It is a question with which innumerable philosophers have grappled. Many have searched far and wide for truth; some have found it, but far more have not. The truth is this - perfection through Christ - that those who accept the joy and burden of the truth are able to stand blameless before God.
Perfection through Christ comes in two parts. First, He shows humanity that they have been lost and are in desperate need of a Savior. Second, He has come to offer a way out; through His sacrifice, humanity’s sins are atoned for and perfection can be attained. Jesus explicitly states, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). God is “satisfied with nothing less than absolute perfection” (Lewis 202). By virtue of His perfect life and sacrifice, Christ offers perfection to all who will accept Him.
To those who accept the Truth, the knowledge of Him is both a burden and a joy. A burden because everything must go, “the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit” (Lewis 196). When struggling with temptations, the only hope for killing the natural self is through surrendering to Christ. But when met with failure, the imperfect are not abandoned. “Each time you fall He will pick you up again” (Lewis 203). The Truth is joy because the result is “a son of God” (Lewis 181), “a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine” (Lewis 206). The Truth may be, at first, a burden, but the reward is unimaginable joy.
To have redeemed humanity stand blameless before God is the ideal to which the Truth works. Not only is the Truth concerned with pardoning sins, He seeks to make mankind flawless. “I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect” (Mere Christianity 202). The Truth must be the center of a man’s thoughts and actions, a living, transforming, and perfecting force, or not at all. For the sacrifice of God was not given as a license to sin, but as the power to overcome sin and thus attain perfection. By accepting the Truth, humanity is not only acquitted, but flawless in the eyes of God.
Perfection before God is offered to those who accept both the burden and joy of Christ – this is the truth. Christ is the Truth that must define the Christian’s life. Through the Truth, humanity is saved; through the Truth, sinners can overcome the trials of temptation and embrace the joy of perfection; through the Truth, humanity can stand, perfected, before God and say to Him, “Thy will be done.” This is the truth.
-Gabriel Choo-
(just thought that maybe some of you might be interested to see another point of what truth is...)
Last edited by MsJacquiiC; 02-26-2007 at 07:22 AM.
Reason: added Gabriel Choo name to description...
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Biography: Jacquii Cooke is a 32 year old Black Poet from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As Webmistress of Poetry in Color Forum, she is devoted to the more abstract styles, especially those with a strong feminine voice that center around the topic of redemption and righting the wrongs of past transgressions.
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OK MANGO - this is an interesting read - especially after the "heated" convo you, MS N & I had just the other night in Live Chat!
One thing I think is fundamentally lacking in Christianity though (and this essay as well) is the fact that there's no mentioning of personal responsibility and accountability for one's action to attain that "unimaginable joy" --- Just to think that there is a Jesus who can possibly just have everyone "believe" in him as the ONLY way towards getting through the pearly gates.... That doen't work for me.
As a firm believer in the principle of karma - it seems plausible that belief in a Messiah is not the only thing prerequisite to attaining everlasting joy!
Anyway - interesting read! No doubt.
I enjoyed our convo the other day. Thanx for posting this essay for us
but see...he had a word limit on this essay and he already went overboard, and yes, he did not talk about accountibility...but see, if you belive and love him, you'll do all the right things and be accountable to them... :]
Biography: Jacquii Cooke is a 32 year old Black Poet from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As Webmistress of Poetry in Color Forum, she is devoted to the more abstract styles, especially those with a strong feminine voice that center around the topic of redemption and righting the wrongs of past transgressions.
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I suppose the operative word is LOVE - with "if" coming in at a extremely close 2nd
Biography: Pagan. Abrasive, Funny, and Off Beat. Therefore, everyone should like me. xD
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*cracks knuckle* Ok, here's my obligatory warning.
Hear ye, hear ye. If ye are easily offended by the arguing and discussing of religious matters, do NOT read this post. If you find yourself offended by it to the point where you MUST let me know, please strive to remain cordial, and I will discuss my point of view and why I see the way I do. Please respect the right of all people to 'agree to disagree' and to hold their own opinions.
There... now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's get started.
The idea that Jesus is the only way into heaven seems ludicrous, even if you are a Christian. Now let me explain why. Jesus himself said that not all Christians shall enter heaven... AND NOT ALL PAGANS (ie non-christians) shall enter hell. In fact, the person he saw with the most faith was indeed a roman pagan. And he declared that fact aloud to his disciples. So this leads one to question the very tenets of Christian Ideology, the fact that in order to gain everlasting peace and joy, a soul must believe in the Christian God alone.
Now, should we accept that fact, the mind would naturally infer that God does not look for worship to It and It alone, nor does It require that a soul go through Christ. It infers that God looks for Faith, and Faith alone, regardless of what that Faith may be directed at. In saying that Christ is the way, and the only way, it could be taken many, many ways. It could mean that Christ is a catalyst, a teacher. That to enter heaven you must take his lessons.
And what were his lessons? His lessons were Love. Love of enemy, love of neighbor. Compassion, truth, and tolerance. "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone" is a very poignant moment of Teaching. This then leads us to another question, which leads to my original point. Jesus himself did not JUDGE the Pagan Roman, but declared that he had the greatest faith he had ever seen. Would this not mean that Christianity is not the only path? And that even if it were, why then would Christians judge others? Why then would so many proselytize, if they have not already judged those they are proselytizing to?
Jesus did say to go out and spread the word. He did NOT say to go door to door. In fact, his own example proves he did not do that. He merely went into a public place, spoke his message, and did what he could. He even told his acolytes that if the message was ill received, to shake the dust of that city from their feet.
Now, by no means should anyone take this little post of mine to say that all Christians are horrid people who have gotten their message wrong. Many are wonderful, sweet, and many are among my closest friends. However, I take exception to the fact that Christianity would be the only way to God.
Why? Let's look at history.
In the grand scheme of things, Christianity is not that old. It's less than 2000 years, actually. Go to India. Their religion can be traced back 7000, I believe. Shamanistic faith has been in place even longer, even back into the age of 'primitive' man, from what we can discover on cave walls and such.
Does this mean that all those souls who existed before Christianity shall perish forever in purgatory? Does this mean they shall not know salvation? How can Christianity claim that God loves humanity, if he will punish those that came before the message?
And this is not even mentioning the conflicting laws within the bible.. Just the bible. Nor does it take in the fact that Christians do in fact have a system of magic, and yet will turn around and say that magic is evil. I hate to say it, but many, if not most of them, are completely ignorant of the history and meaning behind their own faith.
*gathers thoughts again* Now, I am not a biblical scholar, but I find it odd that I know more about the bible, and approximately where to find things, than many of the Christians I know. I also find it odd that I know more about their history and their origin. Faith should be questioned, and yet many grow defensive when it is questioned. God Itself said that questioning faith is indeed a good thing. To have blind faith is not Love, it is mere obedience.
Biography: Jacquii Cooke is a 32 year old Black Poet from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As Webmistress of Poetry in Color Forum, she is devoted to the more abstract styles, especially those with a strong feminine voice that center around the topic of redemption and righting the wrongs of past transgressions.
