Yeah, I know…I’m going straight to Hell. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Before you start forming your lynch mob, listen closely:
Jesus is NOT in your heart.
Jesus is in Heaven with the Father. At least a dozen Bible verses say that He would leave us and go back to the Father…John 16:28 is just one example. “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” The inescapable conclusion? Jesus is NOT in your heart.
Some of you might say, “So, what’s the big deal?”. I’ll tell you: if you’re going to believe something, why not believe the TRUTH? If you’re going to take the time to tell a non-Christian what you believe, why not tell that person the TRUTH? If a single verse says clearly that Jesus is in Heaven, that’s what Christians should believe — and that’s what we should tell others, as well. In this case, there are over a dozen verses that conclusively show that Jesus is NOT in our hearts.
Of course, I don’t write this stuff to be a killjoy…there’s an upside as well. Before He left, Jesus told the disciples that He wouldn’t leave us alone…He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us, “that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit doesn’t poke and prod us from the outside, but lives in us and communes with us. How do we know that the Holy Spirit indwells us? Easy…we’re told exactly that in 2 Timothy 1:14. “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you”. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us the same thing: the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Of course, some of you may now be saying, “So what? What difference does it make whether Jesus or the Holy Spirit lives in my heart?”. For that, I have a simple answer: because God obviously thinks that’s best! Jesus said so Himself: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you (John 16:7). If there were a better way to do it, you can bet that that would have happened. Having the Holy Spirit living within you is the most incredible, life-giving, life-transforming opportunity that anyone can have…if that weren’t so, God would have done something else.
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The Mormon’s say that their church Mormom’s Latter Day Saint’s is the only true church in the world. What do you think?
Edward:
Before I answer your question, let me get a few things out of the way for the “haters” out there:
No, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not the only true church in the world. It’s not even one of the true churches. It’s not even true. Again: I have nothing against Mormons…but I do have a problem with Mormon theology. What they teach about God is illogical, self-contradictory, unbiblical, and unreasonable. One cannot find the truth about God from Mormon doctrine alone.
Will there be any Mormons in Heaven? I believe there will be some Mormons in Heaven…but it will be in spite of Mormon doctrine, and not because of it.
I don’t know exactly when I’ll write any articles about the errors of Mormonism, so I have no previous articles to link for you. There are tons (and tons) of quality, authoritative, accurate articles on the web about how and why Mormonism fails. I’ll give you one simple example (among many) as to why Mormonism has some serious problems. Ask an active Mormon this question:
If Mormonism were to be proven false, would you leave the LDS church?
For many, the answer is a resounding NO. Why? Because Mormons are generally not taught to be concerned about truth. If they were, then the truth would be the deal-breaker. Were I to find out that Jesus never actually lived, or that He died and was not resurrected, I would immediately stop calling myself a Christian. Why? Because truth matters. I’m not a Mormon because I don’t believe Mormonism to be true…and that’s the same reason I’m not Muslim, or Catholic, or Hindu, or atheist.
Let me know if you have any other questions. =)
Did jesus rise from the dead on easter
Jacquelin:
Jesus rose from the dead on Easter. They didn’t call it Easter back then, of course. It was just the Sunday after Passover. First-century Christians gathered together on Sundays to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, and they would celebrate it annually as well. Truly, we should celebrate Jesus’ resurrection every day. He died for us so that we might live for Him. Those who trust God with their lives will have their own resurrection, just as He did.
Are you a Christian, Jacquelin? Have you trusted God with your life? If not, let me know how I can help you.
I hear what you’re saying, but what about Eph 3:17? ““so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”
Ephesians 3:17 ESV
Sarah:
I appreciate you bringing in more Scripture! We know that Jesus, after He ascended into Heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). We also know that Jesus hasn’t returned yet…right? So where is Jesus? Not literally in our hearts. The verse in Ephesians must be non-literal. I don’t say that to mean that it’s not true, of course…only that it’s not literally true. Jesus is in Heaven with the Father.
There’s lots of imagery in the Bible, Sarah. When there’s a question about how to interpret a particular verse, we must use the passages surrounding the verse, the rest of the book, the rest of the Bible, and the context of history and culture to inform us. In this case, it’s clear that Paul meant that Christ would dwell in their hearts in a figurative sense. When we read the passage in 2 Timothy (see above), we can see that the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer.
Does that make sense?