Chapter
8
Jesus: THE answer to life's questions
....foundation beliefs of a "literal" Biblical worldview
Why Jesus!
God's "perfect" COUNTERINTUITIVE PLAN for having an intimate, personal relationship with us humans — His creation — is simple. It is believing in Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection to give us Eternal life with Himself. That's God's plan. His only plan. And it....
STARTS when we believe in Jesus' death and resurrection to save us,
CONTINUES as we live in His mercy and grace day-by-day, and
LASTS for Eternity in Heaven with our Lord and Savior.
"Counterintuitive" is a word describing "human reasoning"
....about something we cannot fully explain or, perhaps, do not understand. Dictionaries define it as....
different from or not agreeing with what seems right or natural, and
something counterintuitive does not happen in the way we expected.
Our "INTUITIVE" human reasoning might tell us to "do some good works" to get to heaven. In so doing, ....through our own efforts, ....we PROVE TO OURSELVES that we are worthy ....and we have "earned" eternal life.
.
"COUNTER" to such "INTUITIVE" thinking....
Jesus said, “This is the only work God wants from you:
Believe in the one he has sent.”
— John 6:29 NLT
.....because....
God saved you by his grace WHEN YOU BELIEVED. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
— Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
....and why do we need salvation?....
Jesus' resurrection changes everything
God's plan may seem counterintuitive to us, but that's because He is God and we are not. ....And honestly, we humans with our "self-tendencies" ....cannot be good enough on our own to live in relationship with the Holy, Lord God Almighty.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been BORN AGAIN, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. ....For you know that God paid a ransom (ON THE CROSS) to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was paid with ....the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. ....YOUR NEW LIFE will last forever because IT COMES FROM THE ETERNAL, LIVING WORD OF GOD.
— 1 Peter 1:3,18-19,21-23 NLT
The reason for God's plan, His only plan? ....It requires we simply trust Him and respond to His TRUTH as we walk with Him through life's journey. ....So EVERYONE is equal before God.
So, here's THE REALY, REALLY BIG DEAL!
Looking again at scripture we just read....
For you have been BORN AGAIN, but not to a life that will quickly end. YOUR NEW LIFE will last forever because IT COMES FROM THE ETERNAL, LIVING WORD OF GOD.
— 1 Peter 1:23 NLT
....and that would be the risen Jesus Christ, Son of God, ....Who declared....
“I am the Alpha and the Omega — the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the One Who is, Who always was, and Who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
— Revelation 1:8 NLT
As we hold the Living Word of God in our hands
....understand we are holding the source of knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. ....It is OUR PROTECTION in the daily battles of spiritual warfare. The Bible gives us ....our spiritual weapons POWERED BY GOD.
Okay, ....this is important! After finishing this page, come back and read it again. We've gotta get this IN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS ....SO WE CAN LIVE BY IT!
Because looking ahead at coming chapters....
This world is a spiritual war zone. It is our responsibility to prepare for spiritual battles by receiving God's TRUTHS in our hearts and minds....
SEEING, BELIEVING, ....WE TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY for APPLYING Biblical TRUTHS in our lives,....
KNOWING FULL WELL, ....in spiritual warfare we gotta have God's help ....TO EVEN TRY.
As we continue reading this Open Book, we'll see in coming chapters that.... ....Jesus is indeed THE answer to life's questions ....and more!
Life's worldview questions....
Let's remind ourselves what worldview questions we are asking ....to help build our lives on a solid foundation. In chapter 2, we discussed these six questions....
How did we get here? — questions about origins.
Why are we here? — questions dealing with life's meaning.
Where are we going? — question addressing the future and afterlife.
What is true? — questions about the nature of truth and whether it is objective or subjective. If truth is objective, what is it based on? In other words, what is the source of truth?
What is right and what is wrong? — questions dealing with morality. Are right and wrong based on an objective set of moral standards, or are they subjectively based on someone's feelings, desires or standards that fit the time and place?
Who is in charge? — questions about the existence of a supreme being.
Answers to these worldview questions ....is the way we look at and explain life and the world around you. It influences what we regard as truth.
Next 3 summary chapters' questions....
So, how is Jesus THE answer to the above worldview questions? Let's summarize them in the following three chapter questions....
Why are we created as "eternal" spiritual beings living a human experience "in time"? ....This summary question answers: How did we get here?, Why are we here?, and Where are we going?
Why is Jesus the "only way" for our salvation, saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me"? ....This answers: What is true?, and What is right and what is wrong?
Why is Jesus worthy of all we are, and of dedicating our lives and gifting for His glory? ....This question answers: Who is in charge?
Answering these summary questions in chapters 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3, we'll look at a lot of scripture. ....Because we need to hear answers directly from God's Word, ....THE primary source of TRUTH....
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*Credits: cross icon from clipartcraft / Charles Spurgeon quote from princeofpreachers
