Greetings
Thanks for visiting my web-site. I'd like to give you my "take" on the
subject of Christianity because it's simple and straightforward. I need to tell you about this because it is so fundamental
and important to every human being on the planet earth and maybe even elsewhere. In addition, God has commanded us to go forth
and spread his word "to all nations". This is my attempt to do just that.
My belief is based on the Bible & teachings I've received over my lifetime.
Some say the Bible isn't strictly "literal" - that is to say - things didn't happen just the way we read them in the Bible
because it has been through many translations and much of it is in "parables". Parables are in story form to make moral or
religious principles understandable. One example to me is the story of creation in the book of Genesis. Creation is described
as happening over six "days". Some scholars believe it was via the "big bang" theory where the universe came about by a catastrophic
happening in space. Others preach the Darwinian theory of evolution where man gradually progressed from creatures, animals
and monkeys to our current form. Biblical authors weren't there to witness creation. They wrote the Bible from God's inspiration
and the passage of "time" is hypothetical as it relates to biblical happenings. To me, it matters not just how all things
got started. The important thing is to realize and believe that an all powerful, awesome "something" had the ability to do
the creation thing - to me that something is "God". When you think about the universe, the logic of numbers, the unending
advancements in technology, nature and it's wonders, you simply must believe there truly is a God who created the wonders
of the earth and gave man the raw materials and brains to discover and make many of the magnificent things we enjoy today.
The next basic thing you must realize and believe is that the Bible is
the word of God put down in words in a way we humans can understand. The humans that wrote the Bible received their writings
from God, probably not face to face except in some instances, but certainly by "inspiration". That is to say, they wrote God's
words for Him by hand-me-down stories, visions, and, in some cases, personal experiences.
Another basic. God created man in His own image and we are to have dominion
over the earth - that is to say, we have an intelligent brain & God gave us the privilege of making our own decisions.
Take this basic & run with it a bit. Through God's great gift, we humans have the brain power to create almost anything.
Because we have been blessed with the very unique gift of decision making, we can screw up or do what's pleasing to God. The
Bible is full of accounts of humans screwing up and displeasing God. He created the flood and plagues yet humans didn't get
the message because we continued to screw up. So God tried another approach.
God came to earth as a man in the form of Jesus through the miracle of
immaculate conception (basically, that means that Mary became pregnant by God's Devine intervention & without having intercourse
with a human male). He lived among us, taught us his ways, got beat up, ridiculed, rejected, and ultimately put to death.
Now remember, God is all powerful. He could have stopped all of Jesus' suffering and agony but didn't because he had a more
awesome plan. By letting Jesus die on the cross, God filled His promise to send a "savior" so we humans could be saved from
all the wrong things we'd done and would do in the future. There was only one condition - WE MUST BELIEVE AND HAVE FAITH THAT
JESUS DIED TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS SO WE CAN SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM IN PARADISE !! (Per John 3:16). If you believe and are
baptized, you will be saved. If you don't believe, you will be damned (Matthew 16:16). That's pretty straightforward and powerful
stuff.
So what does all this mean to you & me here in our day and age ? It
means that we can decide to believe in God's miracle and promise - or reject it as a bunch of hogwash. Remember, we have the
privilege of making our own decisions. If we reject this miracle, we miss the paradise opportunity and the Bible says we spend
eternity in hades - known as a very ugly & miserable state of being. Because mankind is basically selfish and wants to
indulge in all the pleasurable things available to us, too many decide to reject this miracle & ignore God. But, if we
believe & have faith in His promise, we spend eternity in paradise with God.
WOW! To me, that's an awesome promise. I surely don't want to make the
wrong choice here. I'm so very overwhelmed with the consequences and the unselfish promise of an eternal life in paradise
that I WANT TO SHOW MY GRATITUDE by trying my best to live a life pleasing to God - to use the gifts and blessings I've received
from Him to help others. Being selfish, being unkind to others, breaking the law, mistreating our minds & bodies, etc.
certainly does not please God who is a loving & caring God. He is also a forgiving God and if we truly regret our bad
thoughts & deeds and have FAITH in his promise, we are again in His good graces. THE KEY HERE IS TO BE SO THANKFUL FOR
GOD'S PROMISE OF PARADISE THAT WE WANT TO SHARE OUR BLESSINGS AND LIVE A LIFE PLEASING TO HIM. Jesus' death and resurrection
assures us a place in paradise if we have FAITH & believe. Daily prayer helps keep our focus, strengthens our faith, and
often brings things for which we pray. My daily prayer thanks God for all my many blessings and asks His help in making my
thoughts, words, and deeds pleasing to Him.
And here's another little twist. You can't "prove" the Bible. There's much
to help us believe in the story and promise - His word has survived well over 2,000 years, many recorded miracles give credence
to the word (how about the miracle of Jesus' resurrection), ancient documents help give credibility to the Bible writings,
many brilliant scholars and clergy have perpetuated the truth - but there's still no hard-nosed "proof". That's again why
"FAITH" is so fundamental.
So - that's my pretty simplistic interpretation of this thing we call Christianity.
It would probably cause pastors and scholars to throw up, but that's the guts of it to me. So we all have a choice - believe
& have faith or call it bunk. It's a big gamble so I hope you make the right decision.
God Bless !
Dick Apple 3/26/2002
