Posted on 10/07/2017 7:56:01 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
My wife, Kasi, and I have five children. Our oldest two are both girls, eleven and six, and they both love to play with Play-Doh. They have all the colors and all the tools necessary to mold, shape and build anything their vivid imaginations can come up with. OK, now for a moment of confession. I love to play with them and create as well. It reminds me of my childhood, but my daughters often will put me in time-out when I mix the colors to create new ones. It's what I always did as a kid, but they can't stand it. "Daddy, you're ruining it!"
The reason we all liked Play-Doh as children is because we believed we could create anything we wanted. We'd mold, shape and bend. Plus, if we didn't like how it was turning out we could pick everything up, roll it in a ball, and start over.
I believe this is the same reason why so many people love to talk about Jesus, but don't actually read the Bible. In fact, we've all heard people say such things as, "I love Jesus, but I don't like the Bible. I have a deep respect for Jesus, but I don't agree with the Bible."
Is it possible that we are worshipping a Play-Doh Jesus? Meaning, the main reason we don't have an issue with Jesus is because it's a Jesus that we've created by our own imagination? We'll shape, mold and bend him to be what we want him to be. Then the very moment that particular Play-Doh Jesus no longer appeases us, we just roll him up and start over; we create a different Jesus more to our liking. When we do this we are not worshipping the Jesus of the Bible, but rather, a "Jesus" that we've created in our own minds.
The Jesus of the Bible will regularly disrupt our lives, call us to difficult things and stand in opposition to our personal preferences. He often does the opposite of what we think he should. Let's be honest. His holiness, His demand upon us to deny ourselves and His commandments to love others can all get pretty annoying in our pursuit of happiness. The Jesus of the Bible challenges our indulgences. He contests the egoistic fine art of "Looking out for #1." So, our natural inclination is to shape Jesus into something more palatable to our personal opinions and preferences.
Left to our natural devices, we don't want to be created in God's image; we want him to be created in our image. We don't want him to be the one in control; we want to be in control. We don't want him to be the potter and for us be the clay; we want to be the potters and for him be the clay our hands. We want to shape and mold our god to care about what we care about. We want to label him as a Republican or Democrat. We want to picture him as white, black or brown. We want him to be passionate about what we're passionate about. We want him to be angry about what we're angry about. We think he should tolerate what we tolerate.
If this idea of what you've created Jesus to be is what comes to mind when you worship, pray, sing, lift your hands, give, serve, and live, then ultimately that is idolatry. It is the worship of some created idol. You are worshipping a misrepresentation of the God of the Bible—one to whom you've simply attached the name "Jesus." It's sinful on our part, because it's not the true Jesus of the Bible that we're worshiping. If you truly love the Jesus of the Bible then you will also love the Bible that tells us all about him. We know nothing about the person and the life of Jesus apart from the Holy Scriptures. The extra-biblical things we think we know about Jesus are simply inventions of man.
Jesus said himself that we must worship in "spirit and truth," (John 4:24). An accurate view of him is absolutely necessary to authentic worship! So, who is this Jesus of the Bible? According to Colossians chapter one, he makes the invisible God – visible (v. 15a). He is the first-rank over all creation (v. 15b). All things were created through him and for him, and he is the One who sustains all things (v. 16 – 17). He is the head of the church (v. 18a). He is the first-rank over death by his resurrection (v. 18b). In all things, he is preeminent (v. 18c). This means that Jesus surpasses all, ranks above all and deserves first place in everything. We're not the boss. He is. We're not the creator. He is. We're not in control. He is. We're not the potter. He is.
This is the Jesus of Scripture, so let us dive into his Word to discover who he is, and not rely on our own understanding. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding," (Proverbs 3:5). In knowing the real Jesus of the Bible, we'll begin to be passionate about what he is passionate about. We'll be angered by what angers him. We'll tolerate what he tolerates. We'll view things the way he views things. We'll live how he lives. This is the only kind of worship that transforms lives because it directs us toward the true and living Jesus!
At the end of the day, our opinions about him do not change who he is: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever," (Hebrews 13:8). However, our faith in the real Jesus will absolutely change who we are.
The same reason lots of people love to have money, but hate having to work for it.
Or it’s kind of like saying, “I love this country, but I’m kneeling for the National Anthem!”
Words in writing?
Jesus said to identify Him as God through what He said, not any other way. I know the feminine mind would prefer to see Jesus in the flesh and not pay attention to what He said as evidence, however, this is not the kind of dependency He was for.
Where is justice and care when you cannot even make an effort to read the texts for yourself.
In other words they might be worshipping a Jesus that is not mine, ie mine is One that knows me and praises us making the effort to know Him in every way we can with a certain effort of interpretation through the heart. To not want to know is the foundation of sin, of worshiping gods who do not know you but pretend, like a politician or a billionaire Kalif sheik who has no inkling of what factory or business he really owns.
Easy. Some people like the idea of the cartoon hippy Jesus, but they don’t like the idea of a God (Jesus) that will stand in judgement.
Because, the Catholic Bible was not written by God but by Man.
Are you British putting that extra ‘e’ in your last word?
Yeah, but the priests won’t let me read it anyway /sarc
Simply because they have been taught, or believe a false doctrine. This “Jesus is love” stuff, and that’s it. No Holy and perfect God, no condemnation or justification. Simply, Jesus is love, He loves me, I love Him. Done. It is infantile in it’s understanding of the Creator of the universe.
because they love only parts of Jesus but not all. They have not made Him LORD in their hearts and minds and lives.
Jesus constantly referred to The Law, which is Torah. Without having read that, Jesus cannot be fully understood.
All Bibles came from the Catholic Bible.
What are you really trying to say?
Priests read the Bible every day?
Just attend a Catholic Mass. (not sarc!)
And who wrote the King James version? Men across the centuries assembled, wrote, rewrote, and reassembled the different versions across all denominations.
An ignorant statement at best.
How about we read the Bible and try to live our lives properly.
Lots of people get so wrapped in the messenger, they forget the message.
To answer the question in the title:
Because it is easier to create your own false god than to learn and walk in true righteousness.
A lot of people has turned from the solid word of God and are now comfortable with any image of Jesus that satisfied them. I personally know people who automatically bow down to pray to a wooden crucifix and has pictures of Mary in their homes, but their lives say something else apart from righteousness.
She said that she's a Catholic and goes to mass, but one day her mother told her in the most strongest terms ever when she was younger that she is Never to read the Bible or pray to anyone else except Mary. Jesus was off limits. Only the priest was allowed to break & teach religious matters to her and the priest was to be god to her.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.