cyberjosh
Member
How convenient.
Indeed, but what happens if we don't fulfill that purpose, and infact oppose it, denying our very creator?
What you are leaving out is what value is measured against. God gave every human talents and gifts (as part of his natural grace) but what we do with them (and whether we accept Jesus as Lord or not), witnessed by our fruits, determines what ultimate value we hold after we die.
Consider the parable of the talents:
Value either increases or decreases. Just doing good deeds though won't cut it.
"What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9)
Evil people can do good deeds, but self-righteous deeds will never attain the purity and holiness that God requires of us. That is why we must accept Jesus, who graciously offers us atonement for our sins when we fail and empowers us to live a truely righteous life. But without God our "righteousness" is as filthy rags.
What is the difference then between when you did good deeds towards men before you got saved and doing them after you are saved? The difference is that you now do them unto the Lord and His Righteousness. Paul said that he considered everything that he had done zealously before he was converted as "loss" and "rubbish":
" 7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. " (Philippians 3:7-9)
How did Paul find this ultimate fulfillment of his "value"? He found that he had no value outside of Christ, and he "gain[ed] Christ" by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
So you claiming that humans have some innate, worthy, immutable value that because of which God could never condemn humans is a futile thought if one considers such to be so outside of Christ. Without Christ we are nothing, but as long as we are on this earth God loves us enough to seek after us to bring us to himself so that he can provide salvation to everyone, to give them an everlasting value. But for those who reject God there is not allotment in Heaven for them with God.
That doesn't change the temperature of hell one degree.
Kant cannot be viewed as some authority on the Bible. I don't care if his first name is Immanuel. Interesting musings perhaps, but I would not put worldly philosophy over good doctrine and theology.
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
God Bless,
Josh
