Christians differences in God and Heaven

[Guest Wonder]

I am interested in the various Christian religious views of God and Heaven. Suppose I am looking for a Christian religion and that much of that is based on views of the nature and being of God as well as what Heaven is to be like, what will we be doing, what are the rewards. I am not looking to have scripture cited to me, just a straight forward answer as to who/what God is and what heaven will be like after this life. Why would I choose one over the other, say the views of the Baptists, Methodists, Mormons, New Apostolic, Catholic, etc. Why would I choose Baptist over Mormons, Catholic over Protestant? Thanks

[godrulz]

The key issue is the attributes and nature of God. A view of heaven would involve more speculation and is not a salvific (salvation) issue.

The Bible is the Word of God and authoritative standard for truth. It reveals that there is only one true God, and that He is triune (Father, Son, Spirit).

Mormons are considered a cult, because they believe in many gods (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith).

Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus is Jehovah God. They say He is Michael, the archangel.

So, there are many 'Christian' groups that are actually false, heretical religions.

The world religions like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism (root of Christianity), etc. would also not make the list of full truth revealed from God.

Within historical, orthodox, Biblical Christianity there are many denominations. Most agree on the essential truths of the gospel. They differ on non-essential issues. One could attend a Baptist, Pentecostal, etc. church and grow in the Christian faith if they are Bible-based and preach the Gospel. Some denominations have become liberal and 'dead'. Avoid those if you want spiritual life.

Christianity is a love relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. One must repent, trust/receive Christ, and chose to love and obey Him to the end. We must believe God exists and that Jesus is Creator God. Jesus died and rose from the dead. We are not saved by our good works.

Heaven will be a place where believers will be with God. It will be awesome and beyond our imagination. Many cults and religions have appealing views of heaven, but these are secondary and not a criteria for salvation truth. We will all live forever (heaven or hell).

May you have wisdom as you seek to know God. More specific questions will be responded to by various posters.

[Adstar]

Hello Wonder Welcome to our boards :t3:

I will try to answer your questions as best as possible.

[nebula]

I am not looking to have scripture cited to me, just a straight forward answer as to who/what God is and what heaven will be like after this life. Why would I choose one over the other, say the views of the Baptists, Methodists, Mormons, New Apostolic, Catholic, etc. Why would I choose Baptist over Mormons, Catholic over Protestant? Thanks

Welcome to the Boards!

OK, describe the Christian view of God and of Heaven without quoting from the Bible?

Err.... what are we supposed to base our beliefs on?

Well, all denominations that are Christian (Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Methodist, and possibly Catholic - there's disagreements with this one) will all (or should all) agree that God either is or reveals Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the words of the Apostle's creed (no one here has problems with this, do they?):

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ [Messiah - in Hebrew], His only begotten Son our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary [the Christmas story]. He suffered under Ponteous Pilot [Roman Ruler over Israel at the time]. He was crucified, died, and was buried. He decended into Hell. On the third day, He arose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

The Nicene Creed elaborates a bit more, but I want to focus in on the part about the Holy Spirit:

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

That, I believe is the best nutshell on the doctrine of who God is from the Christian perspective. All Christian denominations should believe this. If not, they aren't Christian - like the Mormons.

As far as why you should chose one over another? Well, the truth is, none of us can tell you which to go to. Every church is going to be different, no matter what the denomination. Personally, I believe you would be better off checking out the churches in your area and see if you feel most at home with one of them. I take it you do not know much about the Bible or Christian doctrine? That's why I recommend this. Every denomination has its hang-ups and issues that others have controversies over. It can be debatable about how important this is or not. What is important is that you have a fellowship of believers to interract with, people who can teach and train you in the ways of the Lord, who can teach you about knowing Jesus better. You need a church that will be like a family to you, and something like that will be church-specific rather than denomination-specific.

And, unfortunately, the only way to know the truth is the read the Bible for yourself and learn what it has to say. Even grabbing a children's Bible is a good start if the big book is too much to swallow at once.

Anyway, that's my two cents.