@happyme - We’ve been writing back and forth so often that I didn’t realize I had not responded to this comment. I thought we had moved to the chat room, but when I left a DM there, you had already visited and gone. Such are the challenges of finding an immediate interface. I wrote a very long reply that disappeared into a place called, “loading,” from which it never returned. So here we go.
Your most important paragraph begins with the sentence, “I hope it doesn’t destroy our mutual respect for each other if I tell you that I am not a Christian.”
Of course not. That could never happen. Respect is not based on religious beliefs. Respect is earned by conduct and character. When compared with the standard we claim to emulate, Jesus Christ Himself, most “Christians” are not. I’ve just been stalked all over YouTube by a name-changing avatar and troll who pretends to have been “researching” Biblical text for more than 40 years. But the behavior was so psychopathic and abusive that I finally warned him that cyberstalking is against the law and if he were reported and located, he would be arrested.
The simplicity of faith in Jesus Christ is not initially theological but experiential. “We love Him because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
God created each soul with an intrinsic desire to seek Him, an intrinsic ability to recognize Him, and an intrinsic capacity to know Him intimately. As Creator, He is the only Being in the universe Who has that power, and by that power He cannot be confused with or mistaken for any created being. He is unique, inimitable, approachable, and His greatest longing is that we, His creation, respond to His love. When we simply ask, “God, who are you?” He answers, “And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29-13
This is a promise from God Himself which can never be broken. So the journey begins there.
You write, "It is in the interpretations where I sometimes have a difficult time finding agreement."
Yes, it is quite impossible for lies and truth to agree, and that sentence has caused religious wars since Cain killed Abel. But God doesn't begin with theological debates. He begins with an invitation to form an exclusive relationship with Himself, a relationship that will never end and cannot be intruded upon. In that unique and deeply personal union, He reveals Himself. His name is Jesus.
Thank-you!
I suspected you were more logical about such issues, but there are some who claim to be highly "Christian" yet fail to live by the "word". They immediately feel superior and look upon others as less than human if you don't belong to their 'society'.
@happyme - Yes, those "Christians" mistreat everyone including other believers. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes immersed themselves in Mosaic law and the writings of the prophets yet failed to recognize the Messiah Himself when he lived among them. And they were also the spiritual leaders who conspired to have Him crucified. When Jesus exhorts believers to take up the cross and follow Him, He literally means that everyone who confesses sin, begs forgiveness, and asks to be cleansed and restored to the original image of God in Christ Jesus should also follow Him to the cross according to our individual calling. Peter writes, "Make your calling and election sure." - 2 Peter 1:10
Biblical Christianity is an eternal commitment to live in Christ and to repent when we fail to do so. Neither the Crusades nor the Spanish Inquisition nor the Salem witch trials reflected the Spirit of God. Our only commandment is to love God, love one another, love our neighbors and our enemies, speak the truth in love, and leave the rest to the Father through the Son by the Spirit. That is already a great deal and much more than many of us have demonstrated.
Amen to that!