Did Christ doublespeak?
Doublespeak: "Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms, in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning" - Wikipedia
Have you ever heard the term "doublespeak"? Meaning saying something that appears to mean one thing but really is ambiguous and unclear as to the truth. It's not necessarily lying, but not telling the truth either. Would Christ do such a thing?
If God was so loving and were to make the effort to become flesh and live among us and only spend 3 years on his ministry, don't you think he would probably be as direct as possible? He did speak in parables to obscure the truth from those who did not want to know the truth but here are 3 examples of death and the afterlife that cannot reconcile with Mark Petersen's assertion of God holding us responsible.
The Rich Guy and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
The rich man implored Abraham to send someone to warn his kin about the torment that lay ahead and Abraham directly rejects that request saying that even if someone was raised from the dead that they would not believe. What an accusation, someone did rise from the dead and still the world does not believe. There were no words of comfort as to a temporary state or that thanks to his family there will be relief in due time. There was a permanent chasm that separated them.
The Thief and Jesus on Cross (Luke 23:39-43, Mark 19:30)
There was no time for the thief to baptize or make any amends for his sins, he was simply humble before Christ. He could offer nothing, Yet Christ tells him that "Today you will be with me in Paradise".
The last utterance on the cross by Christ was "It is finished". Not Phase 1 complete, or your salvation update is at 50%.
Paul's own words (Romans 10:9)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
It is that simple, there is no small print or footnote with exceptions or caveats
Salvation is an act wholly accomplished by the redeemer. Did Christ doublespeak and say salvation is found in his death but actually meant in his death and in the redeeming acts of a family?
If God were to hold us responsible, what a dismal outlook on the future.
Here's the truth about what Petersen is saying:
- You are responsible for the actions of others
- You have to become temple worthy in order to do anything about it
But how do you become temple worthy? Pay your tithes.
