Who Is Jesus And What Does He Mean To You?

[spiritseeker]

Thanks for the great and informative reply gate keeper! I really do have alot to sort out and I have ordered a Marcus Borg book that was recommended to me to hopefully help me figure out who I believe Jesus was/is? It is a vital question that I need to answer before I can go further on my journey.

 

I know some people say it is not important but we are all individual and figuring out why I believe about Jesus is one of the most important issues in my life at the moment.

[DHAWLIA]

Thanks for the great and informative reply gate keeper! I really do have alot to sort out and I have ordered a Marcus Borg book that was recommended to me to hopefully help me figure out who I believe Jesus was/is? It is a vital question that I need to answer before I can go further on my journey.

 

I know some people say it is not important but we are all individual and figuring out why I believe about Jesus is one of the most important issues in my life at the moment.

 

I myself think the most important aspect of Jesus was/is His excellence of character and what He stood for. Jesus was able to live a perfect life of love - if what we know about Him is true. Whether He was a mere teacher, or whether He was God Himself (As many believe) He allowed Himself to be beaten, and scourged, and then nailed to a cross not only to display His great love for us, but it was also a testimony to His own excellence. He certainly could have resisted every step of the way, no? Instead, He chose to submit to our cruelty and to ask the Father to forgive us even amidst His suffering.

 

I suggest you simply take it slow, and learn as much about the man as possible. One day you will come to adopt a view that resonates within yourself. You can always further your understanding and strengthen your own character, even without having a solid view of who Jesus was. I wish you understanding and wisdom, and above these a heart to serve your fellow man.

 

Blessings,

 

GK

[spiritseeker]

I myself think the most important aspect of Jesus was/is His excellence of character and what He stood for. Jesus was able to live a perfect life of love - if what we know about Him is true. Whether He was a mere teacher, or whether He was God Himself (As many believe) He allowed Himself to be beaten, and scourged, and then nailed to a cross not only to display His great love for us, but it was also a testimony to His own excellence. He certainly could have resisted every step of the way, no? Instead, He chose to submit to our cruelty and to ask the Father to forgive us even amidst His suffering.

 

I completely agree with your statement about the character of Jesus but was he metaphysical or was he a great teacher/leader of people. Once again it is only my opinion but if he was sent from God with supernatural powers then that shows me God is personal but if Jesus was just a great human character then to me it doesnt give me that personal touch from God. I hope that make sense.

 

 

I suggest you simply take it slow, and learn as much about the man as possible. One day you will come to adopt a view that resonates within yourself. You can always further your understanding and strengthen your own character, even without having a solid view of who Jesus was. I wish you understanding and wisdom, and above these a heart to serve your fellow man.

 

Blessings,

 

GK

 

I agree again GK. I will take it slow and I will be true to myself. Yes I can live a great life without knowing who Jesus was but it does leave me spiritually empty. Hopefully upon further contemplating and learning I will find what Jesus means to me. I do know that either way he is awesome and that I love him!

[rivanna]

Seeker,

 

Perhaps you could ask yourself, do you accept the fact that everyone has a slightly different version of Jesus, or do you feel there is only one correct interpretation that you have to nail down?

 

Seems like this is where tcpc’s Point 6 applies: “By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that we are Christians who find more grace in the search for meaning than in absolute certainty, in the questions than in the answers.”

 

I liked the way October’s Autumn reponded to this – “certainty requires no faith; it is blind in the worst way. Being willing to always question things requires complete trust. It is uncomfortable, but it is at least honest and does not require one to deceive himself.”

 

Maybe reading the Marcus Borg book that you ordered will help clarify things for you.

[AllInTheNameOfProgress]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. You have definately got me thinking. I was thinking how some people on here relate to a certain picture that means something to them and it shows them what Jesus is about. I realised that I do have something like that myself.

 

For me it is music. One group in particular really get me feeling spiritually in touch with Jesus. They are Casting Crowns. Whenever I listen to them I just feel like Jesus is with me and that everything is ok. It is truly a wonderful feeling.

 

Casting Crowns is one of my favorite Christian groups as well! Which are your favorite songs? You might want to listen to "Face of Love" by Sanctus Real. It reminds me of what you are talking about in this post.

[Kyler Rush]

Jesus has come to mean too many things to me to really say what he means. I think i should start with him meaning freedom, reliability, safety, comfort, courage, and change. Freedom in that i have a choice in the decisions i make. Reliability in that he's there to catch me when I fall. Safety in that he warns me of dangers ahead. Comfort in that when I am afraid he will hold me in his arms. Courage in that he tells me I can do it, I can overcome the obstacles in front of me. Change in that while he is always the same, he is constantly changing too. To understand what I mean, read the thread I started entitled: Thoughts on God.

Seeker, GK, allow me to ask you a question. How do you see God?

I'm going through a time of seeking at the moment, so my posts won't be that deep for a while.

 

Kyler.

[DHAWLIA]

Seeker, GK, allow me to ask you a question. How do you see God?

I'm going through a time of seeking at the moment, so my posts won't be that deep for a while.

 

Kyler.

 

I've been seeking for many years, and I will continue to seek further understanding as long as there is understanding to gain. Ultimately, I see God as love, Kyler. BUT, I also see Him in all things, and I believe that all things existing are a [part] of Him. I'm somewhat a Panentheist I suppose. [God is all that exists. "I am", "All in all", or “All things“]

 

GK

[spiritseeker]

Casting Crowns is one of my favorite Christian groups as well! Which are your favorite songs? You might want to listen to "Face of Love" by Sanctus Real. It reminds me of what you are talking about in this post.

 

Hi AllInTheNameOfProgress! The message that Casting Crowns just really relates to me and does stir me up spiritually. I really like the song Voice of Truth but with their songs it is like picking between which of 3 sons I love the best. I love them all!

 

Thanks for the message on the other group. I have never heard of Sanctus Real but I will look them up now and get back to you.

 

What songs do you like from Casting Crowns?

[spiritseeker]

Jesus has come to mean too many things to me to really say what he means. I think i should start with him meaning freedom, reliability, safety, comfort, courage, and change. Freedom in that i have a choice in the decisions i make. Reliability in that he's there to catch me when I fall. Safety in that he warns me of dangers ahead. Comfort in that when I am afraid he will hold me in his arms. Courage in that he tells me I can do it, I can overcome the obstacles in front of me. Change in that while he is always the same, he is constantly changing too. To understand what I mean, read the thread I started entitled: Thoughts on God.

Seeker, GK, allow me to ask you a question. How do you see God?

I'm going through a time of seeking at the moment, so my posts won't be that deep for a while.

 

Kyler.

 

Hi Kyler,

 

I am more than happy to answer your question but please remember that I am in a position where I am trying to sort out a few things myself. Anyway here is my answer.

 

I 100% believe in God and I just have to look at nature to know that we were not put here by chance. Also when I look at the designs of humans there is just way to much complexity for their not to be an intelligent designer.

 

I dont believe in Fundamentalist Christianity because it just doesnt make sense and I do not believe that Christianity is the only way to eternal life. I have gone down the road of Deism (which is when you believe in a God/Creator) who doesnt actively participate in the world)but within my heart I just feel like there is more.

 

That has lead me to Progressive Christianity which gives me the opportunity to think for myself and believe in Jesus. Right now I am on a journey to find out what I believe about Jesus. I have been very stressed about it all the last month but just in the last few days I have managed to really focus and create a calmness that will help me get some answers. I do not know if they will be the answers that I hope for but either way I will be completely true to myself and follow that path.

[spiritseeker]

Casting Crowns is one of my favorite Christian groups as well! Which are your favorite songs? You might want to listen to "Face of Love" by Sanctus Real. It reminds me of what you are talking about in this post.

 

That song is FANTASTIC! You have definately got a grasp of where I am at. I will definately be adding their music to my Ipod. Thanks!

[Guest billmc]

For me, Jesus was a young Jewish rabbi who tried to reform Judaism in the first century. He was executed for preaching against the powers-that-be and for beginning to have a following that could cause problems between the Romans and the Jewish leaders who preferred status quo. His teachings focused on a new way of living in which everyone was invited to become part of a community where compassion and justice was lived out in meaningful relationships.

 

But who is he now? I really don't know. Many Christians insist that he now sits on a throne above the clouds, at God's right hand, waiting to come again and destroy most of the world. I personally reject this interpretation. Other Christians insist that he is a living person who has come into their hearts, sort of like a "spirit guide" who gives them daily instructions for living. I've not had this experience but I'm wary of testimonies where Jesus is said to speak to and through people.

 

So what he means to me, more than anything else, is that his life and teachings embodied a new way of living a selfless, compassionate life - a life drawing on the presence of God but flowing to others around him. Therefore, I tend to concentrate more on the general consensus of how he lived and what he taught rather than on trying to decide if/how he was a God-man or a divine spirit in a human body or other ontological considerations. I tend to see Jesus' deification as something that happened after his death, but my belief in him does not require that I believe he was Yahweh or that he now sits just above the clouds waiting to rain down God's wrath on sinners. As Spong and Borg say, Jesus was a life centered in God and in compassion for others. That is enough for me to say that I want to be that way also.