Christians Don't Believe Jesus Died on the Cross What do you really believe?

Do you even know what you believe and why you believe it? There should be no fear in asking yourself questions. It is not a sin question what you believe. The purpose of this sermon is to question some beliefs widely held by Christians. Please don't be offended by my use of "you" and "Christians". I realize these are gross generalizations, as Christians vary greatly in their beliefs. In fact, beyond agreeing that "Jesus is Lord", you'd be hard pressed to find two Christians from different franchises to agree in much else. I also include myself in when I say "Christians" or "you" because up until recently, I held the same beliefs that I am now questioning. But when I think about it, I did not hold these beliefs out of any deep conviction or careful study. I just accepted what I was taught. After all, the Bible teachers, pastors, authors, and preachers who mentored me were all decent, caring, and intelligent people. It never occurred to me that they just might be more influenced by the traditions and doctrines of men than they or I were willing to admit. Christians don't believe anybody really dies Christianity has joined many of the world's religions in redefining death to mean life in some other form and in another location. When a man dies, his body is buried or burned. In order for there to be any life beyond that he would need to have some immaterial, invisible, conscious, and immortal part of his being. This is sometimes called the soul or spirit. In Genesis we read the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (soul in the KJV) (Gen. 2:7) It is clear from this account of creation that man does not have a soul man is a soul. The same word translated soul or living being here is also used of insects, fish, and animals. If being made a living soul means one is immortal, then insects, fish, and animals must also be immortal. However, the same verse says that the Lord God breathed into his nostrils, thus giving him life. This is understood to be the spirit or "life force" which caused a lifeless lump of dust to become alive. We are told in Ecclesiastes that at death the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (Ecc. 12:7) (notice there is no mention of heaven or hell) Man has a spirit, but is this spirit a conscious entity which can continue to live after he dies? We do have the promise of the resurrection of the dead. This, according to Paul, is our only hope of any life

after natural death. I'm willing to remain open minded on this issue, but just where is the scriptural evidence of an immortal soul or spirit? Christians don't believe Jesus Died on the Cross! All four gospels say the same thing in the last chapters: Jesus died. You may believe that only his body died and his spirit floated off to take care of some unfinished business. (The verse in 1 Peter which says he was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit... can be interpreted to refer to an event after his resurrection). But if only his body died, then how could he say The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11) and For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.(Mk. 10:45) Also, what would it mean if he offered up a corpse to be the sacrifice for our sins? Jesus gave his life for you, not just his body. I've heard the objection that those who believe Jesus was really dead when he died claim that Jesus "ceased to exist" for three days. Nonsense! The Bible does not say "Jesus ceased to exist" the Bible says "Jesus died". That is what I believe. No one ceases to exist so long as God has in mind to raise them from the dead. Christians don't believe the wages of sin is death For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23) Do you believe that the wages of sin is eternal hell, or spiritual death, or eternal death, or eternal torment, or whatever you want to call it. I read several commentaries on this verse and most of them ignored the fact that it directly contradicts the current Evangelical theology. One commentary said that Paul really means the second death. But the verse doesn't say that, nor does any part of the Bible say any such thing. Also the second death is found only in the Book of Revelation, so Paul had never heard of it. I realize Paul isn't always so direct or easy to understand, but I find this verse to be crystal clear the wages of sin is death, not eternal life in hell. Remember this is not a parable, but a direct teaching. If Paul meant something else, he certainly did not lack the vocabulary to express himself. He could have said the wages of sin is eternal death for example. As you can see, he is contrasting this with eternal life yet he does not say eternal death. Paul is also complementing the teaching of the Old Testament. Starting in Genesis chapter 3, we see that the punishment for sin is death without the slightest warning of any additional punishment after death. Christians don't believe Jesus paid the penalty for our sins The wages of sin is death. Jesus died on the cross. Therefore the wages of sin have been paid, and we can stand before God forgiven for our sins. Praise the

Lord! But you believe the wages of sin is eternal hell. Jesus did not go to hell for eternity. In fact, he didn't go to hell at all. So if the wages of sin is hell, Jesus cannot save you from it! He did not pay that price for you. But praise God the wages of sin is death, and Jesus did die on the cross for you! Christians don't believe God hates the sin but loves the sinner Although there is no specific verse that says "God hates the sin but loves the sinner", it's a fair statement based on many scriptures, including John 3:16 : For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. And Romans 5:8 : But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So if God hates sin and loves the sinner, why can he not destroy the sin while saving the sinner? You believe he does this only for a few, while the rest retain their sin for eternity. In this view, sin will continue to exist and multiply in hell for eternity. This makes God tolerate sin, which expands at a greater rate than the virtue in heaven. And while God tolerates ever expanding sin, he continues to hate the sinner for eternity. Isn't it better that we take literally the declaration that Christ is the atoning sacrifice for all sin? He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.(1 Jn. 2:2) Christians don't believe that God is sovereign. Unless you are a Calvinist, you probably don't believe God is sovereign. The majority view is that man's free will, rather than God's perfect will, determines his eternal destiny. We know it is God's will that all be saved: This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1Tim. 2:34) and The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Thus, the only way anyone will not be saved in the end is that if man's free will has the final word. To put it another way, man is in control of his destiny, while God steps back and just lets things happen. It's an interesting theory, but there is zero scriptural evidence that man's will can ever supersede God's perfect will. If you doubt this, read Romans, chapter nine. Christians don't believe in the resurrection of the dead Do you believe in the resurrection? If so, then exactly what will be resurrected? Only zombies later to be reunited with spirits? The phrase "resurrection of the body" is in some creeds but never in scripture. The scripture speaks of the resurrection of the dead, never just the body. Read carefully the account in John chapter eleven, when

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. There is no talk of Lazarus "being in a better place" Jesus didn't comfort the mourners by assuring them that Lazarus is in heaven now with the saints. No Lazarus was dead. He was so dead that even Jesus, the Son of God, shed tears for his dead friend. The common belief that you go to either heaven or hell when you die is not compatible with the resurrection of the dead. They can't both be true it just makes no logical or biblical sense. If you do go to heaven or hell when you die then what exactly is the point of the resurrection? You obviously don't need your physical body to enjoy heaven or suffer in hell. And when, how, and where would this great event the reuniting of the spirit and body take place? Would those in hell have to leave hell, go back to earth, pick up their dead bodies, and then return to hell? Would those in heaven have to leave heaven to get their old bodies? Or would all the dead bodies just be delivered via FedEx Priority Overnight Service?

Christians don't believe in Judgment Day Like the resurrection, the day of judgment is pointless if everyone just goes to heaven or hell upon death. Jesus spoke of the day of judgment: I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.(Matt 10:15) It seems from Jesus' own words that there is a day coming

when all will be judged. He also implies that it won't be a pointless, black and white, heaven or hell type judgment, but rather a righteous judgment. Otherwise, how could he say it will bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah? If they're all just going to hell, how could it be more bearable for one city than for another? Anyway, this brings up the same problems as the resurrection: Will those in hell, get to leave hell temporarily (and maybe be allowed to shower and put on a decent suit first) so they may appear before God to be judged? And after that, be cast back into hell? Will those in heaven be judged only to have the charges dropped? The day of judgment is meaningless if everyone immediately goes to heaven or hell upon death. Christians don't believe Jesus is the Savior of the World Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1:29) And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (1 Jn. 3:12) ...we know that this man really is the Savior of the world. (Jn. 4:42) The mission of Jesus is clear he came to save the world. That means the whole world. Did Jesus fail to fulfill his mission? What kind of savior is Jesus if he only saves one percent? Even if he saves ninety nine percent, he would not be the Savior of the World. Nowhere in the New Testament do you find the teaching that Jesus is only the potential savior of the world, or that he came only to offer salvation, or even that we have to meet him half way. We do have to believe to be saved, and believe is what all will do according to Philippians 2:911 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Also, Jesus said But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."(Jn. 12:32) That sounds like a promise to me. The word translated draw means to pull in by force, like pulling a net full of fish into the boat. In Colossians we are told by his blood, Jesus reconciled the whole universe to himself. ...For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace

through his blood, shed on the cross. (Col. 1:19-20) Jesus saves and he is very good at what he does. His mission was to save the world and he did it! I could add many more, but I think you get the point. To the reader with an open mind and heart, I ask only that you ask yourself what you really believe and why you believe it.

April 10, 2009 A new nationwide survey of adults spiritual beliefs, conducted by The Barna Group, suggests that Americans who consider themselves to be Christian have a diverse set of beliefs but many of those beliefs are contradictory or, at least, inconsistent. The survey explored beliefs about spiritual beings, the influence of faith on their life, views of the Bible, and reactions to faiths other than their own. Views on Spiritual Beings The Barna survey asked questions about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, and demons. All 1,871 self-described Christians were asked about their perception of God. In total, three-quarters (78%) said he is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today. The remaining one-quarter chose other descriptions of God depictions that are not consistent with biblical teaching (e.g., Everyone is god, god refers to the realization of human potential, etc.). For the other survey items a four-point opinion scale was used to measure peoples reactions to statements about each spiritual entity. Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan is not a living being but is a symbol of evil. An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they agree somewhat with that perspective.

A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan. Although a core teaching of the Christian faith is the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ, tens of millions of Christians do not accept that teaching. More than one-fifth (22%) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17% agreeing somewhat. Holding the opposing view were 9% who disagreed somewhat and 46% who disagreed strongly. Six percent did not have an opinion on this matter. Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is a symbol of Gods power or presence but is not a living entity. Just one-third of Christians disagreed that the Holy Spirit is not a living force (9% disagreed somewhat, 25% disagreed strongly) while 9% were not sure. A majority of Christians believe that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits. Two out of three Christians agreed that such influence is real (39% agreed strongly, 25% agreed somewhat), while just three out of ten rejected the influence of supernatural forces (18% disagreed strongly, 10% disagreed somewhat). The remaining 8% were undecided on this matter. Influence of Faith Most self-described Christians contend that their religious faith has significantly impacted their life. Almost six out of ten adults (59%) said their faith had greatly transformed their life, while 29% said their faith has been helpful but has not greatly transformed their life and 9% stated that their religious faith has not made much of a difference in who they are and how they live.

Christians were asked if they believed that a person must either side with God or with the devil that there is no in-between position. A large majority strongly agreed with the notion (61%) while an additional 15% agreed somewhat. Just one out of ten adults disagreed somewhat (10%) and a similar proportion (11%) disagreed strongly. Surprisingly few adults (3%) did not have an opinion on this matter. A large majority of Christians also proclaimed that the most important purpose in their life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul, a notion drawn directly from the Bible (Mark 12:29-30). In total, three out of four self-described Christians (74%) strongly affirmed that idea, while 15% more agreed somewhat with the statement. Just 4% strongly disagreed and 7% somewhat disagreed with the statement. Three percent said they were not sure. Thoughts on Other Faiths Among self-identified Christians, few held a positive opinion of Wicca. Overall, just 5% had a positive opinion while 55% had a negative opinion of Wicca. However, a huge segment (40%) did not know enough about Wicca to have formed an opinion of it, despite it being described to them as an organized form of witchcraft. Survey respondents were asked whether they believed that Mormons are Christians. Mormons themselves claim to be Christian, but most evangelical leaders say that they are not. There was no clear-cut perspective among the self-described Christians: four out of ten felt Mormons were Christian (18% strongly agreed, 21% somewhat agreed), three out of ten disagreed (17% strongly, 12% somewhat), and three out of ten were not sure what to think. When asked whether it was important to them to have active, healthy relationships with people who belong to religious faiths that do not accept the central beliefs of your faith, about two-thirds of the self-professed Christians claimed it was important. Thirty-six percent agreed strongly with the notion, and 29% agreed somewhat, while 11% disagreed strongly and 16% disagreed somewhat. The other 8% did not have an opinion. Views on the Bible A slight majority of Christians (55%) strongly agree that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches, with another 18% agreeing somewhat. About one out of five either disagree strongly (9%) or somewhat (13%) with this statement, and 5% arent sure what to believe.

There is no similar clarity among self-defined Christians regarding how the Bible compares to other holy books. When faced with the statement that the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths, the group was evenly split between those who accepted the idea (19% agreed strongly, 22% agreed somewhat) and those who rejected it (28% disagreed strongly, 12% disagreed somewhat), while leaving a sizeable portion (20%) undecided. Inconsistencies Noted The study also identified a number of instances in which peoples beliefs seemed inconsistent. Among those were the following:

About half (47%) of the Christians who believed that Satan is merely a symbol of evil nevertheless agreed that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons. About half (49%) of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol but not a living entity also agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches, even though the Bible clearly describes the Holy Spirit as more than a symbolic reference to Gods power or presence. About one-third (33%) of the self-defined Christians who agree that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon all teach the same truths simultaneously contend that the Bible is totally accurate in its principles, even though the three sacred books have very different ideas about truth, salvation, and the nature of God.

How Born Agains Differ The study examined how one segment of the Christian population those whose beliefs about salvation categorize them as born again differ from the beliefs of people who describe themselves as Christian but do not base their view of salvation solely on confession of sin and Gods grace received through Jesus Christ. (The Barna Group has labeled the latter group notional Christians.) For each of the 13 questions examined in the study, there were statistically significant differences between these two segments of the Christian population. Among the most significant gaps in belief were the following:

Born again adults are at least twice as likely as notionals to strongly agree that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches; that

their life has been greatly transformed by their faith; that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons; and to hold an unfavorable opinion of Wicca.

Born again adults are more than twice as likely as notionals to strongly disagree that Satan is just a symbol of evil, and that Jesus sinned while He lived on earth. Born again adults are more than three times as likely as notionals to strongly disagree that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol of Gods power or presence; that Mormons are Christians; and that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon teach the same truths. Born again adults are one-third more likely than notionals to possess a definition of God as the omniscient, omnipotent creator and ruler of the world; nearly 60% more likely to believe that you either side with God or Satan because there is no in-between position; and slightly more than 50% more likely to say their chief purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul. The smallest difference between the two segments related to the importance of having active relationships with people who reject the central tenets of the persons faith. Born again adults were slightly more likely to strongly agree that such relationships were important to them (39% versus 31%).

Americans Are Struggling to Make Sense of Their Faith George Barna, the author of nearly four dozen books analyzing research concerning Americas faith, suggested that Americans are constantly trying to figure out how to make sense of biblical teachings in light of their daily experiences. Most Americans, even those who say they are Christian, have doubts about the intrusion of the supernatural into the natural world. Hollywood has made evil accessible and tame, making Satan and demons less worrisome than the Bible suggests they really are. Its hard for achievement-driven, self-reliant, independent people to believe that their lives can be impacted by unseen forces. At the same time, through sheer force of repetition, many Americans intellectually accept some ideas such as the fact that you either side with God or Satan, theres no in-between that do not get translated into practice.

Barna also noted that Christians tend to be open to co-existence with other faiths. Most people understand that Americas religious life is diverse, explained the author of a forthcoming book about the nations faith segments, The Seven Faith Tribes. A majority of Christians are generally open to maintaining relationships with people of other faiths, and most are not predisposed to judging people of different faiths, such as Mormons or Wiccans. But that open-mindedness is sometimes due to their limited knowledge about the principles of their own faith and ignorance about other faiths as it is to a purposeful acceptance of other faiths. About the Research This report is based upon telephone interviews conducted by The Barna Group for two surveys among people who described themselves as Christian. A total of 1,871 adults were randomly selected from across the 48 continental states, with the first 873 interviews conducted in January and February, 2008, and the remaining 998 interviews conducted in November 2008. The aggregate sample The range of sampling error associated with a sample of 1,871 people is between 1.0 and 2.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The range of sampling error associated with the subsample of 873 adults is between 1.5 and 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The range of sampling error associated with the subsample of 998 adults is between 1.4 and 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Minimal statistical weighting was used to calibrate the aggregate sample to known population percentages in relation to several key demographic variables. Born again Christians were defined as people who said they had made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that was still important in their life today and who also indicated they believed that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as born again. The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bimonthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org).

Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.