> If you believe and have hate in your heart you are fooling yourself > Pete. Call it anything you want to grasp the idea.
I agree on this point. "Whoever says, "I love God," but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20) This is hard truth with which all of us struggle. > Sin is one that > many can easily see. ? > > Either way you need to be both in the eyes of God if you call yourself > a believer, yet God will accept those who are not believers because of > their proper actions. At least that is how I grasp the theology of > St. Paul in his books. Eee. Be careful with this interpretation. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). "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" (Titus 3:5). "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Romans 3:28) You are probably referring to the passage in Romans where he talks about Gentiles and others who are a "law unto themselves," who having not the law (i.e., the Torah) nonetheless obey it in their hearts, their conscience apparently bearing witness in the absence of the law: "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves" (Romans 2:14). It does not say they are saved, just that when they have the law in their hearts even without knowledge of the law through religious tradition, then they are a law unto themselves. Remember, Paul's major point throughout his writings was that the law itself -- of which he was one of the most perfect(ionist) practitioners -- was, to his professional consternation, totally insufficient for salvation. It is only by faith in God's mercy, as expressed through the "Passover" sacrifice of his own son, the sacrifice that he spared Abraham, combined with our inner knowledge of our complete inability to attain salvation without that mercy, that our spirits are regenerated (born again) and become alive to God. Then the hard part begins. :) - Bob > > > -- > Stephen Russell > Sr. Production Systems Programmer > Web and Windows Development > Independent Contractor > Memphis TN > > 901.246-0159 _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
