Monday 10 April 2017

Jesus' physical resurrection from the dead is a real historical event that people need to know about.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead will not, by itself, convince anyone to become a Christian, but no one can become a Christian unless they know that Jesus physically rose from the dead.

"If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." - Luke 16:31

This statement in Luke is not an argument against using historical evidence and the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts to convince people that the resurrection actually happened. 

Jesus (through Abraham in the story of the rich man and Lazarus) is saying that evidence that God is real is not enough to convince people to turn to him in repentance and trust. However, that doesn't mean that it is futile, when speaking to people about Jesus, to start  by talking about facts and evidence. People need to know who Jesus is before then can put their faith in him. Believing that Jesus rose from the dead won't in and of itself cause people to trust in Jesus, but in order to trust him, they do need to know that he rose from the dead, and it is right and useful to go through the evidence with people on this. 

Of course, those who realise they would need to surrender to Jesus if he did rise from the dead won't consider the evidence dispassionately - they will find themselves wanting to reject the evidence because of the implications it has for them, rather on the basis of its weight - but they still need to know the evidence and to be told of this as well as being told that everyone who comes to Jesus in repentance and faith will find forgiveness, love and acceptance and the power of God at work in their lives to live for the one who loved them and gave himself for them. 

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