JESUS ACCORDING TO BORG

- man made, irrelevant for the sinner and powerless in the face of death.

[The tragic death of Pierre Korkie should remind us of the reality of eternity and that only the resurrection of Jesus can give us hope in times like these! Condolences to his family!]

Marcus Borg is an ultra liberal scholar whose understanding of Jesus fits in well with the so called Progressive Christianity. Unfortunately it is not Christianity at all but a worldly minded extortion of it, denying the basic tenets and beliefs of the apostolic Christian faith of all ages. Borg’s Jesus is to such an extent different from the Biblical One that I would call him “Jesus Borg” to differentiate between him and Jesus Christ, the true Son of God and the conqueror of sin, devil, death and hell!

Jesus Borg is a human invention, tailored by those who don’t understand the desperate plight of the unredeemed sinner. The followers of Jesus Borg are idealists, maybe very honest, but foolish enough to think about man as inherently good and capable of turning this world into a better place. It’s nothing else than natural man made religion of the self!

The incompatible differences between Jesus Borg and Jesus Christ are most clear on the issues of the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross and the inheritance waiting for Gods children in eternity. Borg’s views on these issues are clearly contrary to the New Testament. Let’s have a look :

THE PURPOSE OF THE DEATH OF JESUS

According to Borg, the death of Jesus was not an atonement for our sins.

“...Holy Week is not the story of Jesus dying for the sins of the world, as if this was his and God’s purpose for his life. Rather, it is the story of Jesus’ passion for God and the kingdom of God, his challenge to the combination of religious and political authority that ruled his world, and his vindication by God.”

“...Jesus’ death was a sacrifice – but not a sacrifice required by God as payment for sin. Rather, he was willing to sacrifice his life because of his passion for God and the kingdom of God. In this sense of sacrifice, three Christian martyrs of the 20th century sacrificed their lives because of their passion for a different kind of world: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Germany, Martin Luther King, Jr., in this country, and Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador. Sacrifice, yes; substitutionary payment, no.”

What does the New Testament say about the meaning of Christ’s death?

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Lamb has a sacrificial meaning, going back to the Passover lamb)

Romans 4:25 He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to youas of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 

and even the last book in the New Testament, Revelation confirms it :

Revelation 1:5,6 ...To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS! Numerous other references could be added. Its clear, the death of Jesus on the cross as payment and sacrifice for our sins stand central in the New Testament.

ETERNAL INHERITANCE

What  does Borg say about our eternal inheritance?

The view adopted by Borg, according to himself “leads to a focus on seeking to transform the world by following Jesus and standing for what he was passionate about. Its political issues are the systemic issues of greater economic justice, less dependence on military power for our security, and human rights. A more economically just and peaceful world. Its passion is political transformation as well as personal transformation.”

Borg and his followers try to create heaven on earth. Of course Christians should make a difference in this world, acting like salt and light, but Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not from this world. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36)

The New Testament emphasises that God’s children are mere pilgrims, aliens and strangers in this world. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one.Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, (1 Peter 1:1) Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

The New Testament encourages followers of Jesus to look out for the Second coming of Christ and the creation of the new heavens and a new earth as our eternal destiny. There is a living hope after death. We will receive new bodies and live forever in the presence of God and the Lamb! This world with its sorrow, injustice and misery is not our final destination! This is the hope that has sustained the Christian martyrs since New Testament times until now!

Philippians 3:20,21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 

THE BIBLE TEACHES : Saved from sin believers will receive an eternal inheritance! This our real hope in a world of INJUSTICE! Don't expect this world ever to become a just society! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrew 9:15)

Borg’s view of Jesus and his message is not an interesting or debatable option, it is a disastrous deformation of the truth. It contradicts God’s Word. It deserves NO place in a Bible obedient church! Unfortunately these ideas have taken root even here in Africa…