• Maureen
    53
    What we read about in the New Testament is only part of Jesus' life, and a small part at that since he lived into his 30s. That said, it would be quite easy to make anyone among us appear to be an overall perfect person, or an equally bad person if we were to pick and choose only particular parts of our lives and focus only on those as opposed to focusing on the good and the bad. So for us or anyone else to compare ourselves to Jesus or to take ourselves too seriously when it comes to following in Jesus' footsteps is highly unreasonable, and the truth is that nobody can expect to be entirely like Jesus because we haven't seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jesus' life outside of what we see in the New Testament. I believe that the New Testament attempts to make Jesus look entirely righteous as he goes around preaching and performing miracles, but what is happening in his life outside of that, such as on a regular basis? Nobody knows, and we don't know if he gets angry, upset, or does things that might actually be considered sinful. So as good as anyone might try to be, it isn't fair to compare ourselves to what we see of Jesus in the Bible, or for any church to expect anyone to make such a comparison.
  • christian2017
    1.4k
    In my opinion i do believe its possible for Jesus Christ to live 33 years without sinning.

    On a different note we only see 3 years of Jesus Christ's life. I think the pharisees assumed Jesus Christ was crazy and they also didn't know about Jesus's first 30 years. Jesus prepared in the wilderness for 40 days of disciplinary action to prepare himself for future hardship and temptation. He also when at the passover said he wouldn't drink wine until he reached heaven. When on the cross he was offered a (gray area) vinegar sponge. Because he was tempted by this (gray area) he decided to give up his ghost. All this shows is that to do great things you must be disciplined in your past and even the God of the universe had a breaking point where he had to give up. Some forms of death pull others away from Jesus, not to say these people are going to hell.
  • BC
    13.5k
    I believe that the New Testament attempts to make Jesus look entirely righteous as he goes around preaching and performing miraclesMaureen

    Given the purpose of the New Testament (to tell the story of Jesus--someone who was believed to be the Son of God) that makes sense. Why would the authors of the NT have done anything else?

    but what is happening in his life outside of that, such as on a regular basis? Nobody knowsMaureen

    Nobody knows, and it doesn't matter, because the Gospels aren't a biography of Jesus. What all Jesus was busy with between the his childhood appearance in the Temple and the inauguration of his ministry might be interesting. But it's idle curiosity on our part, because Jesus was born with a purpose, and the purpose was to die for our sins. Before he was executed, he introduced his people (the Jews) to the Kingdom of God. Then he died.

    If you accept that he was born to take away the sins of the world, then what his life was like before he was baptized by John is irrelevant. If you believe he was nothing special, it really doesn't matter what he did as a young man.

    This is in keeping with most Biblical characters: we read the words of the prophets (written on the subway walls) but we don't hear about what their adolescence was like. It didn't matter to the people who composed the texts of the Bible. Who cares whether Isaiah was a spoiled brat or neglected as a child? To the extent that it did matter, then they said something about it. (Abraham and Isaac, Moses, Jesus' odd parentage, etc.)
  • Couchyam
    24
    It seems to me that people generally don't try to be exactly like Jesus, they just accidentally stumble into his fate, like the convicts who were crucified with him (more 'Life of Brian' than New Testament.) That said, there are worse paths through life (not sure if Judas ever really enjoyed his 'earnings'.) Why do I shout 'crucify him! crucify him!' every year? Beyond my humble comprehension.
  • BC
    13.5k
    "Is it fair for people to compare themselves or their deeds to those of Jesus"?

    It seems pretty obvious that people should definitely not compare themselves to Jesus. If they think they compare favorably with Jesus, one can only urge prayer and fasting as a remedy (maybe with a kick in the pants).
  • Gnostic Christian Bishop
    1.4k
    when it comes to following in Jesus' footsteps is highly unreasonable, and the truth is that nobody can expect to be entirely like Jesus because we haven't seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jesus'Maureen

    I see more than one Jesus in scriptures. Many do not see the Gnostic Christian side of Jesus as the church never quotes that Jesus as he wants to free us from religion, not enslave us to it the way the Rome created immoral wimp does. The Gnostic Jesus asks that we use him as a mantra so as to activate our pineal gland and meditate with our full mind and brain via our third or single eye.

    Note what the church never dares quote. Here is the real way to salvation that Jesus taught.

    Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

    John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

    Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

    Allan Watts explain those quotes in detail.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alRNbesfXXw&feature=player_embedded

    or for any church to expect anyone to make such a comparison.Maureen

    They will not because if they did and told the rubes that they did not need the church, they would lose revenues and revenues are what religions are all about.

    That is why they try to sell their immoral genocidal god and Roman Jesus.

    They want slaves. Not free thinkers.

    Regards
    DL
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