I want to pause in my assault on false teachers and teaching for one day at least…..in order to assault the rest of us Christians...just kidding...I think.
My oldest brother recently posted this comment on his Facebook page:
What does "following Christ" really mean? Just an idea. Jesus was certainly not religious in any sense of the word.
It started me thinking, as usual, so blame him for what follows ...although I thank him for making me think and “reason” about my view of Scripture.
My mind went immediately to the words of Jesus quoted by Luke...
“Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (follower). Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it…So then, none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions?” (Luke 14:25-28)
Pretty harsh words, who was he talking to? The large crowds FOLLOWING him hoping to get something from him (food, healing,etc). The same crowd who not long after would be screaming “crucify him”. But he loved them and had compassion for them, and would in fact die for them and all other sinners. But for now he told them what it takes to really follow him.
First: hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and your own life.
Second: take up your cross (and die on it)
Third: consider the cost
OK, forget the commentaries and alterations to the above made over the past 2000 years by the pious super duper high IQ holy men. Their opinions don't count. Believe Jesus...think about what he said above...and then form the logical conclusion with respect to what he was saying in light of all else we know in the Bible about Jesus and what he has done for mankind. I have thought about it and here is my conclusion...Jesus is saying...
“You sinners are not me, I am a unique, one of a kind, never to be cloned man WHO HAS NEVER SINNED. So where I am going you are not qualified to come. And what I am going to do you are not qualified to do. I am going to abandon Mom and everybody else I love together with all my possessions and die on a cross...for you sinners. And in doing so I am going to save your miserable selfish asses...why? Because our Father God is gracious and merciful. Believe it or not my heavenly Father and I created you and we love you, and so saving you is the right thing to do. As for you and those who come after you...well count the cost of what I alone can and will do...and just bow your head and simply say...THANK YOU JESUS!” (The Bible - Robert's paraphrased version)
We Christians, especially the elite do gooder types, need to stop putting ourselves on a pedestal, self-righteously claiming to be “followers of Christ” with a 20 year perfect attendance pin to prove it....for even if we “surrender our life to Christ” or join a monastery and eventually attain the official designation of “Saint so and so” or even if we would die on behalf of all mankind...all of them would stay dead anyway.
So I choose to place my faith and hope in what the Bible says God and Christ Jesus have done for sinners...
“God demonstrated his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us....for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:8-10; 6:23)
My oldest brother recently posted this comment on his Facebook page:
What does "following Christ" really mean? Just an idea. Jesus was certainly not religious in any sense of the word.
It started me thinking, as usual, so blame him for what follows ...although I thank him for making me think and “reason” about my view of Scripture.
My mind went immediately to the words of Jesus quoted by Luke...
“Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (follower). Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it…So then, none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions?” (Luke 14:25-28)
Pretty harsh words, who was he talking to? The large crowds FOLLOWING him hoping to get something from him (food, healing,etc). The same crowd who not long after would be screaming “crucify him”. But he loved them and had compassion for them, and would in fact die for them and all other sinners. But for now he told them what it takes to really follow him.
First: hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and your own life.
Second: take up your cross (and die on it)
Third: consider the cost
OK, forget the commentaries and alterations to the above made over the past 2000 years by the pious super duper high IQ holy men. Their opinions don't count. Believe Jesus...think about what he said above...and then form the logical conclusion with respect to what he was saying in light of all else we know in the Bible about Jesus and what he has done for mankind. I have thought about it and here is my conclusion...Jesus is saying...
“You sinners are not me, I am a unique, one of a kind, never to be cloned man WHO HAS NEVER SINNED. So where I am going you are not qualified to come. And what I am going to do you are not qualified to do. I am going to abandon Mom and everybody else I love together with all my possessions and die on a cross...for you sinners. And in doing so I am going to save your miserable selfish asses...why? Because our Father God is gracious and merciful. Believe it or not my heavenly Father and I created you and we love you, and so saving you is the right thing to do. As for you and those who come after you...well count the cost of what I alone can and will do...and just bow your head and simply say...THANK YOU JESUS!” (The Bible - Robert's paraphrased version)
We Christians, especially the elite do gooder types, need to stop putting ourselves on a pedestal, self-righteously claiming to be “followers of Christ” with a 20 year perfect attendance pin to prove it....for even if we “surrender our life to Christ” or join a monastery and eventually attain the official designation of “Saint so and so” or even if we would die on behalf of all mankind...all of them would stay dead anyway.
So I choose to place my faith and hope in what the Bible says God and Christ Jesus have done for sinners...
“God demonstrated his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us....for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:8-10; 6:23)