The Jesus Clone
Christianity Explained
by
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Introduction
The title (The Jesus Clone) may sound sacrilegious, but I assure you it is not. With all due respect, reverence, and worship toward God and Jesus, I will explain the clone concept to give you a better understanding of them both. After we look at the clone concept, I'll present some personal speculation on how we were created and why our lives are what they are. Then we'll examine exactly what the Bible says, and what Christianity is all about. Appropriate scriptures and factual references are interspersed throughout to support my position.
There is no hidden agenda here, no ulterior motive. It is not my goal to convert you to a particular church or religious doctrine. I simply hope to give you things to consider as you follow your journey of faith.
As you begin reading you will notice I've written in a first-person style, speaking directly to you, the reader. This may not be the preferred style of writing, but it was important to me that you and I have this conversation. I would like you to hear what I have to say, then meditate on it and either agree or disagree. If you disagree with my take on what is meant by the Bible scriptures, then please stop and prove me wrong. I want you to be skeptical! You don't need to prove it to me, just prove it to yourself.
The Bible is consistent throughout with no contradictions, even though some people believe there are contradictions. When taken in context with all other related scriptures, apparent contradictions simply disappear. In other words, if one scripture appears to say one thing, and twenty-five other scriptures say the opposite thing, then the one scripture must be reconsidered to rectify the apparent contradiction. It is the one scripture that has been misunderstood, not the twenty-five.
This is a book of faith for two reasons. I have faith that this information is correct, according to my understanding, and what I believe to be inspiration by the Holy Spirit. If it turns out in the future to contain errors or misunderstandings, that is okay because some of this material is opinion, some is speculation. I do not presume to speak on behalf of God, I speak of my own accord based upon my understanding of the information He has provided us.
Human understandings change but God, His faithfulness, and His word never change. The quotes from the Bible will not change but our understanding of them may change. I know my salvation is secure whether I am right in these speculations or not.
This is also a book to help increase your faith as the reader. It is not an attempt to convert anyone to Christianity. It is written for people who already believe in God, or sincerely want to.
I will make no attempt to prove the existence of God, or that the Bible is His inspired word. I assume this to be true, otherwise this book would be impossibly long and tedious. There are untold numbers of books written to prove or disprove the existence of God and the authenticity of the Bible. As it says, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body."
Some people believe in evolution. Many evolutionists attempt to prove God does not now, nor ever did, exist. The evolutionary concept is basically an attempt to prove that everything in existence, now or in the past, simply "popped" into existence without the need for a creator.
Some believe in evolution and absolutely do not believe in God. If that is your belief, then this book is probably not for you. You have your science, your references, and your deep-rooted beliefs. The information contained herein will probably not help you. You may need to go elsewhere.
Others believe in God and a literal translation of the Bible. In other words, they believe God created everything in a literal six days as recorded in Genesis. There are many resources, such as the Institute for Creation Research, that support this position, work to prove science is wrong, and prove the Bible is absolute fact. If this is your belief, then you may find this book interesting.
Still others believe in God, but they also believe in the archeological/geological/scientific/astronomical evidence for billions of years of evolution as provided by science, and they can't quite figure out how to fit the concepts together. If this is your position, then the information in this book may help you answer a lot of questions to your own personal satisfaction just as it has for me.
It is not my purpose to prove or disprove either of these opinions rather, in this book I will present a middle-of-the-road perspective that is intended to get you thinking.
Ultimately, it comes down to a personal decision to believe in God and accept His word based upon faith. By beginning with the assumption that you, the reader, already believe in both God and the Bible we can get straight to the heart of the matter without wasting endless, unnecessary arguments.
The bottom line is that our salvation does not depend upon one of these beliefs over the other. Our salvation comes from Jesus Christ alone. It is not determined by how we think everything came into existence, but by our faith in Him. We were created in the image of God, with the intent that we would eventually understand God and enter eternal life with Him as His children. This book is an attempt to further that understanding in us all.
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About the Book
In today’s modern society many people are turned off religion for a variety of reasons. This is very understandable when you consider all the different denominations and all the different teachings.
Many pastors today do not teach what the Bible says, they teach their church doctrines. Most people believe what they have been taught, not what the Bible actually says. For example, consider what you have been taught about sin. Can you say you really understand it? Sin is clearly explained in chapter six.
What about life after death? A popular teaching is if you “give your heart to Jesus” your immortal soul will go to heaven for eternal bliss. If you don’t, your soul will be tormented forever in the fires of hell. The Bible does not teach that! You will learn why in chapter eight. The author separates Bible fact from “church” fiction and shows that we should repent and turn to God because He loves us, not out of fear of eternal torment in hell.
Using an abundance of scripture references, as well as personal speculation, the author paints a picture that makes sense. It may increase your faith in God and bring you peace in these troubling times. If you are seeking answers about the purpose for your life, this book may be what you need.
About the Author
The author says he is no one special. His family was very religious, and his early formative years were filled with religious teaching. Upon graduation from high school, he attended a liberal arts college where he majored in theology and studied all the major religions around the world.
After leaving college he began to realize that much of what he had been taught about the Bible was incorrect and/or non-biblical. He distanced himself from all religions for many years. Eventually he submitted himself to God with a sincere prayer for a relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father, as well as a request for knowledge, understanding, and faith.
During the following decades he began to conceptualize this book in the hopes it would help others who are struggling to understand their purpose and to follow the straight and narrow path toward eternal life.
He is not currently associated with any church organization due to differences in doctrinal beliefs. He believes his current understanding comes directly from God, through His Word, the Bible, with guidance from the Holy Spirit.
At the time of this printing, he is sixty-seven years old. He feels it is unnecessary to present qualifications for writing this book as the material should stand or fall on its own merits, not because of who wrote it. It is his hope that this work will benefit others by causing them to question their long-standing beliefs and helping develop their faith to higher levels.