Why is Christ so important?

[Monomonk]

Who is this Jesus fellow anyway, why is he important to God, to men, how does he
save men?

When we think about it, it seems to make sense that there should be no God, or a
universe, or anything. What makes sense is there should be nothing but empty dark
cold space heading out in all directions forever. Yet, obviously there was something in
that cold dark space, something incomprehensible to us, beyond our understanding.
That something, I submit, was God. We are told in the Bible that God always existed.
But I think that God did not always exist as he is now. It is what I call the "Buick in
space concept". Over almost an infinite space of time, those infinitely small whatever
come together to from a Buick fender, that is all, just a fender, then after a time the
fender dissipates. Then after another great length of time, just by chance, the tiny
things that make up matter come together and form a Buick hood, but this time no
fender. Then that hood dissipates. And so it goes after eons of time, and then one
day there it is, a complete 1948 Buick! This is the impression I get when thinking
about God, although God was always there, it took forever in the past to come to that
place in time when God became aware of himself. This awareness did not take solid
from, but "spirit". As time went on God became more aware, and powerful, until the
day came when he could create matter. And out of that matter was created the universe, and the wonders thereof. But there was a problem: how does one participate in one's own creation? This is where man comes in: "The living temple of God"! God creates a being infinitely suited to share in the delights of the universe.
A creature that has senses, that can see, smell, taste, hear, feel, beautiful to look
upon, a creature of movement, and fellowship with others of like kind. But Man was
created only "very good", not perfect. God will not live in a creature that is not perfect. This is where the Lord Jesus Christ comes in, the Perfected Man!

God and his creation unites! God and his creation unite in this one perfected being:
the Son of God! I believe that the word "Christ" means unification of God and his
creation. Now, because we have one perfected man, we have the perfect model whereby all other men can be made perfect. See? And now, because all men can be made perfect, all men can be saved. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ is so important! Glory be to God!:clap


More to come. monomonk

 

[paranormalknowledge]

hes the son of God.

 

[Ron_WT]

Monomonk you may have something other than a Buick my friend.

What if Jesus is a story, what if there were others that were before Jesus that fit into the same story but the names of each are different back threw time. I was reading a book about Egyptian gods (know someone here has had to have read this) specifically the God Rah and please pardon me but some of the details are sketchy but Rah was born from a virgin mother had 12 apostles, raised the dead, cured the sick, was called the light and son of God. Rah wasn't the only one there are more before him. All of these guys and sorry cannot remember all that I came across but it seemed like there were 4 that I found total in my searching around different religions. All from a virgin birth, all had 12 apostles, all cured the sick and raised the dead, cast out demons the whole thing and all were called the light and the son of god. Oh and all put to death and were raised after a few days. Interesting stuff I thought.

So what if all these guys are just a story a fable to teach us something important about ourselves. What if sin isn't really the issue but was made the issue by religion namely Christianity for were else do you find sin. Define perfection; the story says Jesus was perfect yet he got angry, he had feelings just like any man has, he yet was perfect without sin. I propose that this story misleads people to believe they are less than what they actually are. I believe Monomonk that there isn't sin only love or lack there of. I believe Jesus is a story just like the story of Rah or if it isn't a story and Jesus was real than you must lend credence that Rah was also the light and son of God before Jesus walk the earth.

Told you there is more than a Buick here.

A belief in such things ( Jesus, Rah or any other) I do not believe is wrong as there was a reason why the stories are so similar in each of these cultures and I believe this was to help people understand that they could be better than what they are. I believe it gave inspiration to people that a divine individual walked the earth and cared about them and we could strive to be divine ourselves. Nothing wrong with that. I think where it goes wrong is when we become fanatical about such things and forget about reasoning and forget about love. History is full of many stories some true some not the bible is clear evidence of some fiction and some fact. It is up to us to decide what is perhaps a fictional piece of literature and what is a factual piece of literature.

On the beginnings of God; well my friend God is an entity we haven't seen it is pure energy, pure intelligence, pure love. This energy has always been and always will be. I know this is true as that energy is inside all of us. Inside of me this is how I experience God everyday in the love that I see around me and the love I have for others this is the spirit of God shining threw. When I am angry I don't feel that spirit but when I am happy I do. Something to do with light and dark I would think.

Anyway don't really know if this is the answer you were looking for that somethings we read are perhaps more mythical than true but myth has it's redeeming qualities nonetheless and can teach us things necessary for a fulfilling life.

So in conclusion its all good my brother. Keep the faith what ever faith that may be strive to be a better person like the teaching of Jesus and love that's the most important message of all "love" and you'll be blessed by Gods spirit.

 

[zenzero]

Dear Monomonk,
Agree with Ron WT, that like Jesus there are others who have become enlightened and showed mankind the way to merge wityh God.
Love & rgds

 

[opuntia]

Jesus' importance remains much misunderstood, otherwise you could find the answer easily enough.

To begin with, we need to understand the concept of law as it pertains to religion, especially Christianity. We first need to read 1 John 3:4 (KJV): "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." Paul said, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). By this we are to understand that to sin we all have broken a law somewhere in our lives. The Ten Commandments outlines the dos and don'ts of our behavior towards others--to human beings and to God. It is understood that no human being has kept the Ten Commandments much less the other commandments that may exist in Heaven. This seems to leave us as offenders of divine law and since all laws have a punishment attached for their violation, a day of reckoning is coming for all of us where we must pay the penalty.

Christ enters into the picture and enters into the role of an offender even though He has committed no sin. Peter said Jesus "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:22). Paul said that Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15). It is important to understand why we need someone who had not broken a law. If you go to court for something you did wrong, you will surely go to prison if the evidence is against you. Now Jesus comes and commits no offense, so the law has no hold upon Him. But instead of letting you pay for your sins, He volunteers to take your sins upon Himself and suffer the penalty. Several passages in the Holy Bible attest to this action:

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13)

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." (Hebrews 9:28).

In the Old Testament, we find prophecies of Jesus coming to offer Himself for sacrifice:

"And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

"And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." (Leviticus 16:21-22).

Isaiah gave what is considered a clear prophecy:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

"He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.

"And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." (Isaiah 53:4-9).

Now there are strings attached to Jesus' sacrifice: We must accept Jesus as our Savior and follow the commandments of God to the end of our lives. There are others but for now these will suffice. Of course if someone does not want Jesus to pay for their sins they will have to pay for it themselves. So the question is: Who do you want to pay the penalty, Jesus or you?

 

[Arch-Angel]

im going to break this down a bit. you must read the bible to find these answers.

Who is this Jesus fellow anyway, why is he important to God, to men, how does he save men?

Jesus is the Son of God, He is One in the Trinity who was begotten unto man to make atonement for his sins so he may stand in the presence of the Lord.

We are told in the Bible that God always existed.
But I think that God did not always exist as he is now.

Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit never change, they uphold the same qualities at all times, if they didn't, we wouldn't have hope because He could just change His mind.
John 1:1-3,14 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made...14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

But there was a problem: how does one participate in one's own creation? This is where man comes in:

all of creation was made to declare the glory of God. Man was made to glorify God, the problem did not arise until man sinned against God and became apostate.
Isaiah 43:7 [FONT=&quot]7[/FONT] everyone who is called by my name,whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

I believe that the word "Christ" means unification of God and his creation.

actually it means messiah, God come in the flesh to deliver us from sin. we would be with God if it wasn't for sin so i dont know if i would use the word unification but the scriptures identify Christ as the mediator of the new covenant.

Hebrews 12:20-24(For they could not endure that which was commanded, that: "if even so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart."And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, "I fear exceedingly and quake.")But ye have come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

 

[rock hop]

Ron_WT, that wasn't Ra(Rah), that was Horus. The confusion I think lies with Ra, it being the Sun God but Horus is the light, Setti being darkness and the night. There are supossedly, countless lives such as this, including the Hindu faith, which has a character, born of a virgin, twelve of this ( what it was I forget), died and was resurrected after three days.

Opuntia, the last attatchment to your post is quite interesting. "Who do you want to pay the penalty, Jesus or you.' I have rarely seen it though that way. Usually the comment is accept Christ as the Saviour, for your sins. All will pay for one's own sins, it is only how one sees the payment, whether as a suffering or a pleasure, a heaven or hell, so to speak. Modern culture, which has travelled from the Grace of God, believe that this process is an outdated scare tactic and hence do not believe in God. It is all to untangible a realm to consider. Would it be correct in saying for this scenario, that Christ is the passage to awareness.

Arch-Angel, I think that Monomonks definition of the word Christ, is not to dissimilar to yours. Where Messiah, leads to a more mystic definition of Faith and Bringer of Peace. Monomonk's interpretation leads a more bounded path respectively, saying that the unification of God is Faith and the Bringer of Peace is, His creation.

Quite bluntly, Jesus is important because He is the Son of the God, not a God among Others. The God is the Creator of all things, all other Gods are the developers of a field. In Aboriginal Mythology, a Rainbow Sepent is the bringer of life, all else dwells on the land that is simply there, a Frog which holds to himself the Water that is life, exists in the land and is coaxed into spouting forth its gift. All share great purpose, All are intertwined but All are not One.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Interesting dialogue. It's a bit like watching soap bubbles ...

 

[rock hop]

Nice one Jayhawker Soule. If it is my comments that you are talking about, you have got me wondering, as I read back I don't know if you mean in its rhythum (lifting and popping), or like the thought bubbles of a comic book.

 

[Ben Masada]

Christ is important to Christians because it keeps their hopes up for a good place in the afterlife.

Ben