The Problem With the Mythical Jesus

The Problem With the Mythical Jesus

Wow! Just read the banter back and forth between religious people (some said they were Christians) and non-religious people (some admitted to be atheists) on a blog about the decline of church attendance.
Unsurprisingly, there was a little bit of love in there and a lot of hate. It just goes to prove that religion itself is a divide in the world.
Before I get to the main subject of this blog, I must say that I do not defend religion. Religions are made up. I am a follower of the one they call Jesus. If the world wants to classify the following of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as a religion, then by the world definition I do try to be dedicated and religious to that following. I say that just to separate from the word religion. Jesus was not fond of religion. Three of the four times Jesus mentioned religion, it was not commending.
As concerning the church, it has not always been reflective of Jesus who is the head of the church. Unfortunately, men who did not listen to the Holy Spirit of God have led individual churches to do very bad things. There is plenty of reason for the haters to hate on the church, because of such history. However, that should not discount who Jesus is, nor should it discount the great work that many churches have done throughout history as they were following the leadership of Christ. Many of the hospitals and educational institutions were started by churches. Taking care of the sick and educating people are important to the church. Feeding the hungry and clothing the poor are also great attributes of the church most often left out in such blogs.
Oh, there is so much to say here, but I did want to address the problem with the mythical Jesus. You see, one can hate on God...hate on the church. A person can say people are morons to believe about Jesus and whatever.
However, to claim that Jesus is mythical then one has to claim that Abraham Lincoln or George Washington is mythical. There is more documentation to substantiate the existence of Jesus than these two men.
To say that Jesus was mythical, one has to say that David, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many others were mythical. Personally, that doesn’t sound very intelligent to me. I know it may be tough to stomach the miracles that Jesus performed, but the people back in his day(who actually saw them) believed them. He did so many, it was undeniable. So, why won’t he do one more for you, right? Well, God wants those to come to Him to come by faith. The miracles back then were for those that needed to know, to pass the Good News along. Miracles do still happen today, but just as then, as God deems necessary.
If you want to argue, just don’t call Jesus mythical. He was here. He walked the earth. (That’s why every religion in the world has to do something with Jesus. Right or wrong, they acknowledge Jesus because his existence is undeniable.) He confessed that he was the son of God, that is exactly why he was crucified(in public by the way). On the other side of that, he told his followers several times (before it happened) that he would be crucified and raised again on the third day. You can hate. But he said it, and he did it. Over 500 witnesses saw and talked to the resurrected Jesus over a forty day period before he ascended to heaven. You don’t have to believe. However, people believe plenty of things without that many witnesses. You then have to believe that his followers were complete morons, because many died for this belief. Oh, unless you believe that is mythical as well.
Why don’t you just tell the truth? You don’t want to believe in Jesus, because somewhere down deep in your own heart (even without knowing Scripture), you know that Jesus calls you to die to self and to live for Him.
You don’t want to love God with all your heart and with everything you’ve got, because that would make you second place. Hey, that is human nature. That is what we all fight. But that was Jesus’ number one command. The second was to love your neighbor as yourself. We’ve all been helped by someone at sometime or another. That is pretty cool. This is exactly what Jesus told us to do. Jesus=Cool
If what you believed were not true, would you want to know the truth? I hope so.

The Fallacy of Innocence

We serve an Awesome God! He has been generous in putting us on this accomodating, greenish-bluish planet. He makes us feel like the world spins around us...that the sun shines for us. So, not surprisingly, we often think it's all about us. When in fact, the rest of God's wonderful creation twinkles, shines and waves knowing that it is all about God! IN Matthew 18 following verse 21:
Jesus tells a story showing how God has forgiven man of sin and how man is to forgive his fellow man. Ten thousand bags of gold represents a debt this is un-payable( literally millions of dollars that the man did not have, and no way of procuring). The man was doomed. Man is un-redeemable as far as man is concerned. That is a hopeless situation! All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.—Isa.64:6
It doesn’t say our sin is filthy rags. Our righteousness is filthy rags. There is this fallacy among mankind: we think we are innocent. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”---Gen.2:17 Let's delete a false assumption: it is this assumption that some people are innocent. Not true! We are all guilty of sin before God. So, when we say something about a person being innocent, it’s not true. No man is innocent before God. There is none righteous. This is the plight of man due to disobedience. For the wages of sin is death---that is the ruling. The 10 Commandments merely show that no man is able to be righteous. However, as we read on, a merciful God has provided a rescue plan. Don't revel in the idea that you are good, because you are not. You and I are in need of a Savior. In God's great mercy and grace He allows us to walk through our daily journey not dwelling on our guilt. Of course, the only way to be truly free of this guilt is to put on the righteousness of Christ. Study God's Word this year. Understand your standing.

How does one reject the righteousness of God?

Many people think there is more than one way to heaven. They reject the claim of Christ that there is one way (John 14:6). Jesus tells a parable about a wedding invitation that is sent out (see Matthew 22). Verse 5 says "But they paid no attention, one went off to his field and another to his business." The invitation was sent, but many were too busy. So many shunned the invitation to the wedding of the prince, that the king invited all who would come. At the wedding feast a guy showed up not wearing wedding clothes, and the king had him cast out.---There will be people thinking "I'm right with God on my own..." "me and God have an understanding..." "Surely there are many ways to God..."---Not so according to Scriptures. God wants to clothe us. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)Those who are trying to establish their own righteousness before God are like the man who though he could clothe himself. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:3)---common sense: to get where God is one should follow God's path, not their own. For God made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us so that we could be made the righteousness of God.(2Cor.5:21) When you reject Jesus Christ as Savior you reject the righteousness of God (wedding banquet clothes). Don't get tossed!

Beware

We seem to think these cults that pervert the Good News of Jesus Christ are new. The few popular ones that started in the USA began around the 1850’s. They all tend to say some nice things about Jesus and the Bible and even use some of our lingo; but they mean totally different things. Some treat Jesus as a god, and disbelieve the Trinity. All of them have another book or prophet to “help” interpret the Scripture, when we are told clearly that the Holy Spirit will do that. WORD: they have another book and another prophet so they can misinterpret Scripture.
Paul said: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!—Gal.1:6-8
Paul was already dealing with this. It’s not new. It’s always a red flag when someone needs some book other than the Bible to interpret Scripture. Secondly, they will need some extra folks (they’ll usually call them prophets or something distinguished like that or a society) to do some explaining. A guy once told me:” When you’re explaining you’re lying.” Although that is not Scripture, there is some wisdom there. If you read the whole Bible it explains itself! Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Stumbled on this

While the Trinity is as hard to explain as gravity and other things created by God, I stumbled on a quote by C.H. Spurgeon. Instead of messing it up, you can read it for yourself. First check out Galatians 4:6-"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Spurgeon had the following to say: The error of regarding a certain divine person as a mere influence, or emanation, mainly assails the Holy Ghost; but its falseness is seen in the words—"crying, Abba, Father": an influence could not cry; the act requires a person to perform it. Though we may not understand the wonderful truth of the undivided Unity, and the distinct personality of the Triune Godhead, yet, nevertheless, we see the truth revealed in the Holy Scriptures: and, therefore, we accept it as a matter of faith. <>In other words, the fact that the Holy Spirit cries out shows that He is a distinct personification of God. He is not a thing, an influence, an emanation or an "it."