Essential Goal of Christianity???

[Dedicated Mind]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

I have no idea who was filled with the Spirit and who wasn't in the centuries when nothing was recorded (and neither do you), but I have faith that God knows who His people are. Being one of His has nothing to do with being "UPC", and it's asinine to characterize scriptural principles and commandments in that manner.

I also have faith that God is merciful to people who were/are sincere but ignorant of scripture, and as far as believers are concerned, God is their final judge. But unbelievers? Are you trying to say that unbelievers can be saved through good works? It's a kind thought, but not in keeping with the Word of God.

John 8:24 "...if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins."



His word and commandments.

I John 2:3-5

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:hereby know we that we are in him."



No, not exactly, because people have their own ideas about what "love" is, and our flesh will eventually corrupt whatever goodness we attempt. You can't flip it around. You follow after the Spirit, and the lusts of the flesh will be squelched in your life and the fruits of the Spirit will follow--which includes the love of God. If you try to *manually* produce the fruits of the Spirit in your life without including God in the equation, you will fall flat on your face.

It seems that you've equated good works with godliness and salvation and that is anti-scriptural. Sorry, Charlie, but good works don't save you.

who is talking about manually producing good works as a means of salvation? i said the essence of christianity is to produce the love nature of christ in us. obviously if i said the love nature of christ, i am referring to the biblical definition of love.it is also evident that people like ghandhi, martin luther king, dorothy day and mother teresa expressed the biblical definition of love and that they did it as an expression of the spirit of God that is resident in every human because god is resident in every human and because god is love therefore those people expressed the spirit of god without ever having been baptized in jesus name or spoken in tongues. good works as an expression of god's spirit of love residing in you does save you according to matthew 25 and 1cor 13.