LOVE, HOPE AND FAITH
But the greatest is Love: a statement by Paul at the end of the Song of Songs.
A very inspiring piece written by Paul, which is completely in accordance with the words and deeds of Jesus himself who is Paul’s greatest example; Paul who now, like all other people at that time and in the future grossly fails in following the Master.
That is why the letters of Paul and the other apostles are subordinate to the texts that makes the life of Jesus Christ visible.
Where texts are in accordance with the life of Christ they are valuable remarks that can also be used in the proclamation of the Love of God as a learning tool, as an underlining of that truth.
That is something else than being authoritative; that shall be the words and deeds of God on earth in the form of Christ.
Nothing more and nothing less!
Being caught and inspired by that example makes us people become Christians. Followers of Jesus, who by trial and error try to walk in His footsteps.
Not convulsively, but as good and as bad as it is possible, knowing that we are not perfect, nor will we be on earth.
With this endeavor the world can look completely different. Then we as Christians no longer serve the interests of denominations, churches, institutions and their leaders, but we do what is right for our fellow human beings (and animals).
After all, we are all people who yearn for peace on earth and an eternal future made possible by Him who has conquered death.
For those who follow Christ that also means that death no longer has the last word.
Eternal life has therefore become possible.
Hence, the words of Paul “Death, where is your stimulus!” in support of the work of Christ.
Then there is not only love in the here and now with respect to all people regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, gender, etc., but there is also hope for that eternal future.
Not like maybe, but a hope that is anchored in certainty; that is also what believing in Jesus means.
Certainty that we are able to love beyond our ability.
Certainty that death no longer has the last word.
Certainty that our future lies in the Eternal.
That faith is to trust that God has intervened in this world.
That whoever we are, we can believe and value the promises of God who has taken shape in Jesus in our world.
” In Christ we are a new creation that no longer needs the law of Moses and the like “
As far as the Old Testament is concerned, it must not have any influence on the newness of man in Christ.
The Old Testament also tells us that a creator is involved in the origin of man and that God eventually takes course with a certain people, the Jews, in order to allow that association to accumulate in the coming of that God on earth in the shape of the promised Messiah Jesus Christ.
In that sense it is important to know the prophecies of the Old Testament, because Jesus does not come out of the blue.
The fact that the Jews in 1948 would return to their own country was also predicted in a series of prophecies, not when, but that it would happen.
The rest is mainly a certain historiography of the Jews on their way with their God to the promised future.
This stratification in the Old Testament of prophecies, historiography and rules for the people of the Jews is unmistakably present.
In this sense, one stratification is of more significance for a Christian than the other.
Above all, the Messiah has come and therefore the legalism of the Jewish people has been put to an end.
In Christ we are a new creation that no longer needs the law of Moses and the like.
This new man following Jesus, is on his way to do good under the guidence of the Spirit of God.
Many Christians, however, value the Old Testament and the interpretation of the apostles of the New Testament, as much as the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
This creates a new kind of legalism, fundamentalism, throwing with texts from the Old and New Testament in order to convince their fellow men that they are sinful.
Persecutions of dissenters are therefore abundant in the post-Christ history, such as crusades, pogroms, pyres, murder and manslaughter on abortion clinic staff, to name a few.
This can’t be the man who has changed through Christ?
Holy wars, holy murder and manslaughter in the name of Christ. How can this exist to this day?
The blessing of weapons to go to battle against dissenters does not fit in with the actions of Christ.
Using deadly force to secure our own interests is not an idea of Christ.
To justify all this, Christians often use the texts from the Old Testament, but there is no justification for Jesus in literaly silencing those who think and act differently, of those who may stand in the way of our interests.
Oh yes, such surrender to Jesus to do good is a danger to the rulers, but also to those who hold their own agenda.
” In this sense, the Good News, the gospel of Christ, is very simple and within everyone’s reach; you do not have to be studied to do good “
Yet this should be the way of the Christian, at least to pursue it.
In this sense, the Good News, the gospel of Christ, is very simple and within everyone’s reach.
You do not have to be studied to do good.
Apparently many Christians still have trouble with the simplicity of the message of Christ.
That brings us to Trumpism which currently makes the image of America in the world.
In particular, this Trumpism, named after the American president Donald J. Trump, is a, if not the worst, form of current populism.
This Trumpism, supported by other populists such as Wilders, Le Pen, the Pagida movement in almost all countries of Europe, is characterized by trying to justify the extreme right, like the Ku-Klux-Clan and Breitbart.
The white supremism would prefer to have all foreigners leave the country, to ban all religions, except for the Christian religion and to prosecute them if possible and to take in as least as possible, preferably no refugees at all.
Own people and their own country first. That is paramount.
All populist groups in the world are also playing fast and loose with the truth.
However, in Trumpism lies rule, half-truths are used in extreme forms and everything that Trump does not like is in definition fake.
Trump and associates have therefore developed their alternative truths, so that everything that fits in his interests is undoubtedly attributed to him; the rest is fake.
The caliber of lying and deceiving, including denying Russian contacts during his election campaign and beyond, is so highly developed that you can safely say that Trump himself represents the darkness on earth.
After all, darkness is marked by chaos and Trump creates it in abundance.
Then it is all the stranger that populism is supported by a broad group of Christians, but also embraced by churches and its institutions.
This is clearly visible in the USA. That is where Trump is beloved by the evangelical Christians and many of that group of born-again people, followers of Christ, voted for him, Trump.
All the more, a large part of the leaders of those groups openly supported Trump and gave him also their blessing.
They do so in the knowledge that they support a born liar as leader of the United States of America.
That almost everything he does and says only serves his own interests and not that of the country.
Shrouded in lies and deceit Trump is Jew with the Jews, Christian with the Christians, while in the meantime he only believes in himself and his wallet.
Here it can be said as well that Trump is the prototype of a narcissist.
The heart of the gospel is to do good to all people regardless of religion, nature, nationality, etc.. That is what Jesus Christ shows us.
Supported by thousands of Christians in the USA, Trump shows us something else.
Leaders of those churches and individual Christians undoubtedly are standing ready with their texts from the bible to defend themselves or to justify why they support Trump and what he stands for.
If you consider the scriptures, Old and New Testaments, as a whole, divinely inspired and you don’t know the difference in the power of the written text, you can indeed justify almost everything, including wars, crusades, persecution of dissenters etc..
But if you see the scriptures in its stratifications, then there is only One that lays and is the foundation of being a Christian; Jesus Christ Himself.
Believing and following Christ is not the same as believing and following Paul, Peter, James, David or Moses.
Christians are responsible for their own choices, just like any other person.
Whom or what are you guided by?
Your own interests, such as money and possessions, or the interests of your fellow man, regardless of who it is?
We will eventually have to answer the questions of why we do what we do and say what we say.
This also applies to supporting Trumpism or not and its weaker forms in Europe.
Only then do we carry responsibility and are we changing. Populism has no real future. Christ has!
