Question about judgment

[Robinbobbin]

My SIL's Mom was at one point a minister. She also believes in Budhism and hybridizes Christianity and Budhism. When I say she is a Christian, I mean it in the loosest possible sense. She bellieves in God. She bellieves in Jesus. She believes in a personal relationship. BUT, she is ultra ultra liberal. Like, pro-abortion (right to choose), pro-socialism, believes there are many paths to Christ.... it confuses me and hurts my heart.

What I want to know is how a person can profess to believe in Christ, but believe all that other stuff? And, if she doesn't go in the rapture, is she judged more harshly because she espouses such beliefs?

[Steve53]

What I want to know is how a person can profess to believe in Christ, but believe all that other stuff?

Weak Biblical foundation and a severe lack of discernment.

[Not Perfect, But Forgiven]

My SIL's Mom was at one point a minister. She also believes in Budhism and hybridizes Christianity and Budhism. When I say she is a Christian, I mean it in the loosest possible sense. She bellieves in God. She bellieves in Jesus. She believes in a personal relationship. BUT, she is ultra ultra liberal. Like, pro-abortion (right to choose), pro-socialism, believes there are many paths to Christ.... it confuses me and hurts my heart.

What I want to know is how a person can profess to believe in Christ, but believe all that other stuff? And, if she doesn't go in the rapture, is she judged more harshly because she espouses such beliefs?

When I encounter such individuals, I see that behavior as the result of a lack of understanding about what salvation truly entails, an inner distrust in the promises of God, and a desire to pave one's own walk apart from God's time and direction, which such individuals perceive to be slow and somewhat random. Basically, they want to be saved, but salvation alone is boring. New age stuff is "new" and tantalizing. The worst thing is when a "New Age Christian" believes their deviation from scripture makes them unique and special, or that they have been priveleged with some type of "higher path" the Lord chose and revealed for them specifically. They feel special and justified, almost above other Christians who appear like ants slaving away at the same leaf, oblivious to their mediocre and lack-luster experience of salvation. They see themselves as deacons of a "superior" form of Christianity. Since they view their "revelation" as unique and priveleged, they themselves must therefore be so as well. With this inflated sense of influence, such individuals typically wind up in positions of authority due to their passionate speaking skills and ability to sway others into at least hearing their viewpoint. From there, and coupled with their positions of authority, they end up getting listened to and at worst believed.

[HugsFromJesus]

Weak Biblical foundation and a severe lack of discernment.

Robin, Steve is so right here!

I always use to wonder why so many people didn't have discernment when they claimed to be born again Christians. I look at it this way. Whatever we put in, we get out. The way we eat affects the way we feel and the way we feed our Spirit is in accordance to our discernment. Your SIL's mom is a minister/Buddist/liberal so she is feeding her Spirit with only half truths and that is what she will get back. She is getting back "being all over the place". When we feed our Spirits with TRUTH only, that is when our discernment is at it's peak. Feeding our Spirits happen when studying the WORD, praying and all that we do because we want to know our best friend and Savior as well as we can because we love Him so much. In return our Lord gives us better and better knowledge of what is from Him ONLY!!

That is why your SIL's mom is fuzzy between fact and fiction. She feeds on too many lies added in with a little bit of truth which makes for a confused Spirit.

I will pray for her and for you for the right words to speak to her if the Lord leads you to do so. :pray :hug

[TimothyK]

What I want to know is how a person can profess to believe in Christ, but believe all that other stuff?

What Steve said.


And, if she doesn't go in the rapture, is she judged more harshly because she espouses such beliefs?

It's probable. I doubt you want to hear that, but it's the truth.

Like everyone else, she'll be judged based on her understanding. If she understands the Biblical viewpoint but instead chooses her own 'Jesus' + budhism way, if her life ends that way, she will be condemned with the lost.

Genuine faith in the literal Biblical account is what is needed. She can be saved and confused or lost and confused. If she believes there are multiple paths to God, how does she reconcile Matthew 7:14 or John 14:6? Acts 4:12?

As a Christian, it's your responsibility to deliver her the truth of God's Word and how to be saved.

What she does with this after is her own choice to make. If you've done this already, you can pray for her and hope you or someone else might be used by God to change her mind.

But at the end of the day no one can do that for her but herself. It's her decision.

Despite all this she is your SIL's mom, and no matter what, treat her as a good Christian would: with kindness and the wisdom of God, letting your life be a testimony to the words you speak of according to the Scriptures. God willing. :hug

I've prayed for your SIL's mom. :pray

[Robinbobbin]

Thank you. That clears it up a lot.

I have a big problem with her theology if you can call it that, but my biggest issue is that my parents view her as their spiritual guide. Ie: if SIL's Mom says its okay to believe XYZ (gay marriage is of God, abortion is okay, Liberal views are more Christian because they help the poor and that's what Jesus did, immodesty is okay, if it feels okay it's okay, etc...) then it's fine from a Christian standpoint. She comes accross as very loving and she's very non-judgemental unless you believe traditional Christian doctorine. Then you're closed minded.

I'm running into big issues witnessing to them because SIL's Mom undoes everything I plant when i return home, and the do not have the spiritual discernment anymore than SIL's Mom does to understand the Truth. When I was visiting them a couple of months ago my brother my Mom and I had a fabulous conversation about Faith, about how ultimately our beliefs have to come down to Faith, about the rapture, and a whole host of other issues. Now they firmly believe that the rapture is just a parable Paul was telling to sereptitiously give the Greeks hope about the troubles they suffered at the time, and all sorts of other bunk. They still believe that unless a person does something really really bad they go to heaven and all sorts of other anti-Biblical tripe.

I pray multiple times per day for God to change their hearts, and I know it comes down to God's decision as to whether or not they will come around in time. It's just as time gets shorter I feel this urgency...

[Pistos]

She's not unlike many people, sadly.

They try to mix worldly views with their Christian ones.

We know they don't mix, but people try nonetheless.

It can be difficult to separate our sin nature or wordly views from our Christian ones.

Remind her to ask the question... Is it (whatever the topic) my view, the worlds, or Gods?

I think many Christians forget or don't realize that while they are new creations they are still in their sin nature bodies and are influenced by it.

[TimothyK]

I pray multiple times per day for God to change their hearts, and I know it comes down to God's decision as to whether or not they will come around in time. It's just as time gets shorter I feel this urgency...

God's decision is that everyone in the entire world is free to come to the cross, and this is what He does desire if mankind would have it.

Sadly, they won't.

Many choose to forgo God's love, God's mercy, and God's pardon in Jesus Christ. Many also accept it graciously and God loves them even more.

Those who won't, can. Those who will, do.

This is the love of God manifested. He loves the entire world, all of humanity so much, He has made the way to reconciliation with God by Jesus Christ for everyone, even a simple thing, only to believe and have faith in Him.

Those who will accept it will be endeared to God even more, even as Jesus Christ is dear to God. It's almost unfathomable.

Those who reject Him if they persist in their rejection unto the end, by their own choosing and rejecting, even hating the good thing Jesus Christ did for them... these then separate themselves from God.

He went to a cross and shed His holy blood for them while they were still His enemies! They have their entire lives to repent and be saved! If they won't, they hate Him.

What more can God do for them? He already answered their initial animosity with pardon, even at the cost of His blood (1 John 4:19). God's proven how dearly He loves them. There's no joy in it for God that they should go away to Hell. It's God who is spurned by the hatred of such a one, even to the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit.

Certainly not mankind who is so obviously beloved of God.


Ezekiel 18:23, 32
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says the Lord, and not rather that he should turn from his evil way and return [to his God] and live?

...

I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord God. Therefore turn (be converted) and live!


John 3:14-21
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], in order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation--he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.]

The judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil.

For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved.

But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].


[B]1 Timothy 2:4-6
God our Savior wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth.

For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all [people, a fact that was] attested to at the right and proper time.

[Jacinth]

I am still wondering about the believing in Jesus Christ as Savior, yet believing there are many paths to heaven....

[Kliska]

I am still wondering about the believing in Jesus Christ as Savior, yet believing there are many paths to heaven....

It depends on a few things; was this their belief when they report coming to Jesus? It could be a recent development, but if it was believed at the time, then it may show that there was a false belief/misunderstanding of 1) Sin 2) Jesus and His role in salvation. Jesus being Lord, and people calling out to God with that in mind seems to be part of the salvational equation.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

There's a difference between "confessing" a purely human Jesus that is just seen on the same level as a Buddha, and confessing the Jesus from scripture.