Religion or Relationship PT.2 | Teen Ink

Religion or Relationship PT.2

May 5, 2010
By TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’


(Continuation of "Religion or Relationship PT.1)

That sin has been passed down from generation to generation and will keep going till the end of time. Ask your parents if they ever had to teach you to touch the remote after they told you not to. Of course not, you wanted to touch it, so you did. It didn't matter whether or not you got in trouble for it, you wanted, even as a child, to sin.

God knew that, since you and I have sinned, we could not live with Him in Heaven upon our deaths. And God, because He created us with immortal souls, had to create a place for us to spend eternity and a place for us to pay the price for our sins: Hell.

Hell is a place. It's a reality. It's not a cuss word. It's not a place you tell people to go to when you're ticked at them. It's a real and eternal place where you will go when you die. It's a place of fire. Imagine being burned alive, yet never dieing. You will eternally burn. But your nerves will never be destroyed. You will never become numbed to the pain. It will always be a real and as awful and as painful as when you first entered. It's a place of darkness. Even with all the fire, it will be the darkest place you have ever been in. There will not be a trace of light anywhere, forever.

Have you ever had one of those dreams? The types of dreams where you fall off of something and you just never stop falling? Well, Hell with be infinity times worse. Hell is a bottomless pit. You will begin falling and never stop, and you will continue being absolutely terrified of crashing to the bottom (or possibly, you will begin to pray to God that you will crash to the ground and end this suffering, but God won't hear you). It's a place of flesh-eating bugs, and "gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 8:12, 13:42, 13:50). It's a place where all your worst nightmares come to life. It's a place of eternal loneliness. Although there will be millions of other people beside you, falling and burning and being eaten alive and screaming endlessly, you will never see them nor hear them. You will never meet another soul for the rest of eternity.

You're probably asking yourself, "What is she trying to do? Scare me?" The answer is yes. I am trying to scare you. This is the place you will end up because of your sin, only it will infinitely worse. What I have just told you will not even begin to scratch the surface of what Hell will be like. If somehow, someway, a person in Hell today were able to tell you what it is like, they wouldn't even know how to describe it.

Now you're probably scoffing again. "Well, if this is where I'm destined to wind up, what ever happened to that 'loving God' of yours?" God is loving and He is heartbroken because of humanities sin. And because He loves us ("For God so loved the world/people of the world"-John 3:16a), He created a way for us to get to Heaven.

What do you think that way is? Being a "good person"? Doing "good deeds"? Going to confession? Lighting a candle? Saying a Hail Mary? Praying a prayer? Actually no. None of those things will get you into Heaven. Only one thing will.

Some people believe that every one has their own way into Heaven or there are hundreds of different paths to take and you have to decide which one is right for you. Wrong. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life. NO man cometh unto the Father (GOD), BUT by Me." Why?

Most people have gone to a Christmas service at some point in their life, but do you ever wonder what happened to the "Christmas Baby"? That baby grew up to be a man. A perfect man. And I'm not talking almost perfect, or as close to perfection as you can get, no I'm talking PERFECT. He never lied. He never stole. He never killed (or thought hate to) anyone, He never committed adultery (or looked with lust), He never coveted or worshiped  idols or put anything before God. Never.

Because He was God. He was God in the flesh and because He was God, He was holy and perfect. All thirty-three years of His life, He never once sinned. And because of that, He became our perfect sacrifice. God knew that the only way to remove the punishment of sin was through a blood sacrifice. ("Without the shedding of blood there is no remission/forgiveness" Heb.9:22b) I could say, "You know what, God needs a blood sacrifice, so I'm going to go kill myself so that the whole world will be free from sin." I could do that, but it wouldn't have done anything but end my life, because I've sinned. A lot. God needed a perfect blood sacrifice: His own Son, Jesus. Okay, now you're probably saying, "Well, that's contradicting, because you just said Jesus WAS God, now you're saying He's the SON of God. Which is it??" The answer? Both. Don't ask me how, because I don't know. All I know is that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are the Trinity: Three in one. Not three different personalities, mind you, but three distinct persons, yet all the same person.

Many people believe that God is not a loving God because He sent His Son to die, instead of Himself dieing and that's not true love. But ask your parents, if someone told them that the world would be blown to pieces and the only way to save the world would be by sacrificing you, would they do it? Any parent that truly loved their child would say "Light the fuse." God showed how much He loved us by sending His Son, the one person He cared about the most, to die because you and I have sinned. How magnificent is that??

Here's where I want to destroy all those images that you've seen of Jesus on the cross. Forget them. They're not even close to the real thing. Jesus was so badly tortured that the Bible says He was unable to recognized as a man, just a piece of flesh hanging from the cross. And forget that piece of cloth you see Him wearing, He was stripped of His clothing. The Roman soldiers wished to humiliate Jesus. And, let's be honest, what would be the worst humiliation? To me, it would be being naked in front of a crowd.

The scene at Calvary was not a glorious painting. People did not look up at the cross, awe-struck. Most people did not fully understand why Jesus was dieing. But Jesus did. He knew that the only way to save humanity from sin, was through His death.

Jesus knew that He wouldn't be dieing without a reason. And that reason was you. Jesus only thought of you while dieing. And if you were the only person on earth, He still would've died.

But this story would be absolutely sad, and, let's face it, pointless, if it ended with Jesus dieing. But lucky for us, it didn't end there. The moment Jesus died, He was sent to Hell. In just three days, Jesus suffered all the pain and torture of Hell that one person would suffer in all of eternity. He suffered in a place meant for sinners, even though He was sinless.

But on the third day, Jesus proved to the doubters exactly who He was. The Romans and most of the Jews did not believe that Jesus was God. They mocked Him, hanging a sign above His head that read "King of the Jews". They called Him names and said, "He saved others; himself he cannot save.(Matt. 27:42a)" But after three days, flesh and bone, Jesus arose, by His own power, from the dead. He had the doubters feel the cuts in His hands, feet and sides. He ate with His followers to prove that He was not a ghost. He was and still is alive today, although He is not here on earth, He IS in Heaven. John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Each of Jesus' followers are given a mansion in Heaven when they die and Jesus has been building them for over two thousand years. If God created this world in only six days, imagine how more wonderful Heaven is if it's taken Jesus two thousand years and He's still working?

You can have a mansion, too. More wonderful than anyone can imagine. But it's not a free gift. If you're thinking, "Oh, well, Jesus died. My sins are gone. I'm set.", you're wrong. Jesus did die and He has taken away your sins, IF you do something. You must believe that Jesus was and IS God and the Son of God. You must believe that He died, because without His death, no one would be in Heaven, and rose again. You also must admit that you are a sinner. If you've answered all the questions honestly, you already have admitted that fact. But you also must repent of (ask forgiveness for and turn away from) your sins. And if you do that or have already done that, you are now a child of God. You still belong to your earthly family, but you now have a home in Heaven when you die, with your Godly father. I'm not religious. I'm a Christian, a Child of God, and because of that, I have a relationship with God and Jesus that can never be broken.

Dave didn't understand this. He believed that if he was good enough or did enough good works or prayed enough, he would go to Heaven. But he was wrong. He didn't care about the one person who died for him. He only cared about himself. And because of that, Dave, today, is burning in Hell, an unquenchable flame.

As a six year old, I didn't entirely understand this, but I did understand one thing. I had broken God's law, and I was on my way to join Dave in that eternal fire. But God loved me enough to send His one and only biological Son to die because of me. I understand more now, than I did back then, but I still knew that God loved me and that I was on my way to Heaven.

There are only two places you can go when you die: Hell, an eternal flame; or Heaven, a place where sin, pain and death is obsolete, and where we will live with our Savior from sin, Jesus Christ, forever. Jesus' death is a free gift, but you have to receive it. The choice is yours. I hope you make the right one.


The author's comments:
Resources:

"This Was Your Life" (Chick Track): written by Jack T. Chick

The King James Version of the Bible: written by God Almighty

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This article has 17 comments.


TheJust ELITE said...
on Sep. 25 2011 at 7:42 am
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Alright then. Well, thank you! :)

on Sep. 24 2011 at 11:49 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

This is well-written, but I cannot say that I in any way whatsoever agree...

on Sep. 23 2011 at 2:49 am
Destinee BRONZE, Oakville, Other
3 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
Blegh. - Abraham Lincoln

What on earth? Why won't it show the other answers? *Grr* I'm going to try and recapitulate what I wrote. Sorry if it shows up later...

3.
a) And Christ couldn't have glorified our bodies the first time around?
b) So why couldn't Christ (since he clearly operates on a different justice scale than we do) just have atoned for any potential sins Adam & Eve could commit before they actually did them and save us on this whole shindig of pain/childbirth/etc? :)

4. 
a/b) While I disagree with you, I think we're approaching it from such different worldviews that we can't reconcile them. Haha. But I'll try: Are you saying God's choices are abitrary? 

5. My "terms" are reason and logic. Since not accepting Christ as Saviour is a sin, wouldn't his death have atoned for that sin too? 

6. Repentance means "remorse for past conduct". I guess you mean that salvation is two-fold: repentance AND accepting Christ (Jesus?) as Saviour? :)

Thanks very much for your help! Have a nice day. :)

on Sep. 23 2011 at 2:43 am
Destinee BRONZE, Oakville, Other
3 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
Blegh. - Abraham Lincoln

Thanks for your replies! I hope you don't mind if I disagree with some. :)

1. 
a) I could say that about any religion, and thus justify them all. If God gives us an innate sense of justice (we're created in His image, no?), then surely we should be able to trust that sense of justice in what is a universally agreed law, i.e. that innocents can't be held responsible for someone else's crimes.
b) Okay.

2. Okay thanks. :)

3. 
a) And Christ couldn't glorify our bodies when God first created us? 
b) Couldn't Christ (since clearly the justice system is different for God) just have atoned for any possible sins Adam and Eve would do before they committed them, and thus save us on this whole shindig of childbirth/pain/etc?

4.
a/b) While I disagree with you, I think we're approaching it from such radically different worldviews that we can't reconcile the two. :) 

5. My "terms" are those of reason and logic. Since the heart of the sin is not accepting Christ as Saviour, wouldn't that sin be atoned for too? 

6. Repentence is "remorse for past conduct". I guess you mean that salvation requires both repentance and accpetance of Jesus as Saviour? Since they're two different concepts altogether. 

Thanks very much for answering them! :) Have a nice day.

TheJust ELITE said...
on Sep. 19 2011 at 7:21 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Question #1 -

A) a sinner before God has no grounds whatsoever to debate what a Holy and Perfect God decalres to be the "just" way of salvation. 

B) Yes - if the innocent person is Jesus Christ.

Question #2 - Yes, believers will rule and reign with Christ eternally without sin or the possiblity of sin.

Question #3 - 

A) Because Christ has promised to "glorify" our bodies that we are incapable of sin and corruption. 

B) Because the grounds of our eternal lief is not our sinlesness but Christ's atonement and redemption on the Cross.  Even if it were possible to sin in eternity I am not maintaining my eternali life based on my own good works but on Christ's righteouness.

Question #4 - The word "can't" is not an appropriate word -He "won't."  There is a big difference between the 2.  The simple answer is in two- parts: 

A) He is God and that is the way he has chosen   

B) the offending party (sinner) does not get to dictate to the offended (God) the grounds and means of forgiveness.

Question #5 - NO SIN, unbelief or otherwise, is forgiven apart from an acceptance of Christ as personal Savior.  Once again the question betrays the heart of sin - i.e. the sinner dictating, demanding or expecting his/her own terms to be met.....rather than coming on the grounds established by the Holy God.

Question #6 - Repentance is the ONLY way of Salvation. And yes, it is enough to be forgiven. Repentance means to ask forgiveness of and turn away from your sins, to follow Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life. This is what God requires. Jesus' death on the cross payed for our sins and the only thing we can do is to repent and choose to follow Him with our lives.

I hope this answered your questions! If you need more clarification, or if you have any other questions, always feel free to ask!


on Sep. 17 2011 at 4:07 pm
Destinee BRONZE, Oakville, Other
3 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
Blegh. - Abraham Lincoln

This was very well-written, and for that I applaud you. Here are my questions (I assume you want questions? Haha):

 

1. Do you think it is unjust for an innocent person to die for my sins

2. Is it possible hypothetically for a person to live an eternity without sinning?

3. If we had free choice in Heaven before the Fall, and we have free choice in Heaven after we're resurrected, who's to say the whole thing won't be repeated?

4. Why can't God forgive without blood spilling? 

5. Why must you believe he was the son of God/God? Why can't he atone for my sin of disbelief?

6. Is repentance not enough to be forgiven?

 

Thanks in advance. :)


TheJust ELITE said...
on Mar. 17 2011 at 7:32 am
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Haha, yeah. Ok, I'll look for it.

on Mar. 16 2011 at 9:32 pm
sweetly_broken GOLD, Garner, North Carolina
15 articles 0 photos 157 comments

Favorite Quote:
We never know how big we are until we are asked to rise.

Okay! It's easiest to find stuff if you used advanced search, but the way they took people's work off their profiles is incredibly irritating.

TheJust ELITE said...
on Mar. 16 2011 at 8:54 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Thank you!

If I can find your article, I will! But since Teen Ink changed from having the authors work on their page, it's hard to find work. :/ But I'll try and find it.


on Mar. 12 2011 at 1:47 pm
sweetly_broken GOLD, Garner, North Carolina
15 articles 0 photos 157 comments

Favorite Quote:
We never know how big we are until we are asked to rise.

Amen!! This was really well written and made a really good point. I hope a lot of people read this and get a better understanding of our RELATIONSHIP with go.d and how it's totally free and everything. Oh, and if you don't mind, could you check out my memior called "Alive?" It's about my personal experience with this and whatnot :)

TheJust ELITE said...
on Nov. 19 2010 at 9:07 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Oh, no. I see what you're saying now (I just went back and re-read it). I wasn't trying to say that if a parent truly loved their child they would sacrifice them; I was saying that if they truly loved their child they would say "Light the fuse" as in "Let the world blow; you're not getting my kid." I hope that clears it up. Sorry for the confusion. :/

TheJust ELITE said...
on Oct. 7 2010 at 4:14 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Thank you so much! And I'm glad you agree! :D

Amiee said...
on Oct. 7 2010 at 3:55 am

WOW!!! this is sooo good!

i am a Chr.istian also and i wanna say that this is a whole summary of trying to evangelize with swirls of passion and strength! loved it! ><


TheJust ELITE said...
on Sep. 16 2010 at 3:25 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

Thank you very much! You have no idea how much your comment means to me.

When I said muslims believe in killing infedels, I was speaking in terms of the Koran which speaks of it. And yes, I do believe there are peaceful muslims, but that just means they don't know much about their holy book.

And no I didn't mean to imply that parents would actually blow their children up. It's an illistration my pastor uses all the time showing that God loved us so much that He sent His Son someone humans consider to be the most important person to show that He loved us more.

Thank you very much for your comment and I hope I explained my intentions well. :D


on Jul. 21 2010 at 9:23 pm
papermaster111 BRONZE, Omaha, Nebraska
2 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Hi!  I just wanted to say that I absolutely love your article (both Part 1 and 2!  I am a Christian too, and if I was looking for a good summation of everything I believe this would be it.  It answers so many questions that a non-believer has.

As for the Muslim thing... I agree and disagree with you (and I don't mean to just pinpoint that one part of your article and pick on it.)  I would just say that it's sort of generalizing, and would maybe turn people off from reading the rest of your article because they think it will be judgemental/condescending.  I think I know what you're trying to say.  I personally believe that there are peaceful Muslims out there (and even if they are "good people" that doesn't make them Christians!) but the Radical Islamists are worldwide and dangerous.  If you're interested in that sort of thing, Obsession is (in my opinion) a great documentary about Islamic Terrorists - it was so eye opening.

The only other thing I can think to comment on writing wise is your line about a parent willing to blow themselves to pieces for their child.  I totally agree, but the way you phrased it (with the "you" in the middle of the sentence) made it seem like the parents wouldn't hesitate to blow their children to pieces - which I'm sure is just the opposite of what you are implying!

Anyways, I just want to say again that your article is so well written.  I usually don't like to read stuff this long on the computer, but I read it the whole way through (even though I already knew all of it.)  Your writing is clear and easy to follow.  Amazing job and keep writing!


TheJust ELITE said...
on Jun. 1 2010 at 2:02 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

1. Read the Koran. Because if you had read it, you never would have made the statements you just made.

2. Some muslims maybe "good people", but if you're saying that, you missed the entire point of both articles.


on May. 29 2010 at 8:13 am
EmoToboe BRONZE, Kemp, Texas
1 article 0 photos 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
When you've lost it all.......That's when you finally realize.....That life is BEAUTIFUL

Muslims believe in killing all infidels (non-Muslims)?! How can you say something like that?

1. Islam is a HUGE religion. Trust me, if they believed in killing all non-muslims, they would have done it by now

2. How can you cast judgement upon roughly 25% of the human population, they are just good people, just like any Christian or Jew. Those you are refering to is the Taliban- a small, radical group of muslim terrorists. If you're saying that all muslims are like that, I might as well say that all Christians are funeral/school/everything-you-can-imagine picketing, nazi worshipping, calvinistic, haters with an extreme disregard towards others' lives. (the WBC).

3. Just so ya know, I'm not muslim, I just understand that they're no different from us. Anyway, I'm christian, well, raised to be one anyway. I just get so sick of everyone casting judgement on everyone, and most of the time they have no knowledge of what they're judging. I always thought that my church was different, I saw all sorts of people from all walks of life there, I guess I was wrong. You could also say that I got tired of them looking down on me, judging me, even though they have no idea of the mental/spiritual stress I'm in. Yet they still look down on me, like they're better than me.