Christians Only: too strict and too lenient

[Eddi]

This is in same-faith debates, and is about Christianity

I think Christianity is simultaneously too strict and too lenient:

Too strict: If I live a sinless life without accepting Christ I go to hell, even if I do lots of good deeds. If I save ten people from being murdered that counts for nothing.

Too lenient: And if a mass-murderer accepts Christ then everything's OK and they get to go to Heaven. If I murder ten people that's completely irrelevant and counts for nothing.

But the thing is: not liking a thing does not make it untrue

So I still believe in Christianity

I'll just have to accept that by my standards God's sense of justice is simply messed-up

And yet he is all powerful and can determine where we spend eternity

To me, this is a little worrying

But that doesn't make it untrue

Unless our understanding of God and salvation is wrong?

I hope it is

 

[Debater Slayer]

Thread title edited to say "Christians Only."​

 

[Estro Felino]

I guess I can relate.
But the truth is that a sentence comes to my mind, when I think of that reasoning.
And the sentence is : Only God can judge.
So ...no matter how grave a sin is, I trust God and His judgment, because God only knows people's heart.

 

[Brian2]

This is in same-faith debates, and is about Christianity

I think Christianity is simultaneously too strict and too lenient:

Too strict: If I live a sinless life without accepting Christ I go to hell, even if I do lots of good deeds. If I save ten people from being murdered that counts for nothing.

Too lenient: And if a mass-murderer accepts Christ then everything's OK and they get to go to Heaven. If I murder ten people that's completely irrelevant and counts for nothing.

But the thing is: not liking a thing does not make it untrue

So I still believe in Christianity

I'll just have to accept that by my standards God's sense of justice is simply messed-up

And yet he is all powerful and can determine where we spend eternity

To me, this is a little worrying

But that doesn't make it untrue

Unless our understanding of God and salvation is wrong?

I hope it is

I also hope that the understanding of some Christian groups about salvation is wrong.
It is up to Jesus to judge everyone and is not just a matter of saying that all the Christians are saved and all the non Christians are lost.
Nevertheless that is the sort of thing that many Christians are told that the Bible says and those of us who do not hold that position, but who cannot prove our position from the Bible, have to probably be humble about the whole thing, knowing that the truth will be revealed in due time, and when it is, it will be fair and just and merciful and loving etc and we will be able to understand it and accept it no matter what.

 

[pearl]

I'll just have to accept that by my standards God's sense of justice is simply messed-up

I think the key here is redemption, some will seek it, some won't, some will try to fake it, God knows the heart.

 

[Kenny]

Too strict: If I live a sinless life without accepting Christ I go to hell, even if I do lots of good deeds. If I save ten people from being murdered that counts for nothing.

Part of the problem is that we don't understand how Holy God is and thus we don't have a good measuring stick on how bad we really were when He wasn't Lord of our lives.

As I continue to live my life and get closer to God, the more I realize how sin-full my life is and how far from sin-less I am.

The biggest sin, IMV, is the sin of pride. I wonder how many people have the attitude of "I am soooo good, I do sooooo many good things, I deserve Heaven because I am not like those other people".

Luke 7:43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

The one who judged as being better than other actually was condemning himself.

Too lenient: And if a mass-murderer accepts Christ then everything's OK and they get to go to Heaven. If I murder ten people that's completely irrelevant and counts for nothing.

What is we changed the thought from " Is He too lenient" ]to "Is God is too merciful?" I don't think He is too merciful.

The very concept of how much of a past dictates that the person is too far gone for God to help is to hold onto a position that the penalty the Jesus suffered for us was not enough. No one on earth understands the penalty Jesus went through so, how can we understand why God is so merciful?

Or to put it another way, who is to say then that as such as such a point, there is no more mercy? What if what we determined is wrong? How much wrong is then too much? I know that James 2:10 says AMPC For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it. That encompassed all of us.

Since God is the judge and He knows all things, because God knows the penalty that Jesus suffered for us, certainly we don't know the depth or the power of His love, He has deemed that if He weren't lenient we would all perish because He is so Holy but because His mercy trumps judgement, all can be saved.

But the thing is: not liking a thing does not make it untrue

So I still believe in Christianity

I'll just have to accept that by my standards God's sense of justice is simply messed-up

I think we could look at this differently. It isn't that our sense of justice is messed-up -- it probably isn't. What may be messed up is our understanding of what God did in and through Jesus Christ to satisfy judgment is what is missing. Judgment was satisfied... now His mercy triumphed over correct judgement.

To me, this is a little worrying

But that doesn't make it untrue

Unless our understanding of God and salvation is wrong?

I hope it is

Did that help?