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For me,It was never about any of us being right in the first place about beliefs and doctrines. It was always about Christ making a differnce in our lives. When we have met the Christ the I am of God we are never the same again. It doesnt matter then whether the scriptures are literal allegorical, a book of philosphy or however we choose to believe what they are, the question is, is what you are believing working out for you in experience and in love towards our neighbor.
If does matter if the what the Bible says is true or not. Truth can be expressed in both the literal and the figurative. Without truth we can have no assurance of our standing with God.
You could apply this to Paul, James, John, etc. Or any author of any individual book in the Bible. They didn't always agree with each other. And they might have even evolved in their own beliefs from what they stated in their most popular letters or books.
I guess I should have clarified. I apologize. I am a believer. I was simply making an observation about the massive amount of inconsistencies out there, which surely must lead to confusion, for non-believers, and for believers. If I were to simply have posted the question, how does one get saved, the number of diverse replies would have been substantial I imagine, proving my point about the high level of confusion out there. Thank you for your replies by the way.
For example, so many "famous" Christians talk about about turning from sin, and "repenting." Quite often it ends up sounding like, one has to clean up their life before they can become eligible to be saved. I cringe when I hear Gospel messages/presentations like that. You cannot tell an alcoholic they must stop drinking before they can become eligible to be saved. We are all a mess, and, without G-d stepping in, we cannot save ourselves by somehow "cleaning up our act." Last time I checked, salvation is a gift. Gifts are to be received. Or, I hear salvation is based on us forsaking all sins or making a complete commitment. Not good. Did we sin last week, yesterday, or today? I guess that means our act of forsaking or commitment failed, which means, somehow we are not saved. If we base our eligibility to receive the Gift of salvation on our performance, we are doomed.
Good post. One problem is that churches teach "repentance" is about changing our conduct. The word actually means to change the mind. The first step in becoming a Christian is to change our mind about who Jesus is and what He did for us. Then we can work o n getting our act together.
My personal view is anyone, believer or non-believer, that wants to understand the Gospel should read reviews on Study Bibles, buy one that is well respected even from people of other denominations, and read it thoroughly including the study notes to truly understand the meaning of each verse. Not all verses will necessarily have a study not listed below but many will.
I purchased a Lutheran Study Bible from Concordia Publishing, the publishing house of the LCMS. Bought the large print version for easier reading. Finished the New Testament a couple years ago but still slowly, ever so slowly, trudging my way through the Old Testament. Not easy to read after having surgery for a detached retina and eyesight being much worse afterwards. Was hoping to finish this year. Doubtful but I'm making progress. There have been many things I wouldn't have understood properly had I not had the study notes to guide me along.
You can listen to preachers but even in a very structured service like I found in my Lutheran faith growing up, each sermon deals with a few verses from the Bible. I've learned much more on my own than I ever did in church during service, Sunday school or Catechism.
Honestly, I doubt too many atheists or agnostics watch religious programming. If they ever get interested in religion it's probably because someone they know is religious and is a great example to them, or because something awful has happened and they need somewhere to turn. Could even be they are just maturing, have children of their own and want to raise them with good values. People can change. My guess is though they probably actually go to church rather than listen to different preachers on tv or wherever they may find them.
Good post. A good way to learn about Christianity is to listen to the preacher. A better way is to participate in Sunday School whee you can ask questions. The best way, as you just said, is personal study, let me add to always start with prayer and ask God to apply it to my own life first. I always also ask Him to show me something new each time I study.
To understand what the gospel message truly is, you have to listen to what the New Testament writers say that it is. And it's very simple. The word 'gospel' means good news. And the good news, the gospel according to Paul is, as he states it,
1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2] by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4] and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
John put it like this.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his unique Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God loved the world and therefore sent His Son to die for the sins of the world so that anyone who believes in the Son will not perish but will have eternal life. The Son (Christ Jesus) having died for our sins, rose again on the third day.
And that basically is the gospel. Now the backdrop for the gospel is that we are sinners under condemnation, but that is not good news and so is not part of the gospel. The gospel, the good news is that God did something about the bad news.
The gospel message gets distorted by adding anything to the fact that God sent Jesus into the world to die for our sins so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
You are a perfect example of what the OP is talking about...
Yes, simplicity is key. It is important to recognize that "believe in" is not just an intellectual assessment, but a commitment to the concern for the well-being of everyone that is basic to community with God and man best stated in John 13 "34A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. "
I wasn't a new commandment...
Many people think of Judaism as the religion of cold, harsh laws, to be contrasted with Christianity, the religion of love and brotherhood. This is an unfair characterization of both Judaism and Jewish law. Love and kindness have been a part of Judaism from the very beginning. When Jesus said, "love thy neighbor as thyself," he was merely quoting Torah, and he was quoting the book that is most commonly dismissed as a source of harsh laws: Leviticus 19:18. The point is repeated in Leviticus 19:34: love [the stranger] as thyself. - Judaism 101: Love and Brotherhood
You just distorted the gospel. To believe in Christ is indeed simply to give intellectual ascent to the proposition that Jesus died for your sins and that He rose again with the result that you place your trust in Him for eternal life. Loving one another is not a requirement for receiving eternal life. Loving one another should be a goal of the Christian, and is a result of spiritual growth, but the gospel by which you are saved is not ''you must love one another.''
I would still love to see where in the Tanakh it states that the Mashiach would die and resurrect...Where's that prophecy?...
I guess I should have clarified. I apologize. I am a believer. I was simply making an observation about the massive amount of inconsistencies out there, which surely must lead to confusion, for non-believers, and for believers. If I were to simply have posted the question, how does one get saved, the number of diverse replies would have been substantial I imagine, proving my point about the high level of confusion out there. Thank you for your replies by the way.
For example, so many "famous" Christians talk about about turning from sin, and "repenting." Quite often it ends up sounding like, one has to clean up their life before they can become eligible to be saved. I cringe when I hear Gospel messages/presentations like that. You cannot tell an alcoholic they must stop drinking before they can become eligible to be saved. We are all a mess, and, without G-d stepping in, we cannot save ourselves by somehow "cleaning up our act." Last time I checked, salvation is a gift. Gifts are to be received. Or, I hear salvation is based on us forsaking all sins or making a complete commitment. Not good. Did we sin last week, yesterday, or today? I guess that means our act of forsaking or commitment failed, which means, somehow we are not saved. If we base our eligibility to receive the Gift of salvation on our performance, we are doomed.
What do you think repentance is?...All this should raise a red flag for you...
Many people think of Judaism as the religion of cold, harsh laws, to be contrasted with Christianity, the religion of love and brotherhood. This is an unfair characterization of both Judaism and Jewish law. Love and kindness have been a part of Judaism from the very beginning. When Jesus said, "love thy neighbor as thyself," he was merely quoting Torah, and he was quoting the book that is most commonly dismissed as a source of harsh laws: Leviticus 19:18. The point is repeated in Leviticus 19:34: love [the stranger] as thyself. - Judaism 101: Love and Brotherhood
How many times do you need this explained? What IS "new" about it is that it is the "New" basis of the "new" covenant Jesus gave us for relating to God and man.
I certainly do not have the corner market on understanding. There are a few things, though, that all Christians, I would assume, hold in common. 1. There is a God. All of this creation could not have happened by accident. 2. Mankind is sinful. Look at the world, it is clear that sin exists. 3. The Bible is God's written revelation. No other book ever written comes close to describing in such detail the condition of the human heart. 4. We cannot earn our way to heaven. Why? Because we are sinful, we will always fall short of His glory. 5. Jesus is who He said He is/was.
While we cannot work/earn forgiveness, after receiving forgiveness, there is a change in the heart that makes us want to do right, yet, we still fail. While in this human body, we will always sin, but, as time progresses, spiritual growth will take place and the frequency of sin hopefully will subside, but will never fully leave. How fortunate that God offers forgiveness. I certainly need His forgiveness.
G-d has always been ready to forgive a repentant sinner...So, what has your New Testament changed?...And, to add, the New Covenant is only for the houses of Judah and Israel...Where are the Gentiles mentioned?...
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