Does this matter?

[alphaparticle]

romans 10:9

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

I believe this passage indicates that if you believe that Jesus is Lord and raised from the dead you are saved, regardless of these other issues. I have also wrestled with many parts of the Bible, and particularly when I first converted did not even know how to take most of it.

[crochetlady]

1 Corinthians 15 -- Gospel in a nutshell.  Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins , according to Scripture -- that He rose again after 3 days --  thus proving that He was Indeed who He said He was  God's Son. 

 

So -- there is the need to believe in God in the 1st place.  That Jesus Christ was / is His only Begotten Son rather than simply a good religious teacher of that time in history.   The need to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus -- because without the Virgin birth -- He'd be just like any other Jewish man.   And if He were just another Jewish man -- He'd die just like every other person in his Own sin.   But Being the son of God -- He was the Perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.   Our sins were put on Him -- He died with them -- went to hell IN OUR PLACE -- thus paying the 'wages' of our sins (death).  He rose bodily from the dead  -- and after 40 days or so , He ascended back to heaven to be at the right hand of God the Father.   And He WILL come back again to receive us to Himself. 

    And, there is Nothing we can do on our own to pay for our own sins.  No good works on our part will ever be good enough to earn our way to heaven. 

 

So Those things you Do need to believe in your heart 1st  and Then confess them with your mouth. 

 

You said you believe in a metaphoric way.  Maybe you need to explain what you mean by That.  Do you believe that God's Word is really True?   Were Adam and Eve real people?  For instance. 

[other one]

 

romans 10:9

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

I believe this passage indicates that if you believe that Jesus is Lord and raised from the dead you are saved, regardless of these other issues. I have also wrestled with many parts of the Bible, and particularly when I first converted did not even know how to take most of it.

 

I would say that "believing" Jesus is Lord, and confessing that Jesus is truly your Lord is a different thing.    One can believe Jesus is Lord without making him your personal Lord....   I know for I did it for 20 years.

[alphaparticle]

 

 

romans 10:9

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

I believe this passage indicates that if you believe that Jesus is Lord and raised from the dead you are saved, regardless of these other issues. I have also wrestled with many parts of the Bible, and particularly when I first converted did not even know how to take most of it.

 

I would say that "believing" Jesus is Lord, and confessing that Jesus is truly your Lord is a different thing.    One can believe Jesus is Lord without making him your personal Lord....   I know for I did it for 20 years.

 

Alright, add in explicitly genuine confession. Belief and confession went hand in hand for me, insofar as, I had no reason to believe insincerely or in an impersonal way.

[His_disciple3]

Yes it matters.

 

It matters because if you start believing the parts of the bible you want to believe is the word of God, and don't believe the parts you don't want to believe, and every other christian did the same thing, where would that leave us?

 

A sorry mess, no?

 

The more you read, meditate on the Word and pray, the more alive the Word of God becomes.

 

Do you attend a church, or receive any teaching from another source?

every other Christians does do that, this is why we have denominations, and yes I agree it is a mess

[Guest shiloh357]

I was born into a family of atheists, and now I would probably have to consider myself a born again Christian. But since becoming a Christian, I have been accused of not being a Christian. I consider myself a Christian because of two things: I believe in god and I believe that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. I think the reason I have been accused of not being a Christian is because I don't believe that everything in the bible is literal. I tend to read and understand it metaphorically. Does this matter? Does this mean I am not a Christian? God told me I was, so when people tell me this it is like they are accusing god of lying to me. Can someone please give me their opinion on this. Should I be saying that I am not a Christian then?

What it means is that you probably need more instruction and study in the Bible, depending on what you take as "metaphorical" and depending on how you define the term "literal."   Many people have an incorrect understanding of what "literal" actually means.

[Guest shiloh357]

 

romans 10:9

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

I believe this passage indicates that if you believe that Jesus is Lord and raised from the dead you are saved, regardless of these other issues. I have also wrestled with many parts of the Bible, and particularly when I first converted did not even know how to take most of it.

 

If you have a low view of God then you will have a low view of the Word of God.  Many people don't understand that the Bible is a unity.  The Bible doctrines intersect with each other.   The New Testament is building on what was revealed in the Old.   So it isn't the case that if you believe the "right" things about Jesus that nothing else  matters. 

 

You may be saved, but your theology becomes incoherent and useless, not to mention confusing and frustrating, constantly having to wrestle with the Bible.   Many people wrestle with the Bible because they don't view the Bible's authority as anything greater than any other viewpoint out there.  They put the Bible on the same footing with no more weight than any other theory going on out there, so it is not surprising that they have to wrestle with such things.  

 

I would hate to have live in that constant struggle trying to trust a God that I really can't trust to tell me the truth.  Why put any faith in the power of a God who isn't powerful enough to give me the ultimate truth and resolve my doubts???   That's the result of putting God's truth on par with man's theories.

[hamletcat]

I really appreciate everybody's responses and opinions because the more I read, the more I understand.

One of the issues for me is that I was born into a family of atheists, so I was indoctrinated as an atheist. This is a real challenge, because my brain is hard-wired to "not understand" spirituality. Logically I know that god must exist. But to truly understand the messages in scripture, and to hard-wire my brain to be able to think like a theist, is very difficult. One of the tools I use is to try to read the bible metaphorically which really helps. Then I really start to see "God's voice" in scripture. Just yesterday for example, with God's help, I was able to finally understand how the bible actually is God's word. I read some interpretations online about the bible being "god's word" and then through revelation, I understood what that meant.

Unless I go to my church meetings or bible study, I am surrounded by atheistic thinking, so it is probably more of a struggle than I thought to become open to the theism. I guess I don't yet fully think like a theist. For example, maybe I don't even know what the world literal means.

The reason I started this thread was because of a discussion I had with a member of my bible study group. He didn't understand my understanding of the term "resurrection" in the bible. I said that I didn't believe it was possible for a spirit to re-enter a body that has already experienced physical death. For example if you cremate a body, it wouldn't be possible for a spirit to re-enter it and become human again. So he said that I didn't believe Jesus was resurrected and therefore I wasn't a "Christian." But this is why I was confused because I do believe that it is only possible to be saved through Jesus Christ. And as far as I know, Christianity is the only religion that holds this belief. So that is why I thought I was a Christian.

[Guest]

Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

I believe this passage indicates that if you believe that Jesus is Lord

 

and raised from the dead you are saved,

 

regardless of these other issues.

 

I have also wrestled with many parts of the Bible,

 

and particularly when I first converted did not even know how to take most of it.

 

 

Beloved, Heads Up

 

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9

 

For Jesus

 

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:9

 

Is

 

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11

 

LORD

 

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

 

Even Of The Sabbath

 

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Matthew 12:8

 

~

 

And As For All Those Denominations

 

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

 

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

 

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:3-7

 

Well,

 

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

 

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

 

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

 

To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

 

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

 

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:6-11

 

There You Go

  

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

 

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

 

For the body is not one member, but many.

 

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

 

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

 

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

 

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

 

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

 

But now are they many members, yet but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20

 

 

~

 

Be Blessed Beloved Of The King

 

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

 

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24-27

 

Love, Your Brother Joe

[Alejandro84]

Hi Hamletcat, to begin to answer your question, I would first say that someone passes from death unto life when they have been revealed of the revelation of Jesus Christ, in that he died and rose to set one free from the bondage and captivity of ones sins unto a new life of liberty in freedom. And that person was been freed from the father of lies unto the truth of God's word. And that's the key thing..that you come to know that God's word is truth. For Christ said if you continue in his word then are you his disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Continuing in His word means to believe in the promises which were promised unto Abraham, who lived by Faith and believed in the gospel which said that in his seed would all the nation's be blessed, that seed being Christ.

To rightly divide the Word of truth, one needs the Spirit of Truth and Christ said that the Spirit of Truth will guide you unto all truth. That spirit is given when you believe on Jesus (God is my salvation) as Savior.