What is God responsible for?

[Trailblazer]

There isn't a point I can disagree here with! Very true!

Me neither.

 

[Kenny]

Yes, sin has been dealt with but that does Not mean the wicked are forgiven. Psalm 103:12 does Not include the unrepentant wicked.
It is when a person repents and seeks forgiveness that transgression is removed,
It is either ' repent ' or ' perish' ( perish meaning be destroyed ) according to 2 Peter 3:9
Jesus was telling the truth at Matthew 12:32; Luke 12:10 about there being an unforgivable sin.
Any comments about Hebrews 10:26 ___________________________

What is the unforgivable sin?

 

[Trailblazer]

What is the unforgivable sin?

I hope you don't mind my throwing my name in the hat. It is easy because I already have an answer written up and saved.

The Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit. According to Baha’i beliefs, the Holy Spirit is the light of God. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is detestation of the light of God, the divine perfections. In a sense then it is detestation of God since one hates the divine perfections (God’s qualities).

Jesus and the other Messengers of God were like lamps that brought the Holy Spirit; they brought the light of God to humanity because they reflected God’s attributes. It is forgivable to hate the lamp, because one might not recognize that the lamp is from God because they might not see the divine perfections of God in the lamp.

Matthew 12:31-32 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.”

In those verses Jesus said it is unforgivable to hate the Holy Spirit (light of God) and one will not be forgiven in this life or in the afterlife.

I can only surmise why that is unforgivable. It is a Baha’i belief that heaven and hell are states of the soul, not geographical locations. Heaven is nearness to God and hell is distance from God. It is impossible to come near to God if one is repelled by the light of God because God does not force His love upon anyone. God only draws those near to Him those who reach out for His mercy. If one hates God they will not reach out for God’s mercy and they will thus be distant from God; in such a state they will make their own hell. Maybe that correlates with the unforgivable sin.

31: EXPLANATION OF BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

[Trailblazer]

I was telling some about that in Post 73, What is God responsible for?

Would you like more detail?

Sorry, I never got to read that post intently yet, but it is on my list of posts to answer.
I will let you know if I want more detail when I answer it.

 

[Trailblazer]

Adam and Eve were only offered to live on Earth forever, and that would have proved true for their descendants.

That is not how I interpret the Bible but that's okay.
I'll get back to this if and when In have time.

 

[Hermit Philosopher]

Yes, I know that only too well, but I think they will also be felt in the afterlife since that is simply a continuation of this life. The difference is that we won't have the free will to change our mind about God after we die so it is best that we get right with God in this world.

And yet, love is not born out of fear.

No one finds love for God within themselves out of fear of a bad afterlife in God.

Christ taught us how blinded eyes can relearn to see and crippled legs relearn to walk. We cannot escape our worldly tragedy and loss, but by the love of and for God, we can learn to live differently despite and because of our pain.

Humbly
Hermit

 

[URAVIP2ME]

What is the unforgivable sin?

I was interested in your thoughts about Hebrews 10:26 ______________

Would you agree that blasphemy against God's spirit is a factor ____________
For example: consider how sick those scribes and Pharisees attributing to Satan what was surely from God - Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:19-30; John 7:5
We can think of the implications for attributing to Satan what has really been accomplished by God's spirit (Psalms 10:30)
Of course, we can't know or judge who had committed the unforgivable, but Hebrews 10:26-27 to me sheds light on this matter.
Not just a sin, but the practice of sin, the degree of willful sinning involved, I suppose one could say ' sinning with eyes wide open', so to speak.
Repenting would need to be involved, more so than just feeling remorse, without repenting then resurrection would serve No purpose.
Serve No purpose because they are like the symbolic composite religious ' man of lawlessness ' mentioned at 2 Thessalonians 2:3,8; Hebrews 6:4-8

 

[nPeace]

Can you present those views? I am open to hearing them.

Yes. I can find all the arguments put forth in support of the Gospels being written by those who claimed to have written them.
However, I don't want to use precious time on that, since differing opinions makes no difference. Debating those opinions aren't in the least bit meaningful.
The assumptions of the enlightened age are nothing more than unproven assumptions.
Here are a few excepts that directly affirm my statement...

Johannine literature - Wikipedia
Johannine literature refers to the collection of New Testament works that are traditionally attributed to John the Apostle or to Johannine Christian community...

Of these five books, the only one that explicitly identifies its author as a "John" is Revelation. Modern scholarship generally rejects the idea that this work is written by the same author as the other four documents. The gospel identifies its author as the Beloved Disciple. Since the end of the first century, the Beloved Disciple has been commonly identified with John the Evangelist. Scholars have debated the authorship of Johannine literature (the Gospel of John, Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation) since at least the third century, but especially since the Enlightenment. The authorship by John the Apostle is rejected by many modern scholars.

Gospel of John - Wikipedia
Christian tradition identifies this disciple as the apostle John, but while this idea still has supporters, for a variety of reasons the majority of modern scholars have abandoned it or hold it only tenuously.

 

[Trailblazer]

And yet, love is not born out of fear.

No one finds love for God within themselves out of fear of a bad afterlife in God.

I was not implying that one should love God out of fear of a bad afterlife. I was only saying that according to my beliefs we should learn to love God in this life as that chance will come to us no more.

40: O MY SERVANT! Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more. The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 36

According to my beliefs we should not what we do in this life on order to get to heaven, we should do it out of love for God.

“Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise.

Although when true worship is offered, the worshipper is delivered from the fire, and entereth the paradise of God’s good-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive of his act. However, God’s favour and grace ever flow in accordance with the exigencies of His inscrutable wisdom.” Selections From the Writings of the Báb, p. 78

Christ taught us how blinded eyes can relearn to see and crippled legs relearn to walk. We cannot escape our worldly tragedy and loss, but by the love of and for God, we can learn to live differently despite and because of our pain.

I know what Christ taught about love and my religion teaches the same things, but I just cannot love a God that is responsible for so much suffering, and I do not mean only my own. Nevertheless, I will continue to try to love God, and I serve God regardless of whether I love Him.

 

[Trailblazer]

differing opinions makes no difference. Debating those opinions aren't in the least bit meaningful.
The assumptions of the enlightened age are nothing more than unproven assumptions.

I agree. No assumptions are proven.

Here are a few excepts that directly affirm my statement...

Johannine literature - Wikipedia
Johannine literature refers to the collection of New Testament works that are traditionally attributed to John the Apostle or to Johannine Christian community...

Of these five books, the only one that explicitly identifies its author as a "John" is Revelation. Modern scholarship generally rejects the idea that this work is written by the same author as the other four documents. The gospel identifies its author as the Beloved Disciple. Since the end of the first century, the Beloved Disciple has been commonly identified with John the Evangelist. Scholars have debated the authorship of Johannine literature (the Gospel of John, Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation) since at least the third century, but especially since the Enlightenment. The authorship by John the Apostle is rejected by many modern scholars.

Gospel of John - Wikipedia
Christian tradition identifies this disciple as the apostle John, but while this idea still has supporters, for a variety of reasons the majority of modern scholars have abandoned it or hold it only tenuously.

That is interesting because the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith affirms that the Gospel of St. John is the one most likely to be accurate.

...we cannot be sure how much or how little of the four Gospels are accurate and include the words of Christ and His undiluted teachings, all we can be sure of, as Bahá'ís, is that what has been quoted by Bahá'u'lláh and the Master must be absolutely authentic. As many times passages in the Gospel of St. John are quoted we may assume that it is his Gospel and much of it accurate.
(23 January 1944 to an individual believer)

(From Letters Written on Behalf of the Guardian)
The Bible: Extracts on the Old and New Testaments

 

[nPeace]

I agree. No assumptions are proven.

That is interesting because the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith affirms that the Gospel of St. John is the one most likely to be accurate.

...we cannot be sure how much or how little of the four Gospels are accurate and include the words of Christ and His undiluted teachings, all we can be sure of, as Bahá'ís, is that what has been quoted by Bahá'u'lláh and the Master must be absolutely authentic. As many times passages in the Gospel of St. John are quoted we may assume that it is his Gospel and much of it accurate.
(23 January 1944 to an individual believer)

(From Letters Written on Behalf of the Guardian)
The Bible: Extracts on the Old and New Testaments

While we cannot prove anything we have not witnessed directly, it seems evident that there are some things we can be 99.9% sure of.
I think we can be sure that the Bible is inspired by God, and the four Gospels being included in the canon is a strong testimony of this.

Back to your OP though.
I want you to take a look at this video.
Please, watch it carefully. There is something within it, that is a very logical answer to your question.
See if you notice it.
I'll point it out if you don't see it, but since you are looking for something logical, I want to see if you pick it up.

 

[Trailblazer]

While we cannot prove anything we have not witnessed directly, it seems evident that there are some things we can be 99.9% sure of.
I think we can be sure that the Bible is inspired by God, and the four Gospels being included in the canon is a strong testimony of this.

I am sure about the Bible because of what Baha'u'llah wrote, and that it is God's greatest testimony to His creatures. I guess you could say that I have complete faith in Baha'u'llah, the same way you have complete faith in the Bible.

Back to your OP though.
I want you to take a look at this video.
Please, watch it carefully. There is something within it, that is a very logical answer to your question.
See if you notice it.
I'll point it out if you don't see it, but since you are looking for something logical, I want to see if you pick it up.

I am not sure what you are referring to as logical, but that was a very inspiring video. I have heard people say that when they cried out to God, He answered, and I have also experienced that in my moments of desperation. I think maybe God wants us to rely upon Him, and that is why God answers when we cry out, as a way of validating that He exists and cares. Of course that is just a theory.

I guess I never bothered to ask, are you a JW? Baha'is do not believe there is more than one God, and we call God by various names, but I see no need for God to have a name such as Jehovah or Allah, because God is the same God no matter what you call Him.

I have always liked and respected JWs, and they have some beliefs and practices in common with Baha'is that other more liberal Christians do not share. However, one way we are very different is in our beliefs about the afterlife, and obviously that means we interpret certain Bible verses differently.

Baha'is believe that once our body dies it remains dead and our soul passes to another world and takes on a new form, a spiritual body. Obviously, there is no way we can know what that will be like until we experience it, but we have promises from Baha'u'llah as to the destiny of a true believer.

“It is clear and evident that all men shall, after their physical death, estimate the worth of their deeds, and realize all that their hands have wrought. I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the horizon of Divine power! They that are the followers of the one true God shall, the moment they depart out of this life, experience such joy and gladness as would be impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can exceed. Well is it with him that hath quaffed the choice and incorruptible wine of faith through the gracious favor and the manifold bounties of Him Who is the Lord of all Faiths…” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 171

 

[Trailblazer]

Really opening my heart and really trying to love them, which was risky. It's also a one-way ticket: real love doesn't really end. You can't really go back. So, while I had an escape plan just in case it didn't work out, I've found that if you are really loving them, they will love you back. Like you can be the only non-family member invited to birthday parties, for one illustrative example that happened early on.

I understand what you are saying, but I don't see what loving (or maybe I should say trusting) people is risky, unless you are in a business arrangement with them and you stand to lose money. I have lost a lot of money by trusting people in business, namely tenants who did not pay the rent. However, I do not care of people reject my love, because I do not care if they love me back. I talk to strangers all the time and tell them all kinds of things and I find most people are very understanding and kind, although some people just listen and they probably think I am crazy.

This is a kind of proof of one important thing: that Jesus said true things ("true" = the best of all competing ways/solutions). For me what happened after I finally was satisfied after many varied test of that first idea, was to try another one, and after that one, then another. That progression eventually ended up in the things He said to do that require faith. I prayed to God like this: "God...bring me to you. Make a way from me to you." And He did, and it was rather dramatic actually. To pray that way...was a leap of faith. I had faith for a few seconds, doing that prayer. Perhaps it helped that I'd been listening to Christ, the one who knows God better than anyone else.

I know full well what I need to do about God but I just cannot bring myself to do it because I am too angry at Him.
My OP will give you an idea why I am angry although I do not want to go into the personal details on the open forum. I guess that praying would be me putting my ego aside and saying God knows best and I need help, and I am not ready to do that.

I believe that all the Messengers of God, what I normally refer to as Manifestations of God, know God, but I understand that Christians only recognize Christ so I understand why you feel that way. It is perhaps a strange phenomenon that when I am in anguish I cry out to Jesus and God rather than Baha'u'llah, even though I believe Baha'u'llah is the Manifestation of God for this new age. What makes it seem even stranger is that I was not raised a Christian and I was never a Christian, and I never even read one page of the Bible until about eight years ago. I am very intuitive so I think it is my intuitive self that knows who Jesus is, that coupled with the few New Testament Bible verses I know and love, and what Baha'u'llah wrote about Jesus in the Son of Man passage.

If there is anything I have to have faith in God for it is what my future holds and that God will be there to guide me through it, because I am at a crossroads. I cannot even imagine how I am going to make all these decisions, yet I know that I cannot continue as I have been going forever.

 

[halbhh]

I understand what you are saying, but I don't see what loving (or maybe I should say trusting) people is risky, unless you are in a business arrangement with them and you stand to lose money. I have lost a lot of money by trusting people in business, namely tenants who did not pay the rent. However, I do not care of people reject my love, because I do not care if they love me back. I talk to strangers all the time and tell them all kinds of things and I find most people are very understanding and kind, although some people just listen and they probably think I am crazy.

I know full well what I need to do about God but I just cannot bring myself to do it because I am too angry at Him.
My OP will give you an idea why I am angry although I do not want to go into the personal details on the open forum. I guess that praying would be me putting my ego aside and saying God knows best and I need help, and I am not ready to do that.

I believe that all the Messengers of God, what I normally refer to as Manifestations of God, know God, but I understand that Christians only recognize Christ so I understand why you feel that way. It is perhaps a strange phenomenon that when I am in anguish I cry out to Jesus and God rather than Baha'u'llah, even though I believe Baha'u'llah is the Manifestation of God for this new age. What makes it seem even stranger is that I was not raised a Christian and I was never a Christian, and I never even read one page of the Bible until about eight years ago. I am very intuitive so I think it is my intuitive self that knows who Jesus is, that coupled with the few New Testament Bible verses I know and love, and what Baha'u'llah wrote about Jesus in the Son of Man passage.

If there is anything I have to have faith in God for it is what my future holds and that God will be there to guide me through it, because I am at a crossroads. I cannot even imagine how I am going to make all these decisions, yet I know that I cannot continue as I have been going forever.

Jesus is from God, came here from God, and he said that we can ask in his name (with faith/trust, trusting/believing as we ask), so if you pray a crucial prayer, you could ask in Jesus's name, the one who said to us "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (this is in the wonderful Gospel of John, which any believer will be so glad they read, once they do. Here's a useful site for that -- John 1 ESV)

 

[Trailblazer]

I addressed this before, it all depends on how the sufferer responds to the suffering, and I would add, also to the comfort and ease. This does not mean to me that the person who suffers more will be more advanced spiritually than the one who suffers less. To me, it means, and this is just my opinion, that the more the suffering of a person the more opportunity they have to advance spiritually.

Finally, something that makes sense to me, and something that seems fair, if I look at suffering as an opportunity rather than a lesson from a cruel God. Just because people suffer that does not mean they will benefit from the suffering. I do not think it only depends upon their attitude, it is more than that. I think that trust in God that we will make it through the suffering with His help is a necessary component, although I do not think that gratefulness to God is necessary.

Is anyone the true lover of Baha'u'llah, for Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha this is a very high plane of existence.

O Son of Man!
The true lover yearneth for tribulation even as doth the rebel for forgiveness and the sinful for mercy.

Bahá’u’lláh, "The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh", a49

Duane! I do not have to yearn for tribulation, all I have to do is wait five minutes, or a day at the most. Maybe most people would not consider what I endure as tribulation but we are all different, and as such I would not consider what they complain about to be anything important at all. All I can say is that if I want to die, no matter what the cause, it is tribulation, and I have felt that way for a very long time.

There seems to be some agreement there between Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha. Here's another relevant Hidden Word:

O Son of Justice!
Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart’s desire? To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.

Bahá’u’lláh, "The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh", p4

Well there you have it Duane. I do not mind suffering and sacrificing my life for the Cause of God, it is just the loss through all these deaths that is unbearable. I think this is more is a psychological problem than it is a spiritual problem. Something happened in my past that makes me unable to deal with all this loss without wanting to die.

See what a high level a "true lover" is? Hardly anybody can be a "true lover". I know no Baha'i who's a "true lover".

If you mean a true lover of God, I am miles away from that, but at least I try to be of service to God and I think that should count more than love because God does not need my love; so I see that as selfish if I love God just so He will love me. I feel the same way about loving other people; i should love them because it is the right thing to do since God enjoined me to do it, not so they will love me back.

 

[Trailblazer]

Jesus is from God, came here from God, and he said that we can ask in his name (with faith/trust, trusting/believing as we ask), so if you pray a crucial prayer, you could ask in Jesus's name, the one who said to us "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (this is in the wonderful Gospel of John, which any believer will be so glad they read, once they do. Here's a useful site for that -- John 1 ESV)

Kind of along another note, we are talking about suffering, so this is one of my favorite songs.

 

[nPeace]

I am sure about the Bible because of what Baha'u'llah wrote, and that it is God's greatest testimony to His creatures. I guess you could say that I have complete faith in Baha'u'llah, the same way you have complete faith in the Bible.

I am not sure what you are referring to as logical, but that was a very inspiring video. I have heard people say that when they cried out to God, He answered, and I have also experienced that in my moments of desperation. I think maybe God wants us to rely upon Him, and that is why God answers when we cry out, as a way of validating that He exists and cares. Of course that is just a theory.

I like your theory. It's more than logical to me. It's reasonable.

Did you notice the part where the Witness lady said she was hurting, when she noticed the bruises on the lady. She could relate to the pain the lady must be experiencing.
It came up then, and later, when the lady reflected on the fact that she was hurting herself, and for what - glory from people who really couldn't care less about her.

Didn't that strike you?
The Witness lady cared about her, and was hurt by her suffering.
The lady was suffering by her own pursuit of wanting recognition. Yet she didn't understand why God allowed the suffering.

Did you get it? Or maybe you didn't.
Why are we suffering? Man's own actions.
Do we ever stop and consider that God is hurting that man suffers due to man's own pursuits?
Do we ever stop and consider that God - like that Witness lady - allows man to pursue their own goals, or choices?

What is God responsible for? Not our own choices. Not the suffering that comes from those choices. God is responsible for making the way out for mankind - who acknowledge him... As you mentioned, those who rely on him.
There has been, of course, much centuries of suffering, and many deaths through suffering, but there is nothing done that God can't undo... and he yearns for this.
(Job 14:14, 15) 14 If an able-bodied man dies can he live again? All the days of my compulsory service I shall wait, Until my relief comes. 15 You will call, and I myself shall answer you. For the work of your hands you will have a yearning.

Isn't there some logic to the above?

I guess I never bothered to ask, are you a JW? Baha'is do not believe there is more than one God, and we call God by various names, but I see no need for God to have a name such as Jehovah or Allah, because God is the same God no matter what you call Him.

I have always liked and respected JWs, and they have some beliefs and practices in common with Baha'is that other more liberal Christians do not share. However, one way we are very different is in our beliefs about the afterlife, and obviously that means we interpret certain Bible verses differently.

Not meaning to sound proud... but JWs are the bust people on earth. Hard to describe in actual words. It's better experiencing it.

Baha'is believe that once our body dies it remains dead and our soul passes to another world and takes on a new form, a spiritual body. Obviously, there is no way we can know what that will be like until we experience it, but we have promises from Baha'u'llah as to the destiny of a true believer.

“It is clear and evident that all men shall, after their physical death, estimate the worth of their deeds, and realize all that their hands have wrought. I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the horizon of Divine power! They that are the followers of the one true God shall, the moment they depart out of this life, experience such joy and gladness as would be impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can exceed. Well is it with him that hath quaffed the choice and incorruptible wine of faith through the gracious favor and the manifold bounties of Him Who is the Lord of all Faiths…” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 171

The Bible speaks of resurrection to life, where millions dead, will return to life - the real life. (1 Timothy 6:19) . . .safely treasuring up for themselves a fine foundation for the future, so that they may get a firm hold on the real life.

Think of how special that will be. Imagine waking up right... The last thing you remember is being separated from your loved ones... by death. Then something like this happens.
Doesn't that show God's great love and care for mankind? How would you feel?
I know how I would feel. The gratitude that I would feel, would never fade. That would be an experience of seeing love demonstrated, in a way we probably never experienced ever.

We'll see that God is responsible for our life. Not our death.

 

[Trailblazer]

Yes, there is No death in Heaven and we are asked to pray that joyful heavenly conditions come to exist here on Earth as they do in Heaven.....
The only people called to Heaven are people like those of Luke 22:28-30; Daniel 7:18; Revelation 2:10.
The majority of mankind are offered Earth as Adam was offered Earth.
This is why Jesus said meek or mild humble people will inherit ( Not Heaven ) but inherit the Earth.- Psalms 37:9-11; Matthew 5:5
Not an Earth filled with sorrows but inherit an Earth minus wicked people. Jesus will do away with the wicked - Isaiah 11:3-4; Rev. 19:14-16

I believe that when Jesus said meek will inherit the Earth, Jesus meant the people living on Earth in the future and all the generations of people who are born. I do not believe Jesus meant that any humans would live on earth forever because our bodies are mortal and not designed to live forever. I believe that everyone who dies passes to a spiritual world, and those who have eternal life, which is a state of the soul who is near to God, will go to heaven.

I believe that the new Earth, what Jesus referred to as the Kingdom of God, will no longer be filled with sorrows, and wicked people will be a thing of the past. In the distant future, everyone will truly believe in God and there will be a New Race of Men.

Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

 

[Trailblazer]

I like your theory. It's more than logical to me. It's reasonable.

i thought you'd like it, it is reasonable, if God is all He is cracked up to be in the Bible and the Baha'i Writings.

Did you notice the part where the Witness lady said she was hurting, when she noticed the bruises on the lady. She could relate to the pain the lady must be experiencing.
It came up then, and later, when the lady reflected on the fact that she was hurting herself, and for what - glory from people who really couldn't care less about her.

Didn't that strike you?
The Witness lady cared about her, and was hurt by her suffering.
The lady was suffering by her own pursuit of wanting recognition. Yet she didn't understand why God allowed the suffering.

Did you get it? Or maybe you didn't.

Yes, I did pick up on that but i wanted to get your take on it.

Why are we suffering? Man's own actions.
Do we ever stop and consider that God is hurting that man suffers due to man's own pursuits?
Do we ever stop and consider that God - like that Witness lady - allows man to pursue their own goals, or choices?

What is God responsible for? Not our own choices. Not the suffering that comes from those choices.

You are correct that man is responsible for his own choices because we have free will, but it is not that simple.

Humans have the will/ability to make choices based upon their desires and preferences. Our desires and preferences come from a combination of factors such as childhood upbringing, heredity, education, adult experiences, and present life circumstances. How free they are varies with the situation. Certainly what we refer to as “free will” has many constraints. However, we have the ability to make choices. Otherwise, we would just be at the mercy of our past experiences and our heredity.

However, there are many things that happen in this life that re not subject to the free will of man, and some of these things are fated or predestined by God.

“Some things are subject to the free will of man, such as justice, equity, tyranny and injustice, in other words, good and evil actions; it is evident and clear that these actions are, for the most part, left to the will of man. But there are certain things to which man is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, decline of power, injuries and misfortunes; these are not subject to the will of man, and he is not responsible for them, for he is compelled to endure them. But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free, and he commits them according to his own will.” Some Answered Questions, p. 248

And WHY is man forced to endure them? Because God set it up that way.

God is responsible for making the way out for mankind - who acknowledge him... As you mentioned, those who rely on him.
There has been, of course, much centuries of suffering, and many deaths through suffering, but there is nothing done that God can't undo... and he yearns for this.
(Job 14:14, 15) 14 If an able-bodied man dies can he live again? All the days of my compulsory service I shall wait, Until my relief comes. 15 You will call, and I myself shall answer you. For the work of your hands you will have a yearning.

Isn't there some logic to the above?

The way out is to rely upon God and endure the suffering and try to learn and grow spiritually from it, but the suffering is still there for many people who have serious life situations that cannot be changed or serious illnesses, physical or psychological.

The Bible speaks of resurrection to life, where millions dead, will return to life - the real life. (1 Timothy 6:19) . . .safely treasuring up for themselves a fine foundation for the future, so that they may get a firm hold on the real life.

What I believe about resurrection to life is in a post I posted to a Christian a few days ago:

Skywalker said: Why do you believe that there is no bodily resurrection? Bahai people believe in the Bible, and the Bible mentions a bodily resurrection. Is the resurrection physical or spiritual? - creation.com

From your website:
When Jesus was raised from the dead, His body was transformed into a resurrection body that could never die again. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul tells us that we can look forward to the exact same type of resurrection. In other words, Jesus experienced a human resurrection. This is a physical body, that differs from our fallen mortal bodies in that it will never age, suffer disease, or die.

Trailblazer said: There is nothing in the Bible that supports such a belief. There is no such thing as a physical body, that differs from our fallen mortal bodies in that it will never age, suffer disease, or die. It is not in the Bible, it is a misinterpretation of scripture. Below is a post I posted to another Christian a few months ago:

There is no such thing as a glorious spiritual body of incorruptible light. This is not in the Bible anywhere.

There is no such thing as a physical body that is transformed into an immortal body. It is not in the Bible anywhere. This is a Christian belief that came about because the Bible was misinterpreted. ALL these misconceptions about a Resurrection Body came about because Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

It is clear and plain what the Bible SAYS.

There are physical bodies and spiritual bodies, as Paul said. The physical body is the source of all corruption as the Bible says, it is the source of dishonor, it is weak, and that is because the physical body is subject to sin.

The spiritual body is incorruptible because spirit can never die. Paul said that the body is raised in glory and raised in power and that is because the spiritual body has glory and power. The soul (spirit) is glorified and has power because it was created by God.

Jesus said that spirit and flesh are not equivalent. The spirit quickens, the flesh profits nothing. The flesh profits nothing because it is subject to sin and it is mortal, not everlasting.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Baha’is believe that souls go to heaven and take on a spiritual body, which is the same thing as what Paul says in 1st Cor:
We are raised in a spiritual body because only spiritual bodies can enter heaven.

1st Corinthians 15

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The verse above says nothing about the physical body being changed into a glorified body that cannot die. The verses above clearly state that there are two kinds of bodies, a natural body and a spiritual body; we are sown in a natural body and we are raised in a spiritual body.

Think of how special that will be. Imagine waking up right... The last thing you remember is being separated from your loved ones... by death. Then something like this happens.
Doesn't that show God's great love and care for mankind? How would you feel?
I know how I would feel. The gratitude that I would feel, would never fade. That would be an experience of seeing love demonstrated, in a way we probably never experienced ever.

Baha'is believe we will be reunited with our loved ones after we die and pass to the spiritual world.

"As to the question whether the souls will recognize each other in the spiritual world: This (fact) is certain; for the Kingdom is the world of vision (i.e., things are visible in it), where all the concealed realities will become disclosed. How much more the well-known souls will become manifest. The mysteries of which man is heedless in this earthly world, those will he discover in the heavenly world, and there will he be informed of the secret of truth; how much more will he recognize or discover persons with whom he hath been associated. – Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha, Volume 1, p. 205.

We'll see that God is responsible for our life. Not our death.

Doesn't the Bible say that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away?
God is responsible for our life and our death, but there only death of the body since the spirit (soul) continues to exist forever in the spiritual world.

“And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 155-156

 

[Kenny]

I was interested in your thoughts about Hebrews 10:26 ______________

Would you agree that blasphemy against God's spirit is a factor ____________

OK... First, I always have a problem with just taking one scripture and coming to a conclusion as if it wan't connected to the rest of the Book.

So let me pull more in information:

Hebrew 6: 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Hebrews 10: 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

These are, imv, companion scriptures. The first is more extensive and the last a recap. I say they are companions because both deal with starting with knowledge and end in destruction.

I bring in the first because of its detailed (and I believe this is the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit)

1. "They were once enlightened" - they were saved - they had received forgiveness - they had tasted of the heavenly gift of salvation
2. T"hey tasted the good word of God. " They had grown, they had matured, they had experience the life in the word of God
3. "They had tasted of the powers of the world to come "- thy had been filled with the Holy Spirit - experience His miraculous power
4. "If they shall fall away" - after all of that, the exercised the same faith that got them saved and, by faith, rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and call goodness of God's Holy Spirit evil.
5. They cannot crucify Jesus twice... the gift of forgiveness, once received and then utterly rejected, cannot be forgiven again.

And thus, Heb 10:26 - if they sin willfully have received all of the knowledge and experience, there is no more sacrifice available.

But, for those who in ignorance blasphemed or really didn't reject Jesus with full faith?

1 Timothy 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Mercy... forgiveness is still there.

For example: consider how sick those scribes and Pharisees attributing to Satan what was surely from God - Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:19-30; John 7:5
We can think of the implications for attributing to Satan what has really been accomplished by God's spirit (Psalms 10:30)
Of course, we can't know or judge who had committed the unforgivable, but Hebrews 10:26-27 to me sheds light on this matter.
Not just a sin, but the practice of sin, the degree of willful sinning involved, I suppose one could say ' sinning with eyes wide open', so to speak.

Many of these Pharisees and Levites received Jesus after. But forgiveness was available to all. Those who willfully sin haven't accepted God's forgiveness.

Repenting would need to be involved, more so than just feeling remorse, without repenting then resurrection would serve No purpose.
Serve No purpose because they are like the symbolic composite religious ' man of lawlessness ' mentioned at 2 Thessalonians 2:3,8; Hebrews 6:4-8

Absolutely.. repentance is necessary. That is what happens when one receives forgiveness - they repent to ask and receive the forgiveness that is freely offered to all.