As I stated in a previous post, the words SALVATION, ETERNAL LIFE, and THE KINGDOM are used interchangably in modern Christianity. This causes the words to also be used erroneously. All three concepts are discussed in the Bible, but they are discussed as entirely separate and distinct from each other. This is the reason why modern Christianity teaches that eternal life is a free gift that comes from confessing Jesus even though Jesus himself taught that eternal life came through keeping the commandments.
SALVATION- Jesus came to give us a more abundant life. When Jesus spoke of salvation he was not speaking of the afterlife, but of the more abundant life that we can live right now.
Mark 16:16- states that if you believe and are baptized you will be saved. Salvation is a free gift, no strings attached, no works involved. It is simply a matter of believing and receiving. This is why Jesus could offer salvation to anyone who came to him wanting it and ready to receive it. Nicodemus was said to have received salvation in Luke 19:9. The woman with the alabaster box received salvation in Luke 7:50. To understand this, we must understand salvation is not for the afterlife; IT IS FOR HERE AND NOW.
Eternal Life- I already stated a lot about eternal life and how to gain it in my previous post. I'll just reiterate here that eternal life is gained by keeping the commandments of God.
BORN AGAIN/ THE KINGDOM- John 3:1 recounts a story where a man named Nicodemus inquired about the miracles Jesus did. Jesus attributed his works to the Kingdom and stated that no one could see this Kingdom unless they were "born again." It is important to note that this is the only time recorded in the Bible that Jesus mentions the concept of being born again. Jesus gave many examples describing the concept of the Kingdom, but He never actually defined what the Kingdom is. He did however tell us that the Kingdom was at hand (very close to us) Matt. 4:17 that it is within us, Luke 17:21; that there are keys to it, Matt. 16:19; its difficult for the rich to obtain, Mark 10:23.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Eternal Life
There are several instances in the Bible where Jesus was asked "What must I do to have eternal life?" The answer that Jesus gave is far removed from the answer modern Christianity gives. Jesus always gave the same answer "KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS." Recognizing that Christianity (through Paul's teachings) teaches that eternal life is a free gift gained by accepting Jesus as our Lord. It seems strange that such a strong contradiction should exist concerning such an important subject.
Jesus was given this question of eternal life in Matt. 19:16, Mark 10:17, Luke 10:25, Luke 18:18 and each time Jesus gave the answer "Keep the Commandments." So it is obvious for those of us who believe in Jesus and His Word that eternal life is gained not by grace but by works. Even when Jesus spoke about judgement day and some entering into eternal life and some everlasting punishment, he related their judgement to their WORKS while here on earth. (I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in) It had nothing to do with grace, or accepting him or their faith. In fact in Jesus' teachings the people who did these works seemed to be unaware that they had did anything worthy of eternal life. (Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?)
Jesus was given this question of eternal life in Matt. 19:16, Mark 10:17, Luke 10:25, Luke 18:18 and each time Jesus gave the answer "Keep the Commandments." So it is obvious for those of us who believe in Jesus and His Word that eternal life is gained not by grace but by works. Even when Jesus spoke about judgement day and some entering into eternal life and some everlasting punishment, he related their judgement to their WORKS while here on earth. (I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in) It had nothing to do with grace, or accepting him or their faith. In fact in Jesus' teachings the people who did these works seemed to be unaware that they had did anything worthy of eternal life. (Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?)
So if eternal life must be earned where did the church get the teachings of grace and faith and accepting Jesus? I believe that the teachings are a misunderstanding of terminology. Certain words used in the Bible; namely SALVATION - ETERNAL LIFE- ENTERING THE KINGDOM were three entirely different concepts. Modern Chrisitanity uses these words pretty much enterchangably but a closer look at the scriptures shows that they are not the same at all. But that's another blog.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Adam and Original Sin
Orthodox Christianity for the most part teaches the doctrine of original sin based solely on the teachings of Paul (Romans 5:12-21). After much prayer and meditation and studying, I am not sure that I still believe in this doctrine. For starters, the concept of sin was never once mentioned to Adam after he ate off of the tree. The tree itself was neither good nor evil. The Bible calls the tree "The tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil." The only thing that the Bible says occured after Adam and Eve ate of the tree was "the eyes of both of them were open and they knew they were naked." Notice, the only thing that happened to them was that they ceased to be ingnorant and instead became knowledgable that there was good and evil in the world. Once they KNEW, they became responsible for choosing one or the other. Also notice that God cursed the ground and he cursed the serpent, but he never once cursed Adam or Eve. How could He, when he had already blessed them. He told the woman that He would multiply her sorrow and conception and that in pain she would bear children and that her desire would be to her husband and he would rule over her. (More about Eve and this prediction later) But this was only a prediction of things to come, not a curse. To Adam, God said that he would have to toil and sweat to get anything from the earth, but God never cursed to Adam HIMSELF. God merely cursed the earth and because of the curse on the earth, it would no longer easily yield food and sustanence to man. Notice, God could not even take back the dominion that he had blessed Adam with over the earth. He could only curse the earth so that it would not yield to man's dominion.
And what of the warning from God that the day Adam ate of the tree he would surely die? Well, as a Bible scholar, I am a big fan of concordances and original meanings of words. The original Hebrew word for death is "Muwth" (pronounced "mooth"). The word means "to kill, to die or to be worthy of death." So could it be that rather than meaning that Adam would literally drop dead the moment he ate of the tree, God could have meant that Adam would be worthy of death or that eating of the tree was essentially a death sentence for him. The fact is, God never actually sentenced Adam to death. He only put Adam out of the garden to restrict him from eating from the Tree of Life. God Himself said in Genesis 3:22 that if Adam ate from the The Tree of Life, he would live forever. So, Adam was going to die anyway. It was up to him to choose eternal life, but he chose instead to know good and evil. So maybe, Christ is a tree of life to us who believe in Him, basically giving us back the choice that we lost when Adam was cast out of the garden of Eden.
During this event refered to in religious circles as "the fall of man" the word sin is not mentioned. In fact, the first time sin is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 4 where God warns Cain that sin lies at the door. Later, in the same chapter, God curses a person (Cain) for the first time by pointedly stating "you are cursed..." Genesis 4:11. Therefore since, Adam was never said to have sinned and according to the Bible was obviously not cursed, the doctrine of the original sin must be erroneous. Even if there was in fact an original sin of man and a resulting curse upon man, then that sin and that curse would have had to come through Cain, not Adam.
And what of the warning from God that the day Adam ate of the tree he would surely die? Well, as a Bible scholar, I am a big fan of concordances and original meanings of words. The original Hebrew word for death is "Muwth" (pronounced "mooth"). The word means "to kill, to die or to be worthy of death." So could it be that rather than meaning that Adam would literally drop dead the moment he ate of the tree, God could have meant that Adam would be worthy of death or that eating of the tree was essentially a death sentence for him. The fact is, God never actually sentenced Adam to death. He only put Adam out of the garden to restrict him from eating from the Tree of Life. God Himself said in Genesis 3:22 that if Adam ate from the The Tree of Life, he would live forever. So, Adam was going to die anyway. It was up to him to choose eternal life, but he chose instead to know good and evil. So maybe, Christ is a tree of life to us who believe in Him, basically giving us back the choice that we lost when Adam was cast out of the garden of Eden.
During this event refered to in religious circles as "the fall of man" the word sin is not mentioned. In fact, the first time sin is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 4 where God warns Cain that sin lies at the door. Later, in the same chapter, God curses a person (Cain) for the first time by pointedly stating "you are cursed..." Genesis 4:11. Therefore since, Adam was never said to have sinned and according to the Bible was obviously not cursed, the doctrine of the original sin must be erroneous. Even if there was in fact an original sin of man and a resulting curse upon man, then that sin and that curse would have had to come through Cain, not Adam.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
ALONE WITH GOD
There is nothing in the world more rewarding than being alone with God. I think that most Christians undervalue the benefits and worth of meditation. I have learned to sit and not just pray, but to actually have conversations with God. I talk to Him and I listen to Him. I grow closer to him through this private time we spend communicating. I believe that Jesus knew the value of being alone with God. After all, the Bible says he spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting and praying. It also says that he sometimes got away from the crowds and got alone to pray. I wonder how many people recognize the complete joy and peace that can be found in just being alone and talking with God? Part of living the Jesusist way of life is finding quiet time to be alone with our Creator; to practice speaking with him and practice hearing his voice. There is no greater act we can perform than to have communion with the Almighty. Our intimacy with Him grows through our communication with him. In order to recognize His voice and His guidance we have to get used to hearing His voice. "My sheep know My voice." In order to truly be His sheep and have Him as our Shepherd we have to learn to recognize His voice. I know you have probably spoken to God, but ask yourself, when was the last time you actually heard Him?
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