(Berean Call)
"The Messiah and the Cross," not "The Cross and the Messiah." Nor was it the scourging, mocking, and physical abuse He suffered at the hands of men; the wicked Roman soldiers who scourged Jesus could hardly have been God's instruments for punishing Him for the sins of the world, as the Catholic film The Passion of the Christ portrays.
Isaiah 53:10 says, "It pleased the LORD to bruise him, he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin...."
Obviously, The Passion of the Christ could not possibly portray the fact that it was not the physical sufferings that saved us. What man did to the Messiah could not save, but only add to our condemnation. Ever since Eve believed the serpent's lie that physically eating the forbidden fruit would turn her into a god, her descendants have been materialists.
Materialism has carried over into everything man touches. It has turned love into physical lust. Human beings imagine that happiness and possessions are what make life worth living. The lives of many men and women are consumed with acquiring physical things and the money that purchases them. Jesus said a man's life does not consist in the abundance of things that he possesses. Jesus did not say that money is the root of all evil. In fact, it is necessary. He condemned "the love of money."
Materialism has even perverted the gospel and religious observances. This is particularly true of Roman Catholicism, a large part of which involves physical acts or objects: baptism, relics, statues, robes, etc. The bread and wine of communion, which are only symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus, through the magic of transubstantiation are allegedly turned into the physical body and blood of Jesus.
For Catholics, baptism is another physical act that "confers" salvation, yet salvation is a matter of the heart: "If thou shalt confess...the Lord Jesus, and...believe in thine heart...thou shalt be saved" (Rom 10:9).
Catholics "bring converts to heaven" through water baptism, though, like many Protestants, they think baptism only involves sprinkling the water on someone's head. Thus it can be administered to babies. Mother Teresa's "Sisters of Mercy" have been known to put a damp cloth on the foreheads of dying patients and whisper a prayer that allegedly forgives their sins and gives them free passage through death into heaven.
This "way to heaven" was forced upon many unwilling people under threat of death during the days of the Inquisitions. Catholicism was spread across Latin America with the sword. In a heated discussion, Cortez rebuked Aztec chief Montezuma for offering human sacrifices. With amazing insight, Montezuma responded, "At least we don't eat the flesh and drink the blood of our god." The Spaniards slaughtered thousands of Aztecs in their attempt to force them to submit to baptism into the Roman Catholic Church.
One need go no further south than to Mexico to see the effects of Roman Catholicism in its continuing dominance throughout Latin America. Evangelicals attempting to bring the gospel to Latin America still encounter stiff opposition from the priests in every town and city.
Common sense recognizes that forcing one to "believe" something is a futile effort. There is an old saying, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." Yet in Islam, force is the main means of "conversion." Muhammad even boasted that to become a Muslim, one does not need to believe.
The Messiah simply said to Jews and Gentiles, "Follow Me," an invitation that may be accepted or rejected. The Bible ends with this gracious offer, "Whosoever will may come."
The Messiah, who came to the world through Israel, forces nothing upon anyone. One is free to choose hell or heaven. Jesus paid the penalty for all of mankind's sin, but this payment is effective only for those who believe and receive His sacrifice on their behalf. Tragically, most Jews still remain resistant to the salvation that God offers through the promised Messiah.
"The Messiah and the Cross," not "The Cross and the Messiah." Nor was it the scourging, mocking, and physical abuse He suffered at the hands of men; the wicked Roman soldiers who scourged Jesus could hardly have been God's instruments for punishing Him for the sins of the world, as the Catholic film The Passion of the Christ portrays.
Isaiah 53:10 says, "It pleased the LORD to bruise him, he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin...."
Obviously, The Passion of the Christ could not possibly portray the fact that it was not the physical sufferings that saved us. What man did to the Messiah could not save, but only add to our condemnation. Ever since Eve believed the serpent's lie that physically eating the forbidden fruit would turn her into a god, her descendants have been materialists.
Materialism has carried over into everything man touches. It has turned love into physical lust. Human beings imagine that happiness and possessions are what make life worth living. The lives of many men and women are consumed with acquiring physical things and the money that purchases them. Jesus said a man's life does not consist in the abundance of things that he possesses. Jesus did not say that money is the root of all evil. In fact, it is necessary. He condemned "the love of money."
Materialism has even perverted the gospel and religious observances. This is particularly true of Roman Catholicism, a large part of which involves physical acts or objects: baptism, relics, statues, robes, etc. The bread and wine of communion, which are only symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus, through the magic of transubstantiation are allegedly turned into the physical body and blood of Jesus.
For Catholics, baptism is another physical act that "confers" salvation, yet salvation is a matter of the heart: "If thou shalt confess...the Lord Jesus, and...believe in thine heart...thou shalt be saved" (Rom 10:9).
Catholics "bring converts to heaven" through water baptism, though, like many Protestants, they think baptism only involves sprinkling the water on someone's head. Thus it can be administered to babies. Mother Teresa's "Sisters of Mercy" have been known to put a damp cloth on the foreheads of dying patients and whisper a prayer that allegedly forgives their sins and gives them free passage through death into heaven.
This "way to heaven" was forced upon many unwilling people under threat of death during the days of the Inquisitions. Catholicism was spread across Latin America with the sword. In a heated discussion, Cortez rebuked Aztec chief Montezuma for offering human sacrifices. With amazing insight, Montezuma responded, "At least we don't eat the flesh and drink the blood of our god." The Spaniards slaughtered thousands of Aztecs in their attempt to force them to submit to baptism into the Roman Catholic Church.
One need go no further south than to Mexico to see the effects of Roman Catholicism in its continuing dominance throughout Latin America. Evangelicals attempting to bring the gospel to Latin America still encounter stiff opposition from the priests in every town and city.
Common sense recognizes that forcing one to "believe" something is a futile effort. There is an old saying, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." Yet in Islam, force is the main means of "conversion." Muhammad even boasted that to become a Muslim, one does not need to believe.
The Messiah simply said to Jews and Gentiles, "Follow Me," an invitation that may be accepted or rejected. The Bible ends with this gracious offer, "Whosoever will may come."
The Messiah, who came to the world through Israel, forces nothing upon anyone. One is free to choose hell or heaven. Jesus paid the penalty for all of mankind's sin, but this payment is effective only for those who believe and receive His sacrifice on their behalf. Tragically, most Jews still remain resistant to the salvation that God offers through the promised Messiah.
