Please explain certain elements of the Christian religion for me?

Question

Christians believe that the only way to find salvation from their sins is though the Grace of God?

Yet how was God not able to save people from their sins without having to first crucifix his son on the cross. He is the creator of the universe.

The bible is full of contradictions, has many different versions, as well as some very strange stories that are, quite frankly, incongruous with reality.

I can understand the viewpoint of Christians who use the bible as a guide line, a set of rules by which to live your life but what about those who take every word as gospel. How do they make sense of this?

Answer 1

There is an element of faith that one must have in order to even accept that God exists. The truth is, I question a lot about my God and different happenings recorded in the Bible, but when I look outside and see giant tree grown from a little seed it makes more sense to me that an eternal Being created it than it formed over billions of years from slime on a rock. I'll never understand everything there is to know about God, I'm finite and incapable of comprehending God's complexity. I just have to trust that He is real, He created me, and He has a plan for my life. It's a comfort to know someone else is in control and that there is more to life than this world. That's the best I can explain it. I admire you asking your questions and hope that you reach a point where you can come to peace with the inconsistencies. Keep in mind that the Bible was written by men, and men are fallible beings to be sure.

Answer 2

Yes, salvation is only through the grace of God by the blood of Jesus.

The Human Race is given free will, having that, God will not make the decision for you to have salvation. The sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross is a precursor to the Resurrection of Christ in the Flesh. How else to prove to creation that God loves us and can do what he says he can do.

Why blood sacrifice? .....

The reason for that is that back in Genesis chapter 9 it tells us that life is in the blood. And you cannot get new life without death happening first and death is signified by shed blood. And so you follow this all the way through God’s dealing with the whole human race leading up to His own supreme sacrifice, which had to be a shedding of blood.

Therefore, the shedding of the blood of Jesus is an act of love and means of salvation for the human race. It wasn't that he couldn't stop the Crucifixion, Jesus, who is God in the Flesh, chose not to because he loves us.

I take the entire Bible literally Word for Word, as it is the WORD of GOD. You can't simply just read the Bible and expect it to make total sense to you. Everything in the Old Testament ties into the New Testament and much of the New Testament's ways are based on ancient Jewish Traditions. You really have to study it. Having been saved and being a follower of Christ, I pray for knowledge and understanding, and so I receive it. If you do not know God or do not want to know God, you will not see and you will not hear.

Answer 3

The reason Christianity or most other religions don't add up is because the book they look to was made in a time when people really didn't know much about the world and its workings so they had to just make stuff up. People wonder why the bible is so vague, if someone didn't know many details of the world, the person or people who wrote the bible would have to be vague so they can make up things as they go and fill in the blanks later.

Answer 4

1. Who says God couldn't have saved people another way, without crucifixion? The question should be, why did God choose cricifixtion? I can't say for sure of course, but I know it means a lot more to me to know God was willing to go to such lengths and suffer such great pain on my behalf. It is a great sign of His love for us I think.

2. Can you name 1 true contradiction? It does have many different translations (not versions). Modern translations all use the earliest Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. There are some strange stories - but that's kind of the whole idea. Would you expect them to write down the time Moses went up on a mountain to take a pee or the time he went up and talked to God?

3. Why shouldn't a Christian take every word as "gospel"?

Answer 5

The only way according to the Bible to find salvation is to accept Jesus' innocent blood that He shed on the cross.

The reason God chose this way to redeem us was because He can't stand sin, and from the beginning the only way to wipe out sin was for innocent blood to be shed (the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament). The only way for a human to be born innocent was for Him to be born without the man's seed, which is how sin is passed down.

So, God sent His Son, born of a virgin, in total innocence to sin, to die, and when His blood was shed, it ended the need for animal sacrifice because it was the sinless blood of God.

So far as the Bible having contradictions, that is a lie that has been out there for so many years. Please show me one of these contradictions- they just don't exist. I believe that God wrote the Bible, every Word of it. I do think that God is angry with those who try to write a new version of His Word and leave out things and change others. These people need to know that there are warnings in the Bible about these things.

The King James Version of the Bible is the one I trust because King James saw the need for an English translation, and hired men to translate it. These men would work miles apart, and from time to time get together and compare their translations word for word, and decide on the best wording in our language to use. I believe God used these men as well, so that we as English speaking people could read the Bible in our own language.

Answer 6

First , let me say this , The way someone is saved is through Jesus Christ . God has had problems with humans since creation . He gave man free will to choose and that is why man stumbles . Man thinks he has an answer for everything which is the main malfunction . That is also why there are so many denominations and religions today , because man thought he knew the answer for all .
The contradictions are things you do not understand , give yourself time to find what you need to know . Don't accept my word for it , the Scriptures say ,"Ask and it will be given to you , Seek and you will find , Knock and it will be opened to you ," continue to seek Him and don't quit , Jesus said ,"Come unto Me , all ye that labor and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest . Take My yoke upon you , and learn of Me , for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest unto your souls ." Don't give up on your salvation . Praise Him ! God bless you and your family .

Answer 7

Yes Christians believe that the only way to heaven is throught Jesus or God.
He died on the cross so that he could come back in 3 days to show the non-believer he was the real son of God.
The bible, yes does have many contraditiories, but you have to think, how long ago it was originally written and did any one or any thing change, ruin, steal or "put aside" parts of it?
And finally, it is great that people are strong in their faith but if you are too strict on some things then it doesn't feel like you were put on this earth for any big purpose or reson of your own.

Answer 8

i have never found a contradiction in the Bible, and there is too much to go into to say how i make sense of it except for this:

1Co 1:19 As God says in the Scriptures, "I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much."
1Co 1:20 What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish?
1Co 1:21 God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him. Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach.
1Co 1:22 Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise.
1Co 1:23 But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish.
1Co 1:24 Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen.
1Co 1:25 Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else.

1Co 2:13 Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people.
1Co 2:14 That's why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish.

1Co 3:18 Don't fool yourselves! If any of you think you are wise in the things of this world, you will have to become foolish before you can be truly wise.
1Co 3:19 This is because God considers the wisdom of this world to be foolish. It is just as the Scriptures say, "God catches the wise when they try to outsmart him."
1Co 3:20 The Scriptures also say, "The Lord knows that the plans made by wise people are useless."

Answer 9

People are not saved by grace only.

1-Hear the gospel--Acts--15:7

2-Believe the gospel--Mark 16:15-16

3-Repent of Sins--Acts17:30

4-Confess Christ--Romans 10:9-10

5-Be baptized for the remission of sins--Acts 2:38

Answer 10

It quite relies upon on the fellow and the religion, each and each and every is distinct. And what your landlord stated contained in the first paragraph isn't the reputable teachings of the Catholic Church; they're some thing your landlord picked up elsewhere and utilized to his non secular outlook. they're the evaluations of one individual; you could't extroplate *a million pattern* to the *>billion Catholics* contained in the international, a lot less different Christians besides! And many of the 2d paragraph isn't what the Catholic Church teaches both; your landlord seems heavily subsequently of technique of conservative Protestants. If someone doesn't have adequate information or isn't wise adequate to come back up with life like arguments, or they run right into a brick wall with their faith they in many circumstances use different techniques instead like those you stated.