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Hi Miles,
Let's start with a clarification
first:
Jesus did not come
to be understood.
Christ is and always
was fully God
and fully Man. He always
was the Christ. If
not on Earth, He was one with
the Father in Heaven. When
Our Lord became man by the
Virgin Mary, He had two natures,
a divine nature and human nature,
neither of which conflicted
with each other. This is a
mystery to us. Both these natures
were in the One person of Christ,
Our Lord. This is the Christ
we read about in the Gospels
and New Testament letters.
The first Apostles, disciples
and future Christians believed
His victory over death is our
salvation. Christ died so all
mankind could choose to rise
with Him, but each man must
choose Christ first, then obey
Christ through His Church.
You said:
- How did Jesus come to be understood as Christ, Lord and Savior, in the post-Easter period and in the early centuries of the Church?
The Apostles and disciples went from
land to land, and from land over
the seas evangelizing and preaching
about Jesus, the Son of God, and
Lord of mankind. Many even gave up
their lives for Christ and the Christian
Faith rather than obey the pagan
leaders of the time.
Find out in their own words, by visiting my other web site on the Early Church Fathers:
BibleBeltCatholics.com
Under the left navigation bar, beneath from Other Church teaching, check out Divinity of Christ.
You said:
- How important is it
for Christians today?
It is very important for Christians and non-Christians
today. Christ came not only to save
Catholic Christians, non-Catholic
Christians, but all believers willing to follow Him and His Church.
Jesus came to save everyone but each
man has to be open to accepting Christ
and the fullness
of the Christian Faith, which can only be found in the Catholic Church which Jesus,
Our Lord, established. (The word Catholic, itself means "in its totality" as well as "universal"). So the Catholic faith is the Christian faith "in its totality".
Catholic Christians and most non-Catholic
Christians renew their baptismal
covenant every Sunday by attending
Holy Mass or some other Church service.
Catholic Christians also follow the
Lord Jesus' orders and go to private
Confession on a regular basis. (John 20:19-23)
19 On
the evening of that day, the first
day of the week, the doors being
shut where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood among them and said
to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When
he had said this, he showed them
his hands and his side. Then the
disciples were glad when they
saw the Lord. 21 Jesus
said to them again, "Peace
be with you. As the Father has
sent me, even so I send you."
22 And when he had said
this, he breathed on them, and
said to them,
"Receive the
Holy Spirit. 23 If
you forgive the sins of any, they
are forgiven; if you retain the
sins of any, they are retained."
John 20:19-23 |
Hope this helps,
Mike Humphrey
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