Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!topaz!christian From: christian@topaz.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian Subject: Re: Questions on Christianity Message-ID: <9258@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Sun, 15-Feb-87 14:54:58 EST Article-I.D.: topaz.9258 Posted: Sun Feb 15 14:54:58 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 15-Feb-87 22:47:31 EST References: <8763@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Sender: hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA Lines: 112 Approved: christian@topaz.UUCP In article <8763@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> ln63wmp@sdcc7.UUCP (Vasu Murty) writes: All this has got me thinking, and I've got >several major questions on Christianity which could use some >rational answers. > > Among those beliefs crucial to Christianity few are of >greater importance than the Resurrection. > "And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching > vain and your faith is also vain." > ---I Cor. 15:14 > >All of these >people ascended from death and all did so before Jesus. So why >attribute so much importance to the event? Some Christians argue that except >for Jesus, all of the above-mentioned people eventually died again. First of all I realize that the organization HASA's (Heathen and Atheistic SCUM Alliance) goal is not interested in furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ but for those who have been somewhat confused by the attached submission I submit my explanation of your questions. I would like to help you understand that Jesus was the only one to be Resurrected into HEAVEN to sit at the right hand of God. All of the others that were brought back to life were just brought back to this EARTHLY LIFE. Only Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) was taken into the presence of God but he did not die an earthly death. He was "Raptured". All of the other forms of "resurrection" you mention just brought people back to life on earth only to die earthly deaths again. The Resurrection is significant also because it proves Jesus was who He said He was. If you were to dig up the graves of all of the other 'gods' their remains would still be there. Jesus has risen!!! He is ALIVE!!! > A second major difficulty associated with the Resurrection lies >in the contradictory accounts in the four gospels of what occurred. If every account of the life of Jesus was word for word exactly the same from book to book, chapter to chapter would that make the testimony more believable? I think not. The fact that the Bible has human type discriptions instead of absolute perfection give MORE credibility to the Word rather that less. Besides, it is not important who saw the angel sitting or the dawn breaking. They saw that Jesus was missing and then later were reveled to that He had risen. That is the important part of the scripture. > In fact, what did Jesus ever do that had not already been >accomplished? >In blunt language, "What makes him stand out from the crowd?" There are many many miricles that Jesus did while here on Earth that no prophet had done before. For instance where ALL of the former "resurrections" were done by someone other than the person resurrected. Jesus first fortold of his emminent Resurrection and then He with His Godly power, Resurrected Himself! He didn't need a prophet to stand or lay over Him. Jesus was the only virgin birth on Earth. "...what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:20) The Old Testament is full of prophesy about Jesus coming as a Lamb and as a Lion. He came as the Lamb in the New Testament and will come as the lion at His second coming. Jesus came back and appeared to hundreds of people after His resurrection and even had a little humor when He did it when He appeared and walked with the two men on the way to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35) Most importantly He died for the sinners of the world who would turn to Him and repent of their sins. "He made Him who had no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might have the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21) > "Eli, lama sabachthani?"--'My God, my God, why hast Thou > fosaken me." (Matt. 27:46) > > How could Jesus be the savior of all mankind when he couldn't >even save himself? These aren't the words of a man who went to the >cross willingly to die for our sins. They are the words of a man >who could think of a thousand places he'd rather be. Yes Jesus, the man, would have liked to skip the sacrifice for all of us sinners. He even asked God if it be possible. (Mark 14:36) But Jesus, the Son of God, chose to stay because He knew that this was the only way that we could be saved. The blood of bulls and goats does not take away our sins. But the blood of the Lamb took millions of sinners to the Judgement Throne with a clean slate! At the few moments prior to His death, the full load of the sins of the world fell upon Jesus. So corrupt was this sin that God had to turn His back on Jesus for those few moments and Jesus cried out to Him to not leave Him. God kept His promise to Jesus just as He will keep His promises to those who "take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelation 22:17) Jesus stayed on the cross until the end. If Jesus would have stepped down from the cross there would have been no hope for mankind. But He stayed for you and me. >This is the savior? Hallelujah!!!!! He sure is!!!! > Vasu Murty > (HASA) Bill Landsborough ----- "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." 1John 4:4