An argument for Christ
Throughout history men have had gods. Almost universally these gods have had very human flaws. None have every changed history in the way Jesus did simply because the gods of the Romans, the Greeks, the Norse and others were made up by man.
Thor, and Zeus have no influence on modern man yet Jesus effects the lives of over 2,200,000,000 people today.
The teachings of Jesus have changed the world.
Jesus who is God incarnate came to earth to show God’s love to man. To reconcile sinful man to himself.
He realized man could never reach high enough to reach him so he came down to live among us and show us the way to heaven.
The apostle Paul speaking in Athens made this case for Christ,
“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
At that, Paul left the Council.
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”
Acts 17:17-34.
Ultimately the question is do you believe what Paul and every other true Christian that has ever lived is saying?
Think about it.
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Monday, 1 December 2014
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Foolishness
Foolishness?
“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
The Apostle Paul here make it clear that the message of salvation offered up by Christians is foolishness to none believers.
That God’s way is not the way man would consider doing it.
I’ve often heard many people say why doesn’t God just show himself why does he allow such evil in the world.
God first of all has shown himself. Firstly through the scriptures but also through the universe as a whole.
Take a look around you. All of the universe from the largest galaxy to the smallest sub atomic particle are in balance. All serve a purpose and that to sustain life as we know it.
Just a slight variation in the overall equation that makes up our world and indeed the universe in general would prevent life from existing as we know it.
The Bible makes it clear that God created the universe. That he also made man and gave him the ability to choose.
In doing so he essentially said to man you can choose my way that leads to eternal life or you can turn against me. Either way there are consequences.
Sadly over the centuries man has chosen the wrong way. He has brought pain and suffering on himself and his fellow man.
But God did not forsake man. The apostle Paul writing,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Romans 5:6-8.
God truly wants to have a personal relationship with each and every person on the planet.
That’s why he sent Jesus to this earth. That is why the Bible was written.
It may not be the way man would have done things but it is the way God does things and we must follow those rules.
Jesus said, ...“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
In the New Testament God makes it clear that he loves us. But in order to get to heaven we must believe in Him. Jesus saying,
“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.
We must put our faith in God the writer of Hebrews saying,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6.
Think about it.
“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
The Apostle Paul here make it clear that the message of salvation offered up by Christians is foolishness to none believers.
That God’s way is not the way man would consider doing it.
I’ve often heard many people say why doesn’t God just show himself why does he allow such evil in the world.
God first of all has shown himself. Firstly through the scriptures but also through the universe as a whole.
Take a look around you. All of the universe from the largest galaxy to the smallest sub atomic particle are in balance. All serve a purpose and that to sustain life as we know it.
Just a slight variation in the overall equation that makes up our world and indeed the universe in general would prevent life from existing as we know it.
The Bible makes it clear that God created the universe. That he also made man and gave him the ability to choose.
In doing so he essentially said to man you can choose my way that leads to eternal life or you can turn against me. Either way there are consequences.
Sadly over the centuries man has chosen the wrong way. He has brought pain and suffering on himself and his fellow man.
But God did not forsake man. The apostle Paul writing,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Romans 5:6-8.
God truly wants to have a personal relationship with each and every person on the planet.
That’s why he sent Jesus to this earth. That is why the Bible was written.
It may not be the way man would have done things but it is the way God does things and we must follow those rules.
Jesus said, ...“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
In the New Testament God makes it clear that he loves us. But in order to get to heaven we must believe in Him. Jesus saying,
“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.
We must put our faith in God the writer of Hebrews saying,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6.
Think about it.
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