|
THE
TEACHINGS & PHILOSOPHY OF
JESUS CHRIST
THE WORLD'S GREATEST
PHILOSOPHER
By Pastor
Max Solbrekken, D.D. |
JESUS CHRIST - THE
WORLD'S GREATEST PHILOSOPHER!
“And as ye would that
men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31)
President George W.
Bush, while campaigning in the Republican primaries (Feb. 2000) made a
very profound statement, more intellectually brilliant than many of the
theologians, philosophers and politicians I have studied for the past
forty years!
News reporters asked
Governor George W. Bush, whom he considered was the world's greatest
philosopher. He answered: "Jesus Christ. He changed my
life.."
They asked him about his
previous days of heavy drinking and how he had managed to change his
life-style. George W. Bush answered: "Jesus Christ came into my
heart."
When asked to explain
that statement, he said: "If it has happened to you you will know.
If it hasn't you will not understand it."
JESUS
CHRIST IS THE WORLD'S GREATEST PHILOSOPHER BECAUSE IN HIM ALONE RESIDES
ALL
WISDOM
&
KNOWLEDGE!
I have often used those
very same words. I have often stated unequivocally that the
‘philosophies of Jesus’ are unparalleled and incomparable to any other
philosopher or religious guru.
Jesus Christ's
teaching:: "Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you", and "Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart...and thy neighbor as thyself", is
unparalleled among any group of secular philosophers or religious gurus
you may name!
The Great Philosopher
and Fount of all Truth, Jesus Christ and His parable about the Good
Samaritan is unique in the annals of human history!
Ask yourself:
"Could anyone improve upon His parable of the 'Good Samaritan' which
He used to lecture the lawyer who asked, "Who is my neighbor?"
The answer is: ‘Certainly not!’
PLATO - THE GREEK
PHILOSOPHER
Let’s look at the
statements and actions of some of the so-called great philosophers we have
had to study over the years: Plato (427-348 B.C.) Greek Philosopher - a
student of Socrates, a Greek teacher of wisdom and ethics - in 375 B.C.
stated:
“Our men and women
should be forbidden by law to live together in separate households and all
women should be common to all men. Similarly, all children should be held
in common. No parent should know its child or child its parent.”
PLATO WAS A WARPED AND TWISTED PHILOSOPHER - HOW COULD THIS SO-CALLED GREAT PHILOSOPHER BE
TRUSTED ON HIS OPINIONS OF GOD, EXISTENCE, LIFE, DEATH OR THE AFTER-LIFE?
Have you heard of
anything so warped, wanton and twisted, coming from the pen of a
so-called brilliant philosopher? Without doubt, Plato was a deviant and
pervert of the first degree!
After reading such a
carnal, lustful and immoral statement about the sacred state of marriage,
love and family, how could anyone trust his opinions about God, existence,
the purpose of life, death or the ‘afterlife’! The teaching of
Socrates, who advocated that “virtue is wisdom”, was most certainly
lost on his protégé, Plato!
JESUS CHRIST HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT LIFE!
He said, “I am the
Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me”.
(John 14:6)
He stated, “The thief (devil) cometh not but to steal, kill
and destroy. I am come that ye might have life and have it more
abundantly.” (John 10:10)
JESUS CHRIST'S
TEACHINGS & PHILOSOPHY ON ETERNAL LIFE
He spoke about
Eternal Life: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.
"For God sent not
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved." (John 3:16, 17).
In His High Priestly
prayer our Lord Jesus Christ addressed God His Father thusly: "And
this is LIFE ETERNAL, that they might know Thee the Only true God, and
Jesus Christ Who Thou hast sent." (John 17: 3)
And St. John clearly
articulated the message of Salvation and eternal life that God's Eternal
Son - True God and True Man - provided through His vicarious,
substitutionary death for us all on Calvary's rugged cross and His
glorious resurrection from the dead:
"He that believeth
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God
hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of
His Son.
"And this is the
record, that God hath given to us ETERNAL LIFE and this life IS IN HIS
SON. He that hath the SON hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not
life." (1 John 5: 10-12)
BERTRAND RUSSELL - WHY I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN
This
supposedly brilliant philosopher lived to be almost 100 years of age and
died as an unbeliever. And, that is sad!
He wrote the book, ‘Why I am
Not a Christian’, even after having had the privilege of reading the
greatest of all books, the Holy Bible, which is the Word of God. And
having had access to the writings of great men of God like Martin Luther,
John Knox, John Wesley, George Whitfield, General William Booth and
Charles Spurgeon!!
How he must feel now to
be consigned to a devil's hell for all eternity together with Adolf
Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Ze Deng, Rudolf Khomeini, Usama bin Laden and
every other murderer, liar, thief, sadist, pervert, atheist and
unbeliever!
And to stand before God
Almighty on the 'Day of Judgment' like a blithering idiot trying to
tell the Creator of the universe and Judge of the entire earth, why he
rejected His gift, Jesus Christ Whom He sent to seek and save the lost!
Jesus Christ declared:
“Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and
they are they which testify of Me”. (John 5:39), and St. Paul stated
that “the Scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation”. (2
Tim. 3:15)
WE CANNOT COMPARE JESUS TO
CARNAL, HUMAN PHILOSOPHERS
We cannot compare Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, with a spiritual illiterate like Bertrand
Russell,
who at an advanced age - when he should have known better - allegedly
dispensed advise about loosening our moral codes to give more license to
“free sex”!
How irresponsible to
give such advice to a generation of young people - who were already
‘chomping at the bit’ to kick-over-the-traces sexually, causing broken
hearts, broken homes, aborted babies and untold suffering for so many for
years to come!
They say, “There’s
no fool like an old fool” and I say, “There is no fool like an old
philosopher.” I challenge any pointy-headed university professor,
seminary theologian or media talking-head to come up with a better
philosophy than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which changes hearts and lives
for the better!
JESUS REGULARLY QUOTED THE LAW, PSALMS & THE PROPHETS!
Jeremiah stated, “The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably
sick): who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9; Eccl. 9:3)
And Jesus declared,
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.”
(Mark 7:21,22)
Ezekiel admonished:
"Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions...A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a
heart of flesh.
“And will put My
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep
My judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26,27)
St. Paul says:
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation; behold,
old things are passed away; all things become new." (2
Corinthians 5:17) Jesus Christ is not only the Saviour of the world,
the Great Physician and Healer of broken hearts, minds and families, but
He is also the greatest Teacher and dispenser of Wisdom and Understanding
this world will ever know!
JESUS WAS THE WORLD'S GREATEST PHILOSOPHER AND
TEACHER
It is true, not only was
Jesus the greatest philosopher, but He was also the world's greatest
teacher. His message of love, mercy, repentance, forgiveness and
salvation has healed millions of hearts for the past two thousand years!
And Jesus is still
changing hearts and lives today! And isn’t that what
everyone hopes and longs for? To be freed from the burning spirit of lust,
the uncontrollable demon of anger and hatred and the tormenting spirit of
envy, jealousy and fear? And from the agonizing, condemning spirit of
guilt, shame and remorse?
Through the Person of the blessed Holy Spirit,
Jesus Christ is reaching out even now to bring forgiveness, love, peace,
joy and healing to each one of us at this very moment! He said, “Come
unto Me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest”. (Matthew 11:28)
JESUS WAS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS
The Bible says: “And
it came to pass, when He had ended these saying, the people were
astonished at His doctrine: For He taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes.” (Matt.7: 28, 29)
He said: “Let them alone.
They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both
shall fall in the ditch.” (Matt.15: 14)
Unmasking their
hypocrisy, He warned: “Except your righteousness exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the
kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 20)
He admonished the multitude:
“All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but
do not after their works: for they say and do not.” (Matthew 23:3).
Jesus hated hypocrisy, saying that we should practice what we preach!
He detested legalism and
man-made moral laws that were unfair. He castigated the religious leaders
of that time with these words: “For they bind heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they
themselves” will not lift a finger to move them!
Pride is an abomination
in God’s sight. He charged: “But all their works they do to be seen of
men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the border of their
garments, and they love the uppermost seats in the synagogues.”
Jesus advocated humility: “He that is
greatest among you, shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt
himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted.” (Matt.23: 4-12)
THE PHILOSOPHY OF
JESUS ON LOVE & COMPASSION: JESUS WAS MOVED BY COMPASSION!
Jesus’ great love and
compassion was anchored in truth. He knew Who He was, why He had come and
what His mission was! He stated: “I am come to seek an to save that
which is lost.” (Luke 19:10)
The Bible says: “For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the
works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
“And Jesus went about all the cities
and villages teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the
people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion
on them, because they were scattered abroad as sheep having no
shepherd.” (Matthew 9:35. 36)
Jesus shook the
consciences of His religious adversaries when he stated: “Ye have heard
that it hath been said, Thou shall love thy neighbour, and hate thine
enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5: 43, 43)
JESUS ON WHY SHOULD WE LOVE THOSE WHO HATE US?
Jesus, the great
philosopher gave us a powerful philosophy on why we should love people
who hate us. Jesus Christ gives us the answer:
“That ye may
be children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to
shine on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust.”
If we love only those
who love us, we are no better that the drunk who loves his fellow drunks,
the mafia members who love only their own ‘families’ or the Islamic
Jihad terrorists who hate all Christians and Jews, and love only their own
select group of Arabs and Muslims!
Why must we love even
our enemies? We are followers of the Nazarene, the Jewish Messiah and the
world’s only Saviour, God’s Son Who was incarnated (God in human
flesh) so that He could die for our sins on a rugged cross on Golgatha’s
hill!
St. John stated:
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one
that loveth is born of God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is
love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
“Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. We
love Him because He first loved us.” (I John 4: 7-11, 19).
A fallacy in the teachings of Islam
states that their god Allah, loves only those who love him. If that is true, we serve
very different Gods, for the True God the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- loves us all so much, that He sent His Son to procure our salvation,
through His all-atoning Blood that was shed for us! And He commands us to
love one another!
And that’s the bottom line!
DO
YOU HAVE HAVE A SAVIOUR?
During
one of his massive Gospel Crusades in India, Missionary Evangelist T. L.
Osborn was approached by a highly educated scholar, who had spend 18
years studying World Religions. He made this statement:
"
I have attended several of your meetings and after seeing the great
miracle which have taken place and hearing your messages of hope and life,
I have come to the conclusion that all religions have their deities, holy
men and gurus but only Christianity has a Savior!"
After
his close brush with death at the hands of a deranged assassin, President
Ronald Reagan was asked by his
pastor: "Were you ready to die, Mr. president?"
Ronald
Reagan answered: "I have
much more to do!" The pastor interjected: "No. I meant, were you
ready to meet God? The President answered: "Yes!"
"Why?"
asked the pastor. "I have a Savior." answered the President!
Here
is my question to you dear friend: "Do you have a Saviour?"
Why don't you like the president, ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart
and life today?
Jesus
said: "Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will
give you life." (Matt.11: 28) Amen.