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What is the "message" of the Gospels?

Jainarayan

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
How to live a compassionate, empathetic, moral and peaceful life in harmony with others, with all of creation and with God. I don't believe they have anything to do with messianic prophecies, atonement for sins or resurrections. I believe they are no more and no less than what Jesuism and the Jefferson Bible say they are: great teachings to live by.
 
Caladan

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
disciple said:
In your own words, and without using verses or Scripture, what is the "message" of the Gospels?
Click to expand...
I see several layers of messages. For example one layer is dogmatic: Salvation is only through Christ, the resurrection is central in redemption.
Other layers convey another message: A way of conduct. How to be humane and behave towards your fellow men, how to put tradition, religion and social order in perspective and in accordance with one's own humanity and values. For example, 'Not casting the first stone', 'Rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar's'.
Another layer is establishing Christ well in the basic traditions of the faith of Israel and the Jewish people. The Davidic lineage, fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, the use of Psalms and the the Hebrew scriptures by Jesus.
These are some of the themes and messages that come to mind.
 
Ouroboros

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
The message is:

Stand up against the old, stale religions. Realize God is within you and everywhere. Die from your old life and belief and come alive into a new belief. You might lose family and friends on the way, but you'll find new ones in the process.
 
Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
disciple said:
In your own words, and without using verses or Scripture, what is the "message" of the Gospels?
Also to keep it coherent just give the most important or a few reasons, not a whole list or diatribe making it impossible and too subjective to discern any more/less important messages
Click to expand...

The message is completely up to interpretation, as you can ask 100 different people what they mean, and get 100 different answers. If there was intended to be a singular "message," then the authors, compilers, and editors over the centuries did a horrible job of defining it.
 
Thief

Thief

Rogue Theologian
disciple said:
In your own words, and without using verses or Scripture, what is the "message" of the Gospels?
Also to keep it coherent just give the most important or a few reasons, not a whole list or diatribe making it impossible and too subjective to discern any more/less important messages
Click to expand...

Not my word but here you go...
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Not the Carpenter's word either as it turns out.
Supposedly written in stone at least a thousand years before Him.
 
ChristineES

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
I think you meant "Messages of the Gospels". There is more than one meaning and more than one purpose. But, if I had to pin it down it would be "to call the lost".
 
Bob Dixon

Bob Dixon

>implying
Shermana said:
Yes, I was expecting that. The problem is that their analogy involves apple branches being grafted onto an olive tree, as if the tree somehow conforms to the branch.
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As much as I agree with you, I'd like you to consider that it's more like grafting Red Delicious apples onto a Granny Smith tree. Jews and Gentiles are all humans, after all.
As such, the grafting analogy (and the defense against it) becomes meaningless.

Perhaps you can say that Jesus himself did not talk about grafting (but, rather, about dogs eating the childrens' leftovers, an interesting choice of words, indeed).
 
Shermana

Shermana

Heretic
Bob Dixon said:
As much as I agree with you, I'd like you to consider that it's more like grafting Red Delicious apples onto a Granny Smith tree. Jews and Gentiles are all humans, after all.
As such, the grafting analogy (and the defense against it) becomes meaningless.

Perhaps you can say that Jesus himself did not talk about grafting (but, rather, about dogs eating the childrens' leftovers, an interesting choice of words, indeed).
Click to expand...

The problem is that it's not so much being humans that is the issue but the doctrines and culture and lifestyle. Hence, obedience to the commandments would be olives, non-obedience would be Apples. And no offense to Apples, I love apples. Organic only though.
 
sojourner

sojourner

Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
disciple said:
In your own words, and without using verses or Scripture, what is the "message" of the Gospels?
Also to keep it coherent just give the most important or a few reasons, not a whole list or diatribe making it impossible and too subjective to discern any more/less important messages
Click to expand...
Depends on the gospel. Each one is different -- different audience, different overarching method, different theology, different writing techniques, different impetus, etc.
 
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