Quote Originally Posted by Leslie View Post
I would say it's madness.

You don't go around claiming to worship a jew who died on a cross for the sins of the world if you didn't really believe that. Paul even remarks that it was scandelous to preach such a thing to jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

He would have just said "Jesus was a good man who came to show us the right path to righteousness, but was killed before his time. We must follow in his footsteps if we are to become as he was."

That's preaching a works based salvation, which is not about repentence at all, but penence. The prophet Isaiah said that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God. The writer of Hebrews says that without the shedding of blood there is NO remission for sin.

So, that's my answer. If you take away the sacrifice, all you're left with is a jewish rabbi who was killed on the cross and is dead, and it would be foolish to worship just another "good teacher" And you would still be left in your sins.
perhaps...perhaps i have gone off me rocker...
at some point on this journey Leslie...this is exactly what i ran into.
The struggle that this blood sacrifice atones for some...not all...
and were not talkin bout just bald out evil people...but those who have not "heard'...cultures and religions all over the world from the beginning until now.
the select few who happen to "hear" the correct and one and only truth...
get the ticket.
i can't swallow that any more.
for one...i can't take a ticket , i cannot find pleasure in my own salvation, when so many others are lost and dying. and I find it very hard to believe in a God...who has less fairness and comp***ion than a teensy human nothingness like myself.

Call me mad and foolish, but I do love and worship Jesus, without thinking that his blood was a sacrifice...of the sort you mean. I do believe it was the ultimate sacrifice, willingness to give His life that others may become awakened to who God is. He was willing to lay down his entire physical being...and demonstrate with His very life and death the Greatest love of all.
I humbly bow at His feet, and offer my life and service to learn of this great love, and hope to reflect it...with every ounce of my being, at whatever cost it takes.

with love,
soms