I often talk to people who reject Christianity.
When I ask them why, I get a long list of objections. They don’t approve of what a church did, what a pastor did, what an individual Christian did……….of what God did or didn’t do………or even worse…….of what he is doing right now in their lives.
Their objection usually includes some version of this complaint:
“I refuse to accept a God who would allow_________!”
The things that they disprove of are legitimate. A lot of things happen out there that cause us pain……..and some of them come from Christians. There are a lot of Christians out there who just don’t do it well. There are a lot of Christians out there who are quite simply………toxic.
A Christian should radiate love.
A Christian should be NICE!
But let’s face it, we often aren’t.
There are a few Christians who are never nice. And ALL Christians are not nice occasionally. Some of the things I have said to the tools in my woodshop simply cannot be repeated in polite company.
Christianity is terribly important…….. considering the eternal implications. So……the question of its validity is a terribly important question. It is a question that each of us should take very seriously because the consequences of getting it wrong could be catastrophic. This one question is potentially the most important question that you will deal with in your lifetime. And a great many of us have never seriously investigated it.
Have you seriously considered the most important question of your life?
The first problem is that you must ask the right question. And most of us don’t ask the right question. And that is the heart of this post.
We typically ask ourselves, “Do I approve of what God…..or some Christian somewhere……..did or didn’t do……..or is doing?”. Does the practical application of Christianity in this world agree with what I believe………what I want? The trouble is that this is not the correct question.
The correct question is this:
“DID JESUS DIE AND COME BACK TO LIFE?”
I think that we can all agree that human resurrection is simply impossible. And that is the entire point. If the resurrection occurred, then Jesus is not simply human…….he is divine…….he is God. And if he is God, then what he said……what he is still saying……..is not negotiable. It is not subject to your approval…….or mine.
What God did…..what he is doing in your life……what he is doing in the world is not subject to your approval.
To put it simply…….if Jesus rose from the dead, then he is God
……….and his teaching……..eternity, paradise, hell, love God, love your neighbor is unassailable. The fact that you object to what he said, or did, or is doing…….or to what some current Christian said or did, or is doing………is irrelevant. It is irrelevant because he is God……and you aren’t.
And we desperately want to be in charge. We desperately want to be God. Even though the evidence in our world clearly shows that we aren’t up to the task.
So, take some time today. Seriously investigate the most important question that you will ever ask:
“Did Jesus die and then rise from the dead?”
Don’t reject this idea because it is “impossible”………that is the entire point.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!
Luke, NIV
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus,NIV
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Jesus,NIV