Sunday, April 20, 2014

The Perfect Sacrifice



There are people who say that if Jesus was God as well as man, then His suffering and death lose all value because it must have been too easy for Him.

What a misunderstanding is that.

In C. S. Lewis’s words, “The perfect submission, the perfect suffering, the perfect death were not only easier to Jesus because He was God, but were possible only because He was God”.
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:23-25
But isn’t that quite an odd reason to not accept His sacrifice?

An adult can teach a child because he or she is an adult and has learned the things he is teaching.

If I reject adults help and waited to learn only from other children who had not learned the same thing himself yet, and so had not an unfair advantage, it would not be a fast or easy way to learn.
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "
Luke 24:6-7
If I’m hanging from a cliff, I won’t ask help from the person hanging below me but from the one up who can throw me a rope and help me climb up.

Should I shout him, “No, it’s not fair! You have an advantage! You are still up!”?

You can call that advantage unfair if you want to.

But it is the only reason why he can be of any use for me.
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
Acts 3:15
To whom should I look for help but for the person who is stronger than me?

This is my way of seeing what Christians mean when they talk about Atonement.

But it is only metaphor, an image made of words, not the thing in itself.

And if it is not useful to you, then you should find another way to understand it better.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,  and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8

This post is part of an on-going series.

To begin, read Natural law. A post about the law we all have in our hearts.

If you would like to know what comes after read the post about Moral law.


Having read that, you'll need to know Which moral law to choose

If you agree we need to choose a moral law, maybe you'll agree that We need God  


After we have understood the need we have for God, it is time to research What is sin

Having accepted your need for God, what kind of God is exactly a Christian God? This you can find out about in What we Christians believe

Why is it so hard to follow Christian faith? What prevents you to believe in God?

Do not let yourself to be fooled by Christianity and water

Who was first? The chicken or the egg? Read the post Of good and band - who was there first? The chicken or the egg? 

If God is above everything else and did not create evil then Why God accepts the evil in the world?

We run on God, like a car on gas. This is why We cannot live without God 

Do you want to know about the good dreams God sent to us? Read Who is Jesus?

Are you ready to believe? Do you know who The Perfect Penitent is? And what He means to us.

24 comments:

  1. Praise God Love Your Thoughts & Ways! XO

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  2. I can not really comment on this post since I am of a different religious persuasion. I am glad for you that your religion brings you peace and tranquility.

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    1. Thank you for visiting my blog, Miki. I apreciate it a lot.

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  3. Sometimes it is very hard for our minds to comprehend what God is all about. Probably much like a child's ability to comprehend why their parents expect or do certain things.

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    1. I think that's a very good way to describe it, Heather. There is just so much that we can't, yet, understand.

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  4. I love that the ladies in your pictures wear their babies! I love baby wearing!

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    1. Baby wearing is the traditional baby rearing system here. People in towns and cities don't do it as much anymore but in the communities it's really strange if you don't wear your baby. I think it's awesome also.

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  5. Very nice Easter post. So many things are a mystery that we have to trust in God for peace of mind.

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  6. I really like the candid photos.. it shows such life!

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    1. I think that is the biggest blessing for me here, Robert. I have been able to see the life and be part of it. One of the babies I took picture of (the third pic, woman under the umbrella) was just two days old. It is amazing to have this access and the gift of openess the people have given me. Like the woman in the picture giving chicha to her child. She wanted to show me how they feed their babies traditionally. It's such a huge honor really.

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  7. What a wonderful post. Very thought provoking. And your pictures are always beautiful.

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  8. No matter how much people will talk about God and religion it will always be beyond our comprehension. Maybe that's why religion is still controversial, we cannot fully understand it.

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  9. Your photos always make want to visit Ecuador!

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  10. There is so much to think about and meditate over here. Your photos add much to the post too.

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  11. Not of the natural, that's the phrase that came to mind for me. So many great things are not of the natural, and aren't we lucky for them. :)

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  12. Thank you for sharing the series, your post was very deep and thoughtful.

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  13. You always have such nice photos. Thanks for sharing. Amber N

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  14. I love seeing all those babywearing photos! And your post was very thought provoking.

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  15. Love these photo's, as a mama to 5 and the newest a baby I love their homemade baby carriers. These women sounds like awesome moms, wanting what's best for their little ones.

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  16. I don't think many people look at it that way, but it is a good way to explain it.

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  17. This is an amazing post... truly loved it

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  18. Thank you. I really needed this. I've been having a hard week and knowing that God is there through it all really helps.

    I also love the pictures of the babywearing! We are a babywearing family, but it's not as common in the United States.

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  19. I agree with petro. Religion will always raise questions which makes it hard for us to understand.

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