The rock that offends…There are many skeptics out there bashing God’s word. And, in an attempt to engage in healthy debate with these folks over the last several weeks I have come to an understanding that they are “offended” by God’s Word, this I think explains the reason for their frustration:
“Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.” (Jeremiah 13:16)
The figurative representations of Christ as the foundation rock of the great spiritual house of God (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6) and also as the water-yielding rock of sustenance in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4) are two of the great symbols of the Bible.
But for those who reject Him, He becomes “a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense. . . . And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken” (Isaiah 8:14-15).
God's answer to the world
Not only will the stone cause such a one to stumble, but Jesus said, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:44). This figure is taken from the fall of the great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet . . . and brake them to pieces” (Daniel 2:34). All the kingdoms of the world were represented in the image, but “the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).
“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient” (1 Peter 2:7-8).
Thus, the stone of stumbling, which is Christ, is also the Word, and it is deadly dangerous to stumble over the holy Scriptures. One should give glory to God before darkness falls and he stumbles upon the dark mountain in the shadow of death.
I don’t know who bothers me more…cynics whose distrust and disillusionment have hardened like concrete… or the relativists who equate Christians protesting an abortion clinic to Muslims sawing off a journalist’s head on camera. Now THERE’s a topic for ya!
By: livelyexchange on April 22, 2009
at 2:24 pm
A bunch of bible verses “Debunk” Evolution?
By: Sunny Day on April 22, 2009
at 2:37 pm
Well yes, but the point made in this post was the frustration that is so prevalent with the cynics…
By: dwade on April 22, 2009
at 2:56 pm
Of course we are offended. OF COURSE we are offended.
Here’s a proposition for you: Believe in leprechauns! OR ELSE! You deserve eternal torture! You will get eternal torture… after you’re dead! Unless you believe in leprechauns — or admit your belief in leprechauns! Ha! You REALLY believe in leprechauns, but you’re just faking disbelief because you HATE leprechauns, you big liar!
If the above were presented to you as a serious proposition would you find it offensive? Would you find that it presumes that you’re an idiot, a liar, and a person so horrible that you deserve eternal torment?
That is Christianity. Exactly that obviously idiotic, presumptuous, and insulting.
it is COMPLETELY OBVIOUS that Christianity is utterly retarded. Cynical? If you were surrounded by a supermajority if idiots who believed in leprechauns and condemned you for questioning the existence of leprechauns despite the utter lack of existence of any such thing, might you be a bit cranky and cynical?
If this mystifies you, you have a serious empathy deficit.
By: scaryreasoner on April 23, 2009
at 5:13 am
@Scaryreasoner
First of all I DO empathize with the skeptics, my reason for posting this is to get some practical intelligent reponses on the subject of “Is there a God”.
I don’t see how God’s Word is insulting though, other than you have been hurt or have become disillusioned by another believer.
I don’t see what you see in regards to being “condemned” for not believing, we do not live in a communist controlled country, the church in my experience doesn’t force it’s beliefs on anyone. So your aggression towards God is unwarranted. You are free to believe what you want (at least today, maybe Obama will change all this).
And so you realize, condescending statements like what you have posted won’t win any friends.
My simple question to you and other skeptics is:
Why is it so hard to comprehend that the Creator of everything, including all of human-kind, wants you to know Him personally?
He accomplished this by sending us His Son Jesus Christ.
“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW there is no one like the LORD our God.
Exodus 8:9-11
so that all the peoples of the earth MAY KNOW that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
1 Kings 8:59-61
so that all men MAY KNOW of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Psalm 145:11-13
so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men MAY KNOW there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:5-7
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you MAY KNOW the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:17-19
I don’t read anything here that says “you will follow and believe”. the Bible was written so that man MAY know Him.
Sola Gratia
By: dwade on April 23, 2009
at 12:51 pm