Meluleki Maphosa Supporter Amateur Bible Student

I will endeavour to put it simply by asking other questions:
1. It seems you want to go to heaven and avoid hell, but you do not want to serve God. That seems to me to be a contradiction because if you go to heaven, you will have to live by God's rules because that is His house. I am sure at your own house you also have rules. Those that come to your house must abide by your rules. With God one of the rules is that you must come through the gate. That gate is obeying God. 

If you do not want to serve God you will be so miserable in heaven. Better not to go there at all. In fact, there are only 2 choices to make. The first one is obey God and go to heaven. The other is hate God and have nothing to do with Him and you go to hell. In hell are all those who do not want anything to do with God. 

However, by His great love, God has warned us that not to obey Him is to choose death/ hell. If you do not want to die in hell the choice becomes simple: obey God. 

I am happy to note that the person who asked the question can see that there is not much of a choice if you do not want to go to hell. Be assured that there is a choice in fact. The choice/ decision is much higher up the decision tree, than the point of asking the question. 

The question is: are you going to obey God or not? The same question was asked of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God said to them ".. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die." Gen 2: 17. The choice presented to this couple was simple, if you want to live do not eat of this fruit (obey). However you are free to disobey and eat but the consequences are that you will die i.e. not have life. 

The principle to me is simple: eternal life and obedience go together, while disobedience (lawlessness) and death go together as a package. They cannot be mixed!

September 23 2014 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

JD Abshire Supporter

Question: "Are we forced to serve God?"

Friend, unless one is born again, born from above serving God is an absolute impossibility. We do not serve to get saved but are saved to serve.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

In the natural, unregenerate state ALL are destined for hell, no exceptions. There is nothing you, I or anyone else can do to justify ourselves before a holy and righteous God, to earn salvation.

Romans 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. V.7 "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die."
v.8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" 

Let's set the record straight. The eternal Son of God did not come here as a mere example, miracle worker and martyr, HE came here as the ultimate sacrifice to pay for fallen man's sin. HE was God's sacrifice to himself, the only sacrifice acceptable! "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). 
Our blessed Lord's sacrifice was one of substitution, the innocent dying for the guilty. 

What is required of us? Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

1 Corinthians 15:1 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;" v. 2 "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. V.3 "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;" v. 4 "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" This is the gospel of grace.

Before one can serve God he has to know God or more correctly, be known by God. (Galatians 4:9) To the submitted believer, serving God is not a chore, it is a desire, honor and privilege. "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

September 23 2014 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Kathy Brundidge Supporter church of Christ

I think you've answered your own question. Man is not forced to serve God or Satan, but if you choose to serve God, you choose not to serve Satan, and vice versa. Jesus taught His disciples to teach people His ways, but never to force the issue. Matthew 10:12-15, in today's language, would be like, "Tell them what I did for them. If they believe it, baptize them, if not, shake the dust off your feet and leave them alone.".

September 23 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Emo Tenorio Supporter Shomer

I humbly submit that it's quite the opposite, as one may choose unwisely to use their limited time on this stage called life and live in total rebellion to the things of God.

Luke 7:50; Luke 8:10; Luke 8:18
This pro choice creator has in His loving kindness and mercy set before the human creation a choice to accept or reject (in my case many times) the freedom purchased by His son. And in this life our choices do come with responsibilities and consequences sometimes paid for by you, and sometimes paid by others. The fact is nobody rides for free! 

Luke 6:24; Luke 6:25; Luke 6:26
This is contrary to the fashionable utterances of the social mantra today, where one's choices are deemed to be free of all consequences and any blame maybe set elsewhere.

Psalms 84:10; 
Logically consider for a moment: why would anyone want to spend eternity in the very presence of Him, whom you rejected and rebelled against while dancing on life's stage for a short while? (would this not define hell, for some?)

In the Lord's freedom there is liberty and joy.........warrior on

September 23 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report