NTS Ransomed with the blood of Christ

a reply to: glend
What is your 'spiritual goal'?
Have you given all your money away?

Again.....it is not about possessions.....it is about the belief in the possessor!
If you think you can own something then you have not as yet realised wholeness/oneness. If there is only the ONE life then 'who' is there to own anything?

a reply to: Itisnowagain

Why have you equated "living moderately" to "Have you given all your money away"?

Living moderately is not trying compete with others expectations. Having adequate shelter, not wasting wealth (and life) chasing materialistic rainbows. Where possible riding a bicycle instead of a car etc. This is not to say that my mind doesn't see materialistic things as attractive. Its a constant struggle to be master of our own minds.

"What is your 'spiritual goal'?"
Come what may.

"If you think you can own something then you have not as yet realised wholeness/oneness."
Its not about realising oneness (Tat Tvam Asi), its about experiencing it. If our mind is trying to dismiss selfishness using Tat Tvam Asi to disown what we own. Its our ego saying we can have our cake and eat it too.

originally posted by: glend
a reply to: Itisnowagain
"If you think you can own something then you have not as yet realised wholeness/oneness."
Its not about realising oneness (Tat Tvam Asi), its about experiencing it.

If there is only one then there won't be anyone experiencing it................because that would make two.

"What is your 'spiritual goal'?"
Come what may.

Tat Tvam Asi means 'Thou Art That'...which means 'you are that'.
It does not say 'you can experience that'....or 'you will be that'.............you are already that.
And it will not come and it will not go............eternally present.

The most recent thread in this series is Christ our paschal Lamb

originally posted by: DISRAELI
“You were ransomed... not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter ch1 vv18-19).

The teaching of the New Testament centres upon what Jesus achieved when he died upon the Cross.
Since this was a unique event, it can’t be explained without metaphor. So we find it described, for example, in terms of “ransom” or “redemption”.


The New Testament theme of redemption is expressing two chief points.
Firstly, that God’s people have escaped a condition of hardship which was the equivalent of slavery or the burden of debt.
Secondly, that the death of Christ on the Cross was the means that made this possible.
It was the metaphorical “price”.

How was that event unique?
For one blood magic or gaining something from a God with the death of someone or something is as old as humanity.

But also messianic savior demi gods who dies for redemption of the followers
was very popular before Christianity.

a reply to: joelr
No, the blood sacrifice idea is not unique; but the blood sacrifice idea is only one of the metaphors.
That was the point of that remark; something so unknown to human experience that it can only be described by metaphor.
The argument is being developed as the series progresses, but I think the most recent thread gets closer;
Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God

John 6:54-56

54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. 55 My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I live in them.

a reply to: Out6of9Balance
The true bread from heaven

a reply to: DISRAELI


Which part was unknown to human experience?

So are you saying the resurrection story is a metaphor for something beyond what we can understand?

a reply to: joelr
I haven't been talking about the resurrection.
If you look back to the opening paragraph of the OP, the term "unique event" relates to "what Jesus achieved".
I was referring specifically to the connection between the death of Jesus and the overcoming of sin.
That connection is something otherwise unknown to human experience, so it is indirectly described by metaphors like "scapegoat" (physical removal), "ransom" (payment of debt) and "sacrifice".

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: joelr
I haven't been talking about the resurrection.
If you look back to the opening paragraph of the OP, the term "unique event" relates to "what Jesus achieved".
I was referring specifically to the connection between the death of Jesus and the overcoming of sin.
That connection is something otherwise unknown to human experience, so it is indirectly described by metaphors like "scapegoat" (physical removal), "ransom" (payment of debt) and "sacrifice".

Ok gotcha.
That's actually the opposite of what we know about the history of religions.
During the Hellenistic period the Thracians, Syrians, Persians, Egyptians and others all had savior demigods.

They were all personal salvation cults, members were baptized and through the savior gained entry into heaven.
Modern Christians sort of ignore this but it was so known in the first few centuries that Justin Martyr had to deal with it by saying that Satan went back in time and gave information to these cults to look like Christianity stole mythology from them.

It's in the writings of the Christian apologist. It worked back then to square away these problems but now where less people believe that Satan actually changed history or even believe in Satan at all Christians just ignore what we know as history.

The most recent thread in this series is God is faithful

a reply to: DISRAELI

All religious ideas come from the minds of lunatics

a reply to: AthlonSavage

You fear so much the lunatic within you that you have to present yourself as a 'sane' person.

The most recent thread in this series is;
If anyone is in Christ