Ultimate Conclusions

 

 

Coming to the end of this book which will no doubt make many uncomfortable, I believe the following are some worthwhile comments that arise from it which may help the reader understand our comments throughout the book:

    

  

1. The wise reader (and author) should distinguish between Christianity and all other world religions.

 

•  Christianity alone claims that the unique Son of God of God has come to the earth,
•  Christianity alone claims that he was put to death and rose from the dead after three days,
•  Christianity alone claims that his death was a purposeful act of atonement whereby he carried our sins, our guilt and our punishment,
•  Christianity alone claims that God grants us forgiveness simply when we come in repentance and accepts the above claims,
•  Christianity alone claims that when that happens God declares us righteous,
•  Christianity alone claims that God then calls us adopted children and places His own Holy Spirit within us to empower us to live new lives
•  Christianity alone claims we can then live in the light of God's ongoing love, not struggling to do good to appease or please God, but living in the joy of that loving relationship.

 

Note: You may not like it or agree with the claims but those ARE the claims of Christianity that distinguish it from any other world religion.

  

     

2. The wise reader (and author) should distinguish between the Christian Gospel of Jesus Christ and religious experience.

 

•  The Christian Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ is all about receiving the love, forgiveness and redemption of God through Jesus Christ (as noted above).
•  Religion is all about how human beings try to live good lives or appease supposed deities by religious ritual and striving for goodness.
•  The Gospel is the combination of those facts listed in (1) above.
•  Religious experience, including that of Christians, is about how individual believers see to respond to that Good News, or even create their own.
•  The Gospel comprises the simple facts shown above.
•  Religious experience is about the varied and imperfect outworking of faith in that Gospel.

   

  

3. The wise reader (and author) recognises the imperfection of that experience.

 

•  Whereas each and every Christian may earnestly desire to work out that experience as fully as possible in line with Scripture and with the leading of the Holy Spirit, this side of heaven we will always do it imperfectly.
•  Although perfection may be our target, the Bible acknowledges that we will, from time to time, still fall short.
•  Grace understands this imperfection and seeks to cater for it in other believers when they do fall short, by understanding, compassion, acceptance and forgiveness (where necessary).
•  Love seeks to be there for other believers when they reveal their vulnerability or frailty, to support and encourage and help them overcome.
•  Love and grace accept that those who have not yet come to a place of acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus are at odds with God, but desire to do what they can, if they are allowed, to bring that person to understanding and belief, yet even in doing that their endeavours will be imperfect.
•  When that imperfection is seen in historical figures we can recognise their greatness while at the same time recognising that their knowledge, understanding and expression of their faith may have been limited.

 

4. The wise reader (and author) seeks to learn and understand the foundations of the Christian Faith.

 

•  Learning how the Bible came into being and why its integrity as historical literature can be upheld, must surely be a task of the wise person who wishes to understand the Christian Faith.
•  Similarly learning how the content of the Bible came into being and why its integrity as historical detail can be upheld, must also surely be a task of the wise person who wishes to understand the Christian Faith.
•  Seeking for understanding of the Christian Gospel and the New Testament teaching in particular, together with understanding of the Old Testament background, must surely also be the desire of the wise person who desires to understand the Christian Faith.
•  Failure to do these three things will result in a host of misunderstandings as evidenced by this book.