What does the Bible say - Why Jesus of Nazareth?
One of the most dazzling and controversial people in world history is Jesus of Nazareth. He passed through Palestine occupied by the Romans. He said he was the son of God and inspired thousands of people.
But he was hated by the religious elite and eventually even killed.
Around 2 billion people are committed to his name worldwide.
But there were also cruel wars and crusades that cost the lives of millions of people - all in the name of the Christian faith.
Who is this man really who preached charity and which Christianity claims to have risen from death after three days?
Who is Jesus of Nazareth really?
First of all, it should be noted that Jesus was not the only one who taught religious ideas about God. The question that every person probably asks is "Does God really exist and if so, why does he allow everything that happens in this world?"
However, because we cannot “see” God and hear it acoustically in “normal cases”, there are more answers to this question than there are people.
A large group of people don't believe in God at all. For her, he is a person about whom history has written a chapter. You see in the people who believe in Jesus, people with a longing and hope who believe in something so that they can get through their lives more easily.
For others, God is an all-encompassing energy. If we activate them in ourselves, we can use them to find our inner balance.
For many people there is not just one God, but a whole series. They see gods in certain things or in all things at all or just in nature.
And for the major religions Islam, Judaism and Christianity, God is a person. They refer to the same parentage. Abraham is considered the progenitor.
There are many more answers to this question.
And what does Jesus say about himself?
Given this diversity of beliefs, it seems natural not to insist on his religious opinion as the only correct one. But if that does happen, the world has shown in the past and still shows it today:
in the crusades
Islamist terror
"Holy" wars
And then someone comes and says: “I am the only way to God, whoever tries it without me will not make it. He will fail. "
Imagine Jesus standing on Alexanderplatz in Berlin today and claiming that. How quickly would the police be there, either to remove the madman or to protect him from the tomatoes and eggs of the passers-by?
In the Gospel of John chapter 14, verse 6 we read:
“I am the way and the truth and the life; nobody comes to the father because of me. "
Did we understand something wrong here? Or is it just an incorrect translation?
Or maybe Jesus meant:
"I know a way to God, give it a try, it's easy".
Unfortunately, everything indicates that Jesus meant it exactly as he said it. We can read it in the Gospels. In the accounts of Jesus it says: “I am the way and the truth and the life; nobody comes to the father because of me. "
The life of Jesus is one of the best preserved and documented biographies of antiquity. Even about Emperor Nero and greats like Hannibal, we know only a fraction of what we know from many sources about Jesus of Nazareth. Because there is no dispute that Jesus existed.
But that he was claiming to be the only way to God ...
Now what is claim and what is reality.
The fact that Jesus had this claim is far from proving that he was right.
After all, many religions claim to know the way to God or to know the truth. It is striking, however, that similarities between many religions seem to be greater than the differences:
All worldviews see the "bad" and the "good" in people and the need to change something for the good.
All worldviews agree that people have to behave "right" or "good" in order to get better.
Basically everyone pursues this goal in a wide variety of ways and tries more or less to achieve this goal.
Why is it different with Jesus?
Why doesn't he just allow Buddhists and Muslims to come to God in the practice of their religion?
The answer is astonishing for many who live in the "Christian" West:
Salvation through religious accomplishments or “right” behavior give a wrong picture or a wrong idea of faith!
We can see whether we follow external rules and teachings by whether our behavior corresponds to these rules. In fact, it is impossible to follow all of these rules.
We can see whether we obey the teaching of Jesus if we are aware that we can never get to this perfection in Jesus.
Jesus once said: “Come to me, you who are struggling and suffering from your burden. I will give you peace and I will take the burden off you. Stand under my guidance and learn from me. I don't come with violence and arrogance. With me you will find what gives your life meaning and peace. I mean well with you. The burden I give you is light. "
Elsewhere he said, “Therefore you should be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. "
Neither Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa, nor anyone else could ever fully fulfill this command.
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, verse 48 we read:
Therefore you should be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
In Matthew 11, verses 28-30 we read:
28 Come to me, all you who are laborious and burdened; I want to refresh you.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am meek and humble from the heart; so you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is gentle, and my burden is light.
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 19, verses 16-30 we read:
16 And behold, one came up to him and asked, Master, what good thing should I do so that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said to him, What do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good. But if you want to go to life, keep the commandments.
18 Then he asked him: Which one? Jesus said, "You shall not kill; you should not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you should not give false testimony;
19 honor father and mother "(Exodus 20: 12-16); and: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).
20 And the young man said to him, I have kept all this; what am i missing?
21 Jesus answered him, If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. and come and follow me!
22 When the youth heard the word, he went away sadly; because he had many goods.
23 But Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, it will be difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And further I say to you: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard this, they were very shocked and said, Yes, who can then be saved?
26 Jesus looked at them and said to them, It is impossible with men; but with God all things are possible.
27 And Peter began and said to him, Behold, we have left everything and have followed you; what are we given for this?
28 Jesus said to them, `` Truly, I say to you, you who have followed me will be born again when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, and also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And whoever leaves houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my name's sake will receive it a hundred times and inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are the first will be the last and the last will be the first.
In Matthew 22, verse 37 we read:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind."
How does this all come together?
If we cannot achieve the perfect, then does Jesus not demand a standard of inaccessibility and call it "easy"?
The answer is a clear no".
It is true that Jesus made it clear time and again that we humans can never bridge the gap between God's claims and our failure. Texts like the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, with their unreachable demands, force us to recognize the enormous distance between God and us.
Exactly this distance between God and us is meant by the word "sin". The bad behavior we show (like lying or stealing) only reflects this separation. But it's not the real problem.
It is, so to speak, only the symptom of an illness, but not the illness itself.
By loosening the standards and calling bad things good, any attempt to cure the "disease" must fail from the outset. All that remains is a doctrine of symptoms.
So we as humans are in a desperate situation. We cannot live up to God's demands and thus cannot overcome our separation from him. Although somewhere deep inside we feel that reconciliation with God could prove to be very important, God should really exist.
We read in the Letter to the Romans Chapter 3, Verses 10-20:
10 "There is no one who is just, not even one.
11 There is no one who is understanding; there is no one who asks about God.
12 They have all deviated and all spoiled. There is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14: 1-3).
13 Your throat is an open grave; they cheat with their tongues (Psalm 5: 10), venom is under their lips (Psalm 140: 4);
14 Her mouth is full of curse and bitterness (Psalm 10: 7).
15 Your feet hurry to shed blood;
16 on their ways there is pure harm and misery,
17 and they do not know the way of peace (Isaiah 59: 7-8).
18 There is no fear of God among them (Psalm 36: 2). "
19 But we know that what the law says it says to those who are under the law, so that everyone's mouth is shut and all the world is guilty of God.
20 because no one can be just before him through the works of the law. Because through the law comes knowledge of sin.
In the Letter to the Romans chapter 7 verses 15-24 we read:
15 Because I don't know what I'm doing. Because I don't do what I want; but what I hate, I do.
16 But if I do what I don't want, I admit that the law is good.
17 Now I do not do it, but the sin that dwells in me.
18 For I know that there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. I want to, but I can't do the good.
19 For the good that I want, I do not; but the evil that I don't want, I do.
20 But when I do what I don't want, I don't do it, but the sin that dwells in me.
21 So now I find the law that the one who wants to do the good has the bad attached to me.
22 For I enjoy God's law according to the inner man.
23 But I see another law in my limbs that contradicts the law in my mind and keeps me trapped in the law of sin that is in my limbs.
24 I miserable person! Who will deliver me from this mortified body?
But now comes the amazing thing.
It is this desperate situation that is the only appropriate situation for a person to find God.
It is only possible to do justice to God if we recognize that we cannot do it through our own efforts. That is why we have to let God take the helm, take the lead. That's what Jesus meant with, "The burden I give you is light," said.
As the?
Even if many do not see it at first glance, even in ancient Israel God showed His grace in many ways.
The Israelites had then received the law from Moses. According to this law, you had to make sacrifices to God for every guilt you had on yourself: a dove for a lie, a sheep for adultery, etc.
It is very important to know that the purpose of these sacrifices was not to appease God, as is known from many primitive peoples and ancient mythology.
The meaning was completely different:
The offerings kept reminding people of the Fall. Because God himself had taken the life of an animal to clothe man, i.e. to cover the sin.
The offerings also repeatedly made people aware that they could not meet God's standards by their own strength and would end up like God's sacrifice without God's grace.
The Israelites did not have to sacrifice for their sins, as is a common misunderstanding, because God was so bloodthirsty and adultery could be offset by the death of an animal.
Rather, the victims made it clear to people: "I cannot be good on my own, I deserve death through my behavior and I only live because God is gracious to me."
We read in the Letter to the Romans chapter 3, verses 27-28:
27 Where's the boast now? It is excluded. Which law? By the law of works? No, but through the law of faith.
28 So now we think that man is just without works of the law, only through faith.
We read in the letter to the Philippians chapter 3, verses 3-9:
3 For "we" are circumcision that we serve in the spirit of God and boast of Jesus Christ and do not rely on flesh,
4 although I could also boast of the meat. If someone else thinks they can rely on meat, I could do much more
5 whom I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew from Hebrews, a Pharisee by law,
6 A zealous persecutor of the community, blameless according to the justice required by law.
7 But what was my gain I considered harm for Christ's sake.
8 Yes, I still consider it all harm to the exuberant knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. All of this has harmed me for his sake, and I consider it filth to win Christ
9 and it will be found in him that I do not have my righteousness that comes from the law, but that comes from faith in Christ, namely the righteousness that God ascribes to faith.
We read in the Gospel of Mark chapter 8, verses 34-37:
34 And he called to himself the people and their disciples, and said to them, Whoever wants to follow me, deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will receive it.
36 For what use would it be to man if he won the whole world and harm his soul?
37 For what can man give with which he releases his soul?
In the letter to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 + 9 we read:
8 For by grace you have been saved by faith, and not from you: God's gift is
9 not from factories, so that no one can boast.
We read in the letter to the Hebrews chapter 10, verses 2-4:
2 Wouldn't the sacrifice have otherwise stopped if those who hold the service had become clean once and for all and no longer had a conscience about their sins?
3 Rather, it only reminds of sins every year.
4 For it is impossible to take away sins through the blood of bulls and goats.
God takes responsibility
So the victims in the Old Testament were just like the shadow of a central event in world history that took place about 1,500 years later in Roman-occupied Palestine, in a small place called Bethlehem.
So about 2000 years ago God himself, the creator of heaven and earth, became a human being. He was born in a stable by a virgin named Maria.
Because God had taken care of it himself, it was possible. It was possible that a male seed would emerge in Maria's womb. Many consider this unlikely. However, it shouldn't have been too much of a problem for the inventor of human beings to plant a male seed in Mary's womb in a different way than usual.
And because a child always arises from the fusion of male semen and female egg cells and inherits its parents genetically, this newborn earthly person named Jesus was literally the Son of God.
Can Jesus be human and still be God?
The boy Jesus made like any other child in the diaper. But he also had the power as an adult to heal people and forgive sins. He brought great hope to the broken world.
Many people think this is incredible and Muslims even see it as blasphemy.
But this birth had a very specific purpose: to save humanity.
Because Jesus not only wandered along the Mediterranean Sea, preached, healed the sick and cast out demons. He even turned water into wine at a wedding.
But the son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, also died at the age of 33, like a criminal on the cross on Calvary: the skull site. This is at the gates of Jerusalem. And right there, at the moment of his death, he took the consequences for all our guilt.
The consequence of our guilt was death. Born from the Fall in the Garden of Eden: "If you eat from this tree, you must die."
He carried everything! Everything where people were guilty of each other and of God.
Jesus became everything on the cross that we are: liars, deceivers, murderers, adulterers, slanders, etc. Not because he himself did these deeds. No, but because he took on our guilt.
It is as if he would say: "It is not your fault that you lied to your friend, but I, Jesus of Nazareth.
It is not your fault to have misappropriated the € 100.00, but I, Jesus of Nazareth.
"I take all the blame!"
This situation was of an unprecedented quality.
At that moment, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, the concentrated love and grace of God was concentrated. And Jesus said at the last moment of his earthly life:
"It's done. Father forgive them because they don't know what they're doing!"
For just as animal sacrifices have shown His grace to people, at this moment God showed the world what it takes to conquer sin. By becoming a victim himself, God took responsibility for our guilt.
The cross thus became a widely visible sign that we humans cannot exist of ourselves before God and that we are solely dependent on the grace of God, that God assumes responsibility.
By Jesus' death on the cross, God shows his love for the people of the world.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21 we read:
For he made the one who knew no sin into sin for us, so that we could become the righteousness before God.
In the letter to the Galatians chapter 3 verse 13 we read:
But Christ delivered us from the curse of the law, because he became the curse for us; because it is written (Deuteronomy 21:23): "Cursed is everyone who hangs on the wood"
In Isaiah chapter 53, verses 4-6, we read:
4 Indeed, he bore our sickness and took on our pain. But we thought he was the one who was plagued and struck and tortured by God.
5 But he is wounded for our iniquity and broken for our sin. The punishment lies on him for having peace, and we are healed through his wounds.
6 We all went astray like sheep, everyone looked on his way. But the LORD threw all our sins on him.
But I'm a good person.
Now the question naturally arises, why doesn't God just acknowledge my way of life and turn a blind eye to all the things that I do wrong?
It says in the Bible, he's a gracious God. He sees that I'm trying. He sees that I am doing so much good and that I have a good record.
Why does someone have to die first so that I can come to God? That is bloodthirsty.
The answer will become clearer if we question God's sense of justice and leave our traditional ideas aside:
Most people have the idea that bad deeds can be balanced with good deeds.
But that's not true. Even our own legal perception doesn't match:
A murderer has to go to prison even if he works for the socially disadvantaged.
Anyone who steals a car in the morning and works for people in need in the afternoon is still guilty of theft.
No judge in the world will simply ignore a crime because of the "good deeds".
In the letter to the Romans chapter 3, verse 20 we read:
because no one can be just before him through the works of the law. Because through the law comes knowledge of sin.
God is just and holy.
This is how the Bible describes him. Holy means: separate from evil. God has nothing to do with evil.
To be able to meet its standards, we would have to be flawless. Can a positive balance help?
It's like a piece of clothing. If there is a small smudge of dirt on this garment, it is dirty. Even if the remaining 99% of the garment is sparkling pure. Who would buy such a piece of clothing? No one! The garment would be unsaleable.
But if we're so picky, how could the holy God overlook the bad things in our lives? God does not take our guilt lightly.
He measures us by his yardstick.
Who wants to say there is no guilt? The consequent consequence of this guilt is death.
Because a holy God and unholy man don't get along.
With God there is only one sentence, whether you steal or lie or are a murderer.
With God there is only the death penalty.
However, if you leave it like that, you did the calculation without the host.
Thank God!
It is fair when man dies from sin because he is separated from God and repeatedly proves it through his deeds. But God loves us humans too much to just watch us run. This separation hurts his heart so much that he does not simply give up on us, but takes responsibility for our guilt himself. He secured this responsibility with the death of his son on the cross with us.
As soon as Jesus suffered the consequence of our separation from God, that is, death, the reason for death was removed.
When Jesus himself rose from death three days later, he made it clear what consequence this victory also has for us: The separation between God and us was removed and the reason for death thus eliminated. Death was conquered!
Physical death no longer affects our future. We continue to live even after death.
We live in the world of God!
In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 55 we read:
Death, where is your victory? Hell where's your sting
Is everything in vain without Jesus?
Yes, that is why without Jesus Christ of Nazareth all religious endeavors are in vain.
It was only because Jesus accepted the guilt of the people and thus takes responsibility for them that it became possible to have fellowship with God our Father again.
Only God could bridge the gap and build the bridge to us.
He did it in the person of Jesus. That's good news!
Unfortunately, not everyone wants to benefit from it. Because now the question comes into play:
To whom does my life belong?
Whoever holds something has the responsibility for it.
It's a simple rule. If I pick up someone else's expensive flower vase and carry it around, I'm responsible for it and have to pay for it if I drop it. But if I put it in someone else's hands, I will be rid of my responsibility. If it falls now, the other has to pay the damage.
And now I'm facing the all-important question:
Do I keep control of my life and am I also responsible for my life?
Then I have to bear the consequences and try to bridge the gap between God's holiness and myself through my own flawlessness.
The only dilemma is that we humans cannot do it. Not through good deeds, not through rituals, not through positive thinking, and also not by complying with laws and rules. No matter whether as a Buddhist, Muslim or as a Christian.
No one has ever done this and no one will ever do it.
But I also have the opportunity to put my life in the hands of God and entrust myself to him.
Because if God belongs to my life, then he is also responsible for it. And it is at this very moment that the power that comes from Jesus on the cross works. For my life too.
The separation between him and me is gone, sin is forgotten, communion with God is a reality!
What does it mean to hand over responsibility to God?
Lean back and wait for better times?
Basically and in the final analysis: yes!
It is a basic trust that I can never fall deeper than in God's hands. He catches me and carries me. He carries me wherever I end up, where sickness attacks me, stress or self-doubt plagues etc. He carries me in suffering but also in joy.
But for my actions this means the opposite. Namely no longer just to be concerned with my well-being. But to face the challenges of everyday life, to tackle them and to try to solve them. And always with God as a backing.
It doesn't matter what happens to my life anymore, because it lasts forever and is worth investing in.
God paid such a high price for me that makes my life so valuable.
Experience God in everyday life.
That means that I can trust God in everyday life too. Because he took responsibility for me.
And that allows me to ask him for advice on everything in my life. I include God's advice for my situation in my life.
When I entrust myself to God, I always make the basic assumption that God's thoughts are good and His wisdom is far ahead of my own. I will quickly have the experience in this position.
The more I involve God in my decisions, my trust in God will grow. Then I will see more and more that God's ways are better than mine. Because I can't keep up with his overview and his wisdom.
Then I suddenly see situations that others would answer with my index finger raised, with completely different eyes.
Then the engine is no longer my own advantage, but I start to adjust to God's standard.
Then the motor is the confidence that I drive better with God's ways, even if others may scoff.
Building on God when making decisions is probably the most important, and at the same time also the most exciting and fulfilling impact of a life with God.
Then I can be sure that I am forgiven even if I do things wrong.
Confessing or confessing guilt to God and / or to people is one of the most important things to achieve a satisfied life. Because it can heal emotional wounds.
If I confess my guilt to God, he is just and forgives me my guilt. He is true to his word.
If I admit my guilt to someone, it usually brings peace to my heart. But I am not entitled to forgiveness.
So basically the only question is whether I can give up my pride, my insult, or my injury and give it to God.
Or whether I do everything on my own and keep my pride, my insults and my injuries.
Whoever is willing to give the oar to God and entrust his life to him, God takes responsibility for his guilt and thus bridges the separation between man and him. Community and a personal relationship become possible.
God even goes so far as to speak of adopting us.
We can be God's children and not just say "father" but "papa" to him.
This may be a whole new experience for those who have not had a good experience with their father or who grew up without a father.
God is my dad!
In the letter to the Romans chapter 8 verse 15 we read:
Because you have not received a servant spirit that you must fear again; but you have received a childlike spirit through which we call: Abba, dear father!
The difference to the religions of the world.
And so the difference to the religions of the world becomes clear.
Because all religions try to open up ways to God or to work out God's grace, those who participate in these attempts are on the wrong track. Of course, this also applies to those who think they don't need God at all.
And that's why Christians have good news to tell people.
It is a testament to God's greatness and love for people that he considers it good if people do not strive to work for God's grace, but simply entrust themselves to him.
But this is especially difficult for people who have never been given the opportunity to build trust by their parents.
Because trust is the prerequisite for giving up one's pride and ego.
Only when a person manages to give this up can he fall completely into the outstretched arms of God. An easy and at the same time a very difficult decision.
This easy decision is so difficult that even Christians, who should actually know better, keep putting rules and morals in the place of grace to define their Christianity.
For many centuries, the Christian religions have built up a system of rules and morals that can only be broken very slowly. Martin Luther already saw the church caught in the temptation to work out or even to buy God's grace. His burning question in life was: "How do I get a gracious God?"
Luther found the answer in the capitulation to this question. We cannot make ourselves a merciful God. God is gracious and we have no choice but to admit our failure and to trust us completely.
Those who have finally recognized this will open up completely new horizons. Life suddenly gets a base. Incidentally, this recognition is called "conversion".
Not the struggle for the right way, or the right action, or the right behavior now determines everyday life. But the joy of God's grace and a life of gratitude. There is a realization that the many things, especially when dealing with other people and also with yourself, suddenly run differently than before.
Because with the childhood of God, a whole new dimension moves into our thinking and acting.
The Spirit of God, also called the "Holy Spirit"!
He is part of God in us.
He is not a better conscience.
He is God's presence.
It is a piece of God's thinking and feeling.
He makes the connection between God and us.
He consoles us in suffering.
It gives us inner peace.
So let's summarize:
So you are not automatically a Christian if you were born in a Christian country, not even if you are baptized. Not even if you go to church regularly.
Simply belonging to church institutions and even actively participating in church life or following rituals should not be confused with living faith.
Yes, not even the belief in the existence of God matters. In the Greek original, the language of the New Testament, the word "believe" means not only "believe", but above all: "entrust yourself".
Whenever Jesus or other people in the Bible speak of "faith", both resonate. Merely "holding true" does not make a Christian.
In his letter, James even puts it like this: "You believe that there is a god? The devil does that too."
The devil believes in the existence of God. Better yet, he knows. Only this knowledge doesn't help him. He continues to rebel against God. Neither does it help us to simply be convinced of the existence of God. Our knowledge must also have consequences.
Whoever does not bring his heart to God and put his life in his hands through Jesus of Nazareth, his soul will never experience the happiness and lightheartedness of a man pardoned by God.
If there is no personal relationship with God, belief in the existence of a higher power or the absolution of a priest cannot bring about salvation.
In the letter to James chapter 2, verse 19 we read:
You believe that only one is God? You are right about it; the devils believe it too and tremble.
And who has never heard of Jesus?
What about people who have never met a Christian. To whom nobody told them to entrust their lives to Jesus and therefore never had a chance to choose?
It applies to these people that they are judged by their actions. Because everyone can recognize God in nature. God has poured out his spirit on everyone. Thus every person is able to distinguish "good from bad", "right from wrong".
We read in the letter to the Romans chapter 2 verses 13-16
13 For those who "hear" the law, but who "do" the law, will not be righteous before God.
14 For if Gentiles who do not have the law do by nature what the law demands, they are law themselves, even though they do not have the law.
15 They prove that what the law demands is written in their hearts, especially since their conscience testifies to them, and also the thoughts that accuse or excuse each other -
16 on the day that God will judge people's hidden things through Christ Jesus, as my gospel testifies.
So a person (a pagan) who has never heard of Jesus is neither automatically lost nor automatically saved.
But although God gives everyone the opportunity to recognize Him, it is still worth bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to people and it is still worth hearing the message again and again.
How much worry and burden is lifted from my shoulders when I finally find out that God is actually gracious to me and loves me so much that He even takes responsibility for my life.
I have only one thing to do. I believe in the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. The Lamb of God who died for my sins on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead on the third day.
How much this knowledge would change the life of a Muslim, Hindus, Buddhist or even a Christian who worries every day whether he lives God pleasing or not, whether he has followed all the rules and done everything right!
What pressure would drop and what joie de vivre could return to your life.
In the letter to the Romans chapter 1, verses 19 + 20 we read:
19 For what can be seen of God is evident among them; because God has revealed it to them.
20 For God's invisible being, that is his eternal power and deity, has been seen from his works since the creation of the world, if one perceives them, so that they have no excuse.
In the letter to the Romans chapter 4 verse 3 we read:
Because what does Scripture say? "Abraham believed God and that was considered righteousness." (Genesis 15.6)
In Matthew 27, verses 50-54 we read:
50 But Jesus cried out again and died.
51 And behold, the curtain in the temple tore in two from top to bottom.
52 And the earth shook and the rocks tore open, and the tombs opened and many bodies of the saints who slept stood up
53 and went out of the tombs after his resurrection and came to the holy city and appeared to many.
54 But when the captain and those who guarded him with Jesus saw the earthquake and what happened there, they were very startled and said, Verily, this was the Son of God!
In the letter to the Hebrews chapter 9 verse 15 we read:
And that is why he is also the mediator of the new covenant, so that through his death, which has happened to be redeemed from the violations under the first covenant, those who are called receive the promised eternal inheritance.
Now it's your turn!
Each person is therefore faced with the choice of which attitude to adopt towards God:
1. Accept the offer of his grace, which he showed to people through Jesus Christ, and entrust his life to him
or
2. Let your pride win and reject God, put your hands on his life?
God is ready to take responsibility for your guilt. He actually did it on the cross at the gates of Jerusalem back then and it can also have an effect on your life.
But only if you allow it.
To entrust your life to God requires little effort and no particular form. It is a heart decision and you know inside whether you have already made it or not.
Trusting God with your life is like going to a loving person to sit in your lap. For example, this could be a simple prayer, like this:
God,
I want to entrust my life to you. Please be responsible for my guilt.
Pin everything I ever owe to you and other people to the cross of Calvary. Thank you that your son died there for me 2000 years ago and rose again after three days. Please let this resurrection power work in me and stop the separation between me and you.
Please move into my life and fill me with your spirit. Thank you for accepting me as your child and promising to accompany me through life and to hold your strong hand over me.
I look forward to living with you and am thankful for your love. Thank you that I can also reflect this love in everyday life.
Amen (Hebrew = that's how it should be)
Does my prayer arrive?
You can be sure that a prayer (whether spoken loudly or quietly) will arrive. Jesus said: "I stand in front of the door and knock. Whoever hears and opens my voice, I will enter".
And if you entrust yourself to him and so the power that comes from Jesus on the cross becomes effective in you, then your life will already change.
If you previously knew a lot about being a Christian and also visited a church, but everything was just theory for you, then let this knowledge come to life.
If for you Christianity has always been adhering to rules and morals and fear of God's wrath, you may now feel the relief that comes from Jesus "light burden".
If religion never made sense to you because you couldn't understand why you had to submit to outdated morals in order to be a good person, you will probably be as surprised as you are now that you were right and involved Jesus anyway, or precisely because of that, there is something to it.
In Revelation chapter 3 verse 20 we read:
See, I stand at the door and knock. If someone will hear my voice and open the door, I will go in and have the sacrament with him and he with me.
And how does it continue?
Being a Christian is exciting and not everyday. There is the regular struggle with his old habits and the challenge of finding out God's opinion in a tricky situation. You will learn to hear God's speech.
But there is also the certainty that there is no need to fear God and that if difficulties or doubts arise, you can turn to him with confidence.
hope
In any case, physical death will not harm you if Jesus rules in your life. Our body will grow old, frail and eventually die. But for God's children, the cemetery is not a terminus, but the beginning of a new, better life. Just as God's Son came to life again after three days, we will continue to live. We have this hope and that gives courage in an often hopeless world.
Contact with other Christians
If you have entrusted your life to God, it is certainly an important step to find a community with other Christians. As a Christian you can hardly live alone. Christianity is always a common thing. Fellowship with other Christians is growing together by talking about the Word of God and removing doubts together.
Read God's love letter
The Bible is often referred to as "God's love letter to people". It is not as dusty as it sometimes looks from the outside and there are many translations into a modern and understandable German with many explanations.
It makes most sense to do this in the New Testament, e.g. to start with the Gospel of Matthew because the Old Testament, the time before Jesus, is only really understandable against the background of the New Testament. But that doesn't mean that the Old and New Testaments are separate books. No, both books belong together and are ultimately to be seen as a single unit.
Talk to the Creator
And finally the most important thing. If you have entrusted your life to God, you are God's child. You started a personal relationship with him. And you have the right to speak to God.
Talking to God is called prayer. Unfortunately, our minds usually buzz around the idea of memorized verses, which we recite more or less in awe. But that is very shortened.
Of course there are pre-formulated prayers. This is particularly helpful when several people pray together, e.g. the well-known "Our Father". Preliminary prayers can also help find words where we may not have the words, especially when God is new to our lives. Songs are also often prayers.
But prayer is above all conversation and therefore normal speech, as you speak to a friend. This may be unusual for you. But you don't speak to your friends through pre-formulated poems, but rather how your beak has grown.
That's exactly what talking to God is. If we can call God "Papa", why should we have to use special words when we talk to him? So prayer can be solemn but also silly.
God loves you the way you are.
Trusting in God also means being very personal with Him. God doesn't stop at the surface. He looks into our hearts.
Therefore we can come to God with all our joys, but also with our worries, questions and reproaches. After all, he wants to accompany us in life and be a good father for us.
God's blessing
Blessing means "speaking good". So blessing means speaking well about someone.
So "blessing" is not just a good wish. Something is also happening. God's blessing has a direct impact on our lives. When God speaks, something happens.
God's blessings are often wished for when saying goodbye. So I want to end this text with a blessing for you. It would be nice if this text led to a change in your life. If not, then maybe he was food for thought.
No matter what applies to you - I wish you the following:
May God bless your life.
May he give you rest for your soul.
May he open your heart to him and give you the strength to trust him.
May God accompany you and change your life bit by bit.
May God protect you and protect you in all your ways.
It's worth staying with Jesus!