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Quoting from a highly recommendable book by Robert Farrar Capon: "Kingdom, Grace, Judgment, I will put a different edge out here for your reader to "judge":
Pgs. 199-200 "....In heaven, there are only forgiven sinners. There are no good guys, no upright, successful types who, by dint of their own integrity, have been accepted into the great country club in the sky. There are only failures, only those who have accepted their deaths in their sins and who have been raised up by the King who Himself died that they might live.
But in hell, too, there are only forgiven sinners. Jesus on the cross does not sort out certain exceptionally recalcitrant parties and cut them off from the pardon of His death. He forgives the badness of even the worst of us, willy-nilly; and He never takes back that forgiveness, not even at the bottom of the bottomless pit.
The sole difference, therefore, between hell and heaven is that in heaven the forgiveness is accepted and passed along, while in hell it is rejected and blocked. In heaven, the death of the King is welcomed and becomes the doorway to new life in the resurrection. In hell, the old life of the bookeeping world is insisted on and becomes, forever, the pointless torture it always was.
There is only one unpardonable sin, and that is to withhold pardon from others. The only thing that can keep us out of the joy of the resurrection is to join the unforgiving servant in his refusal to die."
Prayer, by no means is a legal constraint by which I have Life in Jesus Christ's power of the Resurrection. NO, prayer is one of those "kingdom treasures", that once discovered, the discoverer will sell all that is theirs and go buy the field from that sale the kingdom treasure is found in!
He chose us, we did not choose Him. He first loved us with His steadfast love and mercy, we did not seek it or even know of it. He "crowns" us, we nothing for it except accept it with a joyful heart!
Psa 103:1 Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
Psa 103:3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
Psa 103:4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
Psa 103:5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psa 103:6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
Psa 103:7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
Psa 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psa 103:9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
Psa 103:10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Psa 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
Psa 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Psa 103:13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psa 103:14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
Psa 103:15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
Psa 103:16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
Psa 103:17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
Psa 103:18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
Psa 103:19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Psa 103:20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
Psa 103:21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Psa 103:22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
The simple way to say it is: The issue of prayer is a barometer. To lack desire to have relationship with God is an indicator of an at risk position in Christ.
As we are zealously in love with God and receive him, his forgiveness, his life... then all is very well. However, if we don't receive God's forgiveness and his love, then all is most certainly not ok at all.
We are to love him with every part of us... Can you imagine anybody loving someone and not spending a lot of time with them? It makes no sense. That's really the point. If we receive God's tangible love, we will desire to spend time with him.
That doesn't mean it's always 'a high'... it's not always easy... but our love continually provokes us to seek his face.
ask John why he did not let by arbitrary means or by accident allow my second comment go through?
If we can get past that, we can get to the error I detect in your question. It is, in fact, similar to John's.
I know that those are provocative words. The Gospel's address of our doom is equally provocative and this article is a bookeeper's approach to nothingness and puts a burden on the hearer that simply is not in the Gospel. That's a fact.
Surely you agree that Christians hold to different view, do you not?
The reason I deleted your comment is because of this issue. I'm fine with differing views, and I'm even fine with being zealous and passionate about our views... but, it's not ok to accuse or presume you have the right to be the final authority for somebody else on scriptural issues, specifically on the non-absolutes.
I wish you well.
I will be happy to continue, but with absolutes on your part, make the debate difficult.
I will be happy to respond to Harry's error too?
It's one thing to say, "I humbly feel you might be in error."
But it's inappropriate to say, "You are in error... because I say so."
The exception would be the absolutes of scripture. We must be firm regarding the absolutes. The absolutes are the core Christian tenants. Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, etc.
However, you are addressing non-absolutes that people simply have differing views on.
come on! Respect? Hmmmmmm, ok, so it's ok for Our Meek and Mild, Gentle Jesus to call the woman a dog, but to call your bluff is not ok?
And making a greater, more powerful Prophet judgment to delete my words and not let two or three judge them is respectful of the Prophetic or Apostolic?
Ok, now what?
I will not shrink back from standing in absolutes. As you are quite aware, it was for that very reason Jesus was killed and I dare say, some more blood will be shed before the day is done:::>
(Rev 18:20) Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!"
From time to time I'll run across someone who over values his or her own opinion so much that he or she devalues other people's opinions- and as a result, devalues other people (Christian people!). Not only is this an immature and insensitive way to discuss issues, it can be quite arrogant.
It's great to be zealous, firm, bold, passionate and confident as we discuss our insights on biblical topics, but we also have to admit that different streams within the body of Christ interprets certain parts of scripture slightly differently.
We must always be unmovable when it comes to the absolutes of scripture, but the many non-absolutes must be open for discussion.
There's a huge difference between saying, "You are in error." and, "In my opinion I feel you may be in error."
See the difference?