Believe—Who do you say that Jesus is?
At high school I was lost and searching for Jesus in a spiritual wilderness. It didn’t help that I had a friend who was from a non-religious family. God and Jesus were just swear-words to them. But although they had no interest in faith matters, it in no way made them ignorant of what was going on around them in the religious lives of others. One thing was for certain, they knew exactly what they did NOT believe.Though they thought you mad, they could tell you that if you became a Christian you would have to believe:*That Jesus claims exclusive rights over your life and soul. *That he created the world.*That Judgement Day is coming – suddenly! *That you will be judged according to what you have done. *That he expects you to base your life on the teachings in the Bible. *That non-Christians are not going to heaven. *That Christians try to live pure lives. *That you must go to church and sacrifice to help people. *That you tell others to repent and believe in Jesus. *That you preach that Jesus died on the cross so that those who believe in him can have their sins forgiven.Decades later, things have changed. Though the non-believers still might not want a bar of Christianity, Christians have at least made it more palatable for them to be around.Today’s believers are discouraged from any talk that might be construed as judgemental. Anything thought negative—even spoken by Jesus himself—is to be placed out of earshot of the congregation, lest offense is taken. All around us are “The Churches of the Religiously Wounded!” Fragile souls to be protected at all cost by the unteachable.The Bible calls us all to greater things:“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).Jesus said that he was not sent to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). This is because the world was ALREADY condemned. It is sin that separates a person from God (Isaiah 59:2), and since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), everyone is condemned; the wrath of God is upon us—unless we are forgiven!Our starting point of faith is: Believing in Jesus for who he is—The One who loved you enough to die on a cross to take away the consequences of your sins. The divine grace of forgiveness is found only in him. Who do you say that Jesus is?John StaigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends.
0 Comments