u/ComfortableDust4111

Linguistically, how does what Jesus said to Nicodemus regarding believing in him for eternal life make sense if he also expects us to follow him for salvation? He said whosoever believeth in him shalt not perish but have eternal life. Jesus expects people to follow his words for salvation too though as is apparent in Matthew 7:21-24 and John 8:51. So from the words he said to Nicodemus how does one get following him out of believing in him? Like linguistically, believing in someone and following them are two separate things. The words just don't make sense to me.

This is a little hard to express, but follow me on this. According to Google 73 million children are aborted every year. If Jesus returns to establish his Millennial Kingdom 100 years from now that could be over 10 billion people entering into it who were children that were aborted (accounting for increasing population). If I recall correctly according to Revelation at the end of history there is going to be a "city of the saints" that will be attacked by the rest of humanity. This city would be a city of over 10 billion people. If everyone in the Millennial Kingdom for a thousand years believes in Jesus and is saved they would be there too. How could the earth have a city this large? Furthermore, those attacking them seem to outnumber them if I'm remembering the wording of the text correctly. Again if I remember correctly, it seems like the army is just attacking the "city of the saints" so it's like there are a lot of other people on the earth and this is just one city, it's not like this city makes up half the population or something, the wording is not like that. How could the earth host so many people that there is one city with 10 billion people in it? Do things become infeasible at some point just going off of how many people would necessarily be involved?

Edit: Err, sorry. I just reread the passage: it's "camp of the saints" not "city of the saints".

When I'm living my life I'm not consciously aware of a list of dos and don'ts, I'm just doing what I do as it goes from thing to thing. How do I practically follow Jesus or God's commandments?

In the gospel according to John Jesus says those who believe in him will have eternal life, he also says:

^(51) Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51 KJV)

Jesus is saying here if you keep his sayings you won't see death. Do you think this is what he was driving at when he said those who believe in him have eternal life?

Hebrews 10:26-31 and Hebrews 12:14-17

Hebrews 10 seems to be saying if you sin willfully there is no longer a sacrifice for your sin, point blank. I think someone could repent afterwards and be forgiven, but it seems to be saying that while in a state of willful sin there is no sacrifice for your sin (and that you've lost salvation).

Hebrews 12 seems to be saying you can fail of the grace of God, and given the context of verse 14 where it says to be holy, it seems to mean you can lose the grace of God by not living correctly. It talks about Esau who was rejected and did not inherit the blessing.

Both passages seem to be teaching it's possible to lose your salvation if you don't live correctly.

If you were suffering intolerably due to a medical issue would it be a sin to use medical assistance in dying? This is something that is available in Canada.

He seems to just be saying if you believe in him you will have eternal life. Well, that is easy. What I don't get though is that in the sermon on the mount in Matthew Jesus lays out that you need to live a certain way to enter into the kingdom of heaven, so how can eternal life be as simple as believing in him?

In Romans 3 it says we're justified by believing in Jesus, that he's the propitiation for our sins. My question is, how can Paul say this? Isn't there more to salvation than just believing something? Is there more to salvation than justification?

Like if I were to go by Jesus' words, how we live is important to salvation too, but Paul is saying we're justified if we just believe Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. It seems to be leaving out what Jesus said about how we live.

If you read the sermon on the mount in Matthew Jesus is clearly teaching entering into the kingdom of heaven through living well (doing his sayings), does believing in Jesus (that he died for our sins, was buried, and was risen from the dead by God) replace this teaching? Like now that he has died, is it now possible to inherit eternal life through believing in him with the focus no longer on living a certain way to inherit eternal life?

This also coincides with what it says in Hebrews that a testament is not of force while the testator liveth. When Jesus was alive was he teaching something else other than belief in him and then when he died (and was resurrected) did the way to eternal life change to believing in him?

If you read the sermon on the mount in Matthew Jesus is clearly teaching entering into the kingdom of heaven through living well (doing his sayings), does believing in Jesus (that he died for our sins, was buried, and was risen from the dead by God) replace this teaching? Like now that he has died, is it now possible to inherit eternal life through believing in him with the focus no longer on living a certain way to inherit eternal life?

This also coincides with what it says in Hebrews that a testament is not of force while the testator liveth. When Jesus was alive was he teaching something else other than belief in him and then when he died (and was resurrected) did the way to eternal life change to believing in him?