Page 231 - Christians Must Heed Jesus

Adnan Oktar
Harun Yahya

perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual af-
fection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God [par-
adise]," they said. (Acts, 14:22)

The purpose behind our creation is to be tested; this test dis-
tinguishes between those people who live for God and unbeliev-
ers. As it is stated in the verse, everyone will be tested in terms
of behavior and good deeds, and those who pass the test will go
to paradise.
The wisdom behind the difficulties in this world is revealed
thus in the Gospel:

See what this Godly sorrow [the difficulties that you face as a test from
God] has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear your-
selves…. (2 Corinthians, 7:11)

The test in this world is challenging. That is why the prophets
were also confronted by difficulties. That is why they were threatened
with death, exiled from their homes or wrongfully imprisoned.
Everyone who preaches for God's approval, who describes the exis-
tence of God, who opposes all the irreligious trends currently prevail-
ing across the world, will face similar problems. Everyone
who believes in God, who speaks of His might and great-
ness will undergo the difficulties of the test. In this way,
they exhibit sincerity toward God. Loving God and being
determined to worship Him, regardless of the difficulties,

makes a person truly devout. This sincerity and love of God are
proved by this determination and fortitude. Therefore, the determi-
nant of faith is to face difficulties for God's sake, to make no conces-
sions in worshiping Him, no matter what the prevailing conditions,
and to live for God, not for this world.
Someone who lives for God is not looking for ease in this world.
On the contrary, he knows he will face troubles. He knows he will be

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