Muggeridge - Jesus, the Man Who Lives
The Gospel - prehistory of the Church
Church - post-history of Gospel
Life - from suffering through redemption to happiness
Christ's purpose in the world was to die; ours is to live
Deferred joys purchased with sacrifices the most enduring
Dying to self the prelude of true life of self
Sin not the worst thing, but the denial of it
The Cross-less Christ - weak, effeminate, no authority, mortification, restraint
The Christ-less Cross - discipline, authority, festering guilt
The end of time - conflict between good and evil, Satan will appear without cross as Great Philanthropist/Social Reformer
To create the world cost God nothing. To save it cost his life-blood.
1. The Only Person Ever Pre-announced
To test claimants (religions)- (1) reason, (2) history
Death was Christ's goal. Teacher and savior - giving others the power to be good after rescuing them from frustration of guilt
The Cross was first, cast shadow back to his birth. Life lived backward.
John - his eternal prehistory
Matthew - his genealogy
Christ, or anti-Christ
Worship him or despise him. Because of his claims he could not be considered a "good man," a social reformer.
A virile Christ - we need a Christ to restore moral indignation, who will make us hate evil and love goodness, to drink death like water.