Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’

THE BOOK OF REALITY

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2025| 7 Comments »

Perhaps you’ve never read a Bible and, based on what you’ve heard from others, never want to even touch one.

You’ve lived with the satisfyingly vague notion that there’s some kind of creator out there and, if you manage to do more good than bad, you’ll get entry to whatever coming’s next.

And yet, here you are, reading a blog examining a book that apparently still leaves you curious. So give me a few moments to do my imperfect best to explain the Bible and encourage you to give it some consideration.

First of all, it’s absolutely NOT a novel. While the Bible contains narrative sections, it also has historical accounts, poetry, legal codes, letters and prophetic writings.

Plus, novels are usually written by one or two people; the Bible is written by dozens of people in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic — the language of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God — and Greek) over thousands of years.

Despite all these authors and all that time, the Bible has consistent themes:

  • The universe, this planet and everything on it are God’s creation
  • Humanity is the crowning touch of God’s creation because we were made aware of ourselves and aware of our creator.
  • Through the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do, humanity has walked away from the love and care of our creator.
  • God ceaselessly invites us back to Him — first through passionate men (called prophets) endowed with unique knowledge/experience of God, then through the life, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

The last point is critical, because Jesus told anyone willing to listen: “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” So there it is; when this life ends, you’ll need to be perfect to get past the bouncer at the ‘pearly gates’.

Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it? Since no one can ever get close to perfection, how can even one of us get to Heaven?

The answer is Jesus. When He allowed Himself to be arrested on false charges, convicted and put to death, Jesus paid the penalty for every wrong thing done by His followers, and every right thing we’ve failed to do.

After that, God saw — and continues to see — His Son’s followers just as He sees Jesus: perfect in every way. The result is when Jesus followers end this life, the bouncer ushers them into a joyous eternity with God.

Just as important, when people like YOU invite Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, He comes into your heart IMMEDIATELY and begins making you more like the person God created you to be.

All this is in the Bible for you to discover. What about the “murder, corruption, homophobia, bestiality, incest and cruelty”? Well, the bible absolutely isn’t “full” of that stuff as the meme creator suggests, but they are there. Why? Because the Bible is about REALITY.

It doesn’t sugar-coat the often horrific behaviour of humanity. The Bible lays it all out so it’s plain to see why we are in a bad way and why/how Jesus can and does fix that for everyone who follows Him.

So how about you? Are you willing to at least read a few Bible chapters now and then? Yes or no, post your comments below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

“THIS IS NOT A FULFILLING LIFE”

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2025| 3 Comments »

I’m not a huge golf fan but this headline, in Canada’s National Post, grabbed my attention because in our culture, professional athletes are supposed to obsess over their careers.

So what gives with American golfer Scott Scheffler, who’s currently the top-ranked player in the world?

“I’m not here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point?,” he told reporters, who must have been thoroughly gobsmacked at hearing this heresy. “This is not a fulfilling life.”

What?? How can this be? Did Scheffler get hit in the head with a golf ball? Did someone whack him with a putter? There must be some explanation for this wonky, ridiculous thinking.

And there is. Consider Scheffler’s answer to a question about his reading habits: “I have a devotional book on my iPad. I have another book which I’m reading that’s definitely not a golf book. It’s another spiritual book. My Bible is pretty much it.”

Ah. There it is. Scheffler is some kind or religious nut, right? And yet you’re reading this blog because somewhere in your mind and heart, you’re open to spirituality – and maybe even to Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God.

Despite Scheffler’s astounding success — the article says the 29-year-old Texan “has taken over the sport as the most dominant player since Tiger Woods” — he has found himself grounded in a way most of us can only dream about.

Among the many things Jesus told anyone willing to listen is this: “What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

Scheffler appears to understand this very well. And maybe this understanding has contributed to his success.

There’s something for me and you to learn from this. Whatever we’re pursuing, is it worth damaging our health, our emotional well-being or our relationships? NO. Especially when it’s all temporary. Our 70 or 80 years on this planet are nothing but a blip compared to what’s coming next.

Scheffler seems to comprehend what’s coming next. That’s why he’s placed his faith and trust in Jesus, because anyone who does so will spend a glorious eternity in the presence of their creator.

This is how it works: Jesus told his listeners, “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” So there it is; when this life ends, you’ll need to be perfect to get past the bouncer at the ‘pearly gates’.

Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it? Since no one can ever get close to perfection, how can even one of us get to Heaven?

The answer is Jesus. When He allowed Himself to be arrested on false charges, convicted and put to death, Jesus paid the penalty for every wrong thing done by His followers, and every right thing we’ve failed to do.

After that, God saw — and continues to see — His Son’s followers just as He sees Jesus: perfect in every way.

Just as important, when people like YOU invite Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, He comes into your heart IMMEDIATELY and begins making you more like the person God created you to be.

Are you interested? Yes or no, post your comment below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

WHO KNOWS IT ALL?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2025| 4 Comments »

Maybe you’ve encountered some “religious” Christians who left you with a bad taste in your mouth because they insisted all they need to know can be found in the Bible.

I’m with you on this. In fact, this is just one more reason why I want nothing to do with “religion” (a few more reasons can be found here: https://frankscottage.blog/2018/06/30/the-unniceness-of-religion/).

I’m a man of faith who follows Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), but I absolutely DO NOT know everything. In fact, since deciding to follow Jesus more than 20 years ago, I’ve yet to meet a single person who fits the stereotype of the atheist meme that sparked this blog.

So let’s clear up the misconceptions. For a start, I have approximately 1,000 fiction, non-fiction, photography, humour, history and spirituality books. Now I’d never claim that other Jesus followers are similar reading enthusiasts, but a majority read at least a few books now and then. Just like most other North Americans.

What about Jesus-following scientists (I wrote about a few of them here: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-e9)? I feel quite safe in writing that most of these folks have entire walls of books. And I can’t imagine even one of them claiming to “know everything” from the Bible.

So what do we know? Based on philosophy, archaeology, science and ancient documents that have never been disproven, we know this:

  • There’s a creator behind the universe, this planet, the air you’re breathing and YOU.
  • This creator is without fault, blemish or stain. I know this because Jesus said His Father is absolutely holy.
  • This creator knows ALL of His creations, including YOU. In fact, He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows we fall far, far short of being holy.
  • This creator promises us that there’s much more to life that just 75 years of eating, sleeping, working and watching bad reality TV. This life is just the opening page to the book of all eternity.
  • This creator’s standard for spending that eternity with Him is perfection. I know this because Jesus told anyone willing to listen that “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”
  • Since no one has any hope of reaching that standard on their own, God provided a way: His Son’s undeserved death and extraordinary resurrection three days later. Jesus himself said He “came to serve others and to give [my] life to save many people“.

Why not to save ALL people? Because being saved — to qualify for eternity in Heaven — requires declaring Jesus to be Lord, Saviour and best friend. When this happens, God no longer sees all the wrong things we’ve done and the right things we’ve failed to do. He only sees His Son’s perfection.

If all that seems far away and, therefore, irrelevant, consider this: Jesus told His followers that He would leave them a spiritual guide to help them become the people God created them to be. In other words, trusting in Jesus can make a positive, life-changing difference NOW.

Interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

PAYING THE COST

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 15, 2025| 4 Comments »

Anyone familiar with Jesus of Nazareth – who many people believe is the Son of God – will be confounded, perplexed and, often, offended by the truth advanced in the atheist meme that kicked off this blog.

So stick with me while I do my very imperfect best to explain it and, hopefully, give you a life-giving new perspective on what it means to be a Jesus follower.

First, a little history. In ancient Jewish culture (when He was physically on Earth, Jesus was a Jew), a goat was selected annually to symbolically bear the weight of all the wrong things people did that year and all the right things they failed to do.

That goat, called the scapegoat, was sent into the wilderness to die. It sounds bizarre to us, but it was a pillar of ancient Jewish thought. Please note, however, that the scapegoat forgiveness was only symbolic and it only lasted a year.

Now, you may be thinking that this kind of thing is absolutely unnecessary today, but consider these two facts:

  1. God’s standard for spending eternity in Heaven with Him is perfection. The proof? Jesus told anyone willing to listen that “you must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

2. No one can achieve God’s standard on their own. I can’t, you can’t and even the most saintly person on this planet can’t. God knew that so He did something about it. He sent His perfect Son to Earth to live a humble life, bring incredible miracles and teaching to people in desperate need, then die on a cross.

That death was life-changing because for His followers, it permanently forgives ALL the wrong things we’ve done and ALL the right things we’ve failed to do. No exceptions. In this way, Jesus did what the ancient Jewish scapegoat could never do.

Three days later, Jesus fulfilled His own predication by rising from the dead and, according to one of His most accomplished followers (a guy named Paul of Tarsus), appeared to more than 500 people. Through this, He proved His claim to be the divine Son of God.

So why can’t God just snap His fingers and forgive us all? Good question. Because just as a forgiven thief still has to serve jail time, so our “sins” still have to be paid for; there’s nothing unreasonable about that. And Jesus pays the cost of forgiveness for all His followers.

I regard this as very good news. And there’s more. When you say yes to following Jesus – when you sincerely declare Him your Lord, Saviour and best friend – He comes into your life and starts making you more of the person you were created to be. And that process won’t end until this life ends and you meet Jesus face to face.

Sound interesting? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

DO WE HAVE 12 HOURS MORE?

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 26, 2022| 2 Comments »

The headline – “Bob Saget’s Last Twitter Post Will Break Your Heart” – compelled me to read the online story. And as I did, it was clear a vital and eternal truth was being laid before me.

Just 12 hours before the 65-year-old actor (Full House and Fuller House), TV host (America’s Funniest Home Videos) and comedian was found dead Jan. 9 in his Florida hotel room, he went on Twitter and posted this:

“Loved tonight’s show in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience. I had no idea I did a 2-[hour] set. I’m happily addicted again to this s***. Check BobSaget.com for my dates in 2022.”

Clearly, Saget was looking ahead to his comedy tour and had no idea it would never happen for the most final of reasons: he would soon be gone from this earth.

It struck me that the same could be applied to anyone. In my case, I could have easily died before this blog appeared online. Pastor and author Rick Warren put it so well: “When I’m tempted to be prideful, I just remind myself that I cannot even guarantee my next breath.”

Did Bob Saget ever think about his demise and what might come after? We may never know. But this is a good motivation for us to set aside our culture’s trivial obsessions and give serious thought to the BIG question.

I did that a few years ago. After considerable reading, thinking and debating with people of faith, I decided to follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God.

If you believe in the existence of Heaven, then consider what Jesus told anyone willing to listen: “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” So there it is; when this life ends, you’ll need to be perfect to get past the bouncer at the ‘pearly gates’.

Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it? Since no one can ever get close to perfection, how can even one of us get to Heaven?

The answer is Jesus. One of His earliest followers noted “When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned.”

So Jesus has what it takes. And when He allowed Himself to be arrested on false charges, convicted and put to death, Jesus paid the penalty for every wrong thing done by His followers, and every right thing we’ve failed to do.

After that, God saw — and continues to see — His Son’s followers just as He sees Jesus: perfect in every way. The result is when Jesus followers end this life, the bouncer ushers them into a joyous eternity with God.

Just as important, when people like YOU invite Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, He comes into your heart IMMEDIATELY and begins making you more like the person God created you to be.

We’ll probably never know if Bob Saget did that. But you can make that decision TODAY. Interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

PAYING OFF OUR SPIRITUAL CREDIT CARD

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2021| 6 Comments »

Most of us have grown so accustomed to living in a credit card world that we give it no more thought than breathing or going to the bathroom.

We use the card, a bill arrives every month and we either pay it off or pay the minimum and eventually deal with the interest charges.

This system exists in another world, too: the world of our behaviour. When I’m rude to another driver, engage in hurtful gossip or find shady ways to avoid paying taxes, that goes on my spiritual credit card. When I ignore the needs of people around me, stay silent in the face of injustices or fail to use my God-given gifts for good, that goes on my spiritual credit card.

You might notice that I’m writing about two elements of behaviour: the wrong things we do and the right things we fail to do.

As a follower of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), I know both elements are equally important to my creator.

Do you pay attention to both? I often don’t and that’s something I need to pray about, asking God to open my eyes and heart to see and act on the opportunities He gives me to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting world.

Returning to the spiritual credit card theme, I’ve built up quite a list of items, many of them things I’m not even aware of. So have you.

As with the credit card in your purse or wallet, all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do must be paid for at some point. This is more important than you might think because Jesus tells everyone who’s willing to listen that “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

Jesus says this because when this life ends, perfection is the admission price to spending eternity with Him in Heaven. Nothing else will get you past the bouncer at the door.

So my question is: how will you pay off your spiritual credit card? I know that I can’t pay off my card and achieve perfection. It’s simply not possible. And I believe that’s the case for you, too.

Acknowledging this FACT means someone has to pay off our cards for us. And the only person who qualifies – the only person who is perfect – is Jesus.

When He was physically on earth, government and religious officials who were offended by His words and deeds arrested him on trumped-up charges and put Him to death. But their actions served an entirely different and life-changing purpose: His death paid all the credit card charges for everyone who believes in Him and follows Him.

Now, when God looks at Jesus followers, all He sees is His Son’s perfection. And that’s what the bouncer at the door to Heaven will see, too. But just as important, when you say yes to God’s gift of Jesus, you welcome Him into your life RIGHT NOW to help you become the person God created you to be.

Sound like a good deal? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

WHO LOVES FIRST?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 17, 2020| 4 Comments »

I encountered this meme on Facebook and was immediately struck by its warm and inviting messages. I own more than 700 CDs (yes, I’m happily ‘old school’) and music is always part of my daily life.

That, however, is not why I saved the meme. Instead, it was the first sentence. Notice the love relationship only happens when you love music first? In other words, there’s no love unless you initiate it.

There’s a whole other relationship, that’s even more important than music, which doesn’t require you to do the heavy lifting. I’ll reveal it now, but you may be surprised and even annoyed when you read it, so I hope you’ll keep an open mind.

It’s your creator.

Still with me? Yay! Let me unpack this statement so you’ll fully grasp what I’m writing about.

The creator and master of time, space and the universe loves every person on this planet. No exceptions. I can write that because of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is God’s Son.

One of the primary source documents about Jesus’ physical life on earth explains that “this is how much God loved the world—He gave His one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in Him will never perish, but experience everlasting life.”

There are two things worth noting about this statement:

  1. Notice how it doesn’t say anything about God responding to us? He took the initiative. He acted first. Out of love.
  2. There is no footnote stating the gift is only offered to people who qualify – people who have their act together, who are “good enough”. This explains my earlier statement: all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do don’t disqualify us from God’s love.

It’s clear that this gift of Jesus is important and whether or not we accept it is life-changing. But why? We will “experience everlasting life” through Jesus because when He was put to death by the religious and political leaders of His day, He paid the price for all the moral crimes of everyone who follows Him.

And why is that so vital? Jesus explains it when He told anyone willing to listen that “you must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” So perfection is what it takes to spend eternity in Heaven with God and we can only achieve that through Jesus.

The second message in the meme, about music being the perfect life companion, is nice. But there’s a much, much better life companion: Jesus.

When you accept the gift of Jesus and make Him your lord and saviour, He comes into your life right now and starts to make you more like the person God designed you to be. Music is wonderful, but it certainly can’t do anything like that.

So what do you think? Interested in accepting God’s remarkable, life-changing gift? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

BECAUSE WE CAN’T GUARANTEE OUR NEXT BREATH

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 14, 2018| 4 Comments »

In my country, there are not many things that bring everyone together. Sadly, a horrific traffic accident did just that.

Sixteen people died when a Humboldt Broncos bus, carrying players and others involved with the junior hockey team, collided with a tractor trailer in rural Saskatchewan in April 2018. The bus was on its way to a playoff game and those on board came from small towns and cities in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.

Even as the investigation unfolded as to how this tragedy occurred, people across Canada paid tribute to the players, coaches, bus driver, trainer and radio announcer who lost their lives. It was incredibly moving to see how the grief of survivors and loved ones was shared among people who had never heard of the team before the accident.

Much of the grieving came from the fact that most of those who died were teenagers and people in their early 20s. Life in North America is not supposed to be like this. We’re supposed to outlive our parents.

The stunning shock of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash makes this fact blindingly clear: you and I cannot guarantee our next breath. We could be gone before the sun sets today.

With this reality so forcefully before us, I must ask: what do you think is going to happen when you die?

My spiritual path tells me when this life is over, all of us are going to face our maker and be asked to account for all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do.

I can guarantee you, it’s not going to go well because God’s standard is perfection and that’s how He judges all his human creations. In the words of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is God’s Son), “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

Since we’re all going to fall overwhemingly short of that requirement, how can we escape the judgement we all deserve? The answer is simple: accept the gift that God offers YOU. The gift of Jesus.

Beyond the extraordinary teachings and miracles attributed to Him in ancient biographical accounts, Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for everyone who follows him. This might seem cruel to you, but it illustrates two things:

  1. Our moral crimes are a big, BIG deal to God.
  2. Short of compromising His standards, God was willing to do whatever was necessary to make a way for us to spend eternity in His presence. Jesus is that way.

So, in light of the sobering facts about our lives that I’ve highlighted in this blog, is it time you considered accepting this incredible gift? If you you say yes, then you give God permission to move into your life NOW and begin to make you more like Jesus. What do you think? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »

A WINDOW FOR TRUTH

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 14, 2015| 23 Comments »

WindowForTruth 3.15Sometimes I’m bursting with appreciation for the graphics that atheist people post on the internet. They often present Heaven-sent opportunities to tell people what God and Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is His Son) are all about.

This is one of those glorious opportunities. Here we go:

1. God sends NO ONE to Hell. People send themselves to Hell through the wrong things they’ve done and through the right things they’ve failed to do.

That includes kicking God out of our lives and turning our backs on His gift of Jesus.

2. Even if you ignore my first point, who says God sends everyone to Hell for having an abortion? This graphic conveniently ignores the fact of forgiveness.

Why do I call it a fact? Because Jesus is quite clear about it. One of His earliest followers wrote “if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.”

Please note: this isn’t a scam we can pull on a dimwitted creator. This is serious business and I explain it in detail here: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-8n.

3. “Kills His only Son”. First of all, it was Roman authorities who did the killing. They were urged on by manipulative religious authorities who felt threatened by Jesus, His popularity and His disregard for their petty religious rules and regulations.

Secondly, God allowed Jesus to die because a significant part of Jesus’s mission — many people would declare it was the most important part — was to be a sacrifice that would make up for all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do. Well, it would do that for everyone who accepts the gift of Jesus.

For the people who accept that gift, who declare Jesus to be their Lord, their Saviour and their best friend, God no longer sees our “sins”. He sees only the perfection of His Son.

Why was a death necessary? Because this “sinning” business is deadly stuff, far more lethal than most of us truly understand. And nothing we can do or say or think or pray can make up for all the wrong things we’ve done and the right things we’ve failed to do. All our efforts will always fall short. Always.

So God did the heavy lifting for us by offering the gift of His Son and His sacrifice. So carefully consider everything our culture tells you about life, about right and wrong, about how we should live and about what happens after this life ends. Does it make complete sense in light of a God that loves YOU, offers the gift of Jesus to YOU and wants YOU to spend eternity in Heaven with him?

Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

Read Full Post »