Joel Pang:Hello guys! I have posted this on my blog but decided to share it with you guys here also so yeah gets you thinking haha.
>>>> From http://brimspark.blogspot.com >>>>
Thinking about The Great Tribulation has brought up two things I question.
1. Is it wrong to verbally renouce your faith, but still believe in your heart?a) I'd say yes, because after all, this is the age where God works from within and then flows out. It's the age of The Spirit, whereby what you do and what you live out will speak volumes more as compared to what you say. Just take a look; how many "Christians" say that they love God, yet carry on living like the world? Similarly, I don't think verbally renoucing your faith in that instance would affect your love for God.
b) I don't know how seriously God takes our word, but there are times when we say things we don't mean. Imagine someone holds a gun to your spouse's head and says to him/her, "Do you love her/him(that's you)? If you say yes, I'll kill you." Would you rather your spouse say yes or no? Of course I'd rather my wife to say, "I don't love him", than to get killed! After all, I know that my wife loves me, and she's just saying "no" to protect the person I love, which is her herself. She has plenty more chances to say "I love you" when she's alive as to if she is dead. Duh.
c) I'd also say yes because I never believed in a dead hero. If someone points a gun to me and tell me to renouce my faith, I'd probably give an ambigious answer, give the impression that I'm on his side or too fearful to do anything rash. Then I'll do something rash; try to turn the gun back at his head or something.
I always think that people who verbally renouced and got shot just like that kinda wasted their life. Yes they died with the name of God on their lips, but practically, it wouldn't achieve much unless it was God's specific command, in which this death would have a huge impact on onlookers. However, that's usually not the case. These people usually die for their faith alone. I think that if the Christian would use his minds a bit more, maybe play along with the oppresors and perhaps infiltrate their organization and, with the right cards dealt, do a lot more damage to cripple the oppresor's stronghold. I think that would benefit Christians more on the whole.
d) However, Peter denied Jesus 3 times, and it is considered as a downfall.
2. Is it right to kill an oppresor when your life or someone's life is endangered?
I've always thought that if someone puts a gun to my head, I'll play along with his demands for awhile, before seizing a chance to get the gun and turn it back on him. You have a better chance of survival that way.
a) Sometimes when I think of such a scenario, I'd feel that I would just shoot without hesitation - kill without any blood guilt. After all, if I let him go, he'll probably bring more people to come after me.
b) However, there are times when I think that I would feel a sense of love for that seriously deluded and misled person, and will withold my shooting. Then again, when he is already at that stage of deception, sparing his life, to him would only mean another chance to kill me.
c) Who are you to take away a life that God has given?
So yeah I have no answers to these 2 questions...>>>> End >>>>
Ryan
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