Originally Posted by
Gofer Blue
You say “I believe every human being has an in-built sense of altruism/empathy which comes from their humanity”. (I suppose I could ask where does our humanity come from, but let's leave it there eh!). OK, so that's your belief then. I have a different belief.
You completely miss the point about “good works” but maybe that's down to me in not explaining it properly - I'll have another go. You say I “believe in God and you're in' regardless of how you conduct yourself”. How could I possibly claim to be a follower of Jesus if I conduct myself in ways that are not compatible with the example he has set me? What I was trying to say is, doing good works as a Christian is not a legalistic requirement in the same way it is not a legalistic requirement to love and care for a very close friend but it's something that you would naturally want to do and, crucially, not to expect any reward for doing it.
The Muslim scales analogy works along the same lines as gaining Brownie points to win favours. I agree it sounds quite appealing and I guess Christians would pass with flying colours anyway but that is not the point.
You may not be aware of the quotation “May I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Galatians 6 v14). Consequently I try not to boast (brag) about the things I do/have done, and so I have only shared some things which have had a direct bearing on a particular theme in a thread. Only God truly knows me, my heart and my motivation. God also knows I am not perfect but on his mercy I depend!!
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