Reality of Jesus and his mission as a liberator - Essay Example

Reality of Jesus and His Mission as a Liberator The question that has often lingered in the minds of many whether believers and non-believers, from one generation to another is whether Jesus really existed what was His mission on earth. For a very long time, Christianity has encountered controversies thereby making some purport it movement whose followers are have no definite unifying belief. In fact, certain not not-worthy religious leaders have taken advantage of the presence of numerous religious organizations to criticize Christianity and the work of Jesus as a liberator of mankind as having failed to realize its purpose unlike the case of liberation that is seen in civil rights movements in “Martin and Malcolm and America” (Cone 25). At the same time, various theories trying to unravel the mystery of Christ mandate on earth as a liberator have emerged. One example of such theory is Christ-Mist Theory that was coined in 17th century after Jesus had walked in the rocky hills of Judea. In the theory, several atheists argue that there has never been any secular evidence to prove that Jesus really existed and had come to liberate mankind. As such, some of the atheists feel that the existence of Jesus and His mission on earth is a total myth. This justifies the fact that real there is controversy with both Christians and not-worthy religious leaders in the understanding of Jesus’, His existence, His teachings, His death and His resurrection. However, in view of how Martin and Malcolm had much in common despite them having had public differences, this paper thus explores Christian perception of Jesus as having existed and come to earth as a liberator of mankind with reference to the bible as the foundation of Christianity. Christians’ Understandings about Jesus Christian leaders believe that Jesus was sent to the Earth as a liberator. That is, His mission on Earth was to show people the way through which they could overcome their sins and imperfections. The bible confirms this and assets that “for God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). The coming of Jesus was prophesized in several incidences in the Old Testament with about 300 prophecies in the Old Testament foretelling Jesus’ mission to the Earth. With such enormous evidence, Jesus and His mission on Earth can never be assumed to have been accidental. As a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, Christians have found every bit of what was prophesized came true inclusive of His birth, His life free of sins, miracles He performed, His death and His resurrection. Despite the differences that might exist among various Christian religious beliefs, the bible offers an overall confirmation that Jesus was born in Bethlehem a neighboring city of Nazareth where his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph lived. Moreover, the conception of Jesus is believed to have been through the Holy Spirit and therefore, he was perceived to be holy (Mathew 1-2). Jesus was crucified and then buried in a grave that was borrowed. According to the scriptures, he was raised from the dead after three days. Consequently, the validity of Christianity entirely depends on the facts about the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Consideration of the validity of the resurrection Christians of all walks of life believe that Jesus, who might be varied on the basis of Christian religious belief is presently alive. There are many reasons why Christians believe that Jesus really existed and that all aspects that are talked about Him are really true. The fact that Jesus himself foresaw his death and his resurrection (Luke 18; 31-33), is one of the reasons that attributes to Christians’ belief in Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus resurrected as it had been foretold since the grave in which He was buried was found empty. However, certain not-worthy religious leaders claim that Jesus was only weakened and so there was no resurrection. The claim does not hold since the gourds of the tomb would have stopped him from escaping thereby justifying the fact that Jesus actually resurrected from the dead after three days and is now seated on the right hand-side of God. The bible in John 1:1 asserts that it is only through the resurrection that Jesus was able to reappear to his disciples as recorded in the Bible. Jesus ate and talked with his disciples with some of them even touching Him after His resurrection. Moreover, it is through Jesus and His resurrection that the Christian church was born (Acts 2: 14-36). In the past, major part of the gospel ever preached, dwelled on the resurrection of Jesus. The early church considered the resurrection as the basis of its message. Presently, it is believed that the Christian church is the largest institution that has ever existed in the world’s history. Jesus, his Teachings and the Implications in Today’s World Jesus-the son of God, is considered to be the Savior of the world and therefore, the redeemer of mankind through faith in His name. According to Gandhi and Dear in their autobiography in the search for God, mankind can only receive God’s a merited favor if they decide to pursue the truth (46-47). As such when Jesus begun His ministry at the age of 30, He focused on healing, forgiveness, and teaching on how to acquire the kingdom of God. This ministry had to be continued by conferring his “power and authority upon his apostles” (Luke 9:1). Christians refer to Jesus as the savior and redeemer of mankind. This implies that He is the only way through which mankind can be reconciled to God. In the same way liberation of what kind for the purpose of “justice and freedom” can only be attained through the suffering of either one or a few people (Cone 120). For instance, in the Christian context, all mankind are forgiven and destined for eternity only through the suffering of Jesus. Salvation is therefore possible, but only through His mercy and grace. Resurrection of Jesus gave a means for mankind to overcome physical death. Jesus is the son of God and the Lord of everyone on the earth. Through Jesus, God relayed his commandments to human being. These commandments teach people about “what is right and what is sinful to do” (John 14: 15). In addition, through the teachings, people are able to establish the ways that offer them the greatest happiness. The teachings also emphasize on “loving God by keeping his commandments” (John 14: 15). In view of Cone’s “warning against people making themselves as Messiahs” with followers, there is much correlation with the Christian understanding that Jesus is the only Messiah and that there should be no one besides Him (121). Even though human beings are prone to sin, repentance is the only way that reunites people with God. According to the bible, before the creation, God had prepared plans to allow people to learn and grow in life. The center of this is Jesus. Not only was the mission of Jesus to teach people about how they should live, but also to establish ways to forgive people on their sins. Sin is not just making a mistake but also “disobedience to God’s commandments in spite of knowing the truth” (James 4: 17). The prayers that Jesus conducted in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was crucified were done to serve the interests of human beings. The Atonement-sufferings of Jesus in Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary created the possibility of people to return to live with God. The gospel of Jesus provides the good news about his sufferings for people. Having strong faith in Jesus leads people to do good things. As depicted in the Holy Bible, “faith is supported by good deeds” (James 2: 20). Still, someone would not be saved on account of his good works alone since it is difficult to determine the amount of good deeds that can cleanse someone’s soul. Christians with genuine faith in Jesus are seen to be emulating him by performing some of the things he did. They help the poor and the needy, care for the sick and relay good will and love to every person. As people follow what Jesus did as well as His teachings, their faith grows up to the point at which they start to repent their sins and deal with challenges they come across in life. Developing faith in Jesus is not just a mere declaration of belief, but a source of power that people renew daily by praying, observing his teachings and following them, since Jesus is the “way, the truth and the life” (John 14: 16) within a community of believers, Christianity. According to Orobator, people can only acquire religiosity if they are “within a community of believers” (11). God understood that people would not be perfect and would be prone to committing sins regularly. Faith that people have in Jesus make them eager to live good lives and hence sinning makes people sincerely sorrowful. The ability to repent is a blessing that people have adopted to make them overcome such situation. Repentance entails recognition and sorrowful feelings about a sin committed, ability to repair the damage it might have caused and the readiness to desist reoccurrence of the sinful behavior. The only challenge with repentance is that it requires a lot of sincerity and honesty. It may be a difficult practice at times. It is the joy that people feel when they repent and turn away from their sins that give them the effort to repent. Christians believe that Jesus suffered to give them the ability to repent from sin; there is an overall feeling that repenting again for their sins is more of a punishment. However, it is the guilt and disappointment that come with sin that punishes an individual. Repentance is not punishment, instead it is a relief. It enables people to become clean again and shade off the sorrowful feelings that committing sins brings to them. According to Orobator, the search for spirituality should not be seen as punishment, but as “faith in search of understanding, love and hope” (11). Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit. When he baptized, God’s voice from Heavens was heard claiming that “Jesus was his son and in him he was pleased” (Mark 1:11). Following this message from the Bible, people believe that they would also please God by choosing to follow his son and being baptized. In conclusion, there is much that mankind needs to learn from Jesus especially if Christianity is to be grounded in true discipleship of Jesus. A relationship between mankind and Jesus is just like any other and can easily fall out if not protected. It requires a lot of effort and dedication to develop enough faith in him. Of the highest image that Christians can adopt to remain faithful and understand the Jesus’ message in the present word is the aspect of humility, faith and servant-hood. These aspects are the basis upon which strong Christianity can be developed. Moreover for one to accept to be bound by biblical teaching and not religious beliefs which mostly cause division and wrangles among Christians, one must imitate Jesus’ humility, faith and servant-hood. Lastly, being in a community of believers as asserted by Orabator in his book “Theology Brewed in an African Pot” would entail praying, worshiping and praising together while putting aside religious beliefs, but focusing on the bible as the foundation of beliefs would initiate a Christian culture that fosters understanding of Jesus’ teaching in the present world. Works Cited Cone, James. Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991. Print. Gandhi, Mohandas. Mohandas Gandhi: Essential, John Dear, ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002. Print. Orobator, Agbonkhianmeghe. Theology Brewed in an African Pot. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008. Print. The Bible….New International Version Read More