I Beg to Differ.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I also don't think that sounds right. It sounds like an excuse to be honest. And I have been wondering about grace recently: should I be still be grateful that I received grace when or because my brother is not equally blessed? I hope this book sheds some light that.

I know that feeling too. I have a brother with schizophrenia and all I can conclude is that God expects compassion and comfort from me to him.

I am sorry for your brother, and I am glad of you showing him compassion and comfort. May the God bless him

[jonathan haruna]

I think the author has to shed more light on his distinction between God and Jesus,cause right now am confused.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I agree with you. I am not presuming to know what the Lord thinks, but if I were to take a guess I would say that God sees the potential of Jesus in each and every one of us. As humans, we have been given the gift of choice and free will so we may do with it what we will. If God saw us definitively as Jesus, there would be no need for his guiding hand and loving grace? Please correct me if I am wrong?

I think that is a more correct way to take this argument. Everyone has the potential to become good and that responsibility is given to each and everyone with free will

[Sushan Ekanayake]

We cannot continue to live in sin and expect the Lord to see Jesus in us. You must abandon your sinful lifestyle and completely surrender your life to Him, and as well live for His glory then your New life of holiness will reveal Jesus in you.

Yes, ofcourse. If you are full of sin, how can God see Jesus in you. Definitely you have to come out from your sins and be good and then only God will see Jesus in you

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think in the context of the book, this may mean that God sees through the perceived imperfections and flaws. Not necessarily that when God looks at us he does not see our individuality, but rather that he sees at the core of us, there is "perfection in Jesus"

God may see through your imperfections and sins, but beyond that if you don't have anything, what will be there for Him to see?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think it is presumptuous to claim knowledge of what God sees. We can only hope he accepts us with all our faults and shortcomings.

I couldn't agree more. To have a belief in God is one thing, and a very good thing I think. But so many narrow sects lay down specific rules about what God is or does or wants us to do; this doesn't help people come together as believers.

Rules can never be a part of a religion. It is a part of Law. People adhere to Law with fear, but be faithful to religions

[Sushan Ekanayake]

We are sanctified by grace and justified by our own faith through our actions there here it implies that we must first be aware that Jesus alone takes away the sins only when we believe in him!

I don't agree with the concept of someone else taking your sins. So, is that mean that you can be faithful to Jesus, and do sins, and he will rescue you?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Is this really an appropriate forum for a discussion on religion? I think not.

The book focuses on religion. Its only natural for religious discussions to follow. I read your review and I liked it a lot. It is eye opening didn't quite see the book from your angle

Yeah, but the discussion should not go very gar from the scope of the book, since we have to discuss the book, but not the religion

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I also don't think that sounds right. It sounds like an excuse to be honest. And I have been wondering about grace recently: should I be still be grateful that I received grace when or because my brother is not equally blessed? I hope this book sheds some light that.

We should always be grateful for grace and if your brother is not blessed you should share your grace with him.

Some are lucky enough to be shown grace, but some are not. Those who have must share with those who haven't

[Sushan Ekanayake]

It's a combination of both. We should not try to limit God. He sees us as individuals and also in the person of Jesus.

Maybe. But we have to do what we can, to improve our image that is seen by the God, by being good and doing good

[Sushan Ekanayake]

God most definitely sees us as individuals, but when we have become saved by the blood of Jesus, that blood covers all our imperfections and He no longer sees them. We may dwell on our imperfections and wish to be more holy and like Jesus but God already sees us perfect. When we sin again, He forgives us without questions and continues to see us as covered by the blood. I don't understand that completely, only that once I'm saved I'm always saved and God puts all my sins in "the deep blue sea", as the children's song goes. He's a mysterious and wonderful God!!!

If so, is it okay to do sins? Whatever you do will be ignored by Him and see only the perfection? Then why we have to be good?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think it's a blending of the two. God gave us free will to be the individual we want to be. Once we acceot Christ and become a member of that family our sins, past, present, and future are washed clean. Paid for by the blood of Jesus. I believe that when God looks at us, he is aware of, and can see, all of our sins and flaws; however, as a member of his family, he ignores them and sees that Jesus covered them. Much like we as parents are aware that our children are not perfect...they make mistakes and bad decisions, but we love them anyway, unconditionally.

Parents love their children with no conditions. But do they just ignore when they do something wrong? If so, that will be totally unfair from the child's point of view

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think that in this quote when it says that God sees Jesus when we are in Christ. I guess maybe it could be a reference that when we accept Christ into our lives, God sees us the same way he sees Jesus, as his children.

That part is fair. He may see us as His children. So He can love us, praise us, as well as correct us from our sins

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think God cares for everyone as an individual and once you accept to believe in Jesus your imperfections and sins are cleansed through faith.

I am confused. How can a belief just wash away your sins? What happens to the impact that it caused to others? Atleast it is fair to repay them for the inconveniences

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think God must see us as individuals. Why else would he give us free will? We get to choose when and how we access me. We get to choose how to or not to behave in a certain situation.we get to choose when we need his help and when we can do it by ourselves. He sees us ... imperfection and all ...but knows that we are more than all our imperfections put together.

That is correct. That is the meaning of being a human. You can make your own decisions, and the consequences are all yours