Liberal Christians: If everyone gets into heaven just cause, will REAL Christians enjoy more?

[Skwim]

Liberal Christians: If everyone gets into heaven just cause, will REAL Christians enjoy more?

If people get into heaven anyway, like you propose, will people who really follow Christ get more? We’re the ones who dedicated ourselves to Christ.

I assume you believe yourself to be a "real Christian" because, in part, you've dedicated yourself to Christ," unlike liberal Christians, and others I presume, who aren't true Christians because they haven't dedicated themselves to Christ.

Question. What does dedicating oneself to Christ consist of? And how does it differ from what a "liberal Christian" might do?

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[Father Heathen]

Reminds me of what the Jewish sage Maimonides said, namely that if we're merely doing good in order to get into heaven, then we're doing so for a very selfish reason. And the chasidic sage Nachman of Braslav said that one cannot find God just with his head but must follow God with his entire "emotion". IOW, (s)he needs to immerse themselves into God.

Einstein said something similar as well: "If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed".

 

[Faithofchristian]

That's not how I see it. I see the fruit as the results of what people say and do.
For example, I don't think anyone who heard the parable "Lazarus and the rich man" mistook it for literal truth. It was a fable, a falsehood, but with a true message. That message might not be obvious, but it's there. Like all really good fiction, it is not true exactly, it's"truer than truth". It had good fruit, enlightened people.


I know almost nobody who does that. Every Christian I know of regularly teaches according to the OT and Paul and John, usually far more than according to Jesus.
Tom

Are you freaking kidding me, Christ Jesus does not give fables nor falsehoods.

You have no clue nor any understanding of anything that is Spiritual. That's for sure

 

[columbus]

Are you freaking kidding me, Christ Jesus does not give fables nor falsehoods.

Those of us who understand the basics generally use the term "parable" to refer to the morality stories from people like Jesus, not fable. But you can call them whatever you like, they're still fiction.

You have no clue nor any understanding of anything that is Spiritual. That's for sure

Neither does anyone else. That's for sure.
Tom

 

[Faithofchristian]

Those of us who understand the basics generally use the term "parable" to refer to the morality stories from people like Jesus, not fable. But you can call them whatever you like, they're still fiction.

Neither does anyone else. That's for sure.
Tom

So you say, which doesn't mount to much.

 

[columbus]

So you say, which doesn't mount to much.

Do you think I just invented the word "parable" or something?
Tom

 

[Faithofchristian]

Do you think I just invented the word "parable" or something?
Tom

Well it's quite simple, do you know what a parable is

 

[columbus]

Well it's quite simple, do you know what a parable is

Yes
Tom

 

[Nakosis]

If people get into heaven anyway, like you propose, will people who really follow Christ get more? We’re the ones who dedicated ourselves to Christ.

In this case, your beliefs as a Christian should be helpful in your current life. You ought to see benefit from being a Christian now.

You're reward is the peace, happiness, success of your current life that is the result of following the teachings of Jesus.

 

[Nakosis]

Are you freaking kidding me, Christ Jesus does not give fables nor falsehoods.

You have no clue nor any understanding of anything that is Spiritual. That's for sure

Funniest post I've read all week.

 

[soulsurvivor]

If people get into heaven anyway, like you propose, will people who really follow Christ get more? We’re the ones who dedicated ourselves to Christ.

I am not sure who proposed such a thing. People who want to take away food aid from the poor, take away healthcare from the poor, put more people into prisons and throw strangers/immigrants out of the country (Matthew 25:31-46) have zero chance of getting into heaven anytime soon - they need to correct their attitude to the poor and oppressed before they can enter heaven.

 

[columbus]

I am not sure who proposed such a thing. People who want to take away food aid from the poor, take away healthcare from the poor, put more people into prisons and throw strangers/immigrants out of the country (Matthew 25:31-46) have zero chance of getting into heaven anytime soon - they need to correct their attitude to the poor and oppressed before they can enter heaven.

I don't even believe that Jesus is God. But I have no trouble seeing what the main thrust of His Teachings were. And they just don't match much of what I hear from conservative Christians.
Tom

 

[Enoch07]

If people get into heaven anyway, like you propose, will people who really follow Christ get more? We’re the ones who dedicated ourselves to Christ.

Nobody has an automatic ticket to Heaven. Not even those who dedicate their lives to serve. If someone dedicated their life to serving then they did it out of love for Him. If someone dedicates their life for any other reason, they did it for the wrong reason imo. Ultimately God has the final say for that, not us.

 

[idav]

If people get into heaven anyway, like you propose, will people who really follow Christ get more? We’re the ones who dedicated ourselves to Christ.

Mormons believe in levels of heaven and conservative yet liberal.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Actually the Bible says that NO ONE goes to Heaven.

The bible is inconsistent with a lot of things. Why tell a parable of a poor man who went to heaven if no one goes to heaven?

Could you please clarify how dedicating oneself to Christ would be a shoe-in move? Jesus spoke of only two things to truly focus on, and neither were "Christ". We're to LOVE 1) The Father, and 2) our neighbors.

Employee: I did the thing. Give me a raise.
Boss: You're supposed to do the thing. It's in your job description. Not doing it gets you fired.
Employee: But I did the thing.
Boss (slowly): But ... you ... are ... supposed ... to ... do ... the ... thing. You don't get a reward for doing your job, just the pleasure of staying employed.

(see the parable of the talents, where Jesus implies that those who put in the bare minimum can expect the bare minimum and those who don't do anything will have all perks rescinded)

 

[columbus]

(see the parable of the talents, where Jesus implies that those who put in the bare minimum can expect the bare minimum and those who don't do anything will have all perks rescinded)

Doesn't that contradict the parable of the Vineyard Owner, paying everybody what he wanted, regardless of when they joined the workers?
Tom

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

Well, if you actually look into it, you will find that Jesus said He spoke in parables so people would NOT understand.

 

[columbus]

Well, if you actually look into it, you will find that Jesus said He spoke in parables so people would NOT understand.

Ironic, isn't it?
Jesus specifically said that He was speaking in a way that most folks would not understand.
But @InChrist believes that the Scriptures interpret themselves.
Tom

 

[InChrist]

Ironic, isn't it?
Jesus specifically said that He was speaking in a way that most folks would not understand.
But @InChrist believes that the Scriptures interpret themselves.
Tom

Because I believe they do and that a correct interpretation of any particular passage or verse must always be consistent with what the rest of the scriptures say as a whole on the topic, rather than base conclusions, or build an interpretation on a single scripture. Scripture is the best interpreter of itself.


"Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?


Jesus Gives A Revealing Answer

Jesus' answer to the question was quite revealing.

Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given . . . . And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive, for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them' (Matthew 13:11,14,15).


Unwillingness on the part of the people to receive Jesus' message of the kingdom was the reason that He taught in parables. The truths of the kingdom of God were heard by them but not understood. It was not because God was hiding the truth from them-it was because they did not want to hear."
Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

If they did not want to hear, he could have said anything in any language and it would noy make any difference. But certain people were given to understand and others not to understand.In other words God wanted only certain people to understand so He gave them the ability to understand but not other people. It was God's choice.