One thing I never understood was how any of it could be taken seriously if I could do literally anything and then go to confession and it's all ok. Like imagine the absolute most atrocious thing one could do, then admit you did it to a priest, and you're good? What if you just did that over and over again?

I'm not looking to "slam" Christianity, I'm just curious about that part.

[–] Daydreamer@lemmy.ml 4 points 7 months ago (4 children)

It is something you can see the early Christians debating as well.

This is a take from James 2 “”What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.“ ‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭18‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

And this is from Romans written by Paul

”There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.“ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

”because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.“ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

And from Ephesians (which might have been written by Paul) ”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.“ ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

I’m just cherry picking a bit here, plus there was of course much more debate on this topic than what we have documented. My personal thought on is it that, while it may seem wildly unfair, what other alternative than “saved by grace” could there really be that doesn’t result in people saving themselves. If Jesus truly paid the price, what else is there to pay?

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for the detailed reply!

The concept of "works" without knowing that term exactly was always how I explained myself: in that I may not have any faith, but if any of this is real I should be judged by my actions regardless of what I believe to be true.

[–] Daydreamer@lemmy.ml 1 points 7 months ago

You’re welcome.

I can understand your viewpoint and while there are verses in the bible that are very clear on Jesus being the “way”, I personally think God is doing everything he can to save as many as possible. And if someone is living in accordance with how God wants us to live I genuinely hope that is enough.

I mean, you also have many people from other religions who dedicate their whole life to knowing God and following his teaching. Sure if the teaching is evil, that’s an issue, but many religions follow the same basic principles and I think there is more to it than just whether you specifically call yourself a Christian. Don’t really have any bible verses to support it, just my personal conviction.

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