First a disclaimer; so as not to confuse anyone as occurred in Part IV (see comments) - I do not believe anything Jesus said to be wrong. I also must acknowledge that I believe the Bible is the word of God; inerrant somehow, though written by fallible men.
Jesus said the following in Matthew 10. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Why do I hope Jesus is wrong?
First he mentions the place where body and soul are destroyed as hell. This has several ramifications; the first is there is a place called hell that Jesus said to be afraid of. Jesus mentions hell about 14 times in the Synoptic Gospels, King James Version; far less than he mentioned heaven; but far more than people that would say Jesus never talked about hell. (I have heard some people to make their case say Christ talked about hell more than heaven and I was about to parrot that; (guilty; some things do sound too good to help you make your point). But in truth; he talks about heaven more; and you should check out the passages; its going to be great.)
The other is that of the "One who can destroy". What a lovely picture of God. And God is the only one that can destroy what he created. Too many think of God as this patient, long suffering, old grand father figure that has let things go. And his Word is antiquated and not applicable today. And really; we are all relative good ladies and gentlemen; why would he want to cast us into hell and destroy our bodies and souls. This is a fairy tale or something the religious right is telling you so you will keep your nose clean; straighten up and fly right.
If Jesus is wrong; we don't have to worry about that place and we don't have to worry about that "One" who can put us there.
But if he is right, are you ready to face the One who can destroy the body and cast your soul into hell?
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Comments: 12
Great article
Do yo hope Jesus is wrong? Or do you mean to say you hope some interpretations of what he said are wrong? Or perhaps some ideas folks have about what the Book says are wrong?
As I tried to explain to you before; my hope is not that Jesus is wrong; but to get people that think he is wrong to maybe think about why they think so. As I tried to explain to you before; this is more a literary device than my personal questions of what Jesus said.
Thank you for the clear explanation, I appreciate that, truly.
I'm well aware of what a literary device is, and can see plainly that you are trying to employ such things. What I am trying to tell you is that Jesus nowhere used, nor endorsed the use of, deception to bring folks to him.
I knew from the first what you were trying to do, and hoped that you would realize that you, nor I or anyone else, has any authority to speak falsely in his name. Had you titled your essays something like; "Why I Wonder if Jesus Was Wrong", I'd have probably never said anything much. It is a form of truth. As would be even something like; "Why Caring People Hope Jesus Was Wrong", or, "Why I Damn Near Hope Jesus Was Wrong", or a hundred other ways of expressing yourself without making a patently false statement.
Nobody's infringing on your right to free speech. Nobody is suggesting you are bound for hell. Nobody is saying you haven't read the Book, or that you want people to lose faith in Christ. Somebody is asking you if it would not be wise, to use truth to bring people to the Truth. Is this not a reasonable question?
Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemes wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
But he that blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
. . . but, I would not do that, for I deem myself not wise enough to judge the relevance of those words. But as a follower of that fellow, I don't feel comfortable playing with such fire. Now, you, might have a great confidence in a notion you have, about just what that singular betrayal might be, but I'd still be careful, if I were you.
However; if I had to do it over again I might have changed hope to wish. Because it is a wishful thinking to think Jesus is wrong.
But hope or wish; a part of me grieves for those that really believe Jesus is wrong. And hope is not a deception in that I care that much. It is not unsimilar to the following from the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:
2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
So as in Paul's example; I wish I had said wish. But as it is; I am only doing one more part and will begin a new series; something along the line of "I am Glad Jesus Said That."
Thank you for not condemning me to Hell or suggesting I am blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I am sure Christ will forgive me for what someone may consider a possibly bad choice of a word in trying to witness for him.
By the way, good writing, Don