this is how i’m doing: in case you were wondering…

Let me begin by saying I don’t know. Also, I don’t intend to try to downgrade any denominations or to say that my thoughts are THE right ones; This is merely my thoughts and questions that were birthed out of trying to understand my own salvation (I don’t know at what moment God saved me but I can bear witness to when He became real to me and the things he continues to do in my life). There are many, many articles and books written by people far smarter than I, that have studied way more than I ever will on both sides of the fence so if you’re looking for answers try one of them, but I’m pretty sure the conclusion will still be that only God knows for sure.

 I could spend forever and a day TRYING to rewrite what Paul wrote in Romans to explain salvation but why reinvent the wheel? Basically God can’t have fellowship with us because He is righteous and we are not due to the fall of man. Sin has a price which is death. The plan to save us was God sending His son Jesus, who was without sin, to become a man and die for the sins of man, once for all. He would then raise Him from the dead, conquering both sin and death. This opens the door for us to be saved, but it’s not a get out of jail free card or a blanket of salvation for everyone (universal salvation). Salvation throughout the Bible even before the cross was by faith. We must believe God (not just believe there IS a God) to receive salvation. Sounds so simple yet complex at the same time. Our language and culture doesn’t do a great job of defining what it means to believe. We won’t get into the whole faith and works talk but if faith is a tree and works are it’s fruits, can you get the fruit without the tree? Is the tree of any worth if it doesn’t bear any fruit? So what does fruit trees have to do with babies and hell?

 If salvation requires faith then a baby who dies before it can understand enough to believe in God does not have salvation and will go to hell. But babies haven’t done anything wrong, they are innocent, right? Then it must be the parents that teach infants and toddlers to throw fits and how to be selfish and how to lie. Remember, we were born into sin, none of us are righteous, not even at birth. We have to be extremely careful not to make up theology to make the Bible and God make sense to us. It’s easy to say that it’s not fair for a baby to go to hell but we have to remember that it’s not fair that ANYONE gets to go to heaven. If we have a theology that says everyone is sinful except for babies and those mentally incapable of believing then we are distorting the Word of God which is extremely dangerous. If we hold to this kind of theology then we must say that there is a certain age at which children have an understanding of right and wrong which the Bible never teaches. Because of this flawed view of scriptures we have people believing that if they baptize their infant child that God will grant them salvation, which the Bible never teaches. Look, I don’t find pleasure in thinking that there are souls of babies eternally damned to hell, but I can’t make something up to make me or other people feel better. What I can do is trust that God is a Just God and that He is good.

 David’s response to the death of his son.

His servants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” - 2 Samuel 12:16-23

“I will go to him, but he will not return to me” - Some say this shows that David is assured that he will be reunited with his son one day in heaven.

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.” - Luke 1:14-16 in reference to John the Baptist, filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth.

“But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…” - Galatians 1:15-16 - Paul being set aside by God from birth.

Do ALL babies go to hell if they die? I would have to say no. Salvation isn’t really up to us. Salvation is not dependent on whether or not we are baptized or that we come to the conclusion that God is who He says He is. We are not capable of such a task. Paul says in Ephesians 2 that we were dead in our sins. Dead men don’t choose Christ… dead men don’t do anything but rot. As believers we were dead in our sins until by God’s grace, which enabled us to have faith, saved us. It was a gift. A gift that God gives to whomever HE chooses. Are ALL babies then saved automatically? There isn’t any evidence of universal salvation for infants, so I would again have to say no.

When it comes to the salvation of your children (or as in my case future children), I think our job is to pray for them and trust that God is good.

THAT is what a parent said to me while I was on the road recruiting… crazy alums.  It’s good to be back.
1498 - The number of miles I drove last week recruiting in  the Costal Bend area.  I spent the whole weekend recovering from my  trip - I was exhausted!  I learned towards the end of  the week the art of power napping which was especially useful on Friday which  (including the drive back) was a 13 hour day.  Anyway, I’m back but it appears YOU aren’t.  Come on, no comments?  You didn’t have anything to say about taxation of abortion or my hatred of the church?  Tune in next time for the exciting theological debate: “Do Babies go to Hell?”

Seriously, that’s my next topic.  A tough subject but it has been helpful in trying to understand my own salvation.  It should be a good one!

I hate the church again.

I hate music and gimmicks and the song and dance of it all. I hate it. Oh, I’ll get over it, but I just thought you should know.

“I’m against picketing but I don’t know how to show it” - Mitch Hedberg

The older I get the more apathetic I become towards religion and politics. I used to get down right angry at both flawed systems, but what’s the point? Will anything REALLY change if Kinky or Grandma gets elected? How about if we go from traditional to contemporary in church? Not really. So why bother getting angry about it?

I used to be a key issue kind of person, voting for the candidate that best aligned with my two or three issues which usually were things like abortion and the death penalty (which, there is a bit of irony in believing that abortion is murder but the death penalty is justice). I decided to save myself the trouble this go round by refusing to vote.

I also refuse to acknowledge the ignorant remarks of “If you don’t vote then you don’t have a right to complain”. So if I vote my complaints will be heard and attended to? My complaints can’t and will never be fixed by any government. Laws don’t change people’s hearts. Banning abortion won’t stop abortion just like lowering the speed limit won’t stop people from speeding; we will just try harder to not get caught. Why not keep it legal and tax it or something.

If people claim to be pro-life, why don’t they act like it? If it breaks their heart to think of a mother murdering her own child, why don’t they show it? I would love to see people weeping outside of abortion clinics, genuinely pleading with women to spare a life. What if instead of picket signs and rocks people brought food and money and open arms and open hearts to a protest? Imagine what would happen if we protested with love instead of hate. Don’t change the law, change their hearts.