>>I don't believe in an afterlife (though many Jews do), so I'll be judged by my community, my descendants and history.
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>>As for how well I'm doing, I can judge that based on how people respond to me. When they welcome my presence and involvement, it's a sign that I've made myself welcome by past behavior. If eyes roll when I show up for a committee meeting or the like, then maybe I'm not doing so well. When I hear regularly that my children are contributing to their respective communities, it's a sign I've done well in raising them. And so forth and so on.
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>>I'll turn the question around. How can _you_ know how well you're doing along the way? Surely just trusting in Jesus isn't enough?
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>>Tamar
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>Trusting in Jesus IS enough. As a matter of fact, trust in Jesus plus anything else amounts to a false religion. Someone once said if we aim to provide any of our righteousness, we are bound to provide all of it. I am trusting in Jesue alone and his work on the cross to satisfy God's requirement that every sin be punished.
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>I believe that Jesus' took the punishment I deserve when He was crucified. That satisfied God and my "slate is clean" so to speak.

Yet another big difference between us. I don't believe someone else can take my punishment and clean my slate. I, and only I, am responsible for my behavior. (In fact, I was raised to believe that taking responsiblity for your own behavior is one of the marks of maturity.)

>I am surrounded by many people who are willing to evaluate my actions and my life. If they see something that appears to be a sinful lifestyle, they will speak to me. If that doesn't work, they will speak to the Elders at my church who will counsel me. If that doesn't work, I will be asked to leave our church. There is a great deal of accountability in that - for which I am very appreciative.

Except for the formality of it, that doesn't sound a whole lot different than what I said. I'm accountable to my family, my community and my society. (And writing that makes me think of the High Priest's confessions on the Day of Atonement.)

Tamar