Theology Class: Week 2

Where do I begin.  It was another great class.  I just wish it was longer.  Tonight the class was on Repentance, What is Faith, and Who is Christ.  It was a really abbreviated amount of info.  This is just what was on my mind about these things.

I've realized I've never gone further than looking up the definition of repentance.  Tonight's class really made me look at things I need to repent on.  I use to think because I wasn't committing a major sin that I was a "good person".  With some things I felt guilty or I just understood what I was doing was wrong.  When really that is just the beginning of repentance.  I really need to have an emotional connection (crying out to God) and finally a personal decision to renounce the sin.  The main question I really need to keep asking myself is How is my sin offending God.

In retrospect I face a lot of temptations but to fight temptation, that's the true test of character.  Even Jesus was tempted.  I think you can get a better grasp on this idea by watching the beginning scene of the movie "The Passion of the Christ".  Jesus is praying and being tempted by Satan.  I think too often we think that Jesus didn't experience the same emotions as we do.  So often we can miss temptation in our own lives because we give into feelings of resistance.  For example I LOVE food.  Especially at night I get this sweet craving and become tempted to eat or over eat.  So many times I don't think of the temptation part...just the part of how "good" it will taste.

What is Faith??  To me it's more of a feeling, sometimes an action word.  Since I was young I've always known God was near me.  It wasn't until I was 24 did I really experience His love but I've always known God created me for a special purpose.  So faith to me was knowing what is in my heart.  I've always felt my heart was connected to God.  Faith to me is also an action word.  It's a confidence in knowing that God is in control.

Who is Christ??  What a loaded question.  I'm sure I'll always be trying to wrap my little brain around who Christ is.  Like I mentioned earlier Christ faced the same temptations we do everyday.  One question that I'll be praying about is did Christ have a super strength when it came it temptation.  Of course he was Jesus and as John 5:58 says, "before Abraham was, I am".  He is the foundational belief of being fully man and fully God.  How awesome is that!!
He had human weakness and limitation.  When I think of this I think of all the rejection Jesus faced as a man.  Yet He had enough strength to know He was the ultimate sacrifice.  He didn't resist the temptation to flee from harm.  He was the example of a perfectly obedient life.

I could probably write so much more but I'm emotionally and physically tired from everything going on.

Until next week...