Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: wagner@karazm.math.uh.edu (David Wagner) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: One Question!!!! Message-ID: Date: 6 Dec 90 08:57:35 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Houston -- Department of Mathematics Lines: 99 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article tywang@wolf.cs.washington.edu writes: > > I have one question concerning of eternity. Is that guaranteed that >we must live happily if we get the eternal life from God? But, say if my >beloved one could not get this eternal happiness, would I be still living >happily eternally? I think those relationship like husband and wife, parents >and children, etc... are very important to everyone. I don't think that >God will tell you to forget or discard all those lovable memory with your >beloved ones, but with these memory, one would not feel so happy in seeing >his beloved ones could not get the eternal happiness, thus he himself could >not (also) get the eternal happiness. >Tak Yin Wang I can appreciate the difficulty this presents to you, and to many of us. I can't sugarcoat my answer, so I'll tell it to you straight (shades of Butch Cassidy :-) ). In Luke 14:26 Jesus said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple." Jesus used strong words here to shock people into the realization that they must put God first in their lives, in accordance with the first and second commandments, particularly "You shall have no other gods before me!" Even our love for our own life must come after our love for God. Similarly in Matthew 10:37 Jesus said the same thing with less strong words: "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The reason why we must be willing to put God before our relatives, is that sometimes our faith is tested by the failure of our relatives to believe in God as we do. Jesus explained this just prior to Matt 10:37 in 10:34-36: "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' " He is not talking about physical struggles or a physical sword, but spiritual struggles and the 'sharp, double-edged sword' of God's Word (Heb. 4:12). The risk, of course, is that unbelieving relatives can drown our own faith. I read somewhere, a few years ago, that Samuel Clemens, (Mark Twain) married a good Christian woman. He was no Christian, but out of love for her, he 'tried out' Christianity. It seems he really tried, and would attend church with her, studied the Bible, etc., but after a while he had to give it up (You might read his 'Letters from the earth' if you question this, but I can't really recommend the book). I seem to recall that after a while, through her life with her husband (who I think we must admit had a strong personality) the wife lost her faith. I think this example shows why a Christian has to be prepared to put his love for God before his love for his relatives. So if you love your relatives, as you should, then you must be a witness to them of Christ's love, of his redemption and resurrection, and of the salvation that he offers them as a free gift, purchased with his blood. I don't pretend that this is easy, but true love is not manifested by outward peace. This much being said, I must say something more to avoid false impressions. 'Putting God first' in our lives is an act of Law. For the christian this does not mean that it is a requirement that we must meet to obtain salvation, but that it is an unavoidable, though perhaps weak, result of faith. This is what the Bible calls 'sanctification', 1 Peter 1:2. David H. Wagner a confessional Lutheran. "Oh, blest the house where, whate'er befall, Where Jesus Christ is all in all! Yes, if He were not dwelling there, How dark and poor and void it were! "Oh, blest the house where faith ye find And all within have set their mind To trust their God and serve Him still And do in all His holy will! "Then here will I and mine today A solemn covenant make and say: Though all the world forsake Thy Word, I and my house will serve the Lord." --"Wohl einem Haus, da Jesus Christ" v. 1,2,5 --Christoph C.L. von Pfeil, 1782 --from "The Lutheran Hymnal" #625. My opinions and beliefs on this matter are disclaimed by The University of Houston.