"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21)
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19)
Before his incarnation, Jesus the Son was in a position to see and know what our Father God wills and does, and what he saw his Father God do Jesus does in like manner. And what was that?
“He will SAVE his people from their sins”.
Christian and Muslim apologists would contend that only those who join their particular group are “his people”, thus creating a separation among mankind which history shows to result in war. However, God intends to "save His people from their sins"…and all people are "His people" as Paul tells the Athenians….
“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, For we also are His children. Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and though of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent…” (Acts 17:26-29)
So what is God calling every man to "repent" from in the above context? We need to repent from thinking that God is the one "FORMED BY THE ART AND THOUGHT OF MAN"!
Most religions have one thing in common. They teach that if you don’t join them you will be rejected by God and punished for all eternity. "REPENT" of that characterization of God Paul would say. GOD IS NOT LIKE THAT. Mankind made that up with their own evil "THOUGHT". God is the FATHER of mankind and does what any good Father does…
“…have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES…God deals with you as with sons and what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:5-7)
And when will this discipline be applied resulting in mankind being finally saved from their sins?
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
I am certain in my own mind that God will NOT reward anyone for believing and teaching in the name of any god of any religion "FORMED BY THE ART AND THOUGHT OF MAN".
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19)
Before his incarnation, Jesus the Son was in a position to see and know what our Father God wills and does, and what he saw his Father God do Jesus does in like manner. And what was that?
“He will SAVE his people from their sins”.
Christian and Muslim apologists would contend that only those who join their particular group are “his people”, thus creating a separation among mankind which history shows to result in war. However, God intends to "save His people from their sins"…and all people are "His people" as Paul tells the Athenians….
“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, For we also are His children. Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and though of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent…” (Acts 17:26-29)
So what is God calling every man to "repent" from in the above context? We need to repent from thinking that God is the one "FORMED BY THE ART AND THOUGHT OF MAN"!
Most religions have one thing in common. They teach that if you don’t join them you will be rejected by God and punished for all eternity. "REPENT" of that characterization of God Paul would say. GOD IS NOT LIKE THAT. Mankind made that up with their own evil "THOUGHT". God is the FATHER of mankind and does what any good Father does…
“…have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES…God deals with you as with sons and what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:5-7)
And when will this discipline be applied resulting in mankind being finally saved from their sins?
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
I am certain in my own mind that God will NOT reward anyone for believing and teaching in the name of any god of any religion "FORMED BY THE ART AND THOUGHT OF MAN".