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Jan 1, 2004 It is a fact that there are many Christians in the world. It is important for the world that there are Christians to be found in every nation. Abraham, Father of the Jewish Nation, or the First Jew, is also the “Father”, in a way, of the Christian. “Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.” The Apostle Paul wrote that to the Church at Rome to assure them that their faith found its roots in the faith displayed by Abraham even in his uncircumcised state. There is the undeniable fact that the God of the Jew is the God of the Christian. It is also true that as the world looks at the Jew as a “threat to world peace”, it is becoming clearer every day that Christianity is gaining a similar reputation. History reveals an interval of 400 years from the time of the last, true Hebrew Prophet of God (Malachi) and the birth of God the Son, Jesus. When Jesus began his ministry under the Law as given to Moses, Jesus had to reassure the people of Israel that he had not come “to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.” From the moment Jesus spoke those words he began to tear apart 400 years of Pharisaical and Rabbinical “interpretation” and “commentary”. He began to strip away the man-made ideas that really had no basis in the Law of Moses, and he began to explain the real meaning of the Law as intended by God. We know the rest of the historical event. The Pharisees, watching their profits dwindle and their hold on the people failing, attempted on several occasions to publicly humiliate Jesus. Failing those attempts, they finally had illegal and false charges brought against Jesus, which eventually led to his death. Christians know also, this was ever part of God’s plan. The death of Jesus served the fulfillment of the Law of God as given to Moses. Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, God returned to the earth to inhabit his believing faithful through the power of God the Spirit. The timid Apostles brought forth a message of faith so powerful more than three thousand souls were accepted of God at the very first sermon. Men have been responding to the message of the resurrection of Jesus in like faith for almost 2000 years since that first day. Something else has been happening during this 2000 years period of time. Men have been getting in the way of the message of God as given to these Apostles of Jesus. There are well over 300 different branches in the tree called “Christianity”. Every branch is there as a testament to failure. That failure is the failure to remain true to Jesus. In Paul’s first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul had to remind that church that they were a singular body. Everyone wanted to be the boss. Everyone wanted to be right. Paul had to remind them that, as a body, not everyone could be the head. Someone had to be the foot. Someone else had to be a hand, or a finger, or an elbow. The body could not function if everyone was say….the butt. Christianity is splintered today because of men. There are too many men who believe they are right. They split churches and create new branches based in pride and a desire to be the head. There isn’t a whole lot of humility left in the Christian Church. Another problem is Christianity’s desire to be loved by the world. In many churches, “rock and roll and Christian stand-up” replace reverence. If you give people enough of that, eventually they will see no real difference in a church service against the presentations of ‘Home Box Office’. Christianity has virtually stopped talking about sin and hell. No one wants to believe a loving God would ever send grandmother or grandfather or Uncle Jim or Aunt Mary to hell. God has to do that every day because none of these grandmothers, grandfathers, Uncle Jims, nor Aunt Mary’s ever cried out to God to save their souls from death. Modern Christianity is so enmeshed in its “social gospel” it has neglected the gospel, “by which ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…” (1 Cor.15:2-4) It is a full and assured faith in the resurrected Jesus that holds a soul for God. More to come. ------------ About the Author: Independent, Conservative, Christian. Married 29 years with 5 children raised and one grandson being raised. 30 year Army Veteran and published poet with www.poetry.com since Y2K. Email Michael John McCrae: michael.mccrae@us.army.mil Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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