Even after coming to know that God is the living God of heaven, some people can, however, continue to turn their faces against God while continuing to believe in their religion, or in their gods and goddesses (that do not exist), but also in the images of their gods and goddesses in the form of statues, portraits, and paintings.
At the same time, they can continue to believe in the words of their ministers and priests instead of believing in the words of Christ, who said,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but through me." (John 14: 6)
Moreover, and from ignoring God, they can continue to believe that hell is not the place for them. Since they believe their ministers and priests have scrubbed them of their sins through water baptism, or from absolution, and from obedience in their participation of rites and rituals, they can continue to believe they are on their way to heaven. Instead of kneeling to God, whom they cannot see with their eyes, they will keep their faith in their religious idols, which they can see with their eyes, instead of placing their faith in the unseen Christ. Because of pride, they will not confess their sins to the unseen and living God of heaven, choosing instead to keep their faith in gods and goddesses that are embedded in their minds, which they believe are real because of the power that abides in imagination.
Religion is therefore an institution for the minds of people and not for their hearts: for in their minds they are being kept captive by the power of deception and lies instead of the reality of truth: for truth comes from God and not from man.
As Christians, we are living in the world, yes, but we are also living for a world that is not made by human hands; nor is it a world that has been manufactured from the imaginations of men. Knowing that people have no power after death, we also know that humans have no power over other humans after they are dead. Our state of denial ended when we knelt to Christ: at which time we came out of religion and left it behind us.
Even I, when I was a religious person, was good at it, for all of my beliefs were in my head and that is all I needed to know. Others around me saw me from the outside, but not from the inside. Not only had I tricked myself to believe in my own beliefs, but I had also tricked others to believe that I was a righteous person and on my way to heaven simply because of how I was able to present myself in the presence of others. But when Christ came for me, I believed in Him and stopped believing in me. At that time, too, my religious cloak dropped by the wayside and I have never re-entered that arena in my head: choosing instead to distance myself from religion as far as I can get away from it.
As humans, we have souls, and the soul is us. Our bodies are where our souls abide. At death, our bodies die, but our souls (or us) live on: some to everlasting life in the presence of God in heaven, or some to eternal torment in a place called hell.
These are our two choices: heaven or hell. We can choose Christ and enter the gates of heaven, or we can continue to live in a state of denial and enter the gates of hell.
Therefore,
"Choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24: 15)
At the same time, they can continue to believe in the words of their ministers and priests instead of believing in the words of Christ, who said,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but through me." (John 14: 6)
Moreover, and from ignoring God, they can continue to believe that hell is not the place for them. Since they believe their ministers and priests have scrubbed them of their sins through water baptism, or from absolution, and from obedience in their participation of rites and rituals, they can continue to believe they are on their way to heaven. Instead of kneeling to God, whom they cannot see with their eyes, they will keep their faith in their religious idols, which they can see with their eyes, instead of placing their faith in the unseen Christ. Because of pride, they will not confess their sins to the unseen and living God of heaven, choosing instead to keep their faith in gods and goddesses that are embedded in their minds, which they believe are real because of the power that abides in imagination.
Religion is therefore an institution for the minds of people and not for their hearts: for in their minds they are being kept captive by the power of deception and lies instead of the reality of truth: for truth comes from God and not from man.
As Christians, we are living in the world, yes, but we are also living for a world that is not made by human hands; nor is it a world that has been manufactured from the imaginations of men. Knowing that people have no power after death, we also know that humans have no power over other humans after they are dead. Our state of denial ended when we knelt to Christ: at which time we came out of religion and left it behind us.
Even I, when I was a religious person, was good at it, for all of my beliefs were in my head and that is all I needed to know. Others around me saw me from the outside, but not from the inside. Not only had I tricked myself to believe in my own beliefs, but I had also tricked others to believe that I was a righteous person and on my way to heaven simply because of how I was able to present myself in the presence of others. But when Christ came for me, I believed in Him and stopped believing in me. At that time, too, my religious cloak dropped by the wayside and I have never re-entered that arena in my head: choosing instead to distance myself from religion as far as I can get away from it.
As humans, we have souls, and the soul is us. Our bodies are where our souls abide. At death, our bodies die, but our souls (or us) live on: some to everlasting life in the presence of God in heaven, or some to eternal torment in a place called hell.
These are our two choices: heaven or hell. We can choose Christ and enter the gates of heaven, or we can continue to live in a state of denial and enter the gates of hell.
Therefore,
"Choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24: 15)
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