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Less opaque
Greetings to one and all, I'm Cypress. This page contains a bit about my real life personal beliefs. There are those who travel the Sylvan lands with me who share my beliefs in their real life as well, and I appreciate their company and support. There are still those who do not who I am glad have joined us as well. This page is just a statement of what I believe not a rule of belief for the shard or anything.
Why would I bother putting my personal beliefs out here available to everyone? What does this have to do with anything anyway? I write this because I care about the eternal destiny of all people especially my friends. I believe that everyone is going one of two places when we leave this world: heaven or hell. Jesus is the one and only way to heaven, and it only makes sense that if I believe this and if I really care about others, I should tell them. The most important thing I can ever do in my life is help others to know Jesus and go to heaven. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. It all began long ago before the earth was even made. God created. He created the angels, the earth, plants, animals, and man. He created because He looked down through time and loved us and all His creation. He gave angels and man freewill to love Him in return or serve themselves. The Devil was the first to choose evil and many other angels followed him.Isaiah 14:12-14
12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. The choice of the angels was made, and now it is man's time to decide. God made it very simple. He only gave one command: do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why did He put the tree there? Why did He allow Satan to continue exist? The answer is freewill without choice is not freewill, and love without freewill is not love and is worthless. Well, man chose to listen to Satan and eat from that tree, and we are still listening to Satan and choosing sin. Why didn't God end it all way back then? If He had, then you would not exist, and He cared about you way back then before you existed just like he cared about those back then. 1 Peter 1:18-20
18. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, In other words, before the world was made, God loved you and Jesus knew He would die to save you.
So, time continued and man was separated from God because of sin. Even one sin will separate us from God, and all of us have many. When Satan chose evil, God created hell as a place to separate all evil from Himself. God is Holy, righteous, and just, and so must be separate from sin. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels not for man. However, because of man's sin, he too would go to hell to be forever separated from God. Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Matthew 25:41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: This was our eternal destiny because of how we choose sin. God knew this, and would have sent us all to hell except there is another attribute of God that stopped Him.
God is love, and God loves us even though we are drowning in sin and evil. God looks at us, at His beloved creation, and is touched by our weaknesses and understands and cares. Romans 5:7-8
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Hebrews 4:14-16
14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 1 Peter 5:7
7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Because of this God doesn't just send us to hell as soon as we do our first sin. God is merciful and allows us time to be forgiven and made clean so that we can once again be in fellowship with Him.
However, God is still just, and evil demands punishment. So, God's love combined with God's justice made a way for us to be rescued from the punishment of our sins. This way was the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross. He came, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, and died a cruel death on the cross. I've heard it put like this: Even one sin separates us from God and condemns us to death which may not sound fair, but having Someone Who did no wrong die in our place is not fair either. It is love and mercy.Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus, Who did no wrong, died for you and me. When He died on the cross, He took the punishment for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself separating Himself from God for the first and only time in all eternity. We do not know what it truly feels like to be separated from God, and we won't know unless we die and go to hell. I hope none I know ever experience this. Thankfully this was not the end of the story. Because Jesus is God and had truly done no wrong, He was able to take the punishment for sin and then conquer it. He conquered death, and came back to life three days after His death. I serve a risen Savior! If He had not conquered death, we would have no hope. But, He did rise from the dead, and we do have hope!1 Corinthians 15:3-8
3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5. And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6. After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. God did all this for us, but we still have our freewill. He still does not force us to accept Him. His sacrifice alone much less the fact that He created us should inspire us to accept Him, and it does for many of us. Still, we must choose. Please believe in Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask forgiveness and accept His gift as the complete payment for your sins.
How can you be saved from punishment, from eternal separation from God in hell? First, believe that Jesus came, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for you, and rose again then confess your sinful condition to God and ask forgiveness.1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ephesians 2:8-9
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Acts 16:30-32
30. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. Can you be so evil as to not be able to be saved? Are you still alive? If so, then God is still showing mercy to you and giving you a chance to be saved.
Can you lose your salvation, your eternal life, once you have it? If you could lose it, then it would not be eternal.John 10:27-29
27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Does this mean if you're saved, you can do whatever you want and sin as much as you want? No, not unless you want a wasted life and God's chastisement upon you while you're alive. Also, if you are truly saved, then you should have changed your wants and desires. It can take some time, but there's going to be a battle inside you between your old life and your new life.1 Peter 2:16
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 1 Corinthians 3:15
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Romans 7:21-23
21. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. So if you're saved, what do you do now? Live right leading others to Jesus and looking forward to when Jesus will come back.Titus 2:11-14
11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
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