Point of Contention
Pt. 2
The people asked Jesus for a sign, some proof that He is who He said He was. The Messiah. “He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 12:39) Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and at another time “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19) He was speaking of His body. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and the proof He gives to this is His resurrection three days later.
If it is hard to believe in miracles, it is nigh impossible to believe someone can bring themselves back to life after being dead for three days. Unless what Christ said of Himself was true. It has been said, and rightfully so, Jesus was either a crook, insane or the Savior. Those are the only three options. If He was not who He said He was - because of how powerful His speech and example was, if He was not speaking the truth, He would have to be either a crook or mentally unstable.
So why do I believe He was telling the truth? Is there tangible evidence left, or is this just one other thing I have to take solely on blind faith? Let me encourage you, for me to believe in the Bible, I have yet to find anything I have to take by faith blindly. Yes, there are answers, tangible and logical.
For believing the apostles did not just make it all up, there are Roman historians who attest to Jesus’ life and death, many Jewish eyewitnesses who were very much alive at the time the New Testament was written who would have corrected any lies, and the apostles are depicted many times in the New Testament as slow, unable to comprehend. They look like fools. If it was all a fabrication, the apostles would never elect to be portrayed as stupid or ever being able to betray Jesus. Not to mention that no one dies for a lie they know to be false.
Do not be taken in by people who say the gospels are inconsistent. Now there are people with honest questions about the Bible’s consistency, but many times such arguments have very little merit while most other times answers do exist for such honest questions.
This argument is used a lot against the Bible’s accuracy and it is a logical ruse. First they will point out the contradictions and say, “See! They contradict each other, they make it up. It never really happened.” But then if you point out the similarities they say, “See! They are identical. Collusion! They came together and made it up! It never really happened.” This is double-handed and illogical. I would stay away from such reasonings. The four gospels are distinct enough as each is from a different eyewitness but similar enough that the message is never altered throughout all four gospels. It is trustworthy.
As for the resurrection, besides the many witnesses to it in that age (of which a mass hallucination is illogical and unscientific), there is the empty tomb we have to contend with. All the Jews would have had to do to squelch this heretical new religion was to dig up his grave. But they were silent. There was no body to dig up. The disciples grave robbing is unrealistic with armed guards and a large boulder in place to keep that from happening. The apostles scattered and cowered after Christ’s death. They were shattered, a group of fishermen. To say they robbed an armed grave would also connotate they made the story up and everything that came next was all based upon a lie. This goes against the transformation of lives, including a cynic (Jesus’s brother) and an ardent persecutor (Saul), not to mention no one dies for a lie they know to be false.
Jesus came and died. The greatest act of love this world has ever seen, then three days later, as a sign that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus came back to life after three days in a tomb, the greatest miracle the world has ever seen. And the world has never been the same since. Nor will it ever recover from such a love as this.
Jared Williams
If it is hard to believe in miracles, it is nigh impossible to believe someone can bring themselves back to life after being dead for three days. Unless what Christ said of Himself was true. It has been said, and rightfully so, Jesus was either a crook, insane or the Savior. Those are the only three options. If He was not who He said He was - because of how powerful His speech and example was, if He was not speaking the truth, He would have to be either a crook or mentally unstable.
So why do I believe He was telling the truth? Is there tangible evidence left, or is this just one other thing I have to take solely on blind faith? Let me encourage you, for me to believe in the Bible, I have yet to find anything I have to take by faith blindly. Yes, there are answers, tangible and logical.
For believing the apostles did not just make it all up, there are Roman historians who attest to Jesus’ life and death, many Jewish eyewitnesses who were very much alive at the time the New Testament was written who would have corrected any lies, and the apostles are depicted many times in the New Testament as slow, unable to comprehend. They look like fools. If it was all a fabrication, the apostles would never elect to be portrayed as stupid or ever being able to betray Jesus. Not to mention that no one dies for a lie they know to be false.
Do not be taken in by people who say the gospels are inconsistent. Now there are people with honest questions about the Bible’s consistency, but many times such arguments have very little merit while most other times answers do exist for such honest questions.
This argument is used a lot against the Bible’s accuracy and it is a logical ruse. First they will point out the contradictions and say, “See! They contradict each other, they make it up. It never really happened.” But then if you point out the similarities they say, “See! They are identical. Collusion! They came together and made it up! It never really happened.” This is double-handed and illogical. I would stay away from such reasonings. The four gospels are distinct enough as each is from a different eyewitness but similar enough that the message is never altered throughout all four gospels. It is trustworthy.
As for the resurrection, besides the many witnesses to it in that age (of which a mass hallucination is illogical and unscientific), there is the empty tomb we have to contend with. All the Jews would have had to do to squelch this heretical new religion was to dig up his grave. But they were silent. There was no body to dig up. The disciples grave robbing is unrealistic with armed guards and a large boulder in place to keep that from happening. The apostles scattered and cowered after Christ’s death. They were shattered, a group of fishermen. To say they robbed an armed grave would also connotate they made the story up and everything that came next was all based upon a lie. This goes against the transformation of lives, including a cynic (Jesus’s brother) and an ardent persecutor (Saul), not to mention no one dies for a lie they know to be false.
Jesus came and died. The greatest act of love this world has ever seen, then three days later, as a sign that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus came back to life after three days in a tomb, the greatest miracle the world has ever seen. And the world has never been the same since. Nor will it ever recover from such a love as this.
Jared Williams
