Matt 5:14

Dear friend,

I do concur with you on most of your points, save for that last bit (quote: good people go to heaven and the rest belong in hell).

'It is only an ideal dream that people do good and not bad things because they want do and people admit to crimes and seek forgiveness. No doubt there are people living this dream, but the bulk of society practices goodness because they are rewarded for their efforts and also because that there are laws empowered by punishment to keep us in check.’

I’m glad that I’m not subject to the arduous precepts of (secular) meritocracy. For as the Bible declares, “Ye shall be in the world but not of the world”.

‘..the bulk of society practices goodness because they are rewarded for their efforts and also because that there are laws empowered by punishment to keep us in check.’

It’s ironical (but a necessary evil-cum-weakness) that we can trust imperfect Man to decree (likewise imperfect) laws, statutes & ordinances.

In the world (the secular), people (without God) will only attain natural results, i.e. to say they justify themselves only by as far as their self-merit (self-effort) can take them.

Because we (human beings) are imperfect (we most definitely are, engineering students should understand the concept of ideality), we cannot completely justify ourselves by our works (which are imperfect). Totally logical.

So, following this line of thought, we can conclude there are none good. ‘Mostly good’ just doesn’t cut it.

The Bible says, ‘if ye fall short of one, ye are guilty of all.’

A perfect God demands (or to more aptly put it, deserves) perfect standards.

So do we then say that none shall enter heaven? Obviously not!

True believers (in God) expect to attain supernatural results because they merit themselves (or are perfected, made perfect) by God. They place their faith and trust on the Creator & not creation (e.g. animal, human worship, etc.). These believers are truly the heaven-bound ones.

Just as oil is immiscible in water, so are the secular (natural) & the supernatural (God, heaven, hell, etc.). Because I trust God completely & am kept in His love constantly (supernatural), I have no need to place my faith on self-effort (the natural).

P.S. There are people (though lacking in paper qualifications) reaping salaries double (or triple, quadruple) that of graduates.

This is an example of God’s supernatural favour, in a nutshell.

God has worked wonders in my life, I have experienced tremendous blessings & miracles (some of which are naturally impossible), and in turn I’ve been blessed to be a blessing to others.

Right-believing precedes right-doing (or behaving).

Surely, if people love much ( the Bible says, God is love), then there will be less strife.

God’s forgiveness is manifest in His Son’s perfect sacrifice, that through His Son we are saved & redeemed by His grace.

Thank God, by His grace I’m able to type this in 5 mins, post-Cobra Challenge.

Amen!

Posted on Skanque, 25th Feburary 2005