108
" That fact is actually what led early Romans to consider the first Christians atheists. They’d ask, “Where is your temple?” to which the Christians would reply that they didn’t have a building, and Jesus was their temple. So then they’d ask, “Well, who is your priest?” To which they’d reply that they didn’t have a priest on earth, because Jesus was their ultimate priest in heaven. Finally they’d ask, “Who is your sacrifice?” to which the early Christians would respond that they no longer offered sacrifices because Jesus’ sacrifice was once for all.3 That is what Jesus meant when he said, “I have not come to abolish [the Law or the Prophets] but to fulfill them.” That truth changes someone from dead, man-made religion to a vibrant relationship with Jesus and his body. "
― Jefferson Bethke , Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
110
" The way I see it, the issue really comes down to idolatry, which is the act of placing anything or anyone above Jesus as the ultimate source of worth, satisfaction, and identity. The problem with idolatry, thought, is that whatever you idolize, you then demonize the opposite. So you can tell if people idolize politics by whether or not they demonize the opposite side of the aisle. Sure, a Republican can disagree and dialogue with a Democrat, but if Republican thinks Democrats are the source of all evil, that's a sign of an idol, a worthless, fake god. If you idolize your self-righteousness, then you demonize those who are "evil" or "worldly" and not like you. "
― Jefferson Bethke , Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
112
" Before I was a Christian, it was hard for me to grasp that God’s love isn’t gauged by earthly circumstances. I completely relate to those who are asking, “If God can’t give us earthly blessings, why should we follow him?” My answer now, as a Christian, is that God is worth it. We all desire to be known, loved, and seen for who we truly are. Most of those tangible or social goals such as money, power, and relationships seem to be one step ahead of us. Should we reach them, those things never deliver the feeling of self-worth we expect to gain from them. We are nothing but slaves to the next goal. We might be able to choose our slave master, but we are slaves nonetheless. "
― Jefferson Bethke , Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
113
" The way I see it, the issue really comes down to idolatry, which is the act of placing anything or anyone above Jesus as the ultimate source of worth, satisfaction, and identity. The problem with idolatry, though, is that whatever you idolize, you then demonize the opposite. So you can tell if people idolize politics by whether or not they demonize the opposite side of the aisle. Sure, a Republican can disagree and dialogue with a Democrat, but if a Republican thinks Democrats are the source of all evil, that's a sign of an idol, a worthless, fake god. If you idolize your self-righteousness, then you demonize those who are "evil" or "worldly" and not like you. "
― Jefferson Bethke , Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
114
" Some of you may be thinking, Wait a minute: you can’t hate religion and love Jesus. Jesus IS a religion. To which I’d answer yes and no. If you mean by religion, “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe,” then yes and amen, Christianity is a religion. But by that definition, so is atheism. But if we mean by religion, “what one must do, or behave like, in order to gain right standing with God,” then real Christianity isn’t a religion. "
― Jefferson Bethke , Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough