Adventists have a Warfare world view (God is loving [benevolent] and because of his love invites us to ask for forgiveness because he WANTS us to go to Heaven and we aren’t good enough in the justice of the universe to make it ourselves. Satan pulls people far enough from God [this is the warfare part] that they don’t believe that they need to be forgiven)
I enjoyed Passion of the Christ. It does a good job of showing the hidden half of the gospel. Not only that Jesus endured the punishment that the most horrible human deserves. But that he also showed us that WHO GOD IS is… one that wont even get bitter, or manipulative, or anything close to sin, even during the most horrible times. If WE were sexually abused by a priest, Jesus knows what it is like to be stripped naked and abused by religious authorities (the Pharasies) were we ever verbally abused? Jesus was to the last degree. Have we ever been rejected (Peter), betrayed (Judas), accused wrongly (his trials), insulted, unappreciated, beaten...what about tempted. And still God had the character through it all to restrain himself from escaping the torment, so that he could experience the worst humans have to go through. And still he blessed and loved the men who were crucifying him “Father forgive them”. Jesus is amazing. We should all take opportunities to get to know him. But I will caution you. No one is a perfect teacher. Your cousin who tried to convert you, or your grandma who is praying for your soul. They will exhibit very un-Godly behaviors often. And so will I, its called hypocracy. Don’t let other humans who claim to know Jesus destroy your perception of who he was by their actions. Just know that if you got to know the real him (by reading about him in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that only then will you really get to know God. Oh and Pray that he will help you to get to know him. He promises that those who TRULY SEEK HIM will find him.
