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Proper interpretation of the bible
Jesus identity
Jesus of Nazareth influence on Christianity
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“Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) is one of the most fundamental questions that Jesus asked his disciples. It is a question, from my personal viewpoint, that has a simple answer. Jesus is Lord! Needless to say, there is more to the identity of Jesus, but it is my belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the promised Savior foretold in the Old Testament by the prophets. There is an endless list that gives Jesus titles such as Ruler and King, Master and Teacher, Savior and Christ, but in Acts 2:36 Luke writes, “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus is the one who went to the Cross to bring humankind forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.
Over the years, my knowledge of Jesus has developed as I continue to become more spiritually mature. As a child, I viewed Jesus as the baby lying in the manager. I knew the importance of his existence but did not know how it affected me personally. During my spiritual journey, I have learned about Jesus through prayer, attending church, reading the Bible, various Bible study classes, and fellowship with other Christians; however, my understanding is still far from being complete. What I have been taught and what I believe to be true are usually the same but not always identical in interpretation. For that reason, it is important to continue to contemplate the Bible, which includes the study of Christology—Who is Jesus?
Jesus rarely speaks of himself as being the Messiah but his words and actions represent his authenticity as God’s son in a powerful way (Mueller 117). John starts his Gospel with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” ...
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...hope, and belief in Jesus Christ. One proof of this claim is that Christianity is the largest religion in the world today having millions of followers (“Religion”). The death of Jesus on the cross certainly revealed him as a human but the deeper meaning of his words, actions, and deeds ultimately signify his divinity.
Works Cited
Mueller, J.J. SJ, et al. Theological Foundations: Concepts and Methods for Understanding Christian Faith. Winona, MN: Saint Mary’s Press. 2007. Print.
"Religion: Year In Review 2010." Britannica Book of the Year, 2011. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. .
Saint Mary's Press College Study Bible: New American Bible. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press,
2007. Print.
One of the main principles of Christianity is the belief in both the divinity and humanity of Jesus, that these two natures are combined harmoniously in one being. In general, all modern Christians believe that Jesus was human, he was considered to be “The Word was made flesh” (John, I: 14). However, Jesus was more than just a human, despite being subjected to pain, suffering and death like all other human beings, he was sinless and also possessed the power to heal and to defy death in order to ascend, both body and spirit, into heaven. He was all man and all God, a combination of these two elements, remaining distinct but united in one being. The deity of Jesus is a non-negotiable belief in Christianity, which is referred to in many parts of scripture, “God was revealed in the flesh” (I Timothy, 3:16). The Christian faith does not perceive Jesus as God but rather a reincarnation of God, a mysterious deity who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Throughout history, controversy has surrounded the issue of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, leading to the formation of Docetism, the belief that Jesus was fully divine but not fully human, Arianism, that Jesus was superior to all of creation, but less divine than God, and Nestorius, that there were two separate persons within Jesus. This the proportion of the divine and human within Je...
Christ/God, the love and kindness, or the good, that the Christian religion conveys, or the inner happiness and the peace of mind, or the reward, that the person would inevetably achieve by following the word of Christ.
From the excerpt from the novel, “Under the Feet of Jesus” by Helena Maria Viramontes, the main character is Estrella, a young Spanish girl with a powerful desire to learn to read. Although she is persistent, her teachers refuse to educate her because they are more concerned of Estrella’s personal hygiene. This leaves Estrella resentful because of the barrier between herself and knowledge. Estrella remains silent until a man named Perfecto Flores teaches her how to read by using his expertise in hardware and tools to represent the alphabet. Viramontes depicts the heartfelt growth of Estrella through her use of tone, figurative language, and detail.
b) Biblical Foundation Many question if Jesus ever claimed to be God. First, Jesus claimed to be the unique Son of God, resulting in the Jewish leaders stoning Him ‘because you,’ the leaders said, ‘a mere man, claim to be God’ (John 10:33). On another occasion, a High Priest asked him: ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ to which Jesus replied ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven’ (Mark 14:61-62). Jesus also claimed to possess the same attributes of God. In the Bible, Jesus has never been recorded saying the exact words, “I am God.” However, Jesus’ original spectators seemed to think He said “I am the Father.” They were even ready to kill Him right there. The controversy is: Jesus didn’t have to say the specific words “I am God,” to claim this. Jesus did, however,...
“The other Jesus”; a book that reveals the true meaning of being a Christian and gives another view on the characteristics on Jesus, Garrett shows the beauty of the Gospel and how it differs from other religions views on Jesus. In studying the Christianity of the American society he gives his own personal rendition of how this chase for the true meaning of Jesus started: “When, after twenty-five years of wondering, I came back to church, I finally encountered the Other Jesus. I discovered an authentic message of love and acceptance, the one that the Other Jesus seems to be exemplifying in the Christian Testament….I discovered believers who were trying to live lives that reflected the change this Other Jesus had wrought in them. I discovered people who practiced faith as well as preached it.” (Garrett. 8)
There are four Gospels in the new testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each one writing his perspective story about Jesus, his teachings, his works, his sacrifice, and his resurrection. At the same time, they each seem to elaborate on specific elements of Jesus. The gospel of Matthew writes about the bloodline, the ancestors of Jesus. The gospel of Mark, writes about Jesus as a servant to God. The gospel of Luke, writes about Jesus being the son of a human. The gospel of John, writes about Jesus being the son of God. Having an understanding on the focus of each gospel will help the reader know Jesus and his works better. However, this essay will concentrate on “The Gospel According to Mark,” written in Bruce Manning Metzger, translator of, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version with The Apocrypha (p. 1791). The gospel of Mark is documentation of
Wright, N. T. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters. New York: HarperOne, 2011. Print.
The book, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright is a conversation of sorts between, “The Leading Liberal and Conservative Jesus Scholars” as they “Present the Heart of the Historical Jesus Debate.” In the introduction, the scholars note that the inspiration and writing of the book grew out of friendship. The book is evidence of the public and private conversations between these scholars and friends, sharing in Christian faith and practice as they work through these complex issues in hopes of understanding each other better. Both, “…acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as Lord, and [we] regard the no-holds-barred study of his actual history as a vital part of what we mean by that” (viii).
..., and the praising of false idols. It was necessary for God to become human so that we may be able to finally see our Ruler in the flesh. Through all the treacherous moments Jesus endured, He ended all corruption and opened the gates of Heaven for all. Through all these deeds we must remember that “He is in truth Son of God, Existent Word and Wisdom and Power of the Father” (Athanasius 40), and that is why nothing is impossible through God. These saving actions of Jesus are important because without this manifestation, the world would still be plagued with sin and death.
Can We Know About Jesus and had a sudden realization. Amidst my notes and scribblings in the
When Jesus asked his disciples about what people thought about him, they answered that some considered Jesus to be e prophet, some - John the Baptist. But Jesus wanted his disciples to understand his mission, the reason why God brought him to Earth. That is why it was important for him to make sure that people realize who he is and that his sayings are vital for the whole mankind. Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one, above all other prophets. He was sent to suffer for the all human beings and the reasons why his suffering was necessary are described in Mark's Gospel 8:27-9:1.
The Gospel of Luke centralizes the components of Jesus’ divinity, humanity, and ministry which contribute to the perception of Jesus portrayed by the narrator of Luke. Jesus’ divinity is demonstrated through his healings and miracles throughout the Gospel. His humanity is represented through the infancy narrative and also at the beginning of his Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane. Finally, Jesus’ public ministry serves as the most effective and important element of his life because of the essential teachings that he speaks of that give inside evidence to the formation of the modern day church.
In understanding Jesus Christ, one must first deal with the issue of the incarnation. What does it mean that “the Word became flesh” (Jn. 1:14)? Was Jesus human or was He God? In order to hold to a Jesus Christ that brings salvation, one must acknowledge that He is the God-Man, that is, that He came to earth and lived as a fully divine and yet fully human person. Just how did He do this? Though it may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around this fact, Jesus paradoxically exercised His full humanity and His full divinity simultaneously. For example, while retaining His omniscience, He faced the limits of knowledge. This can be seen in His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 where He evidenced His supernatural knowledge in knowing completely the woman’s undisclosed past. Yet in Matthew 24:36 Jesus shows limited knowledge in admitting to not knowing the hour of His second ...
Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God walked the earth trying to achieve peace for humanity. Jesus Christ suffered for humanity so that humans could live in peace with one another and with God. The evangelist Mark, who announced the gospel of Jesus, spoke of a victory. This victory was one of kind in the sense that it was not one by an emperor or a king, but by a real God; a God of truth, peace, and justice. By the birth of Jesus Christ, God had sided with the poor and the oppressed. The story of Jesus Christ begins when an angel announces to the priest Zacharias that his wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son to be named John (Luke 1:5–25). It was during Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy that an angel also appeared to Mary, who was living in Nazareth. Although she was engaged, to Joseph, Mary was still a virgin (Luke 1:34). The angel said to her:
Having little biblical background of the Christian lord, Jesus Christ, and yet having endured myriad quotations and descriptions of Jesus throughout my growing-up years in the heart of the bible belt (Memphis, Tennessee), I hope to verify the bible’s accounts of Jesus. I want to discern for myself whether the accounts of Jesus should be taken literally or figuratively. In reading the accounts of Jesus, I expect to see either contradictory or similar portrayals of Jesus. I expect to gain insight to the Christians perspective of Jesus as their savior; and will try to understand how certain words could and have been taken out of context to support particular Christian claims. Overall, I want to know the accounts of Jesus for myself so that I will have the capability to discuss his death and regarded importance with people of Christian faiths. I want the cognizance of Jesus to support my own beliefs regarding him and the Christian religion; so that I no longer have to compliantly agree with conservative Christians in religious conversations due to my unfamiliarity with the Jesus depicted in the bible.