Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
I'll ask the first question. How should Christians view the Bible? Entirely literal, metaphorical, what?
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Ok Let's Have a Christian Q & A Thread
- Thread starter Rainbow Mage
- Start date
I have some real newbie questions which I need help with:
1) If someone agrees with only the OT and not the NT, would they be closer to Jewish or do they just limit themselves from both Christianity and Judaism?
2) Does anyone know a site or book which gives a good high level overview of the different Christian Denominiations? I would like to understand Anglican, Baptist and Catholicism for example.
3) I don't understand the love and praise specifically for Jesus. Can't we just love God and see Jesus the way to God?
I don't mean any disrespect, I have a lot to learn.
1) If someone agrees with only the OT and not the NT, would they be closer to Jewish or do they just limit themselves from both Christianity and Judaism?
2) Does anyone know a site or book which gives a good high level overview of the different Christian Denominiations? I would like to understand Anglican, Baptist and Catholicism for example.
3) I don't understand the love and praise specifically for Jesus. Can't we just love God and see Jesus the way to God?
I don't mean any disrespect, I have a lot to learn.
tarasan
Well-Known Member
I say going to both extremes would be bad, there is a spectrim of views, and most are acceptable.
tarasan
Well-Known Member
Intelligently with their reason... O wait then they wouldn't be Christian anymore :sorry1:
ohhhh burn i like it!!! your getting frubals my friend!
tarasan
Well-Known Member
closer to jewishness as rejecting the NT completely stops you from claiming to be a christian, which means Christ follower. although to be a Jew you also have to know the talmud.(ive spelt that wrong)
erm no sorry not just a book although im sure there is one.
Christianity views Jesus as God, so when you attribute praise to God, your also attributing it to Jesus, its only when you rejects Jesus' divinity when you run into problems.
emptybe
Om Mani Padme Hum
Yes, they would be much more Jewish than Christian
There are over 20,000 Christian Denominations... If you just want Anglican/Baptist/Catholic a quick Google search for their beliefs would get you that I'm sure. If you have any questions specific to a particular denomination ask away.
Christians love Christ for his self sacrifice for everyone. God and Jesus are one in the same essence to Christians. Praying to one would be praying to all three in the Trinity. Three persons one essence. I know a lot of Protestant Christians though that pray TO the father THROUGH the son BY the holy spirit.
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
How are Christians to view the Eucharist/Lord's Supper? As the body and blood of Christ, or as a symbol?
Hi Tarasan
Thanks for answering! I find that relationship with Jesus the most difficult to understand at the moment.
tarasan
Well-Known Member
catholics offically view it as literal
prodestants as symbology
a very broad brushstroke but it gets the point vaguely accross XD.
i would say it was symbology imho.
emptybe
Om Mani Padme Hum
Protestants view the Eucharist as a symbol. Roman Catholics/Eastern Orthodox view it as the literal body/blood. RC/EO's main argument is that Christ said "this IS my body and blood" not "this is a symbol of my body and blood"
tarasan
Well-Known Member
lots of people do, but i say keep searchin mate!
May I ask what is it you don't understand about the relationship with Jesus? I'm new here , but I'm not a new Christian, I'm happy to help if I can.
Welcome to the forum Bereanz
The challenge for me is to position my understanding of Jesus. Some see Jesus as God others as the son of God, incarnated it seems. I am hoping to understand how people say that they should praise Jesus and love Jesus when in Church. Are they loving God when they say "love Jesus" or actually a man who was the son of God? I would benefit from some philosophical explanation.
Perhaps I just need to read more on Christianity in general, but it is that relationship which needs to be better explained for me.
Welcome to the forum Bereanz
The challenge for me is to position my understanding of Jesus. Some see Jesus as God others as the son of God, incarnated it seems. I am hoping to understand how people say that they should praise Jesus and love Jesus when in Church. Are they loving God when they say "love Jesus" or actually a man who was the son of God? I would benefit from some philosophical explanation.
Perhaps I just need to read more on Christianity in general, but it is that relationship which needs to be better explained for me.
Thanks for the welcome, in a nut shell, the Bible tells us Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, in other words, God the father, made himself into the weakest creature on earth, a babe. In order to lay down his life as a suitable sacrifice to Himself to make right our sinful condition in the eyes of the Father.
The Christian loves God for coming in the form of a man Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our individual sins, we praise God because he was able to do this for us. So when a Christian praises Jesus Christ they are most probably praising God for what He did in the from of Jesus Christ on earth. In essence Jesus Christ is the name of God. The true Christian religion/faith is based on the person of Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross and through the resurection. Every other religion under the sun attempts to water down the deity of Jesus Christ to "just a man." They do this in a number of ways, including taking many biblical scriptures out of context and stating they mean things that they do not mean.
Jesus Christ was/is fully God, and fully man, the God man. A mere sinful mortal sacrificing himself on a cross could not save us, and God without becoming a man could not save us either. A sinless spotless man had to pay the penalty for man's sinful condition in order for God's justice to be appeased, so God became that man, to save all other men, because He loves us. But Justice, which also love, still had to be done, the price had to be paid. Christ paid the price, God accepted it. The reality of what God did through Jesus Christ is that He took responsibilty for sin upon Himself. A man who rejects Christ is essentially rejecting many things, among them is the denial that he needs to be saved, and another is the denial that Jesus Christ was and is God. ( as I say, there are many more things than that are being denied). Hope this helps.
Oh one final thing, this is not a Phylisophical or denominational point of view, this is just a simple explaination of what the Bible clearly teaches.
That said, I've been a Christian for twenty years, and I have read my bible and studied much other Christian literature for as long, but I still haven't fully grasped why God requires and accepts blood sacrifices/death for the forgiveness of Sin. i.e the scripture says "without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin." and "the wages of sin is death" I haven't quite understood why this is yet. And I must I admitt I havent quite understood what death means either. What I do believe though is that men where never created by God to die and I think this is why we have such a hard time understanding it. i.e that death is not a part of our DNA make up and from what I have read, science has no suitable explaination for death. (I dont mean illness that leads to death of course). The study of DNA does not reveal any reason as to why either, infact, I'm lead to believe our DNA doesn't actually die. But that's a whole other ball of wax.
Happy New Year.
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Thank you Bereanz
That makes sense. Do we know why in Christianity, God doesn't reside in all men, or does He?
I went to Church on Christmas day and the Vicar said something simliar to "Jesus resides in each one of us" and he emphasised "In us". It struck me as both logical yet how can Jesus reside in us all and not God reside in us all? Surely God resides in us all and that would make the name "Jesus" equal to God?
That makes sense. Do we know why in Christianity, God doesn't reside in all men, or does He?
I went to Church on Christmas day and the Vicar said something simliar to "Jesus resides in each one of us" and he emphasised "In us". It struck me as both logical yet how can Jesus reside in us all and not God reside in us all? Surely God resides in us all and that would make the name "Jesus" equal to God?
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Interesting comments from the "Vicar", although I must say, it' isn't biblical, i.e. the bible does not teach this. Also for you to say that it seems logical and yet seem to be still confused doesn't make sense to me. As I have already explained (or at least tried to), there is no issue with Jesus being equal to God because he is God. However God/Jesus does not reside in us all. If He did then logically he would not need to come out of heaven into the form of a babe, grow into man and die on the cross to save us would He? Because we'd are already be perfectly equipped self sufficient little Godmen in our own right:"logically" if we take that line. Many religions teach this, not the Bible/Christianity. Although many false cult version of Christianity try to teach it as well, and some of them call themselves "Vicars"
The Holy spirit enters into the Believer/Christian, when he has been invited to come in and it is the Holy Spirit that leads us to repentance/a knowledge of our sinful condition before God, we then can see who and what Jesus Christ did and who Jesus Christ is. Until one realise their own sinfulness, talking about Jesus Christ as God etc etc, is like shinning a flashlight in someone’s face. They don't know, need or have use for this Jesus Christ yet, and if the "Vicar" is right, which he isn't, then we will agree with Him that we don't need to bother about the cross and the sacrifice and the death of Jesus Christ. Now in fairness to the Vicar, he may have been assuming everyone in the congregation that day was Christian, but still Jesus Christ does not reside in any one.
The thing is, two thousand Years Ago Jesus Christ said the words, "It is finished" so universally he has paid the price for every one, but universally not every one is aware of it yet, the job of the Holy Spirit, and the spirit filled believer (who has the Holy Spirit within them (Not Jesus Christ within them) is to lead people to this awakening/realisation/truth. Jesus is not only God, he is also THE truth! That said it is the Law of God that converts the soul and shows us the need for Christ, or at the very least it reveals our precarious position.
God's law condemns every human being as a liar, murderer, thief, adulterer, blasphemer, Sabbath breaker, Idolater, coveter, disobedient, etc etc. When we see our true condition in the eyes of complete Holiness and realise we don’t deserve anything from God let alone salvation, this is when, and only when, Jesus Christ becomes exceedingly appealing to us. And frankly until then it's not worth even thinking about Jesus Christ as anything more than a great moral teacher, no different or greater than say Plato or Socrates.
God Bless You.
PS: A holy God can not reside in a sinful vessel until the vessel has been cleansed. The Christian resides "in Christ", not the other way around. When the unregenerated human being realises that he is severed from God because of sin, he is then ready to ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit, which can only come when the person is awakened to the reality of Jesus Christ. To put a finer point on it, Jesus Christ is reality, not a religion.
Col1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Jesus Christ)
Col1:14 In whom (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col1:15 Who (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him (Jesus Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him (Jesus Christ), and for him: (Jesus Christ)
Col1:17 And he (Jesus Christ) is before all things, and by him (Jesus Christ) all things consist.
Jesus Christ in brackets added by me for emphasis and clarity.
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paolops181
God rules!
The entirety of God's word is truth. -Ps.119:160(nkjv)
Thanks for the detailed reply, Bereanz, I will consider it further.
Just for more accuracy, I asked since posting and we think it was a Minister from the Methodist Church (Not a Vicar). I wish I had access to his quotations/slides of the scripture.
PS: Spelling of Vicar corrected
Just for more accuracy, I asked since posting and we think it was a Minister from the Methodist Church (Not a Vicar). I wish I had access to his quotations/slides of the scripture.
PS: Spelling of Vicar corrected
esmith
Veteran Member
Some Protestant's view it as a re-enactment of the last supper while others view it as taking the body and blood of Jesus, Catholic's believe in the latter. Just as some Protestant religions view Jesus as divine while others view him as human. Why do you think there are so many off-shoots of the original christian beliefs. Oh and by the way there is a Jewish faith that believe that Jesus was the Messiah (Messianic Jew). Also there are christian faiths that follow some of the Jewish dietary laws. Take your pick.