The pure, indescribable joy of God's love is the subtext of our existence...
20 December 2015 at 16:27
Anonymous said...
We watched this video in Sunday school a few weeks ago. It is a spectacularly concise expression of the need for a Savior, for life's true Physician. It is rare for the cosmic scale of Christ's work to be spelled out in such a very personal, intimate way. - Carter Craft
20 December 2015 at 20:17
Leo said...
The atonement is not just a covering of sins. It is a full recovery from sin and as well as from sadness, infirmity, weakness, death and alienation, and we need a savior for that recovery.
Yes, but it is in 'this world and the next'. So, Christianity should have a net-positive even when just considering this part of life.
It is perhaps conceding too much to say, implicitly, that arguments should be made using only considerations on how they affect things mundanely. For all that, Christianity does affect things mundanely.
@ajb - I think so - but this may be hard for us to judge - also I think the net-positive is in an 'educational' sense, i.e. how much we gain from the experience of life - rather than being measured in a scale of happiness.
Interesting. I think the video is also celebrating the ultimate triumph of God over evil. That after the fall, evil appeared to have successfully "broken" things, but salvation and happiness was opened to man through this greatest of all gifts from a loving God.
21 December 2015 at 02:44
This inspiring two minute video shows that it is possible to communicate solid theology simply, briefly and also movingly. It honestly contrasts the essence of life-without - and then life-with, Jesus.
The video fits well with my earlier post today, because it emphasises that the ultimate meaning is ultimate healing - that is, healing overall and in the end.
(Not complete happiness nor freedom from suffering from here and now and onwards: not necessarily, therefore, a measurably and objectively better world in terms of gross well-being.)
Therefore, it is a grossly false emphasis, as many secular people do, to try and evaluate the validity Christianity in worldly terms - in terms of what it does in this world, in this mortal life. No sense can be made of it that way - the whole exercise is self-refuting.
Yes! - the availability of real, complete and immediate forgiveness is an incalculable current Good. But for this to mean more than mere 'psychotherapy' or a 'happy pill', entails that the true perspective simply must be extended to include the eternal world after death - and then it all fits into place.
(This thought experiment must, at least, be entertained if the Christian message can be understood.)
Because it is our knowledge of the eternal, post-mortal future which makes real, meaningful, purposive (and not just wishful thinking or self-delusion) the instant and lasting joy of accepting Christ.
(Not, of course, that this 135 second video gives all the answers to all questions about Christianity! That is the work of more than a lifetime of endeavour. But a clear, basic, necessary and sufficient understanding.)
"Why we need a Saviour - the bottom-line meaning of Christmas"
6 Comments -
The pure, indescribable joy of God's love is the subtext of our existence...
20 December 2015 at 16:27
We watched this video in Sunday school a few weeks ago. It is a spectacularly concise expression of the need for a Savior, for life's true Physician. It is rare for the cosmic scale of Christ's work to be spelled out in such a very personal, intimate way.
- Carter Craft
20 December 2015 at 20:17
The atonement is not just a covering of sins. It is a full recovery from sin and as well as from sadness, infirmity, weakness, death and alienation, and we need a savior for that recovery.
20 December 2015 at 20:20
Yes, but it is in 'this world and the next'. So, Christianity should have a net-positive even when just considering this part of life.
It is perhaps conceding too much to say, implicitly, that arguments should be made using only considerations on how they affect things mundanely. For all that, Christianity does affect things mundanely.
20 December 2015 at 21:39
@ajb - I think so - but this may be hard for us to judge - also I think the net-positive is in an 'educational' sense, i.e. how much we gain from the experience of life - rather than being measured in a scale of happiness.
20 December 2015 at 22:12
Interesting. I think the video is also celebrating the ultimate triumph of God over evil. That after the fall, evil appeared to have successfully "broken" things, but salvation and happiness was opened to man through this greatest of all gifts from a loving God.
21 December 2015 at 02:44