There are three enemies that oppose the Christian walk. Satan, the world, and the flesh. They work in constant conjunction to bring down the Christian. Satan has made sin look like pleasure and fun, the world markets it as 'truely living', and the flesh craves it. This is why we are commanded to resist the devil, love not the world and its products, and bring the flesh under subjection.
"That really is not a Heaven or Hell issue." "That is not relevant for us today." "He really did not mean it that way." "Legalist!!"
All of these are used by people who wish to justify their yeilding to the flesh's yearning for the goods that the world is marketing.
The way to Heaven was declared straight, narrow, and difficult by Jesus Christ Himself.
One last point in this post, the only way that a person will backslide is if they allow themsleves to backslide. It is a process that is made choice by choice, compromise by compromise.
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I am an Apostolic Pentecostal. Apostolic in teaching, and Pentecostal in experience.
But hang on. Nobody seems to be addressing the actual question. I wasn't asking is it hard -- I was asking should it be hard? I mean, you can hardly expect God to hand out salvations for free, can ya? Then your "reward" could hardly be considered a reward!
Jesus said, "Come to me, my yoke is easy and my burden is light". I believe when we have full surrendered to Him it is and should be easy! Will we have rough spots, yep, we still live in a screwed up world. But we should be able to walk thru those rough spots, confident that we are safe in Him.
__________________ For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. (Romans 14:11- NASB)
I'm not sure if there's any scripture that ever suggests that salvation is or would ever be "easy". We're told to "endure to the end" in scripture. This is a high moral integrity and sometimes a troubling life that we might have to struggle through.
Killing the flesh isn't "easy". Fighting the enemy's temptation isn't easy. If it was there'd be no point for the Devil to even try to take us out.
Should heaven be easy? I don't think God wants to make it "hard for us". I don't buy that at all.
The problem is SATAN doesn't want us to be saved, there is still a destroyer, and sin (even after the New Birth) is still in the equation. Our SIN NATURE is what makes it hard for us, not God.
God's plan is perfect, which is why it erks my nerves for people to say "it doesn't take all that", "God's gifts come for free I can't do anything to get to Heaven"... the Bible says work out your own salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING, not liesure, fun, games, and happy times.
It really shouldn't be HARD for us to live the life of holiness that God requires. But it's OUR OWN FLESH that makes it hard.
Even after the New Birth (repentance, baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, and the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost) we still have this problem. It's actually harder to stay saved then it is to "get saved" (or experience the new birth) you CAN be born again and go to Hell, if you don't follow the guidence of the Holy Ghost, which always is at war with the flesh.
Our salvation is a battle, battles aren't won "easily".
So can living an more-or-less normal Christian life, but wondering if you are really saved. Or wondering why miracles don't happen for you. Or thinking some of your loved ones who have died are in eternal torment. (Does it help to know that they deserved it?)
Ha, you don't believe this, though, right? So, you figured it out...
If you stay chaste and patient, God will reward you here.
Not sure about that. People who do what they think God wants them to do have both good and bad things happen to them. Same goes for people who are either unbelievers or are believers who mess up now and then. How can anyone know if some good thing is a reward or not? How can anyone know if a bad thing is a punishment or not?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Not sure about that. People who do what they think God wants them to do have both good and bad things happen to them. Same goes for people who are either unbelievers or are believers who mess up now and then. How can anyone know if some good thing is a reward or not? How can anyone know if a bad thing is a punishment or not?
Oh, I have to agree that a "good thing" might just be a test, but that is trying to determine after the fact, whereas "he who finds a wife finds a good thing" shouldn't generally be assailable-although at a 50% divorce rate, it is def under assault.
I said "rewarded" to Houston, and came back to say that if you're serious about a wife, (this will sound weird) insure that it would be a reward by studying to show that you are aware of why you might not want a wife; all the reasons people "in love" so often get divorced.
To find something in life, it always seems that there is an element of completely forsaking it first, going away from it, IMO.
Not sure about that. People who do what they think God wants them to do have both good and bad things happen to them. Same goes for people who are either unbelievers or are believers who mess up now and then. How can anyone know if some good thing is a reward or not? How can anyone know if a bad thing is a punishment or not?
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