Christian Belief

Christian Belief

Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote,
“It is to the Cross that the Christian is challenged to follow his Master: no path of redemption can make a detour around it.” 
                          Hans Urs von Balthasar.

The Apostle Paul wrote,
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 
                   1 Corinthians 1:18-25
C.S. Lewis wrote,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
                                          C.S. Lewis.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                          Ephesians 2:8,9.
Christians do not believe we can work our way to heaven. Salvation and eternity with God is a free gift from God. It is God reaching down to mankind and saying I love you.
Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”   
                                                                                                                  John 3:16-18.
Jesus made it clear when he said,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
            John 14:6
It is a choice everyone who is reading this must make for themselves. You either believe what Jesus and the writers of the New Testament said about him or you do not. God will not force you to believe anything you do not want to believe.
So please consider what I have said carefully.