Day 38: THE RESURRECTION (I) INTRODUCTION Today I just want to lay it all out on the table; that is, what is the so what? of the resurrection of Jesus? There are many who have no belief in God, no belief in Jesus of Nazareth being the Son of God, and no belief that the Bible is the word of God. Some of these same people, despite their unbelief, point out that the teachings of Jesus that are written down are, mostly, very wonderful moral teachings. There arent many people in todays world that have a problem with Jesus. After all, He really loved people apparently, even if He wasnt the Son of God. But, thats the thing, why on earth should I listen to His moral teachings IF He lied about who He was? In fact, if Jesus is not the Son of God, He is the BIGGEST CON ARTIST ever to exist. Would you listen to the moral teachings of a con artist? I wouldnt. They would have no business telling me not to lie if they were a habitually gross liar them self, right? As I have pointed out from the beginning of this study, it is a study of extremism at its very core. Either Jesus was the Son of God, or He was the biggest liar, and most successful if I might add, to ever walk on the earth as He has convinced billions of people over the last two millennia. Either these four guys are writing down accurate historical information surrounding Jesus and His life, or they are all liars who must have schemed together to impose a false religion and faith on the world. You cant be truly fair and honest and appreciate Jesus interesting moral teachings without really examining who He said He was. And again, realistically, no one today would listen to the teachings of a mad con artist who constantly lied about who He was. Lets be consistent. I either accept Jesus as the Son of God and His teachings as Divine, or I reject everything associated with Him except for the fact that He was a real historical figure who made some big claims in Judea and Galilee about 2,000 years ago. But I have to make my decision, one way or the other, based on evidence. I hope thus far in the study you feel that I have handled the evidence fairly and agnostically as I set out to do. Obviously there are time where that hasnt been the case, but Ive tried to remember to note those sections of my posts with a I am about to take a brief step away from objectivity for a minute line, or something of that nature. The reason why I think this next section on the resurrection is the most important is that it really is the crux of the Christian faith. Anyone who states otherwise is probably not taking into account what the rest of the New Testament documents have to say about Jesus rising from the dead. If these accounts stating that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day are incorrect, and EVEN if you have been persuaded into a favorable view of Jesus claims about Himself in the 37 days of posting previous to this, IF the resurrection account is not true, you should seriously reconsider your position as a believer in Christ. Again, the burden of proof if not on me, although I am taking the position of an evidence presenter in this study. The burden of proof is on the person trying to discount these historical documents. But, if the evidence lends itself to unbelief in the resurrection, my faith in Jesus and my hope of my own resurrection is in vain. I will share again what the apostle Paul said regarding this matter: [1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NASB] 12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. IF the account of Jesus rising from the dead is not true: a. The witnesses are all false witnesses, liars, and perjurers in our court b. The New Testament is a fraudulent set of documents c. My faith is vain d. I am still in my sins e. I will never see faithful loved ones again. f. I have no hope and am most miserable of men because I spent my entire life looking forward to something that is not. BUT, IF it is true, there are a couple extremely significant things to note: 1. Jesus is the Son of God! [Romans 1:3-4 NASB] 3 concerning His [Gods, jb] Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 2. My hope is alive! [1 Peter 1:3-4 NASB] 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 3. Baptism (complete immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins, see Acts 2:36-38, 8:35-38, Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28:18-20 and many others) has real meaning! [Romans 6:3-5 NASB] 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised form the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrections, 4. There is certainty of a judgment day for EVERY PERSON who has ever lived and walked on the earth. [Acts 17:30-31 NASB] 30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. The implications of the resurrection account are tremendous; either Jesus is the Son of God and its time for me to start figuring out what I have to do to be right in His sight, or its time for me to give up Christianity. There is no middle ground. I can do good moral things without believing in Jesus, but if He is truly the Son of the Most High, and I dont believe in Him and obey Him, I will not be ready for that fixed day that Paul preached in Acts 17. PREVIEW: The next bulk of our study will be looking at the evidence surrounding the resurrection. Tomorrow we will start with the accounts saying that Jesus tomb was empty, examining whether or not that is reliable, and trying to find out how it could have happened. You will come to find that almost NO historians or scholars argue with the fact that the tomb was found empty, and nearly all of the scholars who do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God will claim that anyone who tries to deny that the tomb was empty is not being fair with the evidence. The empty tomb itself does not prove that Jesus was raised, but it is the beginning of a large load of evidence that will possibly direct you to that conclusion.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:02:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015