Should a Christian Fear Death?

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aspen

“"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few
Apr 25, 2012
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My question was in response to your statement in your post #18. So, reread my post #51. Then again I ask, what does your answer have to do with the kingdom of God being in someone.

In other words, you started it.

Stranger
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Well, at least we know who started it.....

I already answered both of your questions

1. I don't know how God unites with us
2. Luke 17:21 "neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you"

As far as Jesus knocking at the door - it is the beginning of this union within us
 
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aspen

“"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few
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Well, I'm not preaching, I'm simply citing scripture, got no idea what this "dualism" crap is about.


Well, we agree - dualism is crap. It is a heresy that has been trying to merge with Christianity from the very begin. It teaches that good and evil are equal forces - both are necessary. Gnostics taught dualism in many of their teachings like the physical body as evil vs. spirit, as good. Modern Christians teach that god and the devil are warring it out for our souls. It is heresy
 
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Dcopymope

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Well, we agree - dualism is crap. It is a heresy that has been trying to merge with Christianity from the very begin. It teaches that good and evil are equal forces - both are necessary. Gnostics taught dualism in many of their teachings like the physical body as evil vs. spirit, as good. Modern Christians teach that god and the devil are warring it out for our souls. It is heresy

Well, your babbling about Gnosticism aside, the very notion of good and evil, or "dualism" if that's what you want to call it, was brought forth by God himself with the tree that he told Adam and Eve not to eat. It is a concept that can only be defined by God as he is holy, the moral absolute. The concept of evil has always existed, but the knowledge of evil did not exist as far as Adam and Eve was concerned. It wasn't called "The tree of good & evil", it was called "The tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil". This is what made Adam and Eve innocent in the eyes of God, they had no concept of what sin is before they ate of it. It will be much the same way in the new heaven and earth, the key differences is that there will be no tree giving man the knowledge of good and evil and thus no sin, no Satan, and Jesus Christ will be in the picture. The prophet Isaiah made it very clear that we won't remember the evils of this world in the new creation.

(Isaiah 65:17-19) "¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. {18} But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. {19} And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying."

(Revelation 21:3-4) "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. {4} And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
 
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aspen

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Well, your babbling about Gnosticism aside, the very notion of good and evil, or "dualism" if that's what you want to call it, was brought forth by God himself with the tree that he told Adam and Eve not to eat. It is a concept that can only be defined by God as he is holy, the moral absolute. The concept of evil has always existed, but the knowledge of evil did not exist as far as Adam and Eve was concerned. It wasn't called "The tree of good & evil", it was called "The tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil". This is what made Adam and Eve innocent in the eyes of God, they had no concept of what sin is before they ate of it. It will be much the same way in the new heaven and earth, the key differences is that there will be no tree giving man the knowledge of good and evil and thus no sin, no Satan, and Jesus Christ will be in the picture. The prophet Isaiah made it very clear that we won't remember the evils of this world in the new creation.

1. Well, if you view church history as 'babbling', I shutter to imagine your 'trumpism' in response to science and mathematics.

2. The word 'knowing' in the context of the story of Adam and Eve means knowledge derived for experience. Adam and Eve knew evil/disobedience/broken creation in theory before they ate the fruit.

3. Dualism was the result of the Fall, not a description of the choice between eating the fruit and not eating the fruit. God wasn't offering A&E a choice between right and wrong - he was warning them not to misuse creation; specifically, the Tree in the center of the Garden. The Tree was not magic - it didn't bequeath a super power of knowing Good from evil. Adam and Eve were not issued a cape and told to use their special powers for good. The Tree earned its name - like Wyatt Earp's gun 'peacemaker' - only a fool fails to see the irony. After eating the fruit, A&E were cursed to walk through life assigning self serving opinions to everything in creation and calling it 'good' or 'evil' based on how it served them. We do the same thing. Jesus was correct when he told the pharisees that they had no idea what good is, for this very reason.

4. A&E blocked themselves from the Tree of Life (Christ) because of their newly acquired dualistic, concrete, self serving view of the world. God created clothing (ego) for them to give them a mark (like the later Mark of Cain) of their separation from God. Paul recognized this when he writes about overthrowing the Old Man, which is a call to return to a Garden relationship with God.

5. Evil is brokenness - it is a misuse of creation. Ignorance of brokenness does not erase it. Christ provides the only solution to brokenness - returning to the Garden - the will of God is for humanity to do what we were created to do, LOVE abundantly. We must shed our ego; become vulnerable and childlike, once again, in order to love.

This is the story of humanity told in Genesis
 

Dcopymope

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2. The word 'knowing' in the context of the story of Adam and Eve means knowledge derived for experience. Adam and Eve knew evil/disobedience/broken creation in theory before they ate the fruit.

3. Dualism was the result of the Fall, not a description of the choice between eating the fruit and not eating the fruit. God wasn't offering A&E a choice between right and wrong - he was warning them not to misuse creation; specifically, the Tree in the center of the Garden. The Tree was not magic - it didn't bequeath a super power of knowing Good from evil. Adam and Eve were not issued a cape and told to use their special powers for good. The Tree earned its name - like Wyatt Earp's gun 'peacemaker' - only a fool fails to see the irony. After eating the fruit, A&E were cursed to walk through life assigning self serving opinions to everything in creation and calling it 'good' or 'evil' based on how it served them. We do the same thing. Jesus was correct when he told the pharisees that they had no idea what good is, for this very reason.

:rolleyes: Well, no, the tree wasn't magic. Magic is a slight of hand, the creation of the illusion of something real, but never was, so we're not talking about parlor tricks. Using your logic, the tree of life wasn't designed to prolong Adam and Eve's life span. I guess the tree of life was also nothing more than a parlor trick, so will it be in the new Jerusalem as well. Two plus two must always equal four, and God being the author of life also makes him the author of logic. Eating of the tree was an offense warranting complete removal from the garden. Your babbling's of allegorical symbolism aside, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was meant to do exactly what it was called, to instill them with the knowledge of sin just like the tree of life was meant to do exactly what it was called, which is to sustain life.

(Genesis 3:22-24) "¶ And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: {23} Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. {24} So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

In other words, what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil did to Adam and Eve led to the fall. This is meant to be taken literal, word for word, no allegorical babbling's needed.
 
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