Posted on 04/01/2018 1:59:25 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
This Sunday, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter. Some prefer to call it Resurrection Day. Now most Christians whether nominal or serious just accept the holiday without much thought. But if they would examine the claims, most Christians would be shocked.
The basic premise behind Christianity is that humanity, and also by extension the universe, is flawed the theological term is fallen so flawed that there is no way any human could set himself right with a just, perfect, and holy Creator. If humanity is to be reconciled to the Creator, it must be the effort of the Creator Himself, since only the Creator is capable of effecting such as massive work.
Christianity's claim is that the Creator did come down to Earth, with the purpose of reconciling God to man, in the person of Jesus Christ, who is both man and God. His human nature would be the Son of God through a virgin; his divine nature would be God incarnate.
Jesus would absorb all the wrongs of mankind in Himself to clear out the account. The classic wording for this is that He (Jesus) paid the penalty for our sins. If one is more modern, and eschews the concept of retributive justice, then one could say Jesus absorbed within Himself all the consequences of man's wrongs, with the idea of setting it right.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
11 of Christ's own Apostles died for Him & His message of Salvation to all (Romans 1:16).
Today is Resurrection Day, not Easter.
According to the Pope, Jesus would die for a lie.
If there is no hell, there is no need of heaven...
Fake news.
Splitting hairs is not appropriate. Easter Sunday represents the Resurrection! Online research of what does Easter represent?
Research quote:
“Easter Sunday is the special day we celebrate that Jesus Christ rose to new life. Easter is a festival and holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Easter represents a religious belief. Easter Sunday is celebrated because it is the day Jesus was resurected from the dead.”
Happy Easter Sunday!
So what’s the punch line? Without reading the piece, what does this fellow get around to posing as ‘inconvenient’?
Yes, 11 died for Him, and many more including the Apostle Paul.
In fact, the frightened disciples, after seeing Him appear multiple times and spend time with them, became so emboldened that they faced death without fear. That in itself is a testament. Things like that don’t naturally happen.
The more I consider this apologetic argument the less I like it.
Why? People have died for lies throughout history. The Germans died for the Nazis. Many have died for Communism. There are other examples.
If we die for Christ, it is because we believe He is the way, the truth and the life.
> “The Germans died for the Nazis. Many have died for Communism.”
Not a good comparison. Those groups were controlled by guns, by ideology backed by guns.
The original Apostles were in fear for their lives and were depressed because His death had dashed their hopes that He was the Messiah. It was only when He appeared to them and imparted the Holy Spirit that they became emboldened and willing to sacrifice their lives without any Earthly force compelling them to do so. And they did so without taking up the sword. This account makes their story distinctive. Nothing like it has ever existed in history.
But Nazi’s believed those lies - doesn’t mean they KNEW they were lies.
Big difference.
Millions (billions?) have died for lies that they believed were true. But hardly anybody, if anybody, would willingly die for a lie that they knew was an outright lie.
The rest of the article:
” The fact is that if Jesus did not come out of that grave, then Christianity is pointless, despite what liberal preachers say. Christianity is not positive thinking or a good attitude. Either Christ came out of that grave or the whole religion is a fraud.
As Paul wrote, “[a]nd if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Cor. 15:14).
But if Jesus did come out of that grave, then all of history changes. The ramifications are immense.
Islam is false.
Hinduism is false.
Buddhism is false.
Rabbinic Judaism which rejects Christ is incomplete.
If He came out of that grave, then He is the only way to God. Think about it: if we could save ourselves, why would God have even sent Jesus to die for us and then resurrect? We can’t earn our way back to Heaven. Our good deeds will not save us.
Christianity, though producing a tolerant civilization, makes a unique claim. Not only is there only one God both Judaism and Islam agree on that point but the only way to approach that God is through His Son which both Islam and Rabbinic Judaism deny.
I am not going to go into other points such as the Trinity, denominational doctrines, etc.
The first thing you have to do if you have not decided it already is settle once and for all: did Jesus come out of that grave?
If He did, then that is a very inconvenient fact for much of the world, including merely nominal Christians but it is also the central drama of history. “
His Resurrection ensures that He is Savior & Judge. To those who believe - Savior, to those who don’t - their Judge.
You also have to take into account the change in the apostles. They denied Jesus and ran when Jesus was there with them in the flesh. They were hardly what you would call brave and assertIve. But one meeting with the risen Christ and there was no stopping them. Not threats beatings or torture. It took a death they gladly went to singing hymns of praise to shut them up. And even that didnt stop the message because people saw the change in the apostles and were convinced. Jesus Christ and His message of salvation are truly undefeatable
Unless a gun was pointed at them.
The Apostles saw Him die. The notion that He was the Messiah was eviscerated. They cowered in fear in rooms out of sight, ashamed they had believed and followed a fraud, confused because of all the signs they had witnessed.
They stated, as is written, they did not believe the reports of the women who had seen He was alive. A woman’s testimony was never accepted under Mosaic law because they were considered unreliable, too inclined to gossip and embellishment. Why would a writer of the Gospel have women as the first witnesses?
The Apostles were depressed, in fear, ashamed, and no longer believing.
Then something happened. They became emboldened as never before. They believed with such passion that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for the simple act of spreading the Good News and to do so in peace.
Nothing like this has ever been recorded in history.
I would add that once one has decided what he believes about Jesus' resurrection he/she will then need to decide how to live under that belief. How can Jesus NOT be worshipped and served as Lord if we really believe He is God who has redeemed us by His grace?
Some people scornfully accuse Evangelical/Protestants of teaching "easy believe-ism" or "cheap grace" because we believe that our works have no part in our salvation. They say this kind of gospel encourages people to live as they please and all you have to do is say you believe in Jesus and your "ticket to heaven is punched". We know the truth is nothing at all like that. When we truly accept Jesus as Savior, we also acknowledge Him as the Lord in our life. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. We are born again into the family of God and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who works within us conforming us into the image of Christ. Genuine faith brings genuine repentance and a genuine motivation for living holy, God honoring and pleasing lives. Not in order to BE saved but because we ARE saved.
Praise the Lord for His unspeakable gift!
Yes, I finally peeked in and saw the writer got it 100%, just as I would have written myself. He did a great job.
The Resurrection is indeed an inconvenient fact for all other gods, so inconvenient that it must be argued as a fantasy.
The Resurrection is the hallmark of Christianity. Many Christians, so-called, go through the motions as a matter of tradition but seldom believe whole-heartedly in the Resurrection.
The Resurrection is so unnatural that each Christian, each person coming to knowledge of Christ, struggles with it. It may take a lifetime to accept it. It might not ever be accepted. It is the ultimate test to each Christian, so-called. Not believing it means there is no communion with God.
Thanks!
Bad enough that each Easter we have to suffer from all the MSM “Jesus was teh ghey” crap, worse we have to see well-meaning Freepers fall for urban myths “Easter is really Ishtar”.
HAPPY EASTER
HE IS RISEN INDEED
Ah. It’s Pascha.
However, he had the Vatican Press Office give a pretty equivocating disclaimer for him, which is troubling in itself. And he's done this five times now with Eugenio Scalfari, which is worse than troubling.
Jesus is the Judge of all, believer and unbeliever.
Yes ! Christianity is the only religion that serves a RISEN Savior.....He has Risen indeed!
I will look for the same introspective and analytic article from American Thinker the next time ramadan comes around. This continuous insulting of Jesus has grown old.
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