It either happened this week 1,984* years ago or it didn’t. If it did, God came to earth and can provide the flourishing and eternal life He promised. If it didn’t, anyone who believes the Easter myth is a fool. The past four weeks I’ve responded to six common objections to Jesus’ bodily resurrection that first Easter morning. But there is a seventh objection worth considering…
Leave a CommentTag: The Person of Christ
Easter is fast approaching, so I’m discussing whether it is really worth celebrating. If it is based on a fact of history—Jesus’ resurrection—then everyone worldwide should celebrate it, because it proved Jesus is the One True God. If it is based on a lie—there actually was no resurrection—then Christianity is simply false and Christians are fools to follow this dead “savior”! So which is it? . . .
2 CommentsAs we approach Easter, we are reminded that our faith stands or falls on whether Jesus rose from the dead. Either our faith in Jesus as God in flesh is founded on a verifiable fact of history, or we are following a false messiah who failed to prove his claim to be God. Last week I gave five evidences the tomb was really empty that first Easter morning. What is the best explanation of this fact? Besides Jesus’ bodily resurrection there are six other explanations often given. This week and next I’ll unpack these and show why they are inadequate to explain all the facts. The only adequate explanation of the empty tomb that first Easter morning is the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
2 CommentsEverything we believe hinges on whether Jesus raised from the dead. But that requires an empty tomb that first Easter morning. Though you wouldn’t know it from the TV news shows and magazine cover stories about Jesus that “resurrect” each year about this time, the good news is that there is more evidence for the resurrection as a historical event than most all other events of ancient history, and many events of modern history as well! This week I discuss the first objection and five responses . . .
Leave a CommentAs Easter approaches watch for the TV shows and magazine cover stories questioning the resurrection of Jesus. With so much at stake, the questions and objections are understandable. If Jesus did raise from the dead it proves he is God, and therefore all he says is true, including his claim to be the only “way, truth and life” (John 14:6). If not…
3 CommentsIn my last post, I shared the first way biblical truth always shows up in the movies we watch. Yet there are two more ways that we should notice as well. Each of these should regularly remind us of the Gospel in our own lives and give us “common ground” from which to discuss biblical truth with those around us.
Leave a CommentDuring this Christmas Season, I’m reflecting on the implications of understanding that Jesus was really born as a boy, who grew to be a man in this same world we live in. In my last three posts, I shared the first and second reasons which are vitally important to keep in mind, during Christmas and always. As important as these reasons are, the third reason is the most important one for our salvation. (Read Post #1, Post#2, Post#3 here. These reasons were just too important to cram into the few weeks leading up to Christmas!)
Leave a CommentLast week I began discussing a second reason we should reflect on the humanity of Christ this Christmas season. I shared four of the seven ways we forget this (“Christian Gnosticism”), and the harmful effects this has on us. In this post, I will share the last four. (These reasons were just too important to cram into the few weeks leading up to Christmas!)
4 CommentsIn my last post, I shared the first reason why it is important to remember Jesus is fully human this Christmas season. The second reason is that we devalue the worth of God’s creation (including ourselves) if we forget his humanity. The incarnation is a constant reminder that God, more than anyone, values the physical world just as much as the spiritual world.
4 CommentsIn this Christmas season, it seems fitting to write a bit about the humanity of Christ. We talk much about His Deity. And rightly so, with Jesus’ Divine status under constant challenge. Yet there are at least three reasons we must never forget that Jesus was also fully human—that he “moved into the neighborhood” as The Message translates John 1:14.
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