The Cross of Christ - The Need for The Atonement

The Christian faith centres on the study of the person and work of Jesus. To which the crucial, the crux is what happened to Him on the cross. Therefore it is essential that Christians have some understanding of the meaning of the cross.

Today the significance and necessity of the cross has been questioned not only outwith but also within the Church. Sadly many peole today are not overly concerned with exploring the depths and riches of the atonement, because they are not convinced of the need for it. People are not Christians because they are not persuaded of the truth claims of Christianity, but rather because they are not persuaded of their need for it. They may say "yes, that is all very well, but I do not feel that I need Jesus, the church or Christianity". They don't see themselves as being accountable to God and even if they do many believe that God isn't concerned with how they live, after all "boys will be boys".

It is only when there is recognition of a holy God and that our sins are an offence against this holy God that we can see the need for a saviour. Only when people see the real identity and mission of Jesus, can they start to see their personal need for Him.

Many in our society (again both inside and outside the church) believe that they are justified not by faith alone, nor by good works, nor by a combination of both but instead they believe they are justification by death. Effectively they are saying that an atonement is not necessary. This theology is called palagianism, which is at best sub christian and at worst anti Christian,as at its heart is the denial of the atonement provided by Jesus on the cross. They hold the view that Jesus died merely as a moral example and to provide inspiration by his self sacrifice. But if we take away the reconciling effect of Jesus Christ from the New Testement we are left with nothing but moralism. In palagianism there is no saviour, purely because no such salvation is necessary.

In contrast the bible identifies that atonement for sin was absolutely necessary for any of us to be reconciled to God. I hope to post a further blog on why this is necessary.

The above was an adaptation of a talk delivered by R.C. Sproul entitled 'the need for atonement'.

How does somebody find out about Christianity?...

Following several interesting weeks where I have been asked by several friends about what it is (that is what it means) to be a Christian it has prompted me give some thought to how I answer this question.
How does somebody find out about Christianity?...
As Carson in his book "The God Who Is There" explains... They may decide to do a brief survey of the history of the Christian church, or they may decide to analyze what Christians in various parts of the world believe, but ultimately the best way to find out about Christianity is to examine it's foundational documents of which there are 66.  These documents were written over a period of 1,500 years in three languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  So the Bibles that we read today are translations of what was first written in these languages.  The 66 documents vary in length, form and literature genre, some are letters, some oracles, others poetry, laments, genealogies, some are written in what is called 'apocalyptic' style using astonishing symbolism that we are not familiar with in the 21st century.  These foundational documents make up "the Book" (the Bible).  Christians (of which I am one) insist that God reveals himself to us in these documents.
There was a time not all that long ago that people in the Western world knew the bible, they may not have believed in the Bible but they had read it and had a relatively (to today's standard anyway) good understanding of it.  That day has passed and if we were to stand on the streets of the communities in which we live many will have little or often no idea of how the bible fits together.
So I would urge you whether you are an atheist, agnostic, christian or of another faith to read and study the 66 foundational documents of the Christian faith for yourself.

Why A Blog?

"Most people - even most Christians - do not have a basic knowledge of the Bible.  How can we understand the story of God - and our part in it - when we're not familiar with it?"  D.A. Carson, 'The God Who is There'

My hope is that this blog will allow me the opportunity to share my notes (thoughts) on various books that I have read and am reading that illuminate the beauty of the living God that created everything and whom seeks relationship with ordinary people like you and I.

I have decided to start with a book written by the Canadian theologian D.A. Carson.  The book 'The God Who Is There' was written as a basic introduction to Christian faith.
 
The book is made up of 14 chapters:
1. The God Who Made Everything
2. The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels
3. The God Who Writes His Own Agreements
4. The God Who Legislates
5. The God Who Reigns
6. The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise
7. The God Who Becomes A Human Being
8. The God Who Grants New Birth
9. The God Who Loves
10. The God Who Dies - And Lives Again
11. The God Who Declares the Gulty Just
12. The God Wo Gathers and Transforms His People
13. The God Who Is Very Angry
14. The God Who Triumphs

The book is available from Amazon for £8.99.  I will attach a link at the end of each (Chapter) post to a 50 minute talk given by the author on the topic 

I would really encourage anybody reading my ramblings to post general comments, questions and disagreements on what I have written