snow camp ideas
I am verbally processing on paper so I thought I would post it as a blog. I would love to know your thoughts and if you think I am off at all. Be warned, these thoughts are in rough form.
If God loves than how can Jesus be the only way to God?
This question implies another question which is; there are good people that believe in other religions, sometimes because that is all they know, so how can a loving God send them to Hell? I mean isn’t there lots of ways to God. It is the most popular understanding of salvation that exists today because it has the ethic of I will not judge you if you don’t judge me. That way we are all happy and follow the path to truth. It is like the three blind men trying to describe what an elephant is; a snake, tree or a kite. All are but part of the whole truth. So the question is, isn’t that the case with religion or God? Isn’t God so big that no one should claim the one right answer? Isn’t that just arrogant? And not only that but isn’t the pattern of people who do that one filled with incredible violence ranging from the crusades to 9/11? So I believe Christianity is true for me and that is good for me. I will respect people by letting them believe what they want to believe AND then I can know that people who never hear about Jesus are okay because as long as they really believe and are good people then they will be okay. This is how most people see religion in our country – site poll from something.
The only problem is, and getting this makes your head hurt a little, if we are wrong. What if life, salvation, hope and fixing all that is broken is found in only one place, in one person? That is what Jesus claims about himself when he says he is the way the, truth and the life, no one comes to Father except through me. So either Jesus lied OR Jesus is the only way.
Some people say this idea, doctrine is exclusive and that is not really true, to say something is exclusive is to say that it is for some people and not for others. That is not what the good news about Jesus. The good news about him is that everyone is welcome with open arms and is accepted just as they are to experience forgiveness, life and hope. There are no outsiders. No one is too good or too evil.
But then the question still remains, what about all those people who never hear, who never experience a group of Jesus followers living as Jesus followers should? Does that mean that God does not care, that he does not love, that he sends them to Hell like we throw out the trash? The answer seems to be a hard one to swallow. The bible seems clear, Jesus’ life seems clear that God loves people. He really loves them. And for some reason and sometimes this does not always seem like a good choice by God he has decided to show the world who he is and what he is like through the people that follow him. They are his body on this side of a new heaven and new earth and that puts our questions about caring for those who have not had a chance to know God squarely on us. Have we told them, shown them, cared for them, fed them, clothed them and been Jesus as best we can for them?
We have a ways to go on that one.
If God loves than how can Jesus be the only way to God?
This question implies another question which is; there are good people that believe in other religions, sometimes because that is all they know, so how can a loving God send them to Hell? I mean isn’t there lots of ways to God. It is the most popular understanding of salvation that exists today because it has the ethic of I will not judge you if you don’t judge me. That way we are all happy and follow the path to truth. It is like the three blind men trying to describe what an elephant is; a snake, tree or a kite. All are but part of the whole truth. So the question is, isn’t that the case with religion or God? Isn’t God so big that no one should claim the one right answer? Isn’t that just arrogant? And not only that but isn’t the pattern of people who do that one filled with incredible violence ranging from the crusades to 9/11? So I believe Christianity is true for me and that is good for me. I will respect people by letting them believe what they want to believe AND then I can know that people who never hear about Jesus are okay because as long as they really believe and are good people then they will be okay. This is how most people see religion in our country – site poll from something.
The only problem is, and getting this makes your head hurt a little, if we are wrong. What if life, salvation, hope and fixing all that is broken is found in only one place, in one person? That is what Jesus claims about himself when he says he is the way the, truth and the life, no one comes to Father except through me. So either Jesus lied OR Jesus is the only way.
Some people say this idea, doctrine is exclusive and that is not really true, to say something is exclusive is to say that it is for some people and not for others. That is not what the good news about Jesus. The good news about him is that everyone is welcome with open arms and is accepted just as they are to experience forgiveness, life and hope. There are no outsiders. No one is too good or too evil.
But then the question still remains, what about all those people who never hear, who never experience a group of Jesus followers living as Jesus followers should? Does that mean that God does not care, that he does not love, that he sends them to Hell like we throw out the trash? The answer seems to be a hard one to swallow. The bible seems clear, Jesus’ life seems clear that God loves people. He really loves them. And for some reason and sometimes this does not always seem like a good choice by God he has decided to show the world who he is and what he is like through the people that follow him. They are his body on this side of a new heaven and new earth and that puts our questions about caring for those who have not had a chance to know God squarely on us. Have we told them, shown them, cared for them, fed them, clothed them and been Jesus as best we can for them?
We have a ways to go on that one.
posted by Jon at
5:46 PM
30 Comments
