Exploring Different Perspectives on Jesus

Quotes 1-3
Show 8
Which Jesus
December 17th 2017

Hey This is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. – our show tonight is titled, “Which Jesus (with a by line being) Carnal questions aimed at generating disputes and strife.” Let’s pray.

Before we get into my responses to this online question about which Jesus I teach, I need to preface my comments with an on Board illustration to explain why I give the answers I give.

Traditional View vs. Actual View

Traditional view

OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT
Genesis – Malachi Matthew to Revelation
Nation of Israel From Jesus to us today
Important to know Vital to living the Christian Life
Fulfilled in Christ Still being fulfilled

Brick and Mortar Churches
Denominations and Sects
Pseudo Authority/Discipline/Interpretation of

Actual View

OLD TESTAMENT NEW FULLFILLED

Old Testament Intertestamentary The Gospels Acts 10- Present
Matt-John Revelation

400 years of Jesus to To the All Fulfilled
silence Apostles Gentiles * At His return
nd to His in that * End of the age brethren . age.
Apostles Paul and on minds
Sent. sent. * No church
Warn of Warn of * A body
Coming coming * by Spirit
End. End. * endless

Got all that as a primer?
Okay

So two weeks ago we called the show, “Whose to say,” and in it I read a bunch of passages that contained debated phrases from the mouths of both Jesus and his Apostles. We showed how some pastors claim to do everything by the Bible but differ significantly on how to approach just these seventeen topics presented.

Please understand that I did not do that to

Understanding Spiritual Guidance

I adore the Word of God. I did it to not only prove that the taking of the Word and trying to use it materially and literally in our age is impossible BUT to also ask, If someone does NOT take the Word literally where do they get the right to do so? Leading us to the question and show title, “Who gets to say?”

I did this to show that the only reasonable option left is to allow all believers to be led of the Spirit (as individuals), trusting that the Spirit will bring all to the proper conclusions, which reinforces the idea that using the Bible as a modern manual on how to “do Christianity” is an impossibility. That it is more of a reference book to our spiritual inclinations, and a wonderful spiritual map understood subjectively and by the Spirit according to the dictates of a believer’s conscience before God.

If my supposition is true, then the end result is peace between all believers in Christ, and never division or disputations over things people believe to be true.

Milk Drinker and Meat Eater Distinction

One of the ways Paul distinguishes between “milk drinking babes” in the faith and “meat eaters of maturity” is babes were still full of envy, strife and that there would be divisions among them. He says in 1st Corinthians 3:2-3

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For … ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (meaning carnal men)

Envying, strife and divisions – all forms of Christian carnality. All forms of Christian immaturity. All forms of milk drinking babes. When there is an unwillingness to forgive and move on in the faith, the presence of babes is manifest. I would suggest that what Paul means by calling them carnal is they are still appealing to “their wisdom, their intellect, their human skill, and NOT to view things of the Spirit. The result is strife and envy.

I am pleading with you to hear what He says in the 2nd chapter of 1st Corinthians. Ready? Listen carefully.

Spiritual Discernment

1st Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Do you hear what this is saying? When men of worldly wisdom and philosophy (and the like) come to us to explain things from these perspectives THEY are incapable of comprehending the things of the Spirit! So they engender strife and division – which God is NOT about. It’s because they do not understand the things of the Spirit – they only understand the things of the natural man!

Paul continues and says:

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Now listen to the last line:

15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

Did you hear this? Those who are spiritual judge all things BUT he himself is not judged of any man.

I am fighting for this position to be embraced in the body, my friends. The ability for all who are spiritual and spiritually minded to have the freedom “to judge all things” for themselves and along the way to have NO man judge them – especially others in the faith!

But in this day and age, it appears to be a near impossibility. So we are confronted with men of letters who think because they have studied this, or can recite that, or whatever in their flesh, that their views are superior – when the scripture says that

. . .he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

Legalism in Faith

the Pharisees, and he says:

Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

Then we read:

53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

The Mindset of Legalism

Today we have a similar mindset out there in the faith. They are the lawyers and scribes and Pharisees of the faith, who use the Word to try and catch someone in something that THEY don’t agree with according to their interpretations of the Scripture. In their philosophical meanderings and scribe-like use of the Word they, through the wisdom of Men, try hard to corner and trap those who understand the things of God – including the Word – by the Spirit. They HATE those with spiritual sensitivities because they can’t corner them – any more than the Pharisees could corner Jesus. Same Spirit!

In my estimation this is the result of very gifted and talented men and women thinking that their God given skills in linear and critical thinking (which goes a long way in mathematics, and engineering, and medicine and the sciences) can be used to discern the things of the Spirit – and then use their analytical skills in secular areas to create a scriptural world view. In some cases, instead these gifted minds applying their skills to a secular profession, they decide to become pastors – falsely believing that because they can understand complex theories or hard science and math, that the Gospel can be discerned and discovered through the same skill set. Once they have systematized the Word analytically, then set about forcing everyone to adopt it. And the Spirit – and people – begin to die an awful deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. at the stake of religious certainty.

The Danger of Misplaced Wisdom

If these types are not really, really careful, they typically become like nothing more than the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus' day – seeking to police and trap everyone who views their spiritual mathematics differently. This was the case of Jean Calvin, a lawyer by training, a theologian by the flesh – and a pharisaical scribe to a fault.

Paul, who could probably hold debate with the best minds in the world of any age wisely admits that he never taught the Gospel with fancy words or philosophies of Man, reminded the believers at Corinth

1st Corinthians 2:5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Later he said

2nd Timothy 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

And then in first Timothy 6:4 said, speaking of men who resist the apostles words, he describes them in this way:

1st Timothy 6:4 They are proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Confronting Intellectual Arrogance

Whenever I step into an arena (typically online) of men and women who fancy themselves wise by education, learning, and/or philosophy, I discover these very things – “Foolish and unlearned questions which gender strive” coming from the mouths of religiously proud men who dote on questions and have strife over strife over strife . . . using . . . WORDS. Paul says that their attitudes are the product of “envy, strife, railings and evil surmisings,” and that their “perverse disputings are of men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth.”

Okay, that was quite the build up for what is coming next. As I stated last week, I was sent this thing via text and then went to the source itself. It is a chart about two different representations of Jesus and the question – Which Jesus does Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion. teach.

On the left are phrases that describe – (again according to the author of this thing) who he or she calls, “the biblical Jesus.” On the right are the descriptions from whomever put this together called, “the Post-Modernist Jesus.”

I want to take the remainder of the show to both provide my answers to which Jesus I represent but to also show you the sinister nature in which this chart has been created through word choice. What is really unfortunate about the question of which Jesus I represent is I doubt very much the

Comparing Views of Jesus

The poster of this question has ever sat through an entire verse-by-verse teaching we do every week here in Salt Lake City at CAMPUS. For them to even ask the question shows me they are blinded by something other than the facts. OK – let’s first look at the list.

Biblical Jesus vs Postmodern Jesus

BIBLICAL JESUS
POSTMODERN JESUS

1 Born as God Almighty in the Flesh
Born as a man who was promoted to deity

2 Warns of sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace., judgment and hell
Never says anything negative

3 Commands repentance of sins
Disregards repentance of sins

4 Gives you salvation, hope, peace and joy
Gives you health, wealth, and happy feelings

5 Hated and despised by the world
Loved and accepted by the world

6 Hates sin and exposes the truth about sin
Condones sin and never corrects you of your sins.

7 Commands with divine authority
Gives suggestions instead of commandments

8 Offends the world with the truth
Hates to offend and loves political correctness

9 Brings division when necessary
Promotes unity and tolerance at all costs

10 Preaches God’s righteousness
Preaches only on love

11 Exalts God the Father’s will
Serves your will, not the Father’s will

12 Warns of false signs and wonders; magnifies God’s Word
Exalts signs and wonders and mysticism above God’s word

13 Demands that emotion, experience, and opinion conform to sound doctrine
Exalts emotion, experience, and opinion over sound doctrine

14 Commands you deny yourself and allow Christ to work in you
Encourages you to love yourself and to gratify all of your fleshly desires

So let’s work through them together.

Examination of Allegations

BIBLICAL JESUS

POSTMODERN JESUS

1 Born as God Almighty in the Flesh
I will respond without hyperbole and with what the scripture says. This statement here is slanted when it says, “God Almighty,” the scripture does NOT say this or attribute this phrase to Jesus directly. It does say that Jesus was “God with us.” I believe this. It also says that “He was the Word (of God) made flesh.” That I also accept. So to this, I would say Jesus was The Word of God Almighty made flesh.

Born as a man who was promoted to deity
Promoted to deity? Again, a pharisaical language slant. “No, Jesus was not promoted to deity.” But I would say that the man Jeshua, was “born of a woman, born under the law,” and that he “through suffering learned obedience,” making Jesus of Nazareth – the man who condescended below all things, less than God Almighty in His flesh. These two positions are entirely of scripture.

2 Warns of sin, judgment and hell
Of course, He did. But the question is who did He warn? Well, who did He come to – His brethren of the House of Israel, that’s who. This is how we read Jesus' words contextually. To read them as if He was speaking to us is to miss 80% of the actual application of His words. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to warn you, the reader, of sin and coming judgment and hell. That’s where people get it wrong. In coming to Israel, He warned His own of sin and coming judgment and hell, but the message to us is He paid for sin, judgment, and hell.

Never says anything negative
This is not what I would ever say. In fact, I have personal disdain for when people paint Jesus in this way. He spoke the truth even when it hurt. But He always loved and was motivated by love when He spoke. The problem with this line is again, it uses Jesus' words to that people then and assigns them to an age where He has overcome the world and has had the victory. So while He would certainly speak harshly with the house of Israel and especially the religious rulers of that age, THAT age is past, and having had the victory, He is a God who operates with us in love and through all of its manifestations. I would think that if there was anything left on earth that really ticks Him off it would be people who use His name to take advantage of others and to hurt them. But even to them, Jesus is motivated by love.

3 Commands repentance of sins
Once again, context, you Pharisees. To the Nation of Israel, under the Law, repentance of sins was required. They had the law, they had the prophets. They needed to repent. So of course He and John and his apostles would have a message of repentance to them. The axe was laid at the tree and the end of that age was on its way. “Repent,

Understanding Repentance in Christianity

"And prepare your heart now!" Right? But to the Gentiles, the message was to believe first. Have faith – first. Repentance will follow.

Disregards repentance of sins. This line is not true – Christ followers repent of sins but in an entirely different context than how Jesus presented it to His own. We first come to faith, experience redemption, and then by the Spirit are led to change our minds (or repent) for the way we have seen, believed, and lived our lives – especially as Christians. There is no disregarding of repentance in Christ, but there is an entirely different order to it and driver behind it. Then we have to ask, what do Christians really repent of when they repent?

The sins of the flesh have been paid for so it is not this. That’s absurd. Christians repent for failing to place their faith in Christ and for failing to love God and others first. The manifestation of such faithless lack of love are sins in the flesh, but the repenting is for failing to place all of our faith in Him and failing to love as commanded. Get it? Can you see how the words on this chart are the work of devious minds aimed at trapping and manipulating people? When this person asks which Jesus Shawn McCraney teaches, it was a Pharisaical move to injure me by labeling my views in a light that is evil and twisted.

Jesus' Teachings on Salvation

4

Gives you salvation, hope, peace, and joy. Agreed – then and now – spiritual joy.

5

Hated and despised by the world. The world hates the light – and He was the light of the world. Could never do anything but agree with this.

Loved and accepted by the world. Not so. Never so. Never have I ever taught this. But I do believe that all will come to see and love Him and bow and call Him Lord. But that is a very different topic. To even imply that this is my Christ is a lie.

6

Hates sin and exposes the truth about sin. Again, we are looking at the slippery words of a Pharisee here. Of course, Jesus hates sin. Sin misses the mark and lessens the glory of His Father. Sin is misery and harms those who are captured by its effects. And of course, He always exposed the truth of sin and its effects. But then He paid for all the sins of the world – out of love for the Father and the world. So it becomes less about sin, and more about Him thereafter.

The Nature of Sin and Jesus' Teachings

Condones sin and never corrects you of your sins. The reality is there is no such thing as sin in the way sin is being used here. The sin of this age is failure to believe in Him and failing to love God and man. His corrections are gentle and kind and all about moving us to greater faith – because where faith abounds, love will abound. Where sins of the flesh have been taken care of, the focus is on Him as victor, our faith in Him as Lord and Savior, which leads to living lives of holiness in Him with increasing sanctification – which occurs only through the Spirit.

7

Commands with divine authority. Yes. And even more so now.

Gives suggestions instead of commandments. The real question behind this strange phrase is what are the author and those who are using this trying to accomplish with this language. I am sensing a real push for legalistic works-righteousness here in this thing – that the authors want to strain at gnats while swallowing camels. They want human purity and demand it in Jesus' name! No, Jesus didn’t give suggestions. He taught truth with divine authority. But the commands He gave were two – believe in Him and love. All others were to the people of that day and age and had a purpose that transcends us.

8

Offends the world with the truth. Of course. Just like when I share His truths with you, you are offended.

Hates to offend and loves political correctness. Of course not.

Examining the Balance Between Division and Unity

9 Brings division when necessary
Again, listen to the language. “Brings division” when necessary. Why is this important to the writer? What is in them that they want to point out that Jesus brought division? Of course He did. But He also promoted unity and tolerance. This… this thing, whatever it is, is a divisive piece of rhetoric that is aimed at dividing in His name. It’s a tool of an evil mind that looks to division occurring rather than unity. Promotes unity and tolerance at all costs. Again, this is a language of those who want to control things through rhetorical tools. This thing is aimed at promoting an ideology – from the mind of people who hate to love all, who want unrest between groups and enjoy division.

Didn’t Paul say:

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

All men and at all costs sound similar, eh? These two under number nine reveal the heart of the author and the person who assign this to me more than anything else.

Righteousness and Love in Jesus' Teachings

10 Preaches God’s righteousness
Of course Jesus preached the righteousness of God – this was the whole point! God is righteous and holy and human beings are not. So accept His Son, who God gave out of love for the whole world, and guess what, if you look to me you will have God’s righteousness imputed to you. There was purpose in His preaching the righteousness of God – to show the need for His Son in their lives!

Preaches only on love
“Only love? Only love? Again, semantics as a means to trap and corner. Of course Jesus did not preach only love. His mission and ministry was to the House of Israel to whom He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.” But don’t forget that all the Law and the Prophets hang on the two great commandments which are???? That’s right, Love God and love neighbor. And the new commandment He left? Love one another. So in a sense the post-moderns are correct in this. But common, this either/or approach is sophomoric and an obvious attempt to do something evil.

The Will of God Versus the Will of Man

11 Exalts God the Father’s will
Amen. Lived the will of the Father entirely. Perfectly.

Serves your will, not the Father’s will.
If ANYONE on earth ever teaches that Jesus taught for men to serve their own will, run. His message was the opposite – to serve the Will of God and die to self. Anyone who suggests that I teach otherwise is a liar. That being said, I do believe that every individual has the right to decide what God has for them in their life and no man can insert themselves and tell them otherwise. I also adamantly state that we do not serve the will of any Man – none. But never misconstrue this to suggest we are not under authority. We are. Under the authority of Christ.

12 Warns of false signs and wonders; magnifies God’s Word
Of course.

Exalts signs and wonders and mysticism above God’s word.
I am the last person to exalt signs and wonders and mysticism at all, let alone above God’s word. I just refuse to let other peoples interpretation of scripture become God’s words to me.

13 Demands that emotion, experience and opinion conform to sound doctrine
So many catch words here, to trap, and win, and manipulate. “Demands” that “emotion, experience and opinion” conform to “sound doctrine??” A dump truck could carry all this loaded language! What the freak does this statement really mean when its fleshed out! Demands that opinion conform to sound doctrine. Sound doctrine according to who – you? Your traditions? Your denom – when there are other denoms that disagree? I get emotion and experience needing to be vetted by scripture, but opinion? This is the language of a totalitarian. Got to be a consummate legalist or a five pointer.

Exalts emotion, experience and opinion over sound doctrine
Of course this is another extreme that is just as reprehensible! And it is all word-smithing aimed to argue and divide. Hate it. But note all the same words are used, just on the opposite end of the black and white spectrum. Sound doctrine exalts. Emotion. Experience. Opinion. In my own case, I teach the

Emphasis on Sound Doctrine

Word of God, and promote it and its contents over all things. But we allow all people to grow and mature because they come from different places, and in peace and love know that God will bring all to the sound doctrine the author of this mess wants to enforce.

14 Commands you deny yourself and allow Christ to work in you

There couldn’t be a more concise description of all we teach. Die to self, let Christ work in and through you. But again, that word commands is not in harmony with the freedom He gives to all to choose. Oh Jerusalem, how I would have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks BUT YOU WERE NOT WILLING.

There is the missing link here – He invites, He encourages, with love and patience for all to take up their cross and allow Him to work. The word commands, while semetically true, reveals your controlling cold heart. I bet the author of this thing either has no children and if they have them they are in some way alienated from them – because this approach to people will fail.

Self-Love and Fleshly Desires

Encourages you to love yourself and to gratify all of your fleshly desires

I’ve never read a line more antithetical to the Jesus I know in my entire life. Ever. If post-modernists teach such a Christ I am at opposite ends of the spectrum to them. But the question posted regarding this list was, “Which Jesus does Shawn McCraney teach?” with the inference being, I teach the right post-modern Jesus. I can honestly say. As can all who attend CAMPUS, that I teach the left side Jesus but without the caveats and without the wordsmithing in place to win arguments and to try and control others.

Contact Information

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