pattygreen

Definitely wrong! Everyone that I know watches FOX news because they feel the other news stations are too liberal. They can't stomach them. FOX Rules!:biggrin:

tdslf1, If you combine all the other networks, except fox news, they don't add up to the viewers they get. Obviously people watch what they agree with. When I watch MSNBC, I can't take their commentators for more than 5 minutes before I am pushing my remote. The majority of Americans watch FOX. It is pretty amazing how much intelligence you grant to yourself. You feel that you are superior intellectually to more than half of the population in this country because you don't watch Fox news and they do? The people in the country you live are pretty stupid. huh?

Just like children who can not reason or understand fully, the mentally challenged can not reason as well. I believe they will be saved due to not maturing and reaching an age of accountability mentally in God's eyes. Sometimes others feel sorry for the mentally challenged among us, yet God has given them a blessing that others may not have. Which is the ability to spend their eternity with God in Heaven without having to have to make the decision to accept God's gift of salvation in this life. I, personally, can't fathom why anyone would reject God's gift of eternal life and a home in Heaven after we die. I mean, we all die someday. That's an inevitable fact, so why not choose to live with our creator?

rodriguezequal, It's not 'my' heaven. It's the home God made for everyone who desires to ask God to make them a part of his family. God teaches that all children will go to Heaven. Each child comes to a point in life, which God himself decides, that they are at "the age of reason" as he calls it. Some believe that because Jesus was at the age of 12 when he began to teach in the temple, which showed his maturity, that 12 is around the age when children can understand right and wrong and make a decision about Jesus. But, that's just what some people believe, the bible does not give a specific age. It just states "children". God knows each childs heart and knows where they are mentally. So, he makes that decision about when they can no longer be counted as a child without understanding. So, every fetus that dies will go to Heaven, for they surely have not reached that age of being able to reason. If we talk to our Father (pray) after we have sinned in any way and ask Him to forgive us, he will forgive us.

Hummingbird, thank you.

I just want to add that everyone grows in Christ after they are born again, at different paces. Some are born again and immediately change their sinful ways and begin to do good things and shun wrong things. Others may take a few years or even a lifetime of trying to live for God and do what's right in his eyes. We all grow spiritually in our own ways and time. This is why once you confess the faith that's needed, your deeds will follow. You can still be saved without any deeds at all. My mom, who is in the hospital, just today prayed a prayer of faith with me for her salvation. She is very ill and dying, we believe. she is going to be 80 this year and she is very sick. She confessed that she believes in God and asked him to be her Savior. Needless to say, I am very happy that she did this, for now she will go to Heaven. I believe she will not have time in her life, since confessing to have faith in God, to do any good deeds before God takes her home. Yet, because of her prayer, she will be saved. All of her past sins have been forgiven her and she is now one of God's children. He will take care of her. God is wonderful.

We are all born with a physical body, and without the Holy Spirit to indwell us (which is what happens when we come to believe and are born again)we will die. For the wages of sin are death. The Holy Spirit cleanses us from these sins, so we who believe in Jesus will be seen just as if we had never sinned. (justified) So, to explain vs.26, just as the person without the Spirit of God dwelling within him is dead, so a person who claims to have faith in Jesus but has no good works or deeds is also dead. (or only professing to know God and believe in Him, but doesn't really)

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Can 'fake' faith save someone? If someone 'claims' to have faith, but how they live (deeds) is sinful and wicked and has no love, are they 'really' saved? No, probably not. This in no way makes claim that you need to be good to get to Heaven. A truly saved person will do good, because God transforms their life. (This doesn't mean they will never sin, for that's not possible)What James is saying is that man is justified by his faith , and a 'true' faith will produce good works. 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, In the same way as what? In the same way that someone claims to be a believer, yet sees someone hungry and ignores him. In that same way if someone claims to be a believer, yet doesn't do good things, his faith is proven not to be genuine. faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. If you claim to have faith, yet your actions (good deeds, such as wishing people well, or feeding others) is not part of your life, then you're not really saved. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. Having a faith in Jesus will produce good deeds (works) in a person, because as we grow in Christ, we will become more like him. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. Many people confess to believe in God.(or have faith in God) So what. That doesn't mean they are saved, for even Satan believes in God and ends up in hell. He knows God is real, but knowing that God exists is not the same as asking him to forgive your sins and save you. 20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? He goes on to list examples of people who had "true, real, genuine, born again faith in God who did good things for others which proved that their faith was real and not just 'words' 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[b] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. What he does proves that he is saved. (but they don't save him) His good works show that he is not just talking. Actions speak louder than words. 25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? James 2:14-26 True Christians cannot stay persistently untransformed. 2 Cor 3:18 tells us that a true Christian will be progressively transformed to Christ-likeness through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that indwells a true believer will see to it that we will gradually conform to the image of Christ. Those who show no evidence of transformation (no good fruits) must be understood that they are not truly Christians. These false Christians are the ones spoken of in Matt 7:13-23. Their destiny would be eternal damnation. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 This verse does not contradict James 2. What apostle James was saying it that a person is justified by what he does and not by dead faith alone. Faith that does not result in good deeds is by no means true faith. So no, it does not contradict with Eph 2:8. In fact, James was affirming what Paul says since James was actually saying something like, “For it is by grace that we have been saved, through true faith, not by phony faith!” The bible DOES NOT teach us that man can earn eternal life on the basis of works. What the bible does teach us is that God will take the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) and the good deeds by which the light of our faith shines (Matt 5:16), and he will accept them as corroborating evidence of the genuineness of our faith. Good fruit and good deeds do not earn us salvation; they are in fact the result of our salvation, not the cause of it.

I've already gone over this before. So, on the basis of that scripture alone, how many deeds will save you and get you into heaven? One good deed? Like praying for someone? Or two good deeds? Like giving to the poor and reading your bible? How about 3 good deeds? More? How many? Just what kind of deeds are needed to be done to get into Heaven? Is simply holding the door for someone enough, or should we shoot for giving 1/2 of all you earn to Charities that help people? Where do we draw the line? You see, if you become a believer in Jesus, you will also desire to do good. You won't be able to be perfect, but your desire to do good will be there, for God will give it to you. That's why the verse says "those who seek after righteousness will be filled." For if you desire it, you will be filled. God wants us to desire to do good, all the while knowing that we can't be good. Thus the need for Jesus. In the book of James, where you are quoting,(vs 14) he is trying to show the people that to just 'say' or 'claim' you have faith is not proof enough that you are saved. He says "can that kind of faith save him?" What kind of faith is he talking about? the kind that just claims you believe in God. No. it can't. Your good deeds and your example before others will showyour faith in God to be true, for if you are truly born again, you will be transformed into a new person who delights in right living and does not find it a burden to do good. In other words, if you say you have faith, and your fruits (deeds) do not show that you truly do, then you are as good as dead. The principle that is taught throughout the gospel is that faith ALONE saves a person. Just look at the man who died on the cross with Jesus. He put his faith in Jesus as his Savior on the cross next to him and that very day Jesus said he would be in Paradise with him. He obviously had no time for any good deeds after he became a Christian.

your loss.

Here I am!

The seed does not have a soul until it meets the egg. Then it is a soul, a living being.

That is for our benefit. Mankind has a hard time understanding spiritual things. So, to say that our deeds are recorded in a book makes sense. It helps mankind to understand that God knows all that we've done throughout our lives. He is keeping track of it.

I see it this way: You either believe all he says or none of it, but you can't believe only the part that you think makes sense to you and discard what you feel doesn't make sense. All God says is true. BTW, why do you find it so hard to believe that God will not condemn his own children who have not lived good lives, or who sinnned? If your own son or daughter were not living as you felt they should, would you disinherit them? Would they cease to be your children? I should think not. Neither will God. We might discipline our kids, or withhold our blessings from them, but disown them and send them away from us? never. Also, you said here:

In Psalm 139, David described God’s care of him even at the earliest stages of his development. He said that Jehovah saw “my unformed substance” (v. 16). The Hebrew expression appears to denote the “undeveloped embryo” (Kirkpatrick, 789; cf. Kidner, 466; emp WJ). The “embryo” exists before implantation. In Psalm 22:10 David states "from my mother's womb you have been my God." This text indicates that David considered himself a person from the moment of his conception. A Greek word corresponding to the Old Testament zera' is sperma (seed). It is found 217 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint; LXX), and 44 times in the Greek New Testament. Likewise, it is employed metaphorically for a person; and this “seed” (person) commences at “conception” (see Hebrews 11:11). Both Elizabeth and Mary are said to have “conceived” a “son” — not mere tissue (Luke 1:36). It will scarcely be denied that “son” in this context indicates a person. James wrote: “The body apart from the spirit is dead” (2:26). The text suggests (by implication) that the spirit is present as soon as there is a living body. That tiny “body” commences at conception. The divine equation is this: body – spirit = corpse; body + spirit = living person.

Who said I know everything? I have been an avid studier of God's word for over 25 years, and have gone to bible school. I would qualify myself as someone who is well versed in his word. But, everything, no. I am still delving into the bible on a daily basis and learning more and more every time I read it. So, if that's what you thought about me, you are mistaken. I am constantly learning everytime I pick up the book. As for "having the formula", as you call it, I will not back down on that. I DO have the "formula". Jesus said," I am the way and the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but through me." Period. Anyone can know God's will and plan. He reveals them to us in his word. None of it is a secret to those who desire to search for it in the scriptures. He wants us to know his will and plans. So, when I tell you that I know something, it is because I read it in the bible, or the principle is taught in there. Also, I was never "indoctrinated" by conventional religious teachings. I've been indoctrinated by the bible, which are God's words to mankind. Nothing more.

The Pope is a human being just like me or you. He has no special priviledges or place in God's heart that God doesn't have for every person. All must have faith in Jesus to be saved, even him. There are many who are in a place of honor, as far as the people are concerned, who are not in a place of honor according to God.

There is no doubt that reading, believing and following the Bible has changed many, many lives. Thousands and thousands (how many millions?) of testimonies prove this. The words of the Bible create an impact that can last a lifetime. Biblical principles have the power to change the quality of life beyond cultural norms and expectations. Not making you “wealthy and healthy,” but by giving you contentment and peace unknown elsewhere. In the words of the apostle Paul: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7:). People get out of debt and shed addictions, marriages are saved and restored, parents become better parents, families grow closer, hate turns to love, forgiveness replaces resentment and genuine joy replaces material happiness. Following the teachings of Scripture lays a solid foundation for a better and happier life. Some are changed overnight, some are transformed over time. Either way, change for the better occurs. God’s Word is the dynamic, transforming power of God. It's not just any book. It's your Creator's book.

{quote] I’ll give he Moslems some credit on getting out of this dilemma. At least they had the sense to say that the Quran was not written by man, but that the illiterate Prophet Mohamed recited the words told to him by the Archangel Gabriel. Abu Bakr later had scribes transcribe the recitation word for word into the Quran. [end] Christians do not deny that "man's" hands wrote the bible. God gave these revelations to men who wrote them just as he dictated it to them. Moses wrote some of the Old Testament and Paul and other Apostle's of Christ wrote letters that were compiled for the New Testament. All the bible was written for man through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who is God. If you will venture out and actually read it, you will find that it is no ordinary book. Even though these books were written at different times and varying circumstances, they harmoniously compliment each other and constitute a whole. It has been aptly remarked that the Hebrew scriptures are the New Testament in prophecy and the New Testament is the Hebrew scriptures in fulfillment (Jere. 31: 31-34, cp. Heb. 8: 7-13). When one considers there were about 40 persons, many of whom from totally different backgrounds, and about 1500 years consumed in the making of the Bible, the Bible truly bespeaks inspiration - a book beyond the scope of mere men.

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There are many places is scripture where God speaks of knowing you when you were in the womb. God allows His children to speak for Him, so long as they speak his truth, so I will not end up in Hell for doing so. Anyway, our deeds and things that we do in life, whether right or wrong, don't determine our destination (Heaven or Hell), only our belief or faith in Jesus does that. People often talk as if what we do wrong will send us to hell. This is not the case. If we believe in Jesus and go to Heaven, we will then be judged for our deeds done in the flesh, and at that time we will either recieve rewards or a lack of rewards from God. Therefore, our actions in life don't make the decision of whether we go to Heaven or Hell, they make the decision for how our life will be like in Heaven. So, what we do here for the good, will benefit us in Heaven.

The federal government is forcing Americans to buy a product against our will - or face a substantial penalty. THIS MANDATE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL! The facts are clear: Congress lacks the authority to force the American people into making insurance purchases. Period.

Henry Waxman, the congressional bully. Those who find fault with ObamaCare must be very careful about how they express their opinion. Apparently, ANY negative report on ObamaCare is going to be squelched!House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent letters to the CEO's of companies reporting huge additional costs from ObamaCare, demanding all documents supporting their findings. Next, he wants to see them on Capitol Hill for congressional hearings! This bullying is nothing less than censorship and suppression - the very Chicago-style politics that the Obama/Pelosi/Reid axis used to get their healthcare "reform" bill passed. It is not to be tolerated!

Prize #4: States are left holding the bag. Fourteen states' attorneys general so far have filed lawsuits against ObamaCare because it is unconstitutional and their budgets are squarely in the crosshairs. By 2014, for instance, states will be required to pay fully half of the administrative costs that result from the expansion of Medicaid under the plan. These are just a few of the myriad "prizes" in ObamaCare that are coming to light. The actual cost of the 2,700-page bill no one was allowed time to read before it was forced through Congress is yet to be determined. One thing is certain: There will be many more painful "discoveries" about ObamaCare going forward.