September 26, 2009
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Is Your Jesus Real?
I want everyone out there to really think this one through. Give it some very hard, very long, and very thorough contemplation. The answer may be the difference between entrance to heaven or going to hell.
Is your Jesus Real?
Lately I have been seeing something disturbing. Idols of Jesus. I’m not talking about silver crosses like the Catholics wear, bearing a beaten Jesus still hanging upon the cross. (get over it guys, He rose from the grave and is in Heaven already!) I’m not talking about statues or little plastic stick-on-your-dashboard glow-in-the-dark Jesus’s. I’m not even referring to those ubiquitous pictures of an anglo-saxon Jesus looking off into the distance with perfect hair and admirable facial features. (Ummm, by Isaiah’s estimation, there was nothing of which would make him of appeal to anyone.) No, none of these things are the focus of my thoughts.
Is your Jesus Real?
What I am asking is are you making a Jesus of your own design? Is he a political rebel, bent on helping you achieve national independence? Is he a Social reformer, who’s main ideal is to refashion society into something more lasting and perfect? Is he a Universal expression of Love, something that no man will (or shall) reject in the end? Is Jesus an outlaw — a peacemaker — a troublemaker upsetting the sellers / buyers at the temple — a psychological pitchman intent on making you feel better about yourself?
Is your Jesus Real?
Is there a reason I keep shoving that sentence in your face? Yes, because it’s the most important question you have been asked in a while. I’m not asking you which of these particular facets of Jesus life appeal to you — I’m asking you if you’ve remade / refasioned / reconstructed / rebuilt Jesus into something more palatible to you and your friends. Have you built yourself a Jesus by building up some qualities and downplaying others?
Is your Jesus Real?
I’ve encountered a lot of divergent theologies lately, most all of them bad. By bad I mean that these people THINK they are going to Heaven, but they have missed the ballpark by miles. Universal Salvation was the worst of the bunch, with several people expressing to me that there’s no need to evangelize — God is going to save everyone in the end. (I’ve heard this argument lately) The mildest form I’ve seen Jesus take was someone who wanted him to be merely a good teacher, someone who had the right idea about life and yet not someone to commit ourselves to in any sense ideological. (I’ve heard this argument lately) Between those two extremes I’ve seen many other approaches to Christ which leave out part of his ministry while strongly emphasizing something else.
Basically, all of these people have built themselves a god they can be comfortable with, a god they don’t have to repent before, a god who’s cool with their sins and the way they are —- these people have rejected Christ in favor of an idol.
Is your Jesus Real?
Jesus specifically stated that he did not come into this world to judge the world, but that through him the world would have light. In that same passage, though, he said that men were already condemned by their rejection of him. If I play Jesus off as the lovable Savior, ignoring the bit about judgment, I can excuse myself from having to tell others about him — cause hey, Jesus Loves Everybody. (I’ve heard this argument lately) I won’t need to preach, because in the end, everyone gets saved. (I’ve heard this argument lately) Why tell someone else they are wrong when it really doesn’t matter?
Is your Jesus Real?
Hell is real. Jesus preached about it, the Bible tells about it, and true followers of Christ KNOW about it. We know enough about it to care when we see someone else going there. The writer of Hebrew called scripture “active and alive, sharper than a two edged sword, able to cut through soul and spirit. It judges the desires and thoughts of man’s heart.” (4:12 Today’s English Version) That means that God’s Word is able to show truth — able to define it, able to express it, and most of all, able to cut through the BullS**t people pass around as truth, which in reality is merely satanic lies bent upon deception.
In a recent discussion, someone tried to tell me that while the appreciate the bible, they believe that God has many ways, many paths that lead to him. I countered with John 14:6 “I am the way, the Truth and the Life — NO MAN — comes to the Father EXCEPT through me.” Many paths? No, Jesus stated “Narrow is the path and few who find it, which leads to life.” (Matt. 7:14) As I made this point, a Christian who was with me argued AGAINST me and my interpretation. (I’ve heard this argument lately) It broke my heart, but it really made me wonder…
Is your Jesus Real?
There is but one God. There is but one Christ. and you must — MUST —- accept him for who he is in full, not cutting away what you don’t like and accepting the leftovers. If you don’t, Hell awaits, not Heaven, for you have constructed an idol of your own design and you’re not worshipping God “In spirit AND IN TRUTH” (Jesus words, John 4:24)
Are you accepting Him for who he is? Are you taking everything Jesus shows about himself and not just the parts you like? Are you willing to share Christ with others? And — most importantly — is your Jesus real, or merely a cardboard cut out paste-up with no eternal substance.
only you can answer that question.
Comments (2)
I believe the Bible is an excellent guideline for telling us how to live as people, but I don’t believe it’s the only religious text that has validity behind it.
And by the way, it’s traditional in Catholicism to wear a gold crucifix.
Johnny, Catholics wear Jesus on the cross because they do not believe that his death and sacrifice was complete. When they hold mass, they actually believe that they are not just play-acting out the death of Jesus in a memorial service —- they believe that the priest PHYSICALLY TURNS THE BREAD INTO the ACTUAL, physical flesh of Jesus and PHYSICALLY TURNS THE WINE INTO the actual, physical blood of Jesus and that they are SACRIFICING JESUS ALL OVER AGAIN… because His death wasn’t enough to pay for our sins.
That is why Catholics wear Jesus on the cross — because to them, that wasn’t Jesus triumphing over sin and death — it was merely Jesus starting the process which will never end. They reject the whole book of Hebrews (Jesus died ONCE, FOR ALL, for our sins) and prefer to keep him broken and bloody instead of risen and seated in glory next to the Father because He finished salvations work and the Just now live by Faith.
As to your other point… If God were to ALLOW himself to be represented by man…. just where do you think you’ll find it? I have looked through many of these “so-called religious” texts…. and I can honestly tell you… they are as false as a 3 dollar bill. Satan loves to counterfeit things…. His whole purpose is to deceive… so it all comes down to this… God spoke once, and finish his statement to man and everything else simply is satanic deception bent on keeping you from knowing the truth. I could write more, but I don’t think you probably want to hear it.