how you react without thinking, and what you do when no one is looking. Tests of your true self.
This substack really puts things into perspective. One thing that helps is to ask yourself each morning what good you can do this day. It’s powerful, because you will automatically start thinking about what you can accomplish.
Arrogance is thinking your better than everybody else or nearly. Pride is just thinking your better than you are. Lust is off the charts. Nobody cares. It don't seem fixable because they believe it's entitled pleasure. Envy is seen in children all the time. The fight over toys that look fun but in a minute they discard it. The other person thought it looked fun when another had it. Nope. Greed, is more like a fear based self righteousness or the person wants to live it up. Envy starts it, usually from a bad example someone else appears to have gotten away with. Lower souls or the soulless have to have show off material estates to attract the envious to trap them. It's a soul trapping trick. Gluttony is taking more than your really worth. If it shows up in eating disorders IDK but they always called fat people gluttons back in the days.
Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and one displays that faith through the good works that flow from it, hence Christ's words " You will know them by their fruit." Not only am I willing to bet my soul on it, but I have built my house upon that Rock.
Hello, I am so thankful to come across this post. I appreciate what you have written, as I see that you are well aware of the existence of God and that you are trying to identify His attributes by seeking out the things He likes and identifying/staying away from that which He does not. I am curious about where your understanding of God has come from, as you questioned someone about the source of his/her salvation. Those questions can very easily be asked of the "soul test" you wrote about: how do you know that for sure? Are you willing to bet your soul on it?
God has revealed Himself in His Word, which is the Bible. One of His traits that He explains to us in His Word is that He is holy, which is itself a difficult concept to grasp because it is something that we are not! Just to scratch the surface would be say that means He is perfect and unblemished. But that He is holy also means that He cannot be anywhere near sin, which includes that list you posted, but is more accurately articulated in His Commandments. The consequences of our sinful conduct, however small it may seem to us in our imperfect state, is catastrophic as it creates a chasm between us and our holy Creator. How big is that separation? Well, it is as big as God is, who is Himself infinite. Try as we might, we can put all of our good deeds into that chasm in an effort to reach God, but it cannot possibly be enough. Why not? Because our deeds can be numbered, and that infinite gap would still remain.
The reason why other commentators have told you about their faith in Jesus Christ is because there is ONLY ONE way to fill that "God-shaped hole" that separates us from God: God Himself. And that is exactly what He did through His Son, Jesus Christ. God came down through Christ, "the Word made flesh," who died for us on the cross, and then rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and place their faith in him are "born again," immersed by the Holy Spirit, which enables us to pursue the holiness of our God that you eluded to in your post.
Again, I very much appreciate your post. If you have questions or would like to know more, I would strongly encourage you to find a church in your community and surround yourself with other people who are also on this journey. I like using the church finder at founders.org, as they try to connect believers with Bible-centric churches. You are also welcome to message me!
Do you believe that the bible is immutable and cannot be corrupted by man?
If I were the devil and there were edits that I could influence a follower to make to the bible, getting Christians to stand down while I spread my evil would be priority one. Not only would that grant me a monumental advantage in my war with Good, it might also grant me the souls of those who did nothing to stop me.
My second priority as the devil would be to make Christians everywhere believe that the bible couldn't be edited. Combine these a_priories and you get where we are today: standing on the brink of a ruined world.
Too many good men and women did nothing - often because they believed they did not have to do anything, accepting Jesus was all that was needed to enter heaven - the incorruptible bible said so - and evil triumphed.
This is a self-defeating philosophy that is damaging to the soul because excuses sloth in the face of evil. Do nothing to stop the devil and you still can gain the ultimate prize? This is exactly what I would want you to believe if I were him: Stand down, do nothing, God has your back either way.
No, this cannot be a way into heaven, but if I were the devil, I would sure want you to believe it was.
I agree with everything you said. One of my problems with organized religion/churches is that that they followed orders from the govt and shut down when told to during covid - when some of us most needed the fellowship of others in a church due to loss of loved ones, scary times, etc.
They are typically INCORPORATED entities that have to OBEY their true master which unfortunately is the psychopathic control freak PARASITES that run the show.
Yes, several years ago I did a little research on churches and found they are now corporations - which means they must abide by rules for corporations. This is NOT a good thing, it means they must make $, for one. Also, corporations are soulless entities - do the math, this is not a recipe for any church that wants to abide by Jesus' teachings, especially when we remember that Jesus threw the money makers out of the temple.
My main issue with some of this is what exactly CAN we do? Raise up with arms to throw the psychopaths out of their seats of power? Vote them out with a skewed cheating system that will never allow that? Pray that they are taken out by a falling meteor or lightning strike? I mean REALLY...WHAT CAN THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE DO?? I want to raise my family, love my children, be good to other people and have a few toys to play with. BUT THEY DON'T WANT ME TO! I become a felon if I don't pay $200 for a rifle that has a barrel that is shorter than 16". I get a fine of $250,000 for doing so and a stay in a cage for up to 10 years and would have harmed NO ONE. Read "Sammy Used To Love Home Grown Green Beans" on my stack. Read I Just Want To Be Left Alone on my stack. Read There is a REASON THEY Don't listen to US on my Stack... So I ask...WHAT exactly can we do with all of these evil people in power as "leaders" and so many are "enforcers" of their "laws".
"God has given you an exceedingly minute moment on this earth to prove yourself through your good deeds, and in doing so gain everlasting life in heaven" So basically you believe in what most Christians would call "works". Do this right, do that right, do what is right and you'll make it to be with God. Nice concept, however, a lot of it makes no sense, at least to me.
Would it be a good deed if some lunatic was raping women in my neighborhood and I caught him and shot him in the head? or would the good deed be turning him over to the "authorities", letting him get run through the system with a slap on the wrist and let out to do what he was doing again?
I get your point, to a degree. Being a nice dooby is probably better than being a politician.
7 deadly sins front and center Tritorch. I also noticed, there is so much greed and avarice and self advancement , many are not interested in laying their life down for another . John 15:17 . We live in very evil times .
Most people just hang out. What is important in this is what you do and how you react without thinking, and what you do when no one is looking. Tests of your true self.
This substack really puts things into perspective. One thing that helps is to ask yourself each morning what good you can do this day. It’s powerful, because you will automatically start thinking about what you can accomplish.
Here’s a very old poem that you might like:
Somebody
Somebody did a golden deed;
Somebody proved a friend in need;
Somebody sang a beautiful song;
Somebody smiled the whole day long;
Somebody thought, “Tis sweet to live”;
Somebody said,” I’m glad to give”
Somebody fought a valiant fight;
Somebody lived to shield the right;
Was that “somebody” you?
-Anon
Had to take a screenshot of that! Thank you for this piece. The sifting has always been but now really in high gear.
Pray I can make even a small contribution.
Excellent.
Thanks, I will send this to those I love.
Arrogance is thinking your better than everybody else or nearly. Pride is just thinking your better than you are. Lust is off the charts. Nobody cares. It don't seem fixable because they believe it's entitled pleasure. Envy is seen in children all the time. The fight over toys that look fun but in a minute they discard it. The other person thought it looked fun when another had it. Nope. Greed, is more like a fear based self righteousness or the person wants to live it up. Envy starts it, usually from a bad example someone else appears to have gotten away with. Lower souls or the soulless have to have show off material estates to attract the envious to trap them. It's a soul trapping trick. Gluttony is taking more than your really worth. If it shows up in eating disorders IDK but they always called fat people gluttons back in the days.
John 3: 16-18 , still rings true to me .
Beautiful. Thank you for this writing.
Nice! Great Article! Well written! : )
Salvation does not come through works (aka good deads), but by faith in Jesus Christ.
How do you know that for sure? Are you willing to bet your soul on it?
Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and one displays that faith through the good works that flow from it, hence Christ's words " You will know them by their fruit." Not only am I willing to bet my soul on it, but I have built my house upon that Rock.
Hello, I am so thankful to come across this post. I appreciate what you have written, as I see that you are well aware of the existence of God and that you are trying to identify His attributes by seeking out the things He likes and identifying/staying away from that which He does not. I am curious about where your understanding of God has come from, as you questioned someone about the source of his/her salvation. Those questions can very easily be asked of the "soul test" you wrote about: how do you know that for sure? Are you willing to bet your soul on it?
God has revealed Himself in His Word, which is the Bible. One of His traits that He explains to us in His Word is that He is holy, which is itself a difficult concept to grasp because it is something that we are not! Just to scratch the surface would be say that means He is perfect and unblemished. But that He is holy also means that He cannot be anywhere near sin, which includes that list you posted, but is more accurately articulated in His Commandments. The consequences of our sinful conduct, however small it may seem to us in our imperfect state, is catastrophic as it creates a chasm between us and our holy Creator. How big is that separation? Well, it is as big as God is, who is Himself infinite. Try as we might, we can put all of our good deeds into that chasm in an effort to reach God, but it cannot possibly be enough. Why not? Because our deeds can be numbered, and that infinite gap would still remain.
The reason why other commentators have told you about their faith in Jesus Christ is because there is ONLY ONE way to fill that "God-shaped hole" that separates us from God: God Himself. And that is exactly what He did through His Son, Jesus Christ. God came down through Christ, "the Word made flesh," who died for us on the cross, and then rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and place their faith in him are "born again," immersed by the Holy Spirit, which enables us to pursue the holiness of our God that you eluded to in your post.
Again, I very much appreciate your post. If you have questions or would like to know more, I would strongly encourage you to find a church in your community and surround yourself with other people who are also on this journey. I like using the church finder at founders.org, as they try to connect believers with Bible-centric churches. You are also welcome to message me!
Do you believe that the bible is immutable and cannot be corrupted by man?
If I were the devil and there were edits that I could influence a follower to make to the bible, getting Christians to stand down while I spread my evil would be priority one. Not only would that grant me a monumental advantage in my war with Good, it might also grant me the souls of those who did nothing to stop me.
My second priority as the devil would be to make Christians everywhere believe that the bible couldn't be edited. Combine these a_priories and you get where we are today: standing on the brink of a ruined world.
Too many good men and women did nothing - often because they believed they did not have to do anything, accepting Jesus was all that was needed to enter heaven - the incorruptible bible said so - and evil triumphed.
This is a self-defeating philosophy that is damaging to the soul because excuses sloth in the face of evil. Do nothing to stop the devil and you still can gain the ultimate prize? This is exactly what I would want you to believe if I were him: Stand down, do nothing, God has your back either way.
No, this cannot be a way into heaven, but if I were the devil, I would sure want you to believe it was.
I agree with everything you said. One of my problems with organized religion/churches is that that they followed orders from the govt and shut down when told to during covid - when some of us most needed the fellowship of others in a church due to loss of loved ones, scary times, etc.
They are typically INCORPORATED entities that have to OBEY their true master which unfortunately is the psychopathic control freak PARASITES that run the show.
Yes, several years ago I did a little research on churches and found they are now corporations - which means they must abide by rules for corporations. This is NOT a good thing, it means they must make $, for one. Also, corporations are soulless entities - do the math, this is not a recipe for any church that wants to abide by Jesus' teachings, especially when we remember that Jesus threw the money makers out of the temple.
Tritorch,
Amen!
My main issue with some of this is what exactly CAN we do? Raise up with arms to throw the psychopaths out of their seats of power? Vote them out with a skewed cheating system that will never allow that? Pray that they are taken out by a falling meteor or lightning strike? I mean REALLY...WHAT CAN THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE DO?? I want to raise my family, love my children, be good to other people and have a few toys to play with. BUT THEY DON'T WANT ME TO! I become a felon if I don't pay $200 for a rifle that has a barrel that is shorter than 16". I get a fine of $250,000 for doing so and a stay in a cage for up to 10 years and would have harmed NO ONE. Read "Sammy Used To Love Home Grown Green Beans" on my stack. Read I Just Want To Be Left Alone on my stack. Read There is a REASON THEY Don't listen to US on my Stack... So I ask...WHAT exactly can we do with all of these evil people in power as "leaders" and so many are "enforcers" of their "laws".
So you can be an utterly evil person but if you have faith in Jesus you're good to go? I don't think so. "By their fruits you shall know them."
We agree.
I'd be hard pressed to believe that an utterly evil person would have faith in anything but themselves. And the evil that they are involved with.
Totally agree!
"God has given you an exceedingly minute moment on this earth to prove yourself through your good deeds, and in doing so gain everlasting life in heaven" So basically you believe in what most Christians would call "works". Do this right, do that right, do what is right and you'll make it to be with God. Nice concept, however, a lot of it makes no sense, at least to me.
Would it be a good deed if some lunatic was raping women in my neighborhood and I caught him and shot him in the head? or would the good deed be turning him over to the "authorities", letting him get run through the system with a slap on the wrist and let out to do what he was doing again?
I get your point, to a degree. Being a nice dooby is probably better than being a politician.