I'm not disputing the fact that we do need forgive. We do! But if our forgiving determines whether or not we will in turn be forgiven, that takes salvation out of God's hands and puts it in our own.  And we cannot save ourselves.  See, forgiveness of sins is through Christ Jesus:

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. "
-Acts 13:38

"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
-Acts 10:43

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
-Ephesians 1:7

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
-Hebrews 9:22

You see, the forgiveness of our sins is only through the shedding of Christ's blood, and our acceptance of him as our personal savior.  The forgiveness of our sins is salvation. If God does not forgive us unless we forgive others, then salvation is up to us and our deeds.  And salvation is only through Jesus Christ and people are only called to Christ Jesus by God.  But yes, YES, it is very important that we forgive others, me absolutely must as Christ forgave us! It doesnt determine whether or not we are forgiven, but we forgive BECAUSE we have BEEN forgiven.  

2: We need to practice forgiveness. If we don't forgive. God won't forgive us!

WHAT?!?!?! God's forgivness is through a repentant heart and faith in Christ Jesus. It is not conditional like that! We forgive because we have been forgiven, NOT because if we don't we in turn will not be. We have to forgive as Christ forgives.  

A good idea is as good as a bad idea, if it is not God's idea!

SO TRUE;D good stuff!!! *high fives* i like that a lot!  

I could have read parts of that wrong, but are you trying to say that there are other ways to the Father besides through Jesus Christ?!?!? Because I'm sure we all know that salvation is only found through Jesus...

And yes, you are very right that we need to be careful that we do not see others in hatred, but with the love of Jesus who lives in us.  Why don't we focus on God, and His divine will, and then all good things will follow.  If we align our will with that of the Father's, our spirits will be protected, and His work will be done.  

I like John Reuben.    but thats about it.

oh wow... i guess i'm showing MY age here... I like stuff like BLEACH, The Benjamin Gate, Relient K, Philmore, Dogwood, The Elms, Dead Poetic, Blindside, Sanctus Real, Audio Adrenaline, Ace Troubleshooter, Stavesacre... I've actually never heard any Petra or anything.... but hey I'm just 18!  

why thank you  

thats so cute! wish i had a fan... its *looks at thermometer 4 feet away* about 92 degrees... hehe...

Great.    I'll ask them as soon as I can and get back to you!

Awesome, man! I have a website that I'm doing for a ministry, and I've collected lots of my friend's testimonies (mine is in there too, actually) so if you'd like, I could ask them for permission to submit them for your book.... i'll email you mine definately....

Hey! I'm pretty young, but I'm going to try to answer some questions here...

First of all, once you are saved, TRULY saved, you are for eternity.  The rollercoaster ride you feel in your walk is natural, emotions change and fluctuate and stuff, but your faith doesn't change.  The greatest comfort for you during highs and lows is knowing that God's love for you is the one constant you can depend on.  That never changes!

And secondly, we don't deserve any of the wonderful things that God has done for us! That is where God's GRACE comes into play; grace is giving us what we don't deserve.  We don't deserve to spend eternity in paradise with Him, but we can because of God's GRACE.  We are saved by GRACE through faith! And the smaller gifts that God gives us in this world are the same; we don't deserve them, but because of God's infinate grace and love, we get them.  It is entirely impractical for God to send His son to die for us while we were still in our sins, it is totally impractical for Him to do what He does for us; but because He loves you so very, very much, that is why we are blessed with such incredible things in our lives.  It is by God's love and grace that we receive our blessings, not by our own actions.

Hey you guys, its great to see how much God is using everyone here to do His work! Personally, I started an online ministry, its a website. here's the URL: http://www.geocities.com/kristen_sings2003/salvation.html I'd LOVE it if you could help me out with this, its really been dificult to get it onto the screens of people who desperately need to see it... If you can at all, please, just link me or something! It's all about spreading the Gospel.  

Also, my friend and I are working really hard on a float for the 4th of july parade, where we will be witnessing to people. our own church is providing the most resistance, so please, pray that it goes well... thanks you guys:)

KEEP THE FAITH!

Yeah, she told me about it just tonite. Last night, her church burned to the ground; everything was lost.  Please, please just pray for her and her congregation, that this will draw them closer to God, and that their minds and hearts stay open to God's plan for what to do about this....

Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it!