Opera Playground

Would have made a nice "easter egg" for the recent update.

Happy winter solstice!

Happy hoildays, Saito.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Saito.

As for being a pagan, it is good that you confess it. So are all people according to the scriptures.

Romans 3:
10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know."
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

God does command us to 1) repent of our sins (Mark 1:15, Acts 17:30-31, Acts 20:21, Luke 13:5, Acts 3:19, etc.). Repentance means not simply confession of being a pagan (sinful), but also a turning away from that sin which we confess. Proverbs 28:13 says, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

God finally commands us to 2) place our trust/faith in Jesus Christ alone to save us from our sins---the penalty for sin is eternal damnation according to the scriptures in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8). The name Jesus simply means, "The Lord saves."

Romans 3:
21God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

So, in summary it takes repentance and faith in Christ Jesus to be set free from God's just judgment of sin/sinners (pagans). God is not willing that any perish (be judged to Hell) (2 Peter 3:9), but God will not permit willful sinners into His presence (Psalms 5:5). We must soberly consider God's gracious gift of righteousness in the person/Son of His Jesus Christ who willing offered Himself as a sin offering in our place that we who repent of our sins and receive Him as our substitutionary sacrifice might be granted mercy and forgiveness.

Christmas is for gift-giving! God gave the most wonderful gift of all to all who will receive Him by humbly repenting and receiving by faith that which they cannot acquire themselves through their own attempts at good deeds.

Ephesians 2:
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die...

http://www.wayofthemaster.com/goodperson.shtml