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March 15th, 2014
11:23 AM ET
Five things you didn't know about Jesus
(CNN) - With Easter approaching, and the movie “Son of God” playing in wide release, you’re going to hear a lot about Jesus these days. You may hear revelations from new books that purport to tell the “real story” about Jesus, opinions from friends who have discovered a “secret” on the Web about the son of God, and airtight arguments from co-workers who can prove he never existed. Beware of most of these revelations; many are based on pure speculation and wishful thinking. Much of what we know about Jesus has been known for the last 2,000 years. Still, even for devout Christian there are surprises to be found hidden within the Gospels, and thanks to advances in historical research and archaeological discoveries, more is known about his life and times. With that in mind, here are five things you probably didn't know about Jesus. 1.) Jesus came from a nowhere little town. Nearly all modern-day archaeologists agree the town of Nazareth had only 200 to 400 people. Jesus’ hometown is mentioned nowhere in either the Old Testament or the Talmud, which notes dozens of other towns in the area. In fact, in the New Testament it is literally a joke. In the Gospel of John, when a man named Nathanael hears the messiah is “Jesus of Nazareth,” he asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” He’s dissing Jesus’ crummy backwater town. 2.) Jesus probably didn’t know everything. This is a thorny theological question. If Jesus is divine, wouldn’t he know all things? (Indeed, on several occasions Jesus predicts his death and resurrection.) On the other hand, if he had a human consciousness, he needed to be taught something before he could know it. The Gospel of Luke says that when Jesus was a young man he “progressed” in wisdom. That means he learned things. (Otherwise how would he “progress”?) In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus initially refuses to heal the daughter of a non-Jewish woman, saying rather sharply, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But when she replies that even the dogs get the crumbs from the table, Jesus softens, and he heals her daughter. He seems to be learning that his ministry extends beyond the Jewish people. 3.) Jesus was tough. From age 12 to 30, Jesus worked in Nazareth as a carpenter. “Is not this the carpenter?” say the astonished crowds when he begins to preach. The word used for Jesus’ profession in the original Greek is tekton. The traditional translation is “carpenter.” But most contemporary scholars say it’s more likely a general craftsman; some even translate it as “day laborer.” A tekton would have made doors, tables, lamp stands and plows. But he probably also built stone walls and helped with house construction. It was tough work that meant lugging tools, wood and stones all over Galilee. Jesus doesn’t simply stride onto the world stage after having dreamily examined a piece of wood when the mood suited him. For 18 years, he worked—and worked hard. 4.) Jesus needed “me time.” The Gospels frequently speak of Jesus’ need to “withdraw” from the crowds, and even his disciples. Today by the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus carried out much of his ministry, you can see how close the towns were, and how natural it would have been for the enthusiastic crowds to “press” in on him, as the Gospels describe. There’s even a cave on the shoreline, not far from Capernaum, his base of operations, where he may have prayed. It’s called the “Eremos Cave,” from the word for “desolate” or “solitary,” from which we get the word “hermit.” Even though Jesus was the son of God, he needed time alone in prayer with the father. 5.) Jesus didn’t want to die. As he approaches his death, and prays hard in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says, “Remove this cup.” It’s a blunt prayer addressed to the father, whom he affectionately calls Abba. He doesn’t want to die. Unlike the way some Christians portray Jesus as courting death, and even desiring it, like any human being, the idea of death is terrifying. “My soul is sorrowful even unto death,” he says. In other words, “I’m so sad that it feels like I’m going to die.” But once Jesus realizes that this is somehow the will of the father, he assents to death, even on a cross. It’s natural to want to know as much as we can about Jesus; that’s one reason I wrote my new book. But beware of the more outlandish claims about the son of God (he fathered children, he was married to Mary Magdalene, he spent time in India and so on.) Many of these claims tend to project our own desires on a man who will always remain somewhat elusive, hard to fully understand and impossible to pin down. In the end, as theologians like to say, Jesus is not so much a problem to be solved as a mystery to be pondered. The Rev. James Martin is a Jesuit priest, editor of America magazine and author of the new book "Jesus: A Pilgrimage" (HarperOne). The views expressed in this column belong to Martin.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Opinion by the Rev. James Martin, special to CNN
Did Jesus fear dying ? No. How can this be known ? Jesus was well aware of the reason why he came to the earth, to provide a ransom for obedient mankind. He said: "Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.”(Matt 20:28)
Jesus further told his disciples: "If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and keep following me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."(Matt 16:24, 25) He had just told them that "he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised up."(Matt 16:21)
Hence, Jesus was not afraid to die, but he was deeply troubled of the reproach that dying on a torture stake would bring to the Father's name, dying as a supposed criminal. He thus requested in prayer: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will.”(Matt 26:39)
Not long after this, he was arrested and though Peter impetuously took a sword and cut off the right ear of the slave Malchus, Jesus said: "Return your sword to its place.....do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father to supply me at this moment more than 12 legions of angels ? In that case, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must take place this way ?” (Matt 26:52-54)
Jesus was fully aware of the Scriptures at Isaiah 53, in which it prophesied concerning him that "it was Jehovah’s will to crush him, and he let him become sick. If you will present his life as a guilt offering (in death, Lev 16:11), He will see his offspring, he will prolong his days, And through him the delight of Jehovah will have success."(Isa 53:10)
Thence, Jesus had no fear of dying, for the apostle Paul wrote that "he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and became human. More than that, when he came as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, yes, death on a torture stake."(Phil 2:7, 8)
Was Frodo afraid of dying? No. On page 438 of the 1983 Harper Collins edition, Frodo tells Sam: "Me? Afraid? No – I'm not fraud to die."
All you're doing is taking quotes from a book. A book written by people.For people. Put together by people. Translated and re-translated by people.
It's just a book.
How would anyone know what the hell Jesus might have feared (assuming he lived which isn't a given)? Think about the process between the events in Jesus life and the scriptures being gathered into the form that was eventually the bible. Someone supposedly saw it, kept telling it to other people, who eventually told it to someone who wrote it down, which then got copied, which then got copied over and over, which then got edited to suit the new authors purpose, which then got copied some more, and then whammo shazzazmi you have the gospels according to Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Which is why they don't agree on who what where and when regarding those events. It's almost baffling that people can accept this stuff. Except that at church they never tell them this stuff.
Was Frodo afraid of dying? No. On page 438 of the 1983 Harper Collins edition, Frodo tells Sam: "Me? Afraid? No – I'm not afraid to die."
All you're doing is taking quotes from a book. A book written by people.For people. Put together by people. Translated and re-translated by people.
It's just a book.
I do not understand the point of this post. Are you just sharing your copy and paste skills with us or trying to convince us....? Wha?
It looks as though whippy was correcting a typo (fraud/afraid).
However,
If you just stop for a moment and pay attention to William Lane Craig, you would see that:
1. There is no past-infinite universe.
2. This universe was fine-tuned for Frodo.
3. Jeebus in spirit form is outside of all space and time.
4. The archeological record reflects the historicity of Jeebus.
5. The Word of Jeebus is without flaw, and His Word was breathed into man's account of Him.
6. Jeebus promised a perfect life after this one for all who follow Him.
Therefore, Frodo actually wanted to die as soon as it was convenient.
🙄
Ah – William Lane Craig. You realize that mentioning that guy just dropped your credibility to about negative 8 gazillion.
Lol. True – probably even if I don't believe a word that comes out of the mouth of the one who sounds like Dr Phil with a sinus infection...
seems like an awful lot of conjecture about what jesus thought.
Matthew also said many other s rose with him, and that the temple curtain was torn ... yet no one else EVER ONCE mention these remarkable claims. Mark makes no claim for "payment for sins". esus never said salvation was dependent on his dying. When the young man asked what he had to do to be saved, did Jesus say "Just wait, I'm going to die for you". No. He said "keep the commandments".
You cherry pick the gospels. You have no clue either that esus really existed or what he thought. There is NO WAY many years later the gospels editors could have known what he was thinking.
Jesus Christ is True God and True Man
Hmmm – isn't Zeus the one True God?
Then you (whippstippler7) can pray to your god "Zeus"... And I'll pray to God – Supreme Goodness. And then we can see who will make the world a better place to live.
Well, praying to Zeus will have exactly the same effect as praying to your god. Absolutely zero effect.
You pray to a corpse...
They never found the body 🙂
There was no body to be found. He never existed. They made it all up. The Sanhedrin never ONCE was convened on Passover weekend. Matthew says there was a zombie invasion, and the temple curtain was torn, spontaneously. If that had actually happened, the Romans would have said something, and the Jews would SURELY both have mentioned the temple curtain tear, AND tried to find him and re-arrest him. Meh. It's all a fairy tale. It doesn't pass the smell test. There is better evidence that the Salem Mass witches actually were witches, than there is for the resurrection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xv_Iklb1V4
The empty tomb is a very well attested historical fact. The Jewish authorities of the era didn't deny it, which they certainly would have if they could.
The empty tomb proves NOTHING. it could have been a conspiracy. The guards could have fallen asleep. One book said they could have been drugged.
♫ "A tomb is just a tomb....
When there's no one there who saw who left the room...
But a tomb is not a house..
and a house is not a home
when there's no one there to ............. ♫
Evidently around that time there were LOTS of tombs and grave sites in various states of repair....
The Jewish leaders didn't have too because the event never happened...and 1st Century Palestine was full of rebels and troublemakers claiming this and that in an attempt to undermine the Jewish Leadership and the Romans.
"Historical 'Fact'"...let me clean up the coffee I spilt laughing so hard..."facts"? Biased single-source "evidence" (that demands a verdict...hahahahah) doesn't hold water in any legal system...and, sorry, Simon Greenleaf was wrong, too.
It happened. Its backed up by Roman sources.
And if you and "wilbur" are examples of what the transformative power of the resurrected savior provides, then, as Doris said, somebody clearly went to the wrong tomb.
Jesus is clearly a skeleton when one considers the daily lives of "Christians."
I am not sure you have an exhaustive knowledge of my daily life.
I am not sure you have an exhaustive knowledge of my daily life.
Cut and paste 'em...."Roman sources" ...this will be fun.
3 decades as an Evangelical Christian amid several ministries...the stereotypes are justified. There are a tragic few who actually follow Jesus and live his commands...and they are too busy living that life giving their lives to others...not here posting nonsense as you are.
@IslamIstheanswer guy;
please see this gruesome TTP video before you claim Islam is the religion of peace.
http://youtu.be/xTSYdo3j9qg
“Whoever does any work on a holy day - put to death”
“anyone who blasphemes - stone him.”
“worship other gods - stone the guilty ones to death”
“stubborn and rebellious son - stone him to death.”
“man is found lying with a married woman - both of them shall die”
“virgin engaged to another man and he lies with her - stone them to death”
“Whoever strikes his father or his mother - put to death”
"Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother - put to death.”
“anyone who curses his father or his mother - put to death”
“man who commits adultery with another man's wife - they shall be put to death.”
"man or woman who is a medium or a fortune-teller - stone them to death"
From the Quran? Nope. From the Bible
saying is different than doing; Islam practice the stuff you listed.
unsername1,
Good point. FORTUNATELY people back then didn't pay any attention to such nonsense from God.
You could often pay a ransom to get out of the death penalties you've listed. Look it up:)
Where the hell is this???
Pakistan
I couldn't watch very much; what was their supposed crime?
@Akira, their only crime was they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. TTP aka Pakistani Taliban killed them to spread fear in minds of people who do not accept their version of Islam aka Wahhabism.
Is this your proof that Islam is not a religion of peace? Why do you look at the acts of the ignorant and try to extrapolate that to form an opinion about the religion they belong too. Islam is not associated with these acts whatsoever and it condemns such acts. If I use the same rational, Christianity would be condemned for the acts of the Crusaders and the acts of the ignorant during the recent world war (during which 25+ million people were killed) would have to be extrapolated to form an opinion about the west (that is Europe and America) not to forget the United States and its use of nuclear bombs that eradicated cities in their enteritis (supposedly a secular system).. The point I am trying to make, do look at the actions of those who claim to follow a religion as they are not infallible but rather look at the core of the teachings of that religion for it is the only way you would come out with better understanding of what it stands for.
here is your proof:
http://youtu.be/xTSYdo3j9qg
“Whoever does any work on a holy day - put to death”
“anyone who blasphemes - stone him.”
“worship other gods - stone the guilty ones to death”
“stubborn and rebellious son - stone him to death.”
“man is found lying with a married woman - both of them shall die”
“virgin engaged to another man and he lies with her - stone them to death”
“Whoever strikes his father or his mother - put to death”
"Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother - put to death.”
“anyone who curses his father or his mother - put to death”
“man who commits adultery with another man's wife - they shall be put to death.”
"man or woman who is a medium or a fortune-teller - stone them to death"
From the Quran? Nope. From the Bible
I forgot to mention, what you see in the Muslim world today is the result of the deliberate acts of regimes that work tirelessly to ensure that the public stays illiterate and uneducated. Regimes that violate human rights and enslave their citizens. Regimes that cherish the power they possess and do anything for protecting their self interests. These regimes are well aligned with the west and supported by the west. The result of all of this is the ignorant population that you see over the world. It frustrates me and other Muslims to see the reactions that come from the Muslim world due to some people expressing their views that might not align or agree with theirs. This is just an example but you got to realize where this comes from..
The unfortunate reality today is that the renaissance that the Muslim world once lived is long gone and it is not until Islam is practiced properly, justice is restored, human rights are respected, people's freedoms are protected that the Muslim world will thrive again...
go see video two comments up and then justify what or why today's muslims are what they are.
And while we are at it and since you base your opinion about Islam through the actions of the few, I would like to share with you an Islamic perspective about women abuse and domestic violence! A friend of mine told me that he believed Muslims abused their women and stripped them off their rights.. Let me share this with you while we are at it before you come back with such an absurd claim. I tell you the more you learn about Islam, the more shocked you would be for the little you knew about this great religion!
http://youtu.be/jTRUt-WrOLs
eh huh, 'the more you learn about Islam, the more shocked you would be for the little you knew about this great religion!'
see the shocking video and find it out what little you know about this 'great' religion:
http://youtu.be/xTSYdo3j9qg
Islam gives women almost no rights and treats them like fodder for the male species as so bluntly noted by Aya-an Hi-rsi Ali in her autobiography, In-fidel.
"Thus begins the extraordinary story of a woman born into a family of desert nomads, circu-mcised as a child, educated by radical imams in Kenya and Saudi Arabia, taught to believe that if she uncovered her hair, terrible tragedies would ensue. It's a story that, with a few different twists, really could have led to a wretched life and a lonely death, as her grandmother warned. But instead, Hi-rsi Ali escaped – and transformed herself into an internationally renowned spokeswoman for the rights of Muslim women."
ref: Washington Post book review.
some excerpts:
"Some of the Saudi women in our neighborhood were regularly be-aten by their husbands. You could hear them at night. Their scre-ams resounded across the courtyards. "No! Please! By Allah!"
"The Pakistanis were Muslims but they too had cas-tes. The Untou-chable girls, both Indian and Pakistani were darker skin. The others would not play with them because they were unt-ouchable. We thought that was funny because of course they were tou-chable: we to-uched them see? but also hor-rifying to think of yourself as un-touchable, des-picable to the human race."
"Between October 2004 and May 2005, eleven Muslim girls were ki-lled by their families in just two regions (there are 20 regions in Holland). After that, people stopped telling me I was exa-ggerating."
"The kind on thinking I saw in Saudi Arabia and among the Brotherhood of Kenya and Som-alia, is incompatible with human rights and liberal values. It preserves the feu-dal mind-set based on tr-ibal concepts of honor and shame. It rests on self-deception, hypro-cricy, and double standards. It relies on the technologial advances of the West while pretending to ignore their origin in Western thinking. This mind-set makes the transition to modernity very painful for all who practice Islam
People have learned enough about Islam in just past 15 years than you have in your entire life. Islam is not the same religion what it used to be, and never will be the same.
What do you think about Christianity today? Peaceful? Wouldn't you say according to your logic that Christianity would have never been what it is today after the dark history of the Crusaders? Apparently, far worse was done back then than what has been done the past 15 years, wouldn't you agree? come one, be objective instead of just throw arrows in the dark without any substantiated claims.
If Christianity have dark history, doesn't mean Islam should match them. In just last few years, millions of "muslims" died, all because of handful of fanatics. Don't you agree?
Of course and that by means imply that Islam as a religion and faith is behind those fanatics' actions.. That was the point.
I understand what you're saying, like I stated earlier, I saw islam as a religion in 60s was much different than what my kids are witnessing in 2014. For many of them, it is just a terrorist organization, where killing is so common. New generation see Islam with fear, not love and respect.
unsername1,
The biggest problem Islam seems to have is that radical fanatics are following most of the same commands issued by God in the Bible when he originally set up all the rules that he wanted mankind to follow.
1) If he ever lived, his name during his own lifetime would not have been "Jesus", but Yehoshuah ben Yosef. 2) He would have been a pious, patriotic Jew who would have believed, thought, and wanted what the Jews of his time believed, thought and wanted. What they wanted most of all was a messiah to free them from the Romans so that the kingdom of God could then be established in Jerusalem. 3) Yehoshuah ben Yosef believed that he was that messiah, and that he would also be the king of the kingdom of God in Jerusalem. He convinced a lot of other Jews to believe it, too. 4) He was an excellent teacher of ethics, but a miserable failure as a revolutionary planner, and paid the price for his failure.
He never said he thought he was the messiah.
He was an apocalyptic (if he existed), who thought the end times were immanent.
Re-establishing a kingdom at that point was irrelevant.
Actually, he did identify himself as the Messiah on several occasions.
He implied strongly to his disciples that he was the messiah, and rode an ass into Jerusalem, to the cheers of the crowd, as a symbolic way of showing that he was the messiah. To the Jews who believed in the prophecies such as those of Isaiah, the establishment of the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem was to be the purpose and culmination of end time events.
christianity.... one of the great scourges of our planet's history... and here's a guy with a definite agenda spouting off as if his opinion of what is true is more important or correct than anyone else's.. i agree with mr. martin that jesus didn't know everything... and still didn't at the time of his death... but, for him to claim he knows whether or not jesus was married because he's read a book that basically says NOTHING about jesus life from birth to 30, and very little from 30 to death, makes mr martin a fool..
So, what really is Christianity anyway? Since you care to list it as one of the great scourages of this planet's history.
In relation to the subject matter, the Lord Jesus Christ, I recall one of my posts from March of last year:
"What the Lord Jesus Christ did for us"
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/30/christ-was-persecuted-but-what-about-christians/comment-page-22/#comment-2254490
Vic,
Thanks for your help in getting my "old" name back.
Suggestion: why not summarize old comments. It's unlikely that someone will bother to go back to an old blog. Links turn off a lot of people.
You bet.
I appreciate your suggestion, and I'll try to do that as much as possible. This one however is comprehensive for the purpose of it, relating to the subject matter, and I am afraid it would defeat the purpose to summarize it.
Well you already defeated the purpose. I for one am going to bother reading it. If you can't get your point across in a few sentences, it's not worth reading.
What has he done for us lately?
A lot for me. But, I feel sorry for you if you have to ask that question.
Thanks.
he did nothing for "us" he was whacked by the romans and a cult grew up around his rotting corpse
He fulfilled NONE of the things a messiah was to do. If he existed, he caused a ruckus in the temple, then asked his "father" to "remove" the cup from him (ie his will was NOT to die), and according to standing order in the Pax Romana, he was summarily executed, with no trial. 10,000 years from now, humans will laugh at those who 2000 years after his death, still followed his ancient magic cult.
Why didn't the Jewish authorities produce his body then?
VIC
!!! SALVATION of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ !!!
Adam brought sin into the world. With sin came death and separation from God. Jesus Christ took away the sin of the world and brought us eternal life and reconciliation with God the Father.
Romans 5:12-21
"12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Jesus Christ spoke of that the Law would be binding until it is accomplished. That's why he accomplished it for us for no human can accomplish it!
The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf, died on the Holy Cross for the remission of our sins (became sin and curse for us) descended to hell and defeated death (keys of which were held by Satan,) rose from the dead on the third day bringing us eternal life and reconciliation with God the Father, then ascended to Heaven promising us the Holy Spirit and preparing the place for us.
1 Corinthians 15:22
"22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
Fulfillment of the Law
Matthew 5:17,18
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
John 17:4
"4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do."
Hebrews 9:25,26
"25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
Becoming Sin
2 Corinthians 5:21
"21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Becoming Curse
Galatians 3:13
"13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—"
Dying on the Cross & Deafeating Death
John 19:30
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
Romans 6:9
"9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him."
2 Timothy 1:10
"10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,"
Hebrews 2:14,15
"14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."
Revelation 1:18
"18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."
Rising on the Third Day
Matthew 12:40
"40 for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
1 Corinthians 15:4
"4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
Reconciliation
Romans 5:10,11
"10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."
2 Corinthians 5:18
"18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,"
Ascension into Heaven & Preparing the Place for us
Luke 24:50,51
"50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven."
John 14:3
"3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."
Acts 1:9
"9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight."
His work was Done!
When someone finishes his/her work they sit down. After the Lord Jesus Christ finished His work, He sat down at the right hand of God the Father!
John 17:4
"4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do."
John 19:30
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
Mark 16:19
"So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."
Justification & Salvation
Romans 3:28
"28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."
Romans 8:1,2
"8 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."
Romans 10:4
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
Galatians 2:16
"16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."
Ephesians 1:7
"7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace"
Ephesians 2:8,9
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Acts 13:39
"39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses."
[All above Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)]
http://www.biblegateway.com
That is what you are so proud of we all just need to read it again!
Well, maybe he just learned how to copy and paste and he's really excited and proud of himself?
Well, thank you.
You did what I was afraid of being misconstrued as spamming, and for that, you are a trooper.
I thought bedtime stories and nursery tales were supposed to rhyme? That's very disappointing.
Vic posted this on another article and thought his ctrl +V was so good he should share the link with us on this article. Why share the link when it is so good, we all need to read it again! Thanks Vic.
Do you actually believe all of that ?
Zzzzzzzzz...
I have no reason to read any further until you justify this statement
"Adam brought sin into the world"
It was Adam's free will choice to bring sin into the world.
There is not a shred of evidence that humans changed in any way with a "fall". There was no "Adam", (as DNA demonstrates). The entire cult is all built on a preposterous pile of nothing.
around 2 million years ago our ancestors lost the ability to have painless childbirth as the pelvis narrowed to allow walking.
Wow! You can cut and paste from a book. Big friggin' deal.
poorly translated goat herder scribbles..
ewwwww..... just the phrase "lord jesus christ" sounds like the kind of verbage i would expect from a non-thinking automoton..
The reasons why most people do not believe in the bible now a days because of this priests who have shallow thoughts...
Why was this posted in CNN? this is a degrading thing for them...
vfxjex,
Many people don't believe in the Bible because of the errors, contradictions, nonsense and hypocrisy in it. The priests had little if anything to do with it.
The reasons why most people do not believe in the bible now a days because religion cannot contol the flow of information the way it once did...
***fixed***
Actually, a little simple math, common sense, an understanding of averages, and the knowledge that for 3/4's of the bibles existence, it had to be copied by hand whenever another copy was wanted to needed, and it's pretty easy to figure out that the bible that was around 2,000 years ago has absolutely nothing in common with the bible people are reading today. They are two completely different sets of books, which many times (if, say, you trusted one from 700 AD vs one from today) COMPLETELY contradicted each other. One passage will say "thou shalt not so and so" and the other will literally say "thou shall so and so" in regards to the exact same thing. So, there's a very real chance most "modern" christians are doing many things that are the exact opposite of what god wanted them to do. (of course, this is assuming it all wasn't bull hockey to begin with, but even giving every benefit of the doubt, there's very little chance even one word of the original bible survived)
Lol. Everyone's a critic, and of course no one is ever more qualified to interpret the Bible than...you, correct?
Priest are really ignorant about Bible...
Just like their flocks.
Jesus is just all right...Jesus is just all right... Doobie Brothers. Thank you
I love that song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh4nNdNJ_U8&feature=kp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9BRia7J9P4
The best lyric the song is, "I don't care what they may know"
Perfect Christian logic.
From the Prine song,,,,,,"Jesus was a good guy, he didn't need this sh1t"
online at http://www.Hear-The-Truth.com
http://HearTheTruth.imgur.com
Spammed advertising in violation of CNN rules that you SUPPOSEDLY agreed to. Good job, Christian.
TOS VIOLATION
You agree not to upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation;
I think most people probably don't know that he wasn't likely a real singular individual, and that everything we know about him is complete conjecture.
They are Christians, and that means they just believe.
Just one of many deluded self proclaimed messiah's of that time .... many before ....many more after ... some followed .....all preposterous nods
an overwhelming majority of "unbelieving" scholars attest that he was an actual historical figure.
Death is just a fading dream you don’t wake up from or remember. With death comes the end of all time and reality. Embrace the mercy that comes with death. Heaven and hell are erroneous.
Things will change, for good, for you; hold firm on to God's unchanging hands. Be Encouraged @ http://www.tobiakiode.com/radio http://bit.ly/PGqnKT
God has hands?
Jesus is only a copycat story...educate yourselves outside the bible
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UqG8w7ezUQ#t=2m30s
I've seen all the video's by ATWELL. Very intriguing ...
Layman theology masquerading as expert knowledge
"Opinion by the Rev. James Martin, special to CNN"
Hardly a layman. That would be....you.
All of the heaven and hell nonsense is a primitive human response to the fear of death. One could probably state with confidence that a major component of believing in superstitions like Christianity is the fear of the unknown, particularly death.
I don't understand why. Was there anything scary before you were born? No, you don't have a memory of no existence. It will most likely be that way when you die too. Nothing. Certainly that is less scary than the religious beliefs.
You betray yourself with "It will most likely be that way when you die..."
Gee I am sorry, how would you have said it?
I believe he would have said Bahhhhh! Bahhhhhh! BAHHHHHHHHHHH!
Possibly.
You've shown (betrayed yourself) that you really have no idea what it will be like when you die... you're not sure at all that the Christians are wrong.
I am just stating my opinion. I don't know anything for sure. Do you?
I'm willing to bet my soul on it. But considering there is no soul I don't feel to bad about losing it.
"the cup" contained the wrath of God. It would be poured out upon Jesus. It wasn't the death by itself when he was praying about "the cup".
Okay, help me here. God, by definition, is love; yet you talk about the wrath of God!
God is love, but He is also many other things. Above all, He is holy. People do not like to think of God as being anything other than love, but the thought (that "God is love" tells the whole story) is a lie. People who believe that "God is ((only) love" fail to believe what God said about himself in the Holy Bible. Read The Bible from cover to cover to see how God describes Himself.
Where did you get that from. I’ve never heard that before.
Christians like to make up stuff about their religion.
Well, I could type it out here, but here's a link instead: http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-was-cup-jesus-drank-from-so-that-sins-are-forgiven.html
Read the bible, watch cosmos, read the bible, watch cosmos, read the, watch cosmos, watch cosmos, screw the bible.
Cosmos is a much better choice. Loved the original, love the new. I think every child should see the series.
Far more inspiring than the bible mumbo jumbo.
And unlike the bible, Cosmos is based on truth.
Reblogged this on lit! and commented:
"In the end, as theologians like to say, Jesus is not so much a problem to be solved as a mystery to be pondered," writes Rev. James Martin. That reminds me of a Gabriel Marcel quote. (Also interesting in this short piece: The literary evidence of Jesus growing in wisdom, in a natural, normal sense, rather than just knowing all from the beginning.)
I love this quote.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
― Mark Twain
Amen.
The cure for bigotry is education.
Sadly, too many people refuse to vaccinate themselves.
The cure for Bigotry is simply not being a conservative republican.
Bigotry exists in every human. It may be masked, well-hidden, etc. but I've NEVER met a single person that didn't harbor bigotry on numerous levels.
eurekadog, I disagree. I am not a bigot on any level. Give me an example of what/why you think I have levels of bigotry. I say I don't.
eurekadog,
It is the level of bigotry that is significant. Many Christian hypocrites use the Bible as an excuse to pick on gays while ignoring the much greater number of Christian adulterers.
Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is THE BEST
Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow.
"Time is mone
"I thought you said that opium was money"
"Money is money"
"Then what is time again?"
"I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay."