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The greatest commandment includes loving God with the MIND. "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your...MIND." However, traditional religiosity's glad tidings is that Unfailing Holy Love plans to burn billions of His own offspring alive forever. So it sabatoges one's ability to even begin fulfilling this part of the commandment. It requires us to develope COMPARTMENTALIZED THINKING in order to worship God. For example:*"Grace oriented" Christians who proclaim Arminianism's good news require that you "believe" that Unfailing Holy Love will burn billions of people alive eternally--those who fail to make sufficiently wise and timely choices in this lifetime. This includes backslidden Christians. On the other hand, "grace oriented" Arminians would urge you NOT to ACTUALLY believe it in your everyday life. "Don't focus on doctrine" (Christ's teachings) they will tell you. "Just rejoice in God's love and focus on Jesus." :-)
*"Grace oriented" Christians who proclaim Calvinism's glad tidings also require you to "believe" that Unfailing Holy Love has "foreordained" to burn billions of human beings alive eternally--those who aren't predestined to be part of an elect few who will be saved. On the other hand, they don't want you to ACTUALLY believe it in your everyday life. "Just rejoice that YOU have been once saved always saved" they will tell you, and just keep your focus on what Jesus has done for YOU." It is only when you're not to being a good boy or girl that they will remind you "They went out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not of us." Then they say, "Are you sure you have been TRULY saved?" :-)
So here we see the utter impossibility of having a non-legalistic Christianity under the Arminian and Calvinist belief paradigms. They both unavoidably lead to legalism and pride of performance--or
else, paranoia and despair. That is, they do unless you can learn to
mentally "back file" their dogma of never-ending punishment and form the habit of COMPARTMENTLIZED THINKING. And of course, that is exactly what their proponants advocate. They want you to "believe" in an endless hell "but try not to worry about it much."But who is capable of such compartmentalized thinking? Or
more accurately put--DOUBLE MINDEDNESS?It is only those people who, as Arminian Christians, (probably subconsciously) imagine that "they" qualify as being able to "beat the odds" and "make it to heaven." And it is those Calvinists who imagine that their level of conduct qualifies them for having the--100% certainty--that THEY have been "truly" born again." Also it is probably also those individuels who care more about themselves than they care about their deceased nonChristian loved ones. These folks are able to be blissfully content "being saved" while billions (supposedly) will agonize in fiery torture forever.
However, people who experience highly stigmatized and debilitating sin-patterns and bondages simply are not capable of "looking ever to Jesus" as well as to "the truth as it is in Jesus"--while ignoring--His teachings (doctrines) on judgment in their everyday lives. They are
too deeply aware of the fact that they DO NOT fit the profile of one who has been "truly" saved or of one who can "beat the odds" and out-perform most of the human race. Are you in that catagory? If so, there is solid hope for you! I know exactly how you feel, but I also know that we serve a God who worksmiracles! My webpage is--if you're interested in learning of a Heavenly Father you
can count on even when you can't count on yourself!Your friend with love and prayers,
Charlie