Why This Blog Matters: The Resurrection Of Jesus

Easter Sunday.

I guess it's kind of the perfect day to talk about the purpose of this blog and why I am even bothering with it in the first place. I mean, why go to all this effort to write a blog, arguing for the case that following Jesus and living a life for Him is the ultimate source of all true joy, peace, fulfilment, pleasure, satisfaction and purpose? Well, this is why:

“If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.”

- Among the last words of Jaroslav Pelikan (1923-2006)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from death -- this is the reason for my blog. Why? Because if Jesus died on a cross (an historical fact, just to point out) but did not come back from the dead, then we can forget about everything He said and everything He told us to do. We can forget about the Bible's teaching on money and sex and alcohol and anything else, because if Jesus did not come back to life then He was not who He said He was -- God come as a man. And so if the Bible is not true on this point, then there is no point paying attention to anything else it says.

If Jesus did not resurrect, He was either an outright liar or a complete madman. He was not a "good moral teacher" or a "good example". He does not leave you with that option. As C. S. Lewis once said (paraphrased), if Christianity is false then it is of no importance, and if it is true then it is of infinite importance -- but it is never moderately important. The fact is this:

'And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.' (1 Corinth. 15:14)

BUT, if Jesus did rise again from death. . .then it means everything. It means that He was indeed who He claimed to be -- the Son of God and the Lord of all -- and it means that everything He said was true, including all He spoke about being the bread of life that sustains us and never runs out, the stream of water that quenches our soul and never runs dry -- about being very Life itself.

And this is why I write this blog: because I know that Jesus Christ, the God-man, rose from the dead and is alive today. And because He is alive, He lives up to every single one of His promises -- that all we are searching for in life is found in following Him, not merely because He provides us with those things, but because He Himself is all of those things -- He is life, peace, wholeness, security, joy and fulfilment.

For those of who are questioning whether Jesus really did come back to life after dying on the cross, I challenge you to read these posts on the case for the resurrection (which is a very strong one, by the way) from my church's Reason blog -- because nothing else matters.

Jesus promised that He is the Life we seeking for. All that Jesus promised was validated by the fact that He rose from death. Jesus is alive. Come and see that He is the real Treasure you are hunting for -- I hope with this blog is to show you how and why.

Coming next: Defining The Terms