The way some Christians preach the gospel, one can be excused for getting the idea that humans need to be saved from God, from their own Father, their own Maker.
The first Christians were a lot clearer: humans need rescue from the enemy of all humans (Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father included). The enemy from which we need salvation is death.
The Son does not need rescue from the Father and neither do we. We need to be saved from the horrific wage sin imposed on us all and on the creation when we walked away from love.
The consequences of sin are manifold but death is their common denominator. We all suffer death, not just at the end our lives but throughout them.
We will die in the end and we will die (in various ways) while we live. The promise of the gospel is that when we die we wonāt stay dead; that now because of what has happened to death in the death of our brother, Jesus Christ, to dieādaily and in the end of our lifeāis to begin actually and finally to live.
Athanasius, one of the first Christian pastors, says that God saw us falling not only into the grave but beyond the grave into non-existence. Far from this satisfying some need for justice in God, or appeasing his anger towards us, Athanasius says that God is not stingy with his kind of never-ending existence; that he wants us and the creationāas image bearers and as Godās handiworkāto share in his permanence.
So in the person of the Son, God falls with us into the grave, and further stillāto the edges of non-existenceāfalls below the furthest-falling human, so that no matter how far anyone falls we all finally fall into the body of the Son, who bears us all back into the permanence God desires for us.
This is the way the first Christians spoke of this great love. This kind of love inspires repentance. This kind of love inspires us to love everyone. This kind of love inspires us to be human as God is human in Jesus Christ.
Images: Details from āThe Son of Man,ā Christian Skredsvig, 1891, oil on canvas.
MAHA tip of the day:
I can't say this enough!
Eat more beef!
Eat more eggs!
Drop the carbs!
Eliminate processed foods!
Cook with butter!
Cut the sugar!
Drink plenty of water!
20 minutes of sunlight daily!
Check back with me in 30 days!
Your body will thank you!
MAHA!
According to U.S. federal law, Americans are required to cover all Israeli debt.
Americans are also legally required to pay the moving expenses for any jew worldwide that decides to move to Israel.
What in the actual fuck?
Thanks to @_NicoleNonya for bringing this to my attention.
šØ#BREAKING: "RELEASE THE VIRUSES ONCE TRUMP IS SWORN IN"
ā ļøVaccine researcher says multiple viruses will be unleashed on America the day after Trump takes office
āBig picture stuff coming down the pike starting on January 21st.