I have a confession to make

[quietthinker]

@Nancy i think i continually mourn his passing, such a tragedy even though it was Gods plan it is so horrific, i kind of lose my faith in humanity bc of this one act, His resurrection takes the sting away a little but it is still like an open wound for me, much like jesus pierced side, i would not ask to put my hand on his open wound

Many construct a Jesus of their own making.....a fantasy if you like. It is not uncommon for folk to gear their lives around a fantasy.
We have the record in scripture which sufficiently reveals God's purposes in Jesus. We do not need to create make believe.

 

[Pearl]

Thanks for all the responces guys & gals, i really appreciate you guys trying to help, its just the way that it happened, like if Jesus was truly son of god, Man on earth then reason would dictate that his body would naturally ...like the rest of man, but for a a man to vanish into thin air after being dead, is very far fetched i believe he was not dead but managed to make it look that way in order to fulfill prophesy, maybe it was arrange for him to be taken off the cross when it appeared he was dead, maybe he wasnt in the tomb from the start and he died a natural death in peace later, it is much nicer to think he survived the cross and died in much nicer circumstances later. despite all this prophesy was fulfilled either way.

By using logic you are denying the power of God. Jesus was dead and is now alive.

Jesus himself said,
Matthew 26:32
'But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.’

Do you think he was lying?

 

[quietthinker]

By using logic you are denying the power of God. Jesus was dead and is now alive.

Jesus himself said,
Matthew 26:32
'But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.’

Do you think he was lying?

fantasy is inclusive of honing in on selected information while ignoring other. All of us need to take this into consideration. It is half truths that wreak confusion/destruction

 

[Pearl]

fantasy is inclusive of honing in on selected information while ignoring other. All of us need to take this into consideration. It is half truths that wreak confusion/destruction

Sorry but I'm not sure what you're getting at qt. Did you think what Jesus said was fantasy?

 

[quietthinker]

Sorry but I'm not sure what you're getting at qt. Did you think what Jesus said was fantasy?

no....look at the context of the discussion of the thread. It's about doubting the resurrection....It is to this that my statements are addressed.

 

[Pearl]

no....look at the context of the discussion of the thread. It's about doubting the resurrection....It is to this that my statements are addressed.

But my post addressed the doubt, in that Jesus himself said he would be resurrected. And if you can't believe Jesus who can you believe.

 

[Stuart]

I believe in the resurrection, I just dont know if it happened the way it is written, there are 4 accounts of the burial and how he was taken down from the cross early, how Nicodemus met with Pontius Pilate and arranged a guard for the tomb but what if he survived the cross and when he was pierced he was unconscious, you can look dead sometimes and have a very slow heartbeat and then recover, so what if he was sent to recover somewhere and not placed in the tomb? i just like the idea of it bc it is all fulfilled anyway even if he survived he did still rise again, for all we know he could have even died and came back from the dead. people get resuscitated all the time.

Anyway i fear i may be upsetting people with my unconventional scenarios, it just makes me feel better that he may have thwarted the evilness of mankind in a more human way. Maybe some people could not take the heavy burden of the death on their heart and he was saved by Gods will working in their hearts.

 

[Nancy]

@Nancy i think i continually mourn his passing, such a tragedy even though it was Gods plan it is so horrific, i kind of lose my faith in humanity bc of this one act, His resurrection takes the sting away a little but it is still like an open wound for me, much like jesus pierced side, i would not ask to put my hand on his open wound

Hi Stuart,
You said: "i think i continually mourn his passing, such a tragedy even though it was Gods plan it is so horrific, i kind of lose my faith in humanity "

Now, what I see here is where things might be tripping you up and keeping you from His joy. Our faith is never to be in humanity, ever. There is only ONE who we focus our faith on from the time we rise till we go to bed. Remember when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and started to sink..."

Humanity needs much prayer and, i can see why God said that we should pray continually! Amen. There's no shortage of lost souls to pray for.

Take heart bro! He has risen! He is no longer ON that cross nor in the grave. Ask Him

 

[Stuart]

So I would suggest that you read the Bible in a timeline, chronological format and read it as though it were a normal, typical book with all of the chapters in the right order.

Thanks timothy, I wish i could read the bible like a normal book but it is not a normal book to me, it is full of magic and wonder, it is also a mountain to climb for me and i dont think i could climb it, too many obstacles in the wayy atm

I believe in you. You can do this!

Thanks I wont give up, i am faithful but it is easy to have doubts and i wasnt trying to offend anyone, I'm not trying to be a false prophet i am just not as learned as other more well versed people on this site, i am still a disciple in training.

 

[Stuart]

Now, what I see here is where things might be tripping you up and keeping you from His joy. Our faith is never to be in humanity, ever. There is only ONE who we focus our faith on from the time we rise till we go to bed. Remember when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and started to sink...

Yes I remember the man was told if you have faith you will walk on the water but he began to sink, I think maybe i am like Peter that way, the same way my faith ebbs and flows i either sink or swim (walk) to Christ on the waters of Life.

Humanity needs much prayer and, i can see why God said that we should pray continually! Amen. There's no shortage of lost souls to pray for.

Totally agree i really want people to pray more, i am praying for my own insecurities in Christ and i pray for everyone elses as well.

 

[DNB]

I have always believed Jesus died and came back from the dead but not on the cross, i believe his holy spirit is alive and well and doing its work in our hearts, a forever presence, Omnipotent.

I see, very interesting in that I have never heard this perspective before, ...which, doesn't mean that you're wrong just for that point alone.

If I may, my understanding, which I believe to be an over-arching principle in the Gospels, is that, firstly, Jesus predicted his death and that it will transpire by the orchestration of the Jews, and that he will rise three days later. Secondly, that his compulsion to go through with this imminent trial and crucifixion, was mandated by His Father - Christ could have avoided the circumstances that lead to his capture.
And finally, this specific form of death, a voluntary sacrifice by crucifixion, had major implications towards the ending of the Old Covenant, and the beginning of the New. The Old Law could not be rescinded until it was fulfilled, and the New Law of Faith could not be instituted unless the legal death of the Old had been ratified with blood.

Christ's voluntary decision to go to the cross to be the perfect and final sacrifice of the Levitical Law, and God's willingness to raise him afterwards revealing His approval of Christ's blood, fulfills the demands of the Atonement, and gives man hope that he too will be resurrected to eternal life alongside Christ, who is currently in heaven.

 

[Stuart]

Christ's voluntary decision to go to the cross

He was fulfilling prophesy, it was gods will that put him on the cross, his father sending his son into this world to die so i guess god knew what was going to happen then just as he knows what is happening now and every hair on my head.

I am worried bc if i am finding this so hard to grasp and i think i am a smart person sometimes then just imagine how hard it is for unbelievers to come to Christs so many non-believers out there lost souls that could be saved and taught, I am grateful for this site bc no-one has judged me, i hope you know tat i am a faithful believer but i am not perfect and i doubt the word sometimes (i am guessing this is also gods will) to make teachers of you, lol. God Bless.

 

[Nancy]

Yes I remember the man was told if you have faith you will walk on the water but he began to sink, I think maybe i am like Peter that way, the same way my faith ebbs and flows i either sink or swim (walk) to Christ on the waters of Life.

"I think maybe i am like Peter that way, the same way my faith ebbs and flows i either sink or swim (walk) to Christ on the waters of Life."

Bottom line is that you always reach out to Him, especially when your sinking. The more you walk in The Spirit the less you will fall into sin. Get up if you fall each time, and you will be the stronger for it

"Totally agree i really want people to pray more, i am praying for my own insecurities in Christ and i pray for everyone elses as well."

Understood, the insecurities. He finally brought me to a place where He "said" to me that you need to be Christ conscience, not self conscience. Can be hard depending on each situation but then...nothing is impossible with our God!!

 

[DNB]

He was fulfilling prophesy, it was gods will that put him on the cross, his father sending his son into this world to die so i guess god knew what was going to happen then just as he knows what is happening now and every hair on my head.

I am worried bc if i am finding this so hard to grasp and i think i am a smart person sometimes then just imagine how hard it is for unbelievers to come to Christs so many non-believers out there lost souls that could be saved and taught, I am grateful for this site bc no-one has judged me, i hope you know tat i am a faithful believer but i am not perfect and i doubt the word sometimes (i am guessing this is also gods will) to make teachers of you, lol. God Bless.

Yes, don't worry, God demanding that His son die on the cross in order to satisfy His justice, has rather macabre and sadistic perspective about it. But, do not forget at all what God offered His son in return for his obedience and faithfulness. Christ has become the master of the universe bestowed to him from God the Father. Just like the suffering that we all go through here on earth, there is absolutely no comparison to the glory that we are to receive, if we remain steadfast in faith and love till the end. It was the same for Christ, he knew exactly what the Father had promised him and he trusted Him to honour that agreement, and so He did.

Many people on earth have died a much more gruesome and excruciating death than Christ, either in his name or not. Like Paul said, many might be willing to die for a somewhat righteous person, or like Christ said, no greater love is there than to offer one's life for another. Meaning, the death of Christ, or anyone for that matter, for a cause, should never be a catalyst for indignation, as just explained, it is not as cruel or unjust as it appears in isolation. Those that die for another, irrespective of the type of death, are doing so to receive a greater reward. You might even consider it yourself, if the goal was as appealing as a greater place in heaven.

 

[2nd Timothy Group]

Thanks timothy, I wish i could read the bible like a normal book but it is not a normal book to me, it is full of magic and wonder, it is also a mountain to climb for me and i dont think i could climb it, too many obstacles in the wayy atm


Thanks I wont give up, i am faithful but it is easy to have doubts and i wasnt trying to offend anyone, I'm not trying to be a false prophet i am just not as learned as other more well versed people on this site, i am still a disciple in training.

I hear what you're saying. BTW: I forgot to give you the second Bible passage that shows that the Lord put Israel into a deep sleep. It is here:

Isaiah 29:10 NLT - 10 For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries.
Romans 11:8 NLT - 8 As the Scriptures say, "God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear."

This is why the Old Testament has so many horrific stories, for the Lord Himself placed Israel into a deep sleep so that His Plan would be fulfilled. Look my friend . . . if you would be willing to learn of the basic Plan of God, and if you would be willing to begin reading the Bible in a timeline chronological way, you will grasp this unbelievable Plan as it is demonstrated all throughout the Bible. What is within this book is utterly incredible, and it's contents, in how it all fits together, simply could not be written by human beings. When you grasp this concept, the Bible will become alive and you will realize that it is like none other.

God is certainly alive, and the entire contents of the Bible demonstrate that. If you've never understood the Old Testament, it will be impossible to understand the New Testament . . . they depend upon each other.

I am beginning to read the entire Bible again, starting tomorrow at Genesis 1:1. You're welcome to join me. Follow the link below for the reading format if interested.

Microsoft Word - Plan4.docx (blueletterbible.org)

Peace to you, sir.

 

[Cristo Rei]

but before you are baptised I would make certain that you actually are born again

How can a person know for sure that they are "born again"?

 

[Cristo Rei]

I confess that i am not totally convinced that Jesus was resurrected, i would like to believe that but i seem to not have a strong enough faith as to believe that it could happen, i question its validity but i realise that he was a great man and i still believe he was the son of God, I believe most of the Word but the Resurrection is hard to digest for me.

The incredulity of Thomas


Hi Stuart... I applaud your confession and respect your honesty... I also had difficulties believing the resurrections of Christ... We are like the apostle Thomas... The following video presents several lines of evidence for the resurrections of Christ which certainly helped me. To be honest my incredulity now lays in the claim that Jesus is son of God and the trinity...

One piece is all the eye witness testimony that was documented by Christians and non-Christians such as Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Maimonides

Another piece of evidence are the early Christians who were martyred... They were eye witnesses to the event so why would anyone sacrifice their lives on something they knew was false.

The Jewish Sanhedrin can also attest to the resurrection as they have documented the crucifixion of Christ and the empty tomb. They accused the disciples of stealing the body yet not one of them admitted it, instead they all preached the resurrection of Christ despite being persecuted and killed...

Another peculiar detail is the fact that women were the first eyewitnesses at the scene of the empty tomb and the first to see Christ... Women didn't have much recognition, if any, in those days... If it was made up then surely they would of used someone like peter or John to be the first witness and not these women whose word was not taken seriously...

 

[Pearl]

How can a person know for sure that they are "born again"?

How can they not know?

 

[Cristo Rei]

How can they not know?

U tell me, im Catholic so... I dunno... Its simple for us... I know cos im baptized... What does a born again moment consist of for the protestant?
How do they discern weather their experience was a born again one or not?

If it was so easy to know then why is there so much disagreement about it?
There wouldn't be so many people claiming that others aren't born again if it was that easy to discern...

And besides, it was you who told that person to make sure they were born again. So im just asking how.

 

[Pearl]

U tell me, im Catholic so... I dunno... Its simple for us... I know cos im baptized..

Infant baptism doesn't make you born again no matter what they tell you. They may make it sound 'simple' but in fact it is a lie and they are denying you so much. So you too need to make sure you are. Don't just take their word for it take the responsibility and search for yourself if you don't believe me.

I asked my husband the question you asked me, 'How can you know'. His reply was similar to mine, 'You feel different'. It's true, you do feel different; things are clearer and lighter, the heaviness is gone because we are new creatures with our sin washed away and we have that new life of Christ within us.