What if entry into heavenly reward costs $10,000?


prisonchaplain
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What if I could legitimately offer you a ticket to heaven, with the very thumb print of God on it, for $10,000? Would you take it? Most everyone I ask this says YES! It would be something tangible, and I could say I earned it--I bought it--I deserve it--it's mine! Never mind, that a family of five could not spend a week at a Disney resort for that price. Consider not that the cost does not represent even 1% of the ticket's value. We could take it and not have to embrace the one thing that Christianity demands of us--humble admission of sin and acceptance of unearned grace and mercy. Most refuse this free gift, yet would pay several month's salary for the same benefit. Heaven cannot be bought, but whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-ellis-81932272/detail/recent-activity/shares/

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Still gotta to be baptized.

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5

And you gotta have obedience to the commandments.

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." - Matthew 19:16–17

Edited by Snigmorder
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It could be argued that water baptism is an outward demonstration of that inward humility and admission. Then again, can you imagine how many baptisms would be performed if churches gave out those tangible tickets with God's fingerprint on them? If baptism were to replace the humble admission of sin and acceptance of grace, whether done by duly appointed authority, ordained of God, or not, I'd argue the sacrament would become void--perhaps not unlike the latter Old Testament times when God asked rhetorically, if they thought he craved their animal sacrifices, given the way they carried on in sinful living.

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3 hours ago, prisonchaplain said:

What if I could legitimately offer you a ticket to heaven, with the very thumb print of God on it, for $10,000? Would you take it? Most everyone I ask this says YES! It would be something tangible, and I could say I earned it--I bought it--I deserve it--it's mine! Never mind, that a family of five could not spend a week at a Disney resort for that price. Consider not that the cost does not represent even 1% of the ticket's value. We could take it and not have to embrace the one thing that Christianity demands of us--humble admission of sin and acceptance of unearned grace and mercy. Most refuse this free gift, yet would pay several month's salary for the same benefit. Heaven cannot be bought, but whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-ellis-81932272/detail/recent-activity/shares/

You are right, but you are missing the point. (Or more accurately, they -- those who would buy the ticket -- are missing the point.) People want to eat their cake and have it, too. They do not really want to be saved from their sins; they want to be saved in their sins, not understanding that "salvation in sin" is an oxymoron. People think only as far ahead as the tip of their own nose. $10,000 for eternal happiness? A bargain at twice the price!

But of course, it is not. Because the people who want to be saved in sin would be excruciatingly miserable standing before God. They would infinitely prefer to be cast out altogether rather than be in the presence of the Divine. That's what they're missing: Heaven isn't for people who jump through the hoops and dance prettily. It's for people who want to live in heaven. And literally the only people who will dwell for eternity in pain and misery will be those who freely choose to do so, because they prefer it to heaven.

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7 minutes ago, Vort said:

You are right, but you are missing the point. (Or more accurately, they -- those who would buy the ticket -- are missing the point.).

You, on the other hand, got the point perfectly! :clap:

Edited by prisonchaplain
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3 hours ago, Snigmorder said:

Still gotta to be baptized.

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5

And you gotta have obedience to the commandments.

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." - Matthew 19:16–17

These things are all true. Prior to Luther's day the Catholics solved this by selling indulgences. Problem solved 

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In the movie vacation – there is a seen when car repairs must be paid for.  So, the question is asked, “How much will it cost?”  The mechanic looks at the guy and asked, “How much do you have?”  There is a ticket that can be bought into heaven.  For some it may only be a penny and for others hundreds of millions of dollars.  It is whatever you have got – besides all your heart, might, mind and strength.

 

The Traveler

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On 8/29/2017 at 5:52 PM, prisonchaplain said:

What if I could legitimately offer you a ticket to heaven, with the very thumb print of God on it, for $10,000? Would you take it? Most everyone I ask this says YES! It would be something tangible, and I could say I earned it--I bought it--I deserve it--it's mine! Never mind, that a family of five could not spend a week at a Disney resort for that price. Consider not that the cost does not represent even 1% of the ticket's value. We could take it and not have to embrace the one thing that Christianity demands of us--humble admission of sin and acceptance of unearned grace and mercy. Most refuse this free gift, yet would pay several month's salary for the same benefit. Heaven cannot be bought, but whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-ellis-81932272/detail/recent-activity/shares/

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...immediately, Led Zeppelin popped into my head.

 

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