To be Born Again
We accept that Jesus was a great spiritual master who showed us the way to our spiritual enlightenment. In his various messages he told us the different things required of us to be admitted into the Kingdom of God. A major criteria for admission to the Kingdom of God is to be born again. Refer to
Joh:3:3: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh:3:5: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus specifically said that unless you are born again you will not enter the Kingdom of God. As mentioned above Christianity who profess to follow Jesus, has thousands of denominations within the one religion and accordingly the concept of "born again" is also explained in thousands of different ways. Once again this controversy needs deep thought and analysis. A man or woman already born can not be born again in flesh. So this concept of being born again preached by Jesus refers to the spiritual birth of a human and not the natural fleshly birth.
How can a human be born again in spirit? A straight forward answer for this which any ordinary human can understand easily is not given in the Bible. The Apostles have tried to explain this concept but have failed to give a simple answer. Instead they make it so complicated that the preachers have been able to interpret their explanations in many different ways to suit their own purpose and doctrine. But we need a simple answer to this question, one that can be understood easily by all humans. This is important because all humans want to enter into the Kingdom of God and NOT only the intelligent or the blind believers of the human species.
Further Being born again is the only way to attain ETERNAL LIFE as professed by the gospels and the other books of the New Testament. So we need to know the true meaning of this concept of being born again. I do not pretend to be a scholar of scripture or a spiritual master. I am a simple ordinary human being in search of the truth about spirituality. Accordingly in my own humble way, I have been searching for an answer to this concept and here I place my own belief of the meaning of "Being Born again" for your consideration. I am open to suggestions on this subject as I do not claim to know all.
When we are born the first time to our parents, we are of flesh (in the womb a child is surrounded by water) and a normal human being does not give any importance to the spirit that resides within and gives life to the body. We assume that we are this body and live accordingly with the permanent fear that some day we will die. In such a state our importance goes to this body and the needs and pleasures/pain concerning this body. We normally do not think of the spirit that resides within us which is our life. I am saying this about a normal human being. It is of course possible that some of us may be aware of our spirit from early age and would know the difference between our bodily existence and the spirit that gives life to us and makes our body a living body.
It is my humble belief that when we realize that we are NOT this body but are really A SPIRIT BEING temporarily residing in this body and that our spirit has no end (death) and has eternal life, it is then that we are born again. Once we realize our spirit existence, it is then that we give more importance to our spirit and know that this body is mortal but not us who are spirit beings. It is then that we realize our ETERNAL EXISTANCE. This is the ETERNAL LIFE all humans are searching for.
As I said earlier this is my humble belief and I am open to suggestions on this subject.
All feedback welcome
Copyright © 03/15/2007 Joel Raja Kumar J (a k a) Poet Raja
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Redemption And Salvation - 2
Jesus as Messiah
In the old Testament of the Bible from the first book Genesis to the last book Malachy, it has been prophesied that God will send his messiah to redeem humanity from this original sin. Please refer
Ge:3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Mal:3:1: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Isa:7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa:9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa:59:20: And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Some of these prophecies are interpreted to say that God will send his only begotten son to redeem humanity. The prophecies also confirm that the messiah will redeem humanity by sacrificing himself and his blood will redeem humanity from the original sin.
The gospels of the New Testament claims Jesus is the messiah and son of God. It also further says that Jesus was born of a virgin and hence pure and devoid of the original sin. Everyone knows the story of crucification and resurrection and so I am not mentioning it.
But here again a thinking man begins to wonder about the Bible prophecies and the advent of Jesus.
The first question is whether Jesus was born of a virgin. The prophecies clearly mention that the messiah will come from the roots of Jessie, in other words in the genealogy of King David who was of the Jewish tribe. Mary, the mother of Jesus, being the cousin of Elizabeth, can not be a Jew. Zacharias, father of John the Baptist is a Rabbi and only the tribe of Levi and descendents of Aaron could become rabbis. It is quite possible that Mary, the mother of Jesus was also a Levite.
As you will all agree, if Jesus was born of Mary alone then he can not be from the root of Jessie, the father of King David. If the people who call themselves believers of Jesus insist upon virgin birth then they are defying the prophecy of the old testament.
Lu:1:36: And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
In order to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, it becomes imperative that Jesus is the biological son of Joseph whose lineage is traced back to King David in the gospels. If Jesus was born of Virgin Mary then he is NOT the messiah, the Old Testament has prophesied.
Isa:11:10: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Yet Christianity assures us that Jesus is the messiah and goes on to elaborate that Jesus by sacrificing himself on the cross and shedding his blood has redeemed us from the original sin. All one has to do is believe in Jesus as the messiah and you are redeemed from the original sin. Of course various denominations of the Christianity give different definition for redemption by the blood of Jesus and we all know that Christianity has thousands of denominations and in turn has thousands of interpretations for redemption.
It must be stressed here that only those who believe in the Original sin has a need for redemption and a messiah. However logical analysis of the Bible and God clearly shows us that there can not be a original sin and we can not be born sinners. As such the question of redemption by a messiah, be it Jesus or anyone else becomes null and void. Humanity can safely accept Jesus as a great spiritual master and no more.
Further today’s Christianity has exalted Jesus to divinity and claims that he is the son of God and so he is God. Here again one has to think and analyze the facts. If Jesus is the son of God as the gospels of the New Testament claim, then surely he must have a mother. In other words God can not have a son without the aid of a female divinity. Nowhere in the Bible, be it Old Testament or New Testament, the feminine divinity is acknowledged. On the contrary, the scripture tries hard to convince us that there is only one God, the father and no other gods or goddesses. Christians willing to accept Jesus as the son of God are unwilling to admit the possibility of a female deity.
It must be noted that the Bible says that God sent his ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to redeem humanity। The gospels and the subsequent books of the New Testament assures us Jesus is the only begotten son of God and God in his kindness has sent his own son to be sacrificed for our sins. God is the creator of this universe which we all admit. At the same time no creation of God can be called as his only begotten son. To be the only begotten son of God, the son must positively have a mother, a goddess or a human female. Neither is acknowledged by the scripture and those who questioned this shortcoming were persecuted.
All feedback welcome
Copyright © 03/15/2007 Joel Raja Kumar J (a k a) Poet Raja
In the old Testament of the Bible from the first book Genesis to the last book Malachy, it has been prophesied that God will send his messiah to redeem humanity from this original sin. Please refer
Ge:3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Mal:3:1: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Isa:7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa:9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa:59:20: And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Some of these prophecies are interpreted to say that God will send his only begotten son to redeem humanity. The prophecies also confirm that the messiah will redeem humanity by sacrificing himself and his blood will redeem humanity from the original sin.
The gospels of the New Testament claims Jesus is the messiah and son of God. It also further says that Jesus was born of a virgin and hence pure and devoid of the original sin. Everyone knows the story of crucification and resurrection and so I am not mentioning it.
But here again a thinking man begins to wonder about the Bible prophecies and the advent of Jesus.
The first question is whether Jesus was born of a virgin. The prophecies clearly mention that the messiah will come from the roots of Jessie, in other words in the genealogy of King David who was of the Jewish tribe. Mary, the mother of Jesus, being the cousin of Elizabeth, can not be a Jew. Zacharias, father of John the Baptist is a Rabbi and only the tribe of Levi and descendents of Aaron could become rabbis. It is quite possible that Mary, the mother of Jesus was also a Levite.
As you will all agree, if Jesus was born of Mary alone then he can not be from the root of Jessie, the father of King David. If the people who call themselves believers of Jesus insist upon virgin birth then they are defying the prophecy of the old testament.
Lu:1:36: And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
In order to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, it becomes imperative that Jesus is the biological son of Joseph whose lineage is traced back to King David in the gospels. If Jesus was born of Virgin Mary then he is NOT the messiah, the Old Testament has prophesied.
Isa:11:10: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Yet Christianity assures us that Jesus is the messiah and goes on to elaborate that Jesus by sacrificing himself on the cross and shedding his blood has redeemed us from the original sin. All one has to do is believe in Jesus as the messiah and you are redeemed from the original sin. Of course various denominations of the Christianity give different definition for redemption by the blood of Jesus and we all know that Christianity has thousands of denominations and in turn has thousands of interpretations for redemption.
It must be stressed here that only those who believe in the Original sin has a need for redemption and a messiah. However logical analysis of the Bible and God clearly shows us that there can not be a original sin and we can not be born sinners. As such the question of redemption by a messiah, be it Jesus or anyone else becomes null and void. Humanity can safely accept Jesus as a great spiritual master and no more.
Further today’s Christianity has exalted Jesus to divinity and claims that he is the son of God and so he is God. Here again one has to think and analyze the facts. If Jesus is the son of God as the gospels of the New Testament claim, then surely he must have a mother. In other words God can not have a son without the aid of a female divinity. Nowhere in the Bible, be it Old Testament or New Testament, the feminine divinity is acknowledged. On the contrary, the scripture tries hard to convince us that there is only one God, the father and no other gods or goddesses. Christians willing to accept Jesus as the son of God are unwilling to admit the possibility of a female deity.
It must be noted that the Bible says that God sent his ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to redeem humanity। The gospels and the subsequent books of the New Testament assures us Jesus is the only begotten son of God and God in his kindness has sent his own son to be sacrificed for our sins. God is the creator of this universe which we all admit. At the same time no creation of God can be called as his only begotten son. To be the only begotten son of God, the son must positively have a mother, a goddess or a human female. Neither is acknowledged by the scripture and those who questioned this shortcoming were persecuted.
All feedback welcome
Copyright © 03/15/2007 Joel Raja Kumar J (a k a) Poet Raja
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Redemption And Salvation
Original Sin
We normal human beings believe that the God we worship is filled with compassion, love and forgiving. Almost all religions of the world also proclaim that their Gods/Goddesses advocate compassion, love and forgiveness. Yet here we are laden with s sin committed by the first man and woman who did not obey the command of God according to the Bible. Three of the major religions of the world, Jewish, Christianity and Islam affirm to their followers that they are born sinners because their first father and mother committed a crime.
This affirmation in turn creates a guilt feeling among the followers of the respective religion and this guilt feeling leads them to fear God because as born sinners we are subject to punishment. The same holy books also suggest or rather gives humanity a promise that a messiah will some day come and redeem us from this original sin. The messianic figure is exalted by these religions as the messenger of Gods or the son of God or the God himself.
For a thinking man or woman this does not sound reasonable or logical because a God portrayed as a compassionate, loving and forgiving God, can not be so cruel as to make all future generation answerable for a sin committed by the first man and woman. We humble humanity in our innocence would believe that a God who is compassionate, loving and forgiving would have long since forgiven this sin of the first man and woman. But the scripture denies this attribute of forgiveness on the part of God and assures us that God is not compassionate, loving and forgiving but is punitive. The same scripture also assures the followers that God is righteous and impartial.
One begins to wonder why this contradiction and comes to the only possible conclusion that the religious elite are using this guilt feeling and the subsequent fear of the innocent followers to control them. They further impose upon the innocent followers more laws from the scripture and scare the innocent followers into submission. The fear of retribution makes the innocent followers of these religions to diligently follow the law of the scripture without questions. Any opposition from the followers who may opt to question the rationality of the doctrine are appropriately dealt with either by severe punishment or by death.
To add to the fear of the innocent followers the concept of heaven and hell are propagated, a promise of heaven to the obedient and hell for the disobedient. Any logical person will naturally assume that a God who is compassionate, loving and forgiving would have forgiven the first couple of their sin, in which case the question of redemption does not arise. When we think deeply on this subject it becomes doubly obvious that the original sin does not exist and that we are NOT born sinners but pans in the hands of the religious leaders.
All feedback welcome
Copyright © 03/15/2007 Joel Raja Kumar J (a k a) Poet Raja
We normal human beings believe that the God we worship is filled with compassion, love and forgiving. Almost all religions of the world also proclaim that their Gods/Goddesses advocate compassion, love and forgiveness. Yet here we are laden with s sin committed by the first man and woman who did not obey the command of God according to the Bible. Three of the major religions of the world, Jewish, Christianity and Islam affirm to their followers that they are born sinners because their first father and mother committed a crime.
This affirmation in turn creates a guilt feeling among the followers of the respective religion and this guilt feeling leads them to fear God because as born sinners we are subject to punishment. The same holy books also suggest or rather gives humanity a promise that a messiah will some day come and redeem us from this original sin. The messianic figure is exalted by these religions as the messenger of Gods or the son of God or the God himself.
For a thinking man or woman this does not sound reasonable or logical because a God portrayed as a compassionate, loving and forgiving God, can not be so cruel as to make all future generation answerable for a sin committed by the first man and woman. We humble humanity in our innocence would believe that a God who is compassionate, loving and forgiving would have long since forgiven this sin of the first man and woman. But the scripture denies this attribute of forgiveness on the part of God and assures us that God is not compassionate, loving and forgiving but is punitive. The same scripture also assures the followers that God is righteous and impartial.
One begins to wonder why this contradiction and comes to the only possible conclusion that the religious elite are using this guilt feeling and the subsequent fear of the innocent followers to control them. They further impose upon the innocent followers more laws from the scripture and scare the innocent followers into submission. The fear of retribution makes the innocent followers of these religions to diligently follow the law of the scripture without questions. Any opposition from the followers who may opt to question the rationality of the doctrine are appropriately dealt with either by severe punishment or by death.
To add to the fear of the innocent followers the concept of heaven and hell are propagated, a promise of heaven to the obedient and hell for the disobedient. Any logical person will naturally assume that a God who is compassionate, loving and forgiving would have forgiven the first couple of their sin, in which case the question of redemption does not arise. When we think deeply on this subject it becomes doubly obvious that the original sin does not exist and that we are NOT born sinners but pans in the hands of the religious leaders.
All feedback welcome
Copyright © 03/15/2007 Joel Raja Kumar J (a k a) Poet Raja
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