(April 26, 2010 at 3:59 pm)True Christian Wrote: No i do not thing the same God produced the miracles from the OT and the NT. I believe the Hebrew religion is basically the same one asthe Greek or Egyptian "religions": a series of stories passed down from generation to generation and trying to explain the complex world in which they primitive people lived in. The God of the OT has a "chosen people" and pretty much kills everybody else.
However i believe that Jeuss, to be taken seriously, only could make his "new religion" (which is actually, to me, the one and only true religion) on the basis of old ones. What he basically said is "some of your rules are in accordance with God's will. However, this is how things are".
Also if Jesus' message was that much in agreement with the old religion, why would the High Priests plot to kill him ?
Why do you believe you can seperate the OT from the NT when with one single statement Christ tied them together. The statement is this Christ called the God of the OT Father. Why do you think you can seperate this relationship of Father and Son when Christ came to make this very relationship avaliable to all people. The God of the OT formed the Israeli people to bring Christ into this world and a great deal of the people who died because of Gods judgement were the Israeli people. You really need to study the OT because someone is not being truthful with you.
Why would God need to use religions of the ancient world to bring in a new one that's unlike any other religion. Actually Christ did not come to start a new religion but to fulfill the promises God gave us in the OT. He came to give us access to God so we would no longer need priest to intercede for us. This is why christianity is a personal relationship with God.
The priest saw Christ as a threat to their way of doing things they also were looking for a leader that would once and forall free them from the nations of the world and this would have to be a military king born directly to the throne.
What denomination do you belong to,I'm not sure that I know of any christian denomiantion that thinks one does not need to believe in Christ to have salvation. Salvation through works (being or doing good) is not taught in the NT.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
