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Christianity Jesus Is The Way, The Truth, And The Life

Rajs

SPNer
Aug 6, 2004
34
1
64
Earth
Dear All,

I grew up in a Sikh family, however, at the age of 35, I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. Let me assure you all that it wasn't a decision, which I took in the spur of the moment or due to weakness. Nobody brain washed me, and certainly, nobody offered me any material incentive. It was a long journey, spread over many years.

What brought about this change?

Well, to begin with, I learned that a Chammar in Sikhism remains just that - a Chammar. Whether in India or outside India, Gurdwaras have affiliation not to Sikhism but to various castes ? Jatt, Naamdahri, Nildhaari, Ramgariah, etc. etc. And if the cast distinction is not obvious or, not discussed blatantly in open, then the issue will surely come up during electing officials for Gurdwaras, religious ceremonies, marriage, etc. etc.

Now, I shouldn't really judge Sikhism and discard it because of the way certain Sikhs or, the Sikh society at large behaves. All other religions also have people who do not really reflect, as to what their religion teaches. No one's perfect, right? There are Christians, who behave contrary to what Christianity teaches, and these people are rightly called HYPOCRITS. So, in essence, we shouldn't judge a book by its cover! Following along this logic, I would like to mention one particular problem area in my life, for which I found no answer in Sikhism? And that is the problem of SIN.

Sikhism may offer answer to the problem of caste (although, Sikhs at large may not follow it) but it offers no answer to my sinfulness. It is fine to receive Guru's grace but what about my sinful nature? If I am a recipient of perpetual grace then does it mean I can remain a sinner all my life and God's holiness can be compromised?

Where did I find the answer?

This problem of sin is very real, and I might add, prevalent. How prevalent? Well, we can all direct that question to ourselves. In my search for an answer I came across text in the Bible, which says "all human beings are sinners; there's not one who is without sin." It caught my attention! Phew, I thought, I wasn't the only one mired with sinful nature. The entire human race is sinful! Okay, but still no answer to the problem of sin. A Christian friend told me that God could forgive my sins because he is a GRACIOUS God. I said, "I know that!" But what happens to my sinful nature? It's still with me? Would God in his grace "ignore" my sin? Isn't God also JUST? Who will pay for my sins? Ah! My Christian friend with a smile on his face and a spark in his eyes said, mate, your sins have already been paid for - in full! WHAT? Incredulous, and somewhat annoyed, I wanted to know, how so? God, who is gracious, is also HOLY, my friend continued. God's justice requires that sin be punished because He cannot let His holiness be compromised. (I couldn?t agree more!) And since, my sinful nature is beyond my control and it would require that I be punished again and, again and, again, for the rest of my life. Jesus (God in incognito) took that punishment upon him and died on the cross to redeem me from the curse of sin. (I was hooked now.) All of a sudden, this thick veil from my eyes was lifted and, the truth, that salvation is from Jesus and, Jesus alone, settled in.

I concluded that teachings of Gurus might give me some religious wisdom, perhaps make me somewhat pious too, if I tried really hard, but there is no freedom from sin. I can wear the five K's to my grave, I can study the Guru Grant Sahib till my eyes fall out, I can recite Gurbani till my last breath, but to dis-infect myself from sin I need to be born again, in some other form, which is not human. Guess what? That is exactly what Christ offers me, a new birth, which is not physical but spiritual. Therefore, the problem of sin is resolved - For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ because he took the punishment that was due upon me and through his sacrifice I am forgiven and live under grace; not to my old carnal nature but to my new spiritual nature, rooted and built in Jesus Christ.

What about the sacrifices that Gurus and various other Sikhs made?

While commendable, the sacrifices made by Gurus, and Sikh society at large, but honestly speaking, they do not value much in the sight of God. I do not mean to offend or upset any sentiments here, but you see, those sacrifices were made for Sikhism or Kaumn, NOT for sins - mine or anyone else, for that matter. Sacrifice that Christ made was for all, regardless of race, creed, colour, and I might add, caste. And I finally learned about God's love for me that transcends all understanding.

God Bless You All
Rajs
 
Jul 13, 2004
2,364
382
52
Canada
Rajs said:
I can wear the five K's to my grave, I can study the Guru Grant Sahib till my eyes fall out, I can recite Gurbani till my last breath, but to dis-infect myself from sin I need to be born again, in some other form, which is not human.
Dear Rajs ji,

Thanks for sharing your personal opinions. But guess what, what you wrote is a typical example of propaganda by people, who have got little knowledge of sikhi way of life.

Please keep your next posts limited to unbiased thinking and without pre-occupied imaginations.

Respectfully.
 
Jul 13, 2004
2,364
382
52
Canada
Dear Lion,

Please refrain from reciprocative action such as posting of the website you did. I request you to delete your post volunteerly, which mentions the site.

These forums are not designed to spread hatred. Just to mention, we are working on solution to deal with people coming to this site with propaganda as their sole objective.

Best Regards.
 

lion

SPNer
Jul 18, 2004
31
0
46
Belgium
dear thinking one!,

i apolozise for the site i have mentioned...please delete it, if you can,coz i dont know how to do it! thaks in advance!
 

Eclectic

SPNer
Nov 11, 2004
108
1
38
Hey everyone, calm down. There are people out there who will have differences in opinion and I think it's something humanity has yet to learn.

The take on everyone being a sinner is different to many people. To some, a sin is litterally that we do bad things to ourselves and others all the time. But to others, it can mean that we have lost touch with our own divine oneness and to many people, of various faiths, that can be the worst sin!

My thoughts on Jesus being the Way, Truth, and Light...I'm not a Christian, but I think that when Jesus said this, he meant that the way he chooses to live his life is the example that we should follow. Hence, the word "Christian" meaning, "Christ-like". Which is why I could never comprehend why some Christians would say that they believe in the bible 100%, yet, Jesus does not speak in the entire bible and he is more prominent in the New Testament. It is something I never understood... why the christians still keep the Old Testament if the new Testament is all about the teachings of Jesus. Like I've mentioned in the "Old Testament-New Testament" thread, the word "testament" means "promise/law". So when Jesus came, the New Testament was to be established through Jesus.

I still think it is about following the ways of Jesus and not necesarily surrenduring to him.
 

S|kH

SPNer
Jul 11, 2004
380
29
38
We Are PENN STATE!!
Eclectic,

this has been debated in the earlier centuries of Christianity.
Whether Jesus was simply human, God-incarnate, or a prophet sent from God.

It was unanimously stated that he was God-incarnate in Human form to tell them that
you must "surrender" to him in order to gain his "gift" which is your absolution from sins. Humans are born with an original sin, and only way to get rid of it is if you surrender your life and have faith in Christ, as he was the ONLY person who could get rid of the original sin for you. They provided sufficient evidence to make this claim, you just have to read what they wrote.

It's like this :

Your born, so your in debt by 500 million dollars. You can work your life, and every good task you do, you will only gain minimal dollars to pay off the debt, so in your entire lifetime you will never be able to fully repay the debt. But, one day, you get a phone call, that someone has deposited a check of 500 million dollars in your account.
You must have faith, that the check was actually deposited. You must have faith that the money is now actually in your account. (Of course, you can not check until your death...or judgement day).

Remember, Christianity is a different map of reality. In Christianity, humans are not capable of fixing their problems, they MUST rely on God, i.e. Jesus in the human form.
In Eastern religions, humans usually fix their own issues. Western religions, you must surrender to God...reminds me kind of Islam?

And as far as why the Old Testament is still around, because it was pertinent in Jesus' lifetime, and remember Jesus was a Jew his entire life. Christianity developed from his followers afterwards.
 

snavneet

SPNer
Aug 11, 2004
41
0
46
Mumbai
Sat Sri Akaal Pyareyo!

Dear Rajs,

I do not know who you are or what your motives are, but I feel that you are jumping to false conclusions about Sikhism.

Now, try and answer this simple question.

Q) If Jesus Christ took the sins of all of Creation upon Himself then what are we all doing over here?

I ask this because, you mentioned that we all are sinners. In fact, every religion, including Sikhism asserts the fact that we all are sinners.

Now, tell me If Jesus washed away all our sins then shouldn't we all be in paradise right now?

You are here because your sins have to be washed by YOU, YOURSELF. Jesus can just show you the way. Just like SatGuru Granth Sahib Ji shows us the way. Your statement that you couldn't find an answer for Sin in Sikhism is very very silly. The reason probably is that you didn't even read the first Ang of Satguru Granth Sahib Ji. Satguruji constantly keeps telling us about how we can live a truly virtuous life and wash away all our SINS! The only thing you had to do was listen to what Satguruji says.

I can give an answer to every question you ask. But, first answer the one above.

Also, please don't say that the sacrifices made by the Sikh Satgurus and countless Sikh warriors were for Sikhism alone. That is ridiculous! All their sacrifices were for mankind and not for Sikhism alone. For example, Satguru Tegh Bahadar Ji sacrificed himself for the rights of Kashmiri Pundits. Did he do that for Sikhism? Or did he do it for Hindus alone? No. He did it for the sake of righteousness, freedom and love for all mankind.

And, who told you that their sacrifices are not of much value in the eyes of God? Did God or Jesus pay you a visit?!

Rajs, there was a reason you were born in a Sikh family. Don't you think you disobeyed God's will by leaving the ways of Sikhism? Think about all this.

I hope this helps you in some way.

More later.
 

Eclectic

SPNer
Nov 11, 2004
108
1
38
S|kH said:
Remember, Christianity is a different map of reality. In Christianity, humans are not capable of fixing their problems, they MUST rely on God, i.e. Jesus in the human form.
In Eastern religions, humans usually fix their own issues. Western religions, you must surrender to God...reminds me kind of Islam?

Yes. But in other Christianities, the ones considered heretics like for example, the Gnostic Christians, they saw Jesus' teachings entirely different than the Constantine view you see today. Here are some resources for anyone who wishes to look at how the gnostics felt about Jesus' teachings.

Gnostic Jesus
What is Gnosticism?
Gnostic Christianity-Outlawed Teachings/Logos of Jesus (this site is very easy to comprehend and navigate)

And as far as why the Old Testament is still around, because it was pertinent in Jesus' lifetime, and remember Jesus was a Jew his entire life. Christianity developed from his followers afterwards.

Yeah true. Some argue that Christians today are not following Christ, but Paul.
 
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