I'd be willing ...and I am willing, but the radio is now off & though I listened to their conversation, I can look around and am unable to find anyone to discuss this further with, so instead of talking to myself, I'm going to write down my thoughts the best I can. Most of you would call that reasoning.

For those of you who don't believe in God, I'd be willing to have that conversation ...but, it's not this one.

For those of you who believe in God, but don't believe Jesus is One and the same (with our Heavenly Father & the Holy Spirit ---most commonly referred to as the Trinity), I'd be willing to have that conversation ...but, it's not this one. 

Many of us are familiar with the language of Jesus suffering and His death on the cross ...and we read in the Bible of how He fulfilled the hope of the coming Savior.  

Yes, many of the people had different degrees of hope ...and they visualized in slightly different ways (and some not so slight) how they perceived what they were being saved from.  But, having read the various testimonies of the Bible, most of us consider salvation as being saved from our sins ...which in a matter of speaking it does not seem that we are saved from the effects of the very sins that continue to drag us down, so it would be more accurate to say we are saved from the consequences of our sins.

Yet, we often feel there are many consequences of sin that we are not spared from, and which continue to drag us down ...so, more accurately, we can say the judgment.  And yes, that would be Final Judgment ...our hope being that we'd be judged worthy of going to Heaven.  And this conversation would not even make sense unless there was another option. 

And yes, since none of us are worthy ...we gratefully (hopefully) acknowledge Jesus (who is worthy), as our Savior.

This brings me to the thoughts I had about the conversation of the radio.

The host of the radio program was holding the view which I hear a host of others saying they believe in (including what I say to myself, and others, when I feel the opportunity lends itself to) ...as we would think is clearly written in the Bible.

But, the caller seemed to share a view which I've heard to be an ever increasing popular view.  The caller said that he believed that Jesus died for our sins, and that salvation is through Jesus ...but, that a person did not have to acknowledge that as true ...that it was enough that Jesus did it, and that in itself was everyone's salvation, whether they believed it or not.

Now, I don't believe that a miracle has to be logical ...as in a sense, I don't believe any miracle is logical.  But, I believe in a sense that there is a logical reason behind every miracle ...not in a sense that the explanation would make it non-miraculous, but that God's reason for a miracle is not going to be void of logic. Miracles are not so commonplace that they cannot be called miracles, and when they occur ...it makes sense that God has a reason for performing them.

Am I getting off subject with the mention of miracles?? Perhaps ...but, perhaps not!!

Miracles are things that stand out more, but the truth is that God does many common things we don't acknowledge.  We may think it's a miracle that He loves us ...but, believing that Jesus is our Savior should be more than adequate admission and evidence within our hearts that Jesus loves us.

So, we acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for us ...yet, if we believe like the radio caller seemed to believe ...it would suffice that He did it, not that we believe that He did it. Yet, logically, and looking to His love for us, why would not Jesus have placed Himself in Abel's position ...and then having been killed by Cain, all people from thereafter would be saved? And there would be no need for a Flood, nor any of the other numerous painful and severe interventions?? 

Or for that matter, if it is the insane insinuation of those like me ...who say there is also a Hell, which so thoroughly bothers many of you, then in you suggesting there is no Hell, wouldn't that also suggest there is nothing to be saved from (that future hope being for everyone), and why then would it even have to be necessary for Jesus to die??  Or for that matter, why would it be necessary that He even come to earth ...neither His life nor death being that significant??

You may think I'm saying some rather insane things ...but, I believe it is beyond insane not to believe in Jesus. Or if not insane, at least very sad ...and perhaps quite self-destructive.

I see this world we live in ...as a world that is struggling for meaning.  And I see struggles that seem meaningless.  Yet, 'meaning' contains the word 'mean' ...and I hear the word hate used often.

Yes, I hear the word hate being used ...and I hear it often misused.  But, the word 'hate' is not a neutral word ...it is a very strong word.  And the emotion that is associated with it usually that we'd much like to get rid of the hate in the world.

Yet, those who feel we have to do more than talk about it ...way too often become more and more like the very thing they say they want to rid the world of.  They find themselves hating ...and they often hate those who they feel are filled with hate, though their assessment of the situation is not always true. Often people get so focused on what they feel the problem is, the begin to react every time someone disagrees with them ...and they seldom actually hear what is really being said.

Yes, the belief in God is often so minimal, casual, or confused ...that this belief is often replaced by a dominant intellectual inaccuracy of anything supporting the narrative of the day. And you will be hard pressed to find God anywhere within that conversation.

So, if you want to have this conversation ...yes, I am willing, and at times, eager.  If you feel I talk too much ...then I challenge you to describe God adequately with Twitter-length accuracy. You can say some very nice things ...briefly.  Yet, you can say some very bad or hurtful things briefly also.  We can call those brief words 'feel-good' statements ...'humor' lines, or 'talking points'. Or a person can be quickly labeled a 'hater' ...with cutting comments, 'digs', or careless casual talk.

What we say, and how we say it ...especially about others, says much about ourselves.  Yet, we should also be conscious of how we speak of God.  And instead of glorifying ourselves, or reasoning our behavior ...we should glorify Him, and mold our lives as consistent as we can with those beliefs.

If you think it is too much to join others in glorifying Him, then how does that fit with being with Him in glory ...in Heaven?

Heaven would not be much to look forward to ...if it were much like earth.  And there is a connection with those who are of 'like' mind and who like the Spirit ...and the company kept.

I don't expect you to like my company ...my ideas ...my style of living ...or my choice of faith.  I sometimes don't think I am very good company ...my ideas may be emotionally reactive ...my stylistic approach to problems may be all wrong ...and my faith may be weak.  But, however I fail in this life ...it will not be my failures around which Heaven will be designed.  God already has His design all set ...and He has prepared a place for us, which was already in mind when He created the foundations of this earth.  And even before He created the angels who sang at Creation.

And I want to be with all those who still have a song in their hearts.