Bible and Vedas

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO VEDAS

Our ancestors born in our indian soil have cried to God as :

"Asatomaa Sadgamayaa Samatomaa Jyotirgamayaa Mrithyormaa Amrithangamayaa " - Bhrihadaranya Upanishad

Meaning : O GOD! lead me from deceit to truth, from darkness to light and from death to life.

Realising the agony of man's soul, our ancestors taught us to pray as:
"Paapoham, paapa karmaham, papaathmaa, paapa sambhavaa, thraahimaam Kripayaa Devaa ! saranaagatha vathsalaha, anyadhaa saranam naasthihi, thwameva saranam mamahaa "
Meaning : O compassionate GOD! have mercy on me for I am born in sin and live in sin. I have no refuge except you for my redemption.

The Vedas, dated nearly 3000 years back, declare that man can not save himself from spiritual death and God will incarnate Himself to save us. Man, being fully aware of his soul's pathetic (sinful) state, is trying to please GOD through various oaths, gifts etc. In our country Brahmins perform yajnas and commoners offer sacrifices intending to please GOD and get salvation from eternal death.

The importance of yajna as a shadow of real sacrifice is depicted in the following lines of RigVeda
: "Yajna sarvam prathishtitham Yajnovai sukarmaanauhaa " (1:3:13)
Meaning : Yajna provides means to salvation as this yajna resembles a boat taking us into heaven.

"Yajnovaa avathi thasya chaayaa kriyathe (Athmada) (Baladaa) Yasya chaayaamritham yasya mrithyuhu " (10:121:2)
Meaning : Yajna is a shadow of future sacrifice only and salvation will come only through this.

"Prajaa pathirdevebhya aathmaanaam Yajnam krithwa praayaschit " - Bangala patra - 410
Meaning : Prajaa pathi(Saviour) sacrifices Himself as an atonement for sins of men.

"Thasya prajaa pathirardhameva Marthyamaasi dhardhamamritham " - Satpath Brahman
Meaning : Saviour is partly immortal and partly mortal being i.e., He possesses both divine and human natures.

Thaandya Mahaa Braahman also declares :
"Eesa putranchamaam vigdhi Kumaari garbha sambhavam Mlechha dharmasya pravaktharam "
Meaning : Son of God will be born to a virgin in order to transform sinners to righteous ones.

"Prajaa pathischarasa garbhetwameva Prajaayathe thubhyam Praana prajaasthi maabalim haramthiyahe Praana prathishtithihi "
Meaning : Saviour born to a virgin offers his life as an atonement for sins and comes back to life.

The Rig Veda describes sacrificial offering as :
1. A Goat without spots is to be offered
2. Thorns are to be kept on Goat's head
3. Goat has to be nailed to a pillar through its four legs
4. Somras (sura) is to be given to it
5. None of the bones of Goat should be broken
6. The garments of the Goat is to be shared by its offerer's
7. The life of Goat is to be restored and its flesh to be eaten.

As a conclusion, Saviour must be the God-incarnate with both divine and human natures with holy life according to Hindu Scriptures (Vedas). He would give his life as a ransom to redeem men from eternal death. He would overcome death to give eternal life to men.

Our Indian Scriptures/incarnations do not speak of any such God-incarnation. But in our Asian Continent only in the land of Palestine (present state of Israel) near the Mediterranean Sea, God was made manifest in flesh through virgin birth in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, nearly 2000 years ago. If you go through the manner of life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ which are recorded in the Holy Bible, you will be amazed to know how truly our Indian Scriptures tally with the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the whole world. Jesus lived sinless life and crown of thorns was put on His head as he was crucified on the cross. He was nailed to the cross in his hands and feet. His garments were shared by Roman soldiers and none of his bones was broken. Jesus Christ is the only Saviour in entire human history as He died for our sins and was buried and rose again from death the third day to provide salvation for the whole world.

JESUS CHRIST COMES AGAIN TO EARTH SECOND TIME AS A KING TO RECEIVE THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM AND OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS.

The message of the Bible can be summed up as follows in four steps:

1. God loves you and wants you to experience his peace and life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

2. Being at peace with God is not automatic, because man is naturally separated from God as a result of the curse given to Adam and Eve.
"There is none righteous, no, not one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (Rom 3:10,23; 6:23a, Heb 9:27, I John 1:8)

3. God's love bridges the gap of separation between God and you. When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the tomb, He paid the penalty for your sins.
"Without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins). Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name (except Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Jesus Christ is the propitiation (self sacrificial death) for the sins of the whole world" (Heb 9:22, 1 Tim 1:15, Rom 6:23b, 1 Thess 5:9,10, Acts 4:12, 1 John 2:2)

4. You will cross the bridge into God's family when you receive Christ by your personal invitation.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name" ( 1 John 1:9, John 1:12)

Kindly do not ignore the invitation of Jesus to you: "My blood is shed for many for the remission of sins. Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden (with sin) and I will give you rest (to your soul). I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes unto the Father (God) except by me" (Mt 26:28; 11:28, John 14:6)