The Importance of Suffering, Death and Resurrection for Christians Today
The Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus holds many values for
Christians today. They are central areas of Christian faith and
worship as Jesus gave up his life for us and through the Resurrection
he has triumphed over evil. They offer us strength and hope in our
everyday lives and have given new hope and meaning to the lives of
many people.
We can see the evidence of the importance of the Suffering, Death and
Resurrection around us today. Christian faith is based on the
Suffering, Death and Resurrection and this is reflected in Christian
practices and feasts today. The most important feast in the Christian
calendar is Easter, when we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Every week
at Mass we as Catholics share in the Eucharist and commemorate Jesus'
death, remembering Jesus' words at the Last Supper, "Do this is memory
of me." We believe that at the moment of the consecration the bread
and wine literally become Jesus' body and blood. Protestants do not
believe in trans-substantiation, they do believe though that the bread
and wine symbolises Christians' unity with Christ in his death and in
his Resurrection. What we have in common though is the importance of
the Suffering, Death and Resurrection. It strengthens our faith and
calls us to pass on our faith to others, therefore the Christian faith
survives.
The Suffering, Death and Resurrection have significance for Christians
today, particularly in times of suffering and need. The suffering of
Jesus supports us through our own suffering, as we know we are not
alone, Jesus suffered too. The death of Jesus tells us of our
responsibilities, we too must 'endure our crosses' and face our
responsibilities as Jesus did. Sacrifice and suffering are part of the
pattern of Christian life, of God's plan, taking up our crosses will
help us become better Christians and help us grow in faith. We should
not despair in times of suffering but turn and pray to God as Jesus
did in Gethsemane, when he cried out, "Abba, Father take this cup away
It is clearly evident that the five principal beliefs in Christianity, the divinity and humanity of Jesus, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the nature of God and the trinity, the revelation and salvation all deeply impact on and influence the lives of its adherents.
Through the close study of two of the aspects shown in the diagram, their contributions allow Christianity to be considered a living religious tradition. The significant contributions of Pope John XXIII, during both his papal and Pre-papal life have had everlasting effects on not only Catholicism, but Christianity as a whole and lead to the sense of Christianity being a living religious tradition. His works include two Papal encyclicals, Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, along with his work being Apostolic Delegate of Greece and Turkey. Moreover, The significant practice of Baptism has further contributed to Christian being considered a living religious tradition as it accounts for the premise of most Christian beliefs to be initiated, especially in terms of salvation and affirming the beliefs in the trinity and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
It has a red ribbon tied around its middle and is then thrown off the
Christ, as the ultimate sacrifice in Christianity, gave his own life for the benefit of others. His self-sacrifice continues to this day to be celebrated in the Catholic Mass. Through communion, or receiving the Eucharist, one is able to actively partake of the fruits of that sacrifice. But how does one follow Jesus’ example? One surely cannot strive for the same kind of physical death that Jesus experienced. Thus, practice of another form of self-sacrifice becomes necessary.
... is to remember Christ, once again we are just confirming what has already bee said here. “The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they do represent something that is very holy… recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross” (Laurie 2008:nn). Laurie above sums it up well, the wine and the bread are only symbols of what really happened on the cross 2000 years ago, we must not revere the symbols or the elements but Christ and His work on the cross
...le, the scripture passage Luke 24:30-32 in the bible explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is recognised after “he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them” This is important to Christian followers, as it is the foundation of Christian beliefs. This has also impacted the way Christians practise traditional rituals and ceremonies, such as the Eucharist and Baptism. Also the scripture reference provides adherents with the knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection and how he will be “with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28), even after his death and resurrection. Thus, the ritual of Eucharist and Baptism supports adherents in seeking where Christ is in their everyday lives. Hence, the rituals and ceremonies, such as the Eucharist and Baptism are significant to Christianity, through it shaping it as a living and dynamic tradition
The concept of suffering plays an important role in Christianity, regarding such matters as moral conduct, spiritual advancement and ultimate destiny. Indeed an emphasis on suffering pervades the Gospel of Mark where, it can be argued, we are shown how to "journey through suffering" (Ditzel 2001) in the image of the "Suffering Son of Man" (Mark 8:32), Jesus Christ. Although theologians have suggested that Mark was written to strengthen the resolve of the early Christian community (Halpern 2002, Mayerfeld 2005), the underlying moral is not lost on a modern reader grappling with multifarious challenges regarding faith in the face of suffering. In his article "A Christian Response to Suffering", William Marravee (1987) describes suffering as an "experience over which we men and women continue to stumble and fall". The way we view God is crucial to the way we view suffering according to Marravee, who delineates the disparity between a view of God as an ‘outsider’ and the biblical image of God – where God is an ‘insider’ who suffers with us in our struggle. This essay seeks to explain the Christian view of suffering and the purpose suffering can have in our lives.
One thing that we often hear is that “death is just a part of life.” So often in our day and age do we hear people utter these words. However, death is far more significant and impactful than some would allege. True death is not merely a time when we cease to exist; it is an entombment, a mindset in which we are dead to this world. Throughout our lives, it is true that we can all be dead in one way or another, but it does not have to be that way. When we have our eyes opened to what death actually is, it is far easier to grasp what the true meaning of life is, and to embrace it. Often, we will come across individuals who are enveloped in death and others who are immersed in true life. The shadow of death and entombment lies upon some, encompassing
In the Christian religion, like many others, the belief in a single, ultimate, powerful being is upheld and practiced. However, unlike other monotheistic religions, the Christian belief in God is expressed in three parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This aspect of Christianity is very unique and is part of what defines it. Although some people may think so, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three separate beings. They are united as one in the Trinity, the same all-powerful God. God is the creator of all and the reason for our salvation as humans. “On the Incarnation” by St. Athanasius is a book explaining the Trinity and the process by which our Savior, Jesus Christ the Son, was revealed to us and how he redeemed us.
What will you do now? Will you fall down before your Creator and worship? Or will you listen to the voices in your ear that accuse God, and then get angry at Him? Will you worship or will you curse?” – Suffering gives you a chance to prove to yourself and to God that you really want Him. That when you go to church on Sunday or when you pray in the morning, you do not do it out of a routine but that you truly mean it. In another book, Bob Sorge wrote about intimacy with God, he said, “God-worshipers are those who come to God first in their time of need. They seek God’s face and wait on Him to receive directives for the course to take. The secret place becomes the threshold where we wait upon God, seeking His powerful intervention, and crying out to Him for wisdom and
In a time where science and materialism reign, the topic of the soul is rarely mentioned, ostensibly left in the past with the philosophers of old. Nichols, however, candidly broaches this difficult topic and gives new life to the argument that humans do indeed have an immaterial, immortal soul. Nichols summarizes several popular arguments for the existence of the soul as he builds his own argument, which discusses a soul as limited in relation to its environment as well as a soul that is one with the mind and a controller of the body. He discusses both the strengths and challenges to his argument, offering rebuttals to the challenges. Because this soul is the organizing principle of the body it is involved in the Resurrection as well, bridging the gap between the material and spiritual worlds. However, I disagree with Nichols’ assessment, instead choosing the side of materialism where an immaterial soul does not exist.
Jesus, the son of god, died on the cross and three days later he rose
This enables Christians to have a direct living connection with Christ, who gives all good things to those who ask in His name. As Christ was justified in His offering for all of humanities sin, in His death on the cross. He bore the full punishment, for the first time Christ was removed from having communion with God during His crucifixion, after which time He brought the Kingdom of God to the world. Christians are accepted into the spiritual Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit, and it is at that time they a given the gifts of the spirit to use in the service of the body of the church. To equip God’s people to do His work and to build up the church. Being in this world but not of this world is the emphasis of scripture, and it is through the experience of sanctification that Christians are set apart from this world (Gause, 2009). It is through the Holy Spirit Christians are set apart from this world and that God’s good works are seen through the body of the church. As Torrance explains the gift of the Holy Spirit is form Jesus Christ, and through communion with Christ, He gives us, His Spirit to share in His death and resurrection (Torrance, & Walker,
Baptism and communion are two rituals practiced in Christianity for the purpose of affirming a commitment to the religion. Communion is when Jesus is remembered by the drinking of wine and the eating of bread as it represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is something that is always celebrated every week at a Christian service. The spiritual aspect of communion is when Christians consume the Eucharist in belief that it is the blood and body of Jesus. This shows that the Christians are still devoted to god and his disciples are continuing to do what he asked of them. The historical meaning of Communion is recreating the meal of the Last Supper. The Last Supper occurred on the night before Jesus's death with his disciples following the resurrection of Jesus the next day. The Last Supper was when they had a traditional supper of Jesus the night before his crucifixion. Over the centuries, Christianity has evolved by forming different denominations with varying customs and practices, although, they still all believe in the Bible, the Trinity, and the teaching of the Nicene Creed. The three main branches of Christianity are Catholic, orthodox, and protestant. Other major denominations include, Angli...
As Christians, we try to think that since we are saved we are living a life like Christ but, we are missing the key points of living. In the book, “The Spirit of the Disciplines” author, Dallas Willard emphasizes the spiritual disciplines of our lives and to live like Jesus did. He mentions how the people of the world are missing the disciplines that are set for them in their lives. In Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image.” We are the people of the Lord and must do works to please our God it is a way to show our gratitude for all he has done for us. We are placed on this earth to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Based off religion, we are negatively defined as sinners and broken people while science