Unequally Yoked
This post is part of the Ideological Turing Test Challenge. Go to the tab above for an overview and remind yourself of the voting and commenting guidelines.
What is your best reason for being a Christian?
I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior.
When you open your heart to Jesus and know that He is your Savior, everything else falls into place. There is no greater peace, no deeper calm, no lasting satisfaction like Salvation.
What evidence or experience (if any) would cause you to stop believing in God?
None. My faith in God does not depend on proof.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1).
Why do you believe Christianity has a stronger claim to truth than other religions/On what basis do you reject the truth claims of other traditions and denominations but accept your own?
The Message of Salvation has been carried to all nations. From the very first Days of Our Lord’s mission on Earth, the call went out. After His Resurrection, apostles carried the Message of Salvation to the churches (synagogues) of Asia and even to Rome itself and then beyond that all down through the centuries. Even the rise of Islam in the Middle East did not erase the Word. Today the Message of Salvation is broadcast via satellites. Everyone can receive the Blessing.
When you open your heart to Jesus and know that He is your Savior, everything else falls into place. There is no greater peace, no deeper calm, no lasting satisfaction like Salvation. All through time since the Ministry of Christ, millions have been saved, though millions also turn away.
Faith in the Lord is not the result of an academic debate by Oxford rules, or whatever you think.
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (NIV)Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (KJV)
See that there be no one who shall lead (you) away as a prey through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the teaching of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. (Darby)
See ye that no man deceive you by philosophy and vain fallacy, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ. (Wycliffe)
All of these translations say the same thing. That speaks to the question below. You are so blind, so deaf, so selfish that you think this is just some clever trick answer that will win a debate. The Word of God is the Message of Salvation.
How do you read the Bible? Do you study the history of its translations? How do you decide which translations/versions/books are the true Bible? How does it guide you if you have a moral or theological dilemma?
Those are three questions.
1. Yes, I read the Bible. I have a King James, but usually read the New International Version.
2. I know of the translations, but I have not studied them. I read some New Testament Greek with modern translations. We do not speak Greek any more. We speak English (or other modern language), so the Bible is translated into our languages to bring us the Word of God, the Word of Salvation. The Bible is eternal, regardless of what language you use because “in the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ] and the Word was (with) God.” (John 1:1)
When you recognize Jesus Christ as your Savior, when you know that there is no other path to salvation, then human misunderstandings are less important. Jesus said (Matthew 5:17) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” This means that faith in the Lord transcends our errors. Many things are in the Bible. I eat pork. I know Christians who do not. I have cotton-polyester clothing even though garments of two cloths were once forbidden. How do we keep the sabbath? Is it a matter of banking the fires and not turning on the lights; or not doing any work for pay; or some other little technical thing. Or is keeping the Sabbath knowing the infinite love of God through his Son Jesus Christ? In His Resurrection as the Messiah, Jesus fulfilled the law. When we are with the Lord, we follow His law because we are saved. It is very simple to understand: “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one commandment: Love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Galatians 5:14).
3. It only takes a few years to learn well the general outline of the Books and their general messages as expressed in certain scriptures that are well-known. I have a concordance. And the Internet. But you have the problem stated wrongly, which betrays your own absence from Salvation. I mean to say that if I have a problem with my neighbor, I do not look up “Neighbor, problems with Exodus 22:7. …, Luke 1:65,… (See also “Brother”)” When troubled, I pray. I pray for understanding. I ask God to show me the way. I open my heart to see if I have sinned. Being saved does not excuse sin. Sin harms others and harms the sinner. If I have hurt others, I ask for forgiveness from the them as well as knowing that God has forgiven my sins through his Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. (John 3:16.)
By reading the Bible, finding those passages that I do not know or do not know well, I gain a better understanding of God’s will. If I have a problem with my neighbor, I do not need to run to the Bible to know what to do next. Life is not like that for those who are saved.
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