Jesus: The Greatest Apologetic

DEFENDING A LION

In the past, I think I’ve tried harder at defending God.  I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t need us to defend Him, and I’ve always thought, “Well, it’s not like He’s speaking up; someone needs to say something!  But I’ve come to realize more and more that I can just lean on Jesus. 

Just recently someone in our youth group asked my why she should believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead.  Isn’t it ridiculous to believe that our bodies do anything besides rot in the ground after we die?  Is that just something we’ve made up to make ourselves feel better?

TAKE IT TO JESUS

We always take it back to Jesus.  Why should we believe any of the claims Christianity makes?  Why should we commit ourselves to the God of the Bible?  Instead of engaging in some theoretical discussion that doesn’t really answer any questions or engage our hearts, we take it right back to Jesus.

Jesus was the one who claimed these things.  I certainly didn’t come up with any of this, and neither did any other Christian.  He claimed to have lived a sinless life (John 8:46-47), that he was the only way to God (John 14:6), shared glory with God Himself (John 17:5), that He could forgive sins (Luke 5:20-21), and He claimed to be able to give everlasting life (John 11:25) among many others.

TAKE IT TO LOGIC

We simply ask, is this true or not?  It can only be true or false.  We don’t simply believe this because someone told us to.  Is Jesus God, or is he not God?  Is Jesus the only way to heaven, or is Jesus not the only way to heaven?  Did Jesus raise from the dead, or did Jesus not raise from the dead?

The reason we place our faith in trust in Jesus Christ is because he proved that he is worth putting our trust in.  Not only did he live a life of compassion, but he resurrected from the dead.  While other religious teachers claim to know how to get to heaven, they are all defeated by death.

Jesus, by contrast, showed the he has power over death.  In fact, throughout the Gospels, Jesus demonstrates His power over people (Matthew 22:15, 22; John 10:18), nature (Mark 4:35-41), demons (Luke 8:26-39), and death (Luke 24; John 20).  Jesus has power over literally everything (Colossians 1:15-20)!

            Three main reasons we have reason to believe this:

                        -Empty tomb found by Jesus’ women followers

-500+ witnesses of Jesus after his crucifixion, including enemies and skeptics

-Drastic change in Disciple’s beliefs and commitment to Jesus before and after his death

-For more info check out my blog post: http://thewaymattseesit.blogspot.com/2014/03/lets-argue-resurrection.html

TAKE IT TO THE CROSS

And this isn’t limited to a simple intellectual acknowledgement.  “Wow, I guess I’ve been persuaded that Jesus could probably be important.”  It’s so much more than that.

The center of reality for the Christian is a man on a cross loving people who didn't love him...If Jesus is God, we have witnessed ultimate reality becoming visible...which is a man on a cross loving people who don't love him, sacrificing himself and forgiving those who abused him.

-Tim Keller

If Jesus is God, this is life-changing!  God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, came into our world and did what…used us as slaves to build his empire?  No, he loved us.  Jesus spent an entire lifetime serving and loving people who didn’t serve or love Him.  If Jesus is God, this is so much more than a mental acknowledgement.  This knowledge should change our thoughts, our actions, and our lives; this should change our whole being.  This should change our whole heart.

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”

-Ephesians 2:4-5