Djrak

yes, he had to. whoever died went to hell or hades, Jesus being a complete human died on the cross and descended to hades but having lived a sinless life and being life itself death could not hold him there so he was raised and raised everyone who believed and who were waiting for the Christ there. Ofcourse, He gave his life, he took our sinful nature and lived a life without sin because he stayed connected to the Father thru teh Holy Spirit. He, in his own free will, obeyed the Father and did not do what he wanted but what the Father wanted, he gave his life on the cross and was separated from the Father for a little while so he could die (otherwise it was impossible for him to die). God couldve called a whole army of angels and destroyed the entire nation of Jews, Romans, or created 10 other planets just like this in a split second. But he couldnt because he is just. His righteousness doent allow that. He sacrificed His only son for the entire humanity. His love reached that level of sacrifice. Hope that makes it clearer for you.

Hey Sip, How's it goin? let me explain this to you briefly: 1- God created man in His own image out of soil and breathed His Spirit in man to give him life. This was an act of Love. he gave man a priviledge that no other being has. 2- man was living perfectly in communion with God in complete freedom 3- man sinned and caused the entire creation to fall (animals eating each other, deserts, volcanos, diseases, etc..) 4- Man died spiritually and lost his connection with God (his only source of life), man lost his glory and felt naked but God sacrificed the first animalto clothe man who became naked of the glory of God which he was wearing before and this sacrifice was the first sign of teh coming REAL sacrifice (on the cross) btw: this is how religion started (Man never needed religion) 5- God continuously tried to reach the hearts of His people while preparing them for the sacrifice thru which He was going to save humanity 6-When time came He sent his Son(the word of God, logos, the 2nd person of teh trinity) to the world to take the human nature and live a life without sin but using none of His power as God but only His obedience to the Father to show to ppl how to restore their communion (thru faith) he performed miracles, healed the sick, casted demons He was here as light of the world, but the world rejected Him and crucified Him. he in His own free will gave his life and died on the cross to go down to hell and offer the same salvation to ppl trapped there then was raised becaused he reversed the law of death he was life and he could not die, so death could not have any power over him, and that is how whoever believes in him will also be saved from th etrap of sin and death. 7- All that the Son did was with 1 and only one purpose: to go to the Father as a pleasing offering and send the 3rd person: the Spirit of God to the world so that whoever believes in him may receive the Spirit and become a son of God (just as Adam was) thus bringing humans (believers) back to the original statte of Adam (no sin, no illness, no worry, no sadness, no death, no religion) in union with God with the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. 8- those living by the Spirit pf God are now witnesses of the heavenly life but are living on earth as ambassadors waiting for the 2nd return of the Lord to judge the earth, those believers who have surredered to God but refused to live by the Spirit later are in a state where they decide with their human minds and not led by God and may give you false or fake or ineffective explanations on the sacrifice of our Lord. I hope that helped you. If you have further questions visit this site and send questions to the e-mail provided there (they will provide more elaborate answers for you): www.the springoflife.com

from my own experience I was replying to your post and believe me i am training my faith everyday. I try to rely on Him more and more everyday and He adds to my faith. I know this because of the blessings i see in my life that I get because of this. This doesnt mean I am perfect or anything on the contrary now i realize that I need jesus more than i thought I did. I am nothing without Him. Absolutely nothing.

I'm sorry Sasun, I wasnt refering to you but to the person who was saying that Jesus had a wife and kids... But about the contradictions, yes, I was refering to you. Those are not contradictions because the gospels arent historical documents only. They are true and infallible. You have to understand that each gospel has an audience, and each gospel has a certain path. They all lead to Christ and salvation. If u r talking about the difference between seeing 1 and 2 angels at the empty tomb of Jesus, you should know that those have a meaning behind them and a reason why they are written that way. They are not contradictions. because they do not contradict the truth they represent.

I have a questionn to you all Why is it that Armenians have so little faith in their God? Seriously, among all the nations and people in the entire world, to find an Armenian believer is like finding a remnant from a rare species. And we boast about we're the 1st nation to adopt Christianity as national religion. huh! for what? Really, I know muslims who accepted Christ in their hearts and souls easier than you! I bet turks have more faith than we armenians. I swear. It's so sad. I sometimes marvel at how patient God is. How patient He's been with us. For protecting us thru all the difficulties despite our unfaithfulness to Him. He's so mercyful...

what contrsdictions? You people are amazing. Really, you guys are incredible! You would do anything to degrade the Bible and Jesus. Anything you hear or read against Jesus or the truth the Bible represents you accept on the spot! When you read and hear the truth from the Bible or a believer you have to comment on it, judge it and dismiss it as a lie or full of contradictions. You have a lot of faith! But not in Christ. You have a lot of faith in the Anti-Christ.

This is from another forum, a member replied to the head topic of: What does "dying to self" mean to you? This was his reply, It think it is very interesting and on point and I just felt like posting it here for you: There is an amazing life of impossible love that is available to any human being who will abandon everything else in order to possess it. If you have ever been loved or been in love, you have touched it. If you have ever given yourself entirely to another person for their benefit and your loss, you have tasted it. If you have ever witnessed this kind of selfless life in action, you may have been captivated by wonder or helpless adoration. This heroic experience is the pinnacle of human existence. It’s the pinnacle because its price is a life given away for another person. This gift is a present possibility in every moment of every day, but it can never be coerced. Entry into this way of life appears to be a paradox. From the perspective of selfish survival and personal achievement, the idea is insanity. It is incompatible with selfish ego. It cannot coexist with pride or greed. This life involves gaining by giving, winning by losing, it’s backwards, ridiculous, and upside-down. This life is counterintuitive, countercultural, and seems counterproductive. It‘s the antithesis of survival of the fittest because it’s living by dying. It’s a path to freedom that requires us to choose slavery. We all recognize this kind of life when we see it. We are exhilarated when we experience it. This elusive life of love, passion, and purpose we all crave appears just beyond our grasp. Though we desire it, we fear it because to achieve such a life will ultimately cost us our own. Life without this kind of love is only a selfish subhuman existence. Though it occasionally sparkles like a precious gem, it usually results in an endless search for a treasure—a treasure we know is there, but never seem to find. Phil

You don't know what you're saying. God loves you and He is there for you all the time. I never said you are a bad person. that's a conclusion you made. God wants us to think for ourselves but without excluding Him. Inteligence is a gift from God. If you don't use it properly (the way He intended it to be used) you will get nowhere. You can never see God with mental effort or any kind of effort from your part. He is infinite. Only thru faith. He reveals Himself to us. Not the other way around.

the truth lives in me Hallelujah! you are deceived by the devil, not because you are idiots but because you don't believe and because creation is fallen from its ideal . Sip, it is not a mental thing. you don't have the right to do this to yourself. You don't have the right to degrade yourself and pollute yourself. You lose because the more you stone me, the more you give me proof that I am bearing fruit. And I thank you for that. It is not really YOU that I'm talking with but he who is controlling you. He is the looser. It's been 2000 years that he's lost. And I win because I rejoice in the victory of my Lord. Have Peace

no they don't. If you think Jesus is a set of rules then you're deceived. He is alive. And he is with us. The Bible doesnt have any faults. Maybe you can't accept the truth it represents because you read with your mind and emotions and ofcourse your SELF is threatenned. No it's not because the world is fallen and that is why our faith needs training just like our body and mind. thank you for the insult but you lose again partner.

Yervant, God is the judge of everything and He never changes. He's always the same. You are still looking at things from a worldly perspective. You must understand that He is above time, unlike us,2 thousand years and 1 day are the same for Him. It's good that you have faith in God. You should pursue it and seek to know Him more and He will show you the rest. You don't need to trust men and what they teach but if He leads you to a Man so Hecan teach you don't be surprised! And yes many died for religion, what's your point exactly? It makes no difference whether you die for religion or your cat. But to die for Christ (martyrdom) is a different thing all together. I know, I know, now you will say "you die for Christ and a muslim for his Allah, what's the difference?" right? The difference is that he is blinded and led by his mind and emotions, the truth is not with him, he thinks God wants you to die for him so that you can be worthy of His acceptance. While I am a new being in Christ, mind, body and spirit, and I find teh source of life in Him if someone wants to kill my body i know that if I stay with him my soul will rise from the dead with my body on Judgement day. I will never die. i rather die physically and tehn live forever, rather than deny Him and loose real Life (=Jesus), live physically for a few decades and die eternally. I do it cause I love Him with everything in me, the muslim does it to justify himself which he is not the judge of. I hope that makes it clearer for you.

hahaha You said it yourself! They will never claim that Jesus is God because they are blinded (or competitors= on the other side, not with the truth) Faith and ethics are 2 different things. What you see on the outside as a manifestation of one's faith are morals and ethics and whatever but that's only the consequences not the source itself. Man's desire to be moral or ethical is from God. The way to live that can only be accomplished thru faith. Not a set of rules. That's how it is all designed. You want to paint a picasso painting? You're gonna have to study him and copy his techniques and at the end of the day end up with a fake painting no matter how hard you try. But if you look within to discover the real you (which is hidden in Christ) then you will make miracle paintings, unique and authentic.

It is sad what happens to marriages nowadays. I think it's mostly because people get married just for the sake of it or because society expects them to or some other stupid reason. Mariage is a union. And for 2 people to become 1 is a very serious thing. You cant be like "we love each other and that's all that matters" I was one of those ppl and i was going to marry a girl and end up in a lot of trouble if it wasnt for Jesus. If I'm gonna get married It's gonna have Him involved in it just as anything else. Just like anything else, marriage without Him is fake and superficial ( that doesnt mean He cant revive a dead marriage). If I'm gonna get married It's gonna be to glorify Him and it has to be such that it is gonna be better for the 2 of us to marry each other than to live alone to glorify Him. If I can serve Him better without marrying than I shouldnt marry. Because marriage is not a goal in life. But His Kingdom is.

Let me make one thing clear: Christianity is not a religion just as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc... If you're gonna call all of those "religions" then you can't give Christianity the same name. Christianity is not about following a set of rules, rituals, lifestyles, etc... Christianity is aout following Christ. People may use Christianity as a way to control people and sadly that's what is like nowadays in most communities. But those are only Christians by name. And that doesnt mean a thing to our Lord on the contrary it would have been better if they never found out about Christianity than to abuse it like that. now about the Bible: the Bible is not a book, just as all other books. if you are going to call all the books in the world: "books" then you cant call the Bible a "book". the Bible is the LIVING word of God. The letters and paragraphs and pages are only describing something that's alive everywhere. It is not the words, letters, paragraaphs, pages themselves that make God's word. They are just pointing to the LIVING God's Word which became a man in the person of Jesus the Christ. How do I know it? -> it's a revelation. Only thru faith can anyone see God. What is faith? It is a function in human beings just like thinking, eating, reading etc...

are u sure? Does any other religion claim that Jesus is God?

so it's all about what you think? it's all mental? So you believe that man is mind and body? no soul? considering your definitions, I can assure you that true Christians are neither religious nor spiritual.

Anahid, i think "abashxaril" means repent. All that it means is "to believe in God" or "hantsnvil Asdoudzo". Call it whatever you want and do it however you want. It's a personal thing between you and Jesus. But do it! Do it 100000 times if u have to. When He takes you in His arms you'll know about marriage, St Paul sais not to divorce your spouse if you come to Christ and he's not a Christian. He sais not to marry a non-Christian in the first place. But if you do, still he instructs not to leave him just because he's not Christian. BUT, that doesnt mean take all the abuse from him! Anahid, I cant give you specific advise or instruction about such things but i know that if you give yourself to Him (if you are talking about yourself here) He will show you the best way to solve things. He will tell you what to do. And it wont be that hard. He takes the yoke on Himself and makes everything easy for us when we trust Him. In Christianity there are no rules! When we come to Christ, His Spirit gives us real freedom (not the freedom the world talks about like doing whatever your desires tell you and stuff). If you have something else on your mind or something you need further clarification on i'd be glad to help as much as i can.

Hi Anahid, There is no rule really. But if I understand your question correctly, I think you are asking whether repentance is a once in a lifetime thing or not. It can be an everyday thing or an every second thing depending on your relationship with Him. But when you feel that you have been distracted and drifted from the right path, not necessarily by doing something BIG, but maybe by "sleeping" on your calling, you can always renew your vow. He is always there for us and greets us with open arms. We need to be more serious about our lives and realize that for what He's done for us there is nothing worth not being with Him all the time and being obedient to Him. He deserves all our love and praise. God bless you.

Yehova is living in His chosen people. I am one of them. Where is your Aramazt? who has taken a god from you? This must be the most ridiculous thing I've read so far. Where is he? let him show himself. Our Lord lives in us and shines his light to the world thru us. You can either accept Him or not. it is not us as humans who can persuade you or "convert" you. That's absurd, we're only human. But God works in us and with us to get thru to you. He also works in your lives to remind you directly. You either turn to Him or keep living in denial. You are free and He is fair and just. He is love, and patient and all knowing. He is above everything and everyone. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Rev 3:20

wow so much anger! God wrote the Bible with his Holy Spirit thru prophets, apostles and desciples in their own free will (without forcing Himself). There is something i noticed. You think God is a dictator. He's not. He is true freedom and he is just.

"Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." - Luke 17:20-21 His words are better than mine

The Bible is written by God. All other books are written by men. If you have a hard time accepting this that's because you haven't experienced yet the power of His Word which gives life to the dead.

what does spirituality mean Sip? What does Spirit mean? What does religion mean? Maybe if u tell me what your definitions or understanding of these terms are we can understand each other better. the world and life are 2 different things the world without Life (=Jesus) is a dead and fallen world full of lies and no it's not a waste of time on the contrary each second counts and is very priceless. Eternal life starts here in this life. What is a waste is the time i spend in this world without Jesus Christ. That's the waste! We use every second of our life to prepare us for the next and everlasting while living the eternal and gradually growing in that spiritual life as our Father teaches us thru His Spirit for His Son's sake. I belong to Jesus and this life is the only chance for me to let Him purify me and for me to serve Him and show Him my gratitude. You've been around very lousy "believers" haven't you? Jesus has talked about them too: "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Rev 3:1-6

Anoushik, you know what Beethoven said about the world and what it has to offer (musically)? He said all music not spiritual is like sounds of cries from hell.

sorry... double post...