In my late night inter-web searching i came across one of my favorite C.S Lewis Quotes that i had long forgotten. It really sums up some of the thoughts i've been thinking. And my desire to not settle for anything less than Jesus is!
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. (CS Lewis, “Mere Christianity)”
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Where to start?
So tonight, i had a fasinating conversation with my friend Kat. It brought up lots of questions, more questions than i can ever begin to ask really. We talked about Jews mostly and the difference between jews and christians and what that means when it comes to salvation. Did jews just miss the mark? Are christians just jews that got it right? What about Jesus? I was finding it hard to think that God could give up on his people! That jews would not be saved! So i mulled it over and came up with some disjointed ideas about how Jesus didn't come to start a new religon, but the exact opposite! He came to end religion. This is where he became Scandioulus... Skandalon, a stumbling block to people. He may have calmed the storm but Jesus rocked the boat more than a little!
My search for more clear thoughts was made much easier with a push to the book of Romans ( a book that has been of great importance to me this year) from my father, specifically chapters 9,10,and 11.
I encourage you to go go read those right now so that you can follow my train of thought ( it will only take you 10 mins and it's worth the time)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%209&version=31 Here's a link so you have no excuse...
After reading Paul's letter to the Romans things started to make much more sense in my tiny little head.
This is how i understand it in a nutshell:
God has NOT given up on Isreal ( the jews) They are his people. (30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.)
That it's not up to us to argue who is going to be saved or not "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'[b]" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'[c]" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
That Christians are not better than them and that both will be saved12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
God has a plan for their salvation.Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.
That when Christians start acting like christians should, jelousy and a desire to be like that will whell up in the jews.
And that as christians we are a grafted branch onto the olive tree that is isreal ( the jews) and should not become cocky
So Thats my understanding so far, i have alot more thinking, reading, study and conerversing to do. I'll keep you updated on the progress.
I thank god, that he dosn't give up on his people!
My search for more clear thoughts was made much easier with a push to the book of Romans ( a book that has been of great importance to me this year) from my father, specifically chapters 9,10,and 11.
I encourage you to go go read those right now so that you can follow my train of thought ( it will only take you 10 mins and it's worth the time)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%209&version=31 Here's a link so you have no excuse...
After reading Paul's letter to the Romans things started to make much more sense in my tiny little head.
This is how i understand it in a nutshell:
God has NOT given up on Isreal ( the jews) They are his people. (30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.)
That it's not up to us to argue who is going to be saved or not "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'[b]" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'[c]" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
That Christians are not better than them and that both will be saved12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
God has a plan for their salvation.Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.
That when Christians start acting like christians should, jelousy and a desire to be like that will whell up in the jews.
And that as christians we are a grafted branch onto the olive tree that is isreal ( the jews) and should not become cocky
So Thats my understanding so far, i have alot more thinking, reading, study and conerversing to do. I'll keep you updated on the progress.
I thank god, that he dosn't give up on his people!
What's this all about?
I needed a space, a place where i can pose questions, mull over things, and get feedback, both positive and negative. I hope that this blog is more than another site where I can rant, but a place that I can share with you what I'm thinking about, reading about, what podcasts i listened to this week and their relavence in my life and those things that i stumble over.
The blog title: Skandalon-stumbling-stone
It's not random, it's from romans 9. The greek word "skandalon" means the stumbling stone, which is the metaphore used for Jesus in the book of Romans.
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
Jesus- he's Scandilous really. A revolutionary, and that causes people to stumble. And in the course of it--see him for who he is, what his message really means, and the impact that he should have in our lives.
I refuse to see Jesus as anything less than he is, something that I need to work on. I refuse to settle for the sunday school version of Jesus that I been fed. Jesus is far more than that. A revolutionary! Hense the picture of Jesus that i have on the blog...I thought it was fitting.
The blog title: Skandalon-stumbling-stone
It's not random, it's from romans 9. The greek word "skandalon" means the stumbling stone, which is the metaphore used for Jesus in the book of Romans.
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
Jesus- he's Scandilous really. A revolutionary, and that causes people to stumble. And in the course of it--see him for who he is, what his message really means, and the impact that he should have in our lives.
I refuse to see Jesus as anything less than he is, something that I need to work on. I refuse to settle for the sunday school version of Jesus that I been fed. Jesus is far more than that. A revolutionary! Hense the picture of Jesus that i have on the blog...I thought it was fitting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)