"3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles".
"the man Christ Jesus" makes it clear that we should take on this conversation. If Jesus is the "mediator" the man who stands between us and God, the man that makes us right with God, the man who saves us, frees us, forgives us, and makes us new, we need this conversation, like we need breath. We need to study him, reflect on him, get to know him, and listen to him. My life, your life, the lives of people all around us need this conversation. Salvation is at stake, life is at stake, and hope is at stake.
"who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth". Another haunting part of this passage. God is in the business of saving and teaching us truth. Truth in our culture has become not necessary because we can make it up as we go, or whatever feels right, or whatever your friends tells you, that is your truth. I want us to wrestle with the truth and ask the tough questions. That is part of seeking truth. We are all seekers in need of truth.
God wants all people to seek Him and his truth, it is what we are created for, it is the longing of our hearts. God embraces you where ever you are on your journey of truth. Don't be afraid to ask questions, express doubts, sound silly, or not know the right answers. This is not the point of this site. We are all on a spiritual journey together, and that is why we want to have conversations and not debates. I hope our conversations lead to better questions and will in turn lead to living better and coming to know Jesus maybe in a fresh way or for the first time. If we all become better disciples of Jesus we have done something special.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
1. What words or phrases excite you, scare you, or cause you to have questions?
2. What can we do to enhance our study of Jesus as a historical figure?
3. Who is Jesus to you? ...and how is he portrayed in our culture and in the church (for good or ill)?
4. If Jesus is the mediator and the source of salvation for all humans what is our role and how do other religions fit into this plan?
5. What basic questions do you have about Jesus?
Please respond to one another in a respectful manner.
Friday, January 4, 2008
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