THIS BEING EASTER I THINK IT BOTH FITTING AND PROPER TO STATE WHAT I BELIEVE AND WHY. Throughoout the history of mankind there have been many attempts to explain the relationship between human mortals and the supernatural. Of all of these, the only one that makes complete sense is Christianity.
The Justice of God is Perfect Justice, God being perfect. So many today claim to be for "justice". But how can someone who is guilty of multiple offenses single out another for a single offense and demand "justice" on that individual without bringing the justice for his own offenses upon his own head??
Fruit A man kills five people. He is sentenced to death and executed. But his blood can only pay for one murder. Wherewith can he pay for the rest??
How many minor (or major) offenses are any of us guilty of?? How many of us can say we are otherwise perfect, and do penence for just that one thing? And even were it so, how can we call back our wrong and the pain it has caused?
Lots of people think that Adam and Eve's sin was in eating a forbidden "apple". In fact, they were forbidden only to eat of "the fruit of the tree of the kowledge of good and evil". The fruit of the tree of Eternal Life was hanging there waiting for them to discover. BUT. Before they did, a rebellious angel known now as Satan decided to screw things up. Satan was jealous of the new humans. He had wanted to kick God out and take over, and now here were two new creations "made in His image". He had to o something QUICK before we ate the tree of Eternal Life and took over.
So Satan decieved them into doing what God told them NOT to do, BEFORE they found the Tree of eternal Life.
As a rebel in the Kingdom of heaven, Satan was and is under a sentence of Eternal Damnation. And from the Garden unto today he accuses every single human being on Earth of the same rebellion he is guilty of, and demands (according to God's Perfect Justice) that we suffer the same fate he is doomed to.
But there is a loophole. If a guilty man can only atone for his own guilt for one offense with one death, he cannot therefore atone for the many other offenses he has committed with that death. But if a TOTALLY INNOCENT AND PERFECT MAN sheds his blood in the name of all other men, THAT is a perfect atonement.
And so God became one of us, born of a virgin, and lived a perfect life. And in the end, we killed him. And He went willingly to His torture and death. He always said he was there to save first the Jews, and when they cried to Pontius Pilate : "LET HIS BLOOD BE UPON US AND OUR CHILDREN!!" they (although they did not know it) were staking first claim upon the most precious gift God haad ever offered, or ever will.
And so on this Easter, Anno Domini 2009, please allow me, an abject and totally unworthy sinner, to say "Thank you, God, for providing so great a Salvation.
Many non-Christians quote what they say are the "central tenets" of Christianity" in response to spiritual debate. The "Central tenets" are these:
(1) I believe that Jesus of Nazreth is God, the Son of God.
(2)I believe He was born of the Virgin Mary and lived a sinless life
(3)I believe he was tried and executed on the Cross by Pontius Pilate
(4)I believe he died, was buried, and on the third day after arose.
(4)I believe that He will soon return to establish His Kingdom on the Earth.
Any questions??