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Why follow Christ?
- Thread starter natasha levchenko
- Start date
questfortruth
Well-Known Member
Great will be reward in Heaven.
Sirona
Hindu Wannabe
If an individual finds fulfilllment and meaning in acting according to this Bible quote, why should they ask for other people's approval?
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
Depends on the reason why a person is studying the Bible.
But if someone wants to be a believer then they have to follow that quote.
A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
I don't feel that the man had everything "figured out" better than anyone in history. He was just another person trying to navigate mortality like the rest of us. He just happened to be one of the ones who thought he was a whole lot "more"... if he even existed as purported at all, that is.
Good-Ole-Rebel
Well-Known Member
This statement by Christ was given after His rejection by the nation Israel. Compare Matt. (12:24-30) (Matt. 12:46-50) (Matt. 16:13-18) to (Luke 9:18-21)
Before this rejection, Jesus was offering the Kingdom to Israel. (Matt. 3:1-2) (Matt. 4:17)(Matt. 10:5-7) Jesus was offering Himself as the King. The Messiah. And the disciples and those who followed Him, were identifying with Christ as the King with anticipation of the Kingdom He would set up.
But, now that He the King had been rejected, He was on His way to the Cross, to be humiliated and crucified. The offer of the Kingdom was removed.
Now, to any who want to identify with Christ, you identify with Him in His rejection and humiliation and death as a criminal. So, in (Lu. 9;23) Jesus is letting people know that this is the life you get if you want to follow me. They will reject you as they have Me. They will persecute you as they have me.
You are correct that the believer needs to take that to heart.
Good-Ole-Rebel
rational experiences
Veteran Member
Because God was in the Heavens first
To Your Name Be the Glory
…2Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3Our God is in heaven and does as He pleases. 4Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.…
To Your Name Be the Glory
…2Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3Our God is in heaven and does as He pleases. 4Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.…
I noticed that didn't pick that common translations. Is that intentional?
Luke 9:23 (NIV2011)
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
We need to follow Jesus Christ in a way how the sheep will follow their Shepherd because the Bible has portrayed that this world is a wilderness with God's sheep scattered. It's never a peaceful land but possibly with wild beasts around, and with roads narrow and winding. The sheep thus need to focus on following the Shepherd or they may be lost over and again into the wilderness. Jesus also illustrated this through the parable of sower on how different outcomes may be resulted from the different situations.
halbhh
The wonder and awe of "all things".
To me, it was only a desire to glean some good ideas wherever I could find them, to add to my collection from Rumi, Lao Tzu, Emerson, and quite a variety of other great thinkers.
Just for my personal gain, to live the best life, here and now. That's why to read what Jesus of Nazareth said (just like the other great teachers/thinkers), and glean what you can. For me, that means testing the ideas in real life to compare the outcomes to other ideas.
For gain.
Sure. Anyone who chooses to follow a higher path has to set aside the ego and its wants and desires in order to realize something more than those in one's life. That's pretty much what all religions teach.
What does it mean to you?
Thief
Rogue Theologian
PureX
Veteran Member
I think that to become the human embodiment of love, forgiveness, kindness, and generosity in a world full of people who have succumbed to fear, greed, hubris, and force of violence, means that we will likely be made to suffer at their hands. Just as Jesus was. And yet, if enough of us will find the courage and wisdom to do so, anyway, humanity will finally be healed and saved from itself.
I'm confident that this meant something quite different in 1st century Judea than it generally does today. The world of the early Christians was overwhelmingly dominated by the Jewish elite and their pagan overlords.
That's a pretty sharp contrast to the modern western world where Christianity is overwhelmingly dominant religion.
Where I live, the USA, being a Christian is hardly a burden. Quite the contrary. A regular feature around here is Christian complaints of persecution when their privilege is challenged.
Tom
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
I studied the bible awhile back and read it through. It didn't show me who jesus was or anything similar. I didn't see a personal relationship with jesus in the bible. I did experience it (if one would call it that) through the sacraments of christ. To me, that's a whole and much more in-depth experience than it was when I read in the bible "about" it.
graduate92
New Member
Hi Rival, do you think these verses from the Gospel of John offer a good reason to follow Jesus?
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36
Samantha Rinne
Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
That has got to be one of the weirder translations of the Bible.
Luke 9
This word is usually translated as cross, even if it is a torture device.
Ponder This
Well-Known Member
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Disciple vs Follower?
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
People need to be politically correct these days.
natasha levchenko
Member
Even today it May be rewarding.
Firstly,A very fine way to become even more intimately acquainted with God is to follow the Christ.During his prehuman existence, Jesus not only observed his Father’s way of doing things, taking note of His feelings and attributes, but also absorbed and adopted all of what he learned about his Father. The Bible refers to him as “the image of the invisible God.
Also,Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”this is true in the matter of prayer, for only by praying through Jesus we do have the assurance that the Father will give us whatever we may request in harmony with His will.)))
Firstly,A very fine way to become even more intimately acquainted with God is to follow the Christ.During his prehuman existence, Jesus not only observed his Father’s way of doing things, taking note of His feelings and attributes, but also absorbed and adopted all of what he learned about his Father. The Bible refers to him as “the image of the invisible God.
Also,Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”this is true in the matter of prayer, for only by praying through Jesus we do have the assurance that the Father will give us whatever we may request in harmony with His will.)))