If there were no heaven.... - Page 4

Digging4Truth · #31 12-30-2010, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

Didn't St Paul talk about this once-- saying that if we were following made up stories then we would be "most miserable" of all men.

I've already touched on that verse when it was mentioned earlier.

Here is what i posted earlier...

Quote:

I don't think that is what is being said in that scripture. Jesus died to give us life... and that more abundantly.

What God is to us IN THIS LIFE is a blessing. It brings peace to THIS LIFE. It brings hope TO THIS LIFE. To know that God brought these things to THIS LIFE and yet didn't provide for an eternal dose of it would still leave us with the hope and the peace that God loved us and cared for us. Perhaps an eternal existence was not possible for us... he still gave us a better way to live and a better life.

But the scripture is still there. And taken in it's context it does, indeed, appear to be talking about whether there is or is not an afterlife. \

The term that was translated "most miserable" could also be interpreted as "to be pitied". I wonder if that might have been a better translation. It certainly fits.

But... taking it as it is written lets look at the context.

The chapter is talking about Jesus having risen from the dead and that if there is no resurrection from the dead then Christ is not raised and if Christ is not raised then the apostles have, then, given a false witness for God.

If Christ be not risen then our preaching is vain... your faith is vain. In a nutshell...

People were saying that there is no resurrection. Paul is telling them that our entire salvation pivots on Jesus raising from the dead. Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection. If there is no resurrection then Christ did not raise from the dead and if Christ did not raise from the dead then our preaching is in vain... your faith is in vain... the whole thing is a lie.

So he isn't saying that without a hope of eternity we are miserable. He is saying that the entire hope of our salvation rests upon the concept of resurrection and if there is no resurrection then there is no resurrected Christ and if there is no resurrected Christ then we have no hope and are miserable (or even so... to be pitied)

This scripture is way too often taken out of it's context in my opinion.

OneAccord · #32 12-30-2010, 04:39 PM

Thats it. I've had enough. I don't even know why I bother. But no more. You people are hopeless. Everyone of you. I've tried and I've tried, but, its time to wipe my hands clean and shake the dust of my shoes.

And while I'm at it, let me say this then so long......

...I'm kidding. Love all my AFF friends!

mfblume · #33 12-30-2010, 05:02 PM

Sounds like an old Lanny Wolfe song.

Michlow · #34 12-31-2010, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timmy

Not sure, but I think you are answering a different question from the one he asked, which was what if the Bible didn't promise a heaven or a hell (and they didn't exist). No reason to feel gypped. (Unless, of course, there were people who told you about them! People other than the writers of the Bible, I mean.

)

Ahhh...I guess in that case I would probably have never gotten interested. I mean that's what drew me in, in the first place. The hope that there would some day be something better than this life. (mine was pretty awful at the time). Of course, in my case, after 7 or 8 years of trying to be perfect enough to attain it and failing, I figured it would be much better to work on this life instead.

aegsm76 · #35 12-31-2010, 07:38 AM

Paraphrasing what Paul said - "If there were no Heaven, why bother?"

Twisp · #36 12-31-2010, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aegsm76

Paraphrasing what Paul said - "If there were no Heaven, why bother?"

There is so much to see and do in this life. If there were no heaven, it would make it that much more important to live life here to the fullest.

"If there were no Heaven, why not bother with this life more?"

ILG · #37 12-31-2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneAccord

Thats it. I've had enough. I don't even know why I bother. But no more. You people are hopeless. Everyone of you. I've tried and I've tried, but, its time to wipe my hands clean and shake the dust of my shoes.

And while I'm at it, let me say this then so long......

...I'm kidding. Love all my AFF friends!

OA, you can't fool anybody for a minute!!