: Shaun? HelllOOOooo? Where'd you go? I thought your life's mission was to save my soul. See : http://www.mcspotlight.org/debate/anything/messages/3870.html
I hope you don't mind me interrupting and joining in. I read the above link, and I will attempt to answer your questions. I have noticed a few things in that thread that Shaun did not mention much of, and they are: faith, the Holy Spirit, and backing up his statements with Scripture. He may have used other words skirting around these, but I did not actually see any of them standing out.
: You sure did give up easily. Are you sure you are committed to spreading the Good Word about Jesus? Maybe my last response to you was too long or not worded clearly enough. Perhaps you are short on time. Allow me to summarize my concerns, questions, and issues that your last post brought up:
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: 1) You've stated several times that there is nothing I can do to be saved but you have also stated several times that there are things (or THING) I MUST do in order to be saved. SO......which is it? Are there things I CAN do to be saved, MUST do to be saved, or is there NOTHING at all I can do to be saved?
All you need is FAITH and love, as faith without love is useless (1 Corinthians 13:2b) Romans 3:21-31 will basically answer your question. There is no good deed that you need to do to be saved, it is moreso a change of thought. There is more to just beleivng in Jesus, as Shaun said once. Even Satan believes in Jesus. Please do read the Bible references I have included, as God's Word puts it much better than I do.
: 2) Are all Jews that have lived and died after the arrival of Christ now in eternal Hell?
If they have heard about Jesus and chosen to reject him, then I guess they are. It's sad.
: 3) Clearly there are languages that the Bible has not been translated into (as demonstrated by Nikhil and Floyd in our thread below).
: http://www.mcspotlight.org/debate/anything/messages/3873.html
: If you have to be born again to get into heaven, and you have to know Jesus to be born again, and you have to read the Bible to know Jesus, how are people that speak such languages supposed to get into heaven?
They may HEAR the Word, rather than read it. There are a great many illiterate people in these places who probably couldn't read it even if it was in their own language. There are missionaries around the world, spreading the Good News about Jesus, and there are Bible translaters too, who are working on translating the Bible for these people while also witnessing to them, and teaching them about Jesus.
: 4) You've said that I have to be born again in order to know Jesus. You've also said that I have to know Jesus in order to be born again. Clearly this is a catch 22. How am I supposed to accomplish either assignment (getting born again or knowing Jesus) if both are prerequisites for the other?
Well, if you've never heard of Jesus, then you obviously couldn't know him. I think it's moreso knowing about Jesus before you make a committment of faith, and then you develop a personal relationship with Him, getting to know him more and more.
: 5) You've stated that, in order to be saved and get into heaven, I have to confess to God in the form of Jesus. But you've also said that God is not currently IN the form of Jesus, so how am I supposed to make my confession? More importantly, how did YOU make YOUR confession. Did God make a special private appearance to you in the physical form of Jesus so that you could make your confession? How did you invoke such an appearance? Was there something you did to get this special attention?
I can't speak for Shaun, but I have had no special appearances or anything. A bit of background: Jesus is in Heaven with God, and on earth through the Holy Spirit living in us (Christians). To talk to God or Jesus, all you need to do is pray, and He will hear you.
: 6) Are you (Shaun) "born again" OR are you a "worldy sinner"? Ealier you made distinction between these two things that made it impossible for you to be both. Yet you have claimed to be born again AND have also claimed to have sinned since being born again (in fact you said that it was impossible NOT to sin even after being born again). So which is it? Maybe you are a sinner but not a "worldly sinner"? Are you then an "etheric sinner" or perhaps a "heavenly sinner"? Please explain.
Romans 7:14-25 talks about struggling with sin, and Romans 8:1-17 talks about life in the Spirit. I recommend you read them.
: 7) What constitutes a "sinful lifestyle"? How often can I sin (and to what degree) without being seen by God as living a "sinful lifestyle"?
Any sin will be seen as a sinful lifestyle, but if you have faith in Jesus, God sees Jesus in you, not your sinful nature. Is that clear/understandable? I'm sure you'll soon tell me if it isn't.
: 8) You've stated that the Bible is "crystal clear" (particularly on matters of salvation). But you have also stated that one must sometimes read it over again or ask someone for help in understanding it. Do you really believe it is fair to refer to a text as being "crystal clear" that has to be reread (perhaps many times) or that one must seek outside consultation on in order to understand? If so, how would you classify the instructions on a can of soda ("Pull Tab") or the on a traffic sign ("Left Lane Merges"). Would you refer to these instructions as "crystal clear"? Why? Do you have to reread them or ask for help in order to understand them? No? Then shouldn't we refer to these instructions as being "extra super duper crystal clear"?
That's a good question. If Shaun was referring to the KJV Bible, then its true, it is sometimes difficult to understand, because of the Old English it uses. I don't want to get into the issue of what is the best version of the Bible to use, but some modern translations are: Contemporary English Version (CEV), New Living Translation (NLT), New International Version (NIV) and The Message. They are all pretty understandable.
I hope I have helped to answer your questions. There is a website you may like to look at called Reasons to Believe, and it is at http://www.reasons.org You can contact them through an email on their page and ask questions, but I think they are slow in replying because they are very busy. There is also another very good site called God on the Net, and its address is http://www.godonthe.net
