Justice Archives - Life Hope

Why Suffering?

Ian Denness — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 10:33:29 +0000

Possible causes of suffering…

1. We don’t know everything.
2. A higher purpose – a wake-up call from God, to get our attention. God’s megaphone to a deaf world, being allowed by God to bring us to our own end and to repent for our higher eternal good.
3. We are all in this together – overall, our own human fault, as we have free will. If all life was only from evolution, our suffering would be far more, so it is better than would be expected.
4. There is suffering greater than any on this earth – Hell forever.
5. Jesus suffered the most, by taking our penalty for our rebellion against God, even though he was perfect. Jesus suffered to bring some of us to God, and so we could avoid further suffering…
6. Discipline for our straying sometimes – God treating those who love him as his children.
7. An early judgement – Sodom and Gomorrah as an example.
8. Satan was described as the ‘prince of this world’ and the ‘father of lies’ by Jesus. He messes things up supremely, and must be laughing how many people don’t even believe that he exists!
9. God made everything perfectly at creation – no death or suffering initially.

10. God will bring complete justice in the end.

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Would Jesus judge you for your words?

Ian Denness — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 03:58:06 +0000

Jesus said we would be judged by our words…

However, more people at the market said that maybe he never existed at all! That is another question for another day.

In the Bible, Matthew unequivocally quotes Jesus as saying:

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:36, 37 (NIV)(http://www.laridian.com)

Quite startling, isn’t it?

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What’s lacking in Christianity?

Ian Denness — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 08:46:03 +0000

Do you think Christianity is deficient?

What I call ‘Cultural Christianity’ is definitely deficient, in my opinion.

That is what a lot of people think Christianity is, but it is only a name-only version, and a poor one at that. You could call it ‘Churchianity’ with popes, priests and platitudes. Going to church now and again, a thin veneer of religiosity, having a great time at Christmas and Easter, and a bunch of religious formulas, rules and traditions.

The Bible itself is usually secondary in this whole generalisation. Most of the population of our western societies have followed that over the centuries, and this has led to much of the confusion, hypocrisy and rejection of it over the last decades.

A living relationship, not a religion

The real thing is actually a radical and personal relationship with the living God of the Bible, which has been made possible through Jesus Christ. That is why it is called Christ-ianity. It leads to a changed life, a changed attitude and a changed future.

It is dependent on ordinary people like us realising who the God of the Bible really is, that he is completely holy and pure, and that we aren’t. It goes on from there to understand and thankfully accept what Jesus, the Son of God, at great personal cost, did for us in coming to earth and giving himself on the cross in Jerusalem as a substitute for us. And this out of pure and self-denying love, something totally foreign to any other belief system in the world.

To authenticate the truth of the spiritual transaction, God then brought Jesus back to life again, just as it had been predicted.

Our wrongs

Those of us who accept that we have wronged God, by ignoring him, and also wronged other people, have the opportunity of being completely forgiven our wrongs by God. However, since it is not just a mental acceptance, but a revolutionary change from the inside, we do need to change our lifestyle, learn to love others and to live to please God.

This free gift then gives us great joy and thankfulness, so much so that we want to live for him, rather than just for our own self-centred selves.

A new life

This new life should lead to faith, hope and love, with acts of kindness, sacrifice and serving of others. History has shown that such people over the centuries have willingly served the poor, the sick, the uneducated and the down-trodden.

However, there are still deficencies, as we are still very much human!

What do you think are the main deficencies?

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Which big questions of life do we try so hard to avoid and ignore?

Ian Denness — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 05:21:59 +0000

The Big Questions?

Different for everyone I suspect.

Maybe we have some respectable questions that we allow ourselves to mention to others.

And then some we keep nicely hidden and secret for just ourselves to wrestle with and worry about. Maybe that’s because if we admit to having them, and also having them very unanswered, then we would so easily expose our weakness and vulnerability.

However, wouldn’t it be good to get realistic answers, that in the long run, will prove to not let us down, but be truly true?

What are those hidden ones for you?

Try these

1. Where have we come from?

2. Why am I here?

3. How should I live?

4. What will happen to me after I die?

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