FAQ's
The resurrection of Jesus is the most important event in history.
Why?
First, because it proves the claims He made about Himself are true.
He made claims that set Him apart from any other person in history:
1. He claimed to be God in human form: "I and the Father are
one"; He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father"; "If you had
known Me, you would have known my Father also";
2. He predicted numerous times that He would be betrayed, killed,
and rise again.
3. He declared that He was "the resurrection and the life. He
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live. And he
that liveth and believeth in me shall never die" .
Second, if He rose, then this fact sets Jesus apart from all the other
"holy men" of history -- including Buddha, Mohammed, and all the rest.
These spiritual leaders are all still in the tomb, proving they were but
men. Only the tomb of Jesus remains empty, proving He was who He
claimed to be: "I am the way, the Truth, and the Life -- no one
comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Third, if Jesus has risen, and is who He claimed to be, then we had
better pay attention to all of the things He said -- our eternal destiny
hangs in the balance. For example, Jesus claimed that the Bible is
the inspired word of God, and "cannot be broken" - this sets the Bible
apart and above all other so-called "holy books". Jesus claimed that
a person must be "born again" to enter the kingdom of God. Finally,
He stated that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life" (John 3:15).
Fourth, because He rose, we can be assured that one day He will cause
all those who trust in Him to rise also. This is the "blessed hope"
that the scripture speaks of. From Genesis to Revelation, the
central message of the Bible is God's plan of redemption. Through
Adam sin entered the world, and man put his will above the Lord's.
As a result we have all gone astray -- "all have sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God". Our Creator is perfect, holy, just and
merciful. Because He cannot deny Himself, He must punish sin.
But due to His great love for His creation, He formulated the ultimate,
fail-save plan. Even back then, at the time of Adam's fall, God
foretold that "the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head".
God's plan was perfect, fail-proof: He Himself would "become flesh",
dwell among men, lead a sinless life, and become the unblemished "lamb of
God who takes way the sins of the world". He would take the penalty
for all of mankind - past, present and future. He would make the
ultimate sacrifice, and be judged and die in mankind's place. Jesus
paid the price for our sins. And as predicted, He did "not suffer
His Holy One to see corruption". God raised up Jesus, just as He had
predicted. His resurrection crushed the head of the serpent --
forever.
No, for several reasons. First, religions involve more than just
having faith in something or someone. They also involve claims about
truth - claims that can be investigated, and put to the test. If you
dig deep enough, you'll find that all religions "claim" to have a lock on
exclusivity to truth.
For example, eastern religions (Hindus) and many New Age believers
claim that the universe always existed - always was. Christianity,
Judaism and Islam claim that the universe had a beginning - that it was
created by God. These claims are mutually exclusive. Both
world views can't be right - one view is correct, the other is not.
Either the universe had a beginning, or it did not. The exciting
thing is that we can - with the help of science - investigate whether the
universe had a beginning. If the evidence supports a creation
scenario (which it does), then we can reasonably conclude that the other
world view is mistaken.
Another example is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christianity
maintains that Jesus died, was buried in a tomb, and rose again the third
day. Muslims, on the other hand, believe that Jesus never even died,
much less rose again. These claims are contradictory -- they cannot
both be true. Either Jesus died, was buried, and rose again, or He
did not. One world view is correct, the other is not. How can
we know which is true? We can examine the historical record, we can
examine the evidence -- then make our decision concerning which record is
the most credible.
The first commandment includes loving the LORD with "all of our mind"
-- if we examine the evidence, and use the powers of reason that God gave
us, we will ultimately conclude that one faith -- Christianity -- it the
most well supported, most consistent, most reasonable faith.
Other religions have elements of truth, to be sure. But ultimately there
is but one Truth, one Way. And that Way is the Person of Jesus
Christ. He said it best: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life -- no one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).
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