Give reasons for your answer please, showing that you have thought about more than one point of view.
GCSE RE question on Jesus' authority
2007-10-31 08:57:57 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No. It didn't mean that much at the time!
2007-10-31 09:00:05 · answer #1 · answered by Avondrow 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
What a great question :)
People often confuse "old" with "useless." And it's easy to see why. Why would we want an old 1955 television when we can have a flat screen television mounted on our wall with a speaker system that will blow the neighbor's house away?
Why would we want a rotory phone when we can have a cell phone that we simply have to talk into to get it to call our friends?
Why would we want an AOL account when we can have a real internet account?
The fact is, when time goes on, certain things do get better. In fact, most things in life get better this way. But this isn't true in every situation. Televisions may have gotten better, but if a writer of television comedies isn't familiar with "I Love Lucy" or "All In the Family," they're really not going to do well as a writer for a television sitcom. The same thing holds true of religious writings.
If a person cannot understand the faith perspective they are writing from, they won't really understand what they are writing about. Mark's Gospel is very important because it was the first of the 4 Gospels written. Matthew and Luke derive most of their material from Mark's Gospel. And people today still read the Gospels as inspired texts. So if you want to better understand the Christian faith, the faith of millions of people around the world, one way to do that is to study the Gospels.
The more simplified answer is this. Something is only important if people give important significance to it in their life. The Gospels definitely do that to a LOT of people. Hence, it is important.
Matt
2007-10-31 16:12:08 · answer #2 · answered by mattfromasia 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Mark's Gospel is still relevant today, though it probably is not as relevant as it was when it was written.
This is because each of the four Gospels were written for a target audience. Matthew was written for the Jews, Mark was written for the Romans, Luke was written for the Gentiles and John was written for the Christians.
Since the Roman society is largely a thing of the past, the targeted audience is likewise gone. The truth of the Gospel remains true and the same, however, and many of the truths contained in Mark are just as valid today as they were then, but the target audience for which Mark was written is gone.
So in short, it is not as relevant, but it is still just as valid. Do not make the mistake of confusing the two.
2007-10-31 16:10:57 · answer #3 · answered by sparc77 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
People haven't changed in 2000 years. We're still warring and whoring, still as selfish as ever. In other words we're still the people the Gospel was written for, so, yes, it still means something for people today.
2007-10-31 18:16:09 · answer #4 · answered by Michael G 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We are privileged to have this written record of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to teach us its meaning. Those who have placed our faith in Him must be people of action and obey His last command, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). The disciples obeyed (as recorded in the Book of the Acts), and so must we. At His return we will bow before Him in worship and praise.
2007-10-31 16:04:07 · answer #5 · answered by Freedom 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Every Part of the New Testament is needed today, and cherished. With out it, this world would be in total kayos. Some government officials still remain true to the Bible, or we would certainly be a nation in trouble.
2007-10-31 16:03:15 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, everything has meaning for today, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Johns testimony tells of Jesus Christ, We need to listen, this is powerful, If we do not have Jesus in our lives then what are we, we will pay our punishment for our sins, Jesus did that for us, but unless we believe then we will have too.,
2007-10-31 16:03:03 · answer #7 · answered by Lynn C 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Read it yourself and make up your own mind. It's amazing how the themes of the Gospels still reverberate with what we are going through today - ESPECIALLY in the last 4 years.
2007-10-31 16:05:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No.
Firstly, it's not that old,
secondly it belonged to a small cult like following, it remained so until Emperor Constantine decided it should be 'the' religion of Rome.
Need I go on.
It was twaddle and drivel from the start.
Still is, as are all these books.
2007-10-31 17:36:35 · answer #9 · answered by wolfe_tone43 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The mathematical tables are a great deal older.
Real truth does not alter with time
2007-10-31 16:31:25 · answer #10 · answered by alan h 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Even though the culture of the Bible has changed the essence of God's word does not change. It is read exegesis (to lead out of) not eisegesis (to put into to).
2007-10-31 16:11:11 · answer #11 · answered by 9_ladydi 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋