An Interview With a Man Called Jesus

The teachings of Jesus are all we need to know.

Some people question the teachings of Jesus and want to know if Jesus actually knew everything. The only way to know whether or not Jesus actually knew everything would be to ask him, so we are going to bring Jesus back to earth for just a few minutes and have Scott Pelley interview him on a special edition of "60 Minutes" we will call - "The Man Jesus - Did He Know Everything?"

As the show opens, Scott Pelley and Jesus are sitting in chairs facing each other, in front of a large picture of the earth and the interview begins.

Scott Pelley:

Jesus, when you walked among the people of this earth in human form, were you ever lonely?

Jesus:

My child, just as you have set yourself apart from the rest of the world and have made yourself different, during the time when I walked this earth, I also was different. Many of my disciples left me and I spent a lot of time alone in the desert or in the Mount of Olives where I often prayed to my father. There were many who could not understand my teachings and that often troubled me. So, yes, just like you I spent much time in loneliness.

Why Christians Aren't Perfect

Christians aren't perfect - just like everyone else.

God gave Adam and Eve full reign of the Garden of Eden. They were naked and didn't even realize it or worry about it. They had no worries, had every thing they could want, but Eve blew it. She listened to the serpent and ate a bad apple that God had specifically told her not to eat. Eve eating that piece of fruit changed everything and there was no more perfect world.

Genesis,Chapter 3, Verse 13-14:

"And the LORD God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"

So, now you know why Christians aren't perfect and as an added bonus, you even know why snakes crawl on their bellies.

Will Same Gender Marriage Destroy "Freedom of Religion"?

Religious freedom is a right not a choice.

A 2012 Gallup poll indicates 77% of the entire adult population of the United States identify with a Christian religion. This includes Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, Jews, and similar Christian religions.

A 2011 UCLA School of Law research study, which was derived from information from four national and two state-level population-based surveys, indicates that 3.5% of the entire adult population of the United States identified themselves as being lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

It would appear that such a large majority of U. S. citizens would have some influence on laws and issues that adversely affect the Christian lifestyle and the manner in which we exercise our faith and beliefs. But this is certainly not true when we approach the subject of homosexuality or marriage between people of the same gender.

 

Why God Punishes Evil

Exercise of free will determines punishment.

Scripture bears the truth that God does chastise His people for being disobedient to His will and for continuing to live in an unacceptable manner.  God delivers that sort of punishment meant to correct a person, with the hope of teaching them not to repeat the wrongdoing.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden everything was perfect.  It was a beautiful paradise with every animal and bird of nature and God had given them everything they would ever need.  Adam was told that he could live forever and be happy forever if he listened to God’s instructions. God told Adam that he could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden, except one.  He clearly outlined the penalty of eating of this one particular tree.

Was Mary The Mother Of Jesus?

Mary - the mother of Jesus

For one to pose the question "Was Mary Jesus' Mother?" would lead a rational person to believe that the one asking the question not only believes in Jesus, but also holds some belief in a woman named Mary.

All accounts of the life of Mary must come from the scriptures and there is much debate as to whether Mary was a normal mortal human being or a divine creation like Adam and Eve, who were created and not born in the traditional sense. In reading the scriptures about Mary, we can sometimes find more questions than answers.

In the Islamic faith, Mary is certainly considered to be the mother of Jesus as we can plainly see from the following verses from the Quran:

"O Mary! Behold, God gives you good news of a word from Him, who shall become known as the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary..." (Quran 3:45)

"Indeed the likeness of Jesus to God as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be,' and he was." (Quran 3:59)

God's View On Abortion

God teaches us about His love for unborn children.

God's view on the abortion issue can be found in the Bible, in the book of Jeremiah, Chapter 1, verse 5:

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."  

In this verse of scripture, we find a reference to an unborn baby being known to God. It should be quite clear that God loved and respected children from the very beginning of their lives, which seems to direct us to the time of conception.

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

The tragedies of life affect all of us.

In asking the question "Why do bad things happen to good people", there must be underlying questions about the character of God.  The question could probably be more appropriately worded  - "If God loves us, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?"

A person can live a life of faith, be an upstanding member of the church and the community, be a good husband and father and still experience the tragedies of life.  Why?

The answer to this question certainly isn't simple by any means, but the root of the answer lies in our ability to choose, our free will.  When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in paradise with the free will to do whatever they pleased, except for one thing.  God gave them specific instructions to not eat fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Creating A Better Life

"Sing as though no one can hear you."

In trying to narrow down the steps to creating a better life, I would like to identify three principles of life to live by. In considering this subject, I am immediately drawn to three plaques hanging on the wall in my office. Let’s take each plaque one by one:

“Sing as though no one can hear you.” 

 

I came across this plaque while rummaging through picture frames and other plaques at a local Goodwill store.  When I saw it, I was reminded of an incident that happened to me a few years ago.

It was a nice spring morning and I had come to work very early  to get caught up.  The sun was up, so I decided to go outside with my cup of coffee.  In just a few minutes, I thought I heard someone singing, but couldn’t see anyone.  I looked behind the building and saw a very old black man coming down the street.  He was all bent over, walking with a limp and digging his cane into the pavement as he moved slowly toward me.  Even though each step seemed to be painful, this old man was singing as loud as he possibly could.  As he approached me, I greeted him with a “Good Morning” and I will never forget what this man said to me.  He looked me square in the eye and said, “Sometimes you just gotta’ sing.” 

Christianity vs Religion

Christianity consists of beliefs based on the Bible

In order to clearly understand the differences between Christianity and religion, we must first
understand the meanings of these two terms.  The dictionary defines religion as

"A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects." , 

while Christianity is defined as

"The religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies."

According to these definitions, religion can be a set of beliefs on just about anything, while Christianity consists of beliefs based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.

Is The Bible The Truth Or A Lot Of Myths?

The Bible contains all the life lessons we need.

For Christians, believing that the Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and not a grouping of fables and myths is no problem, but to those who have no Christian beliefs and have actually never read the book, believing in the teachings of the Bible could be very difficult.

There are two things we should probably never discuss in any diverse group of people, one is politics and the other is religion. Most people believe in just what they choose to believe and those things that seem to make their lives more comfortable.

The Bible needs no defense. It is not like our Constitution, which must be defended each and every day. We will mention some of the history of the Bible and how thousands of years ago, some people knew about the problems that we all face today and actually presented solutions to these problems.

Should The Church Speak Against Homosexuality?

The church should neither hate nor condemn homosexuals.

In making a determination as to whether or not "the church" should teach that homosexuality is wrong, we would have to look at the governing principles of the church. Here we will view a "Christian" as one whose life is centered on the teachings of Jesus, thus the governing principles would be founded in the Bible.

Searching for the word "homosexual" within the pages of the Bible is a waste of time, because it just isn't there, but neither are the words "death penalty", "domestic violence", "abortion", "right to bear arms", "child abuse" and many other issues facing us today. Just because a specific "word" isn't mentioned in the Bible certainly doesn't mean that a particular issue isn't discussed.

Those who believe in God and believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God must also understand that the Bible is a complete book and not just a lot of chapters and verses, which can be interpreted differently. Taking one verse of the Bible and trying to understand its true meaning would be similar to reading the last paragraph of your favorite novel and trying to understand the theme of the book.

Should The Bible Be Used As A Textbook In Our Schools?

The Bible can teach children things they need to know.

The question "Is the information in the Bible relevant to today's classroom as a textbook on every subject?" is a very complex question and must be broken down into its separate parts.

First, the answer to the question "Is the information in the Bible relevant to today's classroom?" would be a definite yes. The problem here is in determining just which Bible we are referring to. Just the nature of the question would suggest that we are referring to the Christian Holy Bible, but other faiths have their own version of the Bible and its teachings would be just as relevant to the children of that particular faith.

God's word and the teachings of Jesus are extremely important to any child who must struggle through this world of hatred and greed, where we tolerate just about any kind of behavior or lifestyle.

Should Our Children Know God?

All children should know the love of God.

In my own personal quest to become the ultimate male channel surfer, I paused just for a moment on the 6 o'clock news. The lead story involved a police raid on a high school where numerous weapons had been seized. These weapons included guns, knives, chains, and even axes.

It is very important to understand that these deadly weapons were confiscated from kids ranging in ages from 14 to 17. I couldn't help but ask myself the question - Why would a 14 or 15-year-old kid want to carry a gun or an axe to school?

I was forced to continue in my surfing quest, but I could not get that news story out of my mind. I couldn't come up with any logical answers, but there were many questions and I was immediately reminded of Columbine, the school in Kentucky and all the other schools where kids had been murdered for no obvious reason.

Should Christians Work On Sunday?

Certain jobs must be done, even on Sunday.

The Bible makes no particular reference to working or not working on Sunday.  The Old Testament Exodus 20: 8-11: scriptures teach the following, found in

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

The Sabbath day that the bible speaks about is Saturday, the seventh day of the week.  People of the Jewish faith continue to observe a holy day of rest on the Sabbath, from sunset Friday until nightfall on Saturday.  For some reason, Christians moved their Sabbath to Sundays in recognition of Sunday being the day of Jesus' resurrection.

Is Jesus The Only Way Of Salvation?

"Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

In posing the question "Is Jesus the only way of salvation?" one could easily assume that someone has been told there might be another way.

Salvation in common everyday language could mean "the act of protecting something from loss or harm", like insurance in a catastrophic event might be our only "salvation". From a Biblical or Christian point of view, salvation is a deliverance from the power and penalties of sin or redemption.

For Christians whose guiding principles are founded in the Bible, the answer to this question can be found in one single passage of scripture, where we find in John 14:6:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Since I am a Baptist, some might feel that I am just a little biased, so let's take a look at what other religious denominations have to say about salvation.

Is Smoking A Sin?

There is no such thing as "good" sin or "bad" sin.

According to the American Heart Association, in 2004 there were some 25.1 million men and some 20.9 million women smokers in the United States. They go on to say that smokers have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and I think we already know that.

If you look up statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), you will find some equally alarming statistics:

• Men With High Serum Cholesterol - 16.6% of the population

• Women With High Serum Cholesterol - 16.2% of the population

• Overweight Men - 70.7% of the population

• Overweight Women - 61.4% of the population

Our Relationship With God Today

The relevance of God in today's world is necessary.

The relevance of God in today's world in terms of being "significant" should be without question.  Each time we make a cash purchase, we present the cashier with currency and coin that has "In God We Trust", our national motto, permanently embossed on the face.

In the 1950s, Congress added the words "under God" to our Pledge of Allegiance. In the first session of the 108th Congress a bill to recognize the public need for prayer for all people of the United States and for members of our armed forces was passed by a vote of 346 to 49.

Each time a new President of the United States takes the oath of office, the final words of that oath are normally, "So help me God." There should be no doubt that God is of great significance, not only in our nation's history, but also in the lives we live today.

Noah Was A Man Of Faith And Obedience

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

If stories are to be told about the faith and obedience of man, the accounts of a man named Noah must be at the top of the list.

In considering Noah’s faith and obedience to God, I am immediately reminded of the 2007 movie “Evan Almighty”.  In this movie Steve Carrell is portrayed as Evan Baxter and Morgan Freeman plays the part of God.  This movie actually sheds a lot of light on the aspects of the Biblical account of Noah and the ark.  Here, Evan Baxter is not a professional boat builder, but rather a professional newscaster who has been elected to Congress.  Noah in the Biblical account wasn’t a carpenter or ship maker either.

How Would Jesus View Homosexuality?

In the beginning, God made them male and female.

Anyone who has studied the Bible to any extent realizes that homosexuality is mentioned many times. Whether it is referenced by the terms "abusers of themselves with mankind", "without natural affection" or some other term, homosexuality is condemned many times in both the Old and New Testaments.

What does the Bible have to say about homosexuality?

 

Romans 1:26-32:

 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Show Me Proof That God Exists

Proof that God exists is all around us.

Skeptics may ask "Is there proof that God exists?" and will demand to be given some type of mathematical formula or biological evidence that will scientifically prove the existence of God and will not accept any religious or moral philosophy.

There are many things in the history of the world which we take as fact but have no scientific proof; the existence of dinosaurs is a perfect example. Sometime in the early 1800s a man found a large bone, called it a dinosaur and the rest is history. So why is it difficult to believe that the world and everything in and upon it was created by God?

In the history of our nation we find the belief in God was the inspiration which allowed us to be free. Today, God has a significant presence in our daily lives by being minted on all of our coins and currency and being a part of every oath of office from the new enlistee in the armed forces to the President of the United States.