MC1
Member since Aug 27, 2010
Recent Comments
Re: “Beer Me, Jesus”
@Hank, your question about Jesus statements in Matthew 5:22 (“But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.”) seems sincere, I appreciate your honesty in questioning this statement which does appear harsh and unrealistic. To fully understand this passage, we must take it in context. Look at what Jesus is saying, beginning in Matthew 5:18. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.: Matthew 5:18-20 What I believe Jesus is showing us, is that He didn't come to cancel the law of Moses, but to fulfill it. He came to show us that God the Father created us in His image, and as such, He made us to be perfect and holy. His expectation of us is absolute perfection. In Matthew 5:48 He declares “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Jesus is also opening our eyes to see things as He does- from the inside, or the heart of the matter, so to speak. He is revealing to us that our sin begins in the heart. James 1:14-15 expound upon this; “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” Jesus is warning us that our hearts aren't right, and that we desire to do evil, and that, in His eyes, that desire is just as bad as the action. However, the overarching theme of the verse you question, and indeed the whole of the Bible, is that we are a wicked people. We have the law, both written through Moses, and in our hearts, but we will always fall short of God's expectation. No matter how good we are, or think we are, we cannot measure up to God's expectation of perfection, we will always fall short. This is precisely why Jesus came! He came to show us that even the scribes and the pharisees, the religious rulers of the day, weren't good enough. He came to show us that all of our outward actions weren't enough. He came to show us that we could never hope to get to God on our own. He came to make the way that we couldn't do ourselves. He lived the perfect life, He died on a cross in the most brutal fashion, taking our place and our punishment, and He rose again showing that He had conquered death and sin. He came so that we could receive even “the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe” Romans 3:22.
Re: “Beer Me, Jesus”
This is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world. Every other religion seeks to please God through various works. In these religions, people must work to accomplish the requirements so that they will get to heaven, nirvana or whatever they promise. Jesus is different, it's not about how I can earn my way into heaven, because I can't. It's not about what I can do to get to God, because I could never. It's about what God did to get to me. I am more than happy to answer questions about the historical, archeological or other documented facts that substantiate the authenticity of the Bible, to anyone who is sincere in their question. I agree with Hank, we need less heat and more light.