Many people in this 21st century contend that the bible is a meaningless work of fiction. They give it less thought than Socrates, Homer, or Shakespeare or even the Quran. Now these people I challenge where is your evidence? Where in the annals of history do you find the support for such a claim?
Now I know those apposed to God will have no interest in the truth or what is supported by evidence. They could see Jesus Christ face to face and still deny his Majesty and Supreme authority. This is for two other groups the called and elect of God who have been called to Christ and those who have yet to realize God has called them. They are not in rebellion but rather just lost in the darkness of this world looking for the light and the truth.
Let me introduce the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus the Christ, chosen one of Israel, Lion of the Tribe of Judah and descendent of David. Creator and Judge (John 1) Our Lord and Savior Jesus. He died so we as fallen humanity may no longer be condemned in our sin. Once every man was under wrath for our sin. God would that none perish so he sent his Son to die for us (propitiation) taking the sinners punishment on Himself. He did this with complete knowledge of what would come.
We often fail to accept the torture of the cross. The horrible truth of the scourging and crucifixion’s pain is one awful lesson of history. The Phoenicians may have invented crucifixion but the romans perfected it.
When Romans killed a man they scourged him first with a roman flagrum. These tools were often leather and the romans, devious as they were, tied in bone shards or broken pottery into the leather as well as lead balls to give the leather even more weight. So with each swing the skin was torn and bruised. This would render the flesh to a appearance similar to hamburger.
Jesus was also crowned with thorns. As you may imagine this was not a comfortable crown as the thorns dug into the skin. We oft forget being the the fullness of divinity in bodily form Jesus knew what would happen- Colossians 2:9. He also declared to be God as the Pharisees and Sadducees knew- John 8:58. Said “Before Abraham was I AM”. Jesus was God and he dwelt among us. He died so we may through him inherit eternal life. If we trust and obey as obedient children. As good soldiers 2 Timothy 2:3-4.
Now back to the cross. The romans placed the nails in a specific place. Through the median nerve on the wrists where the bones could support the weight of the victim. After being nailed to the cross Christ with his numerous back wounds would rub against the rugged wood of the cross as he breathed. As you breathed you would need to lift yourself up to give your lungs room for the next breath. As you moved those wounds mentioned before would rub on the wood.
The Cross is probably one of the worst and most grotesque tools of pain and agony any civilization has yet to create. One might hang for several days on a cross before death finally released them. Any earnest Christian would know the death of Christ was no easy thing. The story does not end with the death of Christ. He was buried in a tomb for three days. On the third day he rose from death and many including the disciples were witnesses to this historic event. The Jews and many others deny his resurrection but even in the bible the Jews told the romans that Jesus’s followers had stolen his body away and that lie is repeated to this day, this is found in Matthew 28:11-15.
An objection that people have is that we cannot trust the bible. Well if we cannot trust the bible than I guess every book you ever read is not trust worthy as well considering the bible has more copies than any ancient text, 5,800+ copies of the original new testament manuscripts and counting. This more than the Quran, Homer or Socrates in fact all ancient works of literature and philosophy combined with other religious texts cannot compare to the tons of copies we have of the bible. We know this is the most trustworthy text we have of the history of humanity and our relationship with God. It should be the starting point of all study of history, archelogy, biology, psychology or any scientific inquiry.
Speaking of science; without Christians science may not (nor likely would) exist as we know it. Most of the “ology” disciplines come from theology as during times past devout Christians used the opportunities the reformation presented to forge new areas of study and reinvent new disciplines of science. The catholic church has long had its hand on the neck of the people from small to great even kings suffered the wrath of the pope.
Now science itself has suffered under the lies of Satan (who is the father of lies) John 8:44 as it has divorced itself from truth. That is what we can see and test, philosophy has become a bedfellow to science and most people will not know or discern a difference. Evolution for instance is a philosophic theory of metaphysics or in simple terms a theory of origins.
Now back to Christ and the cross, that sacrifice was for all those who would believe in him. The problem is that humanity is fallen since Adam and Eve and we are depraved sinners. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but we are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:23-25 In Hebrews we learn that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that men and woman of faith have actions that bear testimony to their faith. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah the list goes on about the history of faith in the old testament. Again I say History, written and passed down by the eye witnesses of that time. This is the opposite of the people who claim to know history without any eye witness testimony.
Faith is shown by works, works without faith is dead -James 2.
Lord what must I say now; That all must come to Christ Jesus, for without him we are lost, damned, without wisdom, knowledge or hope. Our only inheritance is in the pits of hells eternal suffering. How man cries out that this too is far from just and fair. But alas we know all to well that a human judge who is offended by the heinous criminal can hand down a life sentence. Well that is just and in like manner God (who is eternal) hands down a just and fair life sentence. We forget that the intent is that he and us live eternally together or so we were supposed to.
“Second, the idea that we cease sinning after death is not taught in the Bible. Are those who go to hell suddenly sinless and perfect? No. Those who go into eternity without Christ will be confirmed in their wickedness. The hard-hearted will be eternally hard-hearted. There will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in hell (Matthew 25:30), but no repentance. Sinners in hell will be given over to their own nature; they will be sin-infected, evil, immoral, and depraved beings for all of eternity, forever unredeemed and unregenerate. The lake of fire will be a place of eternal rebellion against God—even as that rebellion is judged (Revelation 20:14–15; cf. Revelation 16:9, 11). Unsaved people do not only sin for 70, 80, 90, or 100 years. They sin for eternity.”
I love you and I love the truth. God does not want anyone to go to hell, no more than a judge wants criminals to commit crime. We must turn to Jesus if we have any hope. Now what does that look like?
Once we put our faith in Jesus and what he did on the cross then we should pray as often as we can but remember to ask only with pure motives. We must also ask in accordance to his will. In order to know his will we must read his word which is the bible. We know that it is trustworthy and true and if we don’t we need to educate ourselves.
Then continue to grow in knowledge and faith without giving up or turning back for in so doing we are as if we never knew Jesus.
Please turn to Jesus today while you can!!!
