Are you sometimes baffled by something you hear? Do you ask the person to repeat themselves? Have you heard some outlandish claims? How do you react to those? In disbelief? Accept them for truth? Have you accepted Jesus as truth?
There is no denying that some people say the most outlandish things. Sometimes, it is just to garner attention. Other times, I seriously wonder if the person actually believes what they are saying, even if I know in no way can it be true.
The story of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection can be one of those outlandish stories to someone who refuses to believe. They ask for physical proof, and even if they get it, they still will not believe. But the question we must ask ourselves is, “Do we believe Jesus’ story?”
To paraphrase C. S. Lewis from his book Mere Christianity, we must accept Jesus as the Son of God. If we do not, we must consider Him a lunatic or a madman. Lewis also states we cannot consider Jesus a mere moral teacher. If you have not read Mere Christianity, I strongly encourage you to do so.
In other words, those who look at Jesus as merely someone who taught good moral standards, but don’t look at Him as Lord, Savior, and God are kidding themselves. They might as well be saying Jesus was a liar, a false prophet, or sent from Satan. As John the Apostle lays it out in his gospel, it is an either-or proposition. You cannot straddle the fence.
Paul tells us that God raised Jesus from the dead and He will raise us, too. Do we believe that? Do we believe that Jesus is alive, sitting at the right hand of the throne of God? If we do, how has that changed our lives? The teaching of the Bible is not mere moral teaching. The purpose of the teaching is to show us who God is and to bring us into a right relationship with Him. It is to bring us to the point of giving up our desires for His. It is to convince us to accept His gift of salvation—spending eternity with Him.
I pray we all accept Jesus for who He says He is. I pray we accept Him as Lord, Savior, and Son of God. I pray each one of us accepts the gift of salvation God has offered. Believe the story of Jesus. Believe Jesus’ words. Believe God’s message of salvation. Accept His gift. Spend eternity with God.
1 Corinthians 6:14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
Marty Pressey 