Feb 16, 2012 -- 3:28PM, Webers_Home wrote:

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Feb 16, 2012 -- 2:26PM, TemplarS wrote:

what if God is not a Baptist?

I have a better question. What if the Bible's God goes strictly by the book?

Well, then sister Whitney and everyone else has nothing to fear, and much to rejoice in:

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:10 [emphasis added]

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Mar 21, 2012 -- 3:59PM, smcisaac wrote:

Well, then sister Whitney and everyone else has nothing to fear, and much to rejoice in: That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1Timothy 4:10

That's precisely why so many people are already in hell, and why so many more will end up in hell. God is the savior of all people; rather than Allah, or Shiva, or Bondye and Lwa, or whoever else might be on your list of deities at large.

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Mar 21, 2012 -- 3:59PM, smcisaac wrote:

It says "especially" of those who believe, not "only" of those who believe.

The koiné Greek word for "especially" is malista (mal'-is-tah) which means: particularly

Webster's defines "particularly" as: specifically. In other words; though the Bible's God is the savior of all men; He only saves those who believe.

†. John 1:11-12 . .To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

In other words; unbelievers have like zero right to count themselves members of the Bible God's family.

†. 1Cor 1:18 . . For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

You see, if all were saved, Paul wouldn't have made a distinction between those that perish and those that are spared.

†. 1Cor 1:21 . . It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

In other words; the Bible's God saves those who believe preaching; while those who don't believe preaching are left to perish.

†. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who listen to my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

In other words; people who ignore the Lord's words, and disbelieve in the Bible's God, abide in death, and in grave danger of the wrath of God; and I'm not talking about an insignificant number of people either; no, in point of fact; I'm  talking about the majority.

†. Luke 13:22-24 . . And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, master, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

†. Mtt 7:13-14 . . Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

†. Mtt 22:14 . . For many are invited, but few are chosen.

†. John 5:28-29 . . A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out— those who have done good will rise to life, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

You know smcisaac, I feel pretty certain you're neither stupid nor illiterate; so it appears to me that you like to amuse yourself opposing the element of belief in the Bible's plan of salvation.

Cliff
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It was hard to decide whether to post this here on on the "Christian Kitsch" thread, but the underlying theological substance brought it here:

Jesus Forgives Whitney Houston in Heaven

Enjoy!

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Personally, I think Houston made it. Yes; her life as a Christian was a trainwreck; but when Christ is your high priest; that's not the deciding factor.

I think the biggest mistake Whitney ever made was in marrying a pagan.

†. 2Cor 6:14-18 . . Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmonyis there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.

. . . As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate— says the Lord —touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters— says the Lord Almighty.

Whitney's association with God went on the rocks the day she got hitched to the wrong man.

†. 1John 1:5-6 . .This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

Houston can still be saved in spite of her marriage to Bobby Brown; though I doubt she'll get much recognition for loyalty.

†. 1Cor 3:11-15 . . For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Some folk attempt to use that passage to prove there's a purgatory, but that's not what it's saying. The last part "as one escaping through the flame" depicts somebody wakened in the middle of the night by their house on fire and they get out just in time but take nothing with them except the clothes they wore to bed. All their mementoes, all their belongings, and sometimes even their pets go up in smoke. The person is spared, but everything they owned is gone. Poor Whitney. She threw away the best years of her life on the wrong man and was out of sorts with God in the process; and now her daughter is paying for Whitney's spiritual indiscretion with depression and drug addiction.

There's a pretty cool scene in the movie "Moonstruck" where a man wants to come inside with Loretta's mom after an impromptu dinner out. Well; she said no and her reason was "I know who I am". In other words; Loretta's mom was married and she was not about to cross that boundary. Houston forgot who she was and crossed 2Cor 6:14-18 and you can see what it got her.

†. Gal 6:7 . . Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow.

Cliff
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