In the bible, there is a strong reoccurring theme of people of poor moral character or in a position of low social status in their society making a transformation for the better within themselves after following Jesus and the word of God. When a human follows the laws and does what is asked of them, in return, the Lord is able to bless the person’s character, making them shed the skin of the negative things they may have done in the past and are still dwelling in, preforming a sort of positive reformation for their soul. Also, God never discriminates against any of his people no matter what; in his eyes everyone deserves an equal chance and a fresh start. God will save any of his creation, regardless of how bad some of the things they may have done in the past are; to Him, how we finish life is more important than how we begin it. This notion, that God can transform someone who isn’t the most righteous person into someone upstanding, appears in the Christian scriptures and also has roots within the Hebrew Scriptures; its purpose being to prove how significantly God’s presence can positively affect one’s life.
This idea is represented in places throughout the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 14-15, Jesus personally welcomes tax-gatherers and sinners to dine with him, regardless of what people were saying, refusing to differentiate between worthy and unworthy guests. He doesn’t care what people do or have done in the past; he wants to focus on spreading the good word and changing people’s characters for the better. This shows that God’s true intent lies with saving as many people as he can, not punishing people; he is a god of grace and mercy, not retribution. Jesus wants to progressively improve people who ...
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...matter what they may have done in the past, God will save them; there is no one too immoral or hated to be saved. This idea was started in the Hebrew Scriptures, with the introduction of the Social Justice tradition and is expanded in the Christian scriptures within the Gospel of Luke with Jesus’ acceptance of sinners and Saul’s radical transformation into Paul. God is willing to disregard one’s sinful actions and considerably improve their life and make them into a morally righteous Christian, enveloped in the Holy Spirit. His powers are great enough to completely change your character and whole moral fiber and he is willing to save every single one of his creations, despite their flaws. It is more important to God how you end your life rather than how you began it and if you learned from your mistakes or just dwelled in them; everyone can be renewed through Christ.
Howard Thurman in his book, “Jesus and the Disinherited” presented Jesus as a role model for the oppressed on how to find strength, freedom and peace within God and oneself. Thurman shares the story of how Jesus offered an alternative to accepting the Roman rules, like the Sadducees did in hope of being allowed to maintain their Jewish traditions; A solution to remaining silently obedient, like the Pharisees, as hatred and resentment destroyed them from within. Jesus provided an alternative solution to the Zealots of his day who resorted to physical force to advance their justified cause, often paying the ultimate cost, their life. Jesus taught love. Love of God, self, neighbor and especially your enemy. Thurman stresses that Jesus know that “it is man’s reaction to things that determines their ability to exercise power over them”.(Thurman, 18) Jesus taught and modeled the art of strength through humility. He
When judgment day comes there is nothing anyone can do to determine their fate only god. God doesn’t just look at that moment but rather your entire lifespan. God views your most caring moments to your most selfish moments, throughout life people have a choice to repent and ask for forgiveness for all their sins. If you choose to repent and to follow the right road it is almost certain you will go to heaven, but for the people who still don’t believe they go somewhere unhappy and
Abraham Lincoln, one of the most revered presidents of our country, once expressed “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” Throughout history, many men have tried to teach their people by punishment. From the times of ancient Egypt, to the Dark Ages of Europe, even up to the times of colonial America, persecution, humiliation, and torture have been used to enforce the principles of righteousness. But God has seemingly different ideas. From the very beginning, God has been teaching his children on Earth by showing them mercy instead of giving them misery. This theme is exemplified in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter as Hester and Dimmesdale suffer
It also follows that God, not as benevolent as could be hoped, prefers the maximization of good (2) as opposed to the minimization of evil (1). This is disquieting for the individual who might be the victim of suffering a “greater good.”
People need redemption from our continual sin, otherwise, we just wallow in the shallowness of that aspect of our lives. Sin stays with an individual and effects the way their lives are lived. Unless they confront their past the sin will always be present. For example, Khaled Hossei’s , The Kite Runner explains how Amir- one of the main characters in the novel redeems himself because he undergoes strong guilt from his past sins. By examining Amir’s sins in his childhood, in his teenage years and in adulthood, his attainment of atonement is revealed. Particularly Amir atones for his past sins of being an eyewitness of Hassan rape who is his most loyal and devoted servant. He is influenced by this moment because he realizes that Hassan always
It is a lesson that Jesus reiterates during his ministry, and places great emphasis upon. When asked which is the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replies, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.’” (Matthew 22:37,39-40) That loving one’s neighbor comes second to loving God Himself illustrates the importance of this fundamental doctrine. Jesus develops this principle further by explicitly expanding it to include enemies as well as neighbors. “You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (1 Cor. 5:43-45) Jesus ties being a child of God to loving one’s neighbors as well as his enemies. This further emphasizes the significance of this act, and justifies why it is such a core element of Paul’s
However, when it comes to some of the lower members within their society; true actions are shown. 16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
You see, as the story of God develops, we begin to notice that God is not primarily aimed first and foremost at social reform. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a GOOD THING—however it is not God’s primary goal. Jesus is ushering a kingdom that cannot be shaken and in this kingdom slavery is eradicated. However, first Jesus is working on kingdom people. Before he redeems the whole world and ushers in a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21) he first is ushering in a new people—Christians…and you see, the social reform this world desperately needs is enacted BY Christians who have first been redeemed
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed
We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility.
Thessalonians 4:3 says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” It is God’s goal for his people is to be blameless and holy. Once saved, we are no longer prisoner of our sin and sanctification begins. Sanctification is a process and not instantaneous. It involves you and God to make you free from sin. The process is striving to live a Christian life-style according to the word of God. In order to continue sanctification we have to put forth effort into our transformation by putting away vices and renewing our mind to be holy and just. Sanctification affects us and everyone around us and brings peace and joy into our lives. It makes us become an example to help fellowship with others in Christ and to support and grow with each other. As we grow in holiness, we aim to reflect Christ.
He also warned about the consequences of sin and the judgement of men if they do forgive. An example of this can be found in the parable of the unforgiving servant, (Matthew 18:21-35). The forgiven servant who did not show mercy to another, received judgement. The ability to forgive also releases one from judgement. In the scripture, Luke 6:37-38, it reads, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 2010, p. 1841). For all of these reasons, Jesus has taught his followers to be merciful, without judgment. Forgive others, in turn, you will be forgiven in the
Much of scripture speaks to the issues of money and taking up cause for the poor, who are among the most vulnerable in society. The Old Testament has a key theme of protecting the powerless. The powerless in biblical times were often the most financially vulnerable within society, yet God cares for them. Kyle Fedler explains that God’s favoritism seems to rest with the poor and oppressed, and to reject those members of the community, is to reject the God that so deeply loves them. Within our society we often show our favoritism not to the poor, but to the wealthy. Our society runs off of individualism. That individualism blinds us to the needs of