God sent us good dreams.
Stories scattered through all the religions and beliefs in the world.
About a god who dies and comes to life and again.
And who, by his death, has somehow given new life to men.
He also chose one particular group of people and spent several centuries teaching them what kind of God He is.
He taught them that there is only one of Him.
That He cares about people doing the right thing.
And then amongst these people, the Jews, suddenly turns up a man who claims to be God.
A man who claims to be able to forgive sins.
A man who claims to have always existed.
A man who claims to come to judge the world at the end of time.
Amongst other religion a person might have been able to say that he is a god.
Or that he is part of God, or one with God.
And there would be nothing wrong with this.
But this man came to Jews and to them; he could not mean that kind of god.
There was only one God, the Being outside the world, who had made it and was infinitely different from anything and everything else.
For them, what this man said, was the most shocking and blasphemous thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.
We may have become so used to what this man claimed that we don’t even notice it.
But he said that he could forgive sins.
Any kind of sins.
If you aren’t God, this is just hilarious.
We can all forgive each other.
If someone offends me, I can forgive him or her.
But what would happen if someone else would say that he can forgive the person who offended me?
That would be stupid.
How can someone else forgive, really forgive, something that has happened to me?
But this is what Jesus claimed He could do.
He went around telling people that their sins were forgiven.
And He never asked anything about the people who had been offended by these people’s sins.
He just went on, behaving like He was the party chiefly concerned, and the person chiefly offended in all these offenses.
And the only way this makes sense is, if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin.
If anyone else but God Himself would say this it would only be silliness and conceit.
But when we read Bible we do not get the impression of silliness or conceit.
Christ tells us in the Gospels that He is “humble and meek” and we are able to believe Him.
But if He were just a man, humility and meekness would be the last things we could use to describe Him.
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open for us. He did not intend to”.
C. S. Lewis
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.
Those are some great words and verses. As always great pictures too!
ReplyDeleteMichelle F.
Interesting post and beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this post! So uplifting and inspirational and the photos are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective, lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Post! You pics are very nice, they can be interpreted in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteThe world needs God, when people shut him out, they allow bad things to happen, then they look to the sky and go how can you let this happen God? This is a beautifully insightful post.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are sweet and tender. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSuch Beautiful Children Of God Love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! Very educational! The world does need God!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe all need someone to look to when times get tough. I choose God!
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures, the verses and your inspirational ideas!
ReplyDeleteThe children all look so peaceful. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and that is a really great question as well. I'm sure we would all have different answers.
ReplyDeleteAll of those pictures are incredible, what sweet children!
ReplyDeleteWith so much bad going on in this world everyone needs to believe in a good force out there to help us keep going.
ReplyDeleteYou have very good points, and as usual, I love your photos! The children look so innocent and wondering.
ReplyDeleteHi, this is a lot to chew on. I love your thoughts on Jesus. I am reading C.S. Lewis this month too. I am inspired by your photos too.
ReplyDeleteMary-andering Creatively
Mary-andering Among the Pages