This
is an attempt to give some answers to genuine questions that
people often have about the Christian way of life. No-one can be
persuaded about these things without revelation. Nevertheless, we
trust that some of this kind of discussion will kindle an
interest to find out more about Jesus and what he said:
·
Who
was Jesus, and why is he so important?
·
You
must believe that all religions have value in bringing people to
God - don't you?
·
Hasn't
science disproved most of the Bible?
·
Why
has the Bible got it in for gays?
·
What happens to us after we die?
·
There’s a lot of good
people who don’t go to Church?
·
How can I know I'm a Christian?
·
What are
the main things that your Church believes in?
Who was Jesus, and why is he so important?
Jesus
was an Israeli Jew who lived in Roman occupied Palestine about
2000 years ago. He was probably born about 6 to 4 BC (the
discrepancy due to a miscalculation of the calendar) and was
executed by crucifixion around AD 33. Apart from the Gospel
accounts, there are contemporary historical references to his
life and death. The Jewish historian Josephus refers to him as a
reputed miracle worker and teacher who attracted a large
following until executed by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate.
There is also a Roman record of his execution – by order of
Pontius Pilatus in Judea in the reign of Tiberius (Tacitus,
Annals, 15. 44).
The
most detailed accounts are recorded in the Gospels, written
between 60 and 100 AD. They record the ministry of a teacher and
healer from Galilee and his death and resurrection. The Jesus of
the Gospels is surprisingly different to the character often
presented today. He was a carpenter, and judging by the company
he kept, something of a ‘man’s man’. He could be
devastatingly honest – to the point of rudeness, and yet at
other times was gentle and perceptive. He must have had some
physical presence to evict the moneylenders from the temple
– with a whip made from cords. He also liked a good time and
a celebration. When the wine was in danger of running out a
wedding he and his friends were at, he turned six water jars (each
holding about 20 to 30 gallons) into wine. Neither was this grape
juice or a ‘safe’ low alcohol drink - the steward at
the wedding was amazed that this best wine had been left till
last. Jesus’s enemies also accused him of being a lover of
drink and a glutton.
Jesus
was clear that his life’s work was not in his teaching or
miracles alone, but would be fulfilled in his death. His
followers were devastated by his execution, and at first were
reluctant to believe his resurrection. Whatever your view,
something must have happened to convince this confused group of
men and women to go on to tell publicly of his resurrection, even
when for many of them it meant that their own lives would be
forfeited. Jesus in his death took upon himself the punishment
for every evil thing ever thought, spoken or done by humankind.
The good news is that for those who believe Him, there is power
in his resurrection to leave behind all the evil you have done,
or have ever had done to you.
You
must believe that all religions have value in bringing people to
God - don't you?
It
would be nice and easy to tell you that any religion has just as
much value as any other and that Buddhists, Hindus and well
meaning New Age citizens will in the end find that they’ve
all been worshipping the same God from a different point of view.
Sorry folks, but it just isn’t true. Jesus said that he
‘is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one can
approach God, but through him.’ This is why his
contemporaries put him on a cross in the end – Jesus just
won’t be compromised.
There
is one respect in which Christians have something valuable to
learn. Christianity has lost its sense of ‘Jewishness’
to its detriment. Jesus and his followers were all Jews. The
first Christians met in synagogues and within the Jewish Temple.
Even St. Paul, who in his generation did more to bring the good
news about Jesus to non-Jews than any other, was a Jew. Within
the early Church many were convinced that Gentile believers
needed to first become Jews. Painful! Although Christians and
Jews are now seen as separate, some believe that the Bible speaks
about a time when the two Faiths are once again brought back
together, when they (those in Jerusalem) ‘will look on me,
the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an
only child’.
Hasn't science disproved most of
the Bible?
Many
people who think this way know little about the nature of science
or about the Bible. They think back to the story of Adam and Eve
or to Noah’s Ark and think how ridiculous and childish it
all seems.
Let’s
deal with science first: Science is about the study of the
physical, chemical and biological world, and an attempt to
understand it. Science is not about facts, but about theories. A
theory is an idea based upon an observation. For example, Issac
Newton observed how everything falls to the ground if dropped.
Thus, scientists developed a theory about Gravity, which is an
attractive force associated with large objects. Theories aren’t
the same as facts, because they often develop when new groups of
scientists make new observations. In time Newton’s ‘Laws’
of motion were modified by Einstein’s ideas. These in turn
are being challenged by results from the most modern particle
experiments. There are probably more things to be discovered than
things that are known.
The
Bible on the other hand, starts with facts, but rather than
demand that we understand them only requires that we believe them.
The Bible is not by any means a science text book, but the ideas
contained in the Bible ought to stand up to scientific scrutiny.
There are many areas in which ideas from the Bible are consistent
with modern scientific theory. One of the chief goals in modern
physics is that of discovering the ‘Grand Unifying Force’
holding all things together. The Bible states that all
things hold together through one single force – the ‘word’
of God. The expanding universe and spherical shape of the Earth
are also ideas that are supported in the Bible.
However,
one major theory that is set against Scripture is the theory of
Evolution. Although space here does not allow a detailed case,
consider the following, scientific, objections to evolutionary
theory:
·
Given infinite time, systems tend to disorder without
intervention. This is enshrined in the Second Law of
Thermodynamics.
·
Carbon dating is known to be accurate only to about 6000 years
BC, when there is believed to be a major change in the Earth’s
atmosphere. Other forms of dating rely on assumptions about
ratios of elements when the rocks in the Earth were set laid down.
·
Evolution cannot be observed in any human timescale, but needs
extrapolating to millions and millions of years. Scientific
methods rely on what can be observed.
·
The Bible states that each creature reproduces to kind.
According to Evolutionary theory, species should gradually adapt
and change over time. We ought to expect the fossil record to be
a continuum, in all probability never finding the same animal
twice. The fossil record, however, reveals a number of remains
from extinct animals that are distinct from each other. Where are
all the missing links?
Why
is the Bible so homophobic?
Jesus
was a shock to the religious people of his generation and there's
little doubt that he would be so now. The Gospels tell us that he
was frequently seen in the company of prostitutes and notorious 'sinners'
- which incensed the religious leaders of his day, and probably
lead to the plot against him. Today Jesus would be as likely to
be found on the streets with the homeless, spending time with
junkies, or drinking with revellers at a gay bar as he would at a
religious meeting. Don't get the idea either that he'd just
breeze in and out with his collecting tin or tracts (ask yourself
why that would have been offensive to religious people?) - no he'd
actually enjoy the company of people, spend time with them, get
to know them - really get to know them.
This
is not to say that Jesus wouldn't have something to say about
confronting homosexuality, in the same way as he confronted greed,
possessiveness and hypocrisy wherever he met it. Jesus challenged
those around him to leave their sinfulness (selfish ways) behind
them and follow him. To everyone (including those who are gay) he
offers the possibility of friendship with God, and the power to
live a life of freedom from obsessions, addictions and cravings.
What happens to
us after we die?
It’s
fair to say that nobody knows for sure, and although the Bible
has several answers, there is still something of a mystery around
the subject. What is clear from the scriptures is that what
happens to you after death depends mostly on what you do about
Jesus. Do you dismiss the Gospel stories as myth, do you accept
their validity but decide it’s not for you, or do you
embrace the truth of it and follow this Jesus of Nazareth? One of
the thieves on the Cross next to Jesus realised who he was and
despite the abuse being hurled at Jesus from all sides spoke out
about the injustice of what was being done. To this man, Jesus
declared that he would see him again that very day, in Paradise
– which translates as the Garden of God.
For
Christians there is a certainty of a life after death with Jesus.
Jesus described Heaven as having many residences. The Book of
Revelation describes a beautiful city made of gold and precious
stones - a wonderful place. The writer C.S. Lewis describes
something of heaven in the last of the Narnia books – the
last battle, and again in the book, the Great Divorce. Somehow
you get the feeling that wonderful though these visions are, they
don’t begin to describe the half of it.
And
what of the alternative? It is spoken of as a second death. Again
there are few details, but the Bible speaks of a place of
separation from all goodness, a place of darkness and gnashing of
teeth, and a lake of fire. A punishment reserved for the Devil
and his forces of evil, but now tragically set to include some of
humanity as well.
One
thing is for sure. It is not for anyone to judge the destiny of
another man or woman. The Bible says that the Lord alone knows
those who are his. Each of us has the power to choose only our
own ultimate destiny.
I
know lots of good people who aren't Christians. Are you telling
me they won't go to heaven?
Somebody
once called Jesus ‘good’. He looked the man straight in
the eye and asked him directly why he had used the term, because
only God is good. None of us knows another person well enough to
see beyond their superficial behaviour and discern what motivates
them from the heart. Only God sees us completely like that, which
makes him qualified to judge. We all do things for mixed motives.
Some things that we do may appear helpful, brave or kind, but if
we’re really honest they are seldom truly and completely
‘good’.
Scripture
says that our ‘righteousness’ is like filthy rags,
which means that there is always a taint of self-interest even in
our best moments.
The
God of the Bible isn’t looking for good deeds, but requires
first that we look at ourselves as he sees us. That we admit that
our deeds, whether seen by others as good or evil, are all
tainted by our selfishness. He then asks us to receive for
ourselves the wonderful offer of exchange that Jesus made
possible by his death and resurrection. That is to leave behind
our wretched lives based on our own achievements and live a life
empowered by the same life force that Jesus relied on – that
of the Holy Spirit.
How can I know I'm a
Christian?
People
who feel a need to ask this question usually are Christians.
Becoming a Christian is a choice, an act of will. I may feel
excited or ambivalent when I press the ‘On’ button on
the TV. However, whether or not the TV comes alive depends on the
TV being plugged in to the electricity supply and a aerial, and
my choice to press the button. Likewise, becoming a Christian may
involve a release of emotion, or it may be done as the result of
a simple logical process. What I feel at the time is relatively
unimportant, provided that I understand the nature of the choice
I’m making and am willing to repent or forsake my former way
of life, and follow Jesus from now on.
The
choice involves several separate decisions. It means evaluating
my life through God’s perspective and not by my own
standards. God’s perspective is clearly revealed in the
Bible. It then involves me deciding to give up my right to live
my life by my own rules and priorities, and handing over
authority to God. It affects how I spend my time and my money? It
affects my relationships with others focussing on their
needs rather than just my own. It’s about daily making
choices that are right, good and best rather than necessarily in
my own apparent interests. It’s also about spending time
developing a new relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit
and by prayer and reading of the scriptures. It should invariably
lead us to seek to be a part of a Church group alongside other
Christian believers.
If
you want to know more about what Jesus offers, please feel free
to get in touch with us at oasis@cvcch.freeserve.co.uk
What
are the main things that your Church believes in?
WE
BELIEVE IN:
·
The eternal existence and unity of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit of the God-head
·
The divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as originally
given and their complete authority.
·
The universal sinfulness and consequent guilt of mankind as a
result of the fall resulting in separation from God and making
every human being liable to His just judgement.
·
The incarnation of the Son of God; who was born of the Virgin
Mary by the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless life and by His death on
the Cross and bodily resurrection dealt with the sin of all
mankind; thus making reconciliation to God possible through
personal faith in Him.
·
The person and work of the Holy Spirit who reveals the need
for new life in Christ, brings in this new life, - and gives
assurance of personal salvation to the believer.
·
The baptism and continual infilling of the Holy Spirit to
enrich the fruit of the Spirit and release the gifts of the
Spirit, resulting in effective worship, witness, service and
growth individually and collectively within and through the Body
of Christ.
·
Water baptism by immersion for believers.
·
The regular celebration of Communion as a remembrance and
proclamation of the death of Christ, but involving neither a new
sacrifice nor a change in the substance of bread and wine-
·
The existence of Satan as a rebellious angelic being banished
with others from the presence of God and now leader of all powers
of evil in the world; until his final judgement by Jesus Christ.
·
The one, universal church of Jesus Christ which is His Body
and is made up of all true believers, each of whom should be
personally committed to one local expression of the church under
the authority of its appointed leadership.
·
The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gathering of
His church, the resurrection of the dead and the final judgement,
eternal punishment for unbelievers and eternal life with God for
believers.
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