Boaz,
Forgivness that effects reconciliation under the Law requires a debt to be paid equal to the debt owed. Under Christianity the price paid by Christ is far beyond the price of our debt. Which was paid regardless of the amount of our debt. God went twice the distance on our behalf to demonstrate forgivness, even before we repented. It is that demonstration of his forgivness that causes our response - that changes our attitudes and life. It is this understanding of the gospel as applied in our life that causes others to see we are also forgive even before they repent.

Boaz,
Go for it mate, stick it to 'im!
So many laws to abide by, so many things to answer to, yes... we are endebted to the hilt for life and we continue to try and live up to the messages left to us.. 2000 YEARS AGO.. IN THE YEAR OF OUR lORD, YOUR lORD, WHO'S EVER, and still with today's technology, we try to live up to these expectations, which in fact were written when people thought the earth was flat. One finds it difficult to live up to the bible, what would have happened indeed if the computor was available in "His" time? Email everyone?

SPANKY SAID: "One finds it difficult to live up to the bible"

No mate :) It is not 'difficult' but impossible.

But as our lives are immersed in Christ we can, like Paul say

Philippians 3

12) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

COMMENT:
I encourage you (and all) to let Him...take hold of your life(ves)

Good point BD it is not a matter of trying in our old predesposed nature of sin which views offensive behaviour as OK. We need a change of values to aspire to serve and build others and make honest confession of our shortcomings - as we all fail. The joy of seeing others lifted to a more satisfying life is a reward worth working for.

Remembering Jesus gave his life to give each of us the ultimate life.

One aspect of these threads that I particularly enjoy is that they inevitably lead my questioning into new areas.

As I have probably mentioned before, I am very keen on questions. Far more keen, in fact, than I am on answers. Answers - if they appear to be sufficiently plausible, and can stand being knocked about a bit without breaking - can be very constricting. No room to move, to flex ones intellectual muscles.

The direction my thoughts have been taking in the last few days is one of the "why?" questions.

Why did God choose to land Jesus among us i) in a period of history when relatively few people could read or write, ii) at a time when there was no printing, no radio, no TV, no Internet, i.e. when communication was inconceivably primitive, with word-of-mouth the most common - but least reliable - method, and iii) as a Jew, never the least controversial tribe on the planet, either then or now...?

The motivation behind my question is simply this.

If his existence were unequivocal and uncontroversial, there simply would not be any cause for strife between religious factions. In fact there wouldn't need to be religious factions at all, really...

Just think how few wars there would be, if we knew, instead of having to have this thing called "faith". Because "faith" is an emotional thing, and when we are forced into a battle between conflicting emotions, strife is the only possible result.

Odd. Really odd. You would have thought, what with his repoutation for being compassionate and merciful and all that, that he would have spared his creation the sight of so many people being killed, century in, century out, in the name of one "faith" or another.

I sincerely hope that no-one has an answer to this.

Because it is such a very good question, it would be a shame to spoil it.

ANSWER TO PERICLES :) sorry P.. I just couldn't resist that.

No, there is no answer really. I don't think there are many Christians who have not asked the same ones.

There are many 'why's in life. Please read (if you haven't already) Ecclesiastes.. they are all there. Honestly, it is a book of a few chapters that every human should read I reckon.

On your point about the 'timing' of Christs coming, it was really a good time, Pax Romana, Roman roads, Greek Language, Good memories :)

But as you demonstrated, there are always reasons we can find about the deficiencies of any period in time for such a coming.

As I've often said I'm sure.. I place myself in the mind of one like Paul.. a man with a very set course in life, (Destroy this faith) yet.. who unexpectedly encounters the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus.
Of all people, you would think HE had 'all the answers'.....but alas, his answer will never satisfy the modern mind.

A) His emotional predicament: Romans 9

1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,....

B) His Spiritual/Philosophical Predicament:

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust?

19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use.

ETERNITY MEETS TIME AND SPACE... in those questions above, Paul was not unaware of the philosophical ramifications of his position.
His problem was.....'Damascus road'