Another one of those books that try to take the Christ out of Christianity
You saw a lot of ads in Biblical Archaeology Review for books by fat-heads purporting to offer “a modern Christianity.” Like this one:
It was a catastrophe for Satan when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, as He said He would: Team Hell has been on damage control over since. They’ve got every leftist and every faux “conservative” on the planet helping them–but they still can’t force the Messiah back into His tomb.
“Reputable Bible scholars”–when you see that coming, it’s usually best to walk the other way.
People try to understand the Bible in terms that might make some degree of sense to their life experience, but when we are talking about a Creator, who exists outside of the Universe, He, and those from the spirit realm whom do His bidding, are not constrained by the logic of the material world. If God sent His Son as a teacher, and ransomed of mankind, that Son would have some serious backing.
He wasn’t just some mellow hippie that spoke platitudes of kindness and forgiveness. He stood up to the corrupt religious leaders of the day, and that took immense courage, because these leaders wielded a lot of power in that world.
The more I study and learn from the Bible, the more I become aware that the ramifications of sin have great significance, both in the material realm, and in the spirit realm. Jesus’ work here on earth was more significant than any other accomplishment. It was greater than the outcome of any war, greater than the moon landing, greater than any medical advancement that humanity has accomplished. His 33 years of life exceeds the GDP of every nation on earth, since the beginning of human experience.
To denigrate this, places one in an Antichrist stance. I have made my share of mistakes, but that’s a mistake I would hope to avoid, forever.
We can’t accept the gifts of our Creator, and insist that these gifts are only given on the terms we find to our liking. There is immense power in the heavenly realm, and we must respect that, including the fact that we cannot begin to control such power ourselves.
Imagine standing near a turbine (Jet) engine on an airliner. Come too near the intake, and you will be sucked into the engine, come too near the exhaust and you would be tossed like a dishrag in a tornado, but if you approach if from the side, you can actually make adjustments to the fuel-control system while the engine is running at full power. This is called an Engine Trim Run, and it’s an awesome thing to be a part of. This is probably my closest personal experience involving great physical power, but it’s not a drop in the ocean as compared to the power of God, or His Son.
John defines “antichrist” (lower case) as those who deny the Father and the Son. We find them even in our seminaries.
I agree completely.
I always used to say that whenever I heard someone begin with the phrase “theologians are now saying,” I knew I was about to hear a choice bit of heresy.
Seminaries pigeonhole their graduates to their particular doctrine, and you had better not deviate from it. The Bible condemns men-pleasers, but sadly many of our pastors fit that bill.
I’ll have a whopper of a bad example scheduled for tomorrow.