- Jul 26, 2021
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Please don’t get offended from my post here.
My goal is to learn. I am quite new to Christianity and still learning.
My problem is possibly that I have a deep thirst to learn more about the Lord. All the time. I study the Bible virtually every day.
Today, during my study, something new came to me. Oddly, a concept that was causing me some mental anguish was relieved when reading a chapter in Zechariah. I surely wasn’t expecting it, but it led me into a further search. I decided to put my findings into words and post it here. I am seeking constructive comments and guidance.
Personally, I focus primarily on the OT, and heavily on the gospels, particularly the words of Jesus. If you have information to assist me, please use those portions of our beautiful Bible. Thanks to all.
So here we go:
It doesn’t seem to make sense that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
Let’s examine this concept from statements in the gospels which give us information relative to the life of Jesus. I will considerably simplify this for brevity.
Jesus was born.
At age 12, he visits the temple.
He is a carpenter until age 30.
When he was around 30 years old, he is baptized and begins a ministry.
From this point until his day of crucifixion he traveled around Judea; enlisted some followers, performed miracles, taught the people, schooled the pharisees, and had a few temptations.
Let’s now focus on the final day.
It appears that some people think that Jesus’ purpose was to die on a cross for the sins of some people. Let’s examine this claim.
First, it must be that the Lord came to the earth for some purpose.
Unless there is a purpose, why do anything?
We probably all agree that the Lord had a purpose, but what is that purpose?
After the arrival on earth, the Lord proceeded to exercise various means available to him to reach his intended result.
And when the result occurs, following his purpose, then the purpose has been completed, or finished.
Matthew 5:17-18: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
(The law and prophets are the Christian Old Testament.)
Which are the ONLY scriptures that Jesus ever spoke of.
From the above, it appears that we can see the purpose.
His purpose was stated by the Lord himself, so hopefully, we cannot disagree.
Now, what exactly MUST be fulfilled? Is it a few select verses here and there?
John 5:39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
The Lord himself again tells us the answer. ALL the scriptures testify of him, then all must be fulfilled. What are these scriptures he speaks about? Most people would probably conclude that they are what Christians refer to as the Old Testament. That’s it.
The life of Jesus and his work are spoken of throughout the Scriptures, there is no doubt.
So the purpose of the Lord, fulfilling the scriptures, would be his ‘enactment’ of all events in those scriptures. When is this purpose, then, completed?
Many times in the gospels the Lord speaks about fulfilling the scriptures. The night before his death, he chastened Peter, after Peter cut an ear off a servant:
Matthew 26:52-54 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
The final time on the cross:
John 19:24 24. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
And it continues:
John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
We see that the purpose that the Lord came for was accomplished.
After being accomplished, Jesus spoke his final words:
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
“It is finished”.
His final words tell us that his purpose was finished.
Nothing else to do, so Jesus “gave up the ghost”
He gave his own life, no one on earth took it.
He had accomplished his purpose.
The death of the empty body hanging on the cross came AFTER his purpose was finished.
It appears that the death is merely the end of the earthly body, since the purpose of Jesus was accomplished by the spirit within, which was released by him just before his death.
God bless you if you made it through that long post of mine.
My goal is to learn. I am quite new to Christianity and still learning.
My problem is possibly that I have a deep thirst to learn more about the Lord. All the time. I study the Bible virtually every day.
Today, during my study, something new came to me. Oddly, a concept that was causing me some mental anguish was relieved when reading a chapter in Zechariah. I surely wasn’t expecting it, but it led me into a further search. I decided to put my findings into words and post it here. I am seeking constructive comments and guidance.
Personally, I focus primarily on the OT, and heavily on the gospels, particularly the words of Jesus. If you have information to assist me, please use those portions of our beautiful Bible. Thanks to all.
So here we go:
It doesn’t seem to make sense that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
Let’s examine this concept from statements in the gospels which give us information relative to the life of Jesus. I will considerably simplify this for brevity.
Jesus was born.
At age 12, he visits the temple.
He is a carpenter until age 30.
When he was around 30 years old, he is baptized and begins a ministry.
From this point until his day of crucifixion he traveled around Judea; enlisted some followers, performed miracles, taught the people, schooled the pharisees, and had a few temptations.
Let’s now focus on the final day.
It appears that some people think that Jesus’ purpose was to die on a cross for the sins of some people. Let’s examine this claim.
First, it must be that the Lord came to the earth for some purpose.
Unless there is a purpose, why do anything?
We probably all agree that the Lord had a purpose, but what is that purpose?
After the arrival on earth, the Lord proceeded to exercise various means available to him to reach his intended result.
And when the result occurs, following his purpose, then the purpose has been completed, or finished.
Matthew 5:17-18: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
(The law and prophets are the Christian Old Testament.)
Which are the ONLY scriptures that Jesus ever spoke of.
From the above, it appears that we can see the purpose.
His purpose was stated by the Lord himself, so hopefully, we cannot disagree.
Now, what exactly MUST be fulfilled? Is it a few select verses here and there?
John 5:39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
The Lord himself again tells us the answer. ALL the scriptures testify of him, then all must be fulfilled. What are these scriptures he speaks about? Most people would probably conclude that they are what Christians refer to as the Old Testament. That’s it.
The life of Jesus and his work are spoken of throughout the Scriptures, there is no doubt.
So the purpose of the Lord, fulfilling the scriptures, would be his ‘enactment’ of all events in those scriptures. When is this purpose, then, completed?
Many times in the gospels the Lord speaks about fulfilling the scriptures. The night before his death, he chastened Peter, after Peter cut an ear off a servant:
Matthew 26:52-54 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
The final time on the cross:
John 19:24 24. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
And it continues:
John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
We see that the purpose that the Lord came for was accomplished.
After being accomplished, Jesus spoke his final words:
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
“It is finished”.
His final words tell us that his purpose was finished.
Nothing else to do, so Jesus “gave up the ghost”
He gave his own life, no one on earth took it.
He had accomplished his purpose.
The death of the empty body hanging on the cross came AFTER his purpose was finished.
It appears that the death is merely the end of the earthly body, since the purpose of Jesus was accomplished by the spirit within, which was released by him just before his death.
God bless you if you made it through that long post of mine.