Seemingly off topic, although on a long tangent, not really. For it's the true Christian who is commanded to seek justice. And that's what these blogs are ultimately about as we focus on the judiciary. Judiciary > Judges > Justice. Get it?
Not often. A wry comment on American inJustice.
And it's kind of ironic, since Judge Mary Hamm said I don't have a 1st Amendment right to speak like this.
And it's kind of ironic, since Judge Mary Hamm said I don't have a 1st Amendment right to speak like this.
So, overlooking the trivial things, that Jesus wasn't born on December 25, let alone in December (too cold), and ignoring that Christ-mass has its origins in pagan rituals and that there's no mention in the Bible of the early church celebrating the Christ's birth (rather, He commanded we should celebrate His death until He comes), should I wish you a Merry Christmas?
Look, even atheists believe there was an historical man named Jesus. We all like to celebrate the birth of babies. But that's not the issue here. It's what you believe about Jesus, who He was, what He came to do, why He died (and where) and if He came back from the dead that's important. Let's take the easiest case first.
If you're Jewish or an atheist (according to God, you're the same in the end), then you don't believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah). You don't believe He is the Savior, the [Passover] "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." You don't believe He rose from the dead, although your own leaders knew He said He would. So you can't be saved from His wrath (hell) if you don't believe [in] Him. You don't even sacrifice a Passover lamb on Passover today! What sacrifice for sins is left?
While you (the Jews. Not atheists.) are the chosen people and yours are the temple worships and receiving of the Law, as much as I am indebted to you (because your God gave your blessing to this Gentile dog since you rejected Him), I cannot wish you a Merry Christmas if you don't believe in the Christ. You probably don't want me to anyway. We know the ACLU doesn't.
If you're Muslim or Buddhist, you probably believe, inconsistently, that Jesus was a "good man," maybe a prophet from God. But you don't believe He was God. If you're Muslim, you don't believe He rose from the dead, proving He was who He said He was. You do the Jews one better and don't even believe He died on the cross!
Even the Jews acknowledge that no one has found His 'dead' body, which gives some credence to His resurrection from the dead.
You're inconsistent because Jesus Himself claimed to be God in the flesh (Immanuel) who tabernacle'd among us. But if he was mere man, then he couldn't have been a "good man" because he blasphemed, claiming to be God! Even the Jews of His day understood that. They wanted to stone Him for that! To their credit, Muslims in Saudi Arabia today will kill anyone who claims Jesus is God for, to them, as once with the Jews, that appears to be blasphemy.
So really, you Muslims and Buddhists can't believe Jesus was a good man. And you certainly don't believe He died on the cross to take away your sins. If you claim to be enlightened, your sin remains. And sadly, the wages of sin is death.
Not that I'm any better than you. I, at one time, was destined for hell too. But I found the proper remedy for my sin. Someone who would die for me in my place. Not only that, but I decided to obey Him as Lord.
If you're Catholic or Mormon, your problem is more subtle. You believe all the "right" things about Jesus, that he rose from the dead, but you believe in a different jesus than the Jesus of the Bible.
For the Catholic, your jesus is still on the cross! (Look at any Catholic crucifix.) In fact, to your shame, you crucify him over and over again at every mass.
While you say you believe he died for your sins, you don't believe you're going to heaven when you die but rather, you have to work off your sins in Purgatory. (Question: How do you know when you've done enough?) And so you deny they work Jesus did on the cross. Your veneration of Mary, your praying to the dead saints, your priesthood, etc. are all manifestations of having a different jesus, different spirit, different gospel. In fact, your salvation is in "the one true church," not in Christ.
If you're ignorant of all this but seeking Him, God will have mercy on you. Perhaps that's why you're reading this?
If you're Mormon, you also believe in an entirely different jesus than the one in the Bible. Your jesus is only one of many gods, the spirit brother of Lucifer, a polygamist, sealed in the temple who shed his blood in the garden of Gethsemane. For you, as the Apostle Paul said, the message of the cross if foolishness.
Actually, that's a recurring theme here. Neither the Jews, Muslims, Catholics or Mormons understand the message of the cross and some outright deny the cross.
Like the Catholic, your salvation is in your church and your own works. (Again I ask, When do you know you've done enough baptisms for the dead, endowments, answering 'callings,' etc.?) The ultimate blasphemy in Mormonism is that you believe you can become a god someday. Should be interesting when the Muslims take over Salt Lake.
If you're Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc., well, you said it, I didn't. We are to be followers of Christ, i.e. Christians. Not followers of the church, or Churchians. (A.k.a. "Churchianity.) You may be busy in your church, and you may love to sing songs on Sunday, but "to obey is better than sacrifice." If you're really a Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. as opposed to a Christian, I fear, as Jesus said, your words will condemn you.
And even if you call yourself a Christian, we know that "not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven." (See Matthew 7:21-23 for the true test and sad end.)
Know that, in the last days "people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:2-5)
So, in the end, as much as I'd like, I can't, in good faith, sincerely wish most of you a Merry Christmas.
Sadly, Jesus said that the road to hell was wide, and many are on it. I was too. You can get off it. I'm probably not as strong in warning you as some of my evangelical brothers, but in my own way, I'm warning to you (in love) to turn off that road. We call it "repenting" - a 180 degree turn from the path of death to the path of life.
I hope you turn. Then next year, if the Lord tarries and we're still here, we will truly be able to wish each other a Merry CHRISTmas.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
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