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| A (Not So) Brief Defense Christianity |
- The Resurrection demonstrates the Truth of Christianity
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Mind Games
Survival Course Manual
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A (Not So) Brief Defense of Christianity
Jimmy Williams
XI. The resurrection demonstrates the truth of Christianity
It is no exaggeration to say that the
Christian faith rests on the fact of Jesus' resurrection. Paul, who
wrote much of the New Testament, said that his entire ministry
would be worthless if the resurrection had not taken place.
"If Christ has not been raised," he wrote, "then our
preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. . . . If Christ has not
been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your
sins" (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). On the other hand, if Jesus Christ
has been raised from the dead, then Paul's message is true, faith
has meaning, and we can be freed from our sins.
That's essentially what we have been
arguing. It makes good sense to believe in the teachings of
Christianity, because those teachings are based on a simple
historical fact the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
If Jesus was raised from the dead, then what
He said about himself must have been true. When the religious
leaders of His day asked for some proof of His authority, Jesus
told them that the only proof they would be given would be His
resurrection from the dead (John 2:18 19; Matt. 12:38 40). When He
was raised from the dead, that proof was provided.
What was proven through Jesus' resurrection?
Here are some of the things that Jesus said about Himself, all of
which were affirmed by His resurrection from the dead:
"I am the bread of life; he who comes
to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never
thirst" (John 6:35).
"I am the light of the world; he who
follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light
of life" (John 8:12).
"Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was born, I AM" [a claim to be God himself] (John
8:58).
"I am the door; if anyone enters
through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find
pasture" (John 10:9).
"I am the good shepherd; the good
shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
"I am the resurrection and the life; he
who believes in me shall live even if he dies" (John
11:25).
"I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but through me" (John
14:6).
If these statements are true, then anything
that contradicts them cannot also be true. In other words, if it is
true that Jesus is God, then anyone who says Jesus is not
God must be wrong. If it is true that Jesus gives eternal life
to those who believe in Him and that He is the only way to the
Father, then anyone who says that there are other ways to salvation
must be wrong.
How do we know that what Jesus said about
Himself is true? We know by His resurrection, which He offered as
definitive proof for all that He did and said.
What this means is that the statements
quoted above demonstrate the uniqueness of Jesus, but they also
demonstrate the uniqueness of Christianity. If what Jesus said
about Himself is true, then Christianity is true, and any
contradictory religious belief must be false.
That's not a very popular message in today's
pluralistic culture, but the fact is that there are genuine
differences between world views. Only one can really be correct. If
Jesus Christ was actually raised from the dead, there's little need
for further debate. He alone is the way, the truth, and the
life.
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