Answers? Seek HIM Who Died on the Cross to Answer the Need for Redemption from Sin

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Jun 16, 2010 at 19:25

Let us first approach the situation that you have put yourself into, apparently wanting to justify your beliefs of not having Jesus Christ as the central person of your salvation, and looking to other people who have decided a similar fate for themselves and providing their own view of doctrine for their own justification. I went through a process of trying to find the best and most reliable means of securing my eternal destiny, and found that anything short of the Word spoken by Jesus Christ, personally and through the prophets of the Holy Bible, was just that: short. Anything that was deemed 'extra-Biblical' was viewed in the context of the Biblical influence, and if not corroborated by scriptural scrutiny, was discarded. Most of that was concluded for me more than thirty years ago.

I have no doubt of Mr. Koester's intensity in pursuing what he desired for his truth, and by all references, has spent his life searching for the 'extra-Biblical' possibilities that underscore his belief system. I was not aware until your post that he was one of those that dispute the Biblical fulfillment of Jesus Christ's death, burial, resurrection and ascension. To each his own, yet he must answer why he is contradicting the WORD of the LORD, not to me, but to Him to whom all destinies are yielded.

As to the contention that someone named Jesus went to India and lived there until death, there are many stories of the witness of Jesus Christ making it to India, including the Apostle Thomas. In that vein, were Thomas acting in his capacity of being a messenger for Jesus Christ, performing the miracles that were an integral part of his ministry, one might be inclined to associate him with Jesus Christ in a greater way than just being a follower. This is a more actionable circumstance than contradicting the Holy Bible and calling Jesus Christ a liar, which is what one is doing by saying that Jesus Christ did not die in Jerusalem and had His resurrection just as predicted by the Holy Bible. Who am I going to believe about Jesus Christ? He who died for my sins, or Mr. Koester, who rejected the truth about Jesus Christ - my choice was and will always be Jesus Christ. There is my 'win-win.'

Now if you claim you understand the inspiration of those who wrote the Holy Bible under the auspices of the Holy Spirit, then you should understand that an all-powerful Almighty God HAD and HAS the power to make sure it got put down correctly. Is that not a good position to maintain? I mean, if He could not keep the original intent intact, then one would have every reason to wonder about an impotent deity. That was the problem in Israel's past, that when they ducked Almighty God for Molech, or Chemosh or Baal, they found that the false deities were not only impotent, they were actually the product of a fictitious deception used by the Adversary to defraud them of their blessings under Almighty God. Am I desirous to turn away the blessings granted to me for my faith in Jesus Christ? I DON'T THINK SO. And giving any deference to the misguided concepts of Helmut Koester does exactly that, for in actuality, he has no valid proofs against the WORD of the LORD.

The reason there are so many sects (just as there is the differences between shia'a and sunni Islam) is the fickleness of the unguided human heart. In the realm of Christianity, people had to let the mind turn away from the love of Jesus Christ and seek some lesser means for spiritual completeness, yet finding that it leaves an empty place in the heart. Substitutes will provide a false sense of meaning, but it cannot fill the heart with the love of Jesus Christ. And therein lies the tragedy of not believing in Jesus Christ as LORD and accepting His sacrifice for each of our sins, that the love He offers can never be replaced. Am I going to let Mr. Koester's lack of belief rob me of the love that Jesus Christ expressed for me on the cross? I DON'T THINK SO. I am saved in Jesus Christ and His love for me, and He will never let me go. Thank Almighty God for that.

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